More Christmas Shopping

11-30-12

Apparently the Tylenol PM works like the NyQuil does for me. I still feel a little drugged out and groggy.

Holiday shopping is going well. We obtained 4 heroes in a half shell last night along with their sensei. Also purchased was the gift to Dax from Bobby, along with a similar item that will go to Bobby from Lucy. Santa needs only to get a couple more things and I need to get a couple more small things and the boys are covered. Now to start figuring out for other folks.

Today we will meet up with Ken’s folks for dinner. With no games tomorrow, I am unsure as what we will end up doing. I suppose I should come up with some ideas lest I am approached with inquiries as to what would be fun.

My parents will be picking up the boys on Saturday at 4:30. Matt was taking my parents to dinner, and he has decided to take the boys along. This will allow some time for Ken and I to get ready for the evening and we will be able to stop at a couple places on the way out to Manhattan Beach so we can get some kid shopping done without worrying about sneaking around.

Shopping for Bobby this year is much more difficult than years past. He mostly only wants video games. Sure, he will be happy for some Star Wars action figures, but ultimately, he hasn't been drooling over every toy he sees. Dax, on the other hand, has a list as long as his over-sized stocking. When Bobby and I were looking through Target last night, Bobby wanted to get about 100 things, none of them for him. He wanted them all for Dax. He was feeling quite generous.

The other Santa item we are getting them will need to be ordered. Both of them want a bow and arrow. Yeah, because the other weapons they use just don’t kill cool enough. I suppose archery is very in these days, what with the trifecta of Hawkeye, Merida and Katniss. Hell, they don’t even know who Katniss is. Luckily, there are varieties of bows that shoot soft arrows, not ones that will pierce a guy’s heart. The actual Nerf one appears to be discontinued, so we will end up doing a different soft weapon brand that we found. It should make for some interesting playtime for them with their friends on the day after Christmas.

I am wearing my Chucks today with the hopes that my ankle doesn’t scream at me again tonight. After two days of heels, I think my injury was feeling rather enraged. Last night, I was feeling all kinds of out of sorts. My hormonal madness is in full swing, along with having eaten too much not great food and being exhausted from fighting with the boys all afternoon. I feel much better now, but my headache last night was fighting with my ankle for domination in the pain department.

I am thinking perhaps I should suggest a movie outing with the grandfolk. That would be fun and simple. It allows for the kids to chit chat with them, yet at the same time, give everyone a nice breather. Of course, I will have to see what the troops want.

I really love me some Pinterest. I know it is the land of time suckage, but I don’t care!

It is Thursday

11-29-12

How is it that a grownup ankle and a 6 year old ankle can crash and only the grownup ankle suffers damage?

The simultaneous kick of the soccer ball in two different directions by Dax and I has resulted in a decent bruise on my right ankle/foot. I was shocked at how much my ankle hurt when I got home from work when it dawned on me that it probably didn’t help that I wore heels yesterday. It isn’t super bad, but it is certainly noticeable. I can feel that it is a little angry at me.

The afternoon, while hectic, was actually not too bad. I am surprised since when I picked up the boys, Dax was already feeling surly for some reason (probably due to the fact that he would not have a lot of play time with friends due to our doctor’s appointment). He was fighting me on everything just for the sake of the fight. Luckily he was cheerful by the time homework was done.

Dax is not impressed

The flu shots were thankfully not actual shots. They were in fact the squirt of meds up the nose, which could have been bad based on the one time with Bobby a couple years ago in which it took an hour to finally get him calm enough to administer the spritz. This time, they were both amazing and it was super easy.

I could have probably let them go play with Anthony, but honestly, due to the rain, I knew it would mean having kids underfoot in the house, and I wasn’t interested in cleaning up after that mess. Plus, with company showing up tomorrow, I didn’t need that stress. I am becoming quite aware that our house will be THAT house. You know the one; the place where everyone ends up gathering for any number of reasons. As a parent this is a dream and a nightmare all wrapped together. Ok, maybe just for me what with the fact that I do get crazy freaked out with so many people in the house. Yet I love the fact that the boys are happy enough (and their friends) to hang out at our place as opposed to going elsewhere. I wonder when I will need to start making a trough of food for all these wild boys will take place.

I am happy that I don’t think there is anything scheduled for this afternoon. Bobby is mostly done with his homework. He has a worksheet to do still. I would have had him do it yesterday, but honestly, I didn’t understand what the fuck they were asking of him. He also has a summary, but those are not bad at all. It is especially cool since it is on a book we have been reading since he was born. It is supposed to be raining all day, so I don’t know what kind of friends will show up. I need to finish doing some basic clean up.

I think today is a no boss day. He is out on the calendar but he didn’t send his normal email indicating that he would be gone. This is happy making since when he is out, I can walk longer in the gym without fear of issue. Mind you, I pretty much do what here, but I do have some respect for the job itself.

I have found myself looking for something better to watch during the workout. I watched all of 30 Rock and became bored with the first episode of Parks and Rec. I still have Breaking Bad, but it seems too intense to watch right now. I am now watching a flick I am thinking I have watched before, but I can’t be sure. It is sure to be a crying movie, but it may be good to get that kind of involved in a story line so that I space out on the time I am moving. I think I need to watch Moulin Rouge since the music is happy making. Sure, it is a crying flick, too, but I know the story so well I may be ok. Sadly, Love Actually is not on Netflix. I may need to start downloading movies. LOL!

The boys will be staying at my parents’ house this Saturday night. Yes, we do have company, but said company has their own party they are attending that evening, and this allows Ken and I to attend a gathering for Aaron’s birthday. I now have to determine what to wear! It is not a fancy dinner, but sometimes it is nice to get slightly dolled up.

still no games, but glasses!

11-28-12


Even though the games were canceled, at least it was done democratically.

After a lot of back and forth with the RC, from myself and Ken, he was awesome in bringing it to the executive board for a vote. I do understand why everyone voted the way they did as we all were given the floor for 2 minutes. I think I might have even swayed one person a smidge with my plea to think of the kids, but ultimately, everyone except me voted against the Jamboree play. I was the lone vote for play (Ken isn’t on the Executive Board, so sadly he could not vote).

I am ok with it, mostly at peace. The RC agreed that we will work on the program, and with now 8 teams worth of families upset at what went down, there will be a lot of communication done about it. My team even said they would all write letters (some even seemed interested to showing up at the board meetings) to the RC discussing it. I take this as a win since ultimately it will help the region.

At least we had a practice last night that was AWESOME! Yeah, I know we don’t have a game coming up anymore, but the kids who showed up last night were excited to play against all of the parents who showed up. It was so much fun. For an hour or so, we played a full game. It was so incredibly happy making. Kids were laughing, parents were laughing, and it all made it so very clear as to why I love being involved.

My ankle is a little angry at me this morning. Nothing serious. Dax and I both went for a ball and you could actually hear the crack of two strong kicks on the ball at the same time echo over the field. I yelled out an ouch, but knew instantly I was not alone in my pain. I didn’t even have a chance to go down myself, instead scooping up my kid before he went down and took him off the field to assess his injury. Thankfully he was fine. It did hurt, and there were tears, but he is a tough cookie. Last night I asked him how his foot was, and he laughed at me and said he was fine, but then very seriously asked me how my foot was. LOL!

Yesterday afternoon found the boys and I in Old Torrance at our new Optometrist. The staff was incredibly nice and Bobby was actually pretty jazzed about the whole thing. He went back and did some of the eye tests while I filled out paper work and Dax continued writing his essay.

Dax only has to write like 3 sentences for his essay. He tends to write anywhere from 10 to 12.

When we all went into the exam room, the doctor came in and was very warm and friendly. He instantly greeted Bobby and started chatting with him. It was very cool. He did one of those awesome kid doctor things where he is talking to the kid, but clearly he is also talking to the parent. It is a cool balance and I have always enjoyed professionals who can pull it off.

Dr. Yu

Turns out Bobby has astigmatism. It is very minor the doctor said, and runs in the family. After some discussion with my mom, it is very possible that is what she has too. That being said, Ken had glasses at Bobby’s age, and just about everyone in my family did as well. The doc was happy, actually, since it is not all that bad in Bobby’s case, and ultimately, the glasses prescription he decided on will probably really help Bobby. It was interesting watching Bobby read the letters on the board. He truly struggled with a lot of them , mixing up letters that look similar to one another. When the corrections were made on the lens he was looking through, you could actually tell Bobby noticed a difference, and it was really awesome to see him perk up.

When we were sent out in the main area to pick frames, I mostly let him take the lead. After all, it is his face that has to wear them, and no matter what he chooses, he will look awesome. I also was able to let the tech help in making sure that the size fit his head correctly so as to not hurt his ears or nose.

He chose two pair, and we determined only one came in his size. They will be ordered, and based on the picture online they look black with a hint of red highlights on them. The description says blue, but if anything it will be a very dark blue, which will look awesome either way. He tried on the ones with orange and brown coloring in the same style. He looks very handsome.

With insurance coverage, the whole thing only costs me $100 which isn’t too bad. This includes the exam, the glasses, including special glass that is more kid proof, and all of the tests he had. This was not bad at all. There is of course the concern that he takes care of his glasses. He is really good about things like his iPod, so I think if he is trained in with the idea that his glasses are even more fragile, he will do well. The doc said he would not need to wear them when he plays soccer, or even just outside. He should wear them other than that. So the plan will be that he wears them at school. He will probably take them off at recess, but we will see. It may end up being something where he uses them even then. I won’t get to know how any of this goes for a couple weeks since they will not be ready for about 2 weeks.

I was a little worried he would get upset, but instead he looks at it as an amazing thing. He is so incredibly wise beyond his years sometimes. He declared that the glasses were changing his whole life, and he wasn’t saying that in a bad way. He truly feels like this will make life better.

Dax is quite taken with Katy Perry. In fact, I may need to hunt down a nice poster of her. He loves her song Firework, which is a fantastic song on many levels. It is really is a great anthem for someone like Dax who has some self-esteem issues. I am more than happy to encourage this celebrity crush of his. Dax was telling me how his teacher, who is also a fan, actually got to shake her hand. Mr. Williams is hopefully bringing in a picture of this encounter today.

Today looks to be another hectic afternoon for me. I will be pushing the kids to get their homework done quickly as we need to head down to the doctor for their flu shots. Luckily, the shots should not take long. Still, it does mean that it cuts into homework time.

I need to spend some time making sure the house is in order for the weekend. I don’t know how much time will be spent there, but I am not taking any chances.

Thanksgiving 2012

11-26-12


Anger fuels me this morning.

I have truly put a lot into this soccer experience for Ken and the boys. I have coached. I have team parented. I have accepted a position on the board. I have spent countless hours working for this region, all with the hopes that the boys enjoy their soccer playing and fondly remember their time with this sport the way I do. Instead, I find myself frustrated, annoyed and ready to fight.

The U8 program doesn’t have playoffs. U8 is still considered too young (which as a side note is complete and utter BULLSHIT on so many levels) to handle this kind of competition. However, U8 is the time in which the region tries to recruit parents to volunteer for the many jobs that need to be done. One of the big things is referees. Let’s face it, not a whole lot of people want to spend time being ref on a game. Aside from not being interested, we just don’t have the time. So many of the parents I have spoken to have multiple kids that all play on other teams or have classes they are a part of or family obligations that barely allow them to be there for the one game a week. Yet we as a region really try to “encourage” them to show up for more.

The U8 program has an incentive for parents to volunteer to referee. Your child will still get a full season if you do nothing, but they could play an additional 2 weekends if your team recruits new referees. Last year, this program was in effect. Instead of just adding new refs, they were ok with your recruits earning points for how many games they covered. Our team was one of 2 (out of about 12 teams) that actually qualified for this. This would mean that these two teams could play more. However, since there was only 2 teams, the region ended up scrapping the program and let everyone play. The two teams who did do the work were not rewarded. However, the coach’s ended up getting checks cut for $50 long after the season was done, which makes no sense whatsoever.

So this brings us to this season. They opted to change the rules to have each team recruit 3 new refs. Mind you, all the teams have 9 players. This means you had to get a third of your families to participate. Yeah, that’s doable, in fucking fantasy land.

Our team convinced one dad (who is a sweetheart) to ref. Most teams didn’t even get one, and about 4 got 1 ref. Yet based on these insane requirements, not one team had qualified. But since Ken knew how much work some of these teams did put into the program, and he knew how badly these teams wanted to play, he approved their entry into the Jamboree Program (the name of this whole fiasco). Everyone is happy, or so we thought.

Ken put in a request to the ref coordinator to enter online the scheduled games into the referee scheduling program so he could start assigning people to games. This particular fellow, a complete idiot for other reasons, decided that the weekend right before the Jamboree began, yet after everyone was notified, that he would cause a giant stink.

Ken ended up on a conference call with said dumb fuck and the RC and then had a subsequent in person meeting last night with the RC and the Assistant RC. Ken and I did have a chance to pow wow before that meeting. Read: Gena yelled and screamed about the injustices of this move and Ken almost sent Gena to fight this one because she had even more passion than he did.

Ken fought hard. He yelled and did my kicking and screaming yet the RC didn’t budge. He didn’t want to see that we as a region fucked up. His only argument that he stuck with was that if the upper divisions caught wind of these exceptions, they would holler. Never you mind that U8 doesn’t count towards any kind of playoffs nor do they get to move forward if they win this Jamboree. Our program isn’t the same as upper divisions, and as a people involved with trying to keep kids in sports, perhaps we don’t tell them to fuck off!!!!!

I drafted a letter to the RC as an Executive Board Member. I know, who thought it was a good idea to let me of all people have that kind of a title? I have not sent it as of yet as Ken sent me an email after I went to “sleep” that said he had some more ideas. So at this point I have the letter pending. I also may end up not only burning some bridges with this letter, I may set fire to the whole fucking city. I told Ken last night that he really should bail on this U8 coordinator position.

I just sent the letter with a handful of more mods and we shall see who I piss off.

Ok, on to better topics.

The weekend was actually pretty good before this soccer bullshit. Our Thanksgiving down at Legoland was awesome! We got down there early, which meant we were the first people in the park. It wasn’t really crowded, but it certainly was not empty. It seemed to me that the park was not prepared for just how many people would be showing up to spend their holiday at the park, but in spite of all of that, we were able to ride many rides and see just about everything.

On Friday, we decorated the house. The tree was put up, and lights and other items also now adorn our humble abode. We even put away extra boxes and made the place look really nice. It was almost like we were organized or something. What is up with that???

When we put up the tree, the boys’ little friends from across the street helped decorate, which was super cute. They also shared our turkey dinner on Saturday, which was a great way to have that meal.

On Sunday, we decided to go bowling with my dad and Matt. It was fun, and the boys were in hog heaven. Both of them did really well and were excited the whole 3 games, which I think is a first. The bowling alley people remember them and were happy to see them. They have grown a lot in a year!

Sadly, Ken pulled a muscle in his leg to the point where he actually had to stop bowling the third game. He had a hard time standing! We got home and he iced it and mainly sat on the couch entertaining the boys with Wii.

I decided to use this time for good. I snagged Dax and he and I went out shopping for a Christmas present for both Bobby and Ken from him. He chose wisely and we did a couple more stops before heading home where he helped me wrap them. This meant there were not only decorations up, but actual shopping done! What is up with that?!?!?

I considered taking Bobby, but he was less inclined to partake in shopping. So instead, I took the boys and Luna, leaving Ken to soak in the tub, and we went to the Redondo Beach dog park.

Luna had never been, nor had the boys. All three of them were entranced. Luna’s excitement resulted in a full on foamy mouth. The boys were delighted and both spent a great deal of time throwing tennis balls for various dogs that greeted them with enthusiasm. It was really cool!

There was a guy down there with a Golden who was the same age as Luna. His pup was about twice the size of Luna, though. Luna took to this guy (well, and every person down there) and he told me how impressive she had been for it being only her first time at a dog park. I took great pride in this compliment. I am looking forward to taking her back!

It was a good 4 days off. I managed to sleep in a bit. I managed to do a few long overdue projects. I had fun with the kids and critters and truly, aside from this soccer drama last night, it was a great weekend.

Oh, and it will be an interesting holiday what with two silly kittens and a tree. Holy crap, those girls could not get enough of the Christmas tree.

One day before my holiday!

11-21-12


I so very badly want to go see Life of Pi.

Another fab day in the house of Brenan. I got home where the boys were quietly doing their homework. They were happy to see me and I helped them through a bit more of the homework before I sent them on their way to play.

I decided to do my walk earlier than planned, what with Ken being home and the boys content running around play killing with their friends. Luna and I set out on our familiar old path. It was nice to get out and do walking outside as opposed to using the treadmill. As much as I am ok with the machine, especially considering how much tv I have caught up on, it will never compare to the feel of the air cooling your sweat or being able to smile at random neighbors.

The last leg of my journey takes me up and around the school. I decided to push myself and at the top of Halldale at the school entrance, Luna and I started into a jog. We jogged all the way home, which is about a half a mile. It was freaking awesome!!! I know, it isn’t a long run, but every little extra run helps. I am signing up for the Super Bowl Sunday 5K again, and maybe this year I can run some of it!!

I did a shit ton of AYSO stuff last night. Ok, maybe it wasn’t that much, but it felt like it. Just some confusion in a couple of sponsorship checks and what was going where. I also had to correct an outbound check at the last minute, but over all, it wasn’t too bad. I am glad I am organized. I just wish I was better at small talk. One of the board members was over, and he is super nice, but I feel like he is expecting more conversation then I have to give.

I painted my nails last night. Nothing too fancy, but enough that I will be less inclined to peel all the skin off my fingers as I am so prone to doing. Ken suggested that I need to wear latex gloves for 21 days, as that will still allow me to type and it should be enough time to break the habit. Sure, this may work, but I am sure to pick up a different nervous tick and let’s face it, latex gloves are ugly! I suggested perhaps I could go on Etsy and pick up some cute lace gloves, which at least would satisfy the fashion issue. Either way, I need to do something as it isn’t good to keep destroying my fingers.

 

I think my plan is to jet over to Bath and Body Works after work and see about getting one of their uber lotions I used to get. My hands seem much more dry lately, so if I keep them moisturized, I may pick less. Plus, there is less to pick.

Maybe my afternoon exercise will be to ride my bike to the mall. That way I don’t waste time and I can shop and exercise at the same time!

I might also, since I am going to be there, stop in and check out the bargain bra rack again and see if I can find another kick ass boulder holder.

We leave tomorrow morning at about 6:30. It will be awesome! I am really looking forward to this. I know how much the boys loved their time at Legoland. I know how much I enjoyed being at Legoland with dreams of having my own kids there. Now I get to go with them and we can just have a wonderful outing. YAY!

I am going to make a turkey probably on Saturday. I still had one from last year that we bought for 75% off (seriously, this turkey was $20 and I got it for $5!!!!). Thankfully the expiration date says Dec 31st 2012. So I will prep that since for one, it needs to be cooked sooner than later. Two, Bobby really was looking forward to turkey, so I don’t mind.

I have a child neighbor today! Cool! Jean’s son is in the office this morning since they live so far away and she is taking him to a doctor apt this morning. He looks tired. He is I think 10 now. Fun!

Ok, time to work. Happy Thanksgiving, all!

nerf madness

11-20-12


What a positively outstanding afternoon!

I got home with the assumption that I would have Bobby do homework. I greeted the boys and told Bobby he had some homework. He looked at me with concern and said, “Wait, what about the stuff I did with Daddy?” Apparently he messed up the rehearsed line of, “Relax, mom, it’s already done!”

This meant my afternoon was not to be filled with the evils of homework stress. Instead, I hung out on the porch for a bit while Ken was installing a drip system for our plants. The boys were playing with Nerf guns. I asked Dax if I could try and he didn’t really want to give up his weapon. I didn’t make an issue of it and quietly excused myself and went and got my own Nerf gun, fully loaded.



This was my weapon of choice. It is freaking awesome



For the next half an hour, the boys and I waged war on one another in the form of little foam bullets flying through the air. Ken joined in and it was an all out battle on the lawn. It was awesome! Their friends came over at this point and joined in.

I then spent some time on AYSO stuff, which wasn’t much. My plan was to prep a deposit and get it to the bank. I had also wanted to do my second walk, so I combined the two. Luna and I set out to the store on foot. It was very pleasant. I was able to listen to a podcast and get some exercise, and Luna was in hog heaven. It took me maybe 40 minutes, which was perfect for what I was aiming for.

Seriously, though, my critters need to figure out some better sleeping places. I feel like I am tiptoeing through a minefield when I get out of bed. Not only do I have to worry about the cats on the bed, but then there are dogs at the side of the bed and other cats on the floor. It is pretty cool to have all of them enjoying our room, but dude!

The kittens seem to like to sleep in the boys’ room. They will still hang out in the house when they go to bed, but then when it is time for sleeping, they go back into their room and curl up on a bed. The other night, Ken went in there to re-tuck in Dax and saw two little kitten heads pop up from on the top bunk where Bobby sleeps. Super awesome!

This is one of those notoriously slow weeks at work. There are a handful of companies that will return calls/emails, but mostly people are either on vacation or just not feeling like work. It can make for long days.

RIP Cole

11-19-12


3 day work week should be a nice thing!

Saturday I spent most of my day at the field. I once again took Ken down in the morning so that we wouldn’t have to take 2 cars. I also usually help in the tear down process. Ken forgot quite a bit of things he needed, and since I was meeting the Assistant RC down at the field a couple hours before our game, I ended up going back not long after I got home the first time to bring everything needed.

It wasn’t too bad. The boys were a little bored at times, but then again, they were able to run around and get energy out. It also was the perfect day to be at a soccer field what with the off and on rain that was coming. I really enjoyed smiling and telling coaches it was game on, despite the bit of moisture in the air. LOL!

I was quite upset when I went on Facebook to find that Cole had passed away. Even though Brandy had said he had seemed worse, part of me just kind of assumed he would bounce back like he had been doing. I called her and I felt bad that I was at the field and at that point really not able to leave.

The game itself started strong. No scores at the half, which meant we were holding our own. We almost had several scores, but we just can’t seem to finish. Second half started with 2 bad calls which resulted in them scoring twice. Sadly, this opened the flood gates and they scored left and right as the team fell apart.

After the game, the boys and I went to Carl’s Jr. for lunch which seems to be a pretty happy making tradition in the making. Just the three of us, hanging out in a booth, chit chatting. Plus, you get some of the best humor from them. Dax was talking about all the seeds on his hamburger bun. I told him that they were sesame seeds. Bobby then points out the line in the middle of the bun and says, “Well, then this must be Sesame Street!”

I could have gone out Saturday night, but opted to say home in case Brandy might want to come chill or go out some place. It was a mellow evening, and much needed.

Sunday we opted to go Hostessing. Yes, with the recent sale of Hostess, we thought it would be fun to go down to the Hostess outlet store and pick up one of everything. You figure you can freeze most of this stuff and I wanted to make sure the boys had a taste of a genuine Hostess product.

We found one of the shops, which was packed when we got there, with a line in the store that pretty much circled the tiny place. It was awesome. There were no Twinkies left, but plenty of other items, which we bought in bulk. Specifically the bread (not Wonder, mind you) since the boys eat so dang many sandwiches it made sense to have lots of bread. Actually, talking with the random folks in the shop was fun. Ken and I took turns wandering the floor, looking for more items that were tucked away in bakers carts. We were finding things for fellow shoppers. We were all laughing at the event. I am telling you, it was probably a silly outing, but it turned out to be really amusing.

I am being sneaky this week. I happen to have in my possession, the homework packets for the week the kids go back to school. Yes, Bobby has a packet of work sheets he has to do for this week, but he doesn’t have things like spelling words or story summaries to write. This means I can have him do that part of the following week’s homework. Those things tend to be done on a separate piece of paper anyway, so it doesn’t mean I am making him do the worksheets. It means he can get way ahead, which is good since that week will be hectic what with multiple doctor visits. Insert evil laugh here.

report

11-16-12


Dark chocolate brown. I am a happy girl.

Bobby’s parent teacher conference went well. His writing still needs a lot of work. It is messy and he gets very lazy with looking up words for spelling. Half the time, they will be writing a summary of a story right in front of them and he has the word there, yet he will not bother to look and will end up writing it wrong. However, looking at it, he has a lot of imagination and when he is free writing, he does a much better job. They had an assignment that took a week or so what with rough drafts and brain storming in which they had to write about something traumatic that happened. Bobby proceeded to write about the time Woody was lost in Target. It was an incredibly detailed and funny recounting of a bad night for us. His printing was still out of control, but the content was significantly better.

His math skills are quite good and his total percentage seems to be in the mid to high 80’s, so he is doing well. If you look at it compared to the rest of the class, he was number 4 in a class of 22, so this is good. I am proud of him. I need to get him to buckle down on the printing.

The one thing she mentioned is really my biggest complaint about him. He isn’t organized, and he tends to over react when something goes wrong. He has left his lunch pail out on the playground several times, and when he realizes this, he breaks down and is in a panic. One time, he didn’t have a pencil and he flipped out in class, despite there being a box of pencils for everyone to go get one. Luckily, one of the kids in the class yelled out to him before the teacher even had a chance to speak up. He yelled, “Just go get one!” I like that his peers were correcting him since I think that will be more helpful overall.

He is still well liked and Ms. Jenkins speaks of him fondly. When I look at the work from all the other students there, he seems to be doing just fine. He isn’t falling behind and if anything, he is doing better than most. All in all, it was a good report.

While doing the conference we actually had the boys ride their bikes home. Yes, we let the boys go home by themselves. They did good. Their plan was to play their ipods. Sadly, they were not charged, so the boys were quite upset when we got home. Apparently the Wi Remote was also not charged so they couldn’t watch Netflix. It frazzled them a bit, but they were ok.

We got homework done and I even had them clean the playroom. I know, a glutton for punishment, but I was getting tired of tripping over toys.

Today I am working my full day. If I am so inspired, I could also work OT, but we all know that is a not so much. Ken is picking up the boys at noon thirty so I don’t need to worry about them until they all get home from his class at like 3.

I am ready for a weekend.

growing up

11-15-12


My boys are growing up much too fast.

We watched a Simpsons episode in which Grandpa Abe reconnected with his second wife that we didn’t know about before. The boys asked me if they still loved each other, even though it had been a really long time. This led us into a long discussion regarding love and relationships. Mind you, I tried to keep my answers simple, but both of them had so many questions. Bobby wanted to know how Greg and I broke up. He actually remembered Greg’s name from a conversation we had many many months ago. He wanted to know where Greg was now and if we were friends. Then he wanted to know what happened with Beth and Ken. It was really cute.

Dax then looked upset, and I asked him what was up. He looked at me with a very serious look and said, “I just don’t know who to marry. I think I should marry Madison. But then there is Brianna. And Sabrina!” He was quite distraught with choices. I explained to both of them that had I married the boy I liked when I was their age I would be married to Alan Mowery. I told them had I married the boy I liked when I was 14, it would have been Ed. I pointed out also that had I married the various boys I liked, they might not exist. I then had to use another Simpsons episode to explain how Lisa didn’t meet the boy she would consider marrying until she was in her twenties. She didn’t marry Milhouse, a boy she liked when she was younger. They seemed to get this. See, the Simpsons is actually helpful. LOL!

The boys were in full grown up mode earlier, too. Dax had been asking to walk/ride home by himself from school the past couple days. So yesterday when I went to pick them up, I opted to drive. I helped them unlock their bikes, but then bid them goodbye and good luck and I drove home a different way. They were totally fine, and I was shockingly ok with all of this. I wasn’t even worried, which shocked me. It was especially awesome seeing how proud Dax was when he got home. Bobby had been indifferent to the whole adventure, even letting Dax decide which way to go home. It was nice seeing them happy with themselves.

Today brings the actual parent/teacher conference with Ms. Jenkins. I have to admit, despite his award, I am a little nervous. Mostly because my kid can be a little chatty in class so I worry he has been a distraction. It sounds as though he has already been dubbed class clown. I suppose the good news is he is quite popular.

I was in a strange domestic place last night. I actually prepped dinner. I baked pumpkin mini muffins and even a pumpkin bread loaf. I also put together the crock pot for tonight’s dinner adventure. I found myself cleaning up the house a bit and being all organized. It was nice, though, being in a clean house. Especially nice being that my RC had to come over to sign a check. LOL!

It is also one of those times in which last night I was super happy with my critters. I love that when someone comes over so many of them greet the people. My dogs are excited, my cats are excited, and seriously, no one is more excited than the kittens. Everybody bounds up with enthusiasm and it is nice to know that all of them won’t eat the guest.

Boy aren’t I sounding like a glass half full kind of person this morning?

Even though I don’t have to leave until noon, I am considering going a little earlier. I think Ken gets home before that point from Costa. A lot of it depends on what is going on here. It has been a little hectic. I also have some soccer things to attend to, which is part of why I am considering going home.

I get the impression that most of the parents on our team would have been happy with the season being over this Saturday. That being said, I think all the kids are super jazzed they still have 3 more games.

I have a tough afternoon ahead of me with homework duties. Bobby was so upset yesterday just from the work, I had him stop since it wasn’t doing him any good to keep working. This leaves a paragraph summary tonight, alphabetizing 15 words and a couple of worksheets. I am crossing my fingers that it goes well.