HAPPY NEW YEAR.....

WOW hard to believe that 2007 is over...but I can say I am happy to see it go.

It has been a tough year for me health wise. I have been in pain since February, hoping in 2008 the pain finally goes away....we will then party.

My father passed out and came close to losing his ability to walk but thankfully he is fine and back to new.

I cannot believe how far Aviva has come in such a short year..going from Kindergarten to First grade...reading at a mid third grade level. WOW and she was a preemie imagine that.

She is happy and can you believe almost 7.

Spider worked as hard as usual but got a better security job...doing federal security...and does overtime so he can provide for his family and thensome.

He is my rock...he loves me for me and so not judgemental. He helps me take care the house because he knows how much pain I have been in.

He is a great father...tries his best to spend as much time as he can with Aviva..they play soccer and go bike riding.

I am looking forward to 2008...I know this will be my year...I am hoping to start my journey to a new me.

Wishing everyone a HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!!!

JUST had to share...

I love to create designs with Smilebox...it is so easy. I made one for Hanuakah and I guess the staff liked it because check this out....Celebrating Hanukah.

A BIT depressed...

My life has not been easy the past few months...tired of putting up a happy front. I just am not happy. These past few days I have been miserable.

My back hurts and I have been in pain since February (almost a year).

Tired of getting stares when I use a scooter at Target, Walmart or Publix.

I am tired of not being able to lose weight...and cannot exercise due to my back.

I feel miserable that I cannot be an active mom with Aviva....I want to run and be able to chase her.

But hoping things change as of the new year...we are starting new insurance (Beech Street) which is a much better plan then we have now.

Meds are cheaper.

Doctor visits are cheaper.

BEST of all the gastric bypass surgery (RNY) is covered. I know not everyone agrees with the procedure...but I see this as a tool that I NEED to HELP me lose weight.

I have been researching this procedure for a long time. I have found some great support groups with tons of information. I know the risks involved but willing to take the risks. You hear about the risks more then all the success stories.

Truly unless you have a weight issue you will not understand what it is like.

I have found a surgeon...the nurse coordinator is checking out my benefits and hoping to start with a consult in January...the sooner the better.

I am hoping for smooth sailing.

GRAINS of GRATITUDE...

I truly cannot believe this year is just about over...what a year it has been. I am happy to say it is over...was not a great one for me.

*Aviva had a great week...what a thoughtful, kind, considerate and special daugther I have...I am very lucky. What a big help she has been. This week has not been good for me with my back and Aviva is always right there for me. For that I got her a surprise...she started playing with Lincoln Logs...so I ordered and even bigger set for her and it came Friday (they told me not till after Dec 26th.). She loves it.

*The party in Aviva's classroom turned out really nice...some of the kids were to cute..saying it was the best day ever. And we surprised Mrs. G with a gift basket and gift card. She certainly deserves it...it has been a great year in first grade so far.

*Looking forward to the New Year and new insurance...there are things covered that were not with the insurance through Spider's work,..and looking forward to a new me in the upcoming year.

*I am thankful to my friends who are always there to listen...things have been difficult for me this week and love knowing I have someone to talk to.

*We are lucky to live here in South Florida because we are still in shorts and we spent a few hours at the park with friends today...was almost 80 degrees out and partly cloudy.

AVIVA is just so sweet...

and I must say I am very lucky to have her.

We were leaving school today and on our way to McDonalds (her Friday treat). And we were just talking about how her vacation started and how excited she was because soon grandpa was coming.

Then she goes mommy I know how bad your back hurts...I was like yes it does...so she goes we can stay home today and tomorrow so you can rest your back. I said Aviva that is very nice of you. She then goes I can also massage it for you.

Isn't that just so sweet...I am just proud that I am raising such a sensitive, understanding and caring child.

So tonight as we were watching Duel, she gave me a nice massage.

I am lucky to have her as my daughter.

GRAINS of GRATITUDE..............

This is the last week of school before Christmas vacation...and Aviva is off for 2 weeks...it will be a nice break...we can sleep in

*I am thankful for Spider this week...for working so hard and tons of overtime. He really is a great guy. And he has been cleaning the house and doing all the dishes knowing how painful my back has been this week.

*What a great soccer game Aviva had yesterday...I think all the practices and talks the coaches had with her clicked. She played great on defensive...she was not hesitant at all...she ran to the ball and kicked it with power. The coaches were surprised in the difference in her play from the game Tuesday..she ran and ran and then they put her in goalie..I was worried but she had confidence. She played very well..here is my favorite shot from yesterday.

*I lightening the candles. She also has started to learn the prayers in Hebrew. I love listening to her. It was a proud mommy moment.

*Aviva has been such a big help around the house and when we go grocery shopping..she knows where to find things and loves to go get the needed. She loves to help out knowing I cannot do much lately...the pain has been worse this week.

*Starting January 1, 2008 we will have new health insurance and I cannot wait. It has much better coverage then what we have now for doctors, surgery and medicines.

*Aviva has been doing so well with reading lately...and she is enjoying it more...she gets that from me. I love to read and I am glad she does too. She is doing well with accelerated reader tests too. It helps she is very happy in first grade and has a great teacher who motivates Aviva.

WHAT a GAME Aviva played today...

She played defensive...she ran down all the balls that came her way, got in some great kicks right to her teammates. She was a little spitfire today. She made some great saves. Then they put her in goalie for the last quarter...I was nervous but she did great...made some great blocks. Could not ask for a better day...warm, partly cloudy and 84 degrees.

MY favorite photos from Disney World....

Make a slideshow!

I know I promised...

I finally posted my trip report in pictures. You can see all 5 days of our wonderful trip. So come check out my trip report. Hope you feel like you are there.

Wait till you see the last day..some great pics of the gorillas and lions.

Thank you SHANNON....

She gave me this award. I am not sure if she realizes how important friends are to me so this is extra special. I believe at times friends are more important then family...at least that is in my case they are there for me more often then family.

Thank you Shannon...I wish you did not live so far from me. HUGS!

GRAINS of GRATITUDE....

It is hard to believe that in 22 days we start a new year and another new beginning.

*It has been a great week. I am so proud of Aviva...Hanukah started Tuesday night and she loves lighting the candles. She is even learning the prayers that we say in Hebrew. It is just great to watch.

*We also signed up for new insurance that will begin January 1st. I am so looking forward to this...it is much better all around and covers more things and better coverage for medicine too.

*Aviva is doing so much better in soccer. In her game yesterday, she made some great plays playing on defense. She got some good kicks in. They all played great...the other team had 3 girls that were giants compared to ours.

*My friend Jen had her baby, Jake Owen..and I got to visit with them yesterday and hold that beautiful baby boy. He is just to cute and so loved.

*Guess what only 24 more days till Aviva's birthday trip to Disney with Grandpa..but who is counting. She is definitely one lucky girl.

HAPPY Chanukah..

Make a slide show, scrapbook, or ecard

HAPPY HANUKAH....

Tonight is the first night of Hanukah...but first we had soccer and Aviva's team won 4-0.

Aviva loves lighting the menorah and spinning the driedal. Tonight she opened gifts from grandpa and grandma.

Just a tease...

Here are a few of my favorite pics from Disney..the first two came out the best....the first one was taken on the safari ride at Animal Kingdom while we were moving. Let me know what you think!

GRAINS of GRATITUDE....

It is hard to believe it is December already and it is suppose to be 84 degrees here. The year is almost over..it went by very fast.

*We are back from Disney World and we had an awesome time. We barely waited in line...once we waited for 45 minutes because Aviva did not want to get a fastpass for Soarin. The crowds were very light...the weather was warmer then normal. Aviva did Expedition Everst in Animal Kingdom and loved it...we did get out date night at California Grill which was delicious. We had a window table and were able to watch the fireworks over the Castle while we ate...cannot be more romanic then that. Now only 30 days till we go back for Aviva's birthday. And I took over 700 pics..havce to organize them.

*We met friends from my Disney group in Animal Kingdom....Jackie and her family from Canada. They are so sweet...they brought Aviva a gift. We were suppose to meet at 11 am at the Oasis we waited but they never showed...figured something happened. Well after we did some things and Aviva ate lunch we were outside the Safari ride...and some goes to me Are you Dori, I am Peter Jackie's husband. So we did get to meet a few hours later..but how funny was that. So we talked for a while and did the Safari ride together and talked more and then we all left together. I am so glad we got to meet.

*Yesterday Spider and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe it has been 11 years. He worked, that is why we celebrated in Disney.

*Aviva had her first soccer game yesterday...she did pretty well for her first ever game. Her feet were hurting and she wsas hot. It was very cute to watch.

*

FINALLY.....

we leave tomorrow morning for DISNEY WORLD...I feel like we have been counting down for forever.

We are staying at Beach Club Villas and cannot wait...they have one of the best pools on property...it is a sand bottom one and they have a lazy river.

And even better we have a date night..Spider and I are going to California Grill for dinner and Aviva is going to the Sandcastle Club where they give dinner and do lots of fun stuff.

We will be back Friday evening.

We definitely need this vacation.

UGH, UGH, UGH..,,

Well, guess what?

I am sick...I have a cold and lovely watery eyes. I had a fever last night but not now....this is NOT good.

We leave for Disney Monday morning.

Aviva wants to go to the park today...it is gorgeous out..and going to be warm.

I want to stay home..think she may win,
\
I am better sitting up then laying down,

And on top of it all Spider snored so horrible...

Have more laundry to do and we have to pack...thinking we will do that tomorrow.

Off for a nice HOT shower.

I went and did it...

I said it was time...

We are going away....

Our anniversary is coming up Dec. 1st...

So I decided I was cutting my hair...

Yes...it was time and needed a change.

So brought in a picture of what I wanted and she looked at my hair and said we have to cover those grays (uh oh).

My grays were covered after she cut off about 7 or 8 inches.

Then styled it, cut some more and did a razor cut...

It actually looks good and easy to do...still can wear it back with a headband.

I am happy with it...not let's see what Spider says.

Every girl should have their dream to dance...

come true...one woman who is a physical therapist started a dance company for girls with physical disabilities.

Check out these great girls. It will make you feel good.

GRAINS of GRATITUDE....

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is this Thursday, this year has flown by. The weather has been gorgeous, we had lots of park time.

*We spent many hours this week at the park with friends. Aviva can finally swing by herself...for so long I was trying to teach her to pump. But some friend Aviva made at the park taught her I guess better then I could.

*Aviva got her report card this week and I am very proud of her. She was at or above grade level in all academic areas...for social skills and study skills all one's the highest you can get.

*Aviva has had a few soccer practices now and she seems to really enjoy...she is a great dribbler..we will miss 2 practices when we are a way and the games start December 1st. Her team's name is the Fire and her shirt is red and black with black shorts and red socks.

*Hard to believe after all the planning our trip to Disney is only 8 days away...feels like we have been counting down for so long. Even better going to get to meet some people from my email groups. Now we just have to pack and do laundry and get through Thanksgiving.

*Thankfully we are all healthy and we will stay that way...nobody can get sick before our vacation.

I am in TEARS after watching The Today Show......

after watching this story. It is just not right for this to be going on. My goodness I do not know what to say I am so sad for these innocent individuals.

This is the video it is very very sad.

Click here for the article

I am very PROUD of myself...

I advocated for those who cannot.

I was listening to sports talk radio today, like I usually do when I am in the car. Yup I love sports.

But the host and program director were taking calls from fans. And they used the word retard..and everytime I hear that word it makes me cringe. It is like using a racial slur in my opinion.

I was pissed.

So came home got the number and called the station. I told the person I am very disappointed with the use of the word. So I emailed the host explained why that word is hurtful and should not be used.

Well, since I did not have the radio on, as I was in the house. He apologized on the air and emailed me back. I also emailed the head of the station since I cannot get through to the program director, the number is busy. But will keep trying, because he used the word too.

I feel good that I did this. It is wrong to use the word and if no one speaks up it will be used over and over.

A very sad story regarding MYSPACE.

My friend Anna shared this story with me...I am in tears thinking about it. It was a cruel hoax played on an almost 14 year old.

Something has to be done.

Click here to read the article.

Some laws need to be changed.

Interesting article SLOWER Brain Maturity seen in ADHD Kids.,,,

I saw this on Good Morning America and found the article on their website..it is defintely very interesting and something to think about.

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID AP Science WriterWASHINGTON Nov 12, 2007 (AP)

Crucial parts of brains of children with attention deficit disorder develop more slowly than other youngsters' brains, a phenomenon that earlier brain-imaging research missed, a new study says.
Developing more slowly in ADHD youngsters the lag can be as much as three years are brain regions that suppress inappropriate actions and thoughts, focus attention, remember things from moment to moment, work for reward and control movement. That was the finding of researchers, led by Dr. Philip Shaw of the National Institute of Mental Health, who reported the most detailed study yet on this problem in Monday's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Finding a normal pattern of cortex maturation, albeit delayed, in children with ADHD should be reassuring to families and could help to explain why many youth eventually seem to grow out of the disorder," Shaw said in a statement.

But not all children do outgrow the disorder, and co-author Dr. Judith Rapoport, also of the NIMH Child Psychiatry Branch, said the researchers are working to determine the differences between those that have a good outcome and those who do not.
Between 3 percent and 5 percent of school-age children are thought to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Dr. Louis J. Kraus, chief of child psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, said "what is really important about this study is it shows us there is clearly something biologically driven for children with ADHD."

Kraus, who was not part of the research team, said that with this finding no one can argue that children are making it up. "We don't know what the meaning is yet, whether it would change any type of treatment, but it is showing that there is something biologically different."
It is important that parents don't immediately jump out and want to get some type of MRI of their child's brain, or functional study to support a diagnosis," Kraus added in a telephone interview.

Shaw agreed: "Brain imaging is still not ready for use as a diagnostic tool in ADHD. Although the delay in cortex development was marked, it could only be detected when a very large number of children with the disorder were included. It is not yet possible to detect such delay from the brain scans of just one individual. The diagnosis of ADHD remains clinical, based on taking a history from the child, the family and teachers."

The research team used scans to measure the cortex thickness at 40,000 points in the brains of 223 children with ADHD and 223 others who were developing in a typical way. The scans were repeated two, three or four times at three-year intervals.

In both groups the sensory processing and motor control areas at the back and top of the brain peaked in thickness earlier in childhood, while the frontal cortex areas responsible for higher-order executive control functions peaked later, during the teen years, they said.
Delayed in the ADHD children was development of the higher-order functions and areas which coordinate those with the motor areas.

The only part of the brain that matured faster in the ADHD children was the motor cortex, a finding that the researchers said might account for the restlessness and fidgety symptoms common among those with the disorder.

Earlier brain imaging studies had not detected the developmental lag, the researchers said, because they focused on the size of the relatively large lobes of the brain.
The sharp differences were discovered only after a new image analysis technique allowed the researchers to pinpoint the thickening and thinning of thousands of cortex sites in hundreds of children and teens, with and without the disorder.

"If you're just looking at the lobes, you have only four measures instead of 40,000," explained Shaw. "You don't pick up the focal, regional changes where this delay is most marked."
Slowest to mature in ADHD children were parts of the front and side of the brain that integrate information from the sensory areas with the higher-order functions. One area lagged five years in those with the disorder.

Also participating in the study were researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Canada. The research was funded by the Intramural Research Program at NIH.
On the Net:
PNAS: http://www.pnas.org
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Love me some close ups.....

pictures that is....another gorgeous day and what cute models...it is Aviva and her friends.

GRAINS of GRATITUDE

Hard to believe another week has come by and we are that much closer to the end of the year...
the weather has been absolutely beautiful here what more could we ask for.

*We all went grocery shopping this morning and got to love those bargains...some of the snacks liked in my family were on sale like goldfish and ritz crackers...they were buy one get one free...worked out great since I was going to buy them for our Disney trip and now b1g1 free. Even better so bought them today and put one of each a way. It is much cheaper to bring your own snacks with you.

*We had a FUN day yesterday at that park.....Aviva play with her friends. We were there for over 4 hours....the fresh air was just what we needed.

*I handed in my project last Saturday...it consisted of 2 parts..the first was the schedule for the students and the second was the classroom design, I sent both in through the assignment dropbox...and it showed up that sent from there. On the first part I earned a 15/15. But for some reason she said never received the classroom plan. So I went back to check and there it was so copy and pasted the assignment dropbox so she can see I did do it. And resubmitted the plan so hoping to now earn an A.

*Aviva read a Judy Blume this week, I loved Judy Blume...she read The One In the Middle is a Green Kangaroo. It was a cute story..she liked it and laughed a lot.

*Only two more weeks to Disney...even bought a dress to wear on our date to California Grill. I cannot wait to go...Spider has been working so much and this gives us 5 days as a family with no interruptions.

FUN with FRIENDS at the park...

It was an absolutely perfect day here in South Florida...the weather was beautiful so off we went to the park. It was about 78 degrees with no humidity. You can not beat that. And got to practice with my camera I love it. What do you think of the pictures? Please let me know.