Eight is Enough

Eight is Enough tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2011-07-12:/eight_is_enough//113 2013-04-16T17:24:48Z Follow the trials and tribulations of a busy mom raising eight busy kids! Movable Type Pro 4.37 Girls dance, sports, and periods! tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/eight_is_enough//113.13715 2013-04-15T19:22:53Z 2013-04-16T17:24:48Z

Chantel

Okay I realize for some, the topic of girls and their periods is awkward but as a mom to a few girls and a competitive gymnastics coach this is a topic that has come up several times.

When was younger (a lot younger!) and competing one of my biggest fears was getting my period while at training or worse yet - at a competition. Fortunately it never happened that way and I was pretty old by the time I got it anyway (16) so I already knew what I needed to know, however, these days there are so many girls involved in dance, cheerleading, tumbling, swimming and yes gymnastics so as parents it is really important that we talk to our daughters about getting their period and being prepared - before they actually get it.

Now when I say we need to start talking I don't mean about them. I have found it useful to talk more about myself and my experiences as this tends to get them more interested in listening and less embarrassed.

If any of you have a daughter involved in activities such as dance, gymnastics, cheer, swimming you are fully aware that most of the time what they are wearing is pretty skimpy (think gymsuits and swimsuits!) so really what a girl wears as protection is very important!

Pads and panty liners may be a good start but at some point are going to prove to be very uncomfortable, bulky and obvious (think gymsuits and swimsuits - yuck). Suprisingly though there are still many parents who believe their daughters are too young for tampons! Seriously if she is old enough to get her period she is old enough to wear a tampon. As a parent it is important to teach your daughter that wearing a tampon does NOT change her status as a virgin (yes - hard to believe but I have had girls tell me that this is what they were told!).

In my opinion tampons are the best option but they can also leak (although I have never seen it happen yet to any gymnast). They do take some time to learn, so yes - teach her and let her practice. Buy a box of the really slim or light flow tampons and demonstrate how the applicator works - obvioulsy with your hand! Have her practice on her own hand before attempting to insert them into her body and be prepared to buy a few boxes. Tampons can be tricky!

Something else I would suggest is have your daughters dance bag, swim back, cheer bag, gymnastics bag - whatever bag, well stocked and prepared before she gets her period so that if she does get it while away from home, she is not stuck in a potentially embarrassing situation. Suggestions would be:

All her training equipment / clothing

lip balm

hair brush

extra clean underwear (just in case!)

liners

pads

tampons

Have you had to have the talk about periods yet with your daughter? Is she prepared?

Until next time,

Chantel,momof8crazymonkeys

]]> Thumbs up for the kids! tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/eight_is_enough//113.13704 2013-04-13T02:40:21Z 2013-04-13T04:55:19Z

The other day our very own Jen wrote a touching and heart breaking post that you can find here. In relation to that, she had a post on Face book encouraging us parents to take a look at the good...

Chantel

The other day our very own Jen wrote a touching and heart breaking post that you can find here. In relation to that, she had a post on Face book encouraging us parents to take a look at the good in our children and embrace it, rather than focusing on the negatives.

I decided to take her advice and dedicate the next two posts on the positives in each and everyone of my children, starting with the youngest to oldest.

Tanner: Although he is only 2, it is already obvious that he has a big heart, and is loving and ever so caring. The other day, Thatcher kept taking Tanner's blankie and didn't want his own. (The blankies are the same except for the color - blue for Tanner and Green for Thatcher) so of course Tanner was crying. Whenever, I attempted to get Tanner's blankie away from Thatcher he would scream and cry louder than Tanner was! I said to Tanner "Thatcher is really sad and wants to cuddle with your blankie for a while.........can you trade for now?" I was shocked when he walked over to Thatcher and handed him his blankie and took Thatchers for himself. What a sweetie.

Thatcher: Again this is a 2 year old with a big heart and is sensitive to others feelings. Ryley fell the other day and hurt his knee. Thatcher ran over to Ryley, gave him his blankie, and then gave his boo boo a kiss!

Ryley: An energetic child with a big heart, who is caring and sensitive. Tonight he was playing with a friend who recently had his mother move out of the country for work. His friend was sad and confided in Ryley that it was because he really missed his mom. Ryley tried to comfort him, by telling him he was lucky because he had his dad who is really fun and loves him a lot!

Ryley is also very ambitious, can be a really hard worker, and strives to be the best at everything he does. Apparently he is going to the Olympics.

Zachary: Zachary has a smile that will light up any room! He is funny, creative and cares about those who struggle more than he does. Many times he has stood up for his best friend in his class - a little girl with a physical and intellectual disability. Not that long ago another child was making fun of his friend and Zachary stood up to him and said "Oh yeah, guess what? I have Aspergers! Want to make fun of me?" He is not afraid to say what he feels, thats for sure:)

So that is it for my four youngest. What are the positives in your youngest?

Until next time,

Chantel,momof8crazymonkeys

]]> Would you? Could you? tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/eight_is_enough//113.13667 2013-04-08T16:44:07Z 2013-04-08T17:34:41Z

Chantel

About a month ago a friend I know went missing. Seriously. She went missing for real.

Everything at first was normal. It was the beginning of April and I had been communicating with her about five times a week via email and facebook as we had been working on a project together. Then my life started to get really busy with training and competitions fast approaching and I realized I hadn't spoken to her in a few days so I sent an email outlining some issues regarding the project.

No response. At this time I didn't panic because I figured she was busy. Not crazy busy like me because she isn't married and hasn't any children, but just busy like normal people get busy.

A few days later I still hadn't heard from her which I thought was really strange, but I was so wrapped up in my own chaotic life that I didn't panic - yet.

A week later I still hadn't heard from her so I started to worry a bit. I went on facebook and was shocked to see that the last time she had posted anything was over a week ago!

Now I realize in most cases this would not be cause for concern, however, given the nature of business my friend is involved in, her business is dependent on things such as social networking and in any given typical day she would be on facebook almost every hour, posting something, giving updates, or liking others comments etc... This just wasn't right.

I jumped over to twitter. Same thing. Nothing since the same day she last posted on FB. Now I was worried. this was completely out of character.

I didn't know what to do. I was mainly friends with this person through facebook and activties involving a few of my children. I had met her several times, and had visited her office but it wasn't like I met her every week for lunch.

I left several voice messages on her cell phone, and sent more messages through facebook and email.

As each day passed I became more and more concerned. My days were focused on her and full of worry that something terrible had happened.

I thought about calling the police but then felt silly. I tried to convince myself that she was fine and just decided to take a few weeks vacation somewhere. In my heart though I knew that was crazy and she would have told me.

Finally I couldn't deal with the worry and so I called in a missing persons report. I felt crazy but also felt better, because I never would have forgiven myself if I didn't do something and something terrible had or did happen.

Turns out something bad had happened but I can't really get into the details because I want to assure her privacy is respected, however, rest assured she is safe and doing much better.

When a child or teenager go missing we don't hesitate - we report it, however, it seems different when it comes to adults. What would you have done? Would you have reported it or just waited?

Until next time,

Chantel,momof8crazymonkeys.

]]> Lose the baby weight! tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/eight_is_enough//113.13633 2013-04-02T15:01:15Z 2013-04-03T01:45:41Z

Chantel Okay so after 8 kiddies being popped out of this tiny body frame I have to say that I don't look THAT bad. However, there are a few annoying things that I would like to improve upon.

the saggy boobs

the boob size

the thicker waist

the bigger butt

the bigger thighs

the scar tissue over hang that comes with 5 c-sections

Okay that is a pretty big list I guess, and really, there probably isn't a whole lot I can do about most of it, but there are some things that can be improved upon.

First of all the biggest issue: I would like to lose 10 - 15lbs. For me this is BIG! Never in my life did I struggle with my weight - in fact I was one of those people most called "skinny bitch" and said they hated me lol. well not anymore. I could blame it all on the pregnancies but I won't. I could really blame it on the twins. But I can't.

Truth of the matter is there are two factors involved. One I had to go on prednisone for my arthritis, and two, I became lazy. Yes lazy in the sense that I had no motivation to do any form of exercise other than run after my children, and honestly I just let myself go.

I think at one point and time, every parent goes through this. You are so focused on your own issues, the daily juggle, and just getting through each day without going completly bonkers, that you forget about yourself and don't give a shit. This was what I had become. I didn't care what my hair looked like, didn't care that my weight was going up, up, up, and wasn't bothered my the fact that I could wear track pants or pj's all day - inside and outside of the house!

Suddenly though I am motivated again, and have vowed to start working out and taking care of ME.

So my workout is not huge, but very basic. Because I cannot run due to my knees, I am using the eliptical. I have started at 15 mins a day, for the first week and will slowly increase my time. I've also added isometric exercises.

When the first 5lbs are off I will let you know!

Now what about you? Do you work out? Are you happy with your after children weight?

Until next time,

Chantel,momof8crazymonkeys

]]> Decisions decisions tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/eight_is_enough//113.13601 2013-03-27T03:37:38Z 2013-03-27T03:59:47Z

Chantel

So I have a big decision to make. To put the twins in Nursery / pre-school or not? My oldest went to Toronto French school and started in the pre-k program. My oldest son went to pre-school and continued in that setting for JK and SK, second oldest boy was in pre-school, as were Ryley and Zachary for one year prior to JK. Arielle didn't attend because she had too much anxiety.

Now there is Thatcher and Tanner who are 26months. Yes their speech is a bit behind but it is quickly picking up. Now I know this is going to sound crazy but I think they need more social interaction.......

WAIT! YES I STILL HAVE 8 CHILDREN! But the twins being the youngest leaves them at home all day with just myself and each other to play with. Being identical they are so attuned to each other but I worry. I think they need to learn to socialize with others their own age. Their older siblings tend to do too much for them (despite what I say) and are more forgiving and at an age where they will give in to Thatcher and Tanner's demands.

Don't get me wrong having as many siblings as they do is great but having other children at this point in their development their own age would be even better (in my opinion). And lets just get this out there now - I am not having any more babies!

Another important aspect is that I feel somebody else in a structured setting with others their age would have more success than I would in teaching them what they need to learn right now. I don't have much patience for that. Plus they will be full day when they start kindergarten so I want to ensure that they are ready.

What do you think? Did you go the pre-school route?

Until next time,

Chantel,momof8crazymonkeys

]]> The Toothfairy did what!? tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/eight_is_enough//113.13571 2013-03-22T04:18:46Z 2013-03-24T05:32:46Z

Chantel

One would think that once my house is finally quiet and all my kiddies are sleeping like the little ~~brats~~ angels that they are, I would run upstairs and hop under the covers in my warm snuggly bed.

Not a chance! I don't think many moms do. We are always the ones to stay up late finishing things. When dad says he is going to bed, he goes to bed - when mom says she's going to bed, she really means she's going to empty the dishwasher, wash the baby bottles, do a few loads of laundry, check the children's knapsacks, make school lunches, and sign any permission forms. Sometimes though, us moms get to do something fun too (insert sarcastic laughter).

Playing Tooth Fairy is something I thought would be great fun. I even purchased sparkly slippers, and a tutu in preparation for my first job...... little did I know that playing Tooth fairy would be so difficult!

First of all there is the endless questions of.........

"Why does the Tooth Fairy collect our teeth?"
"What does the Tooth Fairy DO with the teeth?"

"What does the Tooth fairy look like?"

"Is she a girl or boy?"

"She is so small, so how does she carry the bills?"

"Where does she buy her clothes and wings?"

Aside from the endless questions there is the whole process of having to play Tooth Fairy, when a child loses a tooth. I'm sure you have been through a similar senario.

Most of my children are in bunk beds, and let me tell you - they are the most annoying things to have to deal with in the middle of the night!

I remember one time not that long ago, one of the boys lost a tooth, but I had no idea where he left the tooth. Was it under his pillow? Was in on the ledge of the bed? In a drawer? Well I must have been quite the sight the sight as I climbed up the wobbly ladder (It's only unstable when I climb it you know), and attempted to maneuver my body in ways that I no longer have any right to do! I'm a short person so I had to lean on the bed as I reached acrossed my innocently sleeping son. My weight pushed the matress down making my son's body roll towards me. He stirred and mumbled something I couldn't understand but thankfully didn't wake up. Not quite sure how I would explain why I was attempting to crawl over his bed!

Finally I saw the tooth in the tiny container he had put it in. He must have left in on the bed ledge, because I saw it on its side on the floor. All my messing around must have knocked it off! I delivered the Tooth Fairy's package under his pillow and got the hell out of his room!

The worse thing ever though is the look on a childs face when the Tooth Fairy doesn't deliver! You heard me right - no package from the Tooth Fairy. Ouch.

This bad mommy moment happened the other day.

After waking up, Zachary came downstairs with tears streaming down his face. When I asked him what was wrong he held up his tooth "The Tooth Fairy forgot me....."

THE TOOTH FAIRY DID WHAT!!!?????

HOW DARE SHE!

Opps wait..... bad bad mommy.

I gave him a hug and told him not to worry. Mommy would find out what was going on! I assured him that surely she left something and maybe he just didn't see it because he has so many stuffies covering his bed. (Yes! Score one for quick thinking mommy!)

I told him to go to the kitchen and start on breakfast while I went to investigate.

I ran upstairs and started looking under his pillows, stuffies, and blankies, and when the moment struck I delivered the package! Score two for mommy.

Excited (because I had just executed extreme damage control) I called Zachary up to his room.

"Look sweetie! Here it is! See she didn't forget you, it was under your ladybug stuffie!"

Zachary's tears dried and his face lit up.

"Thanks for finding it mom! I thought maybe she didn't like me....."

I gave him kiss and told him the Tooth Fairy loves everyone.

Has the Tooth Fairy ever been naughty in your house?

Until next time,

Chantel,momof8crazymonkeys

]]> It's Potty time again! tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/eight_is_enough//113.13536 2013-03-15T05:07:11Z 2013-03-17T00:59:27Z

Chantel

The other day when I got home from the gym, Ryley was very excited and proud to tell me how he helped his baby brothers Thatcher and Tanner. I asked him how he helped. Then I realized that was a mistake, as I might be better off not knowing every little detail.

He informed me that he went to check on the babies in their room (er well my room) because although they were supposed to napping they obvioulsy were not.

"Mommy! You will not believe what I saw!" he exclaimed excitedly.

I was afraid. really afraid. "What did you see?" I whispered.

"The babies had all their clothes off! They are so smart, and can take them off all by themselves!"

Yippee! I'm SO NOT excited!

Ryley continued on. "Oh and then it was sooooo gross!"

Yep, here we go........

"I found poo on Thatcher's bed!"

WTH?

"It was still in the diaper though....."

Phew!

"So I just threw the diaper behind the bedroom door, and put pants on them."

O.M.G.

"Aren't you proud of me mommy for being such a great help?"

I assured him I was proud, and thanked him for putting their pants on.

About half an hour later Thatcher and Tanner woke from their nap. Arielle brought Thatcher downstairs to the kitchen where I was making lunch. I said hello to Thatcher but he looked funny. He had a look on his face that I have seen on six other children who came before him.

Sure enough there was a pool of pee all over the kitchen floor.

When Ryley put their pants on he forgot one minor detail - the diaper. Whoops.

So I started to clean up the mess, while Arielle went to go get Tanner. I didn't wait as soon as he came down I got very excited and introduced them to the potty. Tanner sat down and went right away! Horray!!

Tanner then got off and was all smiles as we made a big deal of him using the potty, it was quite obvious he was very proud of himself.

Thatcher however, was ticked. He didn't like Tanner getting all the attention so he went and pushed Tanner aside and sat on the potty.

Know it was his turn to be all smiles so I made a huge deal of how he did a great job.

About half an hour later however, trouble started. Thatcher and Tanner kept going to the gate that blocks entry to the kitchen. They kept trying to climb it and were pointing at the bathroom. I knew what they wanted - the potty. I also knew how smart they were being. They knew damn well that if I thought they really needed to go I would take down the gate! Not to be made a fool I brought the potty into the TV room put it on a blanket but then there was more trouble.

The twins started to fight. I am not talking light fighting, I am talking about full blown out biting, slapping, pushing, screamimg kind of party.

They were fighting over the potty.

O.M.G.

I never really thought that having one potty was going to be such a big deal but obvioulsy I was going to have to do something.

So I did.

You guessed it - I bought another potty.

SO I am not going to hold my breath and expect miracles as they only just turned two and are boys, but I won't lie. I will be so excited when FINALLY this house is diaper free! After 15 years of having babies, breastfeeding and changing diapers I am so ready for it!

How old were you children whne they finally began to use the potty?

Until next time,

Chantel,momof8crazymonkeys.

]]> Look what I made mommy! oh yeah it's all about the arts and crap.... tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/eight_is_enough//113.13521 2013-03-10T04:40:12Z 2013-03-12T03:59:18Z

When my oldest two were younger and had just started school I remember how excited I was whenever they brought home any kind of art work. Full of pride, I would hang it on the fridge or kitchen wall convincing...

Chantel

Then I had more children.

All children seem to like arts and crafts, and if you are like myself and have more than one child under the age of 10 this can become a very messy affair. Seriously, if anyone can point out the moron who invented finger painting, please do. I will take immense pleasure in hurting him or her. There is nothing that creates more mess than a bunch of children gathered around the kitchen table, dipping their fingers into paint and then spreading said paint all over their paper, or if its anything like in my home, all over your table, walls, door knobs, themselves.......

The other craft activity that is just as messy is gluing. Now I don't know about your children, but my children take great pleasure in taking bits of paper, and gluing them onto a big sheet of paper, or my walls, clothes, door knobs, themselves........

Then there are the arts and crafts tools. Scissors in particular are dangerous, aside from them being able to stab, poke, slice and generally harm our children, the biggest danger happens when your precious offspring reach that special milestone in fine motor skills - yes, I am talking about when they can actually cut with the damn things! As much as we can provide them with an endless supply of paper it just isn't good enough.

When my third child was able to cut properly, he became what I call "scissor happy". Suddenly he was a barber and cutting his siblings hair, a fashion designer and cutting up clothing, and then my favourite - the bed sheets. Let me tell you there is nothing as nice as laying in your cozy bed, when suddenly your feet are poking out of the hole that was cut in your $500 Ralph Lauren sheets! As a side note, expensive sheets are no longer allowed in my house until ALL my children reach the ripe ol' age of at leat 18!

Finally there is the issue of where to display it all! I used to put it all into containers, and I still do, but I also have spaces on the kitchen wall for each child under the age of 10 - so that would be 6 spots. Once they complete more work, the ones that have been hanging are taking down and put in the special container and the new art work is put up for display. I also allow my children to put their art work up on their bedroom walls - why waste money on wall paper when you have children to create their own?

Now a few cautionary words of wisdom for you.

1. NEVER pretend to know what your child has drawn, painted, or made. Your bs attempt will infuriate them which in turn leads to meltdowns. Instead compliment them on their use of color, space, - whatever. Just do not ask what it is! You have been warned.

2. Do not allow dads to see any art work before it is hung up. They just don't seem to get how special it is to our precious children, and they typically will look at it and then toss it somewhere (usually the trash can). If you are not this type of dad then congratulations and I bow down to you;)

3. BAN sissors - no explanation required here.

4. If your children are under 4 you can get away with using water instead of actual paint - just tell them its invisible magic paint that can only be seen by special people such as moms.

5. Wait as long as you can before you even introduce the messy activity or arts and crafts...

Okay now fess up. Do you really enjoy your children doing arts and crafts? What tips do you have to help ease the messiness? Finally where do you store all the art work?

Until next time,

Chantel,momof8crazymonkeys

]]> MARCH BREAK and CHILDREN tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/eight_is_enough//113.13500 2013-03-04T16:41:38Z 2013-03-04T17:16:32Z

Chantel

I just realized that March break starts next week - well in my case this Friday because apparently the school board decided my children should stay home that day.

Although the March Break is only a week, as opposed to summer break, there is still a lot of planning and preparation I need to do, and seeing as I only have about four days I really must get my ass in gear and get moving!

Here are some things I need to do and get done before Friday:

Clean out the basement play room (again) so that they can make it a mess again during the break.

Refill my valium prescription - oh wait I don't have one.

Go to Doctor and get Valium prescription.

Stock up on Wildberry Voldka Coolers.

Purchase new rolls of Duct tape (hello kitty is cool).

Pray to Mother Nature that she provide warm dry weather so I can send my children outside to play. For the whole day.

Call the reno guys and have them build a padded room for the twins Thatcher and Tanner.

On second thought I think I will have the padded room built for me and have a bar included.

Now I am sure all you Earth muffin type moms are gasping and pointing fingers at me, well don't bother. I already know I should be happy to spend so much time with my kiddies, and I am. Most of the time. Its just those times when my children with mood disorders are freaking out, twins are having meltdowns, and everyone else is fighting that I don't like.

Most families plan all these exciting things to do over the break, and I know this because my children are very quick to point out how Suzie is going to Great Wolf Lodge, or Michael is going to Disney World, and gee golly why can't we?

Two words kiddies:

Eight Children!

I do however have some things planned. My oldest daughter is working at the gym club at their gymnastics camp, so the two middle children are going to attend. As for the others, I will schedule some things, such as mini golf, movies, bowling etc..

Crap. Now I need to add another thing to my to do list.

Dig out the money tree in the backyard to pay for March Break activities!

What does your family have planned for march break?

Until next time,

Chantel,momof8crazymonkeys.

]]> grocery shopping for eight tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/eight_is_enough//113.13491 2013-03-01T03:54:36Z 2013-03-01T17:25:34Z

Chantel

This question had been asked a while ago and it was the same answer A LOT, but at that time the twins really were not eating that much so I didn't really include them. My children though go through many "food" phases, were they will eat a ton of the same thing for months and then suddenly that food choice is tossed out the door. The problem is that with so many children there isn't just one child, who for example, is eating instant oatmeal all day, it is usually a minimum of about 4 children eating a certain food all everyday!

Hre are a few things that my children go through weekly:

Milk - 6 - 7 4L bags or 24 - 30L

Bagels - 5 packages containing 6 bagels each or approx 30 bagels a week

Cream Cheese - 2 400g containers

Cereal - 3 boxes (family size)

Granola bars - 4 - 6 boxes

Brick Cheese - 2 bars (500g)

The other things my children are really into lately is instant oatmeal, strudles, pizza and waffles - waffles for breakfast, lunch, dinner doesn't matter - they make great snacks as well, oh yes and fruit.

Most of the shopping is done at Costco but I also like to take advantage of sales at the local stores as well. Typically we look over the flyers at the beginning of each week, and figure out who has what on sale. Big items that are bought in bulk when on sale are juice boxes, juice (in the winter juice boxes, and juice will be left in the trunk of the van or in the garage if storage space is low) pasta, bread, waffles, strudels and things for lunches such as granola bars, fruit snacks etc...

taking advantage of the sales

Do you shop around for sales or stick to the same grocery store? Is there a particular food your child really digs?

Until next time,

Chantel,momof8crazymonkeys

]]> ASD and High School tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/eight_is_enough//113.13481 2013-02-28T04:37:59Z 2013-02-28T05:48:30Z

Chantel

Ever since my son was diagnosed with Aspergers I worried about high school. Elementary school was hard enough with all the academic and social issues - how the hell would he survive High school?

I started doing some research when he was in grade 4 and I surprised to find that there were high schools that were specifically designed to assist students with an ASD. I was even more thrilled to learn that the one High school in our very own city was the actual school that pioneered the whole ASD program! I filed the information in the one side of my brain and vowed to continue to research the whole high school issue in a few years.

Elementary school continued to be a struggle and he was lucky if he received marks higher than a C. I was frustrated as I knew he was smart - smarter than most yet he just couldn't function properly in a main stream program, yet there really were no other options at that point.

Finally a breakthrough happened in grade 6. After an IPRC meeting it was determined that he would attend a middle school that had an ASD program. Lucky for me this school was also our home school.

What a difference! Here is how the ASD program works.

There is the homeroom which serves as the base. All students (usually there are a max of 8) start off in this class, with a main teacher and about 2 - 3 TA's. They are taught the same curriculum as all the other students, but they are not necessarily on the same tight time frame. For example, a mainstream class may be working on a specific social studies assignment that must be completed by the end of 4th period. The ASD class may be working on the exact same assignment but suddenly a social issue comes up - the ASD teachers can stop the lesson and begin a discussion on what just occurred. This discussion may then lead into some social skills role playing etc... they can continue the lesson the next day.

Some students may need to stay in this "homeroom" the entire year and have all their lessons taught here, others however, will slowly begin to integrate into the mainstream classes, some may only integrate one or two or some may be like my son who not only integrated into almost all classes but also into the gifted classes! The boy who was struggling to get C's was now in academically gifted classes and was on the honour roll last year!

Last week I attend once again an IPRC meeting at the board for Joshua. They were recommending an ASD High school. In fact they thought he would be best suited for the very same High school that pioneered the whole program. The very school I read about so many yaers ago. I was very happy. Not only would he take all his classes at the Academic level but he will have the comfort of his "homebase room" where he will spend a min of one period there everyday where he will be able to complete homework with help if need, and the teachers will ensure he is keeping up. The ASD tachers will be available to stay in the mainstream class with him if needed and all his tests will be written in the "base" class. he will be assisted in becoming independent but also have the security of being helped if things get to be to much.

Today we took a tour of the school that he will begin in the fall of 2013. He was very excited and loved it!

Seeing my younger son who also has Aspergers struggle in grade 2 this year a decision was made to place him in an elementary school that has an ASD program. After seeing what a difference it has made to his older brother I feel it will only benefit Zachary.

Where you aware that there are schools who offer such ASD programs?

Until next time,

Chantel,momof8crazymonkeys

]]> Photo Wednesday tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/eight_is_enough//113.13474 2013-02-27T06:28:21Z 2013-02-27T07:02:19Z

Chantel With 8 children life is busy, crazy, sometimes overwhelming but hey

ITS WEDNESDAY AND I STILL LOVE MY KIDS!

What day is most chaotic for your family?

Until next time

Chantel,momof8crazymonkeys

]]> Finally somebody is listening with both ears! tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/eight_is_enough//113.13473 2013-02-27T03:57:38Z 2013-02-27T06:17:55Z

Chantel

Finding out my son was autistic didn't come as a surprise but rather as a relief, yet realizing he has a mental illness as well, wasn't such a relief. It made me feel helpless, guilty, and posioned my mind with so many "what if?" questions.

"What if I had rested more during my pregnancy?"

"What if it had been him born first?"

"What if I had less stress in my life while pregnant?"

"What if I had eaten healthier?"

"What if I believed in God more?"

"What if I was a better mother?"

And the list goes on, and deep down I know it is ridiculous because it doesn't matter what I did or didn't do none of it would matter - he was born the way he was born and he has so many strengths that are simply amazing.

However, that being said it has got to the point where some days are almost unbearable. We have had several issues with his meds not working as they should and the one psychiatrist kept changing his ADHD medication first which of course did nothing because that wasn't the issue. Finally the mood stabilizers were changed but still nothing except major mood swings.

Lets get this straight though - unless you live with someone who is bipolar or has some other mood disorder you have no clue what I am talking about. These mood swings are not just simply a child having a tantrum or getting pissed off at a sibling - no these are extreme! They can be very rapid and happen frequently through out the day as children tend to present symptoms in a completely different way than adults, and can look something like this:

Happy one minute and playing nicely or watching TV / playing video - whatever, suddenly someone can walk into the same room, look at him funny or do nothing at all, when suddenly his mood explodes into anger which can last up to an hour with screaming, swearing, punching walls, the list goes on, or he can suddenly become over the top silly and giddy laughing over nothing for a while, or he can get sad and start crying for no reason..... and so it continues like this throughout the day. This cycling can happen many times in one given day.

For me it is emotionally draining.

Then there are the voices, the not really remembering the rages, and the sureness that others have said things about him or planning to harm him. Oh and of course I wouldn't be really telling you the whole story if I left out the attempts to kill himself, the self harm.... We at times get rapid talking - I am talking fast, fast, fast! So fast you can't keep up. there is also the times when he is constantly taking things apart and rebuilding them (like a computer) or thinking he knows everything there is to know or that he can read minds.

Finally a month ago I said enough is enough and demanded a referral to CAMH (Center for addiction and mental health). I was tired off trying to get him asleep at 3am or his rages upon waking which result in me or his siblings being sworn at, yelled at, bossed around. The waitlist is typically 6-8 months. He had his first assessment last week. His wait was 3 weeks.

Our appointment lasted almost 4.5hrs. The psychiatrist is the Head of psychiatry and specializes in co-morbid diagnosis (more than one disability / mental disorder etc..) Him and his collegue spoke to both myself and Joshua individually and together, and read through several reports. They asked questions nobody else had over the past 10 years, and actually listened and didn't judge. After a draining afternoon they shared that they thought he has many strengths but also some disturbing symptoms. They want to dig farther into the past and gather reports that have been done, they plan to talk to his teachers and they will not change his medication until they know exactly what is going on!

FINALLY SOMEONE IS LISTENING! FINALLY SOMEONE IS LOOKING AT ALL THE SYMPTONS AND NOT BLAMING AND FOCUSING ON JUST ONE ISSUE, such as the ADHD, Aspergers, and OCD behaviours.

Now I feel some type of relief that a Dr really wants to help him and is willing to dig farther.

Over the next few weeks, the psychiatrist will be contacting other psychiatrist / psychologists who have seen my son in the past, as well as his teachers.

Never be afraid to push for second opinions or demand your child be seen by a specialist. Sometimes we not only have to be our children's biggest advocate but the biggest bitch of all can come in handy too!

Children who live with some form of mental illness everyday may look just as typical as any other child, but never be fooled. Some days for them can be a living hell, not just for them but for their family and friends as well who constantly feel as thought they are walking around on eggshells never knowing when one may crack.

There is so much stigma when it comes to mental illness, but please don't walk down that side of the path. Instead become informed and involved. We as a society need to break the stigma and be more accepting of these wonderfully talented children.

Until next time,

Momof8crazymonkeys.

]]> clothes confetti and fire starters! tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/eight_is_enough//113.13456 2013-02-24T03:06:56Z 2013-02-24T20:16:59Z

Chantel

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?

I have determined that Thatcher and Tanner - otherwise known as TIK & TAK are destined to become one or perhaps all of the following:

Olympic Gymnasts

Secret Ninja's

Performers in Cirque De Soleil

A teachers nightmare

It all started when Tanner started to climb (and shortly there after jump I'm positive) out of his crib, and the two suddenly became overnight stars in their very own show "Party Babies in the Crib Tonight"

After a few weeks of this nonsense it became apparent that it was time to convert the cribs to the toddler bed, as I was concerned that they were going to hurt themselves.

The first night was crazy. FREEDOM! Thats what they felt. TERRIFIED is what I felt. They spent over two hours laughing, playing, pulling out my clothes from all the drawers (yes ALL) pulling out said drawers and placing them strategically through out the bedroom, and basically creating a huge mess

until they finally got tired of racing back and forth from bed to bed and crashed together on Thatchers bed.

After about a week of this insanity I took the executive decision to simply take all my clothes out of the bedroom because after picking them up and putting them away way too many times to count, I decided the hell with that, and so they were placed outside my room in the hallway in laundry baskets.

Clothes confetti time was now over, but hey, score one for the two ~~brats~~ boys - they beat me down.

The worse however, was yet to come.

A few nights ago TIK & TAK went to bed without any issues. They were really good - too good. I should have known!

In my room is a touch lamp - you touch it and it comes on. This became an exciting event for the boys who liked to go play with the lamp as soon as I left the room. So I started to switch off the switch that was on the wall - out of their reach, so they couldn't turn it on.

The lamp that started it all.....

HA! Score one for me! Or so I thought.......

As mentioned they were too good the other night, and that is because they had a plan (remember - secret ninja's!) they took the lamp off my dresser removed the lamp shade and placed it on Thatchers bed. Then, I am assuming it was Tanner because he is the climber, climbed or scaled the side of the bed (remember Olympic gymnast) to reach the switch which then turned on said lamp, that was laying on its side.

It gets better.

If that wasn't fun enough they then took a crib matress sheet that was in the room and placed it on top of the lamp. I am still trying to understand what they thought they were doing - making a tent of some sort? Ha, well of course - remember Cirque performer under the big top!

Fortunately my oldest son joshua was in his room, which is directly across the hall from my room, and smelt something strange, almost like something burning.......so he ran into the room and put an end to their fire starting game! They did however, manage to burn a hole right through the sheet and in the mattress! I am just thankful that it wasn't worse - I can't even think about it. Thank goodness for Joshua's smart and quick thinking!

Lesson learned is NEVER under estimate the abilities two toddlers have - I seriously never even thought of them climbing up the bed to reach the light switch!

The conclusion I have come to is that Thatcher and Tanner probably require a bare padded room.

On second thought I think maybe I need the padded room!

What scary and crazy things did your child ever do as a toddler?

Until next time,

Chantel, momof8crazymonkeys.

]]> Snow Day! tag:www.urbanmoms.ca,2013:/eight_is_enough//113.13424 2013-02-17T05:52:38Z 2013-02-17T18:53:09Z

Well we all know how excited children get when a "Snow Day" is announced, and last weeks storm was no exception! As soon as my kiddies got home from school last Thursday all they could talk about was how school...

Chantel

Needless to say I wasn't overly excited. Have I mentioned how I HATE winter? I know, I should be ashamed - Canadians are supposed to love winter but seriously since I was just a wee thing I couldn't stand it. The cold is just so unbearable and for some reason I do not enjoy winter activities such as skating, tobogganing, hiking in the snow, and as for hitting the slopes well to be honest I have never been on skies.

So last Friday when I woke up and saw the snow outside I knew I was about to have eight children at home with me - so much for the manicure! (yeah right, there was never a manicure but a girl can dream). I turned on the weather network and my thoughts were confirmed. The day was now officially a SNOW DAY!

I thought of how I should really be living somewhere exotic and hot because I not only hate winter but I HATE snow! (yep slap me on the wrist, me bad). Quite often, I really think there must be something wrong with me, because what kind of Canadian mom hates winter and the snow?

Well now that it was official, I went to my computer to find out if my daughters audition had been cancelled. Nope - those in the business I suppose don't give two hoots about the snow.

So after snow blowing the driveway for two hours (no not me - big Daddy is home for a month) and ignoring the weather warnings we loaded up the van for a family trip to Toronto!

Here Thatcher and Tanner are thrilled to be in the van and seeing so much snow!

This is the view Daddy and I got from the front - we were not so thrilled

After an hour of driving (not bad given the weather!) we made it to downtown Toronto. Surprisingly, there were just as many other people as crazy as us, who decided to trek downtown in the snow!

After her audition we had a treat for the kiddies - "Old Spaghetti Factory" for dinner!

Arielle, Sebastian, Ryley and Zachary - Ryley reminds me of a character from the movie Fargo - he kept that hat on the entire time!

The children loved the merry go round surrounding our table

As daunting as it may seem dining with eight children really isn't that hard or crazy, in fact my children behaved so much better that the children sitting at the table behind us - and they only had two children!

Finally it was back to the van and back on the road to home. We may not have been enjoying the weather by playing in the snow as some families did, but we did spend it together and the children had fun.

Do you enjoy the winter and snow? What did your family do the snow day?

Until next time,

Chantel,momof8crazymonkeys

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