valentine's and mid-winter break.

Brent and I usually don't do much for Valentine's day except spend the day together. Since we opted not to do Christmas gifts last year (because we were on vacation) - we decided to actually get a gift for eachother this v-day. Brent always seems to want things that are out of stock (Sounders FC jerseys are backordered until the end of March!) He is always begging me to rub his back and I HATE doing it - I know that sounds terrible. I bought him an hour long massage to try to make up for it as well as some other smaller gifts. I was super excited about what he gave me though: a gps. Anyone who knows me well knows that I get lost at least once a week, I have no idea where north vs. south is unless I can see a landmark - even then I don't usually know what direction it is I am supposed to go. Now that I am managing home programs and have to drive to residential subdivisions in areas I've never been - a gps is essential! That night we went to a "Halloween" party (yes, Halloween.) Our friend Sharon wanted to throw an "anti-valentine" party and figured Halloween was the best opposite holiday. It was a lot of fun bringing out the Spartan Cheerleader outfits again. We played board games for HOURS! The best part was the group of us in our costumes, walking around the U District in search of some pizza at 1:30 am. We actually found some!

I am so looking forward to the rest of this week. It is mid-winter break for Seattle Schools, meaning I don't work at Rising Stars again until February 23rd. This frees up my day so much! I typically only work about 6-10 hours per week managing home programs right now - and that's my only job for the week. I will be going to the dentist, getting a haircut, cleaning my house, training my dog, and going to the gym. I can't wait for entire months to be spent like this in summer.

Shayan's Law

Today I attended a hearing in Olympia for a bill that, if passed, would require insurance companies to pay up to $50,000 for autism treatment to families in Washington state.  We heard testimonies from so many families who have lost their homes and gone bankrupt to pay for the incredibly expensive therapies.  One mother sent their her youngest child to China to live with her grandparents because they could no longer afford childcare.  Autism therapy is not a luxury - it is a necessity.  Applied Behavior Analyst is the most evidence-based treatment for autism can give children the chance to live a normal life - filled with independence and social opportunity!  Speaking as a behavior analyst, this bill means I could finally provide services to those who cannot possibly afford them out-of-pocket.  There's so many children we cannot reach with this broken insurance system.  You can probably imagine there was not a dry eye in the courtroom this morning.  

This cause is near and dear to my heart as I work with MANY families who are draining their life savings, selling their homes, working multiple jobs, and sacrificing everything to give their child a better quality of life.  Read more on Shayan's law here

I will never again use Febreze

nowhere on my Febreze bottle does it saw it could harm my pet - I am already super conscious about chemicals around my dog; Febreze seems harmless...

When a bad carpet cleaning experience left our carpet smelling... wet?, we generously sprayed it with Febreze.  Poor Shelby laid on it all day and apparently had an allergic reaction to it.  She scratched some hair off her nose and scratched her eye until it was bleeding!  We stayed up a lot of the night washing the hot spots with cold water and Brent made a Benadryl run to Safeway at 1 am.  I am so thankful for Benadryl this morning!  It is safe for dogs (as long as it's capsule form - not the liquid which has alcohol), and it made her sleep the rest of the night.  I stayed up doing some research about the product online and I was horrified to find how many pets have allergies to Febreze.  It can cause seizures!  How do products like this get approved for use around children and pets???  It's ridiculous.    She's doing much better this evening thankfully.

Inaugeration

This is how I celebrate.  Thank you Trophy Cupcakes!