Going to Need Bigger Binders

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So one of my major tasks for this summer is to get Little Bug’s paperwork all in order and to make sure he is making progress.  Well, how do you do that when all of you paperwork is in a box and all out of order.  Simple! Get it organized.  Doing that not so simple.

First of all I needed to pull out those binders I have other stuff in and get moving on this.  I emptied out several binders I had and went through a ton of paperwork and organized them all into binders for each of the school years past.  At the moment, everything in the binders is in the correct binder, in chronological order and every sheet is dated on the bottom right hand corner in pencil.  This at the advice a good friend whose helping me understand all this.  And by the way I am eternally grateful.  That photo shows you where I am right now. Not too bad although those don’t include any of his school or homework assignments yet.  I still have them in a box and need to incorporate them. Once that’s done, I’ll start indexing them.

Here’s what I’ve got left to do:

documentation homework

Yep, I’ve got to get that paperwork into that binder. Not gonna happen till I get some bigger binders.   Once that is done it will be time to create an index and tab each and every separate document.  Yes, it’s a lot of work but going to be well worth the effort and it is something I should have done ages ago.  If I want to make sure Little Bug is getting an appropriate education I need to know what’s going on and track it and I can’t do that correctly if I don’t keep everything in order.  So that’s my goal for this summer and from here on out.  Once the hard part is over, keeping up with it should be much easier and less time consuming.

But as you can see I am well on my way to getting and staying organized with all the special needs documentation.  So glad I kept EVERYTHING :)

So, how’s your documentation? Is in it order or in a box like mine was?  Can you find what you need when you need it?

On the Horizon

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sunset on cape cod 1
So where have I been and what’s coming up for AMomBlog?  Well, as this this school year comes to a close I look back and wonder if my kids made the progress they should have?  Has it been a good year emotionally, physically and educationally?

I’ve got a task on my hands this summer to make sure I do more learning.  Learning to be a better advocate for my son (I’ll keep you up to date on that one too.)  and help my children progress where the school has failed them.  With classroom sizes increasing if a child doesn’t “get” something no one is going to wait on him/her to do it.  Teachers have to keep on moving and if your child is the one left behind then that’s the way it is.  That’s just the sad fact of public schools.  So, we will be working away once again this summer.  I am bound and determined to continue the learning process and want to make sure my kids get continued “quality” time from me.  Contrary to what they’d like, they aren’t going to be in front of the t.v., computer or video games.  Momma’s got stuff in store for them. lol

As far as blogging goes I’ll be putting in my time on my blog around the kids so I guess it will be happening in the evenings.  But there are a few things on the horizon for you to be on the lookout for.  In fact, I’ve got a couple of pending reviews and a couple of really cool giveaways that you will not want to miss out on.  Can’t wait!

What are your summer plans?

Creative Commons License photo credit: Michael Mase

Have I Forgotten How to Be Mom?

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I was reading a blog post the other day and she was telling about a breakdown she had.  The post really made me think cause after all she went through, the stress, the supermom mentality, the not cutting yourself some slack and feeling guilty for taking a quick nap during the day one comment she made really hit home.  She said the problem was she’d forgotten how to be mom.  She was trying so hard to be supermom being mom got lost somewhere along the way.

I really felt like she was talking about me.  Maybe it happens to a lot of us moms.  We wear so many hats during a single 24 hour period we forget to take the hat off and enjoy the ones we are doing it for.  Yes, I spend way too many hours here in front of the computer (at least that’s how it feels sometimes).  I don’t think I’ve had a full night’s sleep since oh somewhere back in early 2000 before my first child.  I spend everyday running back and forth to the school making sure my kids have what they need when they need it.  I work from home, when I can get the work.  I drive back and forth to therapy session after therapy session, dr. appts, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, washing clothes.

And you know I wish I could just half of that time sit and play with my kids without my brain telling me, “you’ve got dishes to do”, “you’ve got laundry” and “fix the beds”, “go through that pile of papers on your counter” and on and on and on.

Yesterday, Princess was home ill with me and I was as usual having to run here and there and back and forth and then I realized we only had another couple of hours alone just her and me.   I spend so much time caring for Little Bug’s needs that Princess doesn’t get my attention hardly at all.   She reminded me of that the other day in the car with her, “you like him more than me” comment.  I tell ya that one hurt.  So, I forced myself to turn my brain off for a little while and that nagging voice in my head that reminds me of what I need to do and she and I sat together on the couch, snuggled up under a sheet, snacking on chocolate ice cream and watched Little Bear and Olivia on the DVR.  It felt so good to bond with her.

Last night after we said our said prayers and our goodnights I told her how much I enjoyed sitting on the couch eating ice cream with her, she smiled really big and said it was the best day ever and I was the best mommy in the whole world.  Yes, it choked me up.

I guess I was guilty of it too.  I was so busy trying to be SuperMom (not succeeding at it though) that I forgot, Princess and Bug don’t want SuperMommy, they just want “mommy”.  Now to just tell my brain that and slow down and enjoy the babies I have and love dearly.