It's FRIDAY!

Nothing much on the agenda for the day, it's supposed to be raining, but I don't know because it's still too dark out to see. Maggie's class is putting on a little skit at assembly this morning, so I want to make out there in time for that, and we're going to the library after school. I was stuck inside from 9 until 2 yesterday because Cindy was getting FIOS, and someone had to be in the house while they were there. I did get a lot of little things done, though, which Cindy really appreciated. I can't say the same about the girls, though. I went through their rooms and playroom and threw out tons of stuff.

Nessa, hooray for getting your boot off! Just take it easy on that foot, though, so you don't re-injure it!

Schmoodle, I hope your ankle is better today. I can sympathize with you, I've broken the same ankle 4 times now, and it constantly gives me grief. Take care!

To everyone else, all around! Let's make it a good day.

good morning cottage-woohoo I'm #2 to post this morning. Hope all is well around the world today.

Good morning, Cottage and TK. Linda, I do hope Cindy gets over her FIOS quickly! What the heck is it anyhow?

Looks like a dull and maybe snowy/rainy day today - just right for driving to Ottawa - not! It's 34ºF and ice pellets at the moment but will probably get better later. Hershey tells me that the earth in the garden is thawed - she was able to bury her bone out there this morning and has a clay smeared nose to prove it.

We're hoping to be on the road by ten so have a great weekend.

Ruth, Have a safe drive to Ottawa this morning! FIOS is a type of fiber-optic service for super-fast internet, phone and TV, not a disease!

tk, whatcha doin' up so early today? I hope you get everything all straightened out with your DS, what a stressful situation!

I went out to water some potted plants and just couldn't resist the temptation to take my breakfast and coffee out there and enjoy it on the patio. It's overcast, but it felt so good! I noticed my lily-of-the-valley coming up, and just about everything else has little buds on them. Ahhh, Spring!

Good morning chicks!
I had FIOS once and it took forever to get rid of it.

It is nice here right now, although a little gray, but still warm enough to have the windows open. Which is why I'm up early, since my neighbor decided to run his compressor at 6:50. But it's Friday, so it's all good!
I didn't do my WATP yesterday and my ankle isn't aching right now.
Ruth, have a good trip? Sounds like you are going somewhere...
cottage, want to come do my kids' rooms? That's on my weekend plan, I can hardly walk in there anymore.
Good Friday morning to you tk!

Okay, time to get DD up and in the shower.

Schmoodle, just going to Ottawa but it'll be my longest drive since the operation so it's a bit of a big deal. I'm hoping my leg works when it's time to get out of the car. It'll be a nice relaxed weekend with my friend, her daughter and some other old girlfriends - and I do mean old! How the heck did that happen?

By the way, I adore your cat avatar. Took me a while to catch on because I sometimes whiz through.

Thanks for the explanation, Cottage. I must check for my lily-of-the-valley on Monday when I hope snow mountain will be gone. My day lilies are showing and I have rhubarb nipples out there plus chives and Welsh onions!

Come on, Spring, and don't give me that crud about snow or freezing rain!

Good morning... we almost once made the FIOS mistake... i love comcast... but i'm weird.

ruth have a safe trip...

this morning I go to court with DH for his accident.

more later...

cottage-every other week i'm up at 430 am to get DH lunch ready and send him off to work. Dh has been waking up DS just as early since this has happened so I can't go back to sleep because can't trust him. Now I've got to get DS2 up and get him ready and off to school. I am just so tired. I also have a cake to do today and a wedding cake to do for tomorrow. Oh, I'm just exhausted. I think I'm falling into a depression. Tried talking to DH last night about it but all he can say is that DS is just stupid and that's that. He doesn't listen to what I say so I went to sleep really depressed and it's just carrying on. I'm so frustrated and depressed.

Nessa, I hope you and DH have a good outcome from his accident!

We don't have FIOS, but I'm eager to see how Cindy's works out. Why didn't you like it, Schmoodle and Nessa? Jake really wants to get it, but I know the price will come down if we just wait.

Rhubarb!!!!!!! I adore rhubarb, and just about any way you can make it. My mother makes the best rhubarb custard pie in the world, and I will gladly go off-plan to enjoy a piece. It's a taste of spring!

Quick hey this morning. A bit of a "headache" going on this morning. Went to have "A drink" with a friend yesterday afternoon and it ended up being quite a few more than that. 3 Mango Marguiritas at one place and then 2 sex on the beach at another place with 2 extra shots of malibu rum in each. Couldn't help myself...the weather was gorgeous and we sat out on the patios at both places. My chest is sunburned and it was all worth it. Guess I've done my drinking for the next 6 months or so. Come on tylenol.

Okay, I stopped reading at the mango margaritas and went to my happy place There is a place in town that makes pomegranate margaritas and you can sit on an open roof overlooking the river. Of course you wouldn't want to do that yet!

All's well here and it's another Friday off. I will miss these when I run out of days off, unless the board adds a week to our total. Then I'll never run out

The sun is peaking through and making us think it will be nice out but I know the rain is nearby. We are going to run out and do a little birding before the downpours so I'll be back later for personals.

femme-my hubby says the best thing for a "handover" is either motrin or ibuprofin. We have 800 mg of it so it works. I don't drink but the way I'm feeling today, I think it would help.

TGIF, indeed!!

Cottage: I have to say I've never heard of FIOS - and would have thought she was sick if somebody hadn't asked before me! Enjoy your day with the girls - I bet they were shocked to come home and find Nanny Linda had thrown out all their precious things!

tk: I hope that today is a better day than it has been for you!

Ruth: Be careful on your drive, I hope that it's warmed up a bit. Enjoy your weekend with the girls!!

Schmoodle: Well, looks like we're both abandoning our night-owl-dom for the week. Sorry you were woken up so rudely. Hope you're able to have a nice, ankle-pain-free day!

Nessa: I hope that everything goes well for DH and court today! Enjoy walking around with your boot-less self!!

Cat: It sounds like you had A LOT of fun with your friend yesterday! At least it's Friday. Hope you don't have too many clients to work for this weekend. I'm passing you a bottle of water and some tylenol! Hope it helps!

Cyndi: Enjoy your birding and your day! Hope it's pleasant! Pomegranate margaritas sound YUMMY!!

Me: DH and I are in shock as it's the second day in a row I've woken up before 6 am to get in a nice workout AND eat breakfast before even thinking about showering for work. I hope it sticks. It sure is nice to get home from work and go straight to making dinner or cleaning rather than trying to do it after a 45 minute workout.

Not much going on here. Work, get home and clean the house, leftover Meatball Casserole, roasted zucchini and salad for dinner, and then Star Wars: A New Hope is from 7 - 10 pm. We will be lazy couch potatoes for that. At least I'll be able to work on my grandma's lapghan. I want it and one for my grandpa to be ready for them when I go visit on July 4th and I'm WELL ahead of schedule. Thank goodness.

Well, off to do the dishes and then jump in the shower! Hope everyone to come has a great day!

~Kim

TK - this is only my two cents, so take it for what it's worth. Counseling without your husband will not be nearly as effective as if you are all there. However, maybe you could try this: talk to your DH and say that you understand that he is opposed to going to a psychologist with your son, but see if he'll let YOU go to get some ideas for behavior management. BehMan is simply strategies to parent a difficult child. Your son will not be labeled, and he doesn't necessarily have to have a "problem" for its techniques to work. Potty training a child is simply behavior management. You have an issue you want changed, and you effectively convince the kid it's better to do what you want. Punishments are a behavior management as well. You just want to go to a psychologist who can tell you based on all kinds of experience the exact kind of behavior management you need for your son. Kids are definitely NOT stupid. They are manipulating you to get what you want, and often they don't even realize they are doing it.

It is sort of like us and food. At some point, we've turned to food for distraction/comfort and it hit the spot. At another later point, even though we know we shouldn't be doing it, we still continue to overeat and eat junk, even though we know better. We need to modify our behavior to fix that.

Ask your husband if it would be OK if YOU take your son for a few weeks just to get some ideas. No meds involved. However (THIS IS A KEY POINT) even though he doesn't want to go to the psychologist, ask if he will be a cooperative partner in the behavioral management. Ask if he is WILLING to fully put forth the effort to do the techniques, even if he doesn't think they will work. Tell him he can consider it a three month experiment, but he has to be just as dedicated to doing the techniques as you are. That is a key point, because your son will start playing you guys off of each other if your husband isn't on board.

That is not to say that behavioral management can't work without your husband's cooperation. In my experience, I found that my husband was not fully cooperative and would resort to yelling and punishing. I stuck to the methods, though - and my husband saw that there were better results with the new methods and eventually used them completely.

I was totally against counseling as well, which is why it took me five years to do it. However, the problem was that I did not understand in the least what it was all about. The doctor in no way labeled my son. In fact, he never even used the official name of what he had, he just used the adjectives "oppositional" and "defiant" and I did a search on it to find that it really did describe him.

I urge you to make some calls and find a psychologist who specialized in behavioral management of difficult children. It may be that your husband's PTSD has played a role in your son's behavior, but no child is defined by one set of circumstances. There are many other things that have happened in your lives that have affected him as well, and those things you can change. If you change those things and your husband still suffers from PTSD, your son can still improve.

As the psychologist said to me "Your son's behavior will not change unless you make it change". If you do not find a way to change him, he will be an adult acting exactly the same way. This isn't something your son is going to reason himself out of. It's about as thoughtful as saying your husband should just decide to NOT have PTSD and it should be gone.

OK, I"m stepping off of my soapbox now. Good luck.

It's Friday! The start of the weekend is just a few hours away.

Cottage I hope you enjoy Maggies skit. Breakfast on the patio how nice

Ruth enjoy your drive & be safe

Schmoodle glad to hear the ankle pain has eased

Nessa good luck in court

Cat sounds like you had a great time with your friend

Kim those early morning workouts give a great energy boost for the day. Since you can't eat a potato might as well be one - enjoy your couch time

TK & Cyndi

Well I am a bit upset this morning as the scale was not what I thought it would be. I was so good with my eating and exercising. Even though the scale sucked I was able to wear a pair of pants today that I haven't been able to wear for a few years so thats a +