Today, we went to the AMBUCS fall fest at AMBUCS park. Played a few games, rode a few rides then came home. On the way home, I had to stop at the library to pick up a couple of things that were in for me. Left mom and the kids in the car and I ran in because MT was asleep and I wasn't going to be 5 minutes. No point in dragging everyone in for such a quick trip. I got my stuff and got back to the car. I backed out of the space and as I shifted to drive to pull away, I heard a loud CRUNCH noise coming from my back end! I pulled forward and jumped out, to find that the guy behind me hadn't seen me backing up and backed into me! We started to exchange information and the guy (who barely spoke English) told us not to call his insurance, to give him the estimates. I was fine with that and said "because of course, since you were at fault (after all, I had backed out far enough that I starting to pull forward again so obviously, I was backing up first) you will need to pay for the repairs" After that, the only thing he would say was "no my fault" and "call police" So we did. We called the police and were told that unless there were injuries (there weren't MT didn't even wake up in her carseat), they wouldn't come out on private property. That we should exchange information and come in to file a police report, when we could. I decided that my best course of action was to call my insurance company right then and there, since there wasn't much else I could do. We also took pictures of the damage to both cars (thank God for cell phone cameras). After I filed my claim, I took mom and the kids home and went to the police station. I got the report and got it filled out and now all I have to do is take the van to get estimates for repair and send in the report. Then we play the waiting game while the insurance companies decide who was actually at fault. Despite my absolute belief that he was totally in the wrong, without a ticket issued or a third party determination (ie the police) of fault, I fear that they will call it no fault and I will be stuck paying my deductable and get the black mark on my record. :(
However, on the bright side. The van is drivable. The damage is fairly minimal (not as little as to his car, which was basically a finger sized dent in the center of his bumper, where the angle of mine crushed the corner of the bumper) and no one was hurt. I'm just irritated that the police refused to come out and make a determination, which would have saved a potential fight with the insurance company.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
I go out walkin...
Today was our PTA's annual fundraiser walk. Thank you so much to all who donated. The PTA, The Boy and I really appreciate it. So far, the total raised is just over $11,000, with $10,000 of that coming from classroom donations and the rest being made up of corporate sponsorships. Donations are still be accepted through next week so there is every chance that we will get more before it is done. Last year (our first ever fundraiser walk), the final total was $14,000 so we are fairly close to that. They said they didn't go after the corporate sponsors as hard this year, which accounts for some of the decrease.
Anyway, yesterday, I spent 2 hours passing out magnets and shirts to all the kids. And then today, I had to be at school at 7am to get coffee started and help set up. I spent my morning directing traffic around the playground and encouraging kids to please walk between the booths. Then, when TB's class came out, I walked around and did some of the exhibits with them. After the fair, they walked a half mile course around the school and I walked with them. In theory they walked. In reality most of them ran most of the way which is totally crazy. After his class was done walking and signed the banner that I made yesterday, I went to help tear down the exhibits and then joined his class for lunch. I didn't actually have time to eat which is ok, since I forgot to order myself a sack lunch for today. After lunch, I finshed packing up and headed home. I was here about an hour before I had to back and get him.
All in all, I think it was very successful. There were no major catastrophies, which is saying a lot for a group of volunteers who mostly don't know what is going on. :) The exhibitor all seemed to do a great job keeping the kids interested and moving along. The kids all had fun at the fair and the only complaint I heard was that there wasn't enough time to see everything. I have a suggestion for next year for incentives as well. If a child raises $25, they get a shirt. They get the shirt the Friday after they turn in the $25, whenever that is. Then, the day before the walk, all the kids, no matter the amount of money raised are given a shirt so that everyone can match the day of. That seems to undermine the point of raising the $25 for the shirt and while I understand that not everyone has that kind of extra money, there needs to be some kind of visual representation for the kids that earned more (they give pedometers to the kids who raise more than $75 but that isn't something that people just looking can tell, besides, most kids don't care about pedometers). My suggestion is to have white shirts for the kids who don't raise the money. Then have colored shirts for the kids that do. That way, everyone has similar shirts but it is easy to tell who put forth any kind of effort towards the fundraising, which is the whole point of the event.
Now for the fun part.
We had several great exhibitors that taught us about ways to go green. Among them were the Twike
And the Segway
I got to ride the Segway and it was fun. Easier than I expected and I even got up a fair amount of speed on it. Then I tried to turn and got yelled for going to fast while I turned :)
The Boy paused for one moment to let me take his picture
Some people brought a segment of wall from a straw bale house. They let the ids smear mud on it, which is how they seal it. TB was unimpressed
For the walk, we were joined by Mayor Jerry Schweighart
And Senantor Mike Frerichs
These are the kids lining up to take off for their part of the walk
There is an arts competition that the school participates in each year called Reflections. It can be any type of art and this year's theme is "WOW!". TB decided to compete in the photography division and is doing his project on the walk. We too his camera but for some reason it wouldn't come on. The rules are VERY clear that all the pictures must be shot by the student so I grudgeingly handed over my good camera for him to use during the walk. I insisted that he walk and stay close and he did a great job. Most of his pictures are better than mine :)
As proof that I was there, I give you his picture of me :)
And finally, not really to do with the walk but I did take the picture there (thanks to public health for bringing these to my attention), one of the funniest things I've seen in awhile, specially for Quigs, I give you
Giardia! You can see other giant microbes, including those for ear infection, chicken pox and bad breath at Giant Microbes
Anyway, yesterday, I spent 2 hours passing out magnets and shirts to all the kids. And then today, I had to be at school at 7am to get coffee started and help set up. I spent my morning directing traffic around the playground and encouraging kids to please walk between the booths. Then, when TB's class came out, I walked around and did some of the exhibits with them. After the fair, they walked a half mile course around the school and I walked with them. In theory they walked. In reality most of them ran most of the way which is totally crazy. After his class was done walking and signed the banner that I made yesterday, I went to help tear down the exhibits and then joined his class for lunch. I didn't actually have time to eat which is ok, since I forgot to order myself a sack lunch for today. After lunch, I finshed packing up and headed home. I was here about an hour before I had to back and get him.
All in all, I think it was very successful. There were no major catastrophies, which is saying a lot for a group of volunteers who mostly don't know what is going on. :) The exhibitor all seemed to do a great job keeping the kids interested and moving along. The kids all had fun at the fair and the only complaint I heard was that there wasn't enough time to see everything. I have a suggestion for next year for incentives as well. If a child raises $25, they get a shirt. They get the shirt the Friday after they turn in the $25, whenever that is. Then, the day before the walk, all the kids, no matter the amount of money raised are given a shirt so that everyone can match the day of. That seems to undermine the point of raising the $25 for the shirt and while I understand that not everyone has that kind of extra money, there needs to be some kind of visual representation for the kids that earned more (they give pedometers to the kids who raise more than $75 but that isn't something that people just looking can tell, besides, most kids don't care about pedometers). My suggestion is to have white shirts for the kids who don't raise the money. Then have colored shirts for the kids that do. That way, everyone has similar shirts but it is easy to tell who put forth any kind of effort towards the fundraising, which is the whole point of the event.
Now for the fun part.
We had several great exhibitors that taught us about ways to go green. Among them were the Twike
And the Segway
I got to ride the Segway and it was fun. Easier than I expected and I even got up a fair amount of speed on it. Then I tried to turn and got yelled for going to fast while I turned :)
The Boy paused for one moment to let me take his picture
Some people brought a segment of wall from a straw bale house. They let the ids smear mud on it, which is how they seal it. TB was unimpressed
For the walk, we were joined by Mayor Jerry Schweighart
And Senantor Mike Frerichs
These are the kids lining up to take off for their part of the walk
There is an arts competition that the school participates in each year called Reflections. It can be any type of art and this year's theme is "WOW!". TB decided to compete in the photography division and is doing his project on the walk. We too his camera but for some reason it wouldn't come on. The rules are VERY clear that all the pictures must be shot by the student so I grudgeingly handed over my good camera for him to use during the walk. I insisted that he walk and stay close and he did a great job. Most of his pictures are better than mine :)
As proof that I was there, I give you his picture of me :)
And finally, not really to do with the walk but I did take the picture there (thanks to public health for bringing these to my attention), one of the funniest things I've seen in awhile, specially for Quigs, I give you
Giardia! You can see other giant microbes, including those for ear infection, chicken pox and bad breath at Giant Microbes
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Would you rather?
Which of the following TV doctor's would you prefer to be treated by:?
A)House
B)Scrubs
C)ER
D)Grey's Anatomy
My vote would be for House, alone. If it is just House without his team, it means I'm a clinic patient and I have something boring and mundane, like strep throat or a sprained ankle. If it has to be the whole cast, then I want the old team because the new team is lame. Third choice would be House and the new team followed by first season ER, back before they were full of lame incompetents who lost as many patients as they saved. I don't watch either of the other 2 shows but I would have vote Scrubs next since the few shows I've seen it didn't seem like people were dying a whole lot, not with it being a comedy.
A)House
B)Scrubs
C)ER
D)Grey's Anatomy
My vote would be for House, alone. If it is just House without his team, it means I'm a clinic patient and I have something boring and mundane, like strep throat or a sprained ankle. If it has to be the whole cast, then I want the old team because the new team is lame. Third choice would be House and the new team followed by first season ER, back before they were full of lame incompetents who lost as many patients as they saved. I don't watch either of the other 2 shows but I would have vote Scrubs next since the few shows I've seen it didn't seem like people were dying a whole lot, not with it being a comedy.
Simply unacceptable
I brought MT her lunch the other day (three chicken nuggets and a handful of carrots) and she looked at it and announced "three nuggets, that is totally unacceptable" Picked it up and brought it into the kitchen to me and said "you need to fix this" :)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Relationships
I was listening to the radio this morning and they were talking about a woman that had an issue with her boyfriend looking at X-rated pictures. I fail to understand that issue. If he loves you then what do you care who or what he looks at? If he doesn't love you, why are you waiting your time? Don't you have better things to do with your life? I think that stems from my whole attitude on dating and even just friendship. I'm not quick love or even like people. In fact, I'm way more inclined to hate than love (which I realize is probably unhealthy but it is the way I am and I doubt I'm changing).
Most, except for a VERY select few, start firmly in the dislike catagory for me. A popular refrain in our house is "I hate people" and that is generally true. With some minor effort people can be moved from "active dislike" to "tolerate". It requires amazing feats (and a smart mouth never hurts since I can fully appreciate sarcasm) to be moved to the "actively likes" catagory. And they need to be quick because I don't have the time or energy for repeat exposures. A handful of chances is all you really get.
As I've gotten older, I have even less time for non-productive relationships. When I was a teenager, I had so many TERRIBLE friends. Not only were they not good friends, they weren't even good people. I got into more trouble in the few months I was friends with them than I did at ANY other point in my life. Fortunately, I outgrew that need to be around people who weren't good for me and I have been much more selective about the people that I allow to move into the "friend" catagory and my life is so much better for it.
Most, except for a VERY select few, start firmly in the dislike catagory for me. A popular refrain in our house is "I hate people" and that is generally true. With some minor effort people can be moved from "active dislike" to "tolerate". It requires amazing feats (and a smart mouth never hurts since I can fully appreciate sarcasm) to be moved to the "actively likes" catagory. And they need to be quick because I don't have the time or energy for repeat exposures. A handful of chances is all you really get.
As I've gotten older, I have even less time for non-productive relationships. When I was a teenager, I had so many TERRIBLE friends. Not only were they not good friends, they weren't even good people. I got into more trouble in the few months I was friends with them than I did at ANY other point in my life. Fortunately, I outgrew that need to be around people who weren't good for me and I have been much more selective about the people that I allow to move into the "friend" catagory and my life is so much better for it.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
It's sad really
TB comes downstairs tonight holding an ice bag on his hand. The following conversation ensued.
Me: What did you do that you need an ice bag?
TB: I stepped on my finger
Me: You stepped on YOUR OWN finger?
TB:*sadly shakes his head* It was not my finest hour
ROFL No idea where he comes up with this stuff but it makes me LMAO when he does
Me: What did you do that you need an ice bag?
TB: I stepped on my finger
Me: You stepped on YOUR OWN finger?
TB:*sadly shakes his head* It was not my finest hour
ROFL No idea where he comes up with this stuff but it makes me LMAO when he does
Friday, September 19, 2008
Cheer camp
So I blogged last week about TB starting cheer camp. He went on Sunday and spent 3 hours in a gym learning the cheers they were going to do. There was one other boy there and although they were in the same group, they didn't seem to interact much.
TB managed to get in trouble while he was there for hitting a girl. He said she kit him in the face first but when he told the coach that, she insisted that him hitting her hurt worse so he got in trouble. I wasn't there, so I don't have any idea what actually happened but if that was the case, that sucks. Apparently the coach is VERY young, having made some comment about "Jeez, they still have picutres up from 4 years ago, when I was a student here", so anything is possible. In any case, we went to watch his pre-performance and while all the other kids were at least trying to keep up, he stood and did absolutely nothing.
Tonight, we had to be at the field at 6:30 for the game to start at 7, then sit through the whole first half until they could cheer at half time. I took my book and TB borrowed RF's DS since his is broken. I didn't get nearly as much reading as I hoped done because my parents showed up with MT 4 minutes into the first quarter.
Then right after the second quarter started, they both had to go to the bathroom, so we walked all over the school to find the bathrooms and by the time we got back, it was time for the cheerleaders to line up. They lined them up by age, but weren't doing a very good job of making sure they actually got where they were supposed to go. TB ended up with the 4/5 years olds because that was were they pointed for him to go. Whatever.
They led them onto the field with about 30 seconds left in the game. The last 30 seconds seem to take FOREVER and a lot of parents were ticked that the cheerleader parents were standing by the rail to keep and eye on their young children. Hows about a giant, SUCKS TO BE YOU. Then Looseyfur, MacTroll and X-man joined us for the performance and one of the other cheerleader moms was upset that Xman and MT were standing on the fence, getting in the way of her picture taking. Too bad lady. Seriously, I'm a crazy mom-arazzi, taking tons of pictures but she seriously took twice the shots I did, she could live without the 5 that X-man and MT got in the way of.
They did their cheer, then they did a little dance and then they sat and watched the band. Then they did another little cheer after the football players were back on the field. TB was (as he tends to be) his unique self. He moved how he wanted to move, where he wanted to move and didn't give a flip what anyone else was doing. Then while they were watching the band, he got bored and was laying on the track waving his feet in the air.
After the cheering, they led them off the field into disaster. Apparently, the kids were supposed to wait on the field for the parents to sign them out and then come and get them. I absolutely understand that that was for the safety of the children but it was chaos. I stood in a mass of parents for quite awhile, when I see TB wander off the field. If I hadn't been standing right next to the gate, I wouldn't have seen him and he would have been gone. Not particularly safe, IMO. We stood around for another little bit when a mom went on to the field to get her kid and leave. The organizer chased her down and demanded that she sign out and the woman FLIPPED OUT. She started yelling, telling the organizer that it was a madhouse (true) that they didn't know and thing about organization (true) and that she wasn't going to stand there and wait anymore, she was taking her kid and going home. Not much they could do at that point so they let her go. I waited another few minutes and didn't move at all so I decided to say "eff this" and we started to walk away. TB got upset that I didn't sign him out and I said loudly enough for the organizers to hear "I'm not going to mess with that, this too disorganized and I don't have all night to stand here. If they want me to sign out, they need to make it quick and easy for me to do it, since they didn't I'm out of here" No said anything to me and we went ahead and left.
I mentioned his free flow dancing on the way to the car and he said "I had to do something to entertain myself, cheering is boring"
So overall, it was not good. I was willing to get excited about cheering for his sake but since he proclaims it boring, I will revert to my long held opinion about cheering and cheerleaders. I will also be emailing the organizer and telling her how unhappy I was with the whole event. They have my money, but they won't be getting anymore of it. Any more flyers from them are going staight in the trash. Maybe the other high school would be better, but I doubt we'll be doing any more cheerleading of any kind, for either kid in the future. And that is sad because TB would have been good at it :(
TB managed to get in trouble while he was there for hitting a girl. He said she kit him in the face first but when he told the coach that, she insisted that him hitting her hurt worse so he got in trouble. I wasn't there, so I don't have any idea what actually happened but if that was the case, that sucks. Apparently the coach is VERY young, having made some comment about "Jeez, they still have picutres up from 4 years ago, when I was a student here", so anything is possible. In any case, we went to watch his pre-performance and while all the other kids were at least trying to keep up, he stood and did absolutely nothing.
Tonight, we had to be at the field at 6:30 for the game to start at 7, then sit through the whole first half until they could cheer at half time. I took my book and TB borrowed RF's DS since his is broken. I didn't get nearly as much reading as I hoped done because my parents showed up with MT 4 minutes into the first quarter.
Then right after the second quarter started, they both had to go to the bathroom, so we walked all over the school to find the bathrooms and by the time we got back, it was time for the cheerleaders to line up. They lined them up by age, but weren't doing a very good job of making sure they actually got where they were supposed to go. TB ended up with the 4/5 years olds because that was were they pointed for him to go. Whatever.
They led them onto the field with about 30 seconds left in the game. The last 30 seconds seem to take FOREVER and a lot of parents were ticked that the cheerleader parents were standing by the rail to keep and eye on their young children. Hows about a giant, SUCKS TO BE YOU. Then Looseyfur, MacTroll and X-man joined us for the performance and one of the other cheerleader moms was upset that Xman and MT were standing on the fence, getting in the way of her picture taking. Too bad lady. Seriously, I'm a crazy mom-arazzi, taking tons of pictures but she seriously took twice the shots I did, she could live without the 5 that X-man and MT got in the way of.
They did their cheer, then they did a little dance and then they sat and watched the band. Then they did another little cheer after the football players were back on the field. TB was (as he tends to be) his unique self. He moved how he wanted to move, where he wanted to move and didn't give a flip what anyone else was doing. Then while they were watching the band, he got bored and was laying on the track waving his feet in the air.
After the cheering, they led them off the field into disaster. Apparently, the kids were supposed to wait on the field for the parents to sign them out and then come and get them. I absolutely understand that that was for the safety of the children but it was chaos. I stood in a mass of parents for quite awhile, when I see TB wander off the field. If I hadn't been standing right next to the gate, I wouldn't have seen him and he would have been gone. Not particularly safe, IMO. We stood around for another little bit when a mom went on to the field to get her kid and leave. The organizer chased her down and demanded that she sign out and the woman FLIPPED OUT. She started yelling, telling the organizer that it was a madhouse (true) that they didn't know and thing about organization (true) and that she wasn't going to stand there and wait anymore, she was taking her kid and going home. Not much they could do at that point so they let her go. I waited another few minutes and didn't move at all so I decided to say "eff this" and we started to walk away. TB got upset that I didn't sign him out and I said loudly enough for the organizers to hear "I'm not going to mess with that, this too disorganized and I don't have all night to stand here. If they want me to sign out, they need to make it quick and easy for me to do it, since they didn't I'm out of here" No said anything to me and we went ahead and left.
I mentioned his free flow dancing on the way to the car and he said "I had to do something to entertain myself, cheering is boring"
So overall, it was not good. I was willing to get excited about cheering for his sake but since he proclaims it boring, I will revert to my long held opinion about cheering and cheerleaders. I will also be emailing the organizer and telling her how unhappy I was with the whole event. They have my money, but they won't be getting anymore of it. Any more flyers from them are going staight in the trash. Maybe the other high school would be better, but I doubt we'll be doing any more cheerleading of any kind, for either kid in the future. And that is sad because TB would have been good at it :(
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Listen up people
Instead of getting the sound machine (which I've already ordered but I'm going to send back). I found this. Rf mentioned that we should get an iPod docking station and let him listen to his music (he has been falling asleep with his headphones on with his MP3 player) or sound of our choice. When I got to looking online, I found just a plug in and RF said he already had that with his old iPod (which works as long as it is plugged in) so he set up the iPod and we have dled the above sound clip. I just have to load it on the iPod and set it to repeat and he can drift to sleep with the soothing white noise playing in his Star Wars den.
Walk for Westview fundraiser
Westview school in Champaign is doing their annual fundraiser walk to support PTA sponsored programs. This is the PTA's only fundraiser for the year. In past year, the PTA has purchased all new desks and chairs for the school, large playground equipment and they are hoping to raise enough money to purchase Smart Boards for the entire school. The theme this year is "going green with Westview" and in addition to raising money, they are also hoping an information fair related to being green.
If anyone is interested in donating please email me at mom2cne @ gmail.com and I can give you more information.
If anyone is interested in donating please email me at mom2cne @ gmail.com and I can give you more information.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Room redo
The dining room is sorted (at least the part we are converting, the other side is still a disaster but I'll get to it eventually) I have to vacuum it when RF gets up from his nap (he works late tonight and was up at 8 running errands for me). I ordered his night light and his sound machine (which he said he wanted because it plays a heartbeat. That sounds creepy to me but maybe he is still soothed by that like babies). RF bought me a rod to hang the curtain on. I bought the Darth Vader fleece and a plain orange fleece for the other panel.
Tomorrow, I'm going to start taking apart the bed and moving it into the dining room. Then I can clean where the bed was so we can set up the new bed. I called FIL today and asked if he could bring it in either Tuesday or Weds. I told TB that he wouldn't have his curtain or his night light or anything that we could probably arrange for him to sleep there tomorrow night, even if it was just on his mattress on the floor while I waited to put the bed together on Weds when RF can help me.
I must say, that side of the dining room looks really nice and I wouldn't mind leaving it like it is. Although I'm sure that if I had an empty space, I would just fill it with junk so I might as well go ahead and put the bed there :)
Tomorrow, I'm going to start taking apart the bed and moving it into the dining room. Then I can clean where the bed was so we can set up the new bed. I called FIL today and asked if he could bring it in either Tuesday or Weds. I told TB that he wouldn't have his curtain or his night light or anything that we could probably arrange for him to sleep there tomorrow night, even if it was just on his mattress on the floor while I waited to put the bed together on Weds when RF can help me.
I must say, that side of the dining room looks really nice and I wouldn't mind leaving it like it is. Although I'm sure that if I had an empty space, I would just fill it with junk so I might as well go ahead and put the bed there :)
Sunday, September 14, 2008
What is wrong with that boy?
I've started reading the book The Trouble with Boys and it is highly interesting. I'm only in the 3rd chapter where they are still talking numbers but so far it is a very scary number game.
I remember being in elementary school when some news program (20/20, etc) did a story about how boys were called on twice as often in class as girls. From that day forward, I would test my teachers on random days to see if they were guilty of descrimination (none of them ever were) because by God, I deserved to answers as many questions as any 'stupid' boy. I was a staunch feminist. I was a big believer in "anything you can do, I can do better" I'm the girl in second grade who forced my teacher to make the boys were shirts at our spring picnic because I was hot too "and if they get to take off their shirts, then I will too" I distinctly remember the strides girls and women made in the fields of math and science during the early 90s. I remember some arguement about Barbie not having enough "smart" jobs and how they brought out scientist Barbie, vet Barbie, etc to serve as positive role models for girls. I remember all that so why, suddenly, am I concerned about the achievement of boys? After all, boys are tradtionally higher preforming so why is this an issue.
I'm concerned about boy achievement because now I have a boy who isn't achiving. He is consistantly behind in reading. He isn't interested in learning to read. He is interested in science and math. Specifically Chemistry. If things blow up or catch on fire he is all over it but he loves all types of science. Guess which subject they barely teach at school? They have a short science unit each quarter but it is late in the day and passed over if anything else runs long or if there is a half day. It also isn't interesting science. It is "seeds and plants" and "sun moon and stars". At least it is something but it could be so much better. Instead, kindergarten and first graders are being beaten over the head with sight words and take home books and all manner of other age inappropriate activities. His lack of reading achievement seems to be a pretty standard complaint of boy parent's. They mention the achievement gaps in reading and how it grows from 3rd and 4th grade through high school, where girls vastly outperform boys, repeatedly so obviously, this something other parents are dealing with.
I have many questions about this book. For example, it mentions that boys are more likely to be expelled from preschool than girls. Is this because boys aren't able to function is highly academic environments at that young of an age? Is it because (as anticdotal evidence suggests) that there are more boys enrolled in preschool? Hopefully, these questions, and others, will be addressed. I'm sure I'll have more to say about this book as I get further in it but so far I highly recommend it for parent's of boys. Even if your boys aren't in school yet, it is never a bad thing to know what you might expect when they get there.
While you wait for this book here is an article from the author on the problems of boys in school.
I remember being in elementary school when some news program (20/20, etc) did a story about how boys were called on twice as often in class as girls. From that day forward, I would test my teachers on random days to see if they were guilty of descrimination (none of them ever were) because by God, I deserved to answers as many questions as any 'stupid' boy. I was a staunch feminist. I was a big believer in "anything you can do, I can do better" I'm the girl in second grade who forced my teacher to make the boys were shirts at our spring picnic because I was hot too "and if they get to take off their shirts, then I will too" I distinctly remember the strides girls and women made in the fields of math and science during the early 90s. I remember some arguement about Barbie not having enough "smart" jobs and how they brought out scientist Barbie, vet Barbie, etc to serve as positive role models for girls. I remember all that so why, suddenly, am I concerned about the achievement of boys? After all, boys are tradtionally higher preforming so why is this an issue.
I'm concerned about boy achievement because now I have a boy who isn't achiving. He is consistantly behind in reading. He isn't interested in learning to read. He is interested in science and math. Specifically Chemistry. If things blow up or catch on fire he is all over it but he loves all types of science. Guess which subject they barely teach at school? They have a short science unit each quarter but it is late in the day and passed over if anything else runs long or if there is a half day. It also isn't interesting science. It is "seeds and plants" and "sun moon and stars". At least it is something but it could be so much better. Instead, kindergarten and first graders are being beaten over the head with sight words and take home books and all manner of other age inappropriate activities. His lack of reading achievement seems to be a pretty standard complaint of boy parent's. They mention the achievement gaps in reading and how it grows from 3rd and 4th grade through high school, where girls vastly outperform boys, repeatedly so obviously, this something other parents are dealing with.
I have many questions about this book. For example, it mentions that boys are more likely to be expelled from preschool than girls. Is this because boys aren't able to function is highly academic environments at that young of an age? Is it because (as anticdotal evidence suggests) that there are more boys enrolled in preschool? Hopefully, these questions, and others, will be addressed. I'm sure I'll have more to say about this book as I get further in it but so far I highly recommend it for parent's of boys. Even if your boys aren't in school yet, it is never a bad thing to know what you might expect when they get there.
While you wait for this book here is an article from the author on the problems of boys in school.
Go to your room
Now, when I say that to The Boy, he can actually go to his own space. When I pregnant, I mae the worst statement a potential parent could make. I said "no kid of mine will ever sleep with me" Those of you that know me know how well that worked out. When he was born, I fought and fought to get him in his crib. I spent hours rocking, nursing and walking until he was asleep in his crib. Then, at 6 weeks old, he got RSV and ended up spending a night in the hospital. When he came home, he was still on all kinds of breathing treatments and was having trouble sleeping. We brought him in to our room so that I could monitor his breathing through the night because that was when he had the most trouble. He would sleep draped over my hip so that he could remain upright and maintain normal breathing. By the time he was better, he was 10 weeks old and I was going back to work. I spent weeks fighting with him and sleeping on an uncomfortable twin mattress in his bedroom, trying to get him back in his crib. Eventually, I gave in and just brought him back to my bed because at least it was comfortable in there. I was exhausted and I couldn't do it anymore. He slept with us until we moved into this house and we set up the second bedroom for him. I chose not to move him right away because of the stress of the move and all that. About the time I was planning to move him, RF changed jobs and started working nights and weekends, which made it really hard for him to share a room with me, because I was still keeping normal hours. I got him a big bed for the second bedroom and moved TB's bed into my room. He wanted nothing to do with sleeping in it and since it was just me and him, it wasn't as uncomfortable so I didn't push the issue.
Then I got PG with Ms Thang and decided it was time to start pushing the issue. He really wanted nothing to do with it and when MT was born, we found she slept better alone so she started sleeping in TB's bed. By the time he was 4, I decided that he simply had to sleep in his own bed and we moved the bunk beds in so MT could have the bottom and TB could have the top. He didn't like it but he eventually got used to it and has been happily sharing a room with us since then. That works well for all involved because RF still works odd hours and can't share a room with anyone else and we only have 2 bedrooms. All of a sudden, the other day he says to me "Mom, all my friends have their own rooms, I need my own room too" I told him that we didn't have room, but that in the next year we would be moving to somewhere that has more bedrooms and then he could have his own bedroom. Then I got to thinking. If I got rid of some stuff (which I was intending to do anyway) I could move things around in the dining room and block part of it off and put his bed there. It isn't a room but more of a "sleeping nook". Regardless, it is his own space and it is seperate from other people and it will work for the time being.
I measured it all up and the bed will fit in the little alcove where my desk was, minus the foot board piece. It is about 6 inches too long so I have to take that piece off but otherwise it is perfect. So today, I spent the day sorting and cleaning the stuff I'm getting rid off Then I drug it all up on to the porch to be taken to Looseyfur's for the playgroup swap in Oct (I'm taking it this week, but the swap isn't until Oct). Then I unloaded my desk and file cabinet, hauled it all across the room to where the toys used to be and set it all back up again. Tomorrow, I have to go the fabric store and buy the AWESOME Darth Vader fleece we saw to make him a privacy curtain, while RF goes to the hardware store to get a dowel rod to hang the curtain on. My mom is going to sew the curtain and then I'm going to set toy shelves in front of it so no one accidently pulls it down.
I've also been spending some time looking on the internet for noise machinces since the dining room and the living are all connected and I sit in the living room to watch TV at night. I looked at a "white noise" cd and some Star Wars CD players for him, but I think we will just get the machine and not mess with the CD. I've also been looking for night lights and lamps. He needs a night light because he has never slept without one and he needs a lamp because the way we have to mount the curtain puts the ceiling light in the room outside it. It would make for a dark room if I didn't get a lamp. Finally, I have to call MIL and have her ask FIL to bring in MT's bunk bed that they have been storing at their house since we didn't have room for it. Now, TB will take his fire truck bed (although he won't get to have the firetruck cover on the bed since it won't fit without the footboard that we have to take off) and MT will have the original bunk beds that we bought for TB when we first moved here. They are nice, heavy solid oak and really pretty.
So, while I can't yet tell him to go to his room, in the next week I will be able to and he will be able to!
Then I got PG with Ms Thang and decided it was time to start pushing the issue. He really wanted nothing to do with it and when MT was born, we found she slept better alone so she started sleeping in TB's bed. By the time he was 4, I decided that he simply had to sleep in his own bed and we moved the bunk beds in so MT could have the bottom and TB could have the top. He didn't like it but he eventually got used to it and has been happily sharing a room with us since then. That works well for all involved because RF still works odd hours and can't share a room with anyone else and we only have 2 bedrooms. All of a sudden, the other day he says to me "Mom, all my friends have their own rooms, I need my own room too" I told him that we didn't have room, but that in the next year we would be moving to somewhere that has more bedrooms and then he could have his own bedroom. Then I got to thinking. If I got rid of some stuff (which I was intending to do anyway) I could move things around in the dining room and block part of it off and put his bed there. It isn't a room but more of a "sleeping nook". Regardless, it is his own space and it is seperate from other people and it will work for the time being.
I measured it all up and the bed will fit in the little alcove where my desk was, minus the foot board piece. It is about 6 inches too long so I have to take that piece off but otherwise it is perfect. So today, I spent the day sorting and cleaning the stuff I'm getting rid off Then I drug it all up on to the porch to be taken to Looseyfur's for the playgroup swap in Oct (I'm taking it this week, but the swap isn't until Oct). Then I unloaded my desk and file cabinet, hauled it all across the room to where the toys used to be and set it all back up again. Tomorrow, I have to go the fabric store and buy the AWESOME Darth Vader fleece we saw to make him a privacy curtain, while RF goes to the hardware store to get a dowel rod to hang the curtain on. My mom is going to sew the curtain and then I'm going to set toy shelves in front of it so no one accidently pulls it down.
I've also been spending some time looking on the internet for noise machinces since the dining room and the living are all connected and I sit in the living room to watch TV at night. I looked at a "white noise" cd and some Star Wars CD players for him, but I think we will just get the machine and not mess with the CD. I've also been looking for night lights and lamps. He needs a night light because he has never slept without one and he needs a lamp because the way we have to mount the curtain puts the ceiling light in the room outside it. It would make for a dark room if I didn't get a lamp. Finally, I have to call MIL and have her ask FIL to bring in MT's bunk bed that they have been storing at their house since we didn't have room for it. Now, TB will take his fire truck bed (although he won't get to have the firetruck cover on the bed since it won't fit without the footboard that we have to take off) and MT will have the original bunk beds that we bought for TB when we first moved here. They are nice, heavy solid oak and really pretty.
So, while I can't yet tell him to go to his room, in the next week I will be able to and he will be able to!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Yes, well
Male kickballer: You know, I always like waking up with two testicles!
--Queensboro Oval, 59th & York
Overheard by: Me too
From Overheard in New York
--Queensboro Oval, 59th & York
Overheard by: Me too
From Overheard in New York
Open letter
Dear lady at the playground:
No, I really don't think my daughter is too young to be on the playground. Yes, I did laugh out loud at you when you said "but aren't you worried about her playing with the boys? She might get hurt" (I know, right LOL).
However what I am worried about is the sheer amount of weight your two children are carrying around. Your 5 year old was so overweight that he couldn't run and play with the other kids. In fact, he could barely walk. The other thing I'm worried about is the fact that while I was there, I watched him pound down 2 full sized Hershey bars and 4 Kool-Aid bottles!!
Oh and PS, I may suffer from a little deafness but I can hear you when you turn to your friend and proclaim snidely "this is why I hate this place. Too many kids that are far too young with NO supervision" Seriously, leave then. No one told you that you had to come here.
No, I really don't think my daughter is too young to be on the playground. Yes, I did laugh out loud at you when you said "but aren't you worried about her playing with the boys? She might get hurt" (I know, right LOL).
However what I am worried about is the sheer amount of weight your two children are carrying around. Your 5 year old was so overweight that he couldn't run and play with the other kids. In fact, he could barely walk. The other thing I'm worried about is the fact that while I was there, I watched him pound down 2 full sized Hershey bars and 4 Kool-Aid bottles!!
Oh and PS, I may suffer from a little deafness but I can hear you when you turn to your friend and proclaim snidely "this is why I hate this place. Too many kids that are far too young with NO supervision" Seriously, leave then. No one told you that you had to come here.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
They're kind of a big deal
I'm a little wierded out by random boys coming up to my daughter, calling her by name and telling her hi. Today wasn't that big of a deal, it was one of the boys from school so I expected him to know her but yesterday was different story. A little boy, out of the blue, walked up to her and said "Hi MT" and then walked away. She claims not to know him, although I wonder if he isn't in her preschool class. Still a little strange LOL
And not to be outdone, a conversation with The Boy today.
*jumps in the van after school, slams the door shut and yells "hit it mom"
me: mmkay
him: and lock the doors
me: why?
him: because
me: ok, whatever. *accelerates letting the doors lock themselves*
him: I wanted you to lock the doors in case any of those boys jumped over the fence and grabbed the door handle and tried to open the door
me: ok, why would they do that?
him: to talk to me. I think they have made a fan club about me
me: ok
And not to be outdone, a conversation with The Boy today.
*jumps in the van after school, slams the door shut and yells "hit it mom"
me: mmkay
him: and lock the doors
me: why?
him: because
me: ok, whatever. *accelerates letting the doors lock themselves*
him: I wanted you to lock the doors in case any of those boys jumped over the fence and grabbed the door handle and tried to open the door
me: ok, why would they do that?
him: to talk to me. I think they have made a fan club about me
me: ok
Monday, September 8, 2008
I'm Batman
Mommy Schiff has a post about her kids being various fictional characters. TB went through this phase but he was never really attached to anyone name. He used his when he would get in trouble and I would say "TB, quit jumping on the couch. "I'm not TB, I George of the Jungle" jump jump jump "Dude, I so don't care who you are, get off the couch!"
MT, on the other hand, is quite attached to her alter ego. She is Batman. She will insist that she be called Batman, no matter whether it is to get out trouble or if you are just chatting with her. She is so insistant about it that she asked her preschool teachers to call her Batman. The teacher sort of smiled at her and shrugged so I don't know if they do or not but she hasn't complained about it so eithr they are or she hasn't thought to freak about it :)
Everytime she claims to be Batman, I can't help but think of this commercial. I used to LMAO about it before (Snickers had some really great commericials during that era), but now it is that much more funny. :)
I'm Batman
For whatever reason, the video won't imbed so click the link to see what I'm talking about
MT, on the other hand, is quite attached to her alter ego. She is Batman. She will insist that she be called Batman, no matter whether it is to get out trouble or if you are just chatting with her. She is so insistant about it that she asked her preschool teachers to call her Batman. The teacher sort of smiled at her and shrugged so I don't know if they do or not but she hasn't complained about it so eithr they are or she hasn't thought to freak about it :)
Everytime she claims to be Batman, I can't help but think of this commercial. I used to LMAO about it before (Snickers had some really great commericials during that era), but now it is that much more funny. :)
I'm Batman
For whatever reason, the video won't imbed so click the link to see what I'm talking about
Sunday, September 7, 2008
In the button pushing factory
Isn't it amazing how, no matter our age, our parents can still manage to push our buttons?
Many of you know that our house is a duplex that we share with my parents. It is a 2 story and they have the top half and we have the basement. Because of this situation, we have outrageously cheap rent, which was huge factor in allowing me to stay home after I lost my job.
Last night, we were hanging out upstairs. TB was looking for something in the toy room and MT was running a doctor's office in the bedroom with all her stuffed animals. I went into the bedroom and was told "you can't be in the doctor's room so get out" TB just wanted to whine about his inability to find a yo yo so I sat in the dining room and started reading my book. My dad came through and heaved a heavy sigh followed by muttering to the tune of "you do nothing but sit around and read, lazy" I hollered after him "I'm sorry if you don't like it, but no one asked for your input" At which point he decided that right then was the time to air all his issues with me (we haven't gotten along, except for a short period after TB was born, since I was about 10. His biggest issue, apparently, is that I dare not work while I stay home with the kids. The arguement went something "why don't you get a job so you can buy a house and take care of your fucking kids" (yes, this was said in front of said kids) Of all the responses that went through my head (and trust some of them were GOOD, if crazy sarcastic) I chose "why don't you bite me? No one ever asked you for a fucking thing so you can just go to hell" after which I gathered the children (amid protests) and came home.
He is on my "Chevy's" list now, which basically means that if I ever interact with him again, it will be too soon. If he ever says another word to me, things WILL get ugly. I will say every mean, vicious hateful thing I have ever said in my head to him straight to his face and it won't be pretty for anyone.
As a result of this, the kids and I won't be spending time up upstairs when he is home anymore. Because of that, I was forced to clean off our outside stairs since I won't be using the inside ones because they come through their dining room. The outside stairs were so gross. We rarely used them because they are concrete and they are kind of steep so it was just easier to use the inside stairs. Because we weren't using htem, they got all full of bugs and dirt and then I wouldn't use them because they were awful. While I cooked dinner last night, I started cleaning them. I don't really have a phobia of spiders but I don't like them. I was so icked out by the sheer number of spiders that were in the stairs that I just sprayed a boatload of Raid and shut the door. 15 minutes later, I went back and cleaned up all the bodies. Then I swept down all the cobwebs and as much of the dirt as I could. I had RF put in a new lightbulb (since we weren't using it, there was no point in lighting it and attracting still more bugs) and today I scrubbed all the stairs with bleach water and called our landlord about getting a banister on those stairs so they are less dangerous to use.
While I was scrubbing the stairs I made a super discovery. I was looking for a pair of old pants to wear while I cleaned because I didn't want to get bleach on my "good" clothes. I rooted around in my closet and came up with an old pair of jeans in size 34 (I wear men's jeans because woman's don't fit right). I thought "I'll never wear a 34 again so it won't be that big of a deal if I get bleach on them. Besides, they probably won't even zip so I can just pitch them when I'm done" Miracle of miracles, they not only buttoned but zipped as well. They were tight, tight, tight but then as I wore them, they loosened up. By the time I was done, I could not only squat in them but I could bend over as well. 10 pounds and I could wear them fairly comfortably!! This is amazing. I don't think I've worn 34 since before MT was born. I hang on to all my old sizes thinking that one day, I just might be able to wear them. At for those pants, it looks like "one day" has come sooner than I expected!
Many of you know that our house is a duplex that we share with my parents. It is a 2 story and they have the top half and we have the basement. Because of this situation, we have outrageously cheap rent, which was huge factor in allowing me to stay home after I lost my job.
Last night, we were hanging out upstairs. TB was looking for something in the toy room and MT was running a doctor's office in the bedroom with all her stuffed animals. I went into the bedroom and was told "you can't be in the doctor's room so get out" TB just wanted to whine about his inability to find a yo yo so I sat in the dining room and started reading my book. My dad came through and heaved a heavy sigh followed by muttering to the tune of "you do nothing but sit around and read, lazy" I hollered after him "I'm sorry if you don't like it, but no one asked for your input" At which point he decided that right then was the time to air all his issues with me (we haven't gotten along, except for a short period after TB was born, since I was about 10. His biggest issue, apparently, is that I dare not work while I stay home with the kids. The arguement went something "why don't you get a job so you can buy a house and take care of your fucking kids" (yes, this was said in front of said kids) Of all the responses that went through my head (and trust some of them were GOOD, if crazy sarcastic) I chose "why don't you bite me? No one ever asked you for a fucking thing so you can just go to hell" after which I gathered the children (amid protests) and came home.
He is on my "Chevy's" list now, which basically means that if I ever interact with him again, it will be too soon. If he ever says another word to me, things WILL get ugly. I will say every mean, vicious hateful thing I have ever said in my head to him straight to his face and it won't be pretty for anyone.
As a result of this, the kids and I won't be spending time up upstairs when he is home anymore. Because of that, I was forced to clean off our outside stairs since I won't be using the inside ones because they come through their dining room. The outside stairs were so gross. We rarely used them because they are concrete and they are kind of steep so it was just easier to use the inside stairs. Because we weren't using htem, they got all full of bugs and dirt and then I wouldn't use them because they were awful. While I cooked dinner last night, I started cleaning them. I don't really have a phobia of spiders but I don't like them. I was so icked out by the sheer number of spiders that were in the stairs that I just sprayed a boatload of Raid and shut the door. 15 minutes later, I went back and cleaned up all the bodies. Then I swept down all the cobwebs and as much of the dirt as I could. I had RF put in a new lightbulb (since we weren't using it, there was no point in lighting it and attracting still more bugs) and today I scrubbed all the stairs with bleach water and called our landlord about getting a banister on those stairs so they are less dangerous to use.
While I was scrubbing the stairs I made a super discovery. I was looking for a pair of old pants to wear while I cleaned because I didn't want to get bleach on my "good" clothes. I rooted around in my closet and came up with an old pair of jeans in size 34 (I wear men's jeans because woman's don't fit right). I thought "I'll never wear a 34 again so it won't be that big of a deal if I get bleach on them. Besides, they probably won't even zip so I can just pitch them when I'm done" Miracle of miracles, they not only buttoned but zipped as well. They were tight, tight, tight but then as I wore them, they loosened up. By the time I was done, I could not only squat in them but I could bend over as well. 10 pounds and I could wear them fairly comfortably!! This is amazing. I don't think I've worn 34 since before MT was born. I hang on to all my old sizes thinking that one day, I just might be able to wear them. At for those pants, it looks like "one day" has come sooner than I expected!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Thoughts on weight loss
"My fitness goals are different than most peoples.Most people want to lose enough weight so they look good in a bathing suit or they want to lower their cholesterol. I just want to lose enough so my stomach doesn’t jiggle when I brush my teeth."
-Kevin James
This is about the jist of my fitness goals. I'm a fat girl and I'm ok with that. I'm going to gym (although that is going to get reduced when I set about bringing more income into this house), not to lose weight, but to feel better. I don't like being out of breath all the time. But honestly, I don't care if I ever lose a pound.
I do wish there were more clothes for fat girls. If I had any sewing skills at all, I would start a line of fat girl clothing that wasn't ugly and didn't cost a fortune. Really, I know that fat girl clothes require more material but $20-$50 more material. Seems like a racket to me!
If I could sew, I would also create a line of maternity clothes. They would include fat girl, tall girl, petite girl, etc clothes because according to popular thought only women who are 5'6 to 5'8 and a size 8 ever get pregnant. And the big thing that it would have? Pockets in the pants. Just because someone is having a kid, doesn't mean they have less crap to carry. In fact, it might mean they have more.
-Kevin James
This is about the jist of my fitness goals. I'm a fat girl and I'm ok with that. I'm going to gym (although that is going to get reduced when I set about bringing more income into this house), not to lose weight, but to feel better. I don't like being out of breath all the time. But honestly, I don't care if I ever lose a pound.
I do wish there were more clothes for fat girls. If I had any sewing skills at all, I would start a line of fat girl clothing that wasn't ugly and didn't cost a fortune. Really, I know that fat girl clothes require more material but $20-$50 more material. Seems like a racket to me!
If I could sew, I would also create a line of maternity clothes. They would include fat girl, tall girl, petite girl, etc clothes because according to popular thought only women who are 5'6 to 5'8 and a size 8 ever get pregnant. And the big thing that it would have? Pockets in the pants. Just because someone is having a kid, doesn't mean they have less crap to carry. In fact, it might mean they have more.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Friday filler
Rogers asked what voice lived in my head. The voice that lives in my head is a complete OCD perfectionist. It wants labels and time tables and "a place for everything and everything in it's place" That is not how the voice outside my head sees things and since she is a bitch, she wins. However, to try and instill some order to this chaos we live in, I'm working on cleaning my house. Each day, I plan to clean off one flat surface (you may remember the dirty housewife pictures a few months ago) each day and I'm sorting one toybox each. Any toys that are broken are getting tossed. Anything that is missing parts is getting tossed. Anything that is decent, we just have too many of or don't play with or whatever is going to the CARE swap. Looseyfur, keep your eyes open for a big box o' crap to show up at your house one day :)
TB is going to cheer camp. It is being sponsored by one of the high schools and he decided to do it (after first questioning what, exactly, cheerleaders are supposed to do). We signed him up so he will go to the camp on Sunday the 14 and cheer at half of the football game on Friday the 19th.
I started reading The Other Boleyn Girl for book club. I didn't read our last book because it sounded stupid (after listening to the discussion about it, I'm so glad I didn't waste my time, I would have hated it). I thought the same thing about this book but Quigs read it and suggested that I try it because it was pretty good. So far, I have to agree. It is a little dirty and pretty funny at times :)
I have been super impressed with the last couple of meals I've made. I made a meatloaf the other night (Quigs and Loosey, let me know what you think) and I thought it was really good. Then tonight, I made kabobs and the meat was some of the best I've had. I LOVE Old Time Meat and Deli for my meat. There is a new meat store that has opened up closer to me and I keep thinking about trying it but I really like OTMD and can't bring myself to try switching.
I have to go to the farmer's market tomorrow. I don't know what I'm going to get because my mom came home with a huge bag of tomatoes, which is generally what I buy the most of. I do need some green beans (aka crack, which despite assurances otherwise, I like much better than sugar snap peas) and if I take the van, I'll get a watermelon. If I take the scooter, I'll have to pass on it because there is no way to get it home. I'll also probably pass on the corn because I'm tired of it nearly going bad before I can use it. I'll pick that up at the farmer's market over here
TB is losing his teeth. His front bottom ones are are loose. One is super loose ( a few days to a week at the outside before that one is gone) and the other is a little loose. I have been cutting corn off the cob for 2 weeks for him because he can't eat it. But I stupidly didn't think of that and sent him and apple to school for lunch today. I felt a little bad that he couldn't eat it but I did tell him that I will cut them up for him in the future
Speaking of apples, I am ready for the Best Apple Ever. They come out right after TB's birthday and I'm on the waiting list but damn I want them now!
My throat hurts. I think it is allergies but in any case, it is a pain. I'm tired of downing Tylenol all the time.
TB is going to cheer camp. It is being sponsored by one of the high schools and he decided to do it (after first questioning what, exactly, cheerleaders are supposed to do). We signed him up so he will go to the camp on Sunday the 14 and cheer at half of the football game on Friday the 19th.
I started reading The Other Boleyn Girl for book club. I didn't read our last book because it sounded stupid (after listening to the discussion about it, I'm so glad I didn't waste my time, I would have hated it). I thought the same thing about this book but Quigs read it and suggested that I try it because it was pretty good. So far, I have to agree. It is a little dirty and pretty funny at times :)
I have been super impressed with the last couple of meals I've made. I made a meatloaf the other night (Quigs and Loosey, let me know what you think) and I thought it was really good. Then tonight, I made kabobs and the meat was some of the best I've had. I LOVE Old Time Meat and Deli for my meat. There is a new meat store that has opened up closer to me and I keep thinking about trying it but I really like OTMD and can't bring myself to try switching.
I have to go to the farmer's market tomorrow. I don't know what I'm going to get because my mom came home with a huge bag of tomatoes, which is generally what I buy the most of. I do need some green beans (aka crack, which despite assurances otherwise, I like much better than sugar snap peas) and if I take the van, I'll get a watermelon. If I take the scooter, I'll have to pass on it because there is no way to get it home. I'll also probably pass on the corn because I'm tired of it nearly going bad before I can use it. I'll pick that up at the farmer's market over here
TB is losing his teeth. His front bottom ones are are loose. One is super loose ( a few days to a week at the outside before that one is gone) and the other is a little loose. I have been cutting corn off the cob for 2 weeks for him because he can't eat it. But I stupidly didn't think of that and sent him and apple to school for lunch today. I felt a little bad that he couldn't eat it but I did tell him that I will cut them up for him in the future
Speaking of apples, I am ready for the Best Apple Ever. They come out right after TB's birthday and I'm on the waiting list but damn I want them now!
My throat hurts. I think it is allergies but in any case, it is a pain. I'm tired of downing Tylenol all the time.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Preschool
Ms Thang started preschool yesterday. She alternated between being thrilled about going to her "happy school" and upset that I was making her go. We talked and talked about how much fun she would have and how she would get to ride the bike and listen to stories and sing songs and on and on. We pulled in the parking lot and she started to fuss and cry about not wanting to go. I tried to tell her it would be fun but she wasn't interested in hearing it. I finally said "Listen, you are going to preschool. You can go in there crying and upset or you can go in there in happy, ready to have a good time. How do you want it to be?" She promptly smiled and said "I want to have fun"
She was pleased to pose for a few pictures (only a few because when I tried to take one in front of the building, she told me NO WAY)
She was not pleased that Big S decided to share in her pictures though. They got over it and I found them playing together when I got there to pick her up.
The director said she did fine. She had a mild freak out, part way through the time. The teacher just told her that I was coming back soon and distracted her with something else and she was fine. She was happy to see us but has asked to go back again so hopefully that is a good sign for the future.
She was pleased to pose for a few pictures (only a few because when I tried to take one in front of the building, she told me NO WAY)
She was not pleased that Big S decided to share in her pictures though. They got over it and I found them playing together when I got there to pick her up.
The director said she did fine. She had a mild freak out, part way through the time. The teacher just told her that I was coming back soon and distracted her with something else and she was fine. She was happy to see us but has asked to go back again so hopefully that is a good sign for the future.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Dumbass
I was cleaning a pan and I left it on the stove to boil so that the bacon gunk would come out easier. Then I came in the living room, sat down and set about finishing my book (which seriously, I'm sick of books killing off my favorite characters). It took longer than I thought to finish it and by the time I was done, I had forgetten all about the pan. That is, until I smelled a horrible burning smell! I ran into the kitchen and turned it off before it caught fire (it was smoking a little) but now my house reaks and I'm afraid I ruined one of my good pans :(
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