kayleisnana's Blog

I knew, when I made the choice to become a parent, along with that comes the unexpected; the near-nervous breakdowns, the trips to the ER, the sleepless nights, etc.... I have to admit, though, we were extremely fortunate when my 3 girls were growing up there were very few injuries--most of our trips to the ER were more often than not for the ear aches that decide to make their appearance in the middle of the night, or the sudden onset of pneumonia or asthma attacks.  I have always been very watchful of the kids trying to prevent serious injury to any of them; maybe sometimes overcautious.   Well, you know the saying--"boys will be boys?"   My house has been anything but sane this week--my middle daughter and her husband are away(without kids--lucky them), so I have the twins for the week, in addition to  my 3 year old grandson who lives with us.  We had just finished dinner last night, and the three boys were playing--I must have told them a half a dozen times to calm down before someone ends up getting hurt.  Yup--it happened--RJ came running out of the den, tripped and fell, hitting the back of his head on the corner of the baseboard heat unit.  Oh, my God--I knew as soon as I heard it it was not good--Sure enough, he split the back of his head wide open.   Now, I have one kid screaming and bleeding all over the place, another one crying because all he could see was the blood and a husband who is turning green.  Thankfully my neighbor is a nurse so I called her to help me; she came running over and as soon as she saw it, she told me to call 911-I can't even tell you how fast they were here.  In less than three minutes I had a police officer, three firefighters and two paramedics standing in my kitchen.  Now, on top of all this, there's the  contractor who's working on our house, out in my driveway cutting blueboard--he didn't know what the hell was going on!   To their credit--Worcester emergency is the best!!!!!   I can't say enough about them!!!!    There was so much chaos, but they just went about their business--and within minutes RJ and I were going for our first ambulance ride through the streets of Worcester.  Nice little gash(well, not so little)--took 5 staples to close it, and would you believe he never made one sound when they closed it until the last one--he said--"ouch".  He sat on my lap and never made a move.  He is such an incredible little kid!   UMASS Medical Center Pedi ER was incredible--Thanks to ALL involved, my little buddy is doing just fine; I'm not sure I can say the same about his Nana, though,  but, I guess I'll survive--I've made it this long. Maybe I should be the next to get a vacation--without kids!!!!!

Here is a recipe I found online on the BHG website.  If you give it a try, my best is you'll become addicted!  These bars have been a hit EVERY time I have made them!  Enjoy!!!  
prep time--30 minutesBake 8-18 minutesChill 3 hours before serving
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup butter3/4 Cup finely crushed graham crackers1/2 Cup all- purpose flour 1/2 Cup flaked coconut1/2 Cup ground pecans1/4 Cup sugar1 1/2 - 8 ounce packages of softened cream cheese2/3 Cup sugar4 eggs1 TBSP brandy or milk1 tsp vanilla2 cups of blueberries(I've used both frozen and fresh--works either way)
Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 13x9 x2 baking pan--set aside. 2.  For crust--in a small saucepan, heat butter over medium heat until the color of light brown sugar.  Remove from heat; set aside. 3.  In medium bowl, stir together crushed graham crackers, flour, coconut, pecans and 1/4 Cup sugar.  Stir in butter until all combined.  Evenly press mixture on bottom of prepared baking pan.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. 4.  Meanwhile, in large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and 2/3 cup of sugar  on medium until combined.  Add eggs, brandy( or milk) and vanilla.  Beat until combined.  pour over hot crust--top with with the blueberries. 5.  Place in oven and bake 18-20 minutes or until center  appears set.  Cool in pan on rack.  Cover and refrigerate(approximately 3 hours).  Cut into bars.  Store, covered, in refrigerator.  Makes @ 32 bars.  
FYI--I made them with brandy, and they were awesome!  My daughter's boyfriend will not eat cheesecake, and he absolutely loved these!  I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!  

HOW COULD IT HAVE GONE ANY OTHER WAY?  I AM, HOWEVER, APPALLED AT THE RESPONSE OF HIS MOTHER!  I CAN UNDERSTAND SHE IS IN DENIAL, BUT, TO COME OUT AND SAY WHAT SHE SAID--STILL GOING WITH THE BELIEF THAT RACHEL MURDERED HER GRANDDAUGHTER, AND THEN TOOK HER OWN LIFE!!!!  COULDN'T SHE HAVE JUST STATED THAT SHE IS UPSET--THAT SHE STILLL BELIEVES IN HER SON'S INNOCENCE, AND THAT THE VERDICT WILL BE APPEALED?  HER COMMENTS WERE VENOMOUS AND TOTALLY UNCALLED FOR!  I AM SICK TO MY STOMACH OVER HER COMMENTS.  I GUESS IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT THE APPLE DIDN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE.   GOD BLESS THE MATTARAZZO FAMILY AND THE MEMORIES OF BOTH RACHEL AND LILY!!!!!  RACHEL AND LILLIAN CAN NOW REST IN PEACE!!!!!

Last Saturday, June 14th, was my grandson's 3rd birthday.  Today, we had a birthday party for him--my daughter invited the world.  Well, not really, but it sure seemed it.  She rented out a roller-skating arena for the occasion, and at first, I thought--"are you whacked?"  A skating rink is for kids, what the hell are all the "older" adults going to do?  Well, the guests ranged in age from 2 years old on up to 76 years old.  It also included two pregnant women--my daughter is due any minute and my niece is due in 5 weeks--both decided to put their skates on again--after many years.  Whenever I saw my daughter with skates, I almost had a heart attack, then, when I saw my niece, I said are you out of your mind?  My niece informed me that if Danielle can do it, then why not me?  I told her if she gets hurt, I don't want to face her mother and father.    Not only was it fun to watch, everyone had a ball.  There were a great many people whom I had never met before--our family is one of those dysfunctional families--my grandson's stepmother, her parents, aunts and  cousins--At first I felt as if there were this great wall dividing the two families, but, after speaking with an aunt and her mother, I found that they had the same feelings I had.  I didn't want them to think I was not interested in them, but, I was also being very cautious because of the situation(it's actually very complicated); I was more interested in protecting my family than getting to know them.  It turns out, they are a wonderful group of people who were thrilled to be part of my grandson's celebration!  One of her aunt's was an absolute joy to get to know, and I can actually say, I would look forward to our next meeting.  Maybe then we will ALL be more relaxed and enjoy each other's company more.  Well, probably 10-15 of the people ended up coming to our house after the party, where we were able to have some wonderful conversation and get to know one another better--what a great day!!!!   And, My little buddy had the best birthday party ever!!!!!!!  He informed us that he wants to do it again.  Maybe next year, buddy!  Not this week!    Happy Birthday, RJ!!!!!

Anyone other than anal me happen to notice that when you click onto the My Fox page, the first thing you see is the front of a gas pump and next to that is the statement "Gas Prices Hurt "DIRVERS"?  What's with that?   :)   LOL!!!

I initially started to write a comment to one of the other blogs regarding this subject, however, what I wanted to say just wouldn't fit into the space allowed for comments, so, here I go, writing my own blog on this controversial subject.  Until the past couple of years, you could say I was also one of those skeptics regarding medicating kids who have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD.  I, too, thought it was just a way to keep the kids quiet; to make the teachers' lives easier.  Well, I am the grandmother of 5, soon to be 6 beautiful children, the oldest two being 10 year old twins.  Beginning at around three or four years old, one of the boys' behavior started to change drastically--We were constantly getting calls from his pre-school to either come and pick him up because he was "out of control" or would be confronted as we walked in the door to pick them up at the end of the day.  At first, we thought that it was just them being picky, because he never acted out, like they said he did, at home.  When he started kindergarten, we were informed that it seemed he wasn't grasping things as readily as he should, so we agreed to have them repeat the year.  We were told it was because of their age--(they were still only 4 when they started kindergarten). They described him as being "developmentally delayed".  WEll, he started to act out again.  To make a long story short, after going back and forth with the teachers, the special ed department and our own personal physicians, he was diagnosed as being ADD/ADHD.  We finally agreed to "try" him on some meds(without the school's knowledge).  It was almost like a miracle--We started getting phone calls(good, for a change) and notes home from the teachers wanting to know if we "had changed" anything because they had noticed that he was concentrating and was able to focus more in class.  At that time, we admitted to have put him on medication.  For a while, things were good, but, the doctors noticed that he was also very anxious, so they changed his meds, which was even better.  A very close family friend, who is the head of special ed in another area, suggested that we have him evaluated by a forensic psychiatrist, because she felt that that there might be something more going on with him.  After another three months, we were hit with a bombshell--he was diagnosed as having Aspberger's.  For those of you who have never been confronted with this, I can understand how you can say that we are medicating way too many kids.  Unless you live with it--you have NO IDEA!!!  Medicating my grandson has been the best thing we could have done for HIM!!!  His life is so much better--he is calmer--he fells better about himself; he is far less anxious, and his school work has improved immensely.  The biggest issues he has to deal with right now are his behavioral and social--he sees a counselor every week and a psychiatrist once a month!  His meds are very closely monitored and he actually smiles now!  So, please, people, do not be so judgmental.  What we did was for him, no one else!!!   My BIGGEST regret is that we weren't able to have had a diagnosis sooner--to make his life more comfortable!!!!!  It was ALL for him!!!!

Here it is, 4 days before opening day for little leaguers, and we find out tonight that there isn't going to be any little league for the 10 and 11 year olds in Auburn due to the lack of volunteers.  For weeks, all I have heard is "when are they going to call?"  Of course, I kept telling them to be patient, that the call would come.  Well, last Saturday, I took one of the boys to a baseball camp sponsored by the town, and I saw a gentleman with an Auburn Little League T-shirt on, so I asked him if he was affiliated with the league.  He told me that he is a coach; I asked him if he knew when they were going to be calling the kids, and he told me that they should have already been called.  He took their names and my daughter's phone number, promising to look into it for me; He told me he would let her know what was going on.  Well, after a few days had passed, my daughter called the town to further inquire, and she was directed to the Auburn Little League website.  She then called the president of the league, who informed my daughter that they would most likely receive the call this weekend.  All I have heard from my grandsons is when? when? when?  WEll, I just got a phone call tonight at 11:00 from my daughter--she is so upset--she just got an email from the league president informing all parents whose children were signed up that there would be NO little league this year due to the lack of volunteers!!!!!   How can this happen?  I have NEVER heard of such a thing!!!  My grandsons are going to be devastated.  They had played in Worcester since they were old enough to play, beginning with instructional; they moved last summer to Auburn, and were very much looking forward to playing there.  I can't even imagine what they are going to say when they find out they won't be playing.  One of the boys lives for baseball.  We do so much to keep them active, and away from the tv and video games, and now these kids are having their sports taken from them!    What will it be next???

I just finished reading the news story of the woman, who, along with her niece and nephew, were recently killed on 495. It has been determined that this was, in fact, a murder/suicide! I can't even describe how sick to my stomach I am over this incident.  I understand she may have had some mental health issues, but, how in God's name, could she take the lives of those two innocent children?  For those of you who haven't seen the article, witness accounts stated that she was driving South along 495, when she all of a sudden turned her car around in the middle of the road, driving north on the wrong side of the road.  She then pulled her car off the side of the road, undressed herself and the children and the exited the car into the busy highway.   I keep seeing this over and over in my head, and I get more upset every time!  Please don't misunderstand what I am saying--I don't mean she should have taken her own childrens' lives, but, she had two teen aged children of her own, and she chooses to take the lives  of her niece and nephew?  What about that poor person who hit them?  My God!  As a mother and grandmother, I just can't even begin to understand how grief stricken the family must be!   My heart aches for them.  My most heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the family.  

The City of Worcester has issued an alert due to the number of sightings of coyotes in the area.  They are asking the residents to call the local animal control authorities if they see one.  I don't know why they are telling us to do that because I have called, and was told there is nothing they can do.  They asked for my address, and were kind enough to send me a printout about coyotes and what to do if we see one.  I was also asked to make copies and distribute them to my neighbors.  I have two coyotes living in my back yard. They roam all over our neighborhood.  The babysitter came to the house last Saturday evening, and when she came in, she asked if I knew that there was a coyote up here.  When I told her we did, she told me that there was just one at her car and that she was afraid to get out of the car. He finally walked across the street and walked up the hill.  I have a video tape of  one of them in my back yard;  Worcester State College is practically in my back yard.  So--any of you who may be from the Tatnuck Square area--beware; They are roaming in the Hadwen Rd-Chamberlain Pakway--So. Flagg St area.

First--I need to apologize to all of you for not responding to you since my last post back when I was crying about my water-logged house. For whatever reason, I was unable to post anything without starting a whole new post.  Also,  Since then, my life has been anything but stress-free; it has been quite interesting to say the least--It continued along its path when I  received a phone call at 11:30 p.m. the night before Christmas Eve that my 77 year old dad  had just been placed in an ambulance and was on his way to the hospital after being awakened with difficulty breathing. After sitting in the ER with my mom until 5 AM, he was admitted  with a dual diagnosis of  both pneumonia and congestive heart failure.  I am happy to say though, that he is doing well-- he is home and, believe it or not, back to work(yes--he and my 75 year old  mom STILL work) (INCREDIBLE). Then, my life line died(my one year old MAC computer died on Christmas day).  So, after spending several days with a "GENIUS", I just got it back today, hopefully,  in full working order.   Now, if you recall, I was whining about the water damage to my house from ice dams--well--yes, there is plenty of that, however, as many of you suggested, I didn't let it get to me (well, not much, anyway).  Despite the damage to my house, we did have a  very nice Christmas. Everyone actually got a kick out of the pumpkin bucket hanging from the window in the family room(added a nice touch as a replacement to the roman shades) and the bucket that normally holds my wrapping paper, catching the water in my grandson's bedroom. It was probably the quietest Christmas I can remember in years--we normally have a late dinner(gives my daughters a chance to spend time at home with their families without having to drag the kids away from their toys), but his year, after hearing of all their plans, we chose to have an early dinner--which worked out quite well for everyone--by 5:30 p.m., it was my husband, my mom and me.  We took a drink into the living room and sat and enjoyed the  quiet.   Now, back to the water damage--well-it's not pretty--the initial phase of recovery begins Monday morning.  The water-recovery crew comes in and begins tearing my walls and ceilings out from EVERY room of the house except my daughter's room and the downstairs bathroom.  The rest of the house is going to be ripped apart.  I am sick over this.  My daughter and grandson have to move out for at least the next week or two, which, also, might not be such a bad thing--it will certainly be quiet for a while(maybe TOO quiet).  Anyway--when all is said and done--I will have an almost brand new house--new walls, new ceilings, completely renovated bedrooms, family room, living room, kitchen and sparkling clean carpets throughout.  What more could I ask for?  I honestly don't know--I don't know if I am stressing over nothing or if this whole thing is worse than I'm thinking.  I guess I'll find out soon enough.  I'll let you know.  I truly do hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that all of your dreams come true this NEW Year!!!   And, by the way--Chip and family--CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU and MOST ESPECIALLY TO GREG(proof that hard work really does pay off)-- I am thrilled for all of you!!!!  What a great story about his acceptance to QCC!!!--It really is a great school!!! I graduated from there MANY years ago.  My youngest daughter is currently in her last semester there,  in the business management program.  She has been on the Dean's list since her first semester, and was inducted into the National Honor Society this past spring.  She will be transferring to Worcester State College in the fall to complete her degree in business.  I wish the very best to Greg(and all of you)!!!!!  

OK--Every year about this same time, I begin to feel like I am going to lose it--my sanity that is!  But, somehow, I end up pulling off yet another well put-together Christmas!  Somehow, though, I have a funny feeling this year could be the one to put me over the edge!  I broke my all time record--I started my shopping months ago( I usually don't even think about it until 2 weeks before, and then I am one of those panic-stricken shoppers still shopping on Christmas Eve till the stores close).  My shopping was finished in record time.  Here it is 4 days before Christmas, and I am almost done with my wrapping(normally don't start until Christmas Eve, and finish just as the grandchildren are getting up).  My shopping list for Christmas dinner is ready to go, the recipes are all in order.  I even have my table linens ready, my wine and martini glasses are sparkling and all set up--EVERYTHING is way ahead of schedule(for me).  So, why am I so stressed?   I am expecting about 20 people for Christmas dinner, and my family room is under water.  I am sitting here listening to drip, drip, drip!!!!!  My ceiling, walls, closet, brand new carpeting, curtains--everything is soaked!!!  I have a gambrel-style house, and ice has built up under the eaves--it is pouring in from the top of the double window in the back of the house in about 5 different areas.  Right now, I have my grandson's halloween pumpkin candy bucket hanging from one of the hooks of my roman shades, catching the drips.  About once an hour, when the bucket is full, one of us holds up a plastic cup while the other runs to empty it.   Of course, it couldn't have happened last week or even the week before; NO, it has to happen 4 days before Christmas--on a Friday, when not one contractor can be found!  So, yes, it's a good possibility, THIS very well could be THE year! 

Oh, my God! I just saw the funniest thing on TV. Kim and Gene were talking about two friends who had made a bet that if their team(the SOX or Indians) lost, the loser would wear a dress. Well, apparently the CLeveland Fan lost--They just showed him in his "loser's dress". Hysterical!!! At least he was a good sport about it. He said he lost, so he kept up his end of the deal. I really liked the hat, too! If you get a chance, watch it! It really is funny!!!!

Never in my life have I ever heard of such an asinine idea! Especially a school system. Do they realize how much liability there would be on their part by allowing students, without parental permission, to obtain birth control pills? Has any consideration gone into the fact that there may be some girls who cannot take the pill? There are women who cannot take it because of the hormones in them. The risks are huge!!!! While I do understand what why they are doing this, I truly believe they are definitely going about it all wrong! It's not like they are offering condoms. This is something that should not be taken lightly. Also, don't forget--taking the pill does not prevent STD's!!! What the school system is telling these kids, at their young ages, is that it's ok--go ahead have sex all you want--at least you won't get pregnant--you might get an STD or even worse, HIV/AIDS, but at least you won't get pregnant! What about teaching them to respect themselves and take responsibility for their actions? If I were a parent in that school system, I would FLIP!!!! As far as I am concerned, this is not the business of the schools to go prescribing birth control. I am the mother of three grown daughters, and I can assure you, this would not sit well with me at all!!

I have tried, now unsuccessfully, to refrain from commenting on the blog from the mother who was discriminated against "just because she has two three year old children". I honestly don't even know where to start, however, I will try to be NICE! First--I noticed in your bio that you are a "mother, wife, professional". Yet, in your blog, you mention that as a singe(I would guess you actually meant SINGLE) mother, you were discriminated against. Also, your kids didn't "brake" anything? Did you mean BREAK? First question--what kind of professional are you? Second--I had worked professionally in both the medical field as well as business, and I can promise you until the cows come home, NEVER did I ever witness anyone being discriminated against just because she had multiple children!!! We would all love to think that our children are perfect, when in fact, they are not ALWAYS the angels we would like to believe. There is not a business person alive who would threaten to call the police if someone were to return to their place of business without good reason! And, again, certainly not because she had two three year olds. Maybe it wasn't your kids he was upset with. Honestly, I have been in stores where mothers had their children, and I wished they had been thrown out. Their kids were acting like animals, the mother was screaming at them, or worse yet, totally ignoring "the little angels". My kids knew before we left the house that I expected "acceptable" behavior, and nothing less, from each and every one of the(3 girls, all born within 4 years). I can assure you, NEVER were we EVER asked to leave anywhere due to the fact that I "had multiple children" or because of their poor behavior!!!! Don't kid yourself--something was wrong for the owner to ask you to leave!!!

Today we were all very saddened by the news of the two firefighters who lost their lives last night in a fire in W. Roxbury. In this morning's Telegram(Worcester Telegram & Gazette), there was a story written by Worcester's own Dianne Williamson about a recent accident on 290 near the Holy Cross bend. This area is notorious for accidents, as it is a good bend, and people have a tendency to drive much faster than they should. Well, apparently, an Auburn, off-duty firefighter, happened to come upon the accident, so, being a firefighter, he does what he is trained to do--he kicks into gear and, without thinking of his own safety, he broke through the back window, and after some difficulty, was able to free the seriously injured occupant of the vehicle. Now, two weeks later, one of Worcester's finest, a district fire chief, James Russell, is crying because firefighter Reed was presented with a certificate of valor by the Auburn FD and district chief Russell "didn't receive any recognition for his role in the rescue." According to witness accounts the only thing he did was impede the rescue efforts of Firefighter Aaron Reed, and almost caused him serious injury as well. Even District Chief Russell's own superiors don't believe him. They have agreed that he was not involved in the actual rescue effort. How bad is that? District Chief Russell is actually calling Firefighter Reed a liar. Apparently he has "butted heads with several colleagues during his 28 year career, and does not get along with the department's public relations officer". The point I am getting at is there are so many of those firefighters who not only put their lives on the line everyday of their lives to protect each and every one of us, and they brush it off as "just doing their job", and then the news of those whose lives were lost doing just that. Worcester has one of the finest, most dedicated departments around, and they have certainly endured their share of loss and sadness; where does this bozo get off acting like a jilted child because he didn't get his lollipop? What a shame!!!!!!!!