December 2016

Merry Christmas! Well, the boys were up early this morning and had a blast and that is really all that I can say. We did a few things differently this year, but I will have to say, the boys absolutely loved the morning.

Instead of doing a lot of box store shopping, we shopped via Amazon and though it took a lot out of it, the convenience factor for my wife and I really played a big part in that. We also decided to cut back a little too on gifts and instead of doing for friends and family, that we would have people over for dinner.

As we get older and since I’m 7 years older than my wife, I’m more focused on time and spending quality time with someone than money on a gift. Throughout the past several years, we have lost someone before the holidays and it just seems that the reality that we will not live forever, just sinks in. Our first priority is and will always be the boys and making sure that they have a great Christmas, but everyone else will take a back seat and we will try to do something with people, not necessarily for them. For me, I would open my house and kitchen for anyone to come and spend time around the table and enjoy a meal with us.

For us, now that we have a bigger house, we are able to entertain more and have more people over and we really want the boys to see that there is more to Christmas than just gifts. So tonight, as we have wrapped up our second round of opening Christmas presents, we are home, I’ve just put the ham in the oven and the boys are playing with their toys. And my wife and I have agreed, that no more traveling on Christmas or Thanksgiving anymore, which almost made me cry and dance.

There has differently been a lot of reflection this year at Christmas, for a multitude of reasons. My Father in Law is getting remarried. The boys helped me put out luminaries last night, which for me, was my favorite thing to do at Christmas time. And honestly, the fact that the boys really understood Santa and the idea behind Christmas, that didn’t hurt either. I felt for the first time as a parent, that I got to really experience Christmas through the eyes of my kids this year and the innocence of the day.

So from our home to yours, Merry Christmas.

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Christmas Eve is one of my favorite days of the year.  Anticipation. Excitement. Memories of both my childhood and memories that the boys are making. Traditions are being made that I hope that they will be able to carry on throughout their lives.

This year, we’ll continue our tradition of luminaries and lighting the sidewalk and driveway with candles. We will begin to prepare for our dinner tonight, which will be chicken parmaisgn and homemade bread. And we will also be making some chocolate chip cookies for Santa later today as well. But the best part, we’ll be doing all these things together as a family.

Christmas is a time that we look forward to all year long & it is a time for reflection, family and a time to be together. So from my family to yours, have a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It is my wish, that not only does Santa bring you all that you were hoping for, but even more.

Merry Christmas

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I started the past a few days ago and I guess that I forgot to hit Publish! Which is really a key thing.
So, everyone is doing the Elf on The Shelf and honestly, for the last two years, the boys could have cared less. They just didn’t get into it, maybe for a day or two, but that was it. But this year, they are all about their Elf Chippy.

Like most parents, it is a challenge to think of new ways or places to put Chippy each night. But the reality of it is really simple, the boys are into it this year and it is keeping the more in line with their behavior. The boys missed behaved the other day and Chippy didn’t come back the next day from the North Pole and you would have thought their favorite toy had been trashed.

It is hard to keep up with doing this every night, but it is also a lot of fun to see the boys reactions when they see him or when they tell him good night. There is something very magical about Christmas, especially with kids. And one day, that magic will begin to fade, but today, right now and in this very moment, Christmas is real and it is provides the boys with hope for the arrival of Santa and the hope of new toys.

We have already started to go through certain toys and getting those out of the house and to children that are less fortunate in anticipation of new toys that will be filling the house very soon. So tonight, as we think about where Chippy will be flying off to next, we take a moment to watch the excitement of the boys faces as they look through the house until they find him.

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Today is a new day and it is for several reasons. The obvious doesn’t even need to be said, but late yesterday we got a letter from the boys physician to have Boy B to be tested for Sensory Processing Disorder and if you don’t know what it is or have never heard of it, neither had I, so take a read for yourself by clicking here.

This has been something that we’ve been dealing with for a while and there has been some improvements in his behavior and then some days, I feel that we take 3 steps back. But now, I feel like we have a direction. And with my son, he doesn’t hit all of the characteristics, but one of the biggest issues that we have been faced with is that when his schedule is changed at school, he really struggles to regroup and go with the change. His day is thrown off at school, not as much at home, but at home he can be upset for a period of time before transitioning into what we need for him to do.

So today, his teacher and the Occupational Therapist at his school are meeting today to formulate a plan based off of their observations and then we’ll all meet to discuss how to best help my son.  And please understand, outside of the change of schedule meltdowns, you probably would not even realize that there is something going on with him. He is a very normal child. He plays with toys and has a very interactive imagination, he loves to play with his brother and others, he enjoys drawing and telling stories and has even started singing, and he is actually ahead academically. But all that being said, he needs some help with his writing and fine motor skills and he needs some help with his behavior and how he adapts to changes.

I am still learning about Sensory Processing Disorder and trying to see what we can do at the house to also help him as well. The things that we can do in conjunction with the Occupational Therapist will only enable him to grow and learn how to be more successful.

So, today is a new day. A new day to embrace change and help for my son and help him learn to better cope with things.

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