Twenty-eight hours ago we left for China. We were fresh for a full day of travel. I don’t dare show a picture of how I look right now. Getting from our house to our hotel in Beijing took a lot of fortitude!

Our plane from Chicago to Beijing was kinda old and junky. The lights in the economy cabin wouldn’t dim so it was bright the whole way. That didn’t make it so easy to take a nap. Never mind the fact that we are packed in there like sardines. Our attendant call light button was also broken–which means it stayed on the whole time and anytime someone else dinged theirs, they would come to us and ask what we needed. It got to be pretty annoying but now that I think of it, I probably should have been making some funny requests and demands.

I spent a lot of time watching our virtual plane travel on the map (and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Hunger Games, and an Actor’s Studio with Brad Pitt). Our route took us over Canada, Alaska, Siberia, and down into China. We were up too high to be able to see anything. So I kept watching the map. When we crossed the International Date Line, I made sure to tell my husband HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Once we touched down in China, it took some time for us to get through customs and through the taxi line. We weren’t quite at the height of rush hour but compared to the “traffic” we have in Lincoln, Nebraska, it was pretty bad. We couldn’t resist the allure of the bed when we got to our hotel.

Isn’t that beautiful? This hotel room is really nice for about the cost of a Holiday Inn in the states. We also have a view of the Forbidden City from our balcony. We are only going to be in Beijing for a few days so I wanted to make sure we stayed somewhere close to what we wanted to see. There is a lot of traffic outside and when we took our nap it was quite noisy but now that it is actually bedtime here, it’s peaceful and I’m sure we’ll have no trouble sleeping for the full night.

We went out for a walk in the evening to grab a bite to eat and we ended up on a street market and I hope my stomach doesn’t hate me for it tomorrow. We just got a some giant spring rolls and some sweet fried dough. Pretty good dinner on the fly for about $3. I also took some AWESOME food pictures but I’m going to post those to my Real Food Really Good blog eventually.

Once we got back to the hotel for the night, it was about 8am in Nebraska so we Skyped with the kids for a little bit. I think they were surprised that we were just about to go to bed at the same time they were just starting their day. We don’t have access to Facebook, pictures on here will have to suffice until I get back to the states.

Tomorrow morning we will be heading out to the Mutianya section of the Great Wall and I’m super excited for it! More to come…

We had a great holiday! Now Carl and I are off the China while the kids are holding down the fort with some of our friends at our house.

Once upon a time (two weeks ago) we traveled to Oklahoma to hang out with my family. At my mom’s house in Mounds, she made us sleep in her camper. It was the best camping I’ve ever done. There was air conditioning, beds, a refrigerator, a toilet, and a two tvs bigger than the ones in my own house. It was better than the first apartment Carl and I lived in when we got married. Even better? The kids slept in the house so we were out there alone and they didn’t even bother to come out and wake us up at 6am (thanks, Lisa, for taking care of them each morning!).

One day while we were there, we drove down to Goldsby to my dad’s ranch. He trains race horses and has been working down in Dallas for the last few months but he drove up to visit us. The kids love going down there to play with all the animals. They have A LOT of animals! They found these cute little kittens in the barn. That kept them occupied for a while.

My youngest brother, Joe, let Caleb and Carl go in to pet a cute little foal. I’m not a fan of horses so I stayed out of the pen and snapped this picture. I seriously have no idea how I grew up on a horse ranch and survived.

The kids got to ride in the back of the pickup truck for feeding time. They loved that and I reminisced with my sister about how we used to do that when we were little on my dad’s tractor. I also remembered how much I loved eating the oats we gave the horses. Yes, I ate horse food.

I really, really love this picture. I snapped this without them knowing just before we were about to leave. From left to right we have my brother Sam (16), Barbara (my step-grandma), Joe (15), my dad Brent, and my grandpa Wayne. Joan (my stepmom) was standing by me so she didn’t make it in the shot.

The next day I drove down to OKC by myself so I could hang out with a few of my favorite homegirls! Melessa (with one of her girls, Elisa) and Tiffany met me in Bricktown and we ate lunch and walked around the canal for a bit. The guy I asked to take this picture was from Grand Island, NE. People from Nebraska are good helpers. That was a really fun day for me. I don’t know if Carl had as much fun back in Mounds with the kids and our nephew, Kenneth, with all the other grown ups at work.

My sister, Lisa, got a pony from my dad to keep up at her place. Eva loved riding Freckles!

Kenneth didn’t enjoy riding Freckles as much as my kids did. He lasted a few minutes and then almost immediately after this picture was taken, he wanted off.

Caleb liked riding Freckles. He’s not as timid as he used to be around animals and I’m glad because I always thought I was projecting my fears onto him. He’s brave and Freckles did a great job walking around the yard.

I sure love going to Oklahoma but I don’t miss living there anymore. When we left Oklahoma back in 2000, I thought we might end up there again eventually. But, I can honestly say I’m super happy with where we ended up.

Nebraska is definitely home now and we are living the good life!

Caleb’s last day of Behaven was today. He started attending this behavioral school in February. He went to his public school in the mornings. It put us in a bit of a financial strain for these past few months (our insurance doesn’t cover all of this and we make too much money to receive other assistance) but in the end, it was SO WORTH IT!

Caleb got intense training in social skills, following directions, and so many other important skills. He went from being a kid that did not respond to discipline to one that complies now. He used to act more impulsively (not stopping to think before attacking someone) and now he is able to use his words and coping skills instead of aggression.

Still, things aren’t perfect. We will always have to work on all of these things but now I’m more hopeful for the future and I have some good skills to use moving forward.

The small class sizes really encouraged me to look into homeschooling Caleb. He really thrives with more one-on-one attention and really isn’t getting the kind of help he needs in public school. There are major budget cuts (probably because I didn’t fill out some form) and there aren’t enough para-educator hours to meet his needs. When he doesn’t have a para at school, he is more likely to get into trouble and he also is more likely to be removed from the classroom because he’s disruptive. We’re doing a trial run this summer and I’m going to work with him on reading comprehension (along with Eva) on the weeks that they don’t have Academy of Rock. If he tolerates having me as a teacher, I think we will stick with it for the school year.

We’re glad it’s summer and that Caleb was able to do such a great job at Behaven! The staff there is top-notch and they always did everything they could to be a accommodating and friendly. If you have a young child that could benefit from their services, I’d totally recommend them!

I’m a rebel. Today I told my daughter’s teacher that I wasn’t going to fill out an end of year survey for a reading program she did. They had already sent a copy of it home and I started it but realized that there were too many questions and it was going to take me longer than I had at that time. When she wanted me to fill it out in the car while she waited, I told her there was no way.

Am I the only one bothered by all the things we have to fill out at school? They want me to bring forms in every time my kids go to the dentist and the eye doctor. They want me to mark down all the minutes we read at home. I have to sign about 15 different things anytime I have a meeting about Caleb’s IEP.

This year, Eva had a form each week for reading and we had to fill in that she read 50 min and retold a story. Her grade depended on it. I understand that they want her to read at home. She does. We do. We all do. But, why do I have to fill out a form? WHY??? I hate filling out all those stupid little papers.

So, today I declined. She told me that this survey is for their funding for the program. I guess I have to apologize now to all of you that won’t be able to benefit from this program because I didn’t want to spend 10 minutes filling out a survey and they will surely lose funding because of the lack of that survey. Just don’t make me write you a note.

How cute is that girl? A few weeks ago Eva told me that her class had earned a beach day and she was upset because she didn’t have a special beach dress to wear. I decided to put my sewing machine to work. We went to the fabric store, used a coupon, and came away with that fun beachy print fabric. I had the pink in my stash for the top band.

I didn’t really use a pattern for this and I probably should have bought more beach print fabric to make the dress fuller. I just haven’t made anything for Eva in a long time and she’s grown!

She loved her dress and she told me that all of the teachers said she looked the cutest on that day. I have a feeling that even though we live in land-locked Nebraska, she’ll get a lot of wear out of her beach dress this summer.

For years I’ve been meaning to put my blog in book form and I finally got around to starting. This volume covers the beginning through the end of 2005. Eva was born, we moved to Nebraska, I ate a Runza…it’s all very compelling.

If you want to read it all for FREE you can check out my archives by using the menu in the sidebar. If you want to BUY a copy, feel free. But, they are expensive! Well, unless you want it on your iPad or iPhone. You can get the ebook version for $2.99. It’s all nicely formatted and in chronological order (unlike the free option using the archives).

I totally recommend using Blurb.com to make your own blog book. I’ve already got volume 2 ready to order. I’m adding an affiliate link to this post so should you order a book using my link and coupon code, I’ll get a bit of cash. However, they often have some great deals if you sign up for their newsletter. You can save up to 30% off (which I got an email about the day AFTER I ordered this book!)

Save 15% On Your Entire Blurb.com Order (Code 15OFFBLURB)

Happy creating!

I’ve never been the biggest fan of Mother’s Day. Infertility has always made me super sensitive to the subject and it just hasn’t been my favorite holiday. This year I didn’t feel as much anxiety as I usually do. The kids and Carl made me feel super special, the talks at church were really great, and I didn’t take anything too personally. I was chill and had a fun day with the family.

About a week before Mother’s Day, Caleb told me he was getting me a present. He said it was a surprise but that it goes in a flower pot! Isn’t that sweet? Imagine my surprise when the Friday before Mother’s Day he brought me a flower pot…full of barely sprouted stems. They will be beautiful flowers soon and I’m so grateful for that sweet gift. You can see in the photo the pot, along with some flowers from my sweet husband. The photo is from our recent trip to Kansas City and I loved it so much that I decided to get it printed on a 12X18 canvas. That was my Mother’s Day present to myself. I couldn’t pass up those crazy expressions from my kids that really show their personalities.

Eva made me breakfast, served it to me in bed, and brought home a certificate from school telling me I was an awesome mom! She was also a super sweet helper all weekend and made sure I felt pampered. What a sweetie.

Maybe I’m getting over my aversion to Mother’s Day.

I’ve been going back in the archives of my blog and formatting it into book form using Blurb.com (affiliate link–you can get 15% off).  It’s been such a joy to go back and read those posts that it has been motivating me to use this blog more for personal posts so I can remember the things that are happening in my life right now.

The posts I’m formatting right now are from 2006 (you can read them yourself in the archives in the sidebar). That was the year we found out Caleb had autism. I had a 3 year old and a 1 year old at home and I was going a bit crazy. I also was knitting like a madwoman (my coping skill). We are still dealing with a lot of the same issues. It’s a bit disheartening but then I can also see how far we’ve come.

Caleb is just about to finish 3rd grade. He has been in a behavioral school in the afternoons for the past 3 months and will be done with that at the end of the school year. It has been so extremely helpful and I have some really great strategies to deal with any outbursts of violence he might have. He still loves music, dancing, and playing on the computer.

Eva is in 1st grade and is such a great helper. She loves going to school and says she wants to be a pet shop owner when she gets older. She takes Tae Kwon Do and is now a level 3 green belt. She also started Girl Scouts this year and is looking forward to next year when she’s a Brownie.

Carl is working hard. He leaves next week to go to France for a week. He’s super excited and can’t wait to bring home more cookies (his favorite are LU Granola cookies). He’s also in TKD and is a blue belt.

I’m still plugging along at my blogs–especially the food blog Real Food Really Good. I’ve lost almost 20 lbs this year and enjoy going to the gym and cooking wholesome food for my family (Caleb is dropping some pounds as well!).

Why does this seem like a Christmas update letter?

Anyway, I’m going to try to be more mindful in adding in more of the personal blog posts back into ChristyNelson.net. It’s my life, after all, and I’m ChristyNelson.net.

For some reason I’ve got some rants to get out today. I’m too lazy to check the archives but I’m sure I’ve blogged about this before.

1. To the mayor of Lincoln, NE–are we that poor that we can’t have stop signs at intersections? Seriously. Please?

2. To the people of Lincoln, NE–until we get the mayor on board, can you learn how to drive through an intersection with no stop signs? This is the law: the first person to arrive has the right of way. If you arrive at the same time as someone else, the person on the right has the right of way. I’ve decided to just play bumper cars with people that don’t follow the rules. I’m cranky and I could use a new car, anyway. Consider yourself warned.

3. Roundabouts. Once you are in a roundabout, you KEEP MOVING until you get to the street you want to go on. You do not stop in the middle of roundabouts to kindly let someone else in. That’s not kind, that’s stupid…and I’m going to run into you (see #2).

That is all.