Sunday, June 17, 2012
A Father's Day trip to the Man Mall
Today, we took Hubs for his traditional trip to Bass Pro Shop in Rossford. They have activities for the kids to do, which allows us to stay there all day. I do admit that some of the "camps" that we attended with K (a short class) were good, but a few were just mind numbingly boring. No matter. K is a carrot kid. What do I mean by that? K enjoys earning the pins that they offer. She was determined to hang out and earn as many as she could. We had a nice day together and that is what matters. K made Hubs a duct tape wallet and she made sure that he was carrying it, too! He can't help but to feel her love everytime he pulls out his yellow, blue and green wallet that says, "I LOVE U" in large block letters. It's a gift that only a dad could love. :)
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Happy 1000! Like, can you believe it? Like, I can't either!
Considering the fact that this is officially my 1000th post, I reconsidered my post subject, but opted to continue on with it.
I do not claim to practice the fine art of speaking or writing English in any perfect way. I do try, though. A text conversation that Rachael and I were having yesterday has brought us both to a possible frightening realization - we think that Valley Girl speak has returned.
Yesterday, there were a few times when I was assaulted with the overuse of "like." One young lady managed to sandwich it between very few words three separate times. On a different occasion, girls who were excessively giggly and appeared to have not left their high school days despite checking their ID's with credit card purchase and noticing that they were 28 and 30, bantered overuse of "like" back and forth like a volleyball in a game. It was so bad that I had to seriously hold myself back from saying, "Um, like, your total is like $12.51." :insert bobble of head here: I don't know that they would have been disturbed by my useage.
That is what frightens me.
K's 2nd grade teacher may have been a stickler for spelling in a way that somewhat drove me crazy, but she did harp on one thing that I absolutely agreed with. She taught them to use, "More colorful language." The word "cute" to describe something didn't cut it with her.
I think that is fabulous.
I've gotten on K a bit more in regard to her writing. I have continued keeping up with correcting misspellings and certainly will make certain that she doesn't fall into the land of "like." It makes an otherwise intelligent human sound beyond unschooled.
Have you noticed any language weirdness? Don't worry, if you've seen it here, feel free to call me on it.
Reflections on a day of 1000ness:
I have prattled on about happy things, sadness, need for prayer, incidents of my daughter's reflux (eww!), and generally journaled about all sorts of miscellaneous bits of life and yet, y'all continue to come back. Thanks for that!
I do not claim to practice the fine art of speaking or writing English in any perfect way. I do try, though. A text conversation that Rachael and I were having yesterday has brought us both to a possible frightening realization - we think that Valley Girl speak has returned.
Yesterday, there were a few times when I was assaulted with the overuse of "like." One young lady managed to sandwich it between very few words three separate times. On a different occasion, girls who were excessively giggly and appeared to have not left their high school days despite checking their ID's with credit card purchase and noticing that they were 28 and 30, bantered overuse of "like" back and forth like a volleyball in a game. It was so bad that I had to seriously hold myself back from saying, "Um, like, your total is like $12.51." :insert bobble of head here: I don't know that they would have been disturbed by my useage.
That is what frightens me.
K's 2nd grade teacher may have been a stickler for spelling in a way that somewhat drove me crazy, but she did harp on one thing that I absolutely agreed with. She taught them to use, "More colorful language." The word "cute" to describe something didn't cut it with her.
I think that is fabulous.
I've gotten on K a bit more in regard to her writing. I have continued keeping up with correcting misspellings and certainly will make certain that she doesn't fall into the land of "like." It makes an otherwise intelligent human sound beyond unschooled.
Have you noticed any language weirdness? Don't worry, if you've seen it here, feel free to call me on it.
Reflections on a day of 1000ness:
I have prattled on about happy things, sadness, need for prayer, incidents of my daughter's reflux (eww!), and generally journaled about all sorts of miscellaneous bits of life and yet, y'all continue to come back. Thanks for that!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
The dad vs. the mom.
Grocery run with the mom for ice cream nets just 1 half gallon of an agreed upon flavor.
Grocery run with the dad includes 2 ice cream half gallons (one for mom and one for K), a pack of sugar cones, a 20 bag variety of baked chips and a bunch of bananas.
Something tells me that K got a better deal with dad at the wallet.
Grocery run with the dad includes 2 ice cream half gallons (one for mom and one for K), a pack of sugar cones, a 20 bag variety of baked chips and a bunch of bananas.
Something tells me that K got a better deal with dad at the wallet.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
She partied like it was 1999.
K had gone to my niece's slumber party yesterday. There was pizza making, cupcake making, swimming, firefly catching, another late night dip in the pool (to rid the kids of bug spray before bed), Smurf punch (yes, it was blue), finally falling asleep at 1:30 AM (her latest ever), and back up at 8 AM to greet my sister with, "Aunt Annie, may I go swimming?" Aunt Annie said that she would be needing coffee first. Kiddo swam all day today and continued to party on.
Girlfriend came into our house at 6 PM and collapsed in an exhausted heap on her floor. It is now 10:06 PM and she is still asleep. She still has her bathing suit on. I figure that she can get a bath in the morning.
K partied it down and had a great time. Happy party exhaustion is not a bad thing. :)
ETA: I did get her up at 11 PM to peel her bathing suit off, have her use the restroom, and to get her into bed. She woke up this morning at 7:30. Now that was one exhausted kid!
Girlfriend came into our house at 6 PM and collapsed in an exhausted heap on her floor. It is now 10:06 PM and she is still asleep. She still has her bathing suit on. I figure that she can get a bath in the morning.
K partied it down and had a great time. Happy party exhaustion is not a bad thing. :)
ETA: I did get her up at 11 PM to peel her bathing suit off, have her use the restroom, and to get her into bed. She woke up this morning at 7:30. Now that was one exhausted kid!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Welcome to Mom School.
Today is the first day of summer break and at 8:19AM, my daughter has already (on her own) done a few pages of math, was introduced to her summer learning notebook and is currently busy journaling while listening to a Junie B. Jones audiobook. On Monday, we'll start with spelling tests of high frequency words. (Journaling and HFW testing at the request of her teacher to keep her on track and to slow down her end-of-the-year laziness with spelling.) We have summer bridge math work that the school always sends home to prepare the kids for the next year. I made two copies of it and I have timed math sheets.
"BUT SHE'S ON SUMMER BREAK!" I can hear people cry. Yes, I agree. I'm trying to avoid my child's summer brain. If I don't keep her on track, there is a lot of loss over the summer. She is a child who thrives on a schedule and things that are a bit more regimented. She is happily, without argument, working hard on her journal entry.
It should be noted that I promised that my part of Mom School will take no more than one hour.
In regard to T.V. viewing, our summer plan is "You watch what you read." Since they have a summer reading log for school (by 15 minute incriments for a total goal of 25 hours) this is bridge work anyhow. So, if K reads for 15 minutes, she has earned 15 minutes of viewing time. She can bank time for movies. K, a child who takes at least a book everywhere she goes, will not have a problem with this. My challenge to her is to reign her in a hair and to have her read 2 chapter books in full each week. She'll read 6 or more books at a time and occasionally finish one, but I'd like to reign in her ADD style of reading. We are going to participate in library group, too and that requires the children to write book reports (small and just a sentence or two) to win prizes. She won two prizes last year, so she knows how nice that was!
We've just reviewed her "My Last Day" journal entry. She did well, trying hard on spelling and had most excellent handwriting. We reviewed any misspellings (computer, watch, tornado and practice) so that she can reference back, if needed.
Here's to hoping that the rest of Mom School goes as swimmingly.
I couldn't leave this post without giving K an atagirl. She stayed on honor roll all year. I sat last night with report cards, certificates, ribbons, some papers and whatnot and made her second grade memory book. She loves to look at her past year and we do, too!
"BUT SHE'S ON SUMMER BREAK!" I can hear people cry. Yes, I agree. I'm trying to avoid my child's summer brain. If I don't keep her on track, there is a lot of loss over the summer. She is a child who thrives on a schedule and things that are a bit more regimented. She is happily, without argument, working hard on her journal entry.
It should be noted that I promised that my part of Mom School will take no more than one hour.
In regard to T.V. viewing, our summer plan is "You watch what you read." Since they have a summer reading log for school (by 15 minute incriments for a total goal of 25 hours) this is bridge work anyhow. So, if K reads for 15 minutes, she has earned 15 minutes of viewing time. She can bank time for movies. K, a child who takes at least a book everywhere she goes, will not have a problem with this. My challenge to her is to reign her in a hair and to have her read 2 chapter books in full each week. She'll read 6 or more books at a time and occasionally finish one, but I'd like to reign in her ADD style of reading. We are going to participate in library group, too and that requires the children to write book reports (small and just a sentence or two) to win prizes. She won two prizes last year, so she knows how nice that was!
We've just reviewed her "My Last Day" journal entry. She did well, trying hard on spelling and had most excellent handwriting. We reviewed any misspellings (computer, watch, tornado and practice) so that she can reference back, if needed.
Here's to hoping that the rest of Mom School goes as swimmingly.
I couldn't leave this post without giving K an atagirl. She stayed on honor roll all year. I sat last night with report cards, certificates, ribbons, some papers and whatnot and made her second grade memory book. She loves to look at her past year and we do, too!
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Aunt Patti to the rescue!
You might remember my story of crying in the produce section of our local grocery after my aunt passed away because she was K's cherry informer. She would call to say when cherries were ready and where they were on sale. I was thrilled to find an e-mail from Aunt Patti today (mom of Janeen at Our Story) to let me know that not only are cherries out and good, but where to score them for reasonable cheapness. Hooray! Thanks, Aunt Patti!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
The birthday that I couldn't celebrate.
My brother Billy has somewhat removed himself from family. I admit that I was still in favor with him until I found that I absolutely would not take his screaming treatment of my mother as okay any longer, so I sent a text telling him what I felt.
I was invited not to contact him.
I sent him a birthday card, but it wasn't the same.
I drove my niece home from my mom's house last night. I her that I was no longer coddling her father. I still wanted to make sure that she remembered his birthday yesterday and was able to phone him. "Aunt Amy, I'm not allowed to have my dad's phone number." She did send a card, though.
Grand.
My birthday wish for my brother? I'd love him to remember how important family and his children are.
My birthday wish for my mom? That my brother takes his head out of his butt (I'm being nice, considering) and starts giving her the respect that she deserves. I mean, I know that it isn't a big deal to him that she and my dad have been busy raising his son, pulling him through school and teaching him to read since October (my nephew is 9), but he might want to consider that perhaps not so many parents out there would do the same. They've fed, housed, helped to clothe and miscellaneous things all with no offer to offset those costs. It is a great thing what my parents have done and the lack of respect and true appreciation astounds me. Frankly, it breaks my mom's heart the way my brother has chosen to treat her and speak to her in tones and words that I would never consider using around people that I greatly dislike.
I hope that my brother can see what matters most and that whatever life he choses to lead allows him to sleep at night. If he finds that it doesn't, that he might consider adjusting likewise and to make life improvements. Until then, I pray for him to consider reconciling with his family- the very same people he has called on and has bailed him out on numerous occasions.
I was invited not to contact him.
I sent him a birthday card, but it wasn't the same.
I drove my niece home from my mom's house last night. I her that I was no longer coddling her father. I still wanted to make sure that she remembered his birthday yesterday and was able to phone him. "Aunt Amy, I'm not allowed to have my dad's phone number." She did send a card, though.
Grand.
My birthday wish for my brother? I'd love him to remember how important family and his children are.
My birthday wish for my mom? That my brother takes his head out of his butt (I'm being nice, considering) and starts giving her the respect that she deserves. I mean, I know that it isn't a big deal to him that she and my dad have been busy raising his son, pulling him through school and teaching him to read since October (my nephew is 9), but he might want to consider that perhaps not so many parents out there would do the same. They've fed, housed, helped to clothe and miscellaneous things all with no offer to offset those costs. It is a great thing what my parents have done and the lack of respect and true appreciation astounds me. Frankly, it breaks my mom's heart the way my brother has chosen to treat her and speak to her in tones and words that I would never consider using around people that I greatly dislike.
I hope that my brother can see what matters most and that whatever life he choses to lead allows him to sleep at night. If he finds that it doesn't, that he might consider adjusting likewise and to make life improvements. Until then, I pray for him to consider reconciling with his family- the very same people he has called on and has bailed him out on numerous occasions.
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