Since Mr. Man and I have our wedding anniversary 2 weeks before Valentine's Day we generally don't do any gifts for each other - BUT this year he surprised me. I woke up this morning and stumbled to the kitchen and saw 2 red glittery bags with pink tissue paper coming out the top. My watery eyes dried up and I rushed to the bags and one had my name and the other had Lady Bug's! When she got up we each opened our gifts. He gave me a book and a movie and the sweetest card ever! He made my day.
He didn't "make my day" because of the gift per say, but more because I have had a stressful last 5 days and have been fighting this bronchitis for over a month and am STILL not better. The gift will help but the fact that he showed how much he cares for me by taking time out of his hectic schedule to get something for me and write me a special card meant a lot to me! It meant he realizes how stressed I have been and how he cares about how that is affecting me.
I got each of the kids a small box of candy and a card. I also made heart-shaped cinnamon rolls for breakfast (which only looked like hearts until I smothered them in frosting, then they just looked like any other cinnamon roll.
On a side note, I did return to the doctor today only to be told I Still have bronchitis and that it may take more time. They gave me another antibiotic to fight off anything that may still be living in there, gave me a Lung Function Test and asked me to come back in 2 more weeks for a follow up. Yippee for me. I just want to stop coughing and stop having my head hurt. grrr.
Showing posts with label Lefty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lefty. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
It's been awhile - let's see if I can figure this out!
I haven't posted here in a LOOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG time. Mostly for lack of anything worth posting about, but I'm here to try it out again! I am being encouraged by several friends and family to start this blog back up. We'll see how this turns out. If I hear you all snoring I know I am boring and need to stop posting here! ;-)
I won't try to do a "catch-you-up" blog post since it has been 5 months since I posted anything! So let's just start with the here and now!
Spirit will be in the District Spelling Bee in February. Both boys were in the school spelling bee a couple weeks ago. Spirit didn't practice as hard as Lefty because he was convinced he would be eliminated right away anyway. Lefty made it down to the last 6-7 kids and Spirit got 2nd place! (Not bad for a kid who thought he'd be eliminated right away!) So now he is pretty determined to study harder. Apparently for the district spelling bee he will be taking a written test and if he scores high enough (not sure what the "high enough" is) then he will go on to the oral part later in the day. We spell as often as we can: while I am cooking dinner, while he is getting dressed, while I am folding laundry...we are taking every opportunity to practice!
Lefty was in a "Math Challenge" in December which was similar to a spelling bee in that the kids were given oral math problems they had to solve. It was a tough thing for him but he faired pretty well! He says he won't do it again - he was a physical mess before the Math Challenge. He was so stressed he was sick to his stomach for weeks and could hardly sleep!
Lady Bug has joined Girl Scouts - just in time to sell cookies. She is enjoying the "girl" company. Being with brothers all day every day can get old! It has been good for her to hang out with girls and be able to talk about girly things! I have to admit though, I hope she doesn't want to stick this out very long because I do not make a good Girl Scout mom.
That is the quick update for now. More to come!
I won't try to do a "catch-you-up" blog post since it has been 5 months since I posted anything! So let's just start with the here and now!
Spirit will be in the District Spelling Bee in February. Both boys were in the school spelling bee a couple weeks ago. Spirit didn't practice as hard as Lefty because he was convinced he would be eliminated right away anyway. Lefty made it down to the last 6-7 kids and Spirit got 2nd place! (Not bad for a kid who thought he'd be eliminated right away!) So now he is pretty determined to study harder. Apparently for the district spelling bee he will be taking a written test and if he scores high enough (not sure what the "high enough" is) then he will go on to the oral part later in the day. We spell as often as we can: while I am cooking dinner, while he is getting dressed, while I am folding laundry...we are taking every opportunity to practice!
Lefty was in a "Math Challenge" in December which was similar to a spelling bee in that the kids were given oral math problems they had to solve. It was a tough thing for him but he faired pretty well! He says he won't do it again - he was a physical mess before the Math Challenge. He was so stressed he was sick to his stomach for weeks and could hardly sleep!
Lady Bug has joined Girl Scouts - just in time to sell cookies. She is enjoying the "girl" company. Being with brothers all day every day can get old! It has been good for her to hang out with girls and be able to talk about girly things! I have to admit though, I hope she doesn't want to stick this out very long because I do not make a good Girl Scout mom.
That is the quick update for now. More to come!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
WOW
This time of year seems like something is happening every day - we have graduations, birthdays, end of school year concerts and events. It is just non-stop!
Last weekend (Mother's Day to be exact) the family all did a 5k! The funds raised go to help homeless shelters! The boys ran with Mr. Man and Lady Bug and I walked it. We had so much fun. It is put on by the local baseball team so you start at the stadium and walk through downtown and end up back at the stadium! It is so much fun!
Since it was Mother's Day after the 5k we went to see a movie, then home to grill steaks for an early dinner/late lunch. Then I took a short nap and then we went to church. After church we had ice cream at Dairy Queen! Perfect Mother's Day!! I had a such a great day and was showered with cards and a new camera! (Lefty told his dad he wanted to buy me popcorn at the movie because he knows how much I like movie popcorn - isn't that sweet?)
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This coming Saturday the boys are running in a race and on Sunday Mr. Man is running a half marathon! Lady Bug and I will not be participating at all in either of these races but will be on the sidelines of both cheering everyone on!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Young Eagles Flight Lessons
On Saturday the boys got to go to a small local airport for a flight lesson. They had the best time E.V.E.R. This was hosted by EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association - the experimental part does not make a mom feel at ease!) The group is called Young Eagles and they are encouraging young kids to get involved in aviation.
The flights were for one child at a time, there were probably 8-10 pilots and their little Cessnas there. They would take one kid up for a 30 minute flight and they let the kids ask questions and once up in the air the kids were actually allowed to take the controls and steer (or whatever it is called when you are flying!) After the flight the pilot signed a certificate of completion and also signed the child's Flight Log Book!
Lefty was a tad bit nervous when he found out that Spirit would not be with him. As we walked towards the plane, the pilot actually invited Mr. Man to sit in the back seat for the flight (not all planes had a back seat). So Mr. Man took a camera up and was able to get some aerial shots from up there. At one point Lefty was climbing, climbing, climbing and the pilot said "So, do you know what it means to stall?" and Lefty said he didn't and the pilot says "Well, you are about to find out unless you bring us down a bit!"
Another story I heard was that they were heading straight for the mountains and the pilot calmly says "Do you see those big things in front of us? Well you might want to do something about that because they are much bigger than we are!"
I heard from Mr. Man that Lefty was not the smoothest pilot and was jerking them around quite a bit. The pilot looked back at Mr. Man and said "Are you ok back there?" and he said yes and the pilot said "good! Because if I was sitting back there I would be hurling!" We had a laugh about that after the flight!
All the pilots were amazing to work with and you could tell they were so excited to share their love of planes with all these eager kids that showed up bright and early on a chilly Saturday morning!
Spirit and his pilot went flying over some major landmarks in the area and really had a great time! Spirit was able to steer and turn the plane from side to side. He is anxious for when he can go again! Spirit didn't have a camera with him, nor did he have a parent with him and that is just the way he wanted it! He had a blast!
Now here are some pictures from Spirit's flight:
This was certainly a day we will never forget!
The flights were for one child at a time, there were probably 8-10 pilots and their little Cessnas there. They would take one kid up for a 30 minute flight and they let the kids ask questions and once up in the air the kids were actually allowed to take the controls and steer (or whatever it is called when you are flying!) After the flight the pilot signed a certificate of completion and also signed the child's Flight Log Book!
Lefty was a tad bit nervous when he found out that Spirit would not be with him. As we walked towards the plane, the pilot actually invited Mr. Man to sit in the back seat for the flight (not all planes had a back seat). So Mr. Man took a camera up and was able to get some aerial shots from up there. At one point Lefty was climbing, climbing, climbing and the pilot said "So, do you know what it means to stall?" and Lefty said he didn't and the pilot says "Well, you are about to find out unless you bring us down a bit!"
Another story I heard was that they were heading straight for the mountains and the pilot calmly says "Do you see those big things in front of us? Well you might want to do something about that because they are much bigger than we are!"
I heard from Mr. Man that Lefty was not the smoothest pilot and was jerking them around quite a bit. The pilot looked back at Mr. Man and said "Are you ok back there?" and he said yes and the pilot said "good! Because if I was sitting back there I would be hurling!" We had a laugh about that after the flight!
All the pilots were amazing to work with and you could tell they were so excited to share their love of planes with all these eager kids that showed up bright and early on a chilly Saturday morning!
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| Lefty and Mr. Man getting buckled in the plane before take off |
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| Mr. Man excited as could be to be taking a flight - he was more excited at this point than I think Lefty was! |
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| Lefty and Mr. Man heading to the runway for take off |
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Lefty getting ready to fly!  |
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| Arial view from Lefty's plane |
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| Lefty taking the controls! |
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| Lefty and his pilot, Jerry after the flight |
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| Another arial view |
Now here are some pictures from Spirit's flight:
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In the cockpit  |
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| Mr. Man shaking Spirit's pilot's hand after the flight. | <><><><>
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| The pilot, Bob, signing Spirit's Flight Log Book |
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Why is it so hard?
When you bring home that newborn baby does anyone ever realize how mush harder it will be when they start school? I mean really?
We had parent teacher conferences this week and Lady Bug's was first.... nothing of real concern other than her chatting too much (but even that is improving).
Next we had Lefty's... nothing of real concern here either. He is doing really well and was very serious the first part of the school year but the teacher says she has recently started seeing him "let loose" a little and not be so serious.
Then it was off to Spirit's conference... well, not sure where to start. We have noticed over the last few months that his confidence is going in the toilet which is reflective of his grades now. His grades have taken a serious dip since September and aren't showing any signs of improving at this point. How can a kid who is in the 4th grade but reads at a 9th grade level have self-confidence issues? How can a kid who is in an advanced math class have self confidence issues? Is it because he is too hard on himself? possibly. I just don't know where to go. The teachers tell me that he isn't giving it effort, if he doesn't "get it" immediately then he just shuts down. I complained to the teachers, being careful not to give Spirit any excuses, that he is only in 4th grade and having him leave the classroom throughout the day for different classes doesn't appear to be working. What they do is group each of the 4th graders, regardless of your homeroom class, into a group based on the skill level. So Spirit is in the group of 4th graders that are in advanced math, and also an advanced reading group, then of course he leaves homeroom for science, music, p.e., and art as well. BUT, the catchy thing here is that he will leave homeroom for the advanced math but return to his homeroom for the last 15 minutes and is expected to the homeroom math as well. Same goes for Reading/Literacy. Which means, he gets an assignment from the group AND homeroom. Not so much for literacy assignments, but I notice with the math that he misses the instruction time on it and has to figure it out on his own (which most times he can, others he struggles). The teachers recognize this an issue, not just for Spirit but other kids as well. BUT, is that the reason his self confidence and the lack of motivation in school and the dips in grades? He got a D in science. He loves science! I am at a loss and want to cry for him. On the way out of the school he looked at his dad with tears in his eyes and said "I will do better from now on. I promise."
Parenting is so hard! I wouldn't trade it for the world, but man oh man is it painfully hard at times!
We had parent teacher conferences this week and Lady Bug's was first.... nothing of real concern other than her chatting too much (but even that is improving).
Next we had Lefty's... nothing of real concern here either. He is doing really well and was very serious the first part of the school year but the teacher says she has recently started seeing him "let loose" a little and not be so serious.
Then it was off to Spirit's conference... well, not sure where to start. We have noticed over the last few months that his confidence is going in the toilet which is reflective of his grades now. His grades have taken a serious dip since September and aren't showing any signs of improving at this point. How can a kid who is in the 4th grade but reads at a 9th grade level have self-confidence issues? How can a kid who is in an advanced math class have self confidence issues? Is it because he is too hard on himself? possibly. I just don't know where to go. The teachers tell me that he isn't giving it effort, if he doesn't "get it" immediately then he just shuts down. I complained to the teachers, being careful not to give Spirit any excuses, that he is only in 4th grade and having him leave the classroom throughout the day for different classes doesn't appear to be working. What they do is group each of the 4th graders, regardless of your homeroom class, into a group based on the skill level. So Spirit is in the group of 4th graders that are in advanced math, and also an advanced reading group, then of course he leaves homeroom for science, music, p.e., and art as well. BUT, the catchy thing here is that he will leave homeroom for the advanced math but return to his homeroom for the last 15 minutes and is expected to the homeroom math as well. Same goes for Reading/Literacy. Which means, he gets an assignment from the group AND homeroom. Not so much for literacy assignments, but I notice with the math that he misses the instruction time on it and has to figure it out on his own (which most times he can, others he struggles). The teachers recognize this an issue, not just for Spirit but other kids as well. BUT, is that the reason his self confidence and the lack of motivation in school and the dips in grades? He got a D in science. He loves science! I am at a loss and want to cry for him. On the way out of the school he looked at his dad with tears in his eyes and said "I will do better from now on. I promise."
Parenting is so hard! I wouldn't trade it for the world, but man oh man is it painfully hard at times!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day
Each kid got a card from me and Mr. Man. Plus, my mom had sent them each a little activity book and stickers so I had all that on the table waiting for them! They were so cute when they each got up - one by one - going into the kitchen and finding their surprises. No heart-shaped pancakes, but they didn't seem to mind!
I also packed a chocolate covered heart-shaped marshmallow in their lunch as a surprise!
The kids are, of course, having parties at school today. Spirit's class decided to do a morning party and asked the families to contribute a breakfast item so we sent in bagels. Lefty's class is having a party right before the end of school and the teacher purchased everything and asked each kid to contribute $1. Lady Bug's class is having a party after lunch with the cookies and cupcakes, etc. We sent in cookies for that (you know those really yummy thick sugar cookies with frosting! mmm mmm mmm)
For dinner we are doing all red foods (well not ALL red...) We are having parmesan chicken with a side of pasta and marinara sauce, a salad topped with tomatoes, Cran-Raspberry juice to drink and a pink frosted cookie!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Snowy days
We have been having several snow storms lately along with below freezing temps. This past Saturday we had a pretty heavy storm that dumped enough snow for the kids and Mr. Man to build a snowman. I think he turned out pretty cute! Our neighbors got in on the action and they ended up having a contest with each other. It was a lot of fun! We had another neighbor come out and judge - she wouldn't declare one winner, she said they were both SO cute!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
UPDATE**
Lefty's award was for "Exceptional Attitude".....
I am proud of him, he is a good boy and has great character. He can be my difficult one at home though and sometimes I wonder if the teachers get all of his good stuff! I know this isn't true, but there are times I have to wonder.
I am proud of him, he is a good boy and has great character. He can be my difficult one at home though and sometimes I wonder if the teachers get all of his good stuff! I know this isn't true, but there are times I have to wonder.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Phew...
I picked up the kids from school Friday and both boys immediately hand me notes from the teacher. I read Lefty's first and his says that he is getting an award on Tuesday (it doesn't say what the award is for) and Spirit's says he has been argumentative, refusing to do assignments and back talking.
This is where I say parenting stinks. How can be so excited for one and so irritated at the other. *sigh*
So, I say nothing about either note and shove them in my purse. When Mr. Man gets home from work I show him both notes. He had the same reaction I did.
Lefty is slightly concerned about his note and keeps asking what it was about. We finally tell him he is getting an award on Tuesday and we talk to him about how proud we are of him.
Just before bed on Friday we have a little talk with Spirit about the note and he says "I have no idea what she is talking about." Mr. Man and I, in unison, say "I do! You've been like that at home all week!" He hangs his head. Mr. Man says he isn't quite prepared to hand out a punishment (which we will later discover may have been the best idea!) and lets Spirit know that he better have a perfect attitude all day Saturday. Mr. Man had to work and I was having a baking day with some friends so Spirit was informed there better not be ANY issues Saturday. There wasn't. He was an angel. If I said I needed his help, there was no eye-rolling, no stomping, no attitude. If he asked for something and I said "no." he let it go at no. It was a very pleasant day.
Sunday was a busy day and we were gone all.day.long. But, again, the attitude was excellent with Spirit. But, we had to address the letter. So Sunday night we sat him down. Mr. Man asked him to just tell us exactly what was going on, being completely honest with us no matter what the answer. Spirit said off the bat "well, I was bad. I didn't think I was as bad as she said though. I was having a bad week and I think she was stressed out." **I need to insert here that the teacher, Ms. L, is a student teacher. This year there is the regular teacher, Mr. S, and TWO student teachers. Last week Mr. S was substituting in another class and the other student teacher was out sick so that left Ms. L alone so chances are she was a tad bit stressed.** So as we talked more with Spirit about why his week was bad and what we do going forward it was all a very good conversation. Letting it rest over the weekend was a good idea, he got to spend time reflecting on it and we got time to calm down a bit. We talked to him for probably 30-45 minutes and he really opened up about stuff that has been bothering him and we had no idea. We were able to help him work through some of it (or at least I think we were).
I made Spirit write Ms. L an apology letter and I wrote her a letter as well. I didn't tell Spirit what to write, but I read his letter before he left for school. He only wrote 3 lines, but it said "I am sorry for being bad last week. I will try hard to be good today. I'm sorry for being rude." I thought that was all pretty good and I was satisfied with it. I am anxious to see how today goes.
Other than all that we had a great weekend and my baking day was successful!
This is where I say parenting stinks. How can be so excited for one and so irritated at the other. *sigh*
So, I say nothing about either note and shove them in my purse. When Mr. Man gets home from work I show him both notes. He had the same reaction I did.
Lefty is slightly concerned about his note and keeps asking what it was about. We finally tell him he is getting an award on Tuesday and we talk to him about how proud we are of him.
Just before bed on Friday we have a little talk with Spirit about the note and he says "I have no idea what she is talking about." Mr. Man and I, in unison, say "I do! You've been like that at home all week!" He hangs his head. Mr. Man says he isn't quite prepared to hand out a punishment (which we will later discover may have been the best idea!) and lets Spirit know that he better have a perfect attitude all day Saturday. Mr. Man had to work and I was having a baking day with some friends so Spirit was informed there better not be ANY issues Saturday. There wasn't. He was an angel. If I said I needed his help, there was no eye-rolling, no stomping, no attitude. If he asked for something and I said "no." he let it go at no. It was a very pleasant day.
Sunday was a busy day and we were gone all.day.long. But, again, the attitude was excellent with Spirit. But, we had to address the letter. So Sunday night we sat him down. Mr. Man asked him to just tell us exactly what was going on, being completely honest with us no matter what the answer. Spirit said off the bat "well, I was bad. I didn't think I was as bad as she said though. I was having a bad week and I think she was stressed out." **I need to insert here that the teacher, Ms. L, is a student teacher. This year there is the regular teacher, Mr. S, and TWO student teachers. Last week Mr. S was substituting in another class and the other student teacher was out sick so that left Ms. L alone so chances are she was a tad bit stressed.** So as we talked more with Spirit about why his week was bad and what we do going forward it was all a very good conversation. Letting it rest over the weekend was a good idea, he got to spend time reflecting on it and we got time to calm down a bit. We talked to him for probably 30-45 minutes and he really opened up about stuff that has been bothering him and we had no idea. We were able to help him work through some of it (or at least I think we were).
I made Spirit write Ms. L an apology letter and I wrote her a letter as well. I didn't tell Spirit what to write, but I read his letter before he left for school. He only wrote 3 lines, but it said "I am sorry for being bad last week. I will try hard to be good today. I'm sorry for being rude." I thought that was all pretty good and I was satisfied with it. I am anxious to see how today goes.
Other than all that we had a great weekend and my baking day was successful!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Our long weekend - recapped
The kids were out of school last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I only worked a half day on Wednesday and my generous boss let me off Thursday (naturally) and Friday too! Mr. Man had to work all day Wednesday and Friday as well.
We hosted Thanksgiving at our house, having some of my in-laws over - with my family included we had 14 people! It was a nice time with lots of amazing food!
I ended up not feeling well Thursday night and chalked it up to having had to get up early that day to start cooking, but turns out I was getting a cold! Booooooooo. I slept a lot on Friday and was officially back in bed by 7:30 pm. I felt much better Saturday! We put up Christmas decorations on Saturday and got all the Thanksgiving stuff packed away. Why is that you always find one last piece AFTER you put everything back in storage. As we were hauling out Christmas stuff I found a Thanksgiving centerpiece that had gotten pushed aside somehow!
Sunday was a colder one and so the kids and I hunkered in the house while Mr. Man braved the cold to go to a football game.
My boys have asked if they can cook during the week. They asked if they could work together and cook dinner and dessert three times per week. I am afraid they will quickly lose interest at 3 days per week so I have encouraged them to start out with one day per week and then we can add days as they get more comfortable in the kitchen (don't you like the way I said that? What I really mean is I don't want to eat spaghetti or mac-n-cheese 3 times per week!) Friday, when I was sick, they cooked spaghetti (with supervision of course) and then Lefty created a dessert (that I will admit I was scared of, but it tasted great!). Then I heard them discussing this week's menu - chicken with crushed graham crackers (barf!) so we have encouraged them to do something different! They will be making tuna noodle casserole instead. Although I look forward to a night off from cooking, I do know it will come with lots of faith and lots of water to flush it down with!
We hosted Thanksgiving at our house, having some of my in-laws over - with my family included we had 14 people! It was a nice time with lots of amazing food!
I ended up not feeling well Thursday night and chalked it up to having had to get up early that day to start cooking, but turns out I was getting a cold! Booooooooo. I slept a lot on Friday and was officially back in bed by 7:30 pm. I felt much better Saturday! We put up Christmas decorations on Saturday and got all the Thanksgiving stuff packed away. Why is that you always find one last piece AFTER you put everything back in storage. As we were hauling out Christmas stuff I found a Thanksgiving centerpiece that had gotten pushed aside somehow!
Sunday was a colder one and so the kids and I hunkered in the house while Mr. Man braved the cold to go to a football game.
My boys have asked if they can cook during the week. They asked if they could work together and cook dinner and dessert three times per week. I am afraid they will quickly lose interest at 3 days per week so I have encouraged them to start out with one day per week and then we can add days as they get more comfortable in the kitchen (don't you like the way I said that? What I really mean is I don't want to eat spaghetti or mac-n-cheese 3 times per week!) Friday, when I was sick, they cooked spaghetti (with supervision of course) and then Lefty created a dessert (that I will admit I was scared of, but it tasted great!). Then I heard them discussing this week's menu - chicken with crushed graham crackers (barf!) so we have encouraged them to do something different! They will be making tuna noodle casserole instead. Although I look forward to a night off from cooking, I do know it will come with lots of faith and lots of water to flush it down with!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Conferences
We had parent teacher conferences for the kids last week.
First we went to Lady Bug's. She is doing well, she is one of two top readers in her class. The teacher tells us she has no problems with her and spends time just trying to keep her challenged.
Then we went to Lefty's. He loves to write and she had him read his "Small Moment in Time" story where they were to write about a small moment that meant a lot to them. Lefty wrote a page and a half about buying our new car. She commented on how he had remembered a lot of details - she joked the only detail he left out was what our interest rate was! Not really a "small moment" but he really did have a lot of details and it was well written. He is excelling in all areas. The school does a thing where they group kids by ability and each teacher takes a group. So Lefty is only in his "homeroom" class for a short bit each day. I think the grouping thing is good because then each kid is able to work at their level, whether that be high, low or average.
Then it was off to Spirit's. Spirit's teacher had him conduct the conference, calling it "Student-Led Conferences". I am not sure the purpose of this, but it seemed to work ok. So Spirit had a file of papers and gave us a report of things he is learning and showed us some of his favorite papers. Then we asked the teacher to join us so we could ask a few things. I have been concerned with Spirit because he is extra hard on himself. If he doesn't get a 100%, but gets a 99% then he gets depressed and down on himself. So the teacher talked with him about that and we are hoping to improve his self confidence somehow.
First we went to Lady Bug's. She is doing well, she is one of two top readers in her class. The teacher tells us she has no problems with her and spends time just trying to keep her challenged.
Then we went to Lefty's. He loves to write and she had him read his "Small Moment in Time" story where they were to write about a small moment that meant a lot to them. Lefty wrote a page and a half about buying our new car. She commented on how he had remembered a lot of details - she joked the only detail he left out was what our interest rate was! Not really a "small moment" but he really did have a lot of details and it was well written. He is excelling in all areas. The school does a thing where they group kids by ability and each teacher takes a group. So Lefty is only in his "homeroom" class for a short bit each day. I think the grouping thing is good because then each kid is able to work at their level, whether that be high, low or average.
Then it was off to Spirit's. Spirit's teacher had him conduct the conference, calling it "Student-Led Conferences". I am not sure the purpose of this, but it seemed to work ok. So Spirit had a file of papers and gave us a report of things he is learning and showed us some of his favorite papers. Then we asked the teacher to join us so we could ask a few things. I have been concerned with Spirit because he is extra hard on himself. If he doesn't get a 100%, but gets a 99% then he gets depressed and down on himself. So the teacher talked with him about that and we are hoping to improve his self confidence somehow.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Fall break recap
Al though the kids and Mr. Man had last week off from work and school, I did not. Every morning while they slowly rolled out of bed and casually ate breakfast, I was busy getting ready for work, eating breakfast and making my lunch.
They had a busy, eventful, but overall wonderful week! Thankfully I was able to take part in some of it too!
Monday - some cousins and grandma & grandpa came over to help make a million more pints of applesauce. We freeze it and so with what we made earlier in the year and this batch we will have enough to last us until next summer! I love homemade applesauce!
Tuesday - we went to the football stadium for some trick or treating. It was FREEZING cold and the kids were less than thrilled to stop and take pictures, but they did their best to smile through the shivers.
Wednesday - after I got off work we picked up the new dog.
Thursday - the kids went with Mr. Man car shopping and almost bought me a new car, but there was a slight problem with it so it had to go to the shop!
Friday - got called from the dealer car was done in shop so Mr. Man and kids went back to the dealership and bought a car! We now are selling our van (which hasn't been running well for several months) and I am the proud owner of a new-to-me car!
Saturday - went to an Air Force Academy vs Utah football game!
Sunday - trick or treating. Spirit went as a football player, Lefty was a cop and Lady Bug was a cowgirl. I didn't get a good picture of Spirit alone, but he was the same thing he was when we went to the football stadium.
They had a busy, eventful, but overall wonderful week! Thankfully I was able to take part in some of it too!
Monday - some cousins and grandma & grandpa came over to help make a million more pints of applesauce. We freeze it and so with what we made earlier in the year and this batch we will have enough to last us until next summer! I love homemade applesauce!
Tuesday - we went to the football stadium for some trick or treating. It was FREEZING cold and the kids were less than thrilled to stop and take pictures, but they did their best to smile through the shivers.
Wednesday - after I got off work we picked up the new dog.
Thursday - the kids went with Mr. Man car shopping and almost bought me a new car, but there was a slight problem with it so it had to go to the shop!
Friday - got called from the dealer car was done in shop so Mr. Man and kids went back to the dealership and bought a car! We now are selling our van (which hasn't been running well for several months) and I am the proud owner of a new-to-me car!
Saturday - went to an Air Force Academy vs Utah football game!
Sunday - trick or treating. Spirit went as a football player, Lefty was a cop and Lady Bug was a cowgirl. I didn't get a good picture of Spirit alone, but he was the same thing he was when we went to the football stadium.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Crazy Hair Day
The kids had crazy hair day at school. Both the boys have buzz hair cuts so it is hard to do anything crazy with it other than to color it! So that is what we did!
Lady Bug colored hers plus she wore a headband that has some green "hair". Spirit colored his black and then also wore a pom-pom in a hat and Lefty just colored his red.
Sorry the pictures are so small. I took them with a camera phone and if I make them any bigger they get fuzzy.
Lady Bug colored hers plus she wore a headband that has some green "hair". Spirit colored his black and then also wore a pom-pom in a hat and Lefty just colored his red.
Sorry the pictures are so small. I took them with a camera phone and if I make them any bigger they get fuzzy.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
a few updates
1. I have lost 20 pounds but now seem to have plateaued and can't get the number to go down. I am not giving up yet.When I started this journey my goal was to lose 25 by Thanksgiving. That gave 4 months to do that. Thanksgiving is still a ways off and I only have that 5 pounds left to reach that goal. The 2nd part of the challenge to myself was to start back up in January and try to get to another goal weight by summer.
2. Spirit was tested in school to see his reading level. We already knew he was above the district average in math and reading but they wanted to see exactly where his reading level is - 9th grade reading level! I am so proud of him. Both he and Lefty read books all weekend {it was a dreary, rainy weekend... perfect for snuggling under a blanket and reading}.
3. This Friday, October 15th, is National Pregnancy, Infant Loss Remembrance Day and Mr. Man and I are on a volunteer team to coordinate a candle light service. This is the first one hosted here in our hometown (there are several all over the world) so we aren't sure how it will turn out! If you know some one or have experienced a miscarriage or stillborn or infant loss please light a candle for one hour at 7:00 pm on October 15. They say if everyone does this there will be a constant wave of light around the world in honor of the babies taken from us too soon.
4. Lady Bug and I have battled every day for over a week about her wardrobe. I am ALL ABOUT letting kids pick out the clothes for themselves, whether they match or look good or not. BUT I draw the line when it is 47 degrees outside and she wants to wear shorts, a t-shirt and flip-flops. So she cries, I yell and eventually I win! Today, was a much more peaceful day. We discussed the clothes last night. I told her to lay out her outfit and I would come take a look. She had a pair of shorts laying there but just as I was walking in she told me "I think it will be too cold for shorts so I decided to get some pants." She chose some capris, but that is fine with me. We woke up to wind and rain and extremely chilly. She left wearing the capris, a t-shirt with a sweatshirt over top and socks and tennis shoes. Then she added a coat and gloves before we walked out the door. Phew. No tears from either one of us today! Victory!!
2. Spirit was tested in school to see his reading level. We already knew he was above the district average in math and reading but they wanted to see exactly where his reading level is - 9th grade reading level! I am so proud of him. Both he and Lefty read books all weekend {it was a dreary, rainy weekend... perfect for snuggling under a blanket and reading}.
3. This Friday, October 15th, is National Pregnancy, Infant Loss Remembrance Day and Mr. Man and I are on a volunteer team to coordinate a candle light service. This is the first one hosted here in our hometown (there are several all over the world) so we aren't sure how it will turn out! If you know some one or have experienced a miscarriage or stillborn or infant loss please light a candle for one hour at 7:00 pm on October 15. They say if everyone does this there will be a constant wave of light around the world in honor of the babies taken from us too soon.
4. Lady Bug and I have battled every day for over a week about her wardrobe. I am ALL ABOUT letting kids pick out the clothes for themselves, whether they match or look good or not. BUT I draw the line when it is 47 degrees outside and she wants to wear shorts, a t-shirt and flip-flops. So she cries, I yell and eventually I win! Today, was a much more peaceful day. We discussed the clothes last night. I told her to lay out her outfit and I would come take a look. She had a pair of shorts laying there but just as I was walking in she told me "I think it will be too cold for shorts so I decided to get some pants." She chose some capris, but that is fine with me. We woke up to wind and rain and extremely chilly. She left wearing the capris, a t-shirt with a sweatshirt over top and socks and tennis shoes. Then she added a coat and gloves before we walked out the door. Phew. No tears from either one of us today! Victory!!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Back To School
Well, summer is over (it went by just a tad bit too fast if you ask me!) and the kids head back to school today - well, the boys do and Lady Bug starts on Wednesday.
The school hours changed this year so instead of starting at 8:00 and going until 2:30, they will start at 8:45 and go until 3:15. The boys are excited that they get to sleep in a little this year and I am excited that they get out a little later. 2:30 seems to come so quickly after 8:00! :-)
Spirit is going into FOURTH grade....eek - where did all the time go? Didn't he just start kindergarten? Wow. Lefty is starting THIRD grade - I will say it again, time moves way too quickly! Then there is Lady Bug, who is excited and a tad scared all at the same time to be starting kindergarten!
We had back to school night on Friday and got to meet the teachers and see the classrooms. It was neat to have a little one-on-one with each teacher and see where the kids will sit, etc.
In 1st grade Lefty had a best bud, but they got separated in 2nd grade and we discovered that they are in the same class again this year so Lefty is very excited about that!
Here's hoping for another GREAT school year!
P.S. - I will probably be shedding a lot of tears on Wednesday as my baby starts kindergarten - I am trying not to think of that right now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Other News:
My boss has an interview today for ONE of the judge positions he applied for (he applied for 3 total). So I may or may not know more about my job in the next couple of weeks -- I will keep you posted.
The school hours changed this year so instead of starting at 8:00 and going until 2:30, they will start at 8:45 and go until 3:15. The boys are excited that they get to sleep in a little this year and I am excited that they get out a little later. 2:30 seems to come so quickly after 8:00! :-)
Spirit is going into FOURTH grade....eek - where did all the time go? Didn't he just start kindergarten? Wow. Lefty is starting THIRD grade - I will say it again, time moves way too quickly! Then there is Lady Bug, who is excited and a tad scared all at the same time to be starting kindergarten!
We had back to school night on Friday and got to meet the teachers and see the classrooms. It was neat to have a little one-on-one with each teacher and see where the kids will sit, etc.
In 1st grade Lefty had a best bud, but they got separated in 2nd grade and we discovered that they are in the same class again this year so Lefty is very excited about that!
Here's hoping for another GREAT school year!
P.S. - I will probably be shedding a lot of tears on Wednesday as my baby starts kindergarten - I am trying not to think of that right now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Other News:
My boss has an interview today for ONE of the judge positions he applied for (he applied for 3 total). So I may or may not know more about my job in the next couple of weeks -- I will keep you posted.
Monday, July 12, 2010
What's the haps?
I haven't had much to post about lately so today I thought maybe I would just give a short run down on each us:
Mr. Man - after having a week off from work and spending it at home with the kids, he has now worked 8 days straight. He will have a day off tomorrow, work on Wednesday and Thursday and then off again on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Spirit - is 9. He thinks he knows it all and he is sassy. But then he can also turn around and be the sweetest kid ever. The roller coaster is really annoying me. He has decided he ONLY wants to wear basketball shorts and t-shirts every day so over the weekend I made him help me sort through the 20 pairs of shorts he has and pick out the ones he wanted to keep. I also insisted he keep a few pairs of jeans shorts for the times I want him looking a little nicer. Even with all that and even though he fights a lot with his siblings, he told me last night that one of the neighbor boys was being mean to Lefty and he told the kid if he couldn't be nice then he should go home. I was pretty proud of him for protecting his brother like that!
Lefty - is 8. He is struggling with trying to be "cool" like the older boys in our neighborhood, but yet he still enjoys playing things that aren't "cool". I watch him try and try to fit in with the older boys and then he gives up and will find Lady Bug to play with. She enjoys playing school with him, he pretends to be the teacher and helps her with worksheets (so she can earn computer time). The other day Spirit was with a friend and so Lady Bug and Lefty and I were driving to run errands and she got upset by something. He looked at her with concern and asked what was wrong. I didn't hear her response to him, but he said "Well, don't worry about that. You're my best friend." That melted my heart! I am preparing for him to turn 9 next year and act like his brother is now (Lord help us all if he does!)
Lady Bug - is 5. She is preparing to go to Kindergarten in August. She is very excited about it all! This weekend we were out shopping and she asked me if she could get her "first day of school outfit". I encouraged her to wait just a little bit. She is growing like a weed right now and I don't want to get her an outfit that won't fit in August. She has been a little whiny and sensitive lately, if she doesn't get her way we all hear about it! Her preschool teachers had been working with the kids in reading preparations. Lady Bug and I were reading a few books last night and she can read some words, I was very impressed! She will be a good reader like her brothers!
Me - Been working and working. I was doing some contract work a few weeks ago which meant I was gone from the house a lot, but it was a short job and I earned some extra cash which was nice! I will be taking a week off in August just before school starts. We don't have any child care coverage for August so Mr. Man will take the first week off, a friend of mine will watch them the second week and then I will take that third week off. I plan to use the time to prepare the kids for school, we'll start adjusting the bedtime to a more reasonable hour and I am planning a Back-to-School party for that weekend. I told a couple neighbors that they could come too if they wanted to. I have a birthday coming up this weekend... WOO HOO (or not!)
Mr. Man - after having a week off from work and spending it at home with the kids, he has now worked 8 days straight. He will have a day off tomorrow, work on Wednesday and Thursday and then off again on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Spirit - is 9. He thinks he knows it all and he is sassy. But then he can also turn around and be the sweetest kid ever. The roller coaster is really annoying me. He has decided he ONLY wants to wear basketball shorts and t-shirts every day so over the weekend I made him help me sort through the 20 pairs of shorts he has and pick out the ones he wanted to keep. I also insisted he keep a few pairs of jeans shorts for the times I want him looking a little nicer. Even with all that and even though he fights a lot with his siblings, he told me last night that one of the neighbor boys was being mean to Lefty and he told the kid if he couldn't be nice then he should go home. I was pretty proud of him for protecting his brother like that!
Lefty - is 8. He is struggling with trying to be "cool" like the older boys in our neighborhood, but yet he still enjoys playing things that aren't "cool". I watch him try and try to fit in with the older boys and then he gives up and will find Lady Bug to play with. She enjoys playing school with him, he pretends to be the teacher and helps her with worksheets (so she can earn computer time). The other day Spirit was with a friend and so Lady Bug and Lefty and I were driving to run errands and she got upset by something. He looked at her with concern and asked what was wrong. I didn't hear her response to him, but he said "Well, don't worry about that. You're my best friend." That melted my heart! I am preparing for him to turn 9 next year and act like his brother is now (Lord help us all if he does!)
Lady Bug - is 5. She is preparing to go to Kindergarten in August. She is very excited about it all! This weekend we were out shopping and she asked me if she could get her "first day of school outfit". I encouraged her to wait just a little bit. She is growing like a weed right now and I don't want to get her an outfit that won't fit in August. She has been a little whiny and sensitive lately, if she doesn't get her way we all hear about it! Her preschool teachers had been working with the kids in reading preparations. Lady Bug and I were reading a few books last night and she can read some words, I was very impressed! She will be a good reader like her brothers!
Me - Been working and working. I was doing some contract work a few weeks ago which meant I was gone from the house a lot, but it was a short job and I earned some extra cash which was nice! I will be taking a week off in August just before school starts. We don't have any child care coverage for August so Mr. Man will take the first week off, a friend of mine will watch them the second week and then I will take that third week off. I plan to use the time to prepare the kids for school, we'll start adjusting the bedtime to a more reasonable hour and I am planning a Back-to-School party for that weekend. I told a couple neighbors that they could come too if they wanted to. I have a birthday coming up this weekend... WOO HOO (or not!)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Field Day
I worked field day today for Lefty ... would love to post pictures but today was Spirit's field trip to downtown and he wanted to take the camera and being the good mom that I am I let him take it over me! I am also volunteering at field day tomorrow which will be for Spirit's age group and maybe I can get some pictures then.
It was fun today. Lady Bug went with me and helped me hand things to the kids. We worked the Peacock Feather Balance. It was a timed thing. They had to balance the peacock feather on their finger and we timed them. Lady Bug handed out the feathers to the kids, then lil' miss priss also took it upon herself to instruct the kids (who are all older than her) how to balance it on their finger and "be sure to watch the eye of the feather so it will balance better". She had me in stitiches all morning! At one point I even heard her say to one of the 2nd grade boys "Wait until the teacher says 'go' so that we can time you, ok buddy?" -- Buddy? really? hee hee
It was fun today. Lady Bug went with me and helped me hand things to the kids. We worked the Peacock Feather Balance. It was a timed thing. They had to balance the peacock feather on their finger and we timed them. Lady Bug handed out the feathers to the kids, then lil' miss priss also took it upon herself to instruct the kids (who are all older than her) how to balance it on their finger and "be sure to watch the eye of the feather so it will balance better". She had me in stitiches all morning! At one point I even heard her say to one of the 2nd grade boys "Wait until the teacher says 'go' so that we can time you, ok buddy?" -- Buddy? really? hee hee
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
"Mom's gonna kill me!"
Those are the words I heard as I was trying to warm up in a warm bath when I sick over the weekend.
There I was, relaxing and trying to warm up from the fever making me shiver when voices from Spirit's room came flooding in. I could hear Lefty start to cry, then Spirit said "Oh, no. Are you ok? I am SO sorry. Please tell me you're ok. Let me see."
Then Lefty kept crying and Spirit was pleading with him to be ok. Then I heard the dreadful words:
"oh. no. Mom is gonna KILL me."
I feared the worse... blood, guts maybe, who knew, but I just figured it was really bad. I got out of the tub, got myself dried off and dressed in my warmest jammies and headed down to find the boys.
Lefty was still laying on the floor and was sobbing a little. Apparently, Spirit had gotten upset with Lefty and tackled him, the injury was merely a "re-injury" so-to-speak. Lefty had fallen off a swing at school the day before and had a goose egg on the side of his head and when he got tackled he bumped that goose egg on the side of Spirit's bed.
So, mom didn't need to "kill" anyone! Lucky for Spirit!
There I was, relaxing and trying to warm up from the fever making me shiver when voices from Spirit's room came flooding in. I could hear Lefty start to cry, then Spirit said "Oh, no. Are you ok? I am SO sorry. Please tell me you're ok. Let me see."
Then Lefty kept crying and Spirit was pleading with him to be ok. Then I heard the dreadful words:
"oh. no. Mom is gonna KILL me."
I feared the worse... blood, guts maybe, who knew, but I just figured it was really bad. I got out of the tub, got myself dried off and dressed in my warmest jammies and headed down to find the boys.
Lefty was still laying on the floor and was sobbing a little. Apparently, Spirit had gotten upset with Lefty and tackled him, the injury was merely a "re-injury" so-to-speak. Lefty had fallen off a swing at school the day before and had a goose egg on the side of his head and when he got tackled he bumped that goose egg on the side of Spirit's bed.
So, mom didn't need to "kill" anyone! Lucky for Spirit!
Here they are watching a movie together shortly after the "incident".
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Pink slips and undecorated folders *shutter*
We have a lot going on in our house right now. Most of it concerning Lefty and his school work. Every night the kids all sit at the table in the kitchen nook area and do homework. I make dinner and Mr. Man is available to help the kids. Neither one of us hover over the kids to be sure they are doing each item and doing it correctly, but we do glance at things and are definitely there to help. In my opinion, it is the kids responsibility to do what the teacher has assigned them, I tell them that I am not the one in class and therefore do not have any clue what the assignments are. Spirit's teacher sends home a weekly syllabus type thing so I can look at that and be sure he has completed what is expected each night. Lefty's teacher does not, so we must rely on Lefty to know what his assignments are.
Every night he sits at the table and puts a pencil to paper. Every night before bed I ask if he has any papers I need to sign (he is supposed to read 30 minutes each night and have an adult initial a reading log -- since he goes to the after-school program he usually reads there and has one of the adult helpers sign his form) and every night he tells me "No, mom."
Only the Lord knows what he has been doing at the table each night, because clearly his parents have NO idea... let me explain:
Monday he handed Mr. Man a note. A pink note labeled "NOTICE OF MISSING ASSIGNMENTS". The teacher had handwritten a lengthy note about how Lefty isn't doing his assignments and he was unable to complete a class assignment that day due to the fact that he hadn't completed something from the week before and instructed us to ask him what had happened.
We had a long talk with Lefty and he explained that the reason he couldn't complete the class assignment was because on a class assignment from the week before she didn't like the way he wrote his "e's" so she made him sit and write "e's" for 20 minutes.
Her note also told us that one homework assignment from last week was to decorate his homework folder and again, she told us to ask him why that was important. When we asked him, he said "Well, she wants us to decorate it so we know which folder is ours, but my name is written on it so I already KNOW which folder is mine."
I don't see why that was such a bad point, but I explained that it doesn't matter because it was an assignment to decorate it and he needed to decorate it.
He also told us that he doesn't know what she expects of him. He said she hands them packets and he doesn't know what he is supposed to do. My answer to that is that he needs to either get clarification from her before he leaves for the day OR ask us when he gets home to see if we can help him figure it out.
So after our long talk with him we went through the homework folder together with him and get this:
I HAD NO IDEA WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO!!!
There was a packet of about 8-10 pages plus 2 loose pages in his undecorated homework folder. Most of the pages didn't have instructions at the top and we couldn't figure out what he was supposed to do.
For example, here is what one page looked like:
NOUNS
bread, grain, ______________
goat, cow, ________________
bus, car, _________________
There were probably 5 others like this on the page. Seriously? What was he supposed to do exactly? My guess was to find another noun similar to those words listed? But we didn't know so we skipped it and I wrote a sticky note on that page explaining that we didn't understand it. No wonder my little guy is frustrated.
I sent a letter back to the teacher explaining our talk with Lefty and things he told to us. I explained that I expect him to listen to instructions during class, but it would be helpful to us to have a syllabus or something similar so we can know what is expected of him. I put my phone number and email address.
Got home last night to another note from the teacher. She responded to my note. She said things like "I'm sorry you chose to have Lefty complete that packet because that wasn't part of the homework for last night and the one thing I needed him to complete was the Spelling Preview Test which he did not complete. This has to be frustrating for us all."
Guess what people? He most certainly DID do the Spelling Preview Test but as I told her in my first note I sent in, he wasn't sure where he was supposed to write it because she is picky about which paper they use so I had him use the back of the Spelling Preview Test. I wanted to fire another letter back to her saying, "You stupid idiot, read my note and look on the back of that sheet for the assignment." I didn't write that letter (well, actually I did but Mr. Man made me tear it up. He thinks we need to go face-to-face now)
Mr. Man happened to attend a PTA meeting last night and the principal laughed and said "So, I hear Lefty did a whole packet of homework he didn't need to do. ha ha ha haha ha ha haha" Mr. Man got ticked and said "It was NOT funny in our house last night. We take this stuff seriously."
I think the teacher knows we are upset and was "covering her butt" (so-to-speak) with the principal which is why the principal knew about the homework debacle. But guess what? I am so hacked off right now, I will have her butt in a sling faster than she can spit. I am the most reasonable parent she will come in contact with and I have high expectations of my kids. I value teachers and think my kids should respect them. I also know that my kids (especially Lefty) can have a mind of his own and sometimes doesn't like being told what to do, but this is the first time I have ever had these kinds of issues with him. School is almost done for the year and this is the first issue we are having so why not pick up the phone and say to me "gee, this is unlike him, what could be going on?" but instead she sent home a "pink slip". I mean really lady! Get a grip!
Last night after the kids were in bed, Mr. Man and I were talking and he thinks we need to come down and let things settle for a couple days before we have a conference. WHAT? I am so fired up, let's go NOW!! Ok, ok, I see his point, she might lose her head if I go in there today!
Every night he sits at the table and puts a pencil to paper. Every night before bed I ask if he has any papers I need to sign (he is supposed to read 30 minutes each night and have an adult initial a reading log -- since he goes to the after-school program he usually reads there and has one of the adult helpers sign his form) and every night he tells me "No, mom."
Only the Lord knows what he has been doing at the table each night, because clearly his parents have NO idea... let me explain:
Monday he handed Mr. Man a note. A pink note labeled "NOTICE OF MISSING ASSIGNMENTS". The teacher had handwritten a lengthy note about how Lefty isn't doing his assignments and he was unable to complete a class assignment that day due to the fact that he hadn't completed something from the week before and instructed us to ask him what had happened.
We had a long talk with Lefty and he explained that the reason he couldn't complete the class assignment was because on a class assignment from the week before she didn't like the way he wrote his "e's" so she made him sit and write "e's" for 20 minutes.
Her note also told us that one homework assignment from last week was to decorate his homework folder and again, she told us to ask him why that was important. When we asked him, he said "Well, she wants us to decorate it so we know which folder is ours, but my name is written on it so I already KNOW which folder is mine."
I don't see why that was such a bad point, but I explained that it doesn't matter because it was an assignment to decorate it and he needed to decorate it.
He also told us that he doesn't know what she expects of him. He said she hands them packets and he doesn't know what he is supposed to do. My answer to that is that he needs to either get clarification from her before he leaves for the day OR ask us when he gets home to see if we can help him figure it out.
So after our long talk with him we went through the homework folder together with him and get this:
I HAD NO IDEA WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO!!!
There was a packet of about 8-10 pages plus 2 loose pages in his undecorated homework folder. Most of the pages didn't have instructions at the top and we couldn't figure out what he was supposed to do.
For example, here is what one page looked like:
NOUNS
bread, grain, ______________
goat, cow, ________________
bus, car, _________________
There were probably 5 others like this on the page. Seriously? What was he supposed to do exactly? My guess was to find another noun similar to those words listed? But we didn't know so we skipped it and I wrote a sticky note on that page explaining that we didn't understand it. No wonder my little guy is frustrated.
I sent a letter back to the teacher explaining our talk with Lefty and things he told to us. I explained that I expect him to listen to instructions during class, but it would be helpful to us to have a syllabus or something similar so we can know what is expected of him. I put my phone number and email address.
Got home last night to another note from the teacher. She responded to my note. She said things like "I'm sorry you chose to have Lefty complete that packet because that wasn't part of the homework for last night and the one thing I needed him to complete was the Spelling Preview Test which he did not complete. This has to be frustrating for us all."
Guess what people? He most certainly DID do the Spelling Preview Test but as I told her in my first note I sent in, he wasn't sure where he was supposed to write it because she is picky about which paper they use so I had him use the back of the Spelling Preview Test. I wanted to fire another letter back to her saying, "You stupid idiot, read my note and look on the back of that sheet for the assignment." I didn't write that letter (well, actually I did but Mr. Man made me tear it up. He thinks we need to go face-to-face now)
Mr. Man happened to attend a PTA meeting last night and the principal laughed and said "So, I hear Lefty did a whole packet of homework he didn't need to do. ha ha ha haha ha ha haha" Mr. Man got ticked and said "It was NOT funny in our house last night. We take this stuff seriously."
I think the teacher knows we are upset and was "covering her butt" (so-to-speak) with the principal which is why the principal knew about the homework debacle. But guess what? I am so hacked off right now, I will have her butt in a sling faster than she can spit. I am the most reasonable parent she will come in contact with and I have high expectations of my kids. I value teachers and think my kids should respect them. I also know that my kids (especially Lefty) can have a mind of his own and sometimes doesn't like being told what to do, but this is the first time I have ever had these kinds of issues with him. School is almost done for the year and this is the first issue we are having so why not pick up the phone and say to me "gee, this is unlike him, what could be going on?" but instead she sent home a "pink slip". I mean really lady! Get a grip!
Last night after the kids were in bed, Mr. Man and I were talking and he thinks we need to come down and let things settle for a couple days before we have a conference. WHAT? I am so fired up, let's go NOW!! Ok, ok, I see his point, she might lose her head if I go in there today!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Flashlights don't make the lighfixture brighter
I kept smelling this burning plastic smell in Lefty's room. I could not for the life of me figure out where it was coming from. Mr. Man checked and basically determined that it was the new Nintendo DS charger, because it was new. But then the smell lasted 2-3 more days and Mr. Man knew it couldn't be the charger. So he went on the hunt and finally found a flashlight stuck inside Lefty's overhead light in his room.
He told us he thought it would make his light brighter. Little did he know the light bulb inside the light fixture would melt the flashlight plastic and cause the melted plastic to burn itself off.
Lovely smell.
It still smells in there almost a week later.
He told us he thought it would make his light brighter. Little did he know the light bulb inside the light fixture would melt the flashlight plastic and cause the melted plastic to burn itself off.
Lovely smell.
It still smells in there almost a week later.
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