Today was Poopy Day

As I usually do, I called home to check on the kids to see how their last week of summer vacation was going. As soon as my son pushed the speaker phone button, my 6 year old said that "Today is poopy day". I asked her why and what follows is a recap of the events.

I asked why today was poopy day and K went on to explain. C pooped in his pullup and decided he didn't like the feeling of it so he pulled it out of his pants and placed it on the floor. Where my mother was at the time is a mystery. When the poop hit the floor, my 8 year old was going to the bathroom and didn't see it so she stepped in it. When she saw what she stepped in, she thought our dog, Sasha, had an accident. My mom comes to the rescue with B and sees C's hands covered in poop which has now smeared on the floor and on him. Mom gets everyone cleaned up.

I started laughing as K was the true reporter by letting me know that she only saw what happened and didn't get any poop on her. B said it was gross and K said that today is now known as "Poopy Day".

In all of the conversations that I have had with my kids and imagined to have with my kids, this one wasn't even on the map.

Hope you had a good day.

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Here's the latest scoop on Michael Vick

Here's the latest..

It doesn't look too good...

Have a great weekend!!

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My girls saw a ding dong!!!

When I am at work, I will call home to see what the gang is up to and to talk to them on the speaker phone. Our son has mastered pushing the speaker phone button. When I asked what they were doing, our 6 year started speaking very quickly and excitedly that she saw a boy's ding dong!! I asked my mother what were they doing?

She stated that they were watching the Once Upon A Potty for Him video so C would understand about going potty. The video shows a little boy doing all of the potty business. I explained that it was aimed a little boys and since they were girls, you have different parts which they already knew. I guess they didn't think about the potty issue. This was my first conversation with them and I guess it could be catergorized as a "sex talk".

C thought the video was gross and mom said that he was placed on the potty several times and still nothing as been deposited.

In all of my thoughts regarding conversations with my children, I never thought I would hear that my daughters saw a ding dong.

Hope your Tuesday was as just as eventful as this.

My son helps me diet

I was running late today as my coworkers and I were having a discussion regarding the NAACP and Michael Vick. We couldn't believe the stance of the NAACP. The group consisted of 2 caucasion, 1 african american and 1 puerto rican. All women, so needless to say, I left work late.

When I got home, dinner was ready and I was hungry so I fixed my plate which was filled with turkey loin and macaroni and cheese. The kids had already eaten as we thought they would have church tonight but it was cancelled. So I am eating in the living room and trying to finish my book when the kids come bounding in with McDonald cookies. My 4 year old son sees me and comes over to me. He starts eating my dinner. I asked him if he ate dinner and he said yes. He loves macaroni and cheese and the next thing I know, his hands are in my food eating. I started alternating giving him a forkful and then me so his hands would stay off of my plate.

Macaroni and cheese was demolished in no time. So I start eating my turkey. The next thing I know he is opening his mouth and saying "PEASE". Again, I alternate feeding him and myself. With his help, I ate 1/2 my dinner and decided that this was his way of watching how much I ate. Once the food was gone, it was time for C to get ready for bed so off to the tub he went and off to the kitchen I went to get a cookie.

I guess I deserve not getting to eat my dinner as I was running late. When we eat together as a family, I have a 80% chance of eating my dinner without C helping me finish. I will keep you posted on how my new diet comes along. Maybe I could market this type of diet plan with Disney. They turned a $4 million dollar movie into a $2 billion profit.

Have a great night!

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Karma is a wonderful thing!!

Today started out rather rough as I told my husband to "drop dead" this morning as he started off my day with a conversation rather than "Good Morning". I am not a morning person so asking me to make decisions or to have a discussion before I have even opened my eyes is not a good thing but good things have happened this week. Today, we received a second blessing which is awesome.

The first blessing that we had was C has season tickets to the Redskins and he gave 4 of the preseason tickets to his friend G. We had to FED EX them Thursday so G would get them Friday for Saturdays game. G's mother in law is a big Steelers fan and she is battling breast cancer so Chris sent them. Chris loves tracking items so when he discovered that the tickets shipped from Midlothian had been lost in Ashland and were supposed to be arriving in Maidens, he wasn't happy. He called FED EX who said that they would have to see what happens and couldn't do anything until Monday. Chris called FED EX field and had them reprint the tickets for G. Monday, Chris calls FED EX and FED EX is reimbursing Chris the cost of the tickets plus shipping. So in a week, we should receive about $190. We didn't put a value on the shipment but since Chris could prove the cost of the tickets, FED EX is reimbursing him. So WOOO HOOO, we have extra money coming to us. This is how God blesses us. We give without regret and receive with appreciation and gratitude.

The second blessing we received was today. C was fitted for his leg braces a few weeks ago and we will pick them up this Friday. When Chris changed jobs, we changed insurance coverage so we weren't sure what our out of pocket expense would be. Our out of pocket expenses usually are around $350. C has had leg braces since he was 6 months old so when he grows out of braces, we get him fitted for new ones so its expensive. Chris called the orthotics place today and the receptionist told us that our insurance covered 100% of the costs. This is the first time that we don't have to pay. We now have received an extra $350. God has blessed us by giving us close to $500. Its so wonderful to feel so blessed.

I wanted to share this with you so you will know that God does bless you. It may not be the way that you expect it. I am not a name it and claim it type of person. I believe you keep your heart faithful to God and when you least expect it, He shows up in the most wonderful way.

Have a wonderful night,

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Dept. of Justice wants Porn Stars Names

I was watching Dan Abrams tonight and he was talking about how the Department of Justice wants all Porn Stars to give them their names, aliases and other information in order to help stop the Kiddie Porn industry. The interesting part of the report was that he had Ron Jeremy and a conservative whose name escapes me to be the speaking heads.

This "conservative" mentioned 10 names of porn movies during his 3 minutes of the interview. Ron Jeremy on the other hand actually was intelligent in the discussion. RJ stated that in his 30 + years in the porn industry there has only been 2 incidents of where under age girls used fake ids to get their start (Tracy Lords and someone else). RJ stated that just like applying for a job, you have to show proof of age and eligibility to work.

Mr. Conservative was so busy espousing names of porn movies , he asked RJ what does the industry do to ensure that underage kids don't get involved. RJ had already answered this question.

Here's my thought, with everything we need to get done in this country such as getting sexual offenders information updated on the Internet databases (currently some states are 6 months behind) and Homeland Security, does DOJ really have the manpower to do the research? Or do they want to look at porn on company time? Or since the porn industry is a multi billion dollar industry, are they looking to see if everyone has paid their taxes or if not, collect it?

I am not a porn advocate but I would rather have my tax dollars be more productive. The kiddie porn business can be tracked online without tapping into the Adult Porn Industry. Lets be better stewards of the tax dollars DOJ and do something more worthwhile.

Have a great night!

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This is crazy but I'm gonna do it!!

As you know, I started this blog back in May because my position was eliminated due to a business decision. My resume is on every imaginable website. I am registered with 2 temporary agencies and I have gone on a total of 3 interviews. I want to find a permanent employer so I am going outside the box and hoping you, Internet Friends, will help me find a job. I do not want to register with anymore temporary agencies unless its for a direct hire position. I have posted my resume within this blog and if you know someone who could use my expertise, please forward it to them. Thanks for your help!!



Belinda M. Wray
belindawray2003@yahoo.com

Professional Profile
Commercial Construction Administrator, Operations Manager, Property Manager
22 years Accounting Experience
8 years commercial real estate contract experience
Enforced Insurance Requirements
Worked with Owner Controlled Insurance Programs
Managed 14 commercial buildings
Oversaw Daily Operations for Utah based Holding Company
Administered $124,000,000 in Commercial Construction Contracts
Developer Relation Skills
Professional Accomplishments
Commercial Real Estate
· Audited, prepared cash flow reporting and administered commercial industrial contracts
· Processed $4,000,000 in VHDA/HUD Commercial Loans, 100,000,000 in Construction-Perm/Tax Exempt Bond financing in multifamily housing
· Accumulated, analyzed limited partnerships, property management companies, market analyses, environmental reports to assist developers getting their loans approved and processed.
· Property Manager for 3 commercial tenants, 6 residential tenants and a retail store for out of state owner.
Management and Supervision
· Hired, trained, supervised, evaluated staff for retail store.
· Interviewed, ran credit and personal references and reviewed leases for commercial tenants
· Handled all issues regarding tenants, employees, and neighboring businesses.
· Trained, managed and inspired leaders in the AWANA Program at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church
Contract Administration
· Initiated and review leases for commercial and residential tenants
· Enforced contract terms, conditions and requirements.
· Paid contractors based upon negotiated pricing and payment terms.
· Released retentions upon final approval on construction projects.

Work History

Operations/Property Manager
Wellotson Holdings, LLC, Fruit Heights, UT 84037
11/2005-4/2007
Construction Auditor
Accountemps, Richmond, VA 23219
9/2003-11/2005
Administrative Assistant
United Dominion Realty Trust, Richmond, VA 23219
8/2000-11/2001
Executive Office Assistant
General Services Corporation, Richmond, VA 23225
9/1999-8/2000
Education
Junior Level
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA

References
References are available upon request.

If you accept the challenge, I would be highly appreciative.

Here's to happy hunting,

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I don't know how, but we survived last night

I don't know how we did it. If you have younger kids (middle school and below) then you know that last night was the debut of High School Musical 2. Disney had started a 24 hour countdown the day before. Disney was counting its money last night. Here comes the second round of money maker items.

The first High School Musical CD was the best selling CD in 2006 beating out all other artists. Disney also put on a High School Musical, the concert and this fall Richmond will host High School Musical the ice show. My daughters attended the concert in Charlottesville and my husband won tickets to the ice show.

Now for High School Musical 2, it takes place during the summer vacation of their Junior Year of High School . Its full of teen angst and without the cursing and sexual innuendo which is a blessing to us. The movie was cute but the first one was better. Its filled with most of the songs that you've been listening to on Radio Disney.

B's Girl Scout leader purchased a wide screen TV and hosted a High School Musical sleepover. At our house, we a mini party with K and C. We went out to Friendly's and had an ice cream sundae toast to the show. We then had home made cupcakes to eat during the 1/2 way point. K got to stay up until 10pm and she was excited about that. This morning K and C said that High School Musical 2 was COOL!!!

Overall, there were plenty of High School Musical parties going on through out last night. We survived watching it and trying to remember those high school years of looking for college money, scholarships and buying our first car while trying to hold on to our "true love".

Here's to your high school memories. May it bring music back to you.

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Have you heard about Hilliard House?

I found out about Hilliard House and wanted to share about this wonderful place located in the east end of Richmond. I grew up in east Henrico (Highland Springs) and its nice to see that there is such a cool place out near where I grew up.

Hilliard House is a “House Full of Potential” that offers holistic and is a unique housing program, they offer homeless women and homeless women with children the opportunity to live in a supported environment while transitioning from crisis to stability. Located on Nine Mile Road at Dabbs House Road across from the government complex in eastern Henrico County, this thirty-bed facility was once the Hilliard family farm. I remember this farm and thought it was such a cool place that had been abandoned. This is so wonderful.

The Henrico Board of Supervisors was very supportive of the idea of Hilliard House from the beginning. Supervisor Jim Donati suggested the property at 3900 Nine Mile Road. The property belonged to the Hilliard families who lived in the 1920’s vintage farmhouse. It remained in the family until the County purchased it in 1993. HCHC leased the property from the County, raised $1.5 million and built the campus-like facility incorporating the house and stable that was on the property.

Ellie Meleski and Karl Bren, long known in the Richmond community for advocacy for affordable housing and services to the homeless, were the driving force behind this effort.
After renovating the farmhouse and adding 10 bedrooms, meditation room, children’s play area, and light filled living space, Hilliard House opened in October of 2000. Since then they have served over 135 individuals half of whom are children. From a pool of many nominees, Hilliard House was privileged to receive a HUD Virginia Best Practices Award in 2000.
Who do they help? The residents come from Henrico County(30%), Richmond City (35%), Chesterfield (15%), Petersburg/Hopewell area( 15%), and the rest from Central VA. Their homelessness is caused by eviction due to financial difficulties (job loss, loss of partner), domestic or family violence; substance abuse issues or incarceration. Many live doubled up with friends or family members before being on the street or seeking emergency shelters.

They could use your help!!! This month, the financial institution that I am working at is collecting household items such as trash bags, laundry detergents, etc. If you want to be a help to an organization that helps people who live in your community, please click on the link above and contact them. I'm sure they would love to hear from you.

Here's to a great weekend!!

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Bright Beginnings does your soul good!!

Every year the YMCA teams up with Bright Beginnings. Bright Beginnings is a national organization that helps children at risk, low income families and homeless families get the training and education they need. This year, I got to be a part of it first hand and it was truly an eye opening experience for me.

First the YMCA had requested backpacks filled with school supplies for boys and girls ranging from Kindergarten to Fifth grade. Where I am temping, they promised to fill 40 backpacks. When the collection was finished, they had 50 backpacks to donate to the YMCA. The surprise and appreciativeness of the YMCA made everyone feel blessed.

The second thing the YMCA requested was for volunteers to help children pick out school clothes for school. These children don't have a lot of clothes and the families can't take on the added burden so I volunteered as well as 40 others.

We met this past Monday night and I was partnered with an 8 year old little girl who laughed at all of my silliness and who truly appreciated the shopping experience. She was bright and bubbly and loves the color pink so for this blog, I will call her Pink. Pink told me all about her family, she was one of 7 children ranging from 11 years old down to toddler. Her gramme has a big dog who likes to play and she works at the YMCA. Her Auntie works at Target and her mother stays home until all of the kids are enrolled in school.

We were given a $100 budget and shopping at Target we were able to get her the things she wanted and needed. She found 3 pairs of pants, a Jacket, 3 shirts, a package of underwear and socks as well as a pair of brown tennis shoes trimmed in pink. She was thrilled to get the clothes. She never complained about trying things on and she knew what she liked in a nice and precocious way.

After our shopping experience, we were treated to a hot dog dinner and we sat and enjoyed our conversations. We had our picture taken together and for the group picture she sought me out as she said that I was her buddy and she hoped that we could be friends. When I left her, my heart was full of happiness as she brought more blessings to me than I could have imagined. I was with a child who didn't have much but was truly content in her circumstances.

She was bright and happy and she ended up being my dessert for the day as it felt great to do good for someone else. If you ever have the opportunity to volunteer for Bright Beginnings, I highly recommend it. That night we helped 26 Richmond area school children who were smart and appreciative of everything.

Hope you have bright beginning to your day..


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September Dawn brings Controversy

If you haven't heard, an independent production company named Black Diamond Productions is releasing a movie called September Dawn. This movie is about a massacre that occurred on September 11, 1857 in an unspoiled valley of the Utah Territory—and in the name of God—120 men, women and children were savagely murdered.

The production company says that its based on actual historical events. September Dawn is a feature length drama that depicts the tragic encounter between a party of innocent settlers and a fanatic Mormon militia believed to be backed by the highest religious figures of the Mormon movement during that time. The religious terrorism depicted in the film happened 150 years ago. The advertisement is trying to tie it to the modern day terrorism of today. I don't believe that you can compare religious terrorism.

I find it interesting that Hollywood is helping to promote this movie but when another independent movie was released, Amazing Grace, which is based on the life of antislavery pioneer William Wilberforce, who, as a Member of Parliament, navigated the world of 18th Century backroom politics to end the slave trade in the British Empire. Hollywood did not do very much in promoting this remarkable movie.

I don't believe in coincidence in life or happenings so I wonder if the release and the Hollywood backing of September Dawn could have anything to do with the fact that there is a Mormon running for President. Hollywood is known for its liberalism. Dare I say, could this be a liberal conspiracy against a Mormon conservative who happens to be running for the highest office in our country? I wonder.

I loved Amazing Grace and I love independent movies so I will probably go and watch as its historical fiction which is another love. But, I won't let a movie help me to decide on my vote during the election of any official.

Let me know your thoughts and here's to the movies.

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Do you love Historic Fiction? If so, read me

As I said in a previous post, I have rediscovered my love of reading. I belong to a writing group and it was encourage to read books for the genre that you would write for. Well, I couldn't find any interesting personal stories of special needs kids. My husband is currently reading the Short Bus and as soon as he's finished then I will read it.

In browsing books at the library, I stumbled across a historical fiction book called the "The Last Kingdom" by Bernard Cromwell. Its the 3rd book in the series regarding King Alfred The Great. The only king to be called "The Great". This takes place in 860 ad before England is formed and the continent is divided into different fiefdoms. The Danes who are land hungry and worship Thor, Odin and the other pagan gods come to conquer. King Alfred was a christian king who womanized when he was younger and scholars now believed that he developed Crohn's disease and due to the disease the womanizing stop. He also expected that his Chief Warriors could read so they would be able to read his orders and not depend on word of mouth which is a very astute way of thinking during that century.



The story is told by the protagonist's point of view, Uhtred Ragnarsson. He was born in Northumbria (a fiefdom England). His father and mother died and his Uncle assumed the Lord position of Bebbanburg. The Uncle then tried to have Uhtred murdered at the age of 10 so he could have Bebbanburg unchallenged. The Danes save Uhtred and he is raised in the Danish way of life. At the age of 20 (which is considered to be getting old and when you are 40, you are considered ancient), he is "rescued" by priests and given to King Alfred of Wessex. Now, he must fight for King Alfred. Uhtred is torn between the love of the Danes and the patriotism of being Saxon.



Its beautifully written. All of the characters are multi dimensional. The story is fast in action. The details of the fights are great but not gory. Nothing in the book is salacious. The best part of the book is that after you read this great story, he has a historic note section where he explains to you where everything is in comparison to what we know now as England and he reveals the more interesting parts of his research regarding the names of the characters which a lot are actual people.



If you love a good read and historical fiction, I highly recommend the King Alfred Series: Book 1 - The Lord's of the North; Book 2 - The Pale Horseman, Book 3 - The Last Kingdom and Book 4 will be released in January 2008 (I can't wait) Sword's Song.

Here's to reading and writing.

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A Special Surprise at Barnes and Noble

I apologize for not writing for a while but my husband has been writing things in his blog that I had wanted to. I also have fallen in love with reading. Its a great surprise to myself, but this post isn't about my reading. We have a friend who has been in the hospital. His colon ruptured and abscessed. He was not doing well. Today he felt better so we decided to go and visit. I went to Barnes and Noble on Midlothian at lunch time and that's where I found my great surprise.

I was walking around looking for the magazine section. I walked around and around and then I noticed a new section in the bookstore. It specializes in special needs books. There were guide books from everything from Aspberger's to Down Syndrome. There were also books written by people who were personally affected by special needs. I couldn't believe it. I can't tell you the number of times that I have been to books a million and Borders looking for special needs books. I was so excited. There weren't any books on hydrocephalus but that's OK. There were helpful books regarding ADHD and the teenage kid, twilight syndrome, sensory issues, gross motor delays. You name it and it was there.

If you know someone who is looking for a book regarding special needs, I highly recommend Barnes and Noble.

Have a great night..

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A Trip To Holland

We had dinner last night with friends for Chris' birthday. We had a wonderful meal at Texas De Brazille located at Regency Square. The conversation turned to me wanting to write a book and not knowing how to begin. She told me about this poem regarding special needs, " A Trip to Holland". I want to share this with you as its a wonderful illustration of how I feel about special needs.


Welcome To Holland
by
Emily Perl Kingsley
c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved.

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Thank you M for sharing this wonderful poem with me.

May you enjoy your trip to wherever you land.

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Kids = Love + Joy

I often take things for granted and forget about the little things in life that bring out smiles. How often, I have eaten ice cream and enjoyed the taste but without the enthusiasm of a 4 year old. I also have been to the pool and sometimes forget how exciting it is to go to the deep end where your feet can't touch the bottom. Its these small things that bring delight in my children and remind me how wonderful the little things are.

We took C out for ice cream last night. He had to go see his Orthopaedic Doctor for his 6 month check up. While waiting in the waiting area for 1-1/2 hours, the TV was playing Madagascar. C watched TV and drew pictures. Every once in a while he would ask where's the doctor. Once Dr. T saw him and checked out his legs, ankles and knees, we took C to get an X-Ray to check his spine. He was born with a small curvature which he has now outgrown. Dr. T asked him his favorite ice cream and C said chocolate. Then C wanted ice cream for dinner. Since this week is Vacation Bible School during the night, Chris and I took C out to Friendly's for dinner and ice cream. We ate dinner and ordered ice cream. When it came, C's ice cream was topped off with whip cream and a cherry. After C ate all of the whip topping, he noticed that he had chocolate ice cream. He screamed in delight, "Look Mommy, choclate ice cream". I looked at the sheer delight in his face and the enthusiasm of finding his "surprise". I had forgotten how fun it is to find the ice cream.

Our daughters, B and K, participate in the Recreation Departments daily activities. Every Friday, they go to Pocahontas State Park to swim. They were so excited about teaching each other on how to wear a life vest so they could go to the deep end of the pool. B enjoys diving and touching the bottom of the pool. The enthusiasm in their voice while explaining all of this was contagious. How I wished I could remember those fun times.

Our kids bring joy to me and to others. Tonight was the last night of vacation bible school and C's teacher told us how much she and her family have enjoyed him. They said that he was always happy and full of joy in everything they did which ranged from crafts to playing sports. His picture made the Progress Index today. He was playing basketball and the sheer joy in his face shows how he is happy with everything. We are supposed to be joyful in everything and C certainly shows it. The girls coaches and huddle leaders told me how wonderful the girls were and how they will be missed. It is such a joy to me to hear positive things about our kids from other people. It reassures me that we must be doing something right with our kids.

We tell our kids I love you before they go to sleep. Even when its a hard night in getting them to settle down, they know that we love them. The smile of happiness when they hear us tell them that we love them reminds me that we are not to take their child hood for granted and to appreciate the small things in life.

My kids remind me of Joy and happiness. I may not always be joyful in all things, but I am sure glad that they are here to remind me.

May you have a joyful and happy weekend.

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