Well, you know, a little of this and a little of that ...

First, dare I say it? And, if I do say it, you know what else I will have to say? I will  have to say what I say to my kids, which is: " Take that out of the world right this minute."Yep, I actually say that. Ridiculous, I know. What the heck, I'll live on the wild side and say: no one else has puked here in the Needham household. Yet. With an addendum, that the word about town is, there is a whole lot of puking going on around town. So much so, you would think we were on a cruise ship or something. I have heard that the 2 local school cannot clean up, as fast as the kids are hurling and with our lovely budget cuts, the janitorial services are hardly managing it effectively. Tomorrow I go armed with wipes and hand sanitizers in all the classrooms. Well, I mean my childrens classrooms. The entire school might just be over kill. Whatever, everyone thinks I am crazy anyway. Why stop now?

And, speaking of lovely budget cuts. I am lifting this nifty, insert sarcasm here, this nifty little something, something from a post by my friend Elizabeth: "The state of California is debating whether to help balance the budget on the backs of the ultimate money grubbers: children with special healthcare needs."

 Below is an abbreviated version of the entire, sad and frankly disgusting proposal. I urge you to read, click and sign the petition, because if it passes, it will absolutely effect Zoey and our family, as well as countless other like us.

The Medical Therapy Program (MTP) is a special program within California Children's Services that provides physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) and medical therapy conference (MTC) services for children who have handicapping conditions, generally due to neurological or musculoskeletal disorders.

Currently, children in California with one of these qualifying medical conditions qualify for services regardless of their financial status. 
Cerebral Palsy, Spina bifida, Muscular dystrophy, Rheumatoid arthritis, Spinal cord injuries, Arthrogryposis, Osteogenesis imperfecta, Head injuries.  
The California state budget proposes to align income eligibility requirements for Medical Therapy Program with the broader California Children's Services (CCS) Program. Currently, there is no financial test for eligibility. Under the proposed eligibility standards, families with annual income more than $40,000 or with annual CCS related medical expenses less than 20% of their annual income would not be eligible.

This means, a family with two working parents who make minimum wage make too much money and are no longer eligible for medial therapy services.  They would be responsible for finding these services and paying for these services for their children.  This is a huge financial burden for any family, especially families with children who have special needs.  A family with good medical insurance would still have to pay $200-500 per month on therapy.  And, the therapy sessions would have a maximum number of visits, which is usually around half of the time the child needs.  A family without medical coverage would likely not be able to afford services at all.

The Medical Therapy Program provides necessary physical and occupational therapy for children with medical conditions that effect their day to day life. 

I told you it was lovely, didn't I?

In happier news, that doesn't involve puking or wanting to puke, Zoey's invitations are out and party planning continues. Caitlin and I, are having a blast gathering Paris themed, party ideas and goodies.  Pinterest has been so handy, and if you don't know Pinterest, may I suggest you DON'T click on the link unless you want to get sucked into a vortex.  Gonna be so cute this little soire for Miss Z. And, have I mentioned lately, that I cannot believe this wonder child of mine will be 5? Mind blowing.


Caitlin made the invitations. Darling. Drew it in Adobe Illustrator and put these together in no time. Could not have done it myself, no way no how. Love these children of mine, who step in and pour theirs hearts into every single thing they do. Especially for me.

 My dad turned 80, officially, yesterday, and I say officially because there was a big party a few weeks ago, when my siblings who live out of state, were able to fly in.



 Last night however, was low key. Zoey of course soaked in the festivities. Loves the busy happenings of this house more than anything in this world. Well, maybe people watching at Starbucks and going to Target are close 2nds and 3rds. Oh, and church, that child loves church.  But home, she truly loves home. And her Grandfather. She loves her grandfather. In that innocent, unconditional, magic way. Pictures tell the story best sometimes and also tells a story of how the passing of time and the absence of some in our lives is of no matter, because once they are back, life can, if you allow it, fall beautifully back into place.






Zoey does not know how to actually blow but she knows what it means if you ask her to. She gets an 'A' for effort.



* The cake, a recipe from my afore mentioned friend Elizabeth. I swear to you, I just might make that sucker once a week. Not a lie. In Elizabeth's words, it may not be pretty but it quite possibly might be the best chocolate cake. EVER. Here is the recipe for Hallelujah Cake, if any of you are chocolate freaks like me. Good thing I run, let me just say that, because I had a piece for breakfast. A very large piece for breakfast. And possibly lunch. And, when I am done posting, another piece before bed. Again, no lie. I have no self control in some areas. Chocolate is definitely one.