Yes I love my kids and all their flaws. They are not perfect and neither am I. Why do I call it the “home of the crazies?” Chris and I always joke around that we only have one normal kid, Little Bear. We tried and tried for a normal kid and by the time we got to number 5, finally we hit the jackpot! He is a sweet little boy without any social, emotional or mental problems. Taking care of him is easy. But I also have to deal with…
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A Change in Routine is Difficult for Kids with Asperger’s
It is the middle of the afternoon and the house is quiet. I am soaking in the silence because I know that it will not be long and the peaceful rooms will be filled with yelling, screaming, crying, laughter and ruckus. 3 o’clock is my least favorite time of day. The noise starts every morning at 6am. Parrot is usually the first one up. He doesn’t understand that if other people are still sleeping then it is polite to be quiet so you don’t wake them. Aspie kids like…
Read MoreA Mother Will do Anything for Her Child
This is a true story about what went on in the Talbert Zoo over the past four days. My life as usual was put on hold because of my three-year-old. Saturday night we got home late from visiting my in-laws in Sacramento for the Fourth of July. The next day was pretty typical. We went to mass in the morning as a family, got home, and the kids played outside. Chris left that afternoon to train for his new position in Chicago. After he left, I unpacked from our trip,…
Read MoreIs it June Already?
I can not believe that it is June already. May was so busy that if I blinked I would have missed it. Here we are welcoming a new month, a new season, and new possibilities for the Talbert Zoo. Last week I took a couple of days off of blogging. I was ready to give up on all of my websites and just be a mother and wife. This decision was due to the fact that we learned that there is a 99% chance that we will be moving to…
Read MoreFriday Funny – #BlogHop #LinkUp – …You Just Might be a Mother of Boys
I have five kids and three of them are boys. Testosterone rules here at the Talbert Zoo. If you have boys I am sure you can relate! If you sit down to pee and find out that the toilet seat is up…you just might be a mother of boys. If your mealtime rule is no wrestling at the dinner table…you just might be a mother of boys. If the only article of clothing required in your family’s dress code is underwear…you just might be a mother of boys. If you…
Read MoreHousehold Tasks or Household Responsibilites?
That was the question that I pondered after an interesting conversation with Chris this weekend. I noticed a little tension in our relationship so I asked my husband if we could talk. We had Goose watch the kids downstairs while our uplifting conversation irrupted in the bedroom. It all stemmed from our families of origin. If you have ever been in marriage counseling or pre-marriage counseling you should be familiar with that phrase. Your family of origin is the family that raised you when you were a child. Your experienced…
Read MoreKitty and Trichotillomania
I had a pretty rough morning today and I just need to vent. I tried to call my mom but wasn’t able to get a hold of her so I must vent here. The morning started pretty normal with my three boys making noise and waking everyone before 6 am. Parrot is used to taking care of his little brothers and getting their breakfast so I hid under my covers until 6:30. I was tired and not ready to get up that early. When I finally managed to get…
Read MoreThe Yelling Has to Stop!
But sometimes I can not control myself. Last evening was one of those times. Every week Chris is out of town from Tuesday to Thursday. This week he is in Seattle. For some strange reason my kids will listen to everything that their dad says but when I speak it is as if I am talking to a brick wall. My mother told me that when we were kids we did the same thing. I guess most kids listen to their fathers and ignore their mothers. Maybe I should have…
Read MoreCold Weather, Halloween and Other News from the Zoo
I think this is just going to be a rant. I haven’t decided what to title this yet. Hopefully I will come up with something before I finish writing this. Kitty’s Jack o’ Lantern I got a new laptop this week and I absolutely love it. It is an HP Pavilion TouchSmart with Windows 8. When I was shopping around for new laptops a lot of reviews I read said that if you have Windows 8 you must get a touch screen in order to really use all of Windows…
Read MoreHousing for Military Families with Kids : Infographic
See More We live in a middle class neighborhood about 10 miles from an Air Force base. About 80% of our neighbors are military families with small children. Every year, usually from May-August, several homes in our neighborhood go up for sale or rent due to military transfers. We had a nice military family that lived just around the corner from us. They have three children and their oldest was Kitty’s best friend. Unfortunately, they recently moved to Florida after only living near us for less than two years. I…
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