Excitement is in the air

My First Attempt....

My mother would be proud. I, for the first time in almost 10 years, am making my first attempt at reading a book. Whew. I don't read. I never really have been a reader, but I thought, you know, it never hurts to try and do something knew to better yourself, right? So, my lovely neighbor Heather (thank you Heather) let me borrow her Twilight book.

So far so good. I remember for me as a child it was challenging to read because I never really "enjoyed" the book. So I would read it as fast as I could just to get it done (usually I had to for school). Then when I would finish a page I would realize I didn't comprehend anything I just read! I thought maybe I had a bit of a.d.d or maybe I just didn't like reading all together. So then I would read to myself out loud and that helped a lot.

I am on chapter 3 now, and I think I can do this! So for all you readers out there, if you can make a suggestion for a book for my husband to read while I am reading this one, I would greatly appreciate it, because it is really hard to read when he is talking, watching tv, asking me questions etc! Maybe if he had a book of his own it might help!?

Circus

We went to the circus last night but unfortunately we didn't take our camera. It was amazing! If you haven't ever been to the circus I would highly recommend it. They put on quite the show!

When we got there we were looking for a parking lot to park in. We found one just south of the Energy Solutions Arena. When we found out they didn't take a card to pay for the parking we were just about to leave when the lot attendant told us to please not move our car for just a minute. Then, the next thing I knew there was an elephant crossing the road headed into the ESA! He didn't need much guidance, just waddled along by himself as if he knew where he was going already. It was so cool!

Oh and one more thing. There was a really cute little family that sat in front of us that had two adorable little girls. I couldn't help but notice how cute she had their hair styled. So of course I had to ask her how she did it. She told me that she actually found a blog that is just about doing little girls hairdo's and I should check it out. Here it is http://www.girlydos.blogspot.com/ .
I love some of the stuff they do! So if you have a daughter and need some ideas, check it out!

I Feel Your Pain Buddy!

New Britney

Check out the new Britney song that hit the radio today! Click on the pic. What do you think?

I like it!

Going to the Circus

We aren't supposed to have the kids this weekend, but Nick and I decided that we wanted to take the 4 older kids to the Circus on Saturday. I haven't been to the Circus in years! I don't really even remember it to be quite honest, but I think it will be fun. Kayden wouldn't understand it so my parents volunteered to take him while we go. I think it will be something fun for a change and something the kids will remember. And we all know I am all about that! Hopefully we are close enough that we can get some good pictures!

Night Terrors

My apologies in advance for the long post but I really found this interesting.....

Night terrors, what are they? Where do they come from? Why do people have them? Before this weekend I really didn't know the answers to any of these questions. Let me rewind a bit and give you some history.

Nakoa, our 6 year old boy, has been experiencing night terrors for well over a year now. To be quiet honest, at first I had a hard time believing that this was indeed a true disorder and that Koa was actually having these episodes and not just acting out, or doing something to get attention. You see, he has been through a lot in his short little life with divorce, being separated from his dad, moved around from house to house etc. etc.. Maybe this was just his way of telling someone he needed some attention, right?

The episodes are very hard to handle because it is extremely difficult to console him and get him to calm down. In fact, he is usually pretty successful at waking up the entire house before he is done. He will wake up, sit up in bed, scream, cry, walk around deliriously, even talk to you (even though half the time he doesn't make any sense), and the entire time he is asleep. In the morning when we would ask him about what had happened the night before his memory would draw a blank. Then I began to wonder "How can you not remember something that intense?"

Well, this weekend, Nick and I decided it was time to start reading.....

Nick found a very interesting website that was put together by a grown man who suffers from night terrors. The site is http://www.nightterrors.org/. What I read not only made me feel horrible for being so intolerant of Koa's spells, but made me feel awful for him and what he has been experiencing for months and months, even years now. Here is some info from the site:

OK, so first off, what are the symptoms? Sudden awakening from sleep, persistent fear or terror that occurs at night, screaming, sweating, confusion, rapid heart rate, inability to explain what happened, usually no recall of "bad dreams" or nightmares, may have a vague sense of frightening images. Many people see spiders, snakes, animals or people in the room, are unable to fully awake, difficult to comfort, with no memory of the event on awakening the next day. Although night terrors can occur anytime in a persons life span, the most common is reported in children between the ages of three and five.

Night terrors have been shown to appear in stage 4 of sleep. This is just one thing that separates them from nightmares which can occur anytime in sleep. It is possible to make a night terror occur in some people, simply by touching or awakening them during stage 4 of sleep. Why night terrors occur is still a mystery. The mind is supposed to be practically void during the deeper stages of sleep. Most sufferers will awake gasping, moaning, crying but more often screaming.

Breathing rapidly they will sit up in bed with a wide eyed terror filled stare. This panic will often last anywhere from five to twenty minutes. I find the most amazing aspect of night terrors is that it generates a heart rate of 160 to 170 beats per minute. This is much faster than the normal heart rate that can be attained under most stressful circumstances.

Some things that can help bring out a night terror are stress, medications that affect the brain, (It is hard to list exactly which ones) being over-tired or eating a heavy meal before going to bed. Combining all of the above I can usually guarantee an occurrence for myself. Many different medical ailments contribute to the frequency of Night Terrors. (Once again to many and to hard to list, Please do not e-mail me to have one added.) The listed items DO NOT cause night terrors, they just seem to put your body into the state where a night terror can manifest itself. People without night terrors will not have a night terror just by trying the above.

There seems to be a common thread in how night terrors manifest themselves. Many people who remember the night terror have talked about seeing animals or people. Most people describe the person that they see as dark and shadowy and feel that the person is going to hurt them. Quite a few people see snakes and spiders. At first I thought people were seeing only things they are afraid of during waking hours. After more research I found that only a small percentage of people were afraid of what they see (in night terrors) during waking hours.
Some people remember the Night Terror. Some don't. There is no explanation to why some have no recall of the events during a Night Terror. If you are told by a doctor that the fact you remember your night terror it must not be a night terror, find another doctor.

Many people have written me to disagree, but I have found the best method of controlling someone during a night terror is to hug and reassure them and tell them that everything is all right. Agree with what they are saying and doing. Sometimes it is not possible to hug them. Don't try to force physical contact. DO NOT yell at them or tell them they are only dreaming as this seems to only upset them even more. Move objects that can injure the person out of the way. This method seems to work better in children rather than in adults. (Adults are a little more physical) The most important thing to remember is that someone having a night terror does not know what they are doing. Make sure that there is not anything nearby that they can hurt themselves or others with. It is perfectly safe to wake someone who is having a Night Terror. Please be gentle!

It is also interesting to note that two other disorders, sleepwalking and bed wetting, are experienced during stage 4 of sleep. (Don't e-mail me and ask me about those disorders though.) Even more interesting is the fact that all three of these sleep disorders often run in families. My father only realized he had night terrors after I started researching the subject. Some families will dismiss night terrors as nightmares and grow more and more upset blaming the problem on television or other before bed stimulus. Episodic night terrors DO NOT signify psychological problems. Don't ever tell the subject that nothing has happened. It is OK to tell that person, the next morning, they had a night terror. It is however not advisable to notify children the next morning if they do not remember.

As I continued reading the site I found an article from a woman whose son has night terrors. She lists some things that can help lower the risk of having an episode, and eventually says that helped cure her son. Some of the things she suggests are:

*** Stress plays a major factor in NTs. If your child goes to bed later than normal, has a busy, event filled evening, or doesn't have a nap or at least a rest time during the day, this could lead to a NT. Try to devote an hour before bedtime for "cool down." For Tyler this meant a nice warm bath, listening to lullabies, reading books or snuggling with mommy and daddy. Don't try to put your child to bed overly tired. It sounds crazy, but the more tired they are the worse the NT can be.

*** Heat is another major factor in NTs. You may notice your child sweating when he is having a NT. This is common, however if the child is hot when going to sleep, it will be worse. We always kept a window cracked in our sons room for fresh air. We dressed him in light-weight, 100% cotton pajamas. During the hot summer months, he just wore a diaper or a diaper and T-shirt. No feet in the pajamas! He had several NTs when he was screaming something was biting his feet and we found him pulling on the feet of his pajamas. If your child must sleep with a blanket, make sure they are not wrapped up in it or it is not too hot. We used to give Tyler a cotton receiving blanket or light crib blanket. When we came to bed we made sure the blanket was just over him, not wrapped around him to the point that he was "stuck."

*** We used a noise machine in his room at night. This is a machine that can be purchased at any major department store for $35-$75. This machine emits a steady soothing sound. This helps the child in transition from REM sleep to deep sleep. Again, during the summer months, the window air conditioner did the trick. These machines can have a variety of sounds, from ocean, wind, waterfall, birds, lullabies. You can pick what your child feels most comfortable with. It is soothing for adults too!

*** We gave Tyler KID Chamomile. This is an herbal remedy found at your health food store. I have done a lot of research on drugs vs. herbs and found that herbal remedies, while not being as strong or quick to react, have much lower side effects and are not usually habit forming. There are many herbs out there for use in relaxation for children specifically. Again, with trial and error, you have to find the one that works best for your child. It also is not an overnight cure. It takes about a week of doses to begin working. We gave this to Tyler about an hour before bedtime.

*** Do not give a child Benadryl to help NTs. This drug is for allergies and the claim that it helps with NTs is because the side effect of Benadryl is drowsiness. It is like an adult taking night time cold medicine to help sleep when they are not sick. You should never use a drug just for the side effects.

*** I also did alot of research on aroma therapy. I found that lavender was very calming for Tyler. I burned a lavender scented candle in his room for about two hours before bedtime with the doors closed. I used Candle Scents from Glade. When I put him to bed, we blew it out. The aroma stayed in his room almost all night. During the day I used a light ring with lavender essential oil. This is a terra cotta ring that fits over a light bulb in a lamp. You put a few drops of oil in the ring and then on the bulb. The heat from the lamp heats the oil and fills the room with lavender aroma. Very relaxing.

*** Never try to wake your child up during the NT. Even though they may talk to you or react to what you are saying, they are actually asleep. They will not remember the NT the next day. We used very soothing words with Tyler. Like, "Everything is ok, mommy and daddy are right here, we love you", etc. Sometimes when that didn't work in calming him, I would try to divert his attention by asking him questions very directly like, "Where is the kitty cat?" or "Where is you Elmo?" I tried to stay as calm as possible. The more excited and loud I got, the worse it was for him. Try to adjust yourself to what your child is asking for. If they don't want to be held, don't hold them. If they ask for you to hold them, hold them. Don't just assume that since your child is screaming they want you to hold them.

*** Don't dwell on the NTs the next day. Don't ask about what the child remembers. This may scare them because they really don't remember, but your descriptions may scare them. Try to limit your conversations to outsiders about your child when the child is present. Your child my feel guilty and confused about keeping you awake which adds to the stress which makes the NT worse. It's just a vicious cycle.

*** Also remember that pediatricians do not know a lot about this condition. There is no blood test to diagnose it and no prescription to cure it so in most cases the answer from them is that it is normal and they will grow out of it. I think that if more of their children had NTs they would be more willing to help with finding the cure.

*** All of these things in combination have helped in "curing" Tyler of his NTs. He has not had any since late July. We have stopped the chamomile, lavender and noise machine. We do, however, make sure he has a rest time during the day and calm evening and we still dress him lightly and use a light blanket.

Now that I know a little more about what Night Terrors are, and some of the recommendations to help Koa, I feel a lot better about the situation. Hopefully it truly is something he will grow out of, and some of these things will help him in the mean time. Next time something like this happens, I will do the research before I come to any conclusions on my own. :)

Nightmare at 823 Update

I LOVE this time of year! I can't help it, I can't help but go crazy and go all out. It's too much fun!

Nick and I have been to several halloween stores to get some new props, decorations, ideas for this years Haunted House "Nightmare at 823". I have found some bargains let me tell you! I know it's still over a month away but I want to start building it now! We got all of the flyers printed out and are going to have the kids hand them out this weekend.

Ke'alohi handed some out to her class last week and we got a phone call from one of the students moms. I called her back to see what she needed and she told me she didn't have questions really she just wanted to say how impressed she was that we take the time to put something like this together and that her and her husband love Halloween too and wanted to be involved! I thought that was so awesome. Then she told me her husband actually does theatrical make up for a living! OK, can you say SCORE! So, now we have more people to be in it, and someone to make us look awesome!

Stay tuned for more!

Weekend Update

So far we have had a very chill weekend at home with just Nick, myself and Kman. I woke up yesterday and Nick sent me to a 2 hour spa package at Mainspring Day Spa. It was marvelous. You spend the first hour in a hot tub and sauna, and then the second hour you get a full body massage. By the time you leave you are jello! I love my husband and how thoughtful he is! MWAH.

Then, we went shopping yesterday and got some fun stuff for the Spook Alley and some jeans for the girls. It was nice to just hang out alone without kids and get some good quality rest in.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Tagged

I've been tagged by Chrissy to tell 7 quirky things about me. So here it goes:

1. I am obsessed with Halloween. Alright, I admit it geez. I go a little overboard but I can't help it! I don't know if I do it more for me, or for my kids, but I have so much fun doing it that it doesn't really matter. This will be our 3rd annual Spook Alley, and I can hardley wait. I started planning it in February!

2. I like my oatmeal cold. When I make instant oatmeal, malt-o meal, or any kind of hot cereal, I cook it like normal with hot water, microwave it, whatever. Then, I put it in the freezer. I won't eat it til it's cold. Call me crazy, but I love it!

3. I only wear shoes with a heal. (unless my husband has talked me out of it) There is something about being taller that gives the affect of being skinnier, at least in my opinion.

4. I am legally blind. At least this is what my eye doctor tells me. My husband was blessed with 20/15 vision (20/20 is perfect) and I have 20/200. I can see about 12 inches in front of me, beyond that it's blurry.

5. I love the smell of books/magazines. I know, it sounds gross, but at least I don't eat glue or something weird like that! I am anemic, and people with low iron crave weird things or like weird smells, it's strange really. My friend's mom used to love to chew on newspaper. Now I think that is nasty. I just want to smell it ok, cut me some slack?

6. I had to wear head gear until I was a sophmore in highschool. I thought it was bad enough I had to wear braces from 6th to 10th grade but head gear? I cried, I'm talking balled my eyes out, when they told me I had to have head gear to correct my overbite. Actually, even today at age 26 I still have dreams I go to work with it on and forget its there til someone points it out to me. I think I am scared for life.

7. I LOVE LOVE LOVE being pregnant. From start to finish, I love it, the whole process. I could be pregnant my whole life.

Now that you know how wacky I am, lets find out more about Shayla, Marci, and Lorina! TAG YOU ARE IT!

Random Question....

I have been in deep thought the past few days about the whole world of "divorce and child custody" and I thought I would just throw something out there to see how others feel.

Put your self in this situation. You are a mom, in the middle of a divorce, and you have children with your spouse. When it comes down to custody of the children, you know for a fact (no doubts whatsoever), that your children would have a better quality of life with their dad. Not just financially, but better all around. The children's father has made it very clear he would love custody and the chance to give the kids what they need and deserve - even if that mean it was temporary until you could get to a point where you were able to take the children back.

Then, to make the decision even harder, your children are very vocal that they would rather live with their father. The relationship between you and the father is very civil and there is great communication between the two of you. Because of this, it would make it easy to set up extra time with the kids and a reasonable visitation schedule, extended Holiday visits etc.

As much as it would hurt, and as difficult as it would be, could you make the decision to let them live with their father? Would you be willing to even consider it?

Can you say WOW?

Alright, did anyone see the VMAs last night? Well I missed them but I read all about it today during my daily celebrity gossip binge. All I have to say is WOW! What a turn around Britney Spears has made. She looks fabulous! It's nice to see her healthy and back to looking hot as ever! Check it out for yourself:

It's Coming.......