What this blog and I are about.

I've taken a few days off of blogging to help give the giveaway post the attention it deserves. I love doing giveaways for my readers, and love receiving new fans this way. I do believe it's a great way to expand ones fan base, while also bringing awareness to a specific thing.

While I realize that not everyone will go back and read all the posts, it would be nice if most people know what made me start this blog. So, I'll do a quick summary here :)

My best friend, Ange, has a BEAUTIFUL 5 year old daughter who just so happens to have something special. You see, she has Down syndrome. I started reading through all of her old posts on her blog and, the more I read, the more I loved her. Emily is simply beautiful. She's inspiring. I've learned so much from her. So much about Down syndrome, that I've come to appreciate the differences. Any time I had a question, I was able to ask Ange without her getting offended. And some of these questions I was SURE would strike a nerve. You see, I was seriously ignorant when it came to Ds. I just didn't know. While there is still a lot more left for me to learn, I know much more than I did even a few months ago. Even though I've never met Ange or Emily face to face, I support them 100%, and have told a few people off who chose to talk ugly about Ds. I've also taken the time to clear up some misconceptions (there is no such thing as having a 'slight' or 'major' case of Ds). Spread the word to end the word is also on Facebook.

While Ange and I were talking about Ds and about my sons issues (Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Sensory Processing Disorder) and she encouraged me to blog about my life with AJ's issues and also Gianna's (Hereditary Spherocytosis). It would be a good way to get the word out about those issues, and also provide me with an outlet to get things off my chest. You see, I love my kids to the death, but I don't always like them. I realize that makes me sound like an awful mother, and I'm okay with that. My children know I love them. They know I will go to the depths of hell for them (after all, they do have cookies!), but they also know that there are times that I cannot tolerate their nonsense. It isn't that I don't like them, I don't like their behavior.

My son has slowly been spiraling downhill, and I'm slowly losing my patience with him. I have been trying so hard to get him treatment. We have tried many different medications. We've tried diet modification, to no avail. Behavior modification. Punishment. Withholding toys. Withholding video games, outside time, even making him do extra chores when he acts up. Nothing is helping him. We finally have an appointment with the Mental Health Clinic at the end of this month. I am hoping that they have some ideas on what we can do. I know they will work with him. So, I shouldn't worry. But I can't help but have that voice in the back of mind that screams "THIS WON'T WORK!! YOU'VE FAILED HIM!". I refuse to accept that. Somewhere in this angry 6 year old is my sweet baby boy, longing to emerge again. I miss my baby. I want him back. The baby boy who wanted to cuddle at every opportunity. The baby boy who hugged me and told me he loved me, just because. Not the 6 year old who hugs me and says "Mommy? I love you!" when he steals from me. That's the only time I get affection, when he does something wrong. I refuse to submit my son to feeling like this. I refuse to not get my baby back. He's in there, and I am going to get him back.

I started this blog for my sons issues, hence the name. I have decided that it wasn't enough to just leave it to be about him. Having a blog solely about his issues would make him seem so much worse than he is. And I do not want that. I want an outlet where I can come to, to not only talk about the troubles we've had for the day, but also to talk about his accomplishments. But, not just his accomplishments, and his problems. This is an outlet for me to come to and talk about anything. About my 9 year old's bossy ways and her fantastic chorus performances. About my 16 month old's new milestones and about her health problems.

I am expanding to reviews and giveaways, as you have seen lately. I am working on getting more things to review and would like to also be able to do more giveaways. I'm looking into more family friendly things, as well. Children's items, things to help out around the house, etc. I am loving this blogging experience, and really wishing that I had gotten into it sooner. I finally feel like I'm being useful, and think I have found what I love to do. Unfortunately, it's not a job that pays out well. Maybe one of these days!

In the meantime, I am here and I'm not going anywhere any time soon. I would love to hear feed back from my wonderful readers. Comments are always welcomed, and they are encouraging to read. I'd love to hear how other parents of children with SPD, ADHD, and ODD do on a day to day basis. I'd love to hear what works for you. I'd love your ideas on what kind of products you'd like to see reviewed and have giveaways for. Any questions on anything? I'd love to answer them as best as possible!

Oh, a little more about me:
My name is Kristen. I am 28 years old. I am a mother of 3. I have been with my husband for almost 13 years. We have been married for almost 4. I am passionate about breastfeeding and car seat safety. I am not against formula feeding, but I am against not educating about yourself the differences between the two. I believe everyone should be fully vaccinated unless they have medical and health issues that prevent them from being so. I believe in keeping children rear facing for as long as possible. I believe in keeping them in car seats as long as possible. I love babywearing and love to have my daughter riding on my back in our Boba 3G, or on my chest in our Baby K'tan. I don't always cook fully nutritious meals. We are a very picky family, so I make what we eat. Or rather, I might order out often. My older children both attend public school, and Gianna will as well when she's old enough. I stayed home with my older 2 while they were small, until they were around 7-9 months old. With Gianna, I am continuing to be a SAHM because of her health issues. I don't have a ton of friends. The friends I do have are here for me when I need them. I don't hang out until all hours of the night. I enjoy Facebook, and playing Call Of Duty on the PS3 with my husband.