One very common technique of parents is to spell words so that their child has no idea what they are saying. As A has grown older, he has clued into this trick of the trade. Here is a typical exchange:
Me, to J: Where did you have lunch? At M-c-d-o-n-a-l-d-s?
A: What did you say?
Me: If I wanted you to know, I would have said the word, and not spelled it.
A: Oh.
Several weeks ago, we had decided to treat ourselves (and damn our cholesterol levels) by getting a dinner from Kentucky Fried Chicken, which, of course, is usually referred to simply as KFC. So when I reminded J to stop by KFC on his way back from running errands, A said "I know, you don't want me to know what you are saying." HAH! We then explained that no, in this case the name of the restaurant was spelled out!
We fully understand that our days of using spelling as subterfuge are limited as A learns more and more. But as long as we can do it, we will!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Just sit right back
" I was a child in the sixties
dreams could be held through TV"
- Nanci Griffith, It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go
I am convinced that if I could erase from my brain the lyrics to theme songs from 1960s' television shows, I could learn another language or maybe quantum physics. After all, is it really necessary that I can sing the the entire theme to Gilligan's Island? Or The Brady Bunch? Or The Patty Duke Show? Not to mention The Partridge Family...I am, however, a bit fuzzy on the beginning of The Courtship of Eddie's Father.
Take Gilligan's Island (really, take it!). It ran from 1964 to 1967, but has been replayed about a gazillion times since. I have no idea exactly when the lyrics became lodged in my memory, but they are probably there to stay. What is really odd is that I don't remember watching that much television back in 60s, but apparently I did. Or maybe it just had a profound influence on me.
It is not enough that my brain has been polluted; now I am sharing these crazy songs with A. Many nights after bath and before bedtime, rather than reading books together he chooses to sit and rock with me in his rocking chair. We tell each stories or sing songs, and now, thanks to me, A may be the only five year old in the world who can sing the theme song to Gilligan's Island in its entirety.
There are parents out there that speak two languages to their children, play classical music for them, enroll them in art appreciation classes. Not me - it's television theme songs. Somehow I don't think A is going to thank me for it when he is grown...then again, he can warp his own child's mind with this useless knowledge!
dreams could be held through TV"
- Nanci Griffith, It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go
I am convinced that if I could erase from my brain the lyrics to theme songs from 1960s' television shows, I could learn another language or maybe quantum physics. After all, is it really necessary that I can sing the the entire theme to Gilligan's Island? Or The Brady Bunch? Or The Patty Duke Show? Not to mention The Partridge Family...I am, however, a bit fuzzy on the beginning of The Courtship of Eddie's Father.
Take Gilligan's Island (really, take it!). It ran from 1964 to 1967, but has been replayed about a gazillion times since. I have no idea exactly when the lyrics became lodged in my memory, but they are probably there to stay. What is really odd is that I don't remember watching that much television back in 60s, but apparently I did. Or maybe it just had a profound influence on me.
It is not enough that my brain has been polluted; now I am sharing these crazy songs with A. Many nights after bath and before bedtime, rather than reading books together he chooses to sit and rock with me in his rocking chair. We tell each stories or sing songs, and now, thanks to me, A may be the only five year old in the world who can sing the theme song to Gilligan's Island in its entirety.
There are parents out there that speak two languages to their children, play classical music for them, enroll them in art appreciation classes. Not me - it's television theme songs. Somehow I don't think A is going to thank me for it when he is grown...then again, he can warp his own child's mind with this useless knowledge!
Monday, January 28, 2008
She knitted a rainbow!
A's new scarf that our friend, Geri, knitted for him arrived today - thank you, Geri! He eagerly tore open the envelope and immediately wrapped it around his neck...then proceeded to admire himself in the mirror.
A chose the colors for the scarf: white, yellow, red, blue and purple. Geri used a zigzag pattern, which gave what could be an ordinary scarf real pizazz.
Based on the amount of strutting and preening that A has exhibited since receipt of the scarf, she scored a home run with this scarf!
When J got home, A excitedly showed him the scarf and said "Geri knitted a rainbow for me!"
A chose the colors for the scarf: white, yellow, red, blue and purple. Geri used a zigzag pattern, which gave what could be an ordinary scarf real pizazz.
Based on the amount of strutting and preening that A has exhibited since receipt of the scarf, she scored a home run with this scarf!
When J got home, A excitedly showed him the scarf and said "Geri knitted a rainbow for me!"
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Wild kingdom
No, really, I am not talking about the inside of my house!
Although there are many, many (many many many) things that I do not like about living out here in Hooterville, Georgia, I do like our back yard. We supposedly have about an acre of land and we estimate that only about half of it is defined as yard. In the back, our yard gives way to fairly thick woods with a creek back there somewhere. Only in the winter can we see through the woods to spot the backs of the houses on the main road of our subdivision.
So with an abundance of trees and undeveloped area, we have lots of non-human neighbors, which tend to be much nicer and mannerly than our human ones. I have already mentioned that I enjoy feeding the local raccoons, and that we have lots of deer around, too. We also have some shy rabbits and opossums, and lots and lots of birds, including a red-tailed hawk.
The hawk was feeling sociable this morning and hung around our backyard for quite a while. He perched on the top bar of A's swing set and kept a watchful eye; needless to say, the birds did a disappearing act. I wish I could get a good photo of our hawk but my camera is not that precise, so I will just suffice with the photo at All About Birds. Handsome devil, isn't he?
Although there are many, many (many many many) things that I do not like about living out here in Hooterville, Georgia, I do like our back yard. We supposedly have about an acre of land and we estimate that only about half of it is defined as yard. In the back, our yard gives way to fairly thick woods with a creek back there somewhere. Only in the winter can we see through the woods to spot the backs of the houses on the main road of our subdivision.
So with an abundance of trees and undeveloped area, we have lots of non-human neighbors, which tend to be much nicer and mannerly than our human ones. I have already mentioned that I enjoy feeding the local raccoons, and that we have lots of deer around, too. We also have some shy rabbits and opossums, and lots and lots of birds, including a red-tailed hawk.
The hawk was feeling sociable this morning and hung around our backyard for quite a while. He perched on the top bar of A's swing set and kept a watchful eye; needless to say, the birds did a disappearing act. I wish I could get a good photo of our hawk but my camera is not that precise, so I will just suffice with the photo at All About Birds. Handsome devil, isn't he?
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Progress
I have been a knitting fool the past two days! It is getting easier and a bit more automatic, and I am thrilled to see progress on my scarf: I have about ten inches knitted so far: 
I am using Caron Simply Soft in the Embroidery Print color, which has turned out to be an excellent color choice - the various colors make it more difficult to see any errors ( and, oh yes, there are errors).
A asks to see my scarf every day when he gets home from school and offers encouragement...except he wonders why it isn't done yet!
There are two downsides to me taking up knitting that I have already identified. First, I am so focused on knitting that I am ignoring another favorite pastime, reading. I usually finish one or two books a week, yet I have barely read thirty pages since I started knitting four days ago. I am absolutely consumed with adding another row to my project and when that one is finished, certainly I can knit another row...and on and on. I am sure that eventually my passion will cool a bit and I will find a way to balance the two.
Second, I am having difficulty restraining myself from acquiring yarn, needles, books, bags, yada yada yada. I keep telling myself that I need to make sure that I like knitting and that I can actually finish this project before I move on to another project and certainly before I start buying more knitting paraphernalia. I am all about accessories (the contents of my jewelry box and my handbag collection confirm that statement), so I am itching to buy a cute little project bag, a Peterboro knitting basket, handcrafted stitch markers (although I have no idea how to use them) and every yarn I see mentioned in a pattern, article or blog.
So while I am having a great time so far, I need to moderate my enthusiasm and the amount of time I devote to this new obsession.
I am using Caron Simply Soft in the Embroidery Print color, which has turned out to be an excellent color choice - the various colors make it more difficult to see any errors ( and, oh yes, there are errors). A asks to see my scarf every day when he gets home from school and offers encouragement...except he wonders why it isn't done yet!
There are two downsides to me taking up knitting that I have already identified. First, I am so focused on knitting that I am ignoring another favorite pastime, reading. I usually finish one or two books a week, yet I have barely read thirty pages since I started knitting four days ago. I am absolutely consumed with adding another row to my project and when that one is finished, certainly I can knit another row...and on and on. I am sure that eventually my passion will cool a bit and I will find a way to balance the two.
Second, I am having difficulty restraining myself from acquiring yarn, needles, books, bags, yada yada yada. I keep telling myself that I need to make sure that I like knitting and that I can actually finish this project before I move on to another project and certainly before I start buying more knitting paraphernalia. I am all about accessories (the contents of my jewelry box and my handbag collection confirm that statement), so I am itching to buy a cute little project bag, a Peterboro knitting basket, handcrafted stitch markers (although I have no idea how to use them) and every yarn I see mentioned in a pattern, article or blog.
So while I am having a great time so far, I need to moderate my enthusiasm and the amount of time I devote to this new obsession.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Our new addition
Not an extra room on the house and certainly not a new baby, but a hedgehog! My talented knitting friend, Geri, made me this adorable knitted hedgehog, which arrived via Saturday's post; also in the package with the hedgehog was a pair of nifty socks for A. He immediately put on the socks and took possession of the hedgehog:
I finally convinced A that the hedgehog was made for me, but that the entire family could share it. Then we set about finding a name for our hedgehog. Being unfamiliar with hedgehog anatomy, we did not know whether we had a boy hedgehog or a girl hedgehog. I sent a quick email message to Geri, who stated that the hedgehog did not come with instructions for reproductive organs so we could assume that its gender can be assigned by the owners. I decided that since I am the lone female in the house, the hedgehog should be a female so I won't be too terribly outnumbered. We chose the not-so-original name of Spike for her.
Geri's enthusiasm and talent for knitting led me to decide that 2008 would be my year to learn to knit. I have looked at instructions online and could make no sense of them, so I knew that I needed hands on instruction. Several other women in the Mommy group also wanted to learn, and one woman has a friend who is a knitter. Her friend agreed to teach us, so on Sunday afternoon I sat down with four other students to learn to knit. I had a great time, although my initial efforts have been shaky at best.
I like the look of a knit 2, purl 2 stitch, so that is what I chose to make. After at least six or seven failed attempts, I finally determined that I was trying to run before learning to walk, and scaled back my goal to just making a simple knitted scarf. If I can manage that basic project, then I slowly attempt more complicated items.
So here is what I have so far. Hooray!
I finally convinced A that the hedgehog was made for me, but that the entire family could share it. Then we set about finding a name for our hedgehog. Being unfamiliar with hedgehog anatomy, we did not know whether we had a boy hedgehog or a girl hedgehog. I sent a quick email message to Geri, who stated that the hedgehog did not come with instructions for reproductive organs so we could assume that its gender can be assigned by the owners. I decided that since I am the lone female in the house, the hedgehog should be a female so I won't be too terribly outnumbered. We chose the not-so-original name of Spike for her.
Geri's enthusiasm and talent for knitting led me to decide that 2008 would be my year to learn to knit. I have looked at instructions online and could make no sense of them, so I knew that I needed hands on instruction. Several other women in the Mommy group also wanted to learn, and one woman has a friend who is a knitter. Her friend agreed to teach us, so on Sunday afternoon I sat down with four other students to learn to knit. I had a great time, although my initial efforts have been shaky at best.I like the look of a knit 2, purl 2 stitch, so that is what I chose to make. After at least six or seven failed attempts, I finally determined that I was trying to run before learning to walk, and scaled back my goal to just making a simple knitted scarf. If I can manage that basic project, then I slowly attempt more complicated items.
So here is what I have so far. Hooray!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Snow story
The recent snow reminded me of a time that it snowed in Raleigh when our friends Barb and Lou still lived there. We had been to dinner at the Irregardless Cafe (awesome restaurant - go there if you ever visit the Triangle NC area) and as we left, the snow started to fall. Back at Barb and Lou's house, I remember that we watched the snow accumulate on a toilet that they had on their back dick.
I sent an email to Barb, asking if my memory was correct and, if so, why was there a toilet on the dick? She answered that yes, I remembered correctly: "Our brand new house's brand new toilet leaked and ruined our brand new vinyl bathroom floor. That was Lou's very first home project. As he replaced the vinyl, the bowl was banished to the dick. It looked cute with the snow on it. I should look for those pictures. I made a tiny snowman with a carrot sliver for a nose and sent the picture home (to Florida). Everyone assumed it was full size. When I told them if was 5" tall they couldn't believe it!"
And, no, "dick" is not a typo...that is always what we called the deck on Barb and Lou's house. The builder of the house had a very thick southern accent and when he said deck, it sounded like "dick". We had great fun talking about their big dick, what a lovely dick it was, yada yada yada.
I sent an email to Barb, asking if my memory was correct and, if so, why was there a toilet on the dick? She answered that yes, I remembered correctly: "Our brand new house's brand new toilet leaked and ruined our brand new vinyl bathroom floor. That was Lou's very first home project. As he replaced the vinyl, the bowl was banished to the dick. It looked cute with the snow on it. I should look for those pictures. I made a tiny snowman with a carrot sliver for a nose and sent the picture home (to Florida). Everyone assumed it was full size. When I told them if was 5" tall they couldn't believe it!"
And, no, "dick" is not a typo...that is always what we called the deck on Barb and Lou's house. The builder of the house had a very thick southern accent and when he said deck, it sounded like "dick". We had great fun talking about their big dick, what a lovely dick it was, yada yada yada.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Snow in Georgia
I honestly never thought I would see snow here in Green Acres, Georgia. Ice, maybe, but not snow. So to have snow twice in one week is really amazing.
We woke up to rain yesterday morning and by 10 am or so, it turned to snow. The temperature stayed in the 32-34 range most of the day, so the snow coming down was very wet. Here is what our deck looked like at 11 am:
It snowed most of the day and at 3 pm, we all went outside to play in it. The ground was not completely covered and since the precipitation had started as rain, the ground was very soggy. You can see the big wet patches in the back yard.
A had a great time running and slipping, making snowballs and generally shrieking with glee (or perhaps cold).
The snow stopped by late afternoon and already we could hear the snow dripping off the trees. The temperatures fell overnight into the teens, so the snow that is left this morning is hard and crunchy. The driveway and road look dry, and with the sun shining brightly and temperatures expected to get above freezing, the snow won't be here for long. That's my kind of snow!
We woke up to rain yesterday morning and by 10 am or so, it turned to snow. The temperature stayed in the 32-34 range most of the day, so the snow coming down was very wet. Here is what our deck looked like at 11 am:
It snowed most of the day and at 3 pm, we all went outside to play in it. The ground was not completely covered and since the precipitation had started as rain, the ground was very soggy. You can see the big wet patches in the back yard.
A had a great time running and slipping, making snowballs and generally shrieking with glee (or perhaps cold).
The snow stopped by late afternoon and already we could hear the snow dripping off the trees. The temperatures fell overnight into the teens, so the snow that is left this morning is hard and crunchy. The driveway and road look dry, and with the sun shining brightly and temperatures expected to get above freezing, the snow won't be here for long. That's my kind of snow!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Look Mom, no tooth!
A lost his first tooth this week! It had been loose for about a week and we endured several instances of terribly traumatic bleeding and intense pain. And, yes, sarcasm is intended.The tooth finally came out during lunch on Wednesday. Thank goodness, the drama was kept to a minimum, the paramedics did not have to be called and the media was not alerted. The school nurse sent the tooth home in a little plastic container, so the tooth fairy would have an easy time finding the tooth during the night.
Wednesay night was when J was in Greensboro, so I had the tooth fairy gig all to myself. A nearly caught me when I was swapping the tooth for the money; he sat up in bed and said "Hi Mommy!" I apologized for waking him as I checked on him "before I went to bed", and as I tucked the covers around him I managed to slip the money under his pillow. Much to my relief, he was none the wiser and gleefully announced the tooth fairy's gift the next morning.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
A hazy shade of winter
So we had a little snow yesterday...very little. Big fat flakes came down for about 90 minutes. We got only a trace of snow on the ground, then it turned to sleet (or "sleets" as the anonymous voice over on the Weather Channel forecast says), then it turned to all rain. I think it rained all night.
It was a nasty nasty morning out there, about 34 degrees and raining hard. But it was rain, for which we are thankful. With J gone, I had morning bus stop duty and it was so nasty that I actually drove A to the bus stop, to which I am usually fundamentally opposed.
When the rain stopped, the sky was still that hazy shade of winter. Excellent song, by the way and rare for me, I actually liked the Bangles' cover of the original Simon and Garfunkel version.
"Hang onto your hopes my friend
That's an easy thing to say
But if your hopes should pass away
Simply pretend
That you can build them again.
Look around
Leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground."
It was a nasty nasty morning out there, about 34 degrees and raining hard. But it was rain, for which we are thankful. With J gone, I had morning bus stop duty and it was so nasty that I actually drove A to the bus stop, to which I am usually fundamentally opposed.
When the rain stopped, the sky was still that hazy shade of winter. Excellent song, by the way and rare for me, I actually liked the Bangles' cover of the original Simon and Garfunkel version.
"Hang onto your hopes my friend
That's an easy thing to say
But if your hopes should pass away
Simply pretend
That you can build them again.
Look around
Leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground."
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Bring it on
My aversion to winter precipitation is well-known. I often tell people that the reason I don't live up north anymore is because I can't take winter. Cold is fine but I am not fond of frozen water that falls from the sky.
But now that we are in a severe drought, I will take water in any form I can get it. Today's forecast is a 50% chance of rain, possibly mixed with sleet, after 1 pm. Tonight it gets better: a 100% chance of rain (is it still a "chance" if the probability is 100%?) possibly mixed with sleet, mixing with freezing rain after 1 am. The low will be around 33. And although the forecast says little or no ice accumulation is expected and little or no snow accumulation is expected, I say go ahead - bring on the snow!
J will be in Greensboro tonight, returning midday tomorrow. So if we get a bit of snow that closes down the area until temps rise tomorrow, so what? A and I will enjoy the weather, stay warm and have a good time. So bring it on!
But now that we are in a severe drought, I will take water in any form I can get it. Today's forecast is a 50% chance of rain, possibly mixed with sleet, after 1 pm. Tonight it gets better: a 100% chance of rain (is it still a "chance" if the probability is 100%?) possibly mixed with sleet, mixing with freezing rain after 1 am. The low will be around 33. And although the forecast says little or no ice accumulation is expected and little or no snow accumulation is expected, I say go ahead - bring on the snow!
J will be in Greensboro tonight, returning midday tomorrow. So if we get a bit of snow that closes down the area until temps rise tomorrow, so what? A and I will enjoy the weather, stay warm and have a good time. So bring it on!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Blood, sweat and tears
Well, just the blood part. I have been giving blood on a semi-regular basis since I was in college. I find it very odd that although I am a very squeamish person and the sight of blood makes me quite woozy, giving blood does not bother me a bit. I don't watch the needle go into my arm or anyone else's arm, but it really does not bother me.
I give blood at the big honking first United Methodist church in town, because they schedule blood drives every three months or so and I can give regularly. They have a nice open gymnasium in which they hold the drive and no one pesters me about attending the church. I once went to a different church right around the corner from our house and the people there kept wanting to recruit me for membership and even sent the pastor over to talk to me. Ack!
But the thing that drives me loony at this blood drive site is that they always have a television loudly playing The Andy Griffith Show. Continuously. Did I mention loudly? And because there were a lot of people there this past Sunday and it took longer than usual to make my way through the process, I had to hear that insipid whistling theme song more times than I ever thought humanly possible to endure. I have never had any desire to watch that show and my experience at these blood drives has cemented my aversion.
When I sat down at one holding area, a man next to me saw me roll my eyes when the theme song started up, yet again, and guessed correctly why; he then showed me the iPod tucked into his pocket. Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? That was a big ol' duh on my part, to be sure.
You can be sure that in April when I next go to donate blood, my Christmas iPod Shuffle will be with me, loaded with my favorite NPR shows. Giving blood will be a lot less painful that way.
I give blood at the big honking first United Methodist church in town, because they schedule blood drives every three months or so and I can give regularly. They have a nice open gymnasium in which they hold the drive and no one pesters me about attending the church. I once went to a different church right around the corner from our house and the people there kept wanting to recruit me for membership and even sent the pastor over to talk to me. Ack!
But the thing that drives me loony at this blood drive site is that they always have a television loudly playing The Andy Griffith Show. Continuously. Did I mention loudly? And because there were a lot of people there this past Sunday and it took longer than usual to make my way through the process, I had to hear that insipid whistling theme song more times than I ever thought humanly possible to endure. I have never had any desire to watch that show and my experience at these blood drives has cemented my aversion.
When I sat down at one holding area, a man next to me saw me roll my eyes when the theme song started up, yet again, and guessed correctly why; he then showed me the iPod tucked into his pocket. Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? That was a big ol' duh on my part, to be sure.
You can be sure that in April when I next go to donate blood, my Christmas iPod Shuffle will be with me, loaded with my favorite NPR shows. Giving blood will be a lot less painful that way.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Ow. And ow.
As my friend Geri says, getting older is not for sissies. I am hurting this morning and moving very slowly. On Friday, we learned that our county's fire officials had lifted the outside burning ban since our rainfall has increased ever so slightly in the last few weeks. So on Saturday morning, we started raking leaves in our backyard and burning them.
We have an acre and while not all of it is cleared as yard (half is fairly thick woods), we still have a large cleared area with lots of trees, and lots of leaves. We haven't bothered raking them up since we had no way of disposing of them. We are outside of town limits, so there is no curbside yard waste pickup. Our private trash collection service will not accept yard waste. Even if the dump accepts yard waste, we would have a difficult time getting all of it there...so burning is our best option, an option that has not been available to us since last summer.
Saturday was a beautiful day to work outside and work is exactly what we did from 10 am to 5:30 pm. We were able to clear the side yard and most of the backyard; there was more to clear than we thought! We were three smoky, dirty, sweaty people when we stopped for the day.
I gave blood yesterday morning at a Red Cross drive so I was unable to work on the leaves the rest of the day - rats. Not! I kept J and A company as they raked and continued to burn. They were able to finish all but the far corner and now the backyard looks great.
Today my body feels the effects of the raking and lifting, and the loss of a pint of blood. I will be almost good as new tomorrow, I am sure, but for today, ow!
We have an acre and while not all of it is cleared as yard (half is fairly thick woods), we still have a large cleared area with lots of trees, and lots of leaves. We haven't bothered raking them up since we had no way of disposing of them. We are outside of town limits, so there is no curbside yard waste pickup. Our private trash collection service will not accept yard waste. Even if the dump accepts yard waste, we would have a difficult time getting all of it there...so burning is our best option, an option that has not been available to us since last summer.
Saturday was a beautiful day to work outside and work is exactly what we did from 10 am to 5:30 pm. We were able to clear the side yard and most of the backyard; there was more to clear than we thought! We were three smoky, dirty, sweaty people when we stopped for the day.
I gave blood yesterday morning at a Red Cross drive so I was unable to work on the leaves the rest of the day - rats. Not! I kept J and A company as they raked and continued to burn. They were able to finish all but the far corner and now the backyard looks great.
Today my body feels the effects of the raking and lifting, and the loss of a pint of blood. I will be almost good as new tomorrow, I am sure, but for today, ow!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
"Something smells bad, and it's me!"
Yesterday afternoon as I was preparing dinner, A was in the living room playing a game on the Leapster L-Max that he received for Christmas. I popped around the corner to check on him, and he said to me "Something smells bad, and it's me!" I stared at him with a curious look on my face, I am sure and he started giggling. "I farted," he then added. Good grief!
Yesterday he brought home his report card from the second nine week session. Once again, he scored at or above grade level standards in all categories of academic achievement. Hooray! He went backwards in only one category, from working above grade level to working at grade level in phonics, which is not a surprise to me. He struggles a bit with phonics and would rather learn to read the word than learn to sound it out.
A gets frustrated when working on phonics, which is one of the reasons that he got a "needs improvement" in the area of "uses self-control." He also needs improvement in "demonstrating responsibility" but is satisfactory in all other specialty areas. Again, neither of these "needs improvement" areas is a surprise to me and we try to work on them.
The teacher's comments this session were: "A continues to make excellent progress. Keep up the good work. He needs to work on not interrupting when others are speaking." And while this is starting to sound tremendously redundant, the interrupting issue is well-known to us and one we work on constantly. A seems to think he can just start talking whenever he likes, regardless of whether or not someone else is speaking at the time.
I am very pleased with A's report card. Of course he has areas that need improvement but overall he is doing well. He is developing a love of reading and words, and can already do simple math. I try to take every opportunity I can in our daily lives to help him practice math, spelling and reading. Even if he smells bad at the time!
Yesterday he brought home his report card from the second nine week session. Once again, he scored at or above grade level standards in all categories of academic achievement. Hooray! He went backwards in only one category, from working above grade level to working at grade level in phonics, which is not a surprise to me. He struggles a bit with phonics and would rather learn to read the word than learn to sound it out.
A gets frustrated when working on phonics, which is one of the reasons that he got a "needs improvement" in the area of "uses self-control." He also needs improvement in "demonstrating responsibility" but is satisfactory in all other specialty areas. Again, neither of these "needs improvement" areas is a surprise to me and we try to work on them.
The teacher's comments this session were: "A continues to make excellent progress. Keep up the good work. He needs to work on not interrupting when others are speaking." And while this is starting to sound tremendously redundant, the interrupting issue is well-known to us and one we work on constantly. A seems to think he can just start talking whenever he likes, regardless of whether or not someone else is speaking at the time.
I am very pleased with A's report card. Of course he has areas that need improvement but overall he is doing well. He is developing a love of reading and words, and can already do simple math. I try to take every opportunity I can in our daily lives to help him practice math, spelling and reading. Even if he smells bad at the time!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Everything old is funny again
I rented the first disc from the first season of The Muppet Show from Netflix, to see if A would like it. I used to adore The Muppet Show but wondered if a) he is old enough to get it and b) the humor still holds up. I am pleased to say that the answer to both questions is yes!
We have been having a fine time watching the old episodes and laughing. Some of the humor is a bit dated but is, for the most part, still funny. And, yes, some of the "technology" of the Muppets looks a little antiquated from a distance of 30 years but A hasn't noticed one bit. He doesn't get all of the jokes because, let's face it, The Muppet Show was really for adults. But he gets enough of it and just the antics and the look of the Muppets alone is enough to make him laugh.
We were outside yesterday afternoon and A was drawing on the pavement with chalk. He told me to close my eyes, that he was working on a surprise picture for me. To be truthful, I nearly nodded off as I sat there with my closed, enjoying the winter sunshine! But when I was allowed to open my eyes, I was pleased to actually recognized his drawing as Kermit!
We have been having a fine time watching the old episodes and laughing. Some of the humor is a bit dated but is, for the most part, still funny. And, yes, some of the "technology" of the Muppets looks a little antiquated from a distance of 30 years but A hasn't noticed one bit. He doesn't get all of the jokes because, let's face it, The Muppet Show was really for adults. But he gets enough of it and just the antics and the look of the Muppets alone is enough to make him laugh.
We were outside yesterday afternoon and A was drawing on the pavement with chalk. He told me to close my eyes, that he was working on a surprise picture for me. To be truthful, I nearly nodded off as I sat there with my closed, enjoying the winter sunshine! But when I was allowed to open my eyes, I was pleased to actually recognized his drawing as Kermit!Saturday, January 5, 2008
Happy 2008
So I am a few days late...better late than you know what.
The moderator of our Mommy group posted the following on our board on New Year's Day: "Since it is New Year's Day, tell us your 'this year I would like to' list instead of resolutions (which make us all feel like failures if we don't achieve them). The items on your list don't have to be big, just things that have been on your mind as needing a change."
So here is my list. In 2008, I would like to...
The moderator of our Mommy group posted the following on our board on New Year's Day: "Since it is New Year's Day, tell us your 'this year I would like to' list instead of resolutions (which make us all feel like failures if we don't achieve them). The items on your list don't have to be big, just things that have been on your mind as needing a change."
So here is my list. In 2008, I would like to...
- Learn to knit. My friend Geri is an avid knitter, and her enthusiasm and talent has inspired me.
- Speak more positively about living here, and to find things to like rather than focus on the many things I don't like.
- Be more patient with my mother and brother. I love them both dearly but they both try my patience, for different reasons.
- Make bagels. There is not a decent bagel to be found out here in greater metropolitan Hooterville and I get tired of driving into Atlanta to get one.
- Grow three inches, since I don't think I am actually going to lose fifteen pounds! Okay, so maybe that isn't a serious one...
- Be more active. I hate exercise with every fiber of my being but I understand that I need to get moving to be healthier.
- Write more. This blog is a small start, but I need to be disciplined about putting my thoughts into words, if only for my enjoyment.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Too much
Greta Garbo once famously said, "I want to be let alone." Having had nearly nonstop companionship for almost two weeks, I desperately want to be by myself. My mother went home last Saturday after being here a week, J went back to work today and A goes back to school tomorrow. YIPPEE!
As I have said before, since I became a SAHM I have particularly come to enjoy my alone time. And I have had precious little of alone time for many days (seems like weeks). Particularly when all three - Mom, J and A - were in the house, every time I sat down to read the newspaper, read a book, blog or even just check email, someone began talking to me or looking over my shoulder. Enough already! I am looking forward to reading, eating lunch and running errands completely alone.
Perhaps when I have some time to myself, I can come up with something interesting to blog!
P.S. Christmas was great.
As I have said before, since I became a SAHM I have particularly come to enjoy my alone time. And I have had precious little of alone time for many days (seems like weeks). Particularly when all three - Mom, J and A - were in the house, every time I sat down to read the newspaper, read a book, blog or even just check email, someone began talking to me or looking over my shoulder. Enough already! I am looking forward to reading, eating lunch and running errands completely alone.
Perhaps when I have some time to myself, I can come up with something interesting to blog!
P.S. Christmas was great.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)