Guess were Daddy and Aviva were going this afternoon?

Yup they were off to the pool. It was about 88 or so degrees outside and very sunny so they spent some daddy daughter time together at the pool and I enjoyed the quiet.

I am very PROUD of AVIVA....

She has been bringing her Biscuit book to class. So on Wednesday she came home and told me she read the book to her class. I said where did you do that? She said everyone was sitting at the meeting place (the carpet) and she sat in the teacher's chair and read the book to the whole class. I was so impressed and proud of her. That is such a brave thing to do. I spoke to her teacher on Thursday and said she was very impressed with Aviva too. Aviva is doing so well in class she said. She loves to spell words and is always asking how a word is spelled.

Being RIPPED off...

Well, it almost happened to us...Spider went to take my Jeep in for an oil change to Meineke. They check out the car and did the oil change and then proceed to tell Spider that there are problems with the coolant and transmission fluids. And he called me to tell me this. I said cannot be, I just spent $372 at Midas in June and I know they did a good job. So they went on to tell Spider things of what is wrong and wrote it out. I said do not let them do anything we will bring it back to Midas this morning which we did.

We spoke with the manager at Midas and explained the situation. He was very nice and helpful. He said he would check everything out and test the fluids and show us. He came to us and said there is nothing wrong and showed it to Spider. All the fluids were good and nothing floating in them like Meineke said there was. We were mighty pissd off and now we know why most of the Meinekes here have shut down. They lied to us and I bet countless others. Now, we have to think what we are going to do about this situation.

Finished a book from the reading challange...

It was very good and I could not put it down. It was The Pact by Jodi Picoult. I highly recommend this book. It was well written and you felt like you were there with the characters. It is a difficult subject but Jodi Picoult did a very good job writing about it and not exploiting suicide.

If you need a good book look for this one.

What is happening in this country.......

We may not all agree with the war and sending our men and women to another country but they should at least have a right to a respectful funeral. But that is not happening in different places across this country of ours. Reading this article made me very angry. I first heard about these protest on CNN and thought something has to be done. These people protesting are angry at the freedom we have in this country and are taking it out on our service men and women who deserve all possible RESPECT because they lost their lives for our country. The bill is H.R. 5037 this bill will make this illegal but Kentucky believes it is going to far with freedom of speech.

I believe in freedom of speech but these evangelical religious activists are taking it way to far. If you do not like laws then when it is election time speak out but not at a funeral.

HOT, HOT and even more HOT...

Yes, I know I live in Florida but man will it ever cool off. I was up before 7 am this morning and already 80 degrees out. Yesterday was a high of 93....but the humidity is the killer here and the strong sun. The worst is pick up time at school for Aviva...that is when the sun seems to be the strongest. I cannot wait till the high is in the low 80's :), well wish it will be in the 60's but this is Florida. The cool months usually are December and January. I sure hope it is cooler this year.

Here is our weather for the next 10 days....it says high 80's but then add the humidty and it is YUCK!!!

Fall into READING....

Knowing how much I love to read...I found this challange at Callapidder Days. So I am adding myself to this challange.

I am going to read these books and more.

NON-FICTION

Jonathan Kozol: The Shame of the Nation

Kathy Harrison: One Small Boat and Another Place at the Table

Catherine Maurice: Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family's Triumph Over Autism

Dana Buchman: A Special Education: One Family's Journey Through the Maze of Learning Disabilities

FICTION

Jodi Picoult: The Pact

Debbie Macomber: 6 Rainier Drive (read all her other Cedar Cove Series books)

Luanne Rice: Angels All Over Town and Sandcastles

Jonathan Kellerman: Rage

Kim Edwards: The Memory Keeper's Daughter

I probably will read more but this is what I have home now and I am already started with Jodi Picoult's The Pact. So far very good.

AVIVA is FUNNY....

she goes to me..Mommy I cannot wait to watch tearing down the house (Extreme Makeover Home Edition) to see Ty. Then goes oh (this when I was looking at her) and his buddies. She loves to watch the show especially if they send the family to Disney.

Then she comes home from school Friday and goes Mommy you will be happy I did not kiss anyone today. So I am very happy to hear that. She told me that Wednesday she kissed a boy in her class. I did tell her that she is not allowed to kiss until she is married.

She is 5 1/2, what am I going to do with her.

GRAINS of Gratitude......

I started this after I found it on Christine's-Brady Bunch blog.

Here are mine for the week:

1) That we spent Spider's birthday together as a family and we celebrated by going out to dinner.

2) Aviva is not coughing like she was Monday...the albuterol syrup really helped even if it made her like an energizer battery.

3) I am actually getting my papers for school done and not waiting for the last day to do them and getting 5/5's on them.

4) That I have the time to be able to volunteer every week in Aviva's classroom and be one of the three room parents for her class. Next year I will be teaching and want to help as much as I can this year.

5) I am very grateful for my husband. Spider is patient, loving, caring and an amazing father. He works so hard for us and never complains. He is a talented reggae musician. He sings, dj's, plays keyboards and writes his own music and lyrics. He and Aviva have such a great time together...they both love to watch Spongebob and laugh hysterically when they do. They love to tell secrets to each other and just have fun.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPIDER!!

Yup the old guy turned 43 today!!! Hard to believe this is the 13th birthday we spent together. We had a nice day...Spider slept a lot since he did the overnight. But we spent the day home together and the 3 of us went out to the Outback Steakhouse for dinner tonight.

Check out the wink by Aviva....

The love between a father and a daughter....

Celebrating Rosh Hashanah...

Growing up we celebrated Rosh Hashanah basically the same way every year. First off, all Jewish holidays start the sundown before. So that night we would have a nice dinner...usually chicken, veggies, soup and challah (a type of bread). But the next day (the holiday is 2 days) we would go to Synagogue and pray and then pray some more as well as hear the shofar. After services, we would noramlly go to a friends house for a late lunch and spend time with friends.

Another thing we believe is that from the start of Rosh Hashanah and to the end of Yom Kippur we believe if we do good we will be written into the Book of Life.

Tonight starts the Jewish New Year...

what we call Rosh Hashanah. I want to wish all those who celebrate a VERY HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SWEET NEW YEAR.

Pictures from PINWHEELS for PEACE...

TODAY is.....

Pinwheels International Day of Peace 2006 and they are celebrating at Aviva's school today. Each child in art made a pinwheel and are going to put them all over the school. I am going to volunteer today, so I am hoping to get some pictures.

Come check out these amazing dancers LOL...

Can you guess who these hot dancers are? They are really good. Maybe should be on Dancing with the Stars.

PLEASE SIGN a petiton for ....

a Google Doodle for Preemie Awareness Day. We need to bring more attention to the rising rate of premature births in this country. It is important that we make pregnant women aware of the causes of premature birth, though not every preemie has a reason for being born early. I know that for a fact...we do not know why Aviva was almost 2 1/2 months early.

Preemie Awareness Day is 11/14.

Second bad cough and first trip to the doctor..

since Kindergarten started. Last night I felt so bad for Aviva.....she sounded like she was coughing so bad that she was going to throw up or cough up a lung. I have been giving her Triaminic Night Time Cold and Cough and the strips in the day. She was coughing some this morning but wanted to go to school :). So off she went and I made an appointment for this afternoon. Her teacher called to say Aviva has been coughing all morning but not complaining. So I went to pick her up at school. She came for a few hours before the appointment and barely heard her cough. But when we went to the Ped..she was coughing when he came in the room. Thankfully not in her lungs but her nasal tissues are swollen that is why she is snoring and it is very bronchial. So now on Albuterol Syrup (flavored with strawberry) 3 times a day for the next 7 days. If not better in a few days also have a script for zithromax. Hoping she gets a good night sleep tonight because Ped said no reason she cannot attend kindergarten tomorrow. But she wants to watch Deal or No Deal tonight one of her favorite shows.

And some sleeping pics of my 2 favorite people....first two are from yesterday they fell asleep like that for a nap, and last is from Friday night she was watching TV with the pillows on the floor.

GRAINS of gratitude....

Today I post five things I am grateful for over the past week....this comes from Christine.

1.) I am grateful for the success Aviva is having in Kindergarten and how independent she has become. This morning she got up early did not wake me, got dressed and got herself breakfast. Ok, it was not a breakfast but she tried it was Philly Swirl ice cup.

2.) Spider saved us a ton of money by fixing the dryer and not needing a service call.

3.) I am grateful for the friends that help my family out when I have no one to watch Aviva. It is hard to be here without family.

4.) I am grateful that I will soon be given the opportunity to volunter in an ESE class.

5.) One of the most grateful things is that for the first time in so VERY long that we sat down at the table as a family this whole week and ate dinner. It made me feel really good inside. Spider has not been home for dinner for months and now that his hours changed we are trying to do this everynight.

HORRIBLE and SCARY....

I saw this on the news this morning and again just a few minutes ago on CNN. How can someone do this to a newborn baby girl. This poor family must be out of their minds with worry and fear. Let's keep them in our thoughts and prayers.

Aviva is such a sweetie pie...

She came home from school...since it is Friday she gets Burger King. Ate and watched TV. She saw how hard daddy was working on fixing our dryer (which he did and saved us a ton of money). So on her own she went to the kitchen, got a glass and some bottled water, found the Tang drink mix. Decided daddy needed a drink...so she made him one and brought it out to him. She was just so proud of herself, and who would not be.

Daddy was beaming with pride and joy as well.

My Aviva won an award in Kindergarten...

From Mondays to Thursdays Aviva's class does Literacy Centers, the students are grouped together (2 to 4 students to a group for the 8 centers). They do two a day.

Well, Aviva and her partner were working so well all week together and yesterday after they finished stamping words and drawing the picture for each word...they independently knew what to do. They mailed their teacher the work they did and then went on to the next activity without asking what to do. I happened to be in the class yesterday (volunteer on Thursdays), and the students were all asking what to do when done, where does the work go but Aviva and J knew exactly what to do and were neat. So after centers they were presented with the QUALITY WORK AWARD because of the work they did for the week. They both were so proud and I was one proud mama.

Aviva just loves getting up and going to kindergarten which makes it so easy for me. The other day I was ready to take her and our next neighbor (I watch their son on Tues. and Thurs) who has been taking her was not out yet, so when I told her I was going to take her she cried and cried (imagine that). So he came out and asked if he wanted me to take her so I said sure. The smile came on Aviva's face so fast. Aviva is growing up so fast. She is doing so well in class, but has to remember to raise her hand and not call out. And she came home with the cutest book called a keepsake book they get to keep. Even better, I place her first book order with Scholastic Books...bought to much, but can never have to many books.

So does anyone besides me watch..Dog, the Bounty Hunter?

I am sorry I think this is crazy, to arrest The Dog. I understand the law but it is from Mexico. Meanwhile, the bounty he was going after in Mexico, Andrew Luster was convicted of such vile rapes and is serving 124 years in prison. How come when criminals from other countries come here they aren't being sought after. I wonder what will happen. I just think it is plain wrong (JMO) come on. Mexico has so many other problems then to arrest Dog (I lived there for 3 years).

I this is a terrific idea to help out......

teachers get to live in certain areas. Because prices of houses in some areas are ridiculously priced for a teacher's salary.

It is important to get teachers into areas where they are needed and cannot afford the salary. One I area I can think of is Naples, FL where the average price of a house is $500,000. Which definitely is not affordable on what a teacher makes per year.

How much do you know about 80's music

So how well will you do? Let me know!!

You Scored 50% Correct

You are a solid child of the 80s You'd never confuse Tiffany from Debbie And while you may not know Prince's first #1 hit You know every word to Little Red Corvette

How Much Do You Know About 80s Music?

Joseph Patrick Shea...47, Pelham, NY

2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11.

On September 11, 2006, 2,996 volunteer bloggerswill join together for a tribute to the victims of 9/11.Each person will pay tribute to a single victim.

We will honor them by remembering their lives,and not by remembering their murderers.

I am honoring JOSEPH PATRICK SHEA.

Joseph Patrick Shea was a loving son, brother, father and husband. He was married to Nancy for 16 years and they had 4 wonderful children. He was one of 5 siblings. Sadly for the Shea family Daniel James (Please read Danny tribute here), Joe's brother was alongside him during this horrible tragedy on 9/11. They both worked for Cantor Fitzgerald, Joe was a senior executive. Joe did everything to get Danny to come work at Cantor Fitzgerald even though there was a clause for nepotism. But being Joe he approached the board of directors asked that they disregard the policy and they did. Joe was also on the board of directors for eSpeed.

But there is so much more to Joe. He was loving, caring and a very generous man. He was a coach for his children's baseball and hockey teams. According to his mother in law he never missed one of their games. Joe was an excellent father and had so much love for his children. Joe was a kind man and very religious...again his MIL said that he was just an amazingly warm and caring man.

Joe was a man that many admired and loved and those in his life were very touched by who and what he was and stood for. And I think it is such a loss for all of us who will never get to meet this wonderful man.

Kaitlyn his niece states "Joe was a caring, hardworking, honest, and loving man. Anyone who knows my Aunt Nancy or their 4 children can tell you that."

According to Bill Reynolds from the alumni relations at Georgetown University, Joe was an active alumnus who showed his love for GU in many ways. He was very involved in the Alumni Admissions Program, the Wall Street Alliance., the support he gave to athletics and attending reunions.

I will be keeping the whole Shea Family in my thoughts and prayers. I never knew Joe but I sure wish I was able to. What an amazing man and what an amazing life he lead. We should all try to be our best to honor Jospeh Patrick Shea.

Never ever shall we forget.

Here is a link to read more tributes: http://www.dcroe.com/2996/?page_id=2

Links to other tributes to the Cantor Fitzgerald Family: http://2996cantorfitzgeraldfamily.blogspot.com/2006/09/linking-lost.html

Resources:

http://www.dcroe.com/2996

http://tinyurl.com/qhlof

http://www.thehoya.com/news/092101/news3.cfm

http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/met_MISSING_1008_shea.html

http://www.wallofamericans.com/php_files/wall.php?action=person_info&id=555

Grains of Gratitude....

I found this off of Michelle-Big Blueberry Eyes blog so I am adding my 5 things I am grateful for:

1. I am grateful for how well Aviva has been doing in Kindergarten and how much she loves school. She started kindergarten with knowing no one in her class and has made many friends.

2. I am grateful because tonight was the first night I can remember that Spider and I sat down at the table and had a delicious dinner.

3. I am grateful that I am almost done with my master's and I can go out and teach and advocate for children who have special needs.

4. I am grateful that we are happy and healthy and have been through ups and downs and still have a happy marriage.

5. I am grateful for the friends I have in my life. They help me through the difficult times and help me with Aviva when I need it.

Do you know what is nice?

Meeting a mommy IRL (in real life) from one of your email mommy groups.

Well I had that oppportunity this evening along with Aviva. I met my friend Crystal, her son and DH. They were vacationing down here and we were lucky to meet up for dinner tonight.

She is so sweet and has they CUTEST baby you can imagine and has the such beautiful eyes. It was like we have known them for the longest time and we actually just met. Aviva just chatted and chatted because she had an audience. She loved the baby and was happy to get to play with him when we were done with dinner.

It is so nice when you can meet someone and they are just so nice and you feel comfortable with them. Crystal was just that. When we got in the car, Aviva already asked when can we see them again. I had to explain that they live far away but hopefully we can meet again soon.

So if anyone is coming my way ever let me know and I would love to meet up with you.

The IEP Meeting....(freebie at the end)

Hmmm is what I have to say. Now I have been through these before...as a parent and as a teacher so it is nothing new to me. I really wanted to hear what they had to say before I made my comments.

They started off with her present level of performance..which according to observations and informal testing she is doing well. It surprised me about what they said about her number skills...she counted independently to 10 with her teacher (but not sure what they asked...she can count to over 100). They said she had issues one to one correspondence but I know she can do that she does it with me..which I explained.

Then they commented on her drawings..they are simple and do not show much detail...to me is fine...she does not like to color, I believe more like a chore for her so that explains that.

According to observations, she is a very happy little girl and enjoys being in school. She participates in large and small group activities. It is apparent Aviva likes to please her teacher and tries very hard. But had been observed that she does not like loud noises and Aviva is loud, so not sure about that. I know does not like the vacuum but that is it.

She follows the classroom routine with verbal prompting (this was observed the 2nd and 3rd week of school). She can follow a visual schedule. They said given verbal directives Aviva requires redirection (I found this hard to believe too, and if you know her you would too..with me or anyone else she follows directions w/o a problem. Sometimes need to say it more then once because she is not listening or does not want to do it..which is normal). And she needs reassurance that she is completing a task correctly, but being in the class now I see most of the children are like that.

So after that they came up with 2 goals:

ANNUAL GOALS:
1. Aviva will be able to independently follow one step verbal direction the first time it is presented to her with 80% accurancy in 3 out of 4 trials across school settings.

2. After directions are given, Aviva will independently attempt new tasks in 3 out 4 opportunities across school settings.

There are short term instructional objectives for each using different levels of prompting. They believe she will meet these by December when we meet again.

But what is funny is she can do all these things and was doing it last year. And I did say that but they did not observe it...lets think it is a new school, new teacher and knows no one in the class. Maybe that plays apart in it..but I kept that to myself.

On her IEP it says that she will not receive services but there will consultation between teachers. Also, if you go into the classroom this IEP I bet can be applied to almost all of the children.

So going to wait and see, I know Aviva and she will show them!!

FREEBIE: http://www.kashi.com/changes/%20PromotionLanding%20/default.%20aspx

Twenty Five years ago today...

I celebrated my BAT MITZVAH. My entrance into being a Jewish woman. It is hard to believe it was that long ago. One day I hope to celebrate a Bat Mitzvah with Aviva. It is a joyous celebration.

Here I am on the bema at my synagogue:




Pointing out my name...


I am here with my dad and my grandfather who is now 95!

Headache, Headache go away...and a bit of good news......

It has been a very long day. I woke up this morning with a horrible headache. Thankfully, my neighbors graciously offered to take Aviva to school with their son this morning. Made it a bit easier for me. On top of the headache it basically has rained all day here in Florida. Hoping I sleep better tonight.

Some good news....my July trip to Disney is booked and we are staying at Boardwalk Villas http://allearsnet.com/acc/faq_bwv.htm also check out the pictures at the site too ..I cannot wait. We can take the boat to Epcot and MGM. And has a great pool and located in a great area. Hoping my SIL from Jamaica can come because I want to treat her to Disney. Imagine she has never been. I broke the news to Spider we are going back again for the 3rd year in a row the week after Thanksgiving and staying at Port Orleans French Quarter http://allearsnet.com/acc/faq_po.htm check out the pics there too..it is nice and small. We are meeting friends there and eating with them at 1900 Park Fare with Cinderella. And we will celebrate our 10th Anniversary there as well (Dec. 1st).

Does anyone want to join us for our Disney trips? And still have 2 more one is a surprise for Aviva and the other is to see my dad, his wife, aunt and uncle. The more the merrier. Or I am a good planner if you need help!

Some new creations I made on this rainy day....

I think I am going to make the top one into a poster and frame it.

YOU have to watch this video....

These guys are good..not my type of music. But heck check out what they do on the treadmill. They performed it live last night on the MTV Video Awards. I was impressed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQjcUrepo5o