Brief Hiatus :)

My apologies for the brief absence, lol!  Things have been busy around here.

The new placement is going well.  Alex really gets along with James and Joel.  Matthew is struggling a bit because Alex does not let him get away with his bullying behavior and need to be in control of everything all the time.  James and Joel just let Matthew have his way....not so much anymore.  It has been really good for me to see what areas Matthew still needs a lot of work in and also good to see how great James has been doing with learning "friend" skills.  I have to say I'm feeling a little odd about this placement.  Maybe because Im used to kids with attachment issues who were calling me Mommy after day one or overly affectionate.  Alex doesn't seek me out and frankly wants little to do with me, he doesn't really need anything other than food and clothes.  Im left feeling like a babysitter most of the time.  To be honest I don't think he even knows my name!  He's fairly well behaved and polite and so far isn't displaying any type of issues.  I guess I should just be thankful things are going well in all of those areas.

I got back last week from the annual BeTA (Beyond Trauma and Attachment) Retreat in Orlando.  Once again it was a great experience, I really had a chance to get to know a few more women and enjoy a break from all the kiddos.  Alex went to respite while I was there and that was touch and go at first.  He started pretending he was sick and didn't mesh real well with the older lady who he was staying with the first few days.  However by the end they had a great time!

We have been having some sleep issues with Alex.  He is up at 4am everyday.  James was sleeping in his room but the waking up early thing was creating all kinds of chaos.  I moved James out of the room, which Alex was really upset about claiming he was too scared.  Alex will continually turn the light on at night, which I finally conceded and let him leave on.  I will then turn it off when I go to bed, but at 4 am he has it back on and will refuse to go back to sleep.  The light was waking everyone else up and I was trying to get him to keep his door closed if he wants his light on.  He would close it and then ten minutes later open it back up, waking me and others up again.  He will drive his cars around the floor causing noise.  Ugh, last night I gave my boys Melatonin because things were getting cranky around here without them sleeping.  They slept through the morning crazy with Alex and things went so much smoother getting ready for school.  Not sure what Im going to do yet about this? Any ideas?

Hopefully Ill get another post with more details about my BeTA trip and respite up soon!

ORLANDO 2013

It's hard to put Orlando into words. Those of you that have been understand!

This year over 120 women gathered together in Orlando, FL. It is a time of fellowship, relaxation, rejuvenation and learning. Although my goal in attending this year was to soak up as much knowledge as I could to bring back to my kiddos I ended up finding so much more. Most importantly I learned the value in taking care of me! I'm of no use to my boys when I'm stressed and exhausted, which is pretty much my daily life as a single mom to three VERY active little boys ;). It doesn't mean I need to go on vacation 4 times a year or even an evening out every week, but it does mean I need to sit down and relax with a cup of coffee or a good book.....every single day!! I need to find something small to do for me everyday. Something that doesn't involve the boys, attachment, therapy, parenting, etc.
the other incredible thing about Orlando was the wonderful women I met. We all come from different walks of life, but all connect on the issue of raising kids from hard places. I know I could contact any of these women and they would be on The phone with me in a second!
So now I can go about my day, enjoy a cup of coffee and catch up with these great women all across the country (and a few of my favorite Canadians too)! I'm already looking forward to next year!

If you're interested in coming to Orlando in 2014 check out :

www.momsfindhealing.com


Hope to see you there!