Random Thoughts on Cleanliness

While madly trying to vacuum the living room before the husband got home from work this evening (and why I don't know, because its not like he noticed) I had a few moments to ponder cleaning in general.

My therapist a few months back made a comment something like, "You're a very busy person. I don't know how you get everything done." To which I replied, "I don't clean my house." She had quite a good chuckle, evidently thinking that I was joking.

And then there's this gem:

Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing
is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.
- Phyllis Diller

And having waded through both snow and my living room, I heartily say AMEN.

When I Just Can't Explain It

I highly recommend this blog post from my friend Amy. She took the words right out of my mouth.

When I Just Can't Explain It

The Russian System

Bear with me. I'll try to stop posting about this, but I think some of this info is just astounding. Here's an excerpt from an article in The New York Times:

[The chairwoman of the parliamentary committee on family and children, Yelena B.] Mizulina noted that for all the complaints about the return of the boy, Artyom Savelyev, by his adoptive mother in Tennessee, Russia itself has plenty of experience with failed placements. She said 30,000 children in the last three years inside Russia were sent back to institutions by their adoptive, foster or guardianship families.

30,000 in just 3 years!?! And the Russians are worked up over one U.S. mother who couldn't take it anymore? Perhaps the U.S. should be the one suspending adoptions while Russia gets its system fixed, so that children don't come home with such overwhelming and PREVENTABLE problems. If you're interested in the entire article, here's the link:
Russian Orphanage Offers Love, but Not Families

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I whipped up my first batch of laundry detergent this past weekend using this kit from Lehman's:

Homemade Laundry Soap Starter Set

Yes, I know that I could have purchased all the supplies separately and saved some money, but this was just easier. I'm a big fan of easier these days.

The process was really quite easy, just a little messy. The instructions warn you that this is a low suds formula, so I wasn't surprised when I ran my first load and there was no froth at the top. It was a bit unnerving though, and I had to fight off the urge to dump in more soap. My first load is in the dryer now, and I'll report back later if any member of my sensitive-skinned family breaks out in a rash. I've used the same detergent for years (Tide Original Scent) because of this problem, so I have my fingers crossed.

Russian Orphanages

Good article from the Washington Post about the conditions and practices in Russian orphanages that can lead to Attachment Disorder, among other things:
Adopted Boy's Return Highlights Problems in Russian Orphanages

Weighted Blanket

It took me about a week, but I finally finished the blanket over the weekend. J-Man is happily snuggling under it at night and, I think, sleeping a little better. What does such a thing look like? Well, funny you should ask.



There are 660 2" squares, each containing 5 grams of special polypropylene pellets that can be washed and dried. The blanket weighs 9 pounds, 14 ounces. I ordered the pattern for a weighted vest this morning, so that will be my next project. Can't wait.

More About Adoption

First:
This is one of the few things I've read in the media about the recent incident that I found to contain accurate information. A quick read. I highly recommend it.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/mom-who-sent-adopted-boy-back-to-russia-vilified-but-some-understand/1088171

Second:
The husband and I took J-man to the Fetal Alcohol Clinic at the University of Michigan today. His attachment therapist joined us free of charge, for which I was grateful. We came away with a tentative diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder based mainly on the reports we got at the time of his adoption, as well as some measurements of his facial features. (I was surprised by this, as I've never really thought he looked FAS.)

While the diagnosis is helpful, the behavioral therapist who joined us at the end of the appointment was not. I'm tired of being dismissed by people with a lot of letters after their names because I'm JUST the mom. I'm not sure how they think they got to know my kid better in 10 minutes than I have in 2.5 years, but many of them do. She questioned many of the decisions we've made and services that we've sought out for J-Man and she seemed to think that a behavioral chart with some smiley face stickers would solve all our problems. I was really glad that our attachment therapist was there to back me up. I feel sad for parents of children with attachment disorder who have the misfortune to make this clinic their first stop. A definite thumbs down.