Houston Texans Day

One of the most fun days of the school year has arrived. The school had a Houston Texans assembly, complete with Toro's entrance on a Segway. Those look super fun!



The kids were decked out in Texans gear and gushed about how awesome it was to see Toro and all the tricks he could do.

Red Ribbon Week....

This week is Red Ribbon Week at school to encourage the kids to Say No to Drugs.
Monday: Wear Red
Tuesday: Crazy hair and sock day
Wednesday: Go Texans day
Thursday: Camo day
Friday: Pajama day

So yesterday both of my kids chose red Super Mario shirts (surprise, surprise). Today I was really concerned that Caleb would not participate. It is always a big struggle when things like this come around because it is so far out of his comfort zone. BUT, this is the first year he allowed me to spike his hair. Jansen was all for it and wanted me to spray red paint in his hair, but Caleb was good with the spike, so I decided this was not a battle to fight.


I think it has a lot to do with his maturity...slowly but surely, and the fact that we got the list and planned out the whole week on Sunday. Caleb was able to pick out what he wanted within the guidelines, and we set everything out on the bar. He knew what to expect and so there were no tears. Actually, if we are being honest, he was even a little excited. He only asked once if other kids would have crazy hair, and I told him if they didn't, at least Jansen did as well.

He has often, in the last few days, come in to look at each outfit and remind himself of what day it is. This is so important for kids with Autism, and especially with Caleb. I cannot expect him to go with the flow. He is his own flow. So while we have been encouraging him to pick out his own things to promote independence and self-esteem, we have to remember that he craves routine and full awareness of expecations.

That doesn't mean that everything goes his way. He has to learn that life is unexpected. Life doesn't always go as we plan and we have to deal with it. He can't control others, he can only control himself and his response. So, this morning, I switched his socks. Obviously, he noticed, and I just told him I must have lost them and he can go pick out another pair. He did it, without batting an eye. That is progress.

Tomorrow the Houston Texans mascot, Toro will be making an appearance at school for a pep rally. The boys have their jerseys and are looking forward to seeing Toro up close and in "person".

Packing...

Yep, I am packing clothes again. I cannot believe that our cruise is next week. I am so excited!!!!! We have been looking forward to this for A YEAR! By the end of next week, I will be lounging in comfy chair with my feet in the sand and an adult beverage in my hand.

Quick cruise details: We are leaving from Galveston on Thursday Nov. 4 heading for Cozumel and returning Monday Nov. 8. I am planning on playing oodles and oodles of Bingo on the boat. For those of you who don't know me, I think I am an 80 year old lady sometimes because Bingo is the greatest game in the world!!!!! We will also be taking the dune buggy excursion to the beach for snorkeling, eating, and I will be climbing to the top of a lighthouse for a GORGEOUS panoramic view of the coast!!!

Also, it would really be nice to win a little money on the ship. I am not a big gambler but I do enjoy playing some slots. 8 years ago, we took an el cheapo cruise that was disastrous. Unfortunately, between the time we booked it and the time we sailed, I got myself pregnant. Big ship + 9 weeks pregnant= extreme nausea the whole time. So I headed to the casino to play some slots in hopes to win some cash. I had been betting the max (4 quarters) on two rolls of quarters, and on my last roll...I bet the max again. Unfortunately, I only had 2 quarters left stored in the machine and failed to put in the other roll I had in my lap......and I WON! BUT...if I would have bet the max, I would have won a couple thousand dollars....instead....$5 winner. What a bummer. So I quit playing.

Here's to hoping that doesn't happen again :)

10 days until the cruise
16 days until my surgery
31 days until Thanksgiving
34 days until the TEXANS GAME!!!

Bunco time!

Last night, I hosted Bunco at my home for 12 fun ladies. I love playing Bunco, and truly wish that I could make more time to play games (and indulge my inner child), but we are just too busy right now with the kids extracurriculars. So one day a month it is...and I will take it!

The menu of the night was chicken casserole, green salad, garlic bread sticks, and red velvet cupcakes.

These are cupcakes turned out sort of cute. They are red velvet with pink cream cheese icing. I also made the fondant dice, recipe at the end of this post, and desperately wanted to use edible markers to make the dots...to no avail. Procrastination is not my friend, because this week, no one in town had these markers. So I had a major MAKE IT WORK, Project Runway moment, and had to pipe tiny black dots on them. It turned out fine, and they were super tasty.

Fun times!

Now we are staring the Fall Festival right in the face. I will be decorating and setting up at the school all day, and tomorrow we will be ready to have fun. I am going to take the boys to play games and eat yummy food for the first hour, and then I will be working the Cake Walk for the second half of it. Caleb just wants to win a raffle basket :)

Marshmallow Fondant:
1.5 pounds of powdered sugar
1 bag of mini marshmallows
2 tbsp water
vegetable shortening

I used my Kitchenaid mixer (LOVE) so these directions will be according to it. You can knead it by hand, but trust me, you will want to use a stand mixer of some sort!!

Coat the inside of your bowl with shortening. Make sure you cover every part the attachment will cover, including your dough hook, because it will stick...BIG TIME. Microwave marshmallows and water for 1 minute. Stir before putting it into the mixer bowl and then add powdered sugar. Then turn on your mixer and leave it. That is the beauty of it. In a few minutes, you can take it out and knead it with bits of left over powdered sugar until you get a smooth, play dough type texture. Make sure you store it in an air tight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.

Surgery scheduled

So the doctor's office called and we are set for my surgery on Wednesday, November 10. I go for the pre-op visit on November 2, right before our cruise (Nov. 4-8). This means I pretty much have to come home and then have one day to unpack, clean, and cook before I will be out of commission for a while. I am just very happy that it is getting done in a month where we don't have a ton of stuff to do at the school, like in December, and that our Texans game is not until the 28th. We plan on being wild and crazy fans, so I had better be feeling good by then.

Oh Mr. Jack-O-Lantern....

My boys and my nephew created some Jack-O-Lanterns today...much to Jansen's horror. He and my nephew didn't want to take the junk out of the inside, but Caleb was really going for it. He didn't want any help...he just did it on his own.

Surgery

That's it folks. I was approved for surgery on Friday and I am ready to go. Although there is not an official date yet, the doctor says the week we get back from the cruise will be fine, so I am waiting on a call back from the office to put it in the books. Hopefully November 10, so I will be on the mend by Thanksgiving and the Texans game on the 28th. We are looking for me to be down for 2-3 weeks.

The plan is to have the house cleaned, a week's worth of clothes for the kids set out, a week's worth of meals cooked and in the freezer, and tons of pillows and soft outfits, and a list of all the kid's medications and activities written for Josh to follow. He is going to take off for the first week and then my mom will be in and out to help the second week, and by then, I am sure I will be up and moving fine. The doctor said to just get lots of rest in the first week and slowly build up. Good thing my dad has a walker from his knee replacement because I am going to borrow it!

Feeling nervous, but excited, and ready to go!