Persephone is 200 days old!

The one thing they all enjoy

Piggy Braids

This was Ivy's hairstyle for school today. Braids are done nearly every day because its the one hairstyle that doesn't come out no matter what she does. All my girls are so active that I have to give them styles that have holding power. And usually hair spray as well. Today we did a variation on the traditional double french braid, and instead of braiding down we put them in pigtails and then braided the rest as well. I think it came out super cute!

The bottom left side is a tad bit bumpy, but we were running out of time so I left it that way. If she would keep other pretties in like flowers, or bows, I would put those in her hair as well but usually they end up getting crushed in her backpack. Overall this hairstyle was super cute and super easy. It only took about 8 minutes to complete.

Smile and say "Cheese!" Ivy. :)

The Making of a Tutu

So I finally decided to put the red and white tulle I bought at Walmart to good use. Its not an exceptional deal buying from there, but I wanted to be sure I could actually make one first before I committed to buying rolls and rolls of the stuff. As it turns out, I not only can make one.. but I'm pretty darn good at it! Piper is excitedly waiting for hers to be finished. I wanted it to be very fluffy and pretty so I need to go pick up a few more rolls. Most tutorials use a lot less tulle than what I was expecting. Already its 50 yards so far and I'd say we have about another 10 yards left to use to fill in some gaps. I'll post completed pictures when I'm finished. It still needs a satin bow, and some final touches.

Of course I'll make a boutique bow to match it. Broadening my horizons a bit for my new etsy shop I opened. Stay tuned for info on that too. I'm not ready for the big reveal yet. haha

After this tutu, I will tackle the infamous "Magic Tutu" (notice the lack of trademark. lol) I've already figured it out, I just ran outta tulle. Bummer.

Peachy peach is a star

an extreemly silly star! (woah.. whats up with the underlined font and why is it here in my blog?) ... yikes Blogger. What did you do?!

What 5am looks like

This is 5am outside my back sliding glass door. Willow trees always look their prettiest when they aren't on your property, trust me. This thing sheds like a beast! No amount of rakes or brooms can keep our back yard clean and leaf free. But the birds, they love this tree. And I have to admit. It is pretty.

So we were supposed to be going to Beltane tomorrow to celebrate with our like minded Pagan friends. However I just don't think any of us feel up to the few hour drive to the beach. Then I'd have to chase the kids while we're there. Ugh. The way Ivy has been acting lately I don't think I want to chance it. I'm hoping a firm diagnosis can happen soon for her. We're really struggling at home with her behavior, and I know the school is too. Except for when her friend Z isn't there. Z has been out sick this past week, and lo and behold.. Ivy has had a solid 5 days of nearly 20 stars every day. Now I know I talked about this before, but I just can't get over what a drastic change that is.
So I asked her, "Ivy, when Z isn't at school who did you play with instead?" And then the most heartbreaking answer ever, "No one."
I stopped what I was doing and looked at her. "No one? What about recess? What did you do?"
"I played by myself." she answered.
"Every day? Why?"
"Without Z I don't know what to do, so I be by myself."

I'm really torn between being excited about her behavior at school, to being sad that the reason her behavior is so good is obviously because she's withdrawn and displaced feeling because Z isn't there. I remember that feeling...  it was the reason I never went without a boyfriend, EVER. One replaced another. No, I wasn't a whore. I simply couldn't function alone. I needed someone to help me put on a brave face and go out into the world to do what I had to do. At the time that was only math class, lunch and passing time.. but it was still nearly unbearable when I was alone. I remember what happened when my boyfriend graduated a year before I did. I had no friends. No direction. I couldn't even get to my classes because I didn't remember where they were. I had nothing to do but stare at the floor. I felt so out of place.

And here Chris and I were celebrating Ivy's accomplishment of nearly a week of awesome behavior. But does the end really justify the means? And her bus behavior I  might add, totally stinks. Kicked off the bus twice in one week doesn't seem that awesome.

Parenting a child with special needs isn't easy, especially when you have issues yourself! To any parent out there with any kind of disability at all, be it physical, or mental. Visible or hidden. You have my support. Its not an easy road.