March Wrap Up

Where did March go? I mean really. It was January like 15 minutes ago. Every month I mean to do a wrap up post, and then one month turns into three. Whoops, best intentions!

So here’s what we’ve been up to in March. Let’s start with food!

I have been on a major citrus kick. And it has been delicious. Lemon Loaf. Orange Loaf. Lemon Rolls. Lemon Cake. I’ve loved each and every one of the recipes, but the one that was shockingly amazing was the orange loaf. I’m not a big orange fan, it’s a take it or leave it thing for me, but wow. This orange loaf was a huge hit with my family. I also lightened up some great recipes using applesauce over at Better Homes And Gardens. Applesauce always been one of my favorite ingredients to use to cut back on oil or butter in a recipe. I made apple pie bread, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, carrot cake and chocolate brownie cake, all made a bit lighter with applesauce. I also made a carrot cake that will knock your socks off. For real. This cake is amazing. I whipped up some cinnamon rolls that you can make one day and bake the next, which are perfect for Easter morning. Love From The Oven contributor Melissa from Ice Cream Inspiration shared some Pistachio Coconut Ice Cream and Jess from Sweet Menu shared some Chocolate Cookie Dough Cups.

Over on my Ebay blog, I shared some of my favorite Cake Mix Cinnamon Roll Recipes. Yes, you can totally make cinnamon rolls using cake mix. It gives you SO many flavor options!

I shared some great Easter basket filler ideas if you have tweens or teens. I’ve got ideas for both girls and boys.

I also shared some of my favorite Easter treats and recipes made using PEEPS.

On the personal front, we had spring break. Unfortunately it didn’t quite go as planned. I booked a cabin at a darling place deep in Oak Creek Canyon called Butterfly Garden Inn. It’s wonderful, and I would highly recommend it (and the amazing and ample breakfast they bring you made fresh each morning – scones and turnovers and fruit and yogurt and fresh bread… oh my!). Unfortunately I would not recommend your four year old spiking a scary high and uncontrollable fever the evening that you arrive, resulting in a visit to the ER, which is about an hour away (this city girl is used to four hospitals within a 15 minute drive).

It turned out the little one had a really severe ear infection that she hadn’t complained about (don’t let anyone tell you that having a ridiculously high pain tolerance is a good thing – it can be pretty scary). We decided to stay, seeing as how all she was going to do was lay with us and rest, and we didn’t want to drive back down the altitude and make it worse for her. My husband and I took turns taking my oldest out to do some hiking and sight seeing. By the time we got home three days later, my oldest was sick as well, followed by myself and my husband. A visit to the ER and three visits to the pediatrician is not doing spring break right! My visit to the Minute Clinic inside CVS (seriously, how great are those places for simple illnesses???), the nurse told me that this stuff is hanging on for weeks. Like 3-4 weeks. Oh goody, goody, gumdrops. 🙁   And on top of that, my mom spent a week in the hospital. Way too many hospitals, doctors and medicines this month.

So I’m hopped up on cold meds, trying to be productive, and probably failing pretty miserably. Why as a mom do I always get sick after the kids, when they still have all their activities and school. Why can’t we all do it at the same time and hang out on the couch together? Who do I speak to about this? Where is the mommy union???

Today’s a big, and probably a bit emotional day. I have a meeting at my little one’s school to go over Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team report, which is a made up of an almost dizzying variety of evals and reports by her teacher, speech therapist, occupational therapist and school psychologist. This report sums up where she is at, and what they recommend for kindergarten. I requested a copy in advance, so that I could digest it prior to the meeting. Anyone who has ever done any sort of IEP meeting knows how overwhelming they are, so having time to go over things at home ahead of time is good.

Ultimately I know what the recommendation is: a small, self contained, special ed classroom. It probably is the best choice, but it’s also that moment as a parent where you sort of step back, take stock, and have to admit that despite your best effort, despite giving away most of her young childhood to therapies, you were not able to “catch her up” to her peers. It’s a tough pill to swallow. I talked about it over on my other blog. When you start on the road as a special needs parent, when you are dealing with developmental delays, the word “delay” makes you think that if you work really hard, you can catch up. But, that’s not always how it works.

Today I should find out what schools and programs the district has in mind, then will be spending some time visiting those schools and classrooms and observing, studying, researching and driving myself crazy over what to do. The trend in special ed is for inclusion, and while it sounds great in theory, I’m not sure that it’s always the best fit. These are hard choices, and I’m not sure if we’ll ever know if we are making the *right* choice, but I hope and pray we can make the best choice for her. I feel like kindergarten really sets the tone for her future and her education, so there is a part of me that feels that going the self contained special ed classroom is giving up on some hope that I want to hold on to. She’s always been a bit of an enigma to those who have worked with her and tested her. She doesn’t fit neatly in any box or diagnosis, which makes it even harder to find the right path for her. So I’ll try and have some faith that we will figure it out.

Oh, and I’ll have a margarita. Because I truly believe that every IEP or school meeting should be followed with totally unhealthy food and a big, frosty, tequila filled drink. You know, to take the edge off. I like to think of them as therapy. Work with me on that one. I like to call it the #IEParty. I think it could totally trend.

And on to April we go! Recipes might be a bit slower this month, with a lot of my work time being used to go tour schools and programs, but I do have delicious scones, turnovers, a no bake coconut layered dessert and a peanut butter skillet cookie in the works for you! We’ll celebrate Easter, then celebrate the little one turning FIVE next week. Wow, five. Five and 12. I am certain that a month ago they were two and nine. The days are long, but the years, they truly are short.