eSpecially Ben

I read this just now and had to share it: 37 Random Acts of Kindness This one just might inspire you to act.

The physical therapist at school started using the  Dynamic Stander  with Ben and he seems to enjoy being in it. If he chooses to, he can use his hands to roll the big wheels and move around the classroom. The operative word is "choose". The staff will have Ben use the stander one hour in the morning, and eventually add another hour in the afternoon.  I am hoping we can borrow it for the summer. Cool gizmo!

Kindermourn is a local organization that helps families through the grieving process by offering support groups and counseling. Hope Floats is their fundraiser, a duck race at the US National Whitewater Center . We attended the event last weekend. 15,000 ducks in a cage were lowered down from a crane and released into the water. The winning duck brings in $3500. The little yellow dots you see in the photos are the rubber duckies, think Ernie and Bert in rub-a-dub in a tub. Not at all enthused by the ducks, Ben got a little love from the same dog we saw a few weeks ago at the whitewater center.

Ben will be 10 years old this summer. He is getting taller, stronger and more independent. When I see him do something almost quite age appropriate, I am stopped in my tracks. This day was one of them. I never dreamed that Ben would sit at the table and eat his snack and drink without supervision and without swiping the drink and plate off the table. If he looks a little proud in the photos, you are correct. He knew he was doing something so cool.

We were fortunate to be given tickets to UNC Charlotte's first football scrimmage ever. This fall will mark the first official season of football at my Alma mater. The sport that has been cause for decades of controversy and elaborate, yet false legendary stories about why a team was not possible at the University.

Thursday, April 25 is  Pay It Forward Day Pay it Forward Day is in its seventh year, and on Thursday, April 25th  you and your family will have the opportunity to participate. Inspired by the book and movie, ‘Pay it Forward’ involves people doing random acts of kindness for others without expecting anything in return. Instead, recipients are instructed to ‘pay the kindness forward’ to others in need, essentially creating a positive ripple effect of giving.

Ben's visit to the dentist to show off his new 1/4 length front tooth proved informative and anticlimactic. After a quick look and an X-ray, it was determined that the root was fine. The dentist explained in a round-about story that included the Baseball Hall of Fame that kids have been cracking their teeth for as long as kids and teeth (and baseballs) have existed. Many do not ever get them fixed. A bit confused about our options after that story, I still asked what the process would be for replacing the tooth. The bottom line was that with a bond or composite "glued" to Ben's tooth, it will most likely come off again in any number of scenarios. We agreed to try it in the near future, possibly this summer. The procedure is done in the office, but Ben will have to stay still and that's why I will call in the big guns, a.k.a. Ryan. Eventually, a cap will be put on the tooth, but I believe Ben will have to be put out and based on the dentist's recommendation...

I had a leisurely after school time with Ben because Ryan was home and stress free having finished a couple of exams and feeling caught up on school work. He picked up Logan and Sean from school while I took Ben to physical therapy. As I was getting Ben out of the car and chatting with the PT, I noticed that I could not see one of Ben's front teeth, the cute adult one that had grown in over the last year. I lifted his lip and 3/4 of it was missing. (I originally reported 1/2, but after Ryan's official inspection he reports the higher number). Yikes! (I used a different choice word at the time, but "yikes" suffices for now.) We have a dentist appointment for this coming week to discuss a plan. It seems that this happens often with kids. How come it is the first time I have heard of it? I am sure everyone will come out of the woodwork now with stories of broken teeth. After speaking with Ben's teacher, she did say he fell on the playground while trying to go...

On Easter Sunday, I asked Mr. Terry, the boys' Sunday School teacher and the church's photographer extraordinaire, to take a family portrait. To no fault of his own, these are the results of that session: Finally one without funny faces, hair pulling, kicking or hiding, but not nearly as fun.

I lost 4% of my body weight in 28 days through D ietBet  and won $43.  I started another one on April 3. Care to join me? Now that I have played I can share what I have learned: 1. A blogger named Beth started the March  DietBet  game. She set the bet at $25 - meaning if you wanted to join, you had to pay $25 into the pot. Everyone put in the same amount. It was open access, meaning anyone could join. 2. Everyone had the opportunity to win. If you lost 4% of your body weight in the 28 days, you received an equal share of the pot, minus D ietBet's fee (5-15% depending on size of bet). For this DietBet, 199 people met their goal, that is almost 50% success rate. Over 2500 pounds were shed between 405 people over 28 days. 3. Dietbet has a simple way to keep participants honest. Send in 2 photos in the beginning of the contest and 2 photos at the end. Both photos are on the scale, one a closeup of the actual reading on the scale, the other a full body of...

You know that age old saying about be careful what you ask for...because you just might get it. I have been talking about building an accessible bathroom for Ben for a few years. Finally, it looks like it will happen. And now I am saying, ugh! It is a lot of work to make decisions that will have an impact now and for the future. Currently, we have a 6'x8' bathroom with little to no room to maneuver. As Ben has grown taller and heavier, it has become increasingly hard for me to lift him onto his special toilet seat and get him in and out of the bathtub safely. We knew something would have to change, but we were unsure how it would. Then, our state implemented a program that provides services and support for individuals like Ben. I heard that we would be eligible for financial assistance to modify a bathroom, but I truly did not believe it would ever happen. Alas, it has! In the past two weeks, I have met with two state-approved contractors. I gave them the big picture - my v...