A Welcome New Year

Life has, once again, kept me from blogging near as much as I once did. However, one of my resolutions for 2017 is to blog more. I want my kids to be able to look back and see their childhoods. Plus, if nothing else, blogging is a greap outlet for all those things that go through one's mind. So, here I am... blogging.

 My resolutions for this year:

•  Blog More 
•  Start Excercising 
•  Worry Less 
•  Bake More 

 Not exactly world changing resolutions, but they are resolutions. Here's to 2017!

Differing therapy

As many know, Alvin has dyspraxia, along with neurofibromatosis. Dyspraxia has made it hard for him with his 1st grade sight words, especially spelling them.

In in attempt to use differing kind of therapies to help him bridge the gap between his brain and his fingers/hands, I ordered Somasix Magnetic Numbers and Letters from Amazon. Let me just tell you, this has been a wonder tool in helping him with spelling. His handwriting is horrid at best, but using these numbers and letters, we are able to have him form the spelling words out on our fridge. He is able to learn to spell his words much faster than just trying to memorize how to write letters on a paper. Because of his newest IEP review, he is allowed to use number and letter models on his tests, so using these magnets at home is helping him with recognizing the letters for use with his models at school.

The letters and numbers themselves are plastic with little magnets on them. Unlike the cheap dollar store ones we've had in previous years, these seem to be of a higher quality. The colors are vibrant and they have blue. Alvin's favorite color. Always a win in this house!

Disclaimer: I received this product at a reduced cost in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own and are 100% honest.

Alvin was goofing off. Dr Alvin it is.

New Name. New Look.

After a few years of being Wild Rice, I decided it was time for a name change. I'm not nearly as Wild as I once was. That led to thinking about a possible new name. This is what I came up with!

Welcome to Squid and Sparkles! 

The reason behind the name is simple. I love squid/kraken/octopus. My son loves them. My girls like sparkles, glitter, and shiny things. So, the name was born!

I'll be posting more home based blog posts, but this will still remain a family blog.

Doritos Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole

Ingredients: 

1 regular sized box of pasta

1 regular sized bag of Doritos

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 block of Velveeta (cubed)

1 large can of pre-cooked chicken

1 cup of salsa

1 8oz package of sour cream

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. 

Boil and drain noodles.

Crush bag of Doritos into crumbs

Directions:

Place crushed Doritos onto bottom of greased baking dish.

In a seperate bowl, combine all other ingredients.

Spread evenly on top of crushed Doritos.

Place in oven and cook for 20 mins.

Review: While it was ok and everyone ate it, next time I will leave out the salsa. My family all agreed that the salsa was too overpowering for us.

31 days of....

Two years ago, I joined in with hundreds of other bloggers in 31 days of blogging. I didn't do it last year, but I am again this year. This year, I am doing 31 Days of Recipes! My husband is very excited. So, join me on my recipe-a-day blog journey!

This post will contain all the links to each recipe I post, so you might want to bookmark it. :)

Erin's first football game

Erin is a cheerleader this year and today was her first official football game. It was cold and rainy, but it didn't dull her spirit at all. She's LOVING cheerleading.

Now for some videos :)

Dear Miss Know It All

Ok. You got the band director to remove my video. Congrats. You will learn one day that being an insufferable human won't get you far in life. You need to grow up, get over it, and get on with your life.

Oh, and while you may be able to walk all over your parents, you won't walk all over me. Your bullying ends today. 

Consider Momma Bear provoked.

Em's first football game

Last night, Emali had her first ever perform in full uniform with the high school marching band. She was so nervous, but she nailed it. Their theme is Titanic. The play the song called Irish Jig in Third Class. (the song where Rose is downstairs dancing with Jack). They also play the opening theme song, and my heart will go on. It was a very good show. Especially for a band that's mostly made up of kids in the 8th and 9th grades.

I apologize, as this post will be photo and heavy. **Videos removed at request of band director because of a tattletale bully situation which is being rectified**

 The marching band

Hopefully, those of you that have gotten this far have enjoyed these as much as I do. Emali is doing so wonderfully in band this year.

Re-meet Terry

A few months ago, I introduced you to a wounded vet named Terry who was going to be running the Ironman for CTF. Well, he finished the Ironman in a time of 16:45:56. Very impressive! In total, Terry raised over $5,000 for CTF. Way to go Terry!!

Terry on the 112 mile bike ride.

Terry during the 26.2 mile walk/run.

Terry crossing the finish line!! Terry is definitely Alvin's hero. Alvin was tracking him online (with me) as the day went on.

Thank you Terry for all the awareness you've raised for NF. I'm glad there are people out there not personally affected that recognize the need for awareness for this disorder. You rock, Terry. You really rock.

*All photos are courtesy of Terry's Facebook page.

Back to school!!!

On Monday, August, 25th, the girls headed back to school. So hard to believe that Emali is in the 8th grade and Erin started 5th. Both are in Middle School now!

Also, as you can see, Emali chopped off all her hair. I think she looks awesome.


Emali and Erin on the first day of school

Erin on the first day of 5th grade

Emali on the first day of 8th grade.

Today, Wednesday, August 27th, Alvin started Kindergarten. Yes, Kindergarten. For those of you doing the math, yes, we held him back a year. However, because of that, we were able to mainstream him. He only gets pulled out for speech classes right now.

Alvin on his first day of Kindergarten.

I'm back!

I know that I haven't been the greatest at blogging since we moved back home. Simply put, our family already sees what goes on, so what was the point?

Well, the point was that blogging was a way for me to have a hobby. So, I'm hoping to get back to blogging on a fairly regular schedule now. Especially now that ALL of my kids are in school and I have nothing better to do.

See you on future posts!

Great Steps for NF

On April 18, we participated in the 2nd annual Great Steps for NF walk in Boardman Park. While this walk is smaller than the one in Pittsburgh, it means a little more to us. :) This year, we were interviewed by a reporter from the Vindicator. Thanks to everyone's generosity, we raised over $300 this year towards NF research!

Eric and I

Erin and I

Eric and Alvin

The Easter Bunny and me

Emma and Emali goofing off

NF Walk in the Wild

On May 3rd, we went to the Pittsburgh Zoo to participate in the 20th annual Walk in the Wild for NF. There we met up with a family that until that day, I'd only known online. So, this year, team Alvin's Allies was HUGE!

Anna, Alvin, and Kaleb

Alvin and Erin

Team Alvin's Allies (Minus Em and Emma)

Thank you so much to my cousin, Melissa, her daughter, Tamarra, and the Bowser family for joining us this year. It was a great walk and we had so much fun. Hope to see you all again next year!

NF Awareness: Meet Terry

Unlike the others I've introduced to you, Terry does NOT have NF. He is a wounded veteran who is now part of the NF Endurance Team. He was seriously wounded in Afghanistan in July 2010.

Click on the pic to be taken to Terry's FB Page. If you like it, let him know Alvin's Allies sent you. :)

When Terry was in high school, his Grandma passed away from breast cancer. He knew that breast cancer was a widely known disease, but he thought he could make a difference for people who's diseases aren't widely known. During his search for a cause, Children's Tumor Foundation came up.

In August 2014, Terry will be running in the Ironman North American Championship in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada. He will be doing a a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile walk! (He cannot run due to his injuries sustained in Afghanistan.) In this race, he will run for an NF child named, Grace. Like Alvin, Grace has NF and has had issues since she was a baby.

The following is a video from Terry himself explaining much more eloquently who he is, why he's doing this, etc. So, please watch the video!


Now that you've made it this far, will you take a min and donate to Terry's NF Endurance Team fund?

World NF Awareness Day!

Number 10: NF affects one in every 3,000 children born, more than cystic fibrosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Huntington’s disease combined (learn more).

Number 9: It only takes 8 to 10 letters from you and your friends to your congressperson for them to start noticing that NF is a very REAL issue (learn more).

Number 8: NF research is shedding new light on cancer, learning disabilities, and bone abnormalities - benefiting people beyond the NF community (learn more).

Number 7: CTF was recently awarded our second straight 4-star (highest) rating by Charity Navigator – America's largest independent charity evaluator! (learn more).

Number 6: The NF Clinic Network now has 44 recognized centers throughout the country and saw 10,000 patients last year (learn more).

Number 5: NASCAR star Kenny Wallace drove the Racing4Research #4 car at the 2011 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona raising funds and awareness for NF! (learn more)

Number 4: The Children’s Tumor Foundation has tested 50 drugs for the manifestations of NF, each one moving us closer to treatments and a cure (learn more).

Number 3: In 2010 more than 1,500 Runners in NF Endurance Singlets crossed finish lines in 50 races nationwide for the NF Endurance Team (learn more).

Number 2: There are three forms of neurofibromatosis, NF1, NF2, and schwannomatosis, each cause tumors to grow on nerve endings in or on the body (learn more).

And the Number 1 thing to be Aware of on NF Awareness Day… NF is real. People who live with NF overcome incredible obstacles and you can do something about it  Visit www.ctf.orghttp://www.ctf.org/ and join our cause.

So, for today, when you get dressed, WEAR BLUE! Wear blue for my son. Wear blue for Kyle, Travis, AJ, Liam, Brian, and so so many others!

NF Awareness: Meet Travis

This is Travis. Travis is yet another NF warrior. He is 6.

From Travis' Mom:  "He has a plexiform neurofibroma that extends over 50% of his body length (from the nerve roots at the base of his spine, in/around his left hip, surrounding his left thigh, and down to the bottom of his left tibia). He is a resilient kid that brings a smile wherever he goes. His older brothers are avid hockey players and love most any sport."

You can follow Travis' Journey through his blog.

*Permission to share his story given by his mom, Kelly*

NF Awareness: Meet AJ

Today, I'd like you to meet AJ. AJ is 5 years old. On January 30th, 2014, he was diagnosed with 2 optic gliomas. You can follow his story more closely at Prayers for AJ on Facebook. Tell them Alvin's Allies sent you!


*Shared with permission of AJ's mom, Mere*

NF Awareness: Meet Liam!

This little guy is named Liam. Tough Liam, to be exact. At least, that's what his mom calls him!

From Liam's Mom:" Liam was born at 33 weeks. Liam has BPD , Seizures, Asthma, Neurifibromatosis, brain tumors and optic nerve tumors' speech and language delays as well as learning. Liam is now two years old and has shown us what a true fighter really is. Liam takes several medications daily."


You can follow Tough Liam on his Facebook page. If you do, tell them either Wild Rice or Alvin's Allies sent you!


*Permission to share Liam's story given by his mom, Dorothy*

NF Awareness: Meet Brian!

Hey there. Here's another little NF warrior I'd like you to meet. His name is Brian!

From Brian's Mom: Back in 2011 we went for a normal routine check up with his pediatrician. She noticed that he had a bunch of CAL spots all over his body & proceeded to tell me that she thinks that he has Neurofibromatosis. She only knew of this because she had 3 other patients with this. She suggested that we see a neurologist at The Cleveland Clinic. From that point on we went on to see a ophthalmologist & genetics. After we saw our doctor in genetics it was clear that Brian had a spontaneous mutation of mosaic NF1 along with other deletions around the NF1 gene in which we are going on the 6th to talk to genetics about. Even though his NF isn't severe like others he does have some speech problems that he has seen a speech therapist for at his preschool. Going into KG is going to make me nervous knowing that learning can be a challenge at times, but I do believe he will do GREAT!!! Brian is a VERY outgoing 5 year old boy that is also very inquisitive. He loves to help as well as working out with mom & dad. He loves playing outside & bothering his sister. He has a big heart and he's very loving. NF doesn't define him or our family. It's a challenge that we face on a day to day basis, but it won't hold any of us back."

*Brian's story posted with permission of his mother, Amanda*

NF Awareness Month: Meet Sebastian

This little cutie is named Sebastian. He is a NF Warrior I'd like you to meet.

Sebastian's Mom: "Sebastian is now 3 years old. He was diagnosed as an infant with NF1. An MRI before he turned 2 showed OG but not significant enough for any needed treatment. A year later, 3 weeks before his 3rd birthday, his annual MRI showed a significant increase in the tumors and was causing vision changes. We began chemo treatment just one week later. That was July 2013 and Sebastian does weekly chemo and is scheduled to continue through this treatment through September. As a result of the chemo, Sebastian suffers from debilitating neuropathy in his legs and feet. These side effects are very intense and cause him great anxiety. Sebastian is such a sweet boy, he is constantly hugging and kissing and saying "I love you," even during chemo he will chose items from a treasure box for his sister and not himself. I am so proud of my Super Sebastian!"

 You can learn more about Sebastian and his journey by following his page on Facebook: Sebastian's Sweethearts.

If you do follow Sebastian, let them know either Wild Rice or Alvin's Allies sent you! The more we can get out about NF, the better!

*information shared with permission of Sebastian's mom, Amie.*