The Return of Controlled Chaos

Robin has gone off to one of her Physician Assistant conferences and will be away until Friday; which after the first day as Mr. Mom feels like it will be a Friday in a new millennium. This is one of those times where a time machine would come in handy.

I believe that this is where my being obsessive compulsive shines. I like order, I need order to survive, and I need order to feel comfortable. That said, trying to be orderly with 4 kids 7 and under doesn’t exactly come easy. To maintain that path I must operate on all cylinders all the time and even then, to sustain order I need to take 2 minutes out of every hour to take a deep so that my head doesn’t explode. My OC is a safeguard and assures me that nothing falls through the cracks when taking care of my kids.

I’m sure you have a clear image in your head of me running around as if my hair was on fire, but I can assure you that things are well under control. The house is clean, the kids are dressed in clean clothes, they’re fed, they’re on time for school, and most importantly happy.

My obsessive compulsive disorder was never diagnosed, but people around me have told me that I have some characteristics of someone whom is OCD. I’ve gotten better at controlling it which has makes my wife’s life a bit less stressful. I don’t get bent out of shape as much anymore if the house is in complete disarray; oh it bothers me, but I try to redirect my energy elsewhere to be more productive.

Well that’s all for now.

I know I’m forgetting to do something this morning.

Time To Move On

It has been a while since my last post. These long breaks are becoming more frequent and I’m not quite sure why. My life is probably no more hectic than some of yours, so for me to make excuses would be completely reckless.

Many of you may have known that I have been in the media business for many years, and about 5 years ago I partnered with someone to open our own media sales organization. It was an exciting time for me and I’m glad that I did it. We had made significant progress over the years, but at the same time I felt it wasn’t significant enough for me to continue in the partnership. I recently decided to hand the operations over to my partner and the other two companies that we had formed a relationship with. It was time for me to move on.

I was hired four weeks ago by our local Fox Network affiliate, Sinclair Broadcasting Group, the largest independent broadcasting company in the country. It has been a crazy few weeks, but things are really starting to fall into place.

I am excited for our future and will try and keep all of you posted on our progress.

The kids are in school and once again we are pleased with the curriculum. Robin is doing extremely well in her classes to become a PA. I keep on telling myself that she’ll only be in school for two more years thinking that it may calm me down a bit. It doesn’t work. I’m sure that once we find our rhythm, things will fall into the proper place.

Cheers to you all.

Guest Post: Dog Days of Summers End

Hey there everyone, I was asked to blog by my dear hubby, as he has been busy working. So here it goes...

Belovedlife writes:

We have had a busy summer, kids mis-took July for January and we ended up with sick kids (oops!). Now summer is about to end. The hot hot days filled with sweaty kids just home from camp, tired mommy and daddy trying to keep up with them while they insist that "it is not bedtime, 'cuz it is still light out".

Remember those days when summer was just starting and you had that list a mile long of things you wanted to do, places to go and books to read (not the ones on that silly summer reading list either) suddenly your mom has you buying school shoes in the dead of heat - Wait, BOOTS in July..that can't be right, oh no school is starting...You would run like a maniac for the last few weeks of summer, staying up as late as you could, pushing every button you could to get your mom to let you have one more ice cream at 10 o'clock in the morning...God knows once school starts, THAT will never happen again.

Now it is time for back to school shopping, sweaters and boots...oh my! There was a commercial that used to run around this time of the year...picture a mom pushing a shopping cart, humming the popular christmas song 'It's the most wonderful time of the year" throwing back to school items into her shopping cart. Christmas in August! I guess that goes right along with my kids thinking July was January...at least we know where they get their confusion from, right? Seriously though, we will miss our kids, but then again it is nice to have a few hours to ourselves during daylight hours.

Wait...time to myself? Yeah right! Daddy will be having lots of time with the kids, now that I am heading back to school myself. So, the dog days of summer are ending, what the heck kind of days are starting now? INSANE ones!

Now that the weather is getting colder (hey it was only 76 today instead of 88) WE can pull out the winter Pj's and get our kids ready for bed. Guess what kids...it's time for bed...no really...I know it is only 4:30 in the afternoon, but it is DARK out!

Old pic...minus one cute, very fat baby Avi (will have to redo pic in the winter and post it....)

Down Syndrome Radio #2

Oddly enough, the post(Down Syndrome Radio)I did about the idea of having a weekly radio program on Down Syndrome actually has legs. A local radio station is accepting of the idea of this type of programming. I would have to choose either 15 minutes/30 minutes/1 hour+ for the runtime of the show. Let’s just pick an hour for discussion sake. The hour long segment could run once a week with a possibility of a rebroadcast during the week. There is a catch though; I would be responsible to find sponsors (advertisers) of the show, which shouldn’t be to difficult since I’m in the advertising and marketing business. The one our segment would cost me approx. $200 per week, which means that I would probably be responsible to find at least 3-5 advertisers to commit. The cost of everything actually sounds pretty reasonable.

The station itself is small and broadcasts within a 60 mile radius. I think the distance is far enough to find the ears of some program manager of a larger station that may take an interest, or not.

I’ve decided that I need to cover more than just Down Syndrome on the show. It needs to appeal to a wider audience.

I’m going to inquire a bit more into this crazy idea before I pull the trigger.

Think about what the positive and negative outcomes of a show like this could be.

The Adventures of “What In The World Were You Thinking”

There comes a time in every parent’s life where the thought of purchasing chains and locks makes perfect sense. Why is it that during the school year our children try and sleep later in the mornings, but during the summer they must get up between 5:30 & 6am (including weekends)? WHY?”

Not to long ago on a Sunday morning I found myself at our local park (1 block from the house) with a coffee in my hand watching 3 of my 4 kids having a blast on the monkey bars. This was all happening before 7AM. You would think that we would be the only nut jobs in the park at this crazy time of day……. You would be wrong. I found out that day that there is a place where the walking dead inhabit the earth. They even have their own language and indulge themselves with coffee. The mommies and daddies of the these, I guess you can call them “children”; I like little demons, were walking around aimlessly, slumped over, obviously wearing what ever they could easily find that morning, grasping their beverage, glancing at each other and without opening their mouths saying: Help Me, Please Help? They would look at me then look towards the entrance of the park as if saying “we're going to make a run for it, are you in”? I wanted to say yes but thankfully the coffee started to kick in and I heard my kids giggling.

An Award For Me......Aaaauuwww Shucks

Wow, Jeff over at Big Dawg Tales has awarded me with the “Blogger Reflection Award”. I don’t know what to say. Wait a minute; I do know what to say. It just so happens that I prepared a little something; here it goes: I would like to thank the Academy…..wait, that’s not it. Here it is: My fellow Americans, I did not inhale……nope, where the hell did I put that speech. Sorry folks, I know it’s around here somewhere. Is this it…..Eggs, Milk, Bread………., Robin, what did you do with my speech? Oh well, I guess I’ll have to wing it.

Let me start out by saying that there is nothing else that I would rather be doing today than having the pressure of writing a post and thinking about not one, not two, but five other blogs that I read whom are deserving of this award. All kidding aside, this is an award that “should make an individual reflect upon five bloggers who have been an encouragement, a source of love, impacted you in some way, and who have provided a Godly example. In other words, five dear bloggers whom, when you reflect upon them, you are filled with a sense of pride and joy...of knowing them and being blessed by them.”

Jeff, thank you for allowing me to bend your ear from time to time, off blog. Jeff is President and CEO of Janus Development Services, Inc. Janus is a non-profit organization whose mission is to “provide individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities the opportunity to participate and contribute within the community through training, education, and the development of social skills.” One great job.

That said, Jeff ranks high on my list of people who are a positive influence to me, my family and to all humanity. Jeff is one of the few fathers who have a blog in which he writes about his experience of raising a child with Down Syndrome. His son Nash and wife Jan (Mauzys Musings)are an inspiration to my family and I hope that all who stumble across this post can take a few minutes to visit them on their respected blogs.

This is what Jeff had to say about me:

Brother B at " Down Syndrome Life" . B. Strong also happens to be a father of a daughter with Down syndrome. B. has been a strong source of belief and reason in a world so filled with neither these days. As I have traveled with him down this road less traveled I consider him a friend I have not yet met in person but hope to soon.

I'm going to assume that you can't award the same blog twice. So before I start I want to hand out two honorary "Blogger Reflection Awards"; one to Kim at ramblings of the bearded one and the other to Jeff at Big Dawg Tales. Thanks for being who you are.

Now, my five winners for the “Blogger Reflection Award” in no particular order go to:

1. Robin my wife at Beloved Life - I can’t say enough about my wife. Robin has been the keystone in my life for the past 11 years; my one true love and best friend. Her determination and strength to make certain that the world is a better place for our children places her deep into my heart.

1. When things are feeling blue I know that I can visit Tara Marie at Emma Sage Tara enjoys telling life’s stories through pictures of her daughter Emma Sage, her friends and family. I feel as if I go on a mini-vacation every time I visit. Thank you.

1. Emily Elizabeth at Lovely and Amazing is another blog that interprets life through photos. The little tidbits Emily adds on her Friday posts seem to always place a smile on my face.

1. Noelle at Jaden's Journal : Noelle should be a lobbyist for the Down Syndrome community. Noelle is a mother of two. Her youngest, Jaden was born with Down Syndrome and has been the driving force for her on her latest mission. Go visit Noelle. Oh, she designs and makes beautiful jewelry too.

1. Archie at Lilienna one of the few dads who blogs about having a child who happens to have Down Syndrome is starting a support group in his community. He is deserving of this award not only because he is a blogging dad and starting a DS support group, but because his daughter Lilienna wears glasses just like my Amanda and I’m a sucker for that sort of thing.

There you have it folks. Now follow the directions below and you to will be given the responsibility of choosing 5 bloggers for this award.

1. Copy this post.
2. Reflect on five bloggers and write a least a paragraph about each one.
3. Make sure you link this post so others can read it and the rules.
4. Leave your chosen bloggers a comment and let them know they’ve been given the award.
5. Place the award icon on your site (I will get that soon)

Thoughts

As a child I remember summer being a time when waking up in the morning began with the overwhelming excitement of “Yes, I have 2 ½ months of freedom. This will be the best summer ever”. My mother made sure that my days were filled with activities such as camp, the zoo, the amusement park and just about everything else that would keep me and my friends out of the house. Summer was fun in our home, really fun. The only issue with being so busy was that my 2 ½ months of freedom quickly became only five days, and the excitement of getting out of bed now required effort.

As adults engulfed in our hectic lives we should still be waking up every morning with the excitement we had as children on the first day of summer break. If for any reason we find our selves yearning for the weekend on a Monday morning, maybe it’s time to think about where we are and what we need to be doing to bring back the Summers of long ago.

My Excuses For Not Posting In Awhile

I knew my readers had more important things to do than read my blog and I didn’t want to be a distraction.

I forgot my username and password.

Some aliens from outer space borrowed me so they could study how the human brain worked. They were very disappointed with their specimen.

I loaned my only computer to a friend, and he suddenly moved away.

I've been waiting in line for the past 3 weeks for my iPhone (not).

I was kidnapped by terrorists and they only just let me go. They too were dissapointed.

I gave up blogging for Lent. (I’m Jewish and have no idea what this means)

I own a Dell.

Actually I have zero excuses. I just needed to take a break.


Have a happy July 4th weekday(end…….dammit).

If you live abroad, have a great Wednesday.

Down Syndrome Radio

Is it crazy to think that a radio show on Down Syndrome has the legs to last? Honestly, would there be enough interest out there? Parents of children who have DS and adults with DS are certainly going to listen, but would the typical person listen to a show that discusses Down Syndrome for 2-3 hours on a Sunday? I suppose the only real question that would drive a show like this in corporate America is; would the station be able to find advertising/sponsorships for a show like this? I would like to think so.

I can envision the show having a weekly guest segment where we can accept calls from listeners, a segment on the progress of DS (it’s not your dads DS anymore:)), maybe add a little “put away the fallacies of DS” segment. We can have a star of the week where we would highlight a person and their achievements (write in nomination), or even highlight a business and/or organization that is a supporter of Down Syndrome.

A show like this can bring tremendous attention to DS, both in a good way and in a negative way; there are always kooks out there.

So the question is: Can a radio show dealing with DS or any special needs last?

Sunday Funday

The baseball game started at 1:35pm this past Sunday. The Pittsburgh Pirates were scheduled to play the Los Angeles Dodgers in a game for the ages. This was no ordinary game that would start and end unnoticed. The excitement was so intense and electric that you could feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand straight. Our hearts were pounding with excitement, this is it, this is the time, the one that will be remembered, this was my son James first baseball game.

The boy woke up Sunday morning, early and ready. I held him off until about 11am and then gave in; “OK James lets go, but what are we going to do at the ball park for the next 2.5 hours?” I don’t think he cared. We bought tickets through our local synagogue which meant they were inexpensive and high up in the stands; watching on a 13” black and white TV had a better view, not really. It’s not just the game that makes the event exciting, it’s the views, smell of hot dogs cooking, the vendors moving through the stands screaming out the name of the food items that they are selling:

Get your POPCORN here
Get your HOT DOG
CRACKER JACKS, get your CRACKER JACKS
Get your DECAF NO FOAM DOUBLE SHOT SKIM LATTE

What the? That did not happen. He didn’t say what I just thought he said. That man is not selling Lattes, is he? Oh thank god, it didn’t happen; my mind was just wondering. You wait; give it time, IT WILL HAPPEN.

Getting back to the story…..

James and I arrived at the park around 11:15, parked across the bridge which was $5 instead of $20, but only a 5 minute walk. The Roberto Clemente Bridge, the one we walked across is closed during games to allow the mass crowds of people to cross the river to the park. There were many fun activities for the kids to participate in on the bridge leading to the park. There was a real race car that kids could get into to get there picture taken. James loves race cars, but not today, he wanted to go into the park. There was a big blow up trampoline thing for kids to jump in. James loves trampolines, not today he wanted to go into the park. You kind of get the picture.

There was no line to stand in to enter the park because by now it was only 11:20am. Woohoo, 2 hours and 15 minutes before game time. How the hell am I going to entertain my 4 year old son for two hours at a ball park? We walked in and a few of the players were signing autographs, cool, there was a line for that, I could burn at least 5-10 minutes. Nope, James wanted no parts of it; he wanted to go to our seats. We arrived at our seats, section 305 (There was a series on HBO called “From the Earth to the Moon”, for some reason I thought of that as we sat down). We were the only ones in our section because, well, 2 hours before game time. After about 15 minutes of watching the grounds crew watering the grass I asked James if we could go for a walk; nope, wasn’t happening. I forgot to mention, before we got to our seats, we stopped to get licorice and soda, which lasted about 8 minutes. The sugar high was in effect almost immediately and I have the video to prove it. Since we were still the only ones in our section, I let James run freely through the seats. Oh yeah, he was zooming and having fun which is really what this day was all about.

People started to show up and the game was ready to start. We stood for our National Anthem and then it was time. THE BIG GAME!

After about, I’m not joking hear, 5 minutes James turns to look at me and says “Daddy, can we go home now?” Ha, what’d you say? I thought you just asked me if we could go home? I thought that once things started to move along he’d be ok. I started to explain the game to him and point out the different positions the players play. It worked for 2.5 innings and then very politely he asked me again. I acknowledged his request and we went home.

We saw 2.5 innings of a 9 inning ball game which our Pirates ultimately found a way to lose.

Even though we didn’t get to see the whole game, we both had a great time. I’ll chalk this one up as “I was spending time with my oldest son and there just happened to be a baseball game going on”.

Being a dad is cool.

I will paste video and/or pics on this post when I get the chance.

I really do have three other kids and will post about them soon:) Elizabeth will be featured soon.

Gone Fishing

My son James and I woke up Sunday morning around 6:00 to go fishing. I figured that I should take him someplace that would pretty much guarantee him a catch since it was going to be his first time and I didn’t want him to get discouraged. I took him to a small and safe man made lake. After about a half hour we had our first strike, a cat fish that was half the size of James. I let him reel it in. The fish nearly put him in the soup put he managed.

We had a great time.

*This was a catch & release lake. We don't eat catfish anyway.

Memories

I'm a weekly attendee at one of my local synagogues, but in the beginning of the month I went to pray (Daven) for my fathers soul (Neshama), something that we as Jews do on the anniversary (Yertziet) of our loved ones passing. I led the prayer services in his memory and will do the same every year.

I was 14 years old when my father died. I remember always wanting to stay home instead of sleeping over a friend’s house or leaving for an extended period of time in fear that something would happen and I wouldn’t be there. Even though I felt this way I still went out and did the things that 14 year old boys do, so when I went to my friend’s house for the weekend I talked myself into believing that everything was going to be ok.....again.

Friday May 3rd, 1985 at approx. 7:15am I remember giving my dad what would be the last kiss I would ever give him. I always made sure to kiss my parents every morning before I left the house to catch the bus to school. Again, I didn’t like being away from home but I told myself that irrational thoughts of something tragic happening was completely ridiculous, and for as many times that I convinced myself that that was true, this time it wasn’t.

The phone rang at my friend’s house Sunday morning at around 6:00am. The phone was in my friend’s hallway so I heard his mother pick up:

Hello?
Pause (15 sec.)
OK, bye
Click (my friends mother was obviously being informed and given instructions at the same time)

She came into our room and told me that Mrs. Weiss was going to pick me up soon to take me home; which I thought was a bit strange. A half hour later she picked me up. The 25 minute car ride was filled with small talk, nothing that I can remember.

Instead of taking me to my house Mrs. Weiss brought me to my sister’s home which was a bit odd, but didn’t really think anything of it. When I walked in I was directed to the back bedroom. An uncomfortable feeling came over me as I headed down the hallway. As I opened the door I heard my mother crying, I immediately ran to her and asked her what was wrong, my sister came in a mess. It was at that moment in time that my life would change forever.


I had mentioned in one of my posts that I make sure to remember some of the little things that my dad and I did together so that I wouldn’t forget them as time continues. There are so many things that we did, but the one thing that I enjoyed the most was fishing. We used to spend weekends out on the boat and a couple of times a year he used to surprise me with special fishing trips to places that we've never fished before. I learned that my dad was going to surprise me with one of those trips the week he died.

Since my father past away, I’ve gone fishing a few times, but it wasn’t the same. A few weeks ago I decided that I was going to teach my oldest son the trade. I went to the sporting goods store with James, he picked out his own rod and reel, and I purchased a fishing license. We’re set. We went back home and my daughter Elizabeth decided that she may want to go as well. There is always room for one more, always.

We hope to create our own memories this weekend.

Searching

The reason that I like Site Meter is not because I like to measure the amount of visits I receive, it’s to see how people have stumbled across my blog. I pay close attention to the information under Site Meter’s referrals. I commented in a similar post back in May of 2006

The following is a list of searches that people have made using either Google or Yahoo that prompted my blog to pop up.

What will my baby with Down Syndrome look like
Down Syndrome good toys
Down Syndrome big cheeks
Donated embryo Down Syndrome probability
Raising a kid with Down Syndrome
Down Syndrome life lessons
What is it like taking Down Syndrome to school
Open adoption and Down Syndrome
Trisomy 21
How was Down Syndrome named long ago
Blog person Down Syndrome
Biography of a Down Syndrome person
Where did Down Syndrome come from
A day in the life with someone with Down Syndrome
What is everyday life with people with Down Syndrome
Struggles of Down Syndrome
Odds of Down Syndrome, Forum
Near sighted improve with age
Down Syndrome and open adoption
Down Syndrome Life Blog
Lives of people with Down Syndrome
Special thoughts about children with Down Syndrome
Big Face Down Syndrome
Down Syndrome popping eyes
I hate Down Syndrome
Down Syndrome Tiger
Odds of Down Syndrome in Triplets
Oldest living Down Syndrome Person
Down Syndrome Circle of Friends
Down Syndrome lawsuits
Letter from Holland + Down Syndrome
What should a 15 month old with Down Syndrome be doing
How many people in the world have Down Syndrome
Did you know that you were having a baby with Down Syndrome

Groovy Tuesday

Today is Groovy Tuesday at Amanda's school. The hair is more 50's but the rest of the get up is on target. Her round blue sunglasses are probably hiding in the same place as her toothbrush. I put a couple of joints in her pocket to share with her classmates to ensure a fun day.

Enjoy kiddo!

No Strings?

An old wise man once said that he was asked whether or not if he ever considered divorce. He said “divorce? Never, but maybe murder once or twice.” Max passed away many years ago. He always put a smile on our faces and for that we will forever love him.

It’s Monday.......again and hopefully it will be better than the last. There are many people that I have met through blogging who I wouldn’t mind meeting in person. Whether they are who they say they are will be decided on whether or not I do meet some of them and actually live to blog about it:) I myself could be one of those nut jobs, and by my last video have proven that that may not be as far fetched as some of you may have thought.

Out of the blue I asked Robin If I could go and visit Kim in Scotland for a few days and without batting an eyelash she said sure go ahead. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, that didn’t go as I planned, something must be up. What do I do now? I was prepared for an argument? This can’t be, there is a catch somewhere, she is a woman ya’ know. Robin said, "sure I think it will be good for you to get away for a few days before I’m back in school for the next two years, and besides after you get back I will leave you with the kids and go to Florida to see my girlfriends…………………………."

AAAAAAAHAAAAA, I KNEW IT!

I think the right thing to do is to take baby steps first. Jeff, are you ready for me?

You Asked For It

I Hate Mondays

Back in the day before I had four kids I used to take great pride in my hair and how it looked. My stylist named John charged me $38 for a wash and cut. After the tip and “product” that I purchased, the whole trip would cost me approximately $55 (every 5 weeks). Since the kids came around I basically have given up all hope on my hair. I quit going to John and started going to a place called Fantastic Sam’s. It’s one of those places that hires right out of beauty school and doesn’t care about the kind of grades their applicants get. There are no appointments to make, you just walk in and the next flavor of the month cuts your hair. A haircut there costs $15 plus a 3-5 dollar tip. Very inexpensive, BUT this time around I got what I paid for. I explained the style of cut that I wanted to the new face and she seemed to have understood. She started to trim the sides like I asked (oh, we forgot to give the girl a name. Lets call her Brain Deficient BITCH!), but before I could say stop, she buzzed the front of my head with a number 2 trimmer setting. I’M BALD; I HAVE STUBLE ON MY HEAD. I can grow more facial hair in two days than what I have on my head. I look like a Jewish skinhead. I might as well start beating the hell out of myself now. Instead of bringing Brain Deficient BITCH to tears I kept my feelings bottled up, I even gave her a tip afterwards. I just wasn’t in the mood for a confrontation.

I know that my hair will grow back……..some day, but in the meantime I fear that I may have to put sunscreen on my damn head to keep it from burning. I’m going to walk into my house today and Elizabeth, James and my wife will all laugh at me, Amanda and Alistair will start crying because a stranger just entered their house claiming to be daddy.

I hate Mondays.

Just a Thought

Do you remember what your reaction was when your mom and/or dad would brake out the silent family video from when you were a child and show it to everyone during a family gathering in the confines of your home. Do you remember how embarrassing that was? Well, how do you think kids will react now a days when they find that you broadcasted full color with sound video over the Internet for the entire world to see. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm!

I can't wait to see the candidates in 30 years running for President. The primary source of all the mudslinging will come from YouTube. "Hey look, that's presidential candidate Dexter Headstrong as a baby pushing a Fisher Price lawnmower while naked eating hot fudge; what an idiot, I'm not voting for him"

Anonymous Comment

My wife posted the article that ran in the New York Times yesterday that was entitled "Prenatal Test Puts Down Syndrome in Hard Focus " as many other DS sites had. Unfortunately someone left the following anonymous comment which I deleted from her blog because she felt it was offensive. I on the other hand took the liberty of cutting and pasting it to this post. Here it is

From Anonymous

Choosing to have a retarded child is a moral atrocity. There's no way to get around the fact that Down syndrome causes suffering in everyone involved. The parents who support bringing more people burdened with this illness into the world only want to extend their and their children's suffering to everyone else. They should be named for what they are - evil.

Every child should be loved and valued - but a fetus is not a child until he or she is born - and what kind of perverted monster do you have to be to want your children to suffer their entire life? Only the religious dogma behind the hypocritical "culture of life" is capable of sinking people to this level.

Anonymous has a name now, David Veksler.
He has a website: www.rationalmind.net


I understand that this David character searched out sites that posted this article and left the same message on all of them.

He must have been mugged by a person with Down Syndrome;)

Another Boring Kid Video