Sunday, May 22, 2011

Stop the Silence

Stop the Silence 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament took place on Saturday, May 21 and May 22, 2011. I was asked by Amanda Avila from Prima Civitas to be the photographer for the event.

I arrived at 10:00AM and after 1300+ pictures and a plethora of memories, I couldn't wait to show off some of the photos and help to do my part in spreading the message of Amaia Edmond's memorial and legacy with everyone.

I was asked to take action pictures of the 3 on 3 tournament, pictures of the vendors and the speakers so that a video compilation could be pieced together and also used for pursuing grants for next year's funding.








Having a seven year old now, it broke my heart to learn that somebody could take such an innocent little life in an act of senseless violence. I felt a lump in my throat as I listened to John Edmond speak to the parents, "hold on to your children, hug them, touch them and love them."

The Mayor of Lansing, Virg Bernero, also participated in the 3 on 3 Stop the Silence Basketball Tournament. I caught him on his way into Sexton High School for two pictures, one that I have since uploaded to my Linked In, Facebook and Twitter accounts and also one for helping out.



Mayor Bernero gave a speech inside and also outside regarding the community coming together and the importance of stopping the silence.



The kids had a lot of activities for them in addition to the basketball games. Raindrop the Clown provided face painting, the City of Lansing brought out an inflatable obstacle course and the City police brought out a puppy who will be a future canine unit dog.





A group of three little boys decided to take on James Walker in a game of 3 on 1 basketball.





We had a decent turn out this year, but we are hoping for an even bigger turnout next year. The Stop the Silence, Keep the Peace will be an annual event. Hope to see you out there next year :)

Monday, April 18, 2011

Playing Hard


On Saturday, April 16, 2011, Dale and I left out of our house around 7:00AM so we could make it to Jonesville and pick up Dylan by 8:30AM. We picked him up and stopped for some breakfast on the fly. We headed back to Dimondale to pick up Mike and Victoria and set out for a fun-filled day in Lansing. First on the agenda was hitting up the Lansing City Market for the Bunny Hop. Big Lug posed with us and a photographer took our picture - she said it will hopefully be up on their website soon :) The kids got to see some animals and had some gelato while me and Mike sampled a couple of Uncle John's wines.

We headed over to Impression 5 to check out Nano Day and take advantage of the free admission. Typically, it would cost us $25 just to get in... so it was a great savings for us.


The very first thing we had to check out was the bubble room and Dylan wanted to stand inside of a bubble. The other two were engrossed and wanted to try - he was the only one of the three to be successful at it though.

We checked out half of the booths that were there before they got hungry. We ended up heading over to the Michigan Brewing Company for lunch. I got my usual - Black Bean Burger on a pretzel bun with sweet potato fries - along with a Diet Coke. After we were done, we headed back over to Impression 5 to finish up the booths and get the patches for the boys. Victoria forgot her little passport thing so she didn't get one.


It was really cool seeing the giant eyeball that was donated by Daphne's work - Vision Care Associates. Dale and Victoria had to pose for me inside it. They seemed to really like the health part of the museum and kept walking around the giant heart and listening to the recorded messages. They also checked out the cow brain and other stuff in formaldehyde. I think their favorite part of the Grossology exhibit was the giant guy drinking a pop and then belching really loud. Mike said it looked a lot like Jeff Dunham's character, Bubba Jay.


On the way out, I had to get their picture inside the giant mouth. There are tons of pictures of me and my friends that my grandmother used to babysit back in the 1980's in the same thing. It was pretty cool to see my kids inside it.

We ended up visiting my grandmother and my mother in Charlotte. My mom hadn't seen Dylan in a while and was glad to have some time with him. It was pretty funny watching Dylan trying on Dale's clothes he'd outgrown. Instead of hand-me-downs we have hand-me-ups from Dale to Dylan. Dylan had a pair of pants on that were basically falling off from him, so we had Dale try them on - they were too big for Dylan and too small for Dale. With Dale being two years younger, you would've thought it would be the other way around.

We headed out towards Coldwater and ate at the Ponderosa down there before we returned Dylan to the Manor. We're making plans to stay down there next weekend and bringing him back to grandma's house to celebrate Easter Sunday with everyone there.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Still Juggling


It's been a crazy couple of weeks... I got approved to work 32 hours a week so I can volunteer at Gateway Community Services in East Lansing every Tuesday, went to the Journey to Jobs career fair, attended the Michigan Conference On Affordable Housing, started going to the Lansing Breakfast Club on Wednesday mornings, and am currently making weekend plans. There is a lot of stuff going on this weekend around town and it looks like my kids are most interested in attending the Nano Free Saturday Impression 5 and the Grossology Exhibit Saturday.

I'm leaving my house bright and early Saturday morning so I can drive from Dimondale to Jonesville to fetch Dylan. He and I will grab some breakfast on our nearly 90 minute car ride back to Dimondale. We'll get Mike, Victoria and Dale before heading out to I5. We'll spend the bulk of the day in beautiful downtown Lansing at I5 and along Washington Avenue - seeking out deals and good eats. My grandma wants to give Dylan a haircut before we take him back to Jonesville. We'll probably eat at Saucy Dogs in Jonesville before we take him back.

On Sunday, Dale and I will be walking in the Susan G. Coleman Race for the Cure on the Davenport University's Pink Panther team. Silly me thought the 5k was like 2 miles long - my seven year old Dale said nope, it's 3 miles long. I wasn't sure, so I had to google it - he was right! He's a smart little cookie.

Victoria helped create the sets at Olivet Middle School's theatrical performance of Disney's Cinderella. They had their first show tonight and their second/last show is slated for tomorrow evening.

I somehow managed to "win" having a chef come to our home on 5/1/2011 to make us some fried chicken, veggies and baked apples. I figured it would give Mike a break from the kitchen and God knows he's worked super hard being the cook/house cleaner with me being in school and work for the bulk of my days.


I've got one more week of school before I get a week off. Following that nice little vacation, I'll be at Davenport University Monday-Thursday for night classes, working Monday, Wednesday-Friday at the MPSC, volunteering at Gateway on Tuesdays and spending time with my family on the weekends. Dale and I attended the April First Fridays on April 1 and had a great time in Old Town and riding a CATA bus to get there/back. I'm hoping that in May, all of us can attend and check even more places out around Lansing.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Overloaded

So far I’ve been able to keep on top of my college work, work duties and mommy duties… that was until this past week. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a very productive week, it’s just been a very heavy workload.

I’ve been struggling with my Access 2007 because it’s very complex Query, Table and Form applications that we’re studying. On top of that, I’ve been trying to tie up the grant for Keep Learning. I also have been busy trying to research possible sources for my group project that I’m beginning this week for my Professional Writing class.

Tomorrow is yet another busy day for me. I need to try to get the last few details on my grant, finish my memo/update for my instructor, meet with the CEO of Capital Area Michigan Works, attend my stress management class and also have another National Society for Leadership and Success, Success Networking Team Meeting.

On a happier note, my Access instructor is giving my entire class an extension for this week’s assignments since everyone is SO far behind. I have started researching facts for my final project and compiling them into an Excel spreadsheet so I can simply import the information into my new database when I am ready to do so.

Mike and I visited Dylan yesterday and took him to a place called Saucy Dogs BBQ in Jonesville. I was shocked that he ate ribs, homemade potato chips and graham crackers along with his orange pop. He’s gotten so thin over the past few months and hasn’t been eating a lot, so it was surprising.

I’ll write more later,
Tiffenator

Monday, March 7, 2011

Another Jonesville Trip

My alarm went off this morning and I hit the snooze button as many times as I was allowed to before my fiancé woke me up with a big hazelnut coffee from Quality Dairy. I headed out to work early this morning so I could at least an hour and a half in before heading to Jonesville.

I realized I had a small chunk of time after I had left work and introduced my grandmother to the wonderful world of Biggby Coffee – in particular the Butter Bear. I indulged with a Chuckle Bear to accompany me on my hour long trip to Jonesville.

When I arrived to the Manor, I discovered that Dylan had only been in school for a few minutes before I arrived. He had spent half the night playing video games in his room and consequently had a “rough start” this morning. He seemed to be somewhat pale and not as hyper as he was yesterday.

We met with his family and individual therapists along with his teacher so we could complete his Individualized Educational Planning (IEP) Team Meeting. Dylan had been tested for his cognitive abilities and I was told that he is one of the best readers in the class. That’s an amazing accomplishment due to the fact that two short years ago, I held him back in first grade due to the fact that he was not able to read. While the school simply wanted to move him along, I stuck to my principles and said no. I’m ecstatic that he’s caught up and surpassed his peers. Another key note on this is the fact that he is only in third grade and is the youngest child within the Manor – so again a very huge compliment.

Plans are in the works for Dylan to receive an Occupational Evaluation in Battle Creek in the near future. The doctors are trying to be cautious and don’t want to attach the “Autism” or “Asperger’s” label to him. However, everyone is in agreement that there are definitive signs of a “sensory disorder.” Dylan had one done through the school a couple of years ago and I’m now going to need to have that sent to the Manor – another “to do” item to add to my ever growing list of things I must do.

I didn’t get back in time to return to work, but barely made it for Dale’s DBT play therapy session. His therapist, Diana Osborne, is absolutely amazing and has been able to make significant progress with him. Today, however, he was pretty uncooperative. We finally got him to open up and come to find out, he wasn’t too keen on sharing mommy time with his big brother. Strange thing is that yesterday the two of them were really brotherly and wanted to hang out with each other and got along fabulously. Not sure why the sudden change in him today.

Following Dale’s session, I met with my stress management group where we discussed the last Core Mindfulness Skill of “Effectiveness.” It was very stimulating and Reed Stewart did an excellent job of explaining that being effective simply means evaluating what results you are seeking and then pursuing them without making judgment calls, fighting against who is right/wrong and simply playing by the rules. Some of the skills that are presented seem to be so easy and common sense to use, however in the moment they can seem challenging – especially when dealing with a lot of stress. I feel more reassured with the fact that even Reed said he has trouble at times trying to be effective; if a professional is still struggling with this and he’s been doing it for years, it gives me a sense of validation that this might take some time to get accustomed to.

I finally arrived home around 7:00PM and hung out with my fiancé until he had to leave early to run an errand in Charlotte prior to going to work. I cracked open a can of Ravioli and ate it straight up from the can. For dessert, I ate a Little Debbie’s Chocolate Hearts snack pack. I had to catch up on my soap opera, The Young & The Restless before delving into my Access 2007 homework.

After I got stuck on a part of it, I checked Facebook to discover that my little brother William has a new song out. His stage name is Lokust239 and I’ve posted his latest music to my blog as well as his website for your enjoyment. Just a head’s up, it’s pretty graphic language.

I’m off to bed so I can start another fun filled day tomorrow morning.
Good Night,
Tiffenator

Sunday, March 6, 2011

All Day On The Road

Today I was granted my first off-campus visit with my oldest son Dylan. I left my house around 9:15AM and headed out to pick up my grandmother. Prior to leaving my house, I didn’t realize the roads were icy, a fact that I quickly learned after pulling out on to Lansing Road. I took it easy and when I got into Potterville, I stopped at the Golden Arches for a Caramel Mocha for me and a Hot Chocolate for Dale. I got to my grandmother’s house and we headed towards Jonesville to pick up Dylan.

We arrived at 11:00AM and when I entered The Manor, Dylan saw me from behind a door through a window. He immediately starting jumping up and down and reminded me of a little puppy that was anxious to go home with his new owner. When he was allowed through the door he ran into my arms and was so excited. After signing him out and getting his medications for lunch and dinner, we were off towards Applebee’s in Coldwater.

We had a little bit of time to go shopping after we were done eating, so we headed over to the Wal-Mart. After I picked up a coat, since my silly self thought the jacket and down vest would suffice, we headed back out. My grandma, fiancé and I all kept the kids in the dark to our surprise we had in store. We were heading to Olivet to watch Victoria perform in her band concert with the other seventh graders.

The boys finally figured out what was going on as we pulled into the Olivet Middle/High School complex. Dylan was extremely excited to see his big sister play and seems really interested in learning how to play the trombone or percussion. Since I have a meeting tomorrow for an IEP on him, I think I will inquire on the possibility of incorporating some sort of music therapy into his treatment/school plan.

Following the concert, Victoria came over and was so excited to see both boys waiting for her along with her dad, my grandmother and me. She was really surprised since last she knew, Dylan wasn’t allowed off campus. She left with her mom, Mike headed home to get some sleep and my grandmother, the boys and I headed back south.

We stopped into Denny’s near the I-94 and I-69 interchanges for dinner. On our way back to the Manor, we realized we had a little bit of time left so we decided to go explore the neighboring town of Hillsdale. I was surprised to see such beautiful architecture there and I’m hoping to be able to return when the weather is warmer so I can spend some quality time admiring the historical buildings.

We dropped Dylan off nearly right at 6:30PM, which is the time I had guessed on for our return time. On our way home, we stopped in Quincy for some Dairy Queen and then to go shopping at the Dollar General. We ended up heading out and I dropped my grandmother and Dale off. He has school tomorrow and she keeps him pretty much during the school week so I can get my classes, work, appointments, etc. done throughout the week.

I’ve been home for a little over an hour now and finished up some homework for my online Access class and also sent an email out to my Professional Writing professor. Now, I’m unwinding and updating my blog and retiring for the night.

I will be getting up around 6:00AM to start yet another crazy day filled with a lot of travel… I’m sure I’ll post updates tomorrow as well.

Goodnight,
Tiffenator

Friday, March 4, 2011

Burning the Candle at Both Ends... Trying to Balance Work, Home & College

Just to kind of get an idea of what my family's typical week looks like, here it is:

Monday:
Tiffany works 7:00AM-3:30PM (1/2 hour lunch)
Dale has DBT Play Therapy 4:00PM-5:00PM
Tiffany has DBT Group 5:00PM-6:30PM
Mike works 9:00PM-5:30AM

Tuesday:
Tiffany works 8:00AM-4:30PM (1/2 hour lunch)
Mike picks up Victoria around 3:30PM
Dale has Taekwondo 5:00PM-5:40PM
Mike takes Victoria home & heads to work 8:00PM-5:30AM

Wednesday:
Tiffany works 8:00AM-4:30PM (1/2 hour lunch)
Tiffany has DBT one on one 5:00PM-6:00PM
Dale has Cub Scouts 6:30PM-8:00PM (Thank goodness for G'ma)
Tiffany has Professional Writing at Davenport 6:30PM-9:00PM
Mike works 8:30PM-5:30AM

Thursday:
Tiffany works 8:00AM-4:30PM (1/2 hour lunch)
Mike picks up Victoria around 3:30PM
Dale has Taekwondo 5:00PM-5:40PM
Mike takes Victoria home & heads to work 8:00PM-5:30AM

Friday:
Tiffany works 8:00AM-5:00PM
Mike & Tiffany meet w/mentor 6:45PM-8:00PM

Saturday:
Tiffany has Diversity Class at Davenport 9:00AM-12:00PM
Tiffany has Intermediate Algebra at Davenport 1:00PM-4:00PM

Sunday:
Family visits Dylan in Jonesville in the morning
Mike sleeps during the afternoon
Mike works 8:30PM-5:30AM

Keep in mind that there are doctors appointments, school functions and I also have an online 7 week crammed class for Access. I'm also working on a group project at the moment and an Academic Service Learning project where I'm volunteering to write grants for a local non-profit - all for my Professional Writing class. There are meetings, deadlines and work that is being done constantly on these assignments. I'm also involved with the National Society of Leadership and Success and have activities going on with that on top of my normal schedule. So far, the lowest grade I've received at Davenport has been a B+ or 3.30 in one class. My combined GPA dropped from 3.92 to 3.80 on a 4.0 scale. In order to keep my $4,000 Platinum Scholarship, I have to keep my GPA above a 3.20.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Family Introductions

I'm a mom, college student, planning a wedding, full time employee for the state, active member of the National Society for Leadership and Success attending stress management classes and volunteer for the Keep Learning... Our Future Depends On It organization.

I have another blog, which is more geared towards the professional side of my life and if you are interested it is at http://tiffenator.blogspot.com I focus primarily on my passion and future goals within the Human Resources field, primarily Workforce Development.

This blog, however is just about balancing my life and some of the challenges that I'm facing and a place to hopefully inspire others to pursue their dreams as I'm doing.

I'm engaged to a wonderful man named Mike and we are planning a wedding for St. Patrick's Day 2012. Our wedding will take place at the Charlotte Historical Courthouse in Charlotte, Michigan. I was fortunate to find my veil, wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses at Pierre's Bridal Boutique in Lansing, Michigan. My photographers are Christine Servis of Always Christine Photography and Sarah Foster of Sarah's Photography. Our officiant will be Jennifer Trefry. We still need a place for our reception and some other things are in the works.

Mike has a daughter, Victoria, who is 12 and is often mistaken for being my biological daughter. I gladly claim her, after all, she is my only girl. She currently attends Olivet Middle School and bounces back and forth between our house and her mother's due to joint custody.

My oldest son, Dylan, is 9 years old. He's been diagnosed with Oppositional Defiance Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and a "sensory disorder" by his doctors; the school has labeled him as being on the Autistic Spectrum though. He's had some major challenges over the past several months and has been institutionalized. He began at St. Vincent's Home for Children in Lansing, Michigan beginning in September of last year. Rather than being able to be discharged, his violent behavior became too much for the staff to handle. He's currently living in Jonesville, Michigan at The Manor. I'm hopeful that he'll be able to reunite with our family soon.

My youngest son, Dale, is 7 years old. He's quite a handful, but his behavior is nowhere near outlandish as his older brother's. He's an active second grader who is attending Galewood Elementary School in Charlotte, Michigan. He's extremely excited to be a participating at Martinez ATA Martial Arts in Charlotte, Michigan. He completed his second class this evening and has one more for the 3 Class Confidence Boosting sessions. He is looking forward to continuing on and is evaluating his goals; surprisingly he wants to become a black belt in Taekwondo.

Stay tuned and I'll post more about my life...
-Tiffenator