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.

Just had to share about my Grandfather .....

he is 97 years young. He is doing very well. He goes on the computer and sends email. He still volunteers with Variety charities for children. He is very funny too...it is just sad that we live so far from each other.

Yesterday, Aviva received a package from him...here is what he sent her.

What a DAY....

Well...let's start with last night Aviva's first soccer practice...She did much better that I expected...she was able to dribble the ball and pass with her partner...she seemed to have fun. They had a little scrimmage and did really well, almost scored a goal.

Ok on to today...I did not sleep well...it has been a few weeks since I had a good night sleep.

I dropped Aviva off at school and off I went to he social security office...lost my card so had to get a new one. So spoke to my friend and then Spider. Was going to make another call...so pick up the phone from the cup holder and it was dripping wet and I said oh sh**!

Yup it went for a swim....I left a cup of soda in there from yesterday and I guess what ever was left leaked and left a small pool in my cup holder. With out knowing, I placed my phone in the cup holder and then realized what stupid thing I did.

So went to Target to get somethings I needed. And the scooter I was using died in the middle of the store.,..thankfully they brought me another one.

Went home did some things and then off to the T-Mobile store for a new phone..got a Motorola W490 a new phone that just came out a month or two ago..I got it in purple. Money that I did not really need to spend, but what could I do.

Then at 8:15 tonight I realized that I TOTALLY forgot I had chat for my class tonight...I am just so pissed with myself. UGH UGH UGH. I really believe chat was Thursday have no clue why.

So that was my day hoping tomorrow goes better.

Having FUN with Smilebox...it is with music too....

Make a slide show, scrapbook or ecard

GRAINS of GRATITUDE...

Finally the wind has died down and the gorgeous weather is coming.

*Aviva had a great week at school...she is the top 2 in accelerated reader. She loves to read, so having incentives makes it easier.

*We spent most of the afternoon yesterday at the park. The weather was a bit warm but it is finally cooling off. This week is suppose to be gorgeous. We really need this...so we can open all the windows and air out the house.

*Spider got this soccer tool for Aviva and she loves to practice with it...it is a soccer ball on a bungee cord and then part of it goes around her waist. It helps with dribbling skills and how to do free kicks.

*I finished my classroom organization project...what a relief to have it done...it was not hard just time consuming. It was about schedules, classroom layouts and where the teacher and staff will be during each activity. I think I did a good job on it. If you want to see let me know. The layout could have been drawn better but it is the idea that I have for the room.

*Aviva was so sweet today. We got our food shopping done early. So we are just about done with the shopping and she wants to check the Hanukah items. Ok we went there. She wants a dreidal (think spinning top) so I said sure. So she wanted the wood one and it comes with two. So she goes grandpa celebrated Hanukah and I said yes. So she asked if we can mail it to him. I said yes. So tomorrow will mail it.

What a gorgeous day...

so off Aviva and I went to do some errands, get lunch and have a picnic at the park. While she had fun I worked on my Classroom Organization Project and I am proud to say has been sent to the professor. When Spider came home he took her to practice soccer. She came up all excited, because daddy let her jump in the pool with her clothes on and she came up wearing his shirt.

MY MODEL......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GABI by Aviva

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY GABI....

A very special girl I know is turning 8 today...her name is Gabi (click on her name to learn all about this amazing girl).

She has come so far in her short life.

She brings happiness and joy to her family.

So GABI we wish you a VERY HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY and many more!!

BIG HUGS GABI!