I See the Light...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Rowe's. With less than two weeks before the big day, the list of chores seems to be endless. A couple of things were checked off the list this past weekend; tree bought, holiday picture taken, and some decorations put out.  I am not sure why I dislike putting up decorations. Perhaps it is because they are up for such a limited time. About 2-3 weeks in our house. This year Harry was going to help by decorating the tree. He had just finished with all the lights and ornaments when CRASH. Down it came, with water spilling out everywhere on the wood floor. As I RE-decorated the tree on Monday there were two words I couldn't get out of my head...Bah and Humbug.

While Harry was at home decorating the tree with bells and stars, Bella had her turn at being a real star. Last week we were notified that she had been chosen as the winner of a contest for Disney on Ice. She would light the lantern during the show and give it to Flynn and Rapunzel during the show. So much excitement. Sunday was the show and her part went great! She performed her lantern duties in front of a crowd of about 3,000. Here are some pictures. Do to the stage set up, we could only get the back of her head.

The Disney on Ice show was really entertaining. The costumes were great and it was fun hearing music from Disney movie favorites. Becca came along and she kept pointing out that Disney on Ice is where professional ice skaters end up if they don't make the Olympics. Well, I don't think it would be such a bad job.

During an Alice in Wonderland scene, we had a fun "implant" moment. The "cards" were on stage with the Queen of Hearts and there was a kind of clicking sound as the cards went past each other. Bella looked at me and said, "Mom, what's that sound?" Before I could answer, she replied, "Oh, I know. It's the cards shuffling themselves." I was pretty impressed both because the clicking sound during the show was pretty obscure and hard to hear amongst the music playing and also because she really hasn't heard the sound of cards shuffling on a regular basis. We are not really card players, but I know she has played some with grandparents and other relatives. Ahh, another thankful moment for her cochlear implants...

Now with only a little over a week away, there is lots to be done before Christmas. Presents to wrap, cards to be sent, more gifts to buy, and food to cook. Right now though I am going to take a minute to relax, breathe deeply and remember that Christmas only comes once a year...Thank goodness!

The More Things Change...

This week the Rowe's were living like it was 1984. We went to see the new Muppet Movie the day after Thanksgiving. Introducing my kids to the Muppets was fun and entertaining. And proving that the Muppets truly are magic, even the 15 year old and 12 year old liked the movie. The movie was FANTASTIC. Jason Segel and Amy Adams were the perfect choice for the human stars of the movie. They were able to pull off the incredible corniness of the Muppets, while somehow making it hip and endearing to audiences old and new. The only thing missing from the Muppets experience? Those Muppet glasses that McDonald's used to sell to promote past Muppet movies. Something about safety and small children with cheap broken glass...

Over the past week there have also been some important lessons learned. Yesterday I was given a lesson in empathy. As I have mentioned here in the past, Bella has some residual effects of having had bacterial meningitis, one of which is short term memory deficits. Yesterday, I helped chaperone a field trip with Bella's class and the other 4-6th grade classes to see the classic musical, "Wizard of Oz." On the way there, I sat with a very nice girl who had brought a pack of famous landmark cards to keep her busy on the bus ride to the theater. She decided to quiz me on the landmarks. At first I was doing well, Eiffel Tower, White House, even the Alamo Mission. Then the problems started: Mt. Kilimanjaro, Diamond Head volcano, Ayers Rock in Australia. I was definitely over my head. Here comes the empathy portion of the story. She took the ones that I got wrong and kept quizzing me. Honestly, I didn't want to cry and show that the little 10 year old had broken me, but I would lie if my eyes weren't slightly moist towards the end. She would say things like, "How can you not remember? I just told you the answer." Words that I have said myself to Bella in the past. My feeling of being completely inept was overwhelming. I need to keep that feeling fresh as I quiz Bella on math facts, that we have seemingly gone over hundreds of times, and she gets the answer wrong. Sometimes things are not as easy as one might think...

Another lesson taught in the Rowe household this week (and hopefully learned) was that waiting for something can sometimes make it more special when you finally get it. Harry turns 13 today. As the mean parents we are, we made him wait until he actually turned 13 to get a Facebook account. Many of his friends have had facebook accounts long before their 13 birthdays even though when you sign up for an account, you have to check a box stating you are 13 years or older. I felt it was important to emphasize that "rules are rules". He begged and begged, but we never gave in. One time during his desperate appeals, I tossed him my car keys and said, "Let's go!" He was quite surprised and looked confused. I said, "Well, why don't you and I go for a drive to the local bar and get a drink?" He said, "What????" I said, "If we don't need to follow that rules of 13 for facebook, we might as well bypass the rules of driving when you are 16 or waiting until 21 to drink, right? I mean, what's the big deal?" I'd love to end this story by saying that Harry totally understood my point of view, but in truth he called me "the meanest Mom ever" and stomped to his room to slam the door. So today, he woke up at 5:30am to set up  his facebook account with great excitement. Lesson learned? Only time will tell...

Final lesson of the week? Erasable pens are a nightmare for left handers! In an effort to make doing final copy work more exciting, I went to the store to get some pens for Bella. So the plan was that after the words were checked, punctuation was in place and capital letters were corrected, she would use her pen to write a beautiful final copy for her writing. In an effort to be proactive about mistakes, I decided that an erasable pen would be the best. As she went to write, she called me from the other room, yelling, "Mom, everything I write keeps erasing." Unsure what she meant by this, I went over and saw the problem. At first, I didn't realize what was causing the words to erase, but as I watched her write, it became clear. Left handed folks rub their hand over what they write.

Onto the lessons of next week...

Tale As Old As Time...

Stop me if you have heard this one before. Mom brings her child to her old high school to see a play thinking it will be a cool experience for the kid. Kid is totally untouched by the sentimental factor and the Mom leaves feeling like an antique. Well, at least the play (Beauty and the Beast musical) was good...

Here's Bella's favorite part of the day, an encounter with Belle. She was very amused that both of their names meant "beautiful" in different languages.

Bella was on a roll last week with activities. Saturday morning she was up early to participate in her 2nd official run. This was called, The Turkey Trot. She ran with her cousin.

Warming up

Can you spy Bella?

You may notice that all the pictures that I got were in anticipation of the race, not of them actually running.There is a simple explanation. The race itself was more like a 100yd dash than the 1/4 mile I had expected. In fact, when Bella was done, she thought it was a warm up! Oh well, next time I will make sure and see how long the "fun run" actually is...

Final activity of the week for Bella? Well we'd been thinking, she IS almost 10, so maybe she needs to go find a job. And we present...

Actually Bella made her working debut for a reason. No, it wasn't to buy Mommy and Daddy that new 3D flat screen tv they have been spying. She was working with the 4-6 grade classes at school to raise money for a trip to a survival camp they will be taking in the Spring. Although now that I saw she was pretty good at the gig, there might be hope for my flat screen after all...

Next week is Thanksgiving already. We are headed for our annual trip to Wisconsin Dells to visit family and do a whole lot of nothing for a few days...

Please to Meet You, Hope You Guess My Name...

Did you ever have the feeling the universe was trying to send you a message. That happened to me this past week, but I am still unsure (and also a little afraid) to know what the message may have meant. You may have read about my horror filled night last year at the Trail of Terror. Well last week I kept winning tickets to the event. First I won 4 tickets from being signed up with a local family newsletter and then I won 2 more for being signed up for a local tv station's newsletter. Randomly drawn? Well, I have my doubts. I am well acquainted with Godwinks, but winning all those tickets to something I despised felt more like a devil high five. So what did I do with them? Well I sold 4 of them and 2 went unused.

So although I would not allow myself to be terrified again at the Trail of Terror, my sister was successful in getting me to ValleyScare. Becca, Harry and my sister's step daughter came too. For those of you unaware of ValleyScare, it is held at a local amusement park. During the summer season, it is known as ValleyFair, but come October it becomes ValleyScare. The roller-coasters and other scary rides were open and there was a haunted graveyard area. There were also a few themed areas you could go in and get scared, like Camp Wekilou (pronounced We-kill-you) and the Scary Clown Zone. Finally, what haunted attraction would be complete without the Insane Asylum? I liked that the characters couldn't touch you and the fear seemed spread out, with areas you could go to take breaks from the rush of adrenaline. Here are a few pictures from our time there.

My number one complaint of ValleyScare was severe over use of the fog machines. Note to management: if you can taste the fog in you mouth, without it being open, there is too much.

The rest of Halloween 2011 was also pleasant and fun. This past Saturday, Bella ran in a kids' pumpkin run. It was a 1/4 mile and she finished with a time of 3:03. I am not a distance runner at all (50 yd dash only) so I am pretty sure she would have beat me in the race. The pumpkin run was the end of the Run Club she has been doing at school every Tuesday and Thursday since school began. I really believe it has helped strengthen her legs. Her swimming coaches have noticed a difference. She really enjoyed the Run Club even though she said it was hard work. I am so proud that Bella is always willing to try new things, even when they are hard.

After the big run, the Rowe's headed off to the Minnesota Arboretum for some Halloween fun. There was some trick or treating, a hay maze, and an awesome craft involving apples and vegetables. Harry decided to go as a nerd and Bella was a leopard cat. Becca was too old for a costume, but not too old to enjoy some family togetherness. Here's the pictures:

Which brings us to the pinnacle of Halloween 2011, the actual night of Halloween. With it being a Monday this year, trick or treating started early and ended early. Here are the crazy kids. Notice that Harry transformed from a nerd to the Joker. Boy, does he love Halloween.

Well with Halloween behind us, we roll onward and upward through the holiday season of 2011. There is a rumor that the Rowe Family will be adding an honorary member in January 2012 in the form of a Chinese exchange student. Another person in our chaos? Now, THAT'S scary...

And it Burns, Burns, Burns, the Ring of Fire...

Last Saturday I attended a cochlear implant seminar to be a resource and answer questions for people who were considering getting an implant. As a parent of a child with cochlear implants, I enjoy helping others out in sorting through this difficult decision. I can only speak from Bella's experience, but I am happy to share how life changing the implant has been for her, and for us. Here is the group helping out at the seminar.

I was reminded by another advocate at the seminar about I story I had shared many years ago. She said it always made her laugh, so I thought I would share it here.

Before Bella got her implants, we did a lot of research about them. How they worked, the chances of them being successful for her, and also the risks. During this research, I came across a site that had simulations of what cochlear implants sounded like to a recipient. I remember listening and thinking that although it sounded very electronic and sort of like listening under water, I was happy that Bella would be able to hear speech.

Then I clicked on the most alarming cochlear implant simulation. It was supposed to be how a cochlear implant recipient hears music. They used the Johnny Cash song, "Ring of Fire." Here is the simulation http://www.hei.org/research/shannon/aip/ringdemo.mp3
After listening to the simulation I was horrified. I was convinced that Bella would never enjoy music. I thought the song sounded like the devil singing. It made me sad for Bella.


As Bella got her implants and developed a love of music, I began to question about how accurately the simulation portrayed music. I wrote it off as scary and not at all how music sounded to cochlear implant recipients.


Then one day, Bella and I were in a hair salon. Bella was about 5 or 6 years old. I was busy reading a magazine when Bella came up to me looking a bit unnerved. I asked her what was wrong and she said she didn't like the song that was playing. I had to listen for a minute and then I noticed...the song was "Ring of Fire." So I decided that all music doesn't sound bad with a cochlear implant, just Johnny Cash...

My Way...

I am not sure if this happens to other parents of special needs kids or not. Perhaps some. For me when standardized test results come in the mail, I get the same feeling as when I am at the top of a roller coaster hill about to head straight down at great speed. Yesterday, I went for a ride...

Last week I came across this quote by the great Albert Einstein.

I must say that it made me pause and question how I view Bella's accomplishments and success. There are so many things that she is great at. She is super crafty, outgoing, and always willing to try new things. Her ability, to make easily make new friends, is a gift that a lot of people envy. So many kids are judged harshly on areas that are never going to be strengths.

While I understand that standardized testing is necessary in schools, I think it is important to realize it is only a small piece of who a child is. Whether the scores are high or low, it should not define the child or their view of themselves.

Nor should it define the parent...

Upside Down...

Life has felt a little strange lately. Just enough to throw off my center of balance. To start, it has been 80 degrees or above for the past week, here in MN. I'm not complaining, in fact it could stay like this forever and I'd be happy. It's just that it is a bit unnerving. When I put out the fall mums and the Halloween decorations last weekend, I was SWEATING. That doesn't usually happen in October.

Now mix in the miserable state of sports in the state of Minnesota. The Twins were terrible this year, the Gophers are in a fog of despair, and the Vikings...Well I think someone forgot to tell them that the pre-season is over. But here's where it gets really strange. This week the big talk of the town was the WNBA team for Minnesota, the Lynx. They won their first championship. The local sports stations couldn't get enough of the story. Casual sports fans and die hard fans alike were tweeting and posting on their facebook statuses, support for the Lynx. I really doubt most of these people knew the name of this team last week, or even that they existed!

Harry's football team has also been suffering. Yesterday they went into their game with a record of 0-5. It's pretty sad to watch a bunch of 7th graders have to face defeat, week after week. Luckily, yesterday they all came together as a team and beat Edina. Parents couldn't have been prouder! We clapped when they were on the field, we clapped as they came off the field.

In order to restore some balance to our lives, we visited Bennihana for dinner last night. It is always a favorite of mine and when things are askew in my life, I seek comfort in returning to basics. It was a fun evening, but not perfect, because some of our family was missing. After the big football game, Harry decided not to come and hang out at home instead.  Some of you may remember that last year we went to Bennihana near the beginning of the school year last week to celebrate transition and change. http://rowefamilyadventures.blogspot.com/2010/09/were-going-to-rock-around-clock-tonight.html. Turmoil and chaos emerged after that last visit, so I can only hope that this year, with all the current issues we are facing, the opposite effect will occur. Balance and peace will return to the Rowe household.

It appears the weather will turn a bit colder here this week and the WNBA talk is dying down. Fingers crossed that normalcy will make a comeback this week...

And We Were Trying Different Things...

Pushing outside of one's comfort zone can be tough. Trying new things or visiting new places can produce feelings of insecurity and fear. Yet, as we discovered this past weekend, the feeling of accomplishment after you try new things, is worth the risk, most of the time...

First "new things" of the weekend came in Harry's football game. We traveled to Shakopee for a first time  match up between the Purple Chaska Hawks and the Shakopee team. The game had many ups and downs, with more ups for the Shakopee team. The highlight for us? Well, I hate to brag, but Harry was a standout in the game. With 5 sacks and 1 rushing touchdown, Erick and I were very proud!

Next up, Bella. On Saturday afternoon, following closely behind Harry's game, came Bella's first official swim meet. It was a C/Pre-C meet. Bella's events were the 50 Freestyle and the 50 backstroke. The first piece of great news was that she didn't DQ. A lot of swimmers DQ at first, but luckily Bella didn't. She's never been timed on the 50 back so her time was fresh at 1:31.59. On the 50 free she's had unofficial times when attending the practice meets in the past. In May of 2011 she raced the 50 free at the practice meet and her time was 1:58.35. On Saturday her time was 1:30.58. She shaved 28 seconds off of her time!!! Here we are together at the meet.

You might notice I am in an interesting orange/yellow vest. No, it's not a new fashion statement. I also tried something new at the meet. I volunteered to do security at the pool door. For those of you who are unaware, parents are not allowed on the pool deck. I worked with some other women to keep the "helicopter parents" from getting to their children. Parents are supposed to sit up in the bleachers and watch. Yet some couldn't stop themselves from coming down and checking on their kids. It was interesting to say the least.

After the swim meet, Erick and I went out for our own first. We always like to try new places to eat and one place we had always been curious about was the Mystic Lake Casino Buffet. I have had more than one person say how good it was. Well, we went and...it was pretty ordinary. I didn't think the selection was that great. Maybe I've just been to some really great buffets in my life, who knows?

Then on Sunday it was off to another first for the family. We always go to an apple orchard in the fall as a family, but this year we tried a new place, Fall Harvest Orchard. Unfortunately, Erick was traveling and Becca had a lot of homework so we weren't all together as a family. Fall Harvest Orchard  was AMAZING. I will say that finding it was a bit of a challenge. My trusty GPS did not know this fabulous place existed, but luckily I printed out directions from the website as well. The orchard was so interactive, compared to most. It was a working farm in addition to the orchard so there was lots to do and see. And the people who owned it were so great! You could tell they were really interested in providing a fun time for families. They let kids get eggs from the chickens, they handed out FREE food to feed the goats. They explained about different crops they were raising, including soybeans, and flax. They handed out examples of the plants to show people what they looked like and so people could eat them. Before the hayride was over, everyone got to get out and pick some popcorn and also a small gourd to bring home. We have to let the popcorn cobs dry out until Thanksgiving. Before the day was done, there was fun had by feeding apples to cows, eating fresh popcorn from the harvest last year, and rolling in a corn pit. Below are the pictures.

Next weekend, another "first" for us. We are going to go look at colorful fall leaves from a chairlift. Stay tuned!