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Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
more on the weather...
BURRR is all we can say!!! The freezing subzero temperatures are taking its toll. Friday morning we woke up to finding out that school was closed because it was TOO COLD and then we realized the we had no heat in the house! Apparently the 25 below zero night had frozen our pipes, so we had no heat. We thought we were doing the right thing by having our thermostat set to go down to 65 degrees at night while we slept and to come back on up to 73 at 5am. But when we got up, the house was frigid. We have a comfort zone heater to supplement our heat to save on fuel but we soon found out that since the heat is set for 73 during the day that the furnace does not kick on and circulate the heat for hours while the house cools down to 65. The hot water stayed dormant in the pipes while the 25 below cold air was busy freezing the pipes in the front section of the house. Because the way the house was built 15 years ago, the builder placed the pipes too close to the outside wall of the house causing the pipes to be more exposed to the elements. Thankfully, with the supplement heat, the natural gas fireplace downstairs and the thermostat being left turned up downstairs helped to keep the house warm during the night, but it was not enough to keep those pipes from freezing.
When we got up in the morning, my dad came over to check the furnace, which was fine. When we could not get the heat to circulate upstairs we called a heating specialist who came over and informed us that we had a frozen pipe somewhere and speculated that it was on the front wall of the house, which by the way, is precisely where our 52" plasma tv is mounted on the wall, along with all the wiring for it installed in the wall and all of the in-wall speakers. It's also the wall where my computer and work files are and other tons of wiring for the house! So first things first! Sean had to take the day off from work to figure this all out. Andrew was home from school, so that added to the need for help. Unfortunately, since I could not take the day off from work... we were doing an "inaguration page" test run for the front pages of the newspaper for next tuesday and I had to be there while the press was running it off and we had to do color correction (it's a historical day, you know, and we are trying not to screw it up) It's my responsibility to be sure it goes as smooth as possible along with getting ads and other pre-press things finished before the weekend. The newspaper does not stop for frozen pipes! So anyway, Sean was left to take care of it all. I brought Matthew to preschool (which was thankfully open) and headed off to work. Sean had to prepare for the attempt at thawing the pipes so he had to move as many things as he could since there was a chance that the pipes would burst! BUT it's not like you can just take the tv off the wall. If the pipes burst, we would have a lot of water damage. He worked at it all day and was instructed to go slow with a blowdryer since thawing too quickly would cause the pipes to burst. Finally, I could get done work and come home to help. No sooner had I left from work when Sean said that he got the pipe unthawed but that for some reason the water was spraying out from the furnace pipes. He called the heat guy back and he came over and replaced a valve that had blown on the furnace because of the built up pressure in the pipes.
WOW, got to love the weather around here! We were lucky this time and now we've learned that when the weatherman calls for below zero, we have to keep the heat up! So much for trying to save on fuel! We figure that it's not worth trying to save a few bucks on fuel since it would cost us MUCH more if our pipes froze, exploded and damaged all of our belongings! Lessson learned.
When we got up in the morning, my dad came over to check the furnace, which was fine. When we could not get the heat to circulate upstairs we called a heating specialist who came over and informed us that we had a frozen pipe somewhere and speculated that it was on the front wall of the house, which by the way, is precisely where our 52" plasma tv is mounted on the wall, along with all the wiring for it installed in the wall and all of the in-wall speakers. It's also the wall where my computer and work files are and other tons of wiring for the house! So first things first! Sean had to take the day off from work to figure this all out. Andrew was home from school, so that added to the need for help. Unfortunately, since I could not take the day off from work... we were doing an "inaguration page" test run for the front pages of the newspaper for next tuesday and I had to be there while the press was running it off and we had to do color correction (it's a historical day, you know, and we are trying not to screw it up) It's my responsibility to be sure it goes as smooth as possible along with getting ads and other pre-press things finished before the weekend. The newspaper does not stop for frozen pipes! So anyway, Sean was left to take care of it all. I brought Matthew to preschool (which was thankfully open) and headed off to work. Sean had to prepare for the attempt at thawing the pipes so he had to move as many things as he could since there was a chance that the pipes would burst! BUT it's not like you can just take the tv off the wall. If the pipes burst, we would have a lot of water damage. He worked at it all day and was instructed to go slow with a blowdryer since thawing too quickly would cause the pipes to burst. Finally, I could get done work and come home to help. No sooner had I left from work when Sean said that he got the pipe unthawed but that for some reason the water was spraying out from the furnace pipes. He called the heat guy back and he came over and replaced a valve that had blown on the furnace because of the built up pressure in the pipes.
WOW, got to love the weather around here! We were lucky this time and now we've learned that when the weatherman calls for below zero, we have to keep the heat up! So much for trying to save on fuel! We figure that it's not worth trying to save a few bucks on fuel since it would cost us MUCH more if our pipes froze, exploded and damaged all of our belongings! Lessson learned.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Blogging about the weather!
Well, at this point we're ok with winter. With all the snow, we've found ways to really enjoy this winter... so far anyway. We've had to buy the boys new sleds since the one sled cracked in half and the other just isn't fast enough according to the boys. So now they have 2 new sleds that we tested out in the fresh new 4-5 inches of snow from last night. This was that fluffy snow so it was no good for building anything with. They boys did enjoy building their snow fort the last few days from the snow from the last Noreaster that we just got a few days ago. The forecast for that storm was calling for about a foot of accumulation but since we had a mix of sleet at one point, it kind of packed it down a bit. It didn't help much with shoveling since it made it quite heavy. But with all of the snow we've gotten so early this year we have yet to see any grass below since after Halloween. Thankfully the boys really enjoy playing outside and now that We're ALL winter equipped with snow pants, new boots and long johns, mittens, hats, scarves and anything else to help keep us warm, we can actually try to make the most of our long winters. I refuse to subcome to the "cabin fever" that I've suffered the last few years. Forcing ourselves to get out no matter how the weather is, is a goal for this year. So today we took a trek out into the woods near our house down by the river. There had been a snowmobile that made tracks for us in the deep snow so it was a bit easier going. I would have loved to have had some cross country skis. Wearing those boots in the deep snow pulling the boys on sleds is a great workout though. It was so beautiful out there in the winter. People had been snowshoeing out there and there were lots of animal tracks for the boys to follow. Matthew was a little concerned about mosquitos so we had to explain that they don't live in the woods in the winter and then came the questions about the bears. We had to remind him that the bears hibernate in the winter so not to worry. Last summer when we went out to the trails the mosquitos were so thick they could carry you away... even doused with bug spray. But it really was nice to get out in the freshly snow covered trails with the sun shining through the trees. Thankfully Andrew is still young enough to drag along in his sled, because otherwise we would have never made it as far into the woods as we did. I think at one point the boys were laying on their sleds and were falling asleep!
Besides the weather, we're really struggling to find a place to send Andrew for the summer school break. It seems like any program that we've found is either not enough hours during the day or it is just not the right program for him. The last few programs we've looked into were more like just a babysitting service. For the money that we'd pay, it just does not seem like a worthwhile investment. We're better off to hire a teenager to come over every day. We know that it is quite beyond our control, since in this area there are NO programs available for a child like Andrew. There are many camps in our area but nothing that is full time summer care that is accessible for Andrew. These programs are for the average child and include activities that would not be possible for him to participate. It seems like the older he gets, the less there are for options. Besides just having a place to send him to be looked after for the summer, we're also running into the issues of where he will receive his summer services. We anticipate that he will definitely have PT during the summer but we plan to push for OT also. His academics are suffering since he was behind to begin with, so the ideal program for him would have to be an "educational" summer program... but good luck finding such a thing around here. I know that kids look forward to summer break but we want Andrew to have the most educational experiences that he possibly can now that he's too young to realize the it is "summer vacation". I think the only other option is for us to stay home and work with him, BUT, it's just not an option. It's awful to say that our jobs have to come first... it's sort of like a snowball effect. We can't take the chance of taking summer off from work, mostly because we can't afford it financially, but these days you just can't risk the possibility of not having a job at all. I just don't know what everyone else in the world does in the summertime. Where do all of these kids go in the summer. I assume that they must go somewhere but it seems like everyone I talk to has the same problem. Our community really has to do something about this. Everyone talks about the kids that get into trouble when they can't keep busy, But do you see anyone providing a place for all these kids to go. It may be that just because we're new to this that we just have to learn, but where else do you go, who do you talk to. But realistically, there is no place for Andrew. He needs structure. He needs that 1:1 attention. He needs the education. Never in a million years did we ever think that it would be this difficult to just have someone take your child for the summer months so that we can work. Nothing like making you feel like a horrible parent that there is nothing you can do about it except to just keep trying. In the end I'm sure it will work itself out. But like everything else, nothing with Andrew is simple. It's always a fight to get him what he needs. But we are his advocate and that's what our lives consist of at this point.
Matthew on the other hand is getting excited that he will be going to kindergarten in the fall. It seems so far away but yet so close! He can't wait for kindergarten. He wants to ride the bus. He wants to go to the big school. He wants to pick out his backpack. He wants to have all of his own school supplies and when he visits Andrew at school he goes right to the art area. Andrew told him about art class and Matthew cant wait. Andrew has told him about lunch time and recess and seems to really love school, so now Matthew can't wait! It's a good thing that Andrew rarely argues about going to school. I think that this year has gone by so smoothly so far. It's really unbelievable that he likes school this much still. Matthew has decided that he wants to be a runner like daddy. So we told him since he is good at riding his bike and running, that all he has to do is learn how to swim and he can be like Uncle Jay and run in the Iron Man Triathalon when he gets older. How amazing would that be. It would be so good for getting out his energy. So when the next enrollment for swimming lessons comes up, he will be there.
Speaking of, Sean has really been getting into the running. He goes regularly and has these little spikes that hook up to his shoes so he can go in the ice and snow too. He's trying to convince me to do this marathon in vermont this spring. It's in May and is a 5 leg marathon. He actually thinks I will be ready to do the first leg by May, yeah, whatever. I plan to try and it's something that he really wants to do together. but I really don't think my body can take it. So now it's on... I HAVE to keep active and motivated. He's trying to suck me into his "healthy life", but I swear I will NOT give up chocolate, potato chips or Mountain Dew... I swear!
Besides the weather, we're really struggling to find a place to send Andrew for the summer school break. It seems like any program that we've found is either not enough hours during the day or it is just not the right program for him. The last few programs we've looked into were more like just a babysitting service. For the money that we'd pay, it just does not seem like a worthwhile investment. We're better off to hire a teenager to come over every day. We know that it is quite beyond our control, since in this area there are NO programs available for a child like Andrew. There are many camps in our area but nothing that is full time summer care that is accessible for Andrew. These programs are for the average child and include activities that would not be possible for him to participate. It seems like the older he gets, the less there are for options. Besides just having a place to send him to be looked after for the summer, we're also running into the issues of where he will receive his summer services. We anticipate that he will definitely have PT during the summer but we plan to push for OT also. His academics are suffering since he was behind to begin with, so the ideal program for him would have to be an "educational" summer program... but good luck finding such a thing around here. I know that kids look forward to summer break but we want Andrew to have the most educational experiences that he possibly can now that he's too young to realize the it is "summer vacation". I think the only other option is for us to stay home and work with him, BUT, it's just not an option. It's awful to say that our jobs have to come first... it's sort of like a snowball effect. We can't take the chance of taking summer off from work, mostly because we can't afford it financially, but these days you just can't risk the possibility of not having a job at all. I just don't know what everyone else in the world does in the summertime. Where do all of these kids go in the summer. I assume that they must go somewhere but it seems like everyone I talk to has the same problem. Our community really has to do something about this. Everyone talks about the kids that get into trouble when they can't keep busy, But do you see anyone providing a place for all these kids to go. It may be that just because we're new to this that we just have to learn, but where else do you go, who do you talk to. But realistically, there is no place for Andrew. He needs structure. He needs that 1:1 attention. He needs the education. Never in a million years did we ever think that it would be this difficult to just have someone take your child for the summer months so that we can work. Nothing like making you feel like a horrible parent that there is nothing you can do about it except to just keep trying. In the end I'm sure it will work itself out. But like everything else, nothing with Andrew is simple. It's always a fight to get him what he needs. But we are his advocate and that's what our lives consist of at this point.
Matthew on the other hand is getting excited that he will be going to kindergarten in the fall. It seems so far away but yet so close! He can't wait for kindergarten. He wants to ride the bus. He wants to go to the big school. He wants to pick out his backpack. He wants to have all of his own school supplies and when he visits Andrew at school he goes right to the art area. Andrew told him about art class and Matthew cant wait. Andrew has told him about lunch time and recess and seems to really love school, so now Matthew can't wait! It's a good thing that Andrew rarely argues about going to school. I think that this year has gone by so smoothly so far. It's really unbelievable that he likes school this much still. Matthew has decided that he wants to be a runner like daddy. So we told him since he is good at riding his bike and running, that all he has to do is learn how to swim and he can be like Uncle Jay and run in the Iron Man Triathalon when he gets older. How amazing would that be. It would be so good for getting out his energy. So when the next enrollment for swimming lessons comes up, he will be there.
Speaking of, Sean has really been getting into the running. He goes regularly and has these little spikes that hook up to his shoes so he can go in the ice and snow too. He's trying to convince me to do this marathon in vermont this spring. It's in May and is a 5 leg marathon. He actually thinks I will be ready to do the first leg by May, yeah, whatever. I plan to try and it's something that he really wants to do together. but I really don't think my body can take it. So now it's on... I HAVE to keep active and motivated. He's trying to suck me into his "healthy life", but I swear I will NOT give up chocolate, potato chips or Mountain Dew... I swear!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Seems that sad news is all around...
First, yesterday as my friend Bobbi and I were visiting, she told me that her friend's brother in law is extremely ill and has scleroderma. This amazing man has been through multiple treatments to try and save him. He was part of a study that was suppose to improve his quality of life and to hopefully, save him. But now he is not doing well at all and all the family and friends must just pray that he can somehow make it through. Their blog is here http://thedupreyfamily.blogspot.com/
Next, I came to work today to find out that another wonderful man has died. His name is Kevin Couture. He is a writer for our newspaper. Not only is he a writer, he had severe Cerebral Palsy. He was quadraplegic and non-verbal. This amazing person managed to have his own apartment and with minimal assistance, wrote stories for our newspaper on his special computer that helped him type his stories letter by letter! It would take him weeks to finish typing just one story, but he did it. Just a few weeks ago, some of us at work took up a collection for him. It seems that the state threatened to take away his funding help because he "worked too much". Here you have a man that is trying his best to make something of himself and of course he gets assistance because he cannot work a full time job to support himself. He cannot care for himself, etc. But he was a writer because he wanted to be a writer. And the state is trying to say "well you have an income, support yourself". So he decided to continue working for our paper and said that he would find a way to manage. He loved to write and did not want to quit. So we took up a collection for him to get him a new stereo system. Something that would make him very happy. Just the day before he passed away, a co-worker went over to his place and hooked up his new stereo. He was elated and extrememly thankful. So we do know one thing, he died a happy man.
Here is his story in the paper of the horrible luck this man has had and how overcame a few recent obstacles....
http://www.pressrepublican.com/archivesearch/local_story_364043026.html
Then you hear all of these things on the news of people dying... it seems like such a morbid day.
I know it's all quite depressing, so hopefully our night will be much better.
Next, I came to work today to find out that another wonderful man has died. His name is Kevin Couture. He is a writer for our newspaper. Not only is he a writer, he had severe Cerebral Palsy. He was quadraplegic and non-verbal. This amazing person managed to have his own apartment and with minimal assistance, wrote stories for our newspaper on his special computer that helped him type his stories letter by letter! It would take him weeks to finish typing just one story, but he did it. Just a few weeks ago, some of us at work took up a collection for him. It seems that the state threatened to take away his funding help because he "worked too much". Here you have a man that is trying his best to make something of himself and of course he gets assistance because he cannot work a full time job to support himself. He cannot care for himself, etc. But he was a writer because he wanted to be a writer. And the state is trying to say "well you have an income, support yourself". So he decided to continue working for our paper and said that he would find a way to manage. He loved to write and did not want to quit. So we took up a collection for him to get him a new stereo system. Something that would make him very happy. Just the day before he passed away, a co-worker went over to his place and hooked up his new stereo. He was elated and extrememly thankful. So we do know one thing, he died a happy man.
Here is his story in the paper of the horrible luck this man has had and how overcame a few recent obstacles....
http://www.pressrepublican.com/archivesearch/local_story_364043026.html
Then you hear all of these things on the news of people dying... it seems like such a morbid day.
I know it's all quite depressing, so hopefully our night will be much better.
Friday, January 2, 2009
The holidays are over...
So it seems that the holidays have taken it's toll on my effort to keep up our blog. Seeing that the last time we posted was in the fall, so much has happened since then. Winter is here and it started off with a bang. The snow's been falling since before thanksgiving and has not stopped since. At one point we had a total of 2 feet on the ground in our back yard. It warmed up to 50 one day and then snowed the next. The boys are having a blast in the snow but the cold is here too. This morning on the way to work I noticed that it was 8 degrees outside. Cold like that makes you want to stay inside all day... Which is how we spend much of our days in the winter. This year we discovered a great sledding spot and the boys love it. It's a lot of work since we either have to carry Andrew up the steep hill or drag him in the sled. But regardless, he gets to enjoy the snow with everyone. Matthew can literally run up the hill and it's great to tire him out like that.
Sean has taken to the healthy lifestyle of exercise and healthy eating habits. He's been out running just about every day, even in the snow with his shoe cleats. He's run in a few small marathons and hopes to be able to enter some more this summer. He even got me out there in the Poker Run that was held. I have to admit, that although my body did not like the shock of it, it was a lot of fun. I think that it is a good plan for us all to enjoy some more exercise. Even Matthew is excited to go running with Sean and jumps at every chance he gets to do his "exercises" as he calls it. The boys get on the treadmill which is a great energy release for Matthew and good for Andrew's strength building. We put it on a high incline for Andrew to help stretch his heel cords. Which brings me to...
Andrew is done with his horseback riding therapy for the winter as we explore an indoor alternative until spring. We plan to get him into swimming when the next enrollment comes up. He's got his therapists at school all coordinated and is doing great at school. He is aparently pretty far behind on his academics in school so he is getting extra help for that. His teacher and aide keep us updated daily on his progress and the lines of communication between his team has improved greatly. He had the pleasure of singing on stage for his christmas concert at school (Make sure you check out our videos on www.youtube.com/thefavilles) He's sad to be done with his riding therapy, and had the chance to continue for the winter, but the bitter cold would have made him not want to go and we didnt want to chance the idea that he may not EVER want to go again, so we are holding off for the winter and will continue again in the spring. He's been on break from school for the last two weeks and we're seeing some regression and hope that he can get back on track quickly. We've been trying really hard to keep him active and stretched but there is only so much we can do without the equipment they have at school. During his next break we will schedule some clinic visits for him if the school decides he does not show the regression in their opinion.
Matthew continues to excel at school and is in love with his creative side (must take after his mom :)) He still has a difficult time keeping his energy bottled until recess, but tends to lose focus in class. He's got a few buddies that he gets into trouble with and has a hard time listening and staying on task. They try to keep them separated at the activities and meals to help... but mostly, they like to act up together and feed off each other. The teacher has noted that it seems Matthew is bored since there is a wide range of ages 3 to 5 in his preschool class. Matthew has mastered all of the skills they focus on and so she has been working independently with him on more advanced learning and it seems to be helping. He's a quick learner but has a wild imagination and lots of energy.
We all had a great christmas and a relaxing new year. Sean & I had a great Christmas and just bought some items together instead of exchanging large gifts. We bought a new digital (well needed) camcorder, a subwoofer and a bluray dvd player for our media room. So we had minimal gifts for each other this year. Christmas for the boys was great of course. It's really all that matters anymore. Andrew got a lot of learning toys which he was a bit disappointed but got over quickly when he realized how cool they really were. He's been playing his lelappad regularly and is loving his karaoke machine and "stage" that he got. Of course they both got some spiderman, Venom, Ironman etc, figurines that they love so much and we can't forget all of the clothes. Matthew was SO into Christmas this year. He begged every Santa he saw or even looked remotely like Santa, for an Imaginext Safari set... which he got. He was So excited to open presents this year. Unlike last year where he really just didnt care and was so sick he could barely open presents. He also got the Leapfrog "Tag" reading system and he & Andrew fight over it. We may just have to get Andrew his own. For anyone out there that doesnt know what this is, it is a pen that can help read the stories from a special book and has the option to go online and download stories to it that it will read for you. It's really neat and they really seem to be learning from it.... Imagine THAT!
So that's what we've been up to and it's about hibernation weather. But be sure to keep checking the blog and youtube for more videos and also be sure to check out new photos on photobucket and our picasa web albums. We upload to those quite regularly.
Hope you all have a Great New Year!
Sean has taken to the healthy lifestyle of exercise and healthy eating habits. He's been out running just about every day, even in the snow with his shoe cleats. He's run in a few small marathons and hopes to be able to enter some more this summer. He even got me out there in the Poker Run that was held. I have to admit, that although my body did not like the shock of it, it was a lot of fun. I think that it is a good plan for us all to enjoy some more exercise. Even Matthew is excited to go running with Sean and jumps at every chance he gets to do his "exercises" as he calls it. The boys get on the treadmill which is a great energy release for Matthew and good for Andrew's strength building. We put it on a high incline for Andrew to help stretch his heel cords. Which brings me to...
Andrew is done with his horseback riding therapy for the winter as we explore an indoor alternative until spring. We plan to get him into swimming when the next enrollment comes up. He's got his therapists at school all coordinated and is doing great at school. He is aparently pretty far behind on his academics in school so he is getting extra help for that. His teacher and aide keep us updated daily on his progress and the lines of communication between his team has improved greatly. He had the pleasure of singing on stage for his christmas concert at school (Make sure you check out our videos on www.youtube.com/thefavilles) He's sad to be done with his riding therapy, and had the chance to continue for the winter, but the bitter cold would have made him not want to go and we didnt want to chance the idea that he may not EVER want to go again, so we are holding off for the winter and will continue again in the spring. He's been on break from school for the last two weeks and we're seeing some regression and hope that he can get back on track quickly. We've been trying really hard to keep him active and stretched but there is only so much we can do without the equipment they have at school. During his next break we will schedule some clinic visits for him if the school decides he does not show the regression in their opinion.
Matthew continues to excel at school and is in love with his creative side (must take after his mom :)) He still has a difficult time keeping his energy bottled until recess, but tends to lose focus in class. He's got a few buddies that he gets into trouble with and has a hard time listening and staying on task. They try to keep them separated at the activities and meals to help... but mostly, they like to act up together and feed off each other. The teacher has noted that it seems Matthew is bored since there is a wide range of ages 3 to 5 in his preschool class. Matthew has mastered all of the skills they focus on and so she has been working independently with him on more advanced learning and it seems to be helping. He's a quick learner but has a wild imagination and lots of energy.
We all had a great christmas and a relaxing new year. Sean & I had a great Christmas and just bought some items together instead of exchanging large gifts. We bought a new digital (well needed) camcorder, a subwoofer and a bluray dvd player for our media room. So we had minimal gifts for each other this year. Christmas for the boys was great of course. It's really all that matters anymore. Andrew got a lot of learning toys which he was a bit disappointed but got over quickly when he realized how cool they really were. He's been playing his lelappad regularly and is loving his karaoke machine and "stage" that he got. Of course they both got some spiderman, Venom, Ironman etc, figurines that they love so much and we can't forget all of the clothes. Matthew was SO into Christmas this year. He begged every Santa he saw or even looked remotely like Santa, for an Imaginext Safari set... which he got. He was So excited to open presents this year. Unlike last year where he really just didnt care and was so sick he could barely open presents. He also got the Leapfrog "Tag" reading system and he & Andrew fight over it. We may just have to get Andrew his own. For anyone out there that doesnt know what this is, it is a pen that can help read the stories from a special book and has the option to go online and download stories to it that it will read for you. It's really neat and they really seem to be learning from it.... Imagine THAT!
So that's what we've been up to and it's about hibernation weather. But be sure to keep checking the blog and youtube for more videos and also be sure to check out new photos on photobucket and our picasa web albums. We upload to those quite regularly.
Hope you all have a Great New Year!
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