Fairy GodMAW Grants Princess Bella's WISH! Update 12/2 - One more sleep til Disney!

[VroomVroomLightning]

Someone already took my idea for A Bugs Life..."Ants on a log" we love those!

 

[Corrine 1973]

I love your list of movies, I had the same problem when I sat down to do our list. I thought that I wouldn't have enough movies on our list, but low and behold there were more than enough. I have actually decided to continue our DMFN's after our trip but monthly instead of weekly. As you know all of the planning takes alot out of a person.

We made the Worms in dirt for out Lion King night and the kids absolutly loved it.

Another idea for desert would be a couple of scoops of ice cream, raisins for eyes, and licorice for legs. and by magic you have an ice cream spider.

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

Great job on the list.

We just watched Nemo last Thursday night, (it was the first day of school)

We ate Shrimp on the bar-be (Australian style) with rice and I don't like shrimp so I made some frozen crabcakes.

It was sort of a bad menu choice because the kids don't like grilled shrimp. So they ended up eating Peanut butter sandwiches

Then we ate some Nemo gummies that were on sale at the grocery store.

The kids really enjoyed it.
This Thursday night we are watching Wall-E!
For food we are going to have smoothies and pizza. We haven't been doing many activities and I haven't thought of anything for Wall-E. I may print some coloring pages or we could just play with the Wall-E toys.

 

[that's nice]

Great list. You might have to push back your dates to fit all those extra movies in!!! You can also keep up with the movies after you get back.

 

[StefaniLyn]

Thank you all for your wonderful posts. I promise to reply to each individually tomorrow - I'm just too exhausted this evening.

I did want to share some news we received today about Bella. It's somewhat life changing and to be quite frank, it devastated me and I just need to vent a little.

At birth, Isabella had a mild hearing loss in both ears. Her ENT doc placed ear tubes and for the past 4 years, Bella's hearing has tested well as long as her tubes are in place and clear. She's had surgery 3 times to place ear tubes.

To my surprise, at kindergarten orientation this past May, Bella failed the hearing screen. We took her to the ENT doctor in June and he directed us to audiology for formal hearing tests. She failed her hearing test again. We went back again last month, just to double check and make sure it wasn't a false result . . . . she failed again. Her tubes are in, they are open and functioning. Long story short, she has a mild hearing loss bilaterally that can no longer be managed medically.

That brings us to today. We met again with her Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctor. After much discussion, we came to a concensus that Bella's hearing loss will require hearing aids. It's a very hard pill for me to swallow. It may sound shallow, but I've always rejoiced in the fact that to an average person, Bella looks like a "normal kid." Unless you're watching her eat or see her many war wounds while she's in a bathing suit, her health issues do not distinguish her from any other typical 5 year old (except she's a little shorter, but that's the fault of her 4'10" mother ).

Now, her visible hearing aids will be a signal to people that something is "wrong" with this little girl. I feel it will call attention to her and make people, especially other children, take a closer look. Mostly, I'm worried that the attention could cause other kids to make fun of her for being different. It breaks my heart. After all she's been through, beating all odds, conquering many illnesses, fighting for her life and winning - now she will potentially be the subject of ridicule for something completely beyond her control. I truly believe that most kids are beautiful at heart. However, I was a kid once too, and I know that kids can be cruel at times and say very mean, hurtful things. It just doesn't seem fair.

We did discuss the option of surgical intervention, but the risks are too high. Surgery to correct Bella's type of loss would incur a 1-2% possibilty of complete hearing losss or, even worse, total facial paralysis. Those risks are just way too high in my opinion and I'm not going to be the one to make that decision for Bella. When's she's an adult, she can evaluate those risks herself and decide if she wants surgery.

Traditional hearing aids are pretty much our only option at this point. We have set up yet another appointment with an audiologist who will fit her for hearing aids on the 22nd of this month.

I know the hearing aids will work well to serve their purpose. Bella's profound speech delay will likely be improved somewhat if she can hear correctly. She will her hear teacher distinctly and pay attention better when she starts kindergarten this fall. There are a million other reasons why we need to get her hearing aids. It is, of course, the "right" thing to do for Bella's sake. So why does it feel so wrong?

Thanks for listening/reading . . . . sorry to be such a killjoy this evening.

After I respond to posts tomorrow, I hope to tell you all about our trip to Wisconsin State Fair this afternoon. Shopping and eating our way through State Fair was a wonderfully theraputic outing that allowed us to forget about the earlier events of the day and enjoy our family time.

Ah yes, and tomorrow is DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT! I love all of the suggestions for crafts and foods. I will be compiling our menu and organizing our agenda in the a.m. Boy do I have a lot to do tomorrow! Time to get some sleep tonight!

 

[All7OfUs]

Oh, please don't ever feel like this is a place where you can't be honest and express your true feelings! Even though we've never met, we still can love and care for each other through our words and prayers.

I've said it before, don't go by your heart all the time, go by what you KNOW is right. This is the RIGHT thing to do for her, and yes, it is going to hurt sometimes. Life can be painful, but there is Someone to walk along with you and Bella.

Bella sounds like a major trooper, and with your love and encouragement, I'm sure she will take it all in stride. In the end, she will look back and know she has an amazing family that loves her more than the stares or teasing could hurt.

I'm so glad you all found some joy and fun at the State Fair, and that MOVIE NIGHT is coming up!!! Woohoo!

Can't wait to see how they went!

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

I am sorry to read about Bella's hearing loss. Bella has had to endure so much and this is just one more thing. As her mother it must be hard to hear that she will have to go through this as well.

That being said, of course she needs the hearing aids, but I think that they are quite small now and will be much less noticeable. Imagine what it will mean to her to be able to hear things so much better.


Now about that State Fair, I grew up in Illinois and we used to visit the Wisconsin State Fair almost every year, do they still have those yummy Cream Puffs??

 

[kdzbear]

I wanted to post some encouragement for you. My younger brother is 36. He has worn hearing aids his whole life. He was never teased at school for them and that was back when they were big and very obvious. The new hearing aids are small and you would really have to look to see that someone had them in their ears. I know that you want her to look normal and I feel the same way with my son. However, just think about how much more of life she will be able to enjoy when she can hear the sounds around her. I know as a mom we always want to portect our children and keep them safe and she has been through so much. I know that she will adapt to her new aids much quicker than you will to her having to wear them. Hang in there and you both will get through this!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Hi New Friend!

Well, I sat here today, while the kids wathced Madam Blueberry (again), and read your entire report!

You have an amazing story to tell, with Bella being one of the heroes!

Looking forward to hearing about all of your planning and merriment along the way.

Liesa

WELCOME! new friend! Thanks so much for reading along! I hope to keep you entertained!

Okay, I didn't see the post right above mine, and will briefly chime in about the upcoming movie extravaganza...
How about tacos or bean burritos since some of the movie takes place at a cantina in (assumably) Mexico.
Hmmm.. gluten free.... rice to go with the Mexican food?
How about "ants on a log"?? Celery with peanut butter and raisins.
"Worms in dirt" Choco pudding with gummy worms mixed in, with crushed oreos on top.
Games:
--Pin the spider on the web (aim for the middle)
--Leap frog (grasshopper style)
--Draw a family mural of a bug circus
--You know me by now, I was going to say something about playing stinkbugs, but you have 3 very sweet little princess girls, so I'll contain myself.

You have such a creative mind! I totally forgot that the movie takes place in a cantina - your reminder brings a lot more food ideas into play. Love your game ideas too. Because we're not yet practicing school bedtimes, we can spend a little extra time doing games and crafts before the movie.

Someone already took my idea for A Bugs Life..."Ants on a log" we love those!

That's okay. I think "Ants on a Log" have a good shot of being on the menu tonight.

I love your list of movies, I had the same problem when I sat down to do our list. I thought that I wouldn't have enough movies on our list, but low and behold there were more than enough. I have actually decided to continue our DMFN's after our trip but monthly instead of weekly. As you know all of the planning takes alot out of a person.
We made the Worms in dirt for out Lion King night and the kids absolutly loved it.
Another idea for desert would be a couple of scoops of ice cream, raisins for eyes, and licorice for legs. and by magic you have an ice cream spider.

Thanks! I do plan to continue Family Nights after we return, but like cramming before a big test, I want to make sure my girls know as much Disney info as possible before we go.

I always loved worms in dirt as a kid and I'm excited to make it for my DDs on one of our DFNs.

Great idea for spider ice cream! Thank you!

Great job on the list.
We just watched Nemo last Thursday night, (it was the first day of school)
We ate Shrimp on the bar-be (Australian style) with rice and I don't like shrimp so I made some frozen crabcakes.
It was sort of a bad menu choice because the kids don't like grilled shrimp. So they ended up eating Peanut butter sandwiches
Then we ate some Nemo gummies that were on sale at the grocery store.
The kids really enjoyed it.
This Thursday night we are watching Wall-E!
For food we are going to have smoothies and pizza. We haven't been doing many activities and I haven't thought of anything for Wall-E. I may print some coloring pages or we could just play with the Wall-E toys.

What about making a Recycled Robot for your Wall-E activity? Use cans, bottles, milk jugs, cardboard, etc. to create a "Robot". I think hot glue would work best for those items so you may need to supervise carefully. You could either do it as a family project or as teams or individuals. Just a thought. Have fun during your Wall-E movie night Tonight!

LOL about the picky eating. That happens at our house too. And, I'm sad to say, I'm one of the pickiest!

I can't believe your kids are already back in school! That seems so early!

Great list. You might have to push back your dates to fit all those extra movies in!!! You can also keep up with the movies after you get back.

PUSH BACK MY DATES!?!?! Are you CRAZY! Just kidding! Because of Bella's issues with eating, family dinners have become scarce in our home I'm sad to say. DFN has sort of forced us to find that time to spend together as a family. I do hope to continue DFNs after we return.

 

[MomTo4+more]

Thank you all for your wonderful posts. I promise to reply to each individually tomorrow - I'm just too exhausted this evening.

I did want to share some news we received today about Bella. It's somewhat life changing and to be quite frank, it devastated me and I just need to vent a little.

At birth, Isabella had a mild hearing loss in both ears. Her ENT doc placed ear tubes and for the past 4 years, Bella's hearing has tested well as long as her tubes are in place and clear. She's had surgery 3 times to place ear tubes.

To my surprise, at kindergarten orientation this past May, Bella failed the hearing screen. We took her to the ENT doctor in June and he directed us to audiology for formal hearing tests. She failed her hearing test again. We went back again last month, just to double check and make sure it wasn't a false result . . . . she failed again. Her tubes are in, they are open and functioning. Long story short, she has a mild hearing loss bilaterally that can no longer be managed medically.

That brings us to today. We met again with her Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctor. After much discussion, we came to a concensus that Bella's hearing loss will require hearing aids. It's a very hard pill for me to swallow. It may sound shallow, but I've always rejoiced in the fact that to an average person, Bella looks like a "normal kid." Unless you're watching her eat or see her many war wounds while she's in a bathing suit, her health issues do not distinguish her from any other typical 5 year old (except she's a little shorter, but that's the fault of her 4'10" mother ).

Now, her visible hearing aids will be a signal to people that something is "wrong" with this little girl. I feel it will call attention to her and make people, especially other children, take a closer look. Mostly, I'm worried that the attention could cause other kids to make fun of her for being different. It breaks my heart. After all she's been through, beating all odds, conquering many illnesses, fighting for her life and winning - now she will potentially be the subject of ridicule for something completely beyond her control. I truly believe that most kids are beautiful at heart. However, I was a kid once too, and I know that kids can be cruel at times and say very mean, hurtful things. It just doesn't seem fair.

We did discuss the option of surgical intervention, but the risks are too high. Surgery to correct Bella's type of loss would incur a 1-2% possibilty of complete hearing losss or, even worse, total facial paralysis. Those risks are just way too high in my opinion and I'm not going to be the one to make that decision for Bella. When's she's an adult, she can evaluate those risks herself and decide if she wants surgery.

Traditional hearing aids are pretty much our only option at this point. We have set up yet another appointment with an audiologist who will fit her for hearing aids on the 22nd of this month.

I know the hearing aids will work well to serve their purpose. Bella's profound speech delay will likely be improved somewhat if she can hear correctly. She will her hear teacher distinctly and pay attention better when she starts kindergarten this fall. There are a million other reasons why we need to get her hearing aids. It is, of course, the "right" thing to do for Bella's sake. So why does it feel so wrong?

Thanks for listening/reading . . . . sorry to be such a killjoy this evening.

After I respond to posts tomorrow, I hope to tell you all about our trip to Wisconsin State Fair this afternoon. Shopping and eating our way through State Fair was a wonderfully theraputic outing that allowed us to forget about the earlier events of the day and enjoy our family time.

Ah yes, and tomorrow is DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT! I love all of the suggestions for crafts and foods. I will be compiling our menu and organizing our agenda in the a.m. Boy do I have a lot to do tomorrow! Time to get some sleep tonight!

I am so sorry to hear that you have one more things to deal with. I in no way want to minimize how you feel, but I hope I can encourage you a little. My 18 month old has bilateral cochlear implants. She is too young to know how children will respond to her. My older children's peers are never rude, just curious. But I know it could be totally different once they are her peers. Kids seem to find something to tease each other about no matter what it is.

I have found really cute stickers and decorations for her implants that coordinate with her outfits. Think fun accessories that typical kids don't get to wear! I think they are called tube riders?

We have a great school near us for the deaf and hard of hearing. My little one gets to see other children just like her there, and I get the support of other parents. Is there a support group for families in your area? You are in WI, right? If you ever feel ambitious enough to drive to Chicago, you could come to one of our parent meetings or family gatherings.

Bella is so adorable and her wonderful curls will probably make the aids less obvious! As my little one grows more hair, hers are less and less easily seen.

FYI - I don't think your shallow. Like any mom, you want life to be good and not complicated for your daughter. It's hard when issues come up that we can't solve. You're not shallow at all - you're just a mom!

 

[Terry718]

I'm so sorry about Bella's hearing loss and agree with the previous posters who told you about the new hearing aids. My dad just got hearing aids and you can't even see them. Whenever he says "what?", I ask him if he has his hearing aids in because you truly cannot tell. I know that is a small comfort because I had similar feelings to yours a couple months back.

On the outside Richard appears very healthy. Which sometimes makes it harder to convince people he is ill but for the most part, I relish in the fact that he looks so good and the other kids don't see anything wrong with him. One morning last April I noticed Richard's teeth were turning brown. I was devastated. I called the dentist hysterical. I could barely get the words out. all the medicines were ruining his new teeth. Now I've been thru so much with Rich, and nothing hit me as hard as the brown teeth. I felt like he had battled so much and and yet still he looked good - and now he had something that everyone could see, and make fun of. I'm telling you it nearly put me over the edge. So I understand your feelings - I truly do. If we can't make our kids well, we find comfort in the fact that they look so good. I get it.

We were lucky - my fears were unfounded. The dentist did his magic and Richard's teeth looked great. Just like Bella will get a great pair of aids that no one will notice. She will hear better and still look absolutely beautiful. I know it. Hang in there Momma, your little princess will be fine... and so will you!

 

[Sandy321]

I have to come in and post the btdt with respect to hearing aids... I know I cant compare in but the broadest sense of the term - but maybe I can share a tiny bit of experience... and definately


anyway - she was right. After extensive testing of my son - he had to have aides, since his speech was impaired also we could drive him to a school 2 - 3 times a week to meet with a school speech teacher - or we could look into sending him to Powers Center in Vernon Hills IL ( we were in Round Lake IL - the Park District Preschool)



So I went to the school - as a teacher Ithought I could have a good idea - and I was amazed at the teaching and one on one time each student got - how much love - and verbal queues they got! It was awesome (it has since changed btw!) Bonus - all the kids wore hearing aides and learned to take care of them! He was mainstreamed in the Hawthorn School system too!! It was the best of both worlds!!

Then he got older! OMG - what a fight to get him to wear hearing aids! and then he loses them....

and then the audiologists -

So for those that have that minor hearing loss - they truly are in the middle of 2 worlds. Hearing aides do not "fix" their hearing loss - it amplifies everything! DS will never hear the "F" or "s" sounds - he knows about them - but even with the amplification - you cant fix that sound, like you can fix eyesight!! It exhaust him to pay attention to speech - in school after a big lesson, he would need a "break" to prepare for the next lesson (so he often wanted to lay down in the nurses office instead of going to recess!!)

For your dd speech development is essential - as is vocabulary enrichment - which I believe you are doing!! With all the color you put in her world!!

This is probably way too much information - I'm deleting some of it... just know I total know where you are coming from.

one day at a time! Filled with love!

 

[that's nice]

I'm sorry to hear about Bella... but it is good that they found it. I totally know how you feel about what other kids will say or do. I've had conversations with my DW about how other kids will view our DD when they see her scars. Right now, Juliana just calls them her 'lines' She doesn't understand why they are there.

As other posters have stated, hearing aides have gotten smaller and less noticeable. Possibly if Bella can hear better with them, her speech may improve faster.

 

[StefaniLyn]

To everyone - You all know just what to say to cheer me up!

Oh, please don't ever feel like this is a place where you can't be honest and express your true feelings! Even though we've never met, we still can love and care for each other through our words and prayers.

I've said it before, don't go by your heart all the time, go by what you KNOW is right. This is the RIGHT thing to do for her, and yes, it is going to hurt sometimes. Life can be painful, but there is Someone to walk along with you and Bella.

Bella sounds like a major trooper, and with your love and encouragement, I'm sure she will take it all in stride. In the end, she will look back and know she has an amazing family that loves her more than the stares or teasing could hurt.

I'm so glad you all found some joy and fun at the State Fair, and that MOVIE NIGHT is coming up!!! Woohoo!

Can't wait to see how they went!

Thanks so much for your comforting words Liesa. Bella sure is a trooper and she'll will just take this in stride as she always does. It's probably more traumatic for me than her, In fact, Bella will probably just see it as an opportunity to make friends when someone asks her about her hearing aids. She's such a friendly kiddo!

I am sorry to read about Bella's hearing loss. Bella has had to endure so much and this is just one more thing. As her mother it must be hard to hear that she will have to go through this as well.

That being said, of course she needs the hearing aids, but I think that they are quite small now and will be much less noticeable. Imagine what it will mean to her to be able to hear things so much better.


Now about that State Fair, I grew up in Illinois and we used to visit the Wisconsin State Fair almost every year, do they still have those yummy Cream Puffs??

Thanks so much. I ran into a friend today that has hearing aids and just had to ask her about them. She took hers out and showed me - they really are tiny! And clearly the benefits of her being able to hear will outweigh any cosmetic issues.

They do still have the yummy cream puffs at State Fair but the line is rediculously long so we didn't wait for them this year. We did, however, try this year's new must-try food, chocolate covered bacon. I'm going to make you wait for the details on that though!

I wanted to post some encouragement for you. My younger brother is 36. He has worn hearing aids his whole life. He was never teased at school for them and that was back when they were big and very obvious. The new hearing aids are small and you would really have to look to see that someone had them in their ears. I know that you want her to look normal and I feel the same way with my son. However, just think about how much more of life she will be able to enjoy when she can hear the sounds around her. I know as a mom we always want to portect our children and keep them safe and she has been through so much. I know that she will adapt to her new aids much quicker than you will to her having to wear them. Hang in there and you both will get through this!

Thanks for sharing your brother's story with me. It's reassuring to hear about similar situations with a happy ending. All we've ever wanted for Bella was "normal." I guess I'll just have to wrap my mind around a new definition of "normal" that includes hearing aids. Thanks for the hug!

I am so sorry to hear that you have one more things to deal with. I in no way want to minimize how you feel, but I hope I can encourage you a little. My 18 month old has bilateral cochlear implants. She is too young to know how children will respond to her. My older children's peers are never rude, just curious. But I know it could be totally different once they are her peers. Kids seem to find something to tease each other about no matter what it is.

I have found really cute stickers and decorations for her implants that coordinate with her outfits. Think fun accessories that typical kids don't get to wear! I think they are called tube riders?

We have a great school near us for the deaf and hard of hearing. My little one gets to see other children just like her there, and I get the support of other parents. Is there a support group for families in your area? You are in WI, right? If you ever feel ambitious enough to drive to Chicago, you could come to one of our parent meetings or family gatherings.

Bella is so adorable and her wonderful curls will probably make the aids less obvious! As my little one grows more hair, hers are less and less easily seen.

FYI - I don't think your shallow. Like any mom, you want life to be good and not complicated for your daughter. It's hard when issues come up that we can't solve. You're not shallow at all - you're just a mom!

Thank you for sharing your story as well. I absolutely love that you decorate and "show off" the hearing aids. You have shown me that I need to change my attitude and be more positive about the aids, especially in front of Bella. If I react negatively to them, I'm certain Bella will folllow my lead. Positive it is, from here on out (at least in front of Bella)!

We are hoping to eventually get Bella a BAHA hearing aid system. It will be a post implanted behind one of her ears. Then the small BAHA unit attaches to the post. With Bella's curly hair, I doubt anyone will even notice, as long as she doesn't have it in a ponytail or give herself any more haircuts!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Just 16 more weeks until Bella's Disneyworld Wish Trip! Tonight's Disney Family Night Movie choice -

A BUG'S LIFE!

I would like to tell you that I learned a very important, and costly, lesson while preparing for this week's Disney Family Night. We have known for a couple days that Bugs Life would be our movie of the week. I compiled our menu from several of the ideas posted here as well as a few of my own. This evening, after a long day of school clothes shopping, we stopped by the store to pick up the ingredients for our meal. After picking up our groceries, we stopped by the video store to grab the movie - our last stop on the way to a wonderful DFN. Or so we though . . . .

You've probably guessed what happened by now because you're all much smarter than I. That's right, the ONLY copy of a Bug's Life was checked out! OH NO!!!

What to do, what to do? We headed home trying to figure out how we could get our hands on a copy of the movie. The local library? Nope, it was closed. Maybe a friend or neighbor? I posted it on Facebook but nobody had a copy. I called a neighbor and was delighted that she had a copy . . . . . in VHS! What?!?! My kids don't even know what a 'video tape' is, But we did happen to have a VCR so DD10 ran up and grabbed the movie. DH hooked up the VCR and popped in the video. And then our old, decrepit VCR promptly started EATING it!!

So there we were, our only accessible copy of A Bugs Life useless and our themed evening going downhill quickly without the star of the show. But there was one last and only hope left. Wal Mart. I called, crossing my fingers but expecting disappointment. But guess what?!? They had it in stock. And for a whopping $19.95, the day was saved. Ben quickly ran over and picked up the LAST copy as the girls showered and we cleaned the house (our rule is, no DFN until the house is CLEAN - it's a great motivator)

After the drama of obtaining A Bug's Life, we were finally able to begin our Disney Family Night #2.

Doesn't Kennedy look thrilled? This is her "ok mom, I'm sick of smiling for your picture" smile.

This Evening's Craft Project -

Buggy Finger Puppets

And our Menu for the evening -

Appetizer #1 - Atta's Ants on a Log - celery sticks slathered with peanut butter and topped off with raisin "ants". Kennedy loved these. My picky eater, AJ, ate one bite but declared it was disgusting. Bella picked a single "ant" off of one log, licked it, and claimed to be "full." At least she tried it . . . sort of!

Bella trying her "ant"

AJ's reaction to Atta's Ants on a Log

Appetizer #2 - Rosie's Spider Bites - Spreadable cheese sandwiched between two Ritz crackers. 4 halved pretzel sticks for the legs and 2 tiny pieces of pretzle for eyes (attached with cheese spread glue). Both AJ and Kennedy enjoyed these. I offered Bella a spoonful of just cheese, but she was still "full" from licking the raisin.

And for the Main Course -

Leafy Greens Salad (pretty self explanatory)

Heimlich's Hot Ham and Cheese Butterfly Sandwiches - ham and cheese heated on a griddle and then placed on a buttered bun. I then used a butterfly cookie cutter to cut out each sandwich

Bugs in the Grass - I took pre-cooked instant white rice and colored it with green food coloring. The "bugs" are chopped up pieces of cooked carrots. AJ was honestly scared when she first saw this on her plate until I told her it was rice. Then she gobbled up her bugs and grass.

Here is Bella snacking on her gluten free version of tonight's meal. She had a slice of cheese and a slice of ham, both cut into a butterfly shape. She ate the whole piece of cheese and one bite of ham. Bella had a small salad, but didn't eat any Leafy Greens. She also had a regular portion of Bugs in the Grass and ate about 4 grains of rice. Overall a halfway decent meal for Bella and solid foods.

Kennedy showing us how she ate the wing off of Heimlich!

The girls eating their Bug's Life Dinner!

Oh! I almost forgot, our beverage of choice for the evening was BUG JUICE, also known as Strawberry Kiwi Hawaiian Punch! Shhhh. . . . . don't tell the kids but Mom and Dad's "Bug Juice" was Mountain Dew to keep us from falling asleep during the movie!

For Desert, (again no pictures because they ate it during the movie), we made
Flick's Super Sundaes - Take 3 small scoops of ice cream and line them up on a plate. Then cover the scoops with chocolate Magic Shell. I then used colored writing icing to make legs, eyes, and antanae. Mine didn't turn out very pretty though because as I scrambled to find a copy of the movie, I neglected to put away the ice cream. Mushy ice cream does not solidify Magic Shell very well. Your mental image of our Flik's Super Sundaes is probably 1000X better than any picture would be.

I was hoping to throw another activity into the mix this week but with being out so late shopping for school clothes and the drama of getting the movie, we just didn't have time. Next week I'm hoping to have both a craft project and some other activity (puzzle, game, etc) on Disney Family Night.

Next Week's Disney Family Night Movie is . . . . . . . . (drumroll please)


HANNAH MONTANA - chosen because my girls have been asking me daily WHEN it is going to be released on video.

Let the tidal wave of ideas begin!
UP NEXT:

CHAPTER 15 - DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT #3 - HANNAH MONTANA

 

[All7OfUs]

Awww! Your movie night turned out so cute! I adored the finger puppets!

Good for you!

But, wow, such drama about the movie! I hope it didn't eat too much of your neighbor's copy. $20- Goodnight! --that would be a hard pill to swallow for me.

In regards to choco covered bacon- I think I'd pull an AJ, and proclaim it disgusting! But then again, I never thought bacon covered dates would be all that tasty either, until I tried them. You never know...

 

[kdzbear]

Your movie nights are great! I love the finger puppets! Great Job!

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

You didn't wait in line for a cream puff! I remember that line being very long. But it snaked past those wonderful display cases of things carved out of butter and cheese

Chocolate covered bacon? I think I will pass on that one. The fried cheese curds were always really yummy though.

Your family movie night looked like a lot of fun. Glad you were able to find a copy of the movie. Looking forward to reading about your Hannah Montana night.

 

[StefaniLyn]

I'm so sorry about Bella's hearing loss and agree with the previous posters who told you about the new hearing aids. My dad just got hearing aids and you can't even see them. Whenever he says "what?", I ask him if he has his hearing aids in because you truly cannot tell. I know that is a small comfort because I had similar feelings to yours a couple months back.

On the outside Richard appears very healthy. Which sometimes makes it harder to convince people he is ill but for the most part, I relish in the fact that he looks so good and the other kids don't see anything wrong with him. One morning last April I noticed Richard's teeth were turning brown. I was devastated. I called the dentist hysterical. I could barely get the words out. all the medicines were ruining his new teeth. Now I've been thru so much with Rich, and nothing hit me as hard as the brown teeth. I felt like he had battled so much and and yet still he looked good - and now he had something that everyone could see, and make fun of. I'm telling you it nearly put me over the edge. So I understand your feelings - I truly do. If we can't make our kids well, we find comfort in the fact that they look so good. I get it.

We were lucky - my fears were unfounded. The dentist did his magic and Richard's teeth looked great. Just like Bella will get a great pair of aids that no one will notice. She will hear better and still look absolutely beautiful. I know it. Hang in there Momma, your little princess will be fine... and so will you!

Thanks so much. Isn't it funny how the little things mean so much to us? I'm glad the dentist was able to correct Richard's teeth. I know Bella will be fine in the long run, actually better now that she'll hear correctly. It just kills me that she has one more hurdle to overcome. People often tell me God doesn't give you more than you can handle. Sometimes I doth protest that statement!

I have to come in and post the btdt with respect to hearing aids... I know I cant compare in but the broadest sense of the term - but maybe I can share a tiny bit of experience... and definately

anyway - she was right. After extensive testing of my son - he had to have aides, since his speech was impaired also we could drive him to a school 2 - 3 times a week to meet with a school speech teacher - or we could look into sending him to Powers Center in Vernon Hills IL ( we were in Round Lake IL - the Park District Preschool)

So I went to the school - as a teacher Ithought I could have a good idea - and I was amazed at the teaching and one on one time each student got - how much love - and verbal queues they got! It was awesome (it has since changed btw!) Bonus - all the kids wore hearing aides and learned to take care of them! He was mainstreamed in the Hawthorn School system too!! It was the best of both worlds!!

Then he got older! OMG - what a fight to get him to wear hearing aids! and then he loses them....

and then the audiologists -

So for those that have that minor hearing loss - they truly are in the middle of 2 worlds. Hearing aides do not "fix" their hearing loss - it amplifies everything! DS will never hear the "F" or "s" sounds - he knows about them - but even with the amplification - you cant fix that sound, like you can fix eyesight!! It exhaust him to pay attention to speech - in school after a big lesson, he would need a "break" to prepare for the next lesson (so he often wanted to lay down in the nurses office instead of going to recess!!)

For your dd speech development is essential - as is vocabulary enrichment - which I believe you are doing!! With all the color you put in her world!!

This is probably way too much information - I'm deleting some of it... just know I total know where you are coming from.

one day at a time! Filled with love!

Sandy thank you for your BTDT. It always helps to hear from someone with experience that has made it through! And of course, thanks for the hugs too. It sounds like you've had an incredibly positive experience with your DS and hearing aids at his first school. I can only hope that Bella's will be as positive but I'm not sure how much experience her teachers and speech therapists will have with hearing aids.

Bella is so severely delayed in speech right now that I am certain the hearing aids will help her immensely in speech. In fact, I'm hoping to feel guilty for not getting them earlier.

Please don't ever feel like you're providing me with too much info. This is a completely new realm for me. I'm walking into this without knowing much about hearing in general, let alone hearing aids. Believe me, I need all the help I can get. Thanks again for chiming in!

I'm sorry to hear about Bella... but it is good that they found it. I totally know how you feel about what other kids will say or do. I've had conversations with my DW about how other kids will view our DD when they see her scars. Right now, Juliana just calls them her 'lines' She doesn't understand why they are there.

As other posters have stated, hearing aides have gotten smaller and less noticeable. Possibly if Bella can hear better with them, her speech may improve faster.

Thanks so much. I am glad they have a diagnosis as well, it's just not what I wanted to hear. Like you and Juliana, I have always worried about her Bella's extensive scars and tried to hide them. She has one that runs from her spine to sternum under her arm pit. She has another that runs from her neck to below her belly button. She has a large on on her stomach from her g-tube site, she named it "Emma, the Scar." And she has about a dozen more from central lines, chest tubes, and everything else.

I have always put her in a one piece swimsuit until this year, when she DEMANDED to be allowed to wear a bikini! I followed her like a hawk around the pool, ready to pounce on any kid that pointed out her scars. I saw many stares and a few kids asked, but it didn't bother Bella at all! She would ignore the stares and introduce "Emma" to those that asked about it! Bella is proud and confident. I hope it will be the same with her hearing aids!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Awww! Your movie night turned out so cute! I adored the finger puppets!

Good for you!

But, wow, such drama about the movie! I hope it didn't eat too much of your neighbor's copy. $20- Goodnight! --that would be a hard pill to swallow for me.

In regards to choco covered bacon- I think I'd pull an AJ, and proclaim it disgusting! But then again, I never thought bacon covered dates would be all that tasty either, until I tried them. You never know...

Thanks. We have had finger puppet shows all day long today! DH saved the video - which reminds me, I need to return that. I am still peeved about the $20 - had to take it out of our Disney $$ that I'm saving for the girls to go to BBB.

I'm sorry to make you wait for another day for the State Fair summary and chocolate covered bacon review. I'm trying to get PTO stuff ready for registration and just haven't had time to write it yet! But bacon covered dates?!?! Seriously???

Your movie nights are great! I love the finger puppets! Great Job!

Thank you! I hope they just keep getting better (or at least I am better prepared for them and therefore feel like they're getting better

You didn't wait in line for a cream puff! I remember that line being very long. But it snaked past those wonderful display cases of things carved out of butter and cheese

Chocolate covered bacon? I think I will pass on that one. The fried cheese curds were always really yummy though.

Your family movie night looked like a lot of fun. Glad you were able to find a copy of the movie. Looking forward to reading about your Hannah Montana night.

OK, please don't hate me but . . . . .

I don't think the cream puffs are worth the wait!

Honestly, I'd rather get a Cinnabon and save myself the wait in line. However, I do agree that it is interesting to see the stuff in the cream puff line as well as the bakers making them.

We did get cheese curds (totally delicious) and lots of other yummy stuff. I'm hoping to get around to writing about it tomorrow!