No Minivan

- The little black snail died and polluted the tank and gave Simon (the Betta) a fungal infection. So I cleaned the tank thoroughly and added a little aquarium salt. Simon is quickly losing the white patches and getting back to his gorgeous green-blue color. Dyson (the large golden apple snail) didn’t care for all the commotion or the added salt so I moved him to the smaller tank. Now he’s sliming all over the place, but still moving about some. Hopefully after a few days of rest and separation, I can reunite them as healthy critters.

- The Kid starts school next week, entering the first grade. His teacher sent him the cutest postcard welcoming him to her class. I’m so hoping that this year goes more smoothly. The Kid’s behavior has improved this summer, but it’s just him and his brother most of the time, not an entire class of kids. So we’ll see how things go with the new teacher. He is sleeping better since his tonsils and adenoids came out, so there’s that, too. He’s also been working with Hubby on his writing and getting better all the time.

- The Kid is really into cartoons right now and starting to venture into territory I’d rather he didn’t go. I don’t mind Code Name Kids Next Door or Fanboy & Chum Chum, but when he starts getting into the more violent cartoons, I have a problem. I’m one of those weird Americans who would rather my kid see people get naked than people getting hurt/killed (not that we sit around with nudie movies on either, but you get my point). So we’ve told him that anything over a TV-Y rating, he has to ask mom or dad if he can watch. We try to keep an eye on what he’s watching, but it helps that he’s such an incredibly honest kid.

- Boo moved up to a big boy bed! Hubby’s folks had the head/foot boards that match the Kid’s, so we bought them a new frame for their mattresses and set up the matching bed for Boo (his mattress is nicer than ours!). He seems to be doing well with it. There was one rough night where he was up every hour or so, but he seems to have gotten over it. The worst part is that he’s a total wiggle worm at night and moves ALL OVER the bed. He’s already cracked his head on the headboard a time or two and somehow ended up on the floor this morning (if he fell out, he didn’t cry). It’s a happy and sad thought to think that we don’t have a use for the crib anymore, but our little Boo is 2 and a half.

- My job has been sucking lately. Only because I haven’t had much to do. Finally today I got to start a big project creating computer-based training for another girl in our greater department. I was SO happy to be doing CBTs again! Our boss has pigeon-holed us to the point that all I do is system administration for our training tracking system (when I’m not traveling) and my coworker was doing all the eLearning stuff. Lucky, for me, said coworker is busy with other project right now so he was more than happy to pass this one to me! I’m hoping this will help people see there is more to me than just being a system administrator.

- Went to a weekend crop last weekend and finished 22 pages. Not bad for me. Especially since I missed half of the first day when I was trapped in an airport trying to get back home. I’m about a year and a half behind on my scrapbooking right now so I was glad I got any time at all to get a few pages done and catch up with my Scrap Mafia girls. They are about the coolest bunch of ladies I’ve ever known. Even when we don’t talk for months, it’s like we were never apart.

- Speaking of women friends, apparently I need to remember who reads my blog and not be so rude to them on here. I would hope that folks would realize when I’m venting and just doing an emotional dump here, but I also realize that I use some strong words sometimes. So I’m sorry if I offended or angered anyone reading this.

- Speaking of reading, I am slowly but surely making my way through “The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest”. This book is very hard for me to get into. I really liked the first two, but this one is slow going and not really keeping my attention. Hopefully, I’ll finish it soon so I can start the new Patricia Briggs werewolf book.

Sometimes people just really piss me off.

I don’t know if it was the dose of Lex.a.pro I missed or the fact that I’m on the rag or that I was recovery from jet lag (just returned from the Netherlands) or a combination of all of the above, but I have been cranky as all get out for the last few days. And the one thing that was really eating at me was that it looked like my husband had not planned anything for our wedding anniversary (Before you jump on your high horse, I plan everything else in our lives. And I mean EVERYTHING. It’s not unreasonable that I expect him to plan our anniversary and Valentine’s Day dates). It was last week (June 30th) and since I was out of town, we just exchanged emails to commemorate the day. I thought I would come home to dinner plans or at least a card. I had picked up a very romantic card at the Hallmark in the airport and had written a near paragraph of sweet nothings in it.

I came home to nothing. No card, no plans for dinner*, nothing. So obviously I was a little disappointed. The longer the weekend went on, the more disheartened I felt. Finally I posted a comment on Facebook, hoping for a little support for my girls. One of the moms from Hubby’s playgroup posts “”Aww, cut him a break. As the wife of someone who travels, it is exhausting being a part time single parent.”

To that, I say “FUCK YOU.” First of all, how lazy is she, that she’s too exhausted to pick up a card?!?. Secondly and most importantly, my husband knows exactly how much I appreciate him and what he does for our family (in fact, I wrote just that in his anniversary card!). And as someone on the other side of the fence, let me tell you just how stressful it is to be the sole breadwinner for a family of four. Let’s talk about how “exhausted” you’d be if your spouse lost his job and you had to be the one working 40+ hours for the financial support of your family, knowing that if you lost your job your family would be without food, clothing and electricity (or feeling completely ashamed to you ask your family/friends for financial help). And we all know it’s nice to get a break from the family now and then, but let’s consider the ‘joy’ of traveling away from your kids for 3 weeks straight, only coming home long enough to give your spouse a break before you hop on another plane, or spend 11 hours in an airport, sleeping on the floor (in a puddle no less), because another flight was canceled.

Instead of taking my kids to playgroup, I spend my days in front of a computer in a cubicle. Instead of tucking my kids in at night for the last 3 weeks, I could only talk to them online or on the phone. I don’t deny that being a full time parent is stressful, exhausting and sometimes downright irritating, but don’t think that a working spouse’s job isn’t just as stressful, exhausting and downright irritating. And definitely do not imply that I don’t appreciate what my husband does. I have the utmost respect for stay at home parents and I also know that I would take on that exhausting job in a heartbeat.

*Turns out there were plan for a dinner date next weekend, he just didn’t tell me until I complained. Apparently, in addition to making dental appoinments, teacher appointments and renewing the Zoo membership while I’m traveling around the world, I’m also supposed to be psychic.

I don’t have the slightest clue what to do with the Kid. Sell him to the circus? Send him off to military school? Ground him until he’s 25? Seriously. What do you do with a 5 year old who thinks he knows everything and refuses to listen to anything his parents or teachers say?

Here is an actual email from his Kindergarten teacher:

[The Kid] has started going to first grade now for guided reading and Mrs. [X] says he really enjoyed it. I also want to keep you updated on his behavior. He had 3 really great days last week. This week he has been very disruptive. He is constantly (not exaggerating) yelling out ho ho ho. He also has been disruptive at rest time (even when I give him a book) and during work time he is barely finishing his work b/c he is falling out of his seat or yelling things to me and the class. I just wanted to touch base. If you have any questions let me know.

The other day he was given a writing assignment to review a book he’d read. His teacher has been trying to get him to write at length instead of just one short sentence. So she gave him the direction that he had to write enough to fill up all the lines on the page. So this is what he wrote:

I like the storey bcuse it was funne and it was fun. It made me go ha ha ha ha ha ha [with the ha's filling up the rest of the paper].

When he doesn’t have a book in his face at home he is crazy out of control. His voice has no volume switch and everything must be said at eardrum blowing decibels. Unlike most kids who get quieter the more they’re misbehaving, the Kid gets louder the worse he’s behaving. Punishment/discipline does not impact him. Even when we take away his most prized possessions, he may get upset for a brief moment then he just doesn’t care. Sending him to his room is pointless since it’s completely full of books and toys. Time outs in the hall seem to make somewhat of an impact, but he’s over and misbehaving again the second he’s released. It’s like nothing gets through to him long enough to make an impact beyond the very short term.

We manage fairly well at home. Usually there are enough activities (between books, TV, computer, toys and chores) to distract him from the bad behavior. Plus there are two of us to wrangle him. But at school his teacher is entirely too soft spoken to get a firm handle on him. Not only that, but she has 20 other students to worry about. I know part of the problem is that he’s bored, but he’s not even completing the work before he’s acting up and disrupting the class. I just really don’t know what to do. Nothing seems to get through to him. Punishments don’t work, rewards don’t work. I want him to enjoy school, but I know he needs to learn to tolerate the structure of school and to thrive in spire of it.

And he’s such a brilliant boy, I know he’s smart enough to follow directions. Within the last 2 weeks, he’s read almost the entire “Magic Tree House” series (that’s over 25 short chapter books), not to mention all the other books he’s read lately. He’s in the advanced math group in Kindergarten adding, subtracting, counting by 5s and 10s, and working extensively with money. The child is so smart. And I know his intelligence makes us and his teachers expect more from him. He is only 5 (6 in April) and 5 year old boys are high energy by nature. I’m not interested in putting him on ADD/ADHD meds, but I do want to look into other avenues for helping him focus and be more productive with all that brain. I would like to take him to an expert for analysis and to give us some guidance in that arena, but I’m also afraid to have him be labeled so young.

Luckily, for the next 2 weeks everyone will be home and maybe we can give him more attention than usual and see if that helps at all. Plus, the Christmas crazies will get an opportunity to work their way out of his system and maybe things will be settled down more by the time he goes back to school.

Be on the look out, folks. I’ve given my hubby his own account on this here blog so he can regale you with tales of our little darlings and his life as hubby to one as challenging as myself.

He goes by the name of Zez and he’s been my best friend and love o’ my life for over 13 years. When he finally gets around to posting something, be sure to make him feel welcome!

I apologize in advance for the length of this post and for being one of THOSE parents…

So it would appear that the Kid is “gifted”, in some form or fashion. We’ll need to do more testing to see if he fits the state definition. People who know the Kid are saying “Well, duh.” I’ve always known he’s very smart and above his age level academically, but I never really pushed the idea of slapping him with a label until he started school. Now I know the good a label can do.

The Kid has been having trouble at school. Basically, he has a monthly behavior calendar and every day he’s supposed to earn a stamp. The teacher had this card system where after a couple of warnings, he’d have to pull a colored card (green, orange and red). Once he got to red, he wouldn’t get a stamp and instead we’d see a code telling us what he’d done wrong (not listening, not following directions, etc). We tried everything that doesn’t constitute child abuse to try to get him to do what the teacher wanted at school. When he came home without a stamp, we took away TV, we took away computer use, we took away outside play, then we took away all of the above. We tried bribery. He still came home without a stamp.

The behavior didn’t improve and the Kid started complaining of tummy aches when it was time to go to school. I don’t want my kid to hate school when he’s only in Kindergarten! Then Hubby went up to school one day to help with the Fall Party for the class. He got to see the Kid’s behavior compared with the other kids and saw that the Kid’s behavior is not bad. There were other kids throwing furniture that had to be restrained. There were other kids with much worse and more uncontrollable behavior. The Kid is just annoying. He likes to talk and if he can’t talk, then he wants to hum or make some other repetitive noise. He’s a perfectionist and has no problem with correcting an adult or pointing out to the teacher that another student is doing something wrong. He’s easily frustrated, overly excitable and very emotional.

We’ve tried talking to the teacher about challenging him more and her answer is having him get 1st grade books from the school library and having him work on some reading comprehension with 4th graders. That’s great, but that only happens a small fraction of the day. He still comes home with worksheets on identifying letters and small sight words. At home he reads “Captain Underpants” and other chapter books. He’s a little beyond learning his ABCs. So I called the principal to ask what his options are. Basically, they don’t skip grades in our district. The teacher is expected to provide an education at that child’s level, no matter the level. That’s all well and good, but with 20 some students, is she really going to personalize the lesson for each child? That’s a ridiculous expectation. Especially in this age of No Child Left Behind, where we dumb everything down for the lowest common denominator so schools can pass standardized tests.

So I did a little hunting on the district website and found the phone number for the district director of the gifted program. We played a little phone tag, but she lead me to the teacher for the gifted class in our area. It was amazing to talk to her. She didn’t make me feel like “Oh here’s another parent who thinks her little crotchfruit is the next Einstein”. She knew just what we were experiencing and was very helpful. She told us about his test scores on a test we didn’t even know he had taken! The NNAT is apparently a first step in identifying gifted children. The Kid scored in the 99th percentile for 5 year olds. That means he scored better than 99% of kids his age. The gifted program teacher is sending us the paperwork for further testing, but she said that based on that score, it’s pretty much a guarantee that he’ll be invited into the gifted program. And the Kid’s regular Kindergarten teacher didn’t even bother to tell us about the test or the scores.

Which is why Hubby and I are meeting with the regular teacher, the principal and the gifted program teacher Wednesday to discuss our options. I don’t really care about the label of “gifted”. They could call him “not entirely stupid kid” for all I care as along as he gets the education he deserves. I want someone who understands his needs and is willing to make the most of his inquisitive little mind. The gifted program teacher UNDERSTOOD and wanted to be an advocate for the Kid. That’s the teacher he needs.

Does this kid look sick to you?

Boo woke up yesterday with a fever of 101.1. He was fussy at first, but once the Tylenol kicked in, he was fine all day. We hit the meds again later when his temp popped up to 100, but he was fine running around Suson Park, petting the animals and feeding the ducks (I know we’re not supposed to!) all morning.

I think hubby thought I was somehow rigging the thermometer to get out of going to Six Flags with him today. However, although riding a roller coaster is not my idea of fun, I was actually looking forward to a date with my man. Oh well, better luck next time.

Hello out there! *crickets* Is anyone still coming around here anymore? (Hi Christy!) I know I have sorely neglected this blog for some time now and I’m not even going to bother making false promises of more frequent updates. The funny thing is that I’m an active member of the St. Louis Bloggers Guild and I’m a committee co-chair for the Interactive festival, but I don’t really ever blog anymore. Heck, I don’t even tweet.

So what do I do these days? Well, besides working and doing the family thing, I read books (just started the newest Kim Harrison), I watch TV (just started the 4th season of Nip/Tuck), and I play lots and lots and LOTS of mind-numbing games on Facebook (was Sorority Life, but now it’s Bloodlines). I know the thrilling excitement of my life should give me plenty of blog fodder, but I’m just not as adept at making the mundane sound hilarious as some people.

If I was a better writer, I would find an entertaining way to tell you about how big my little Boo is getting and how it breaks my heart to see him turning into a little boy. Or I could tell you all about the Kid’s adventures in Kindergarten and how we’re going to have to have a sit down with his teacher to explain that any 5-year-old who reads on a 2/3 grade level is going to misbehave when you bore him with learning letter sounds and sight words. Or I could tell you about my very first PTA meeting where no one bothered to introduce themselves to any of the new members. Or I could tell you about dumping my therapist (again) and my adventures in pharmaceuticals.

Oh look, I did tell you! Sorry it wasn’t more entertaining. Maybe Angela Pudding will be my ghost writer next time.

Disclaimer: The can was empty and I was just at the end of the raft, off camera. So there’s no need to call DFS.

Additional disclaimer: This is just an honest review and recap. I was in no way compensated for this post. Unfortunately.

Times are tough and with two small kids, your vacation options are limited. We’re too poor for Disney and they’re too young for much else. So when a mom from Hubby’s playgroup mentioned the super fun time they had at Eagle Hurst Ranch in Steelville, MO and the low price they paid for it, we decided to give it a try. Basically, you get a 2 bedroom cabin and 3 homecooked meals a day for $80/adult and $25/kid ages 4-11 (Baby Boo was FREE!).

The meals were delicious. One day’s breakfast was sausage gravy and biscuits, sausage links, eggs, fruit and cereal. All in one meal. All the meals were huge and satisfying, served family style at your designated table in the dining hall. We were very lucky in that there was only one other family there during our stay so we never had to wait long to be served. The staff was very friendly and quickly got to know everyone’s names and preferences.

The cabins are rustic, but very clean and well maintained. The only room I found a bug in was a spider in the bathroom, but we were in the woods! (Speaking of bugs: I am a mosquito magnet most of the time, but I only got bit once outside and I only wore bug spray one night.) All of the linens were pristine and in great shape. Every bed had a pretty handmade quilt. Our cabin had 2 full size beds and a twin bed, 2 large dressers, 2 chairs, a small refrigerator with freezer compartment, a full bathroom with bathtub and shower, and enough space leftover in the bedrooms for the kids to play and to set up Boo’s pack n’ play. We had one window unit air conditioner in our bedroom and it kept the cabin plenty cool. There was also a screened in porch with a table and 2 chairs, plus a line for hanging wet clothes.

Throughout the day the Ranch hosts activities like pony rides, volleyball, capture the flag, bonfires with Smores, scavenger hunts, tennis, movies and popcorn, ice cream socials and swimming in the pool or in the Huzzah River. You can participate as little or as much as you want. We spent a lot of hot afternoons hanging out in the Lodge which was equipped with a large game room with a pool table, ping pong and video games. The cabins don’t have TVs, but there is one in the Lodge with a DVD player and VCR and they have a decent movie selection. They also have a great stash of books for all ages.
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OK, so I’m not doing so well with blogging once a week. I am INSANELY busy right now. I work solid all day (challenging in a good way, too! Yay!) only breaking to pump (still at it!), eat and read for about 45 minutes. When I get home I go through my email and read your blogs, eat dinner and then chill with the family. There is really no time to spend on my own blog. I don’t even bother trying to keep up with Twitter or Facebook status anymore. There are simply not enough hours in the day right now.

Interviewing for the new gig (my boss’ old job) next week. It looks like it’s down to me, my “arch nemesis” and an external candidate. If nothing else, I’m hoping it will set the wheels in motion for good things to happen later down the line. I really don’t hold out much hope of my actually getting the job since I have zero management experience and the external candidate has tons, but I’ll try my best and see what happens. I think I’d be good in this position, but I have to convince several other people to think the same!

Other than that, the Kid starts an abbreviated Pre-K next month. We went to the orientation last night and it really hit home that my little guy is going to school soon. It just doesn’t seem real to me, like he’s not nearly old enough for that. He needs the structure and the rules so he’s ready for Kindergarten. I know it will be good for him, but this Mama is not ready for her little birds to leave the nest, even if it’s only part time.

Boo is starting to walk more often now. The other night we made a game of him walking back and forth between me on the couch and the coffee table. He’d walk to the table to get a snack and then walk over to me for a kiss and a quick snuggle. He’s busting out all 4 one year molars right now so the last few weeks haven’t been very fun. It’s crazy how much his face shape is changing from those teeth. He’s really starting to look like a toddler. *sniff*sniff*

Later this month, we’re going on vacation! We’ll be in “Still-ville” (AKA Steelville) at a little hoosier “resort” with cabins and easy access to the river. As opposed to my hubby’s usual whirlwind vacations, this one will only include a river float, some cave exploring and the rest of the time will be spent around the cabin just relaxing. Chances are the site will not have internet access which may very well KILL my husband. I’m looking forward to spending a lot of time on the screened-in porch with a good book.

Tomorrow night we’re hosting a karaoke party for Kevin’s playgroup (grown-ups only!). It’s been FOREVER since I’ve karaoke’d, but I’m excited to just relax with some fun ladies and their spouses. And maybe get my drink on for once in a looooong time. The kids will be with Kevin’s folks so I can pump and dump without guilt!

OK, I’ve yapped your ear off enough with my terribly exciting life. I hope you all have a great weekend! In reward for your efforts in reading this far, here’s a quick video of one of Boo’s first attempts at walking:

I’m having some friends over to crop tomorrow. This makes me very happy. Scrapbooking and girl talk. Good stuff!

But enough about me and my old lady hobby, let’s talk about how incredibly adorable my baby Boo is! He is 13 months old today. He is such a Mama’s boy, which is nice since the Kid is all about Daddy. Especially when he’s sleepy or upset, Boo will reach for me when anyone else is holding him. I love it, of course.

Although Boo has technically taken his first steps, he still isn’t walking independantly. He will walk, happy as a little clam, down the hall while just holding one of your fingers. If you let go, he drops down into a crawl. So it’s not a matter of ability, it’s a matter of confidence. We’re working on it.

He’s much more physically active than the Kid was at his age. He loves to climb, which I’m sure we’ll be paying for with a visit to the emergency room at some point. Stairs, boxes, toys, his brother: Anything he can climb on, he will. And he just loves to stand at the door and look outside. He’ll stand there for a good 10 minute stretch just watching kids play or a neighbor mowing the lawn.

His communication skills are growing in leaps and bounds every day. I catch myself missing some of his words because they aren’t perfectly clear at this point. I start to dismiss them as baby babble, when in fact he’s calling something by its proper name, albeit with missing consonants. He’s learning the parts of the body and can identify eyes, nose, mouth, hair, hands, feet and toes (when he’s not being ornery). “Eye” is his favorite because then he gets to jab me in mine. He understands a lot more than he can say and can follow simple commands very well. Except of course “No”, then he just tries to do it faster.

He’s still not sleeping through the night (and had me up from 2:30 – 5am this morning). Mainly because the little booger refuses to eat. Every once in a while he’ll guzzle 6oz., but most of the time it’s 3-4oz at a time. I’m still nursing (yes, STILL) so it’s especially hard to estimate how much he gets at bedtime. He really dislikes being fed and prefers to feed himself, but he doesn’t eat much volume-wise. At his 1 year check up, he weighed 21 pounds. Healthy, but on the small side of the scale. I suppose that’s a good thing, but since his brother was consistently off the charts the other way, I still worry he’s not getting enough.

He is the light of my life (along with his brother) and nothing brightens my day like seeing his little smiling face when I get home! I hope he always has his sweet, stubborn, happy-go-lucky personality. Other than sleeping through the night, I wouldn’t change anything about him for the world.

Here is a completely adorable (I’m biased) video of Boo getting his groove on to a Christmas toy we picked up during a game of “Rob Your Neighbor” last year.