Still think it’s just the middle eastern countries’ fault?
CNN reports that Exxon just boasted the biggest quarterly profit in U.S. history. Read that sentence again. Are you angry yet? How is that not price gouging? Why does there seem to be no one in our government (either the republican administration OR the democratically-controlled congress) with the testicular fortitude to stand up and do what’s right for our country?
… and no place to go
Mikaela came out of her room in this getup today. Notice that she’s wearing two different princess shirts and two different shoes. Fancy.
Oh my
I don’t know what it is with my daughter today. This morning during our homeschool session, I asked the kids to tell me two of something that they had on their bodies (I was thinking eyes, hands, feet … something like that). Mikaela promptly hopped up off her chair, smacking one … um, “cheek” and then the other. Yes, now we know she has two cheeks. Or, make that 4. Snort.
Anyway, the crude-fest continued this afternoon. A man had come to fix the deadbolt on our back door, which is in the back part of our living room. I was on my computer with my back to him (writing an earlier blog, actually), and the kids were behind me, watching TV. I heard a belch and said without turning around, “say excuse me.”
Both of my kids answered with “excuse me.”
I turned around and said, “no, only the person who burped needs to say excuse me. Who did it?”
Without missing a beat, Mikaela said, “the man did it.”
I turned around to see the repairman stifle a laugh.
Interesting
Well, maybe not to YOU. But I’m intrigued by the names Mikaela comes up with for her dolls. As far as I know, she’s never heard any of these before:
Leta
Londa
Johna
… Apparently she likes names that end in “a.”
She makes me smile while playing with her dolls. She loves setting them all up for a tea party and talking to them, answering “for” them with high squeaky voices. She also refers to many of them as “sweetie,” “honey,” and “babe.” She also loves tucking them in to her bed under a blanket. (Or the couch, or wherever else she decides to put them.)
Count it off
We’re still working on the concept of 1, 2, 3 GO! Read the rest of this entry »
Gabriel update
We’ve had some exhausting days with Gabriel recently, although he’s still “good” most of the time. It’s like he wakes up in a stubborn mood some days and you know the day’s going to go down the toilet. Because I’m not going to give in and let him have his way, even though that would be SO much easier than a day-long battle of wills. It usually starts out with something small, like me telling him to clean his room up (the kids clean their room every day because it doubles as a classroom and I like to have it clean so there won’t be as many distractions) – and he refuses. A few days ago, I told him to clean his room (he is very capable and has done it many times before) and he kept whining and saying, “But I don’t WANT to.” After I came back and checked in repeatedly and he’d done nothing, I stood him in the corner, where he jumped up and down and screamed like a girl. I told him he was going to have to stand in the corner until he stopped screaming like that … and he stood there for quite a while. Well, it was probably no more than 10 minutes, but when you’re listening to shrill screaming, it can seem like an eternity! I forget what else happened that day, but by the time Jay got home I felt like I’d been run through the wringer. This is the thing that frustrates and confuses me: I could not get Gabriel to articulate why he was punished. He genuinely seemed to have no clue. What do you do with a willful but clueless-seeming child? I don’t want to just let him do as he pleases, because that’s a surefire way to raise a rebellious, mouthy brat; but on the other hand I don’t want to punish him for something he doesn’t understand (even when I explained it to him in the simplest of terms, it wasn’t seeming to click.) *Heavy sigh*
This has all got me thinking that I’ve GOT to get him in to see some sort of specialist to be re-evaluated. So far, I know he has external hydrocephaly, a speech delay, and various motor delays and texture issues (most of those fit under the umbrella of his sensory integration disorder diagnosis). I also suspect he has ADD because he frequently spaces out (but not ADHD, since he’s not hyper). I don’t really know who to take him to see, though. A behavioral psychologist? Who specializes in ADD and other disorders like that? And I’m really curious to know if all of these things are related to the external hydrocephaly. Which makes me wonder if there’s a specialist out there that knows a lot about that. Anyone out there in the same boat?
Homeschool Preschool Day 1
Today was my very first day of really homeschooling in earnest. [If you're just tuning in, I am homeschooling my 3 1/2-year-old girl and almost-five-year old boy. He starts preschool at the local public school in a month, but I'm not sure I'm leaving him in long-term.]
I think it went pretty well. It lasted about two hours, with a 10-minute “recess” break in between. I took a long time researching the state educational standards (what kids need to learn when), consulting teaching and homeschooling books, and gathering workbooks and supplies. So instead of a set curriculum, we’re just kind of doing a hodgepodge based on my research. I mean, it’s not rocket science … obviously, they need to be learning their letters and numbers at this age, but there’s a lot more I wanted to cover as well.
If you’re curious, here was my lesson plan for today:
Recite weekly memory verse: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Identify month and day of the week on calendar: Monday, July 28.
Look outside and talk about weather. Select appropriate weather conditions on the weather wheel.
Recite pledge of allegiance and Texas pledge.
Start a construction paper chain. (Have a pre-cut strip of construction paper, crayons, and tape handy.). Tell them that each day, you will add one more ring to the chain. Let them help you decorate it.
English
Go over the letter A – the letter shape, letter sound, and trace a page of upper & lower-case letters. Drill them with letter flashcards to make sure they know uppercase A and lowercase a. Talk about words that start with the letter A. Let them take turns writing A’s on the dry-erase board.Read “The Snowy Day” aloud. Ask them questions about the story when finished:
- Was this story about summer or winter?
- What did the boy do in the book?
- What was your favorite part?
- Do you think snow is cold or hot?
- What do you wear when it snows outside?
Math
Sorting game: give them each baskets or bags filled with multiples of several different things. (I used buttons, cotton balls and jingle bells. Odd combination, but it’s what I had handy.) Put bowls around room and have them run around sorting items out by kind.Do Number zero tracing worksheet. Talk to them about concept of “none” and “zero.”
Do Cutting Worksheet (scissor skills)
Science
Discuss your Five Senses. Read “My Five Senses.”English
Vocabulary words: Smell, Touch, Taste, Sight, Hearing.Social studies
Read page out of “Children Just Like Me” – identify where child is from on the globe.Talk about each child as an individual and get them to recognize individual differences and characteristics (use mirror). Fill out page 43 from All About Me (height, weight, hand and foot measurements). Have them decorate “God made me special” picture frames.
Unbelievable
Have you heard the story yet about radio host Michael Savage calling 99 percent of Autistic kids “brats” … !?
from the Statesman article:
On his radio show last week, he said: “What do you mean they scream and they’re silent? They don’t have a father around to tell them, `Don’t act like a moron. You’ll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don’t sit there crying and screaming, you idiot.’”
… I am at a loss for words. At the very least, he should be promptly fired from his radio talk position.
Thanks… I think.
This weekend, I got my hair cut into a shorter bob. While I was at the salon, Jay and the kids went to eat lunch.
When they picked me up, Mikaela looked at me and said, “You look like Dora.”
My latest acquisition
So I’ve got a small collection of older Fisher Price toys going on … and I found a new one today. It’s an old wind-up toy radio that plays “Hickory Dickory Dock.” It’s not in the best condition, but considering I found it at Goodwill for 59 cents, I’ll live with it! It’s still decent enough to evoke the warm retro-toy fuzzies. {Photo for reference only; this is not a picture of mine}
So this brings my vintage Fisher Price toy collection to 4 items. I also have a happy apple, an airplane pull-toy and a wind-up music box record player. My sister got me the happy apple at a yard sale and sent it to me on my 30th birthday. I swear, it was one of my favorite presents! I guess that means I’m still a big kid. The other two items I found at yard sales.
I haven’t had the budget to explore this hobby in earnest, but I know what I’ve got my sights set on next: a vintage “little people” collection. Oh, how I loved my Fisher Price little people as a child. I don’t know why I never kept any of that stuff. I went through a period in my tweens/early teen years where I wanted nothing more than to be a grownup; I wanted nothing to do with anything left over from my childhood, so I passed all of it on to my sister’s kids (her oldest is only 8 years younger than me).
I am going to hold some of my kids’ toys back in case they ever get sentimental as adults and want to see them again. I already know I’m keeping Gabriel’s Fisher Price (apparently I love that brand) castle and possibly his Fisher Price pirate ship. He’s played many, many hours with both and still loves them dearly.
Wow
TIME magazine actually portrayed a growing Christian trend – Purity balls – in a (mostly) positive light. Shocker.
It could happen to you
Today I went to Target with Mikaela, stopping off at the restroom before I started on my shopping. As soon as we got in the stall and … uh, seated…. Mikaela exclaims, “WOW, MAMA, YOU GOT RED PANTIES ON!”
Thanks. I’m sure the rest of the store really wanted to know that.
Poooooolitics
So Nancy Pelosi and George W. Bush are trading barbs over their respective ‘failures.’ Bush complained of a do-nothing congress; Pelosi called him a complete failure as president.
You know, I’m going to have to side with Bush on this. Gas prices continue to skyrocket and what has congress done for us? Oh yeah, they’re not even brining the prospect of offshore drilling to a vote. That’s what they’re doing. NOTHING.
Now Bush on the other hand, of course he’s made mistakes. But I continue to be completely astounded that every democrat tries to act like they opposed the Iraq war from the get-go when they did not. Obviously that’s a quagmire no one would have gotten into had we a crystal ball, but … now that it’s turned out to be a bad decision, naturally democratic congress is going to point at the president and haughtily declare him good-for-nothing.
Is anybody else out there sick of all this crap? Can we have a Mr. Smith Goes to Washington moment and get some decent people back in our Capitol?
Speaking my language
Sometimes a book you read is so timely for where you are in life, it’s almost scary. I’ve had that experience time and again recently while reading John Ortberg’s God is Closer Than You Think: This Can Be the Greatest Moment of Your Life Because This Moment Is the Place Where You Can Meet God. Nice long title, huh? But that pretty much sums it up. It’s really good if you’re walking through a time in your life where you think you’re having a hard time hearing from and/or feeling the presence of God. And I’m only halfway through, so I’m sure it’s got a lot more gems in store.
Cute-isms
Today, Mikaela looked at a sticker that spelled out “Jesus” – it had no photo or anything, just the name. She came up and pointed to it, saying, “That Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Also today, Mikaela was trying to think of something to do. She stood with her eyebrows furrowed, deep in thought. Suddenly her face lit up and she said, “Oh, I have a dea!” (an idea)
Yesterday, Mikaela saw a bear in the clouds while we were in the car. She was excited and tried to wake up Gabriel, who had fallen asleep. When she had done so successfully, she looked back up at the clouds, which had now shifted, saying “oh, NO. It broken.”
Earlier yesterday, I saw a red spot on Gabriel’s arm and asked him where it came from. He said, “It’s a bug bite. I think a spider did it. A BIG spider.”
Last weekend, we were going to a particular park, one where Gabriel had something of a panic attack one time before when it was really crowded. Gabriel said that he was scared, and Mikaela reached over and patted him, saying, “It’s no big deal. I’ll protect you.”
One Word Meme
Here’s a meme I saw over at Only Sometimes Clever … my apologies to Karen for copying all her memes. Hey, you’re the only blog I read who has them.
One. Word. Only. No. Repeats.
1. Where is your cell phone? near
2. Your significant other? asleep
3. Your hair? thinning (!)
4. Your mother? far
5. Your father? copacetic
6. Your favorite time of day? evening
7. Your dream last night? forget
8. Your favorite drink? coke
9. Your dream goal? publisher
10. The room you’re in? living
11. Your ex? None
12. Your fear? destitute
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? comfortable
14. What you are not? sick
15. Your Favorite meal? burritos
16. One of your wish list items? car
17. The last thing you did? laundry
18. Where you grew up? Birmingham
19. What are you wearing? PJs
20. Your TV is? off
21. Your pets? out
22. Your computer? aging
23. Your life? good
24. Your mood? blah
25. Missing someone? always
26. Your car? hot
27. Something you’re not wearing? shoes
28. Favorite store? World Market
29. Your summer? flying
30. Your favorite color? blue
31. When is the last time you laughed? today
32. When is the last time you cried? recently
33. Your health? great
34. Your children? blessings
35. Your future? hopeful
36. Your beliefs? firm
37. Young or old? young
38. Your image? improving
39. Your appearance? flawed
40. Would you live your life over again knowing what you know? absolutely
VBS going well / update
The event I’m hosting at my house this week is going pretty well. The church I go to is having these Vacation Bible School-type things all over the Austin metro this week … each one hosted by individual members of our church, at their homes. It’s targeted to kids and it’s led by members of the church youth group. It’s mostly fun and games, with a short Bible lesson geared to their age level. We’ve been holding it in my front yard, and we’ve been getting a lot of walk-bys that are interested. We had a crowd last night, and I was so excited! Although I almost ran out of snacks to feed them! I made a grocery run last night so that won’t happen again today.
I am really impressed with the maturity of the youth who are leading VBS. They are really great at telling the Bible stories and interacting with the kids during game time. I’m not officially doing a whole lot in my role as hostess … just registration, making name tags, making snacks and taking pictures (so the church can use it to promote next years’ event). But at the same time, I’ve been super-busy this week. I guess most of it is from trying to keep my house clean in case people come in to use the restroom. I had one 6-year-old who came in last night who made a mad dash for my kids’ room after he used the restroom. He wanted to play with their toys. I had to shoo him back outside.
The first night, Jay took the kids to town so I wouldn’t have to deal with them along with everything else – but last night, they were all here. I tried to get Gabriel to play along with the games, but he wasn’t interested. He allowed himself to be coerced into limbo, although he didn’t really understand the rules. I think he may have been intimidated because most of the kids were so much bigger. Maybe he’ll get over his skittishness this next year in preschool.
Speaking of preschool, it occurred to me yesterday how fast the school year is approaching. I have some severely mixed feelings about sending my baby off to a public school, especially since I have planned to homeschool, but I feel like this is the right choice for this moment. He needs to get over his social awkwardness, and the younger he can, the better. I hope I’m not just trying to justify this to myself … but honestly, it’s not a black-and-white decision, especially based on his special needs. I could beat myself up either way I went … but I’m going to try to make the best decision I can given the knowledge I have right now, and focus on the positive things that’s going to come of it. I think a lot of it is going to depend on his teacher. I plan on getting to know her as well as possible. If I don’t get a good feeling, I’ll just make other arrangements.
Let’s see … what else? I am trying desperately to sell my minivan so I can buy a car with AC and better gas mileage. (want a van?) I have someone who was interested and supposed to call me today, but I haven’t heard from him. Argh. I’ve spent all day scrubbing the interior with baby wipes … from the dashboard to the stained carpet. It’s in need of a detailing, but I don’t want to pay for it. I’m not even sure I could afford it … how much is that kind of thing, anyway?
Please Pray!
I’m hosting a vacation-Bible-school-type thing at my home tonight through Thursday evening (each night). Please pray that the turnout is great, that the kids’ hearts are open to the message, that there are no injuries or problems, and that it doesn’t rain on us! I’ve never done anything like this before, so I’m a nervous wreck. I know whom God calls, He equips, though … so I shouldn’t be anxious.
Long day
Today was one of the worst days we’ve had with the kids discipline-wise EVER. They were awful. This is one of those days I can understand parents who leave to go buy some toilet paper and never come back home. Okay, I could never go that far, but it was a bad day nonetheless.
It’s mostly Mikaela. Driving us out of our ever-loving minds. It’s amazing how much you can love a child and be so totally frustrated by them at the same time. She came into the world with a mean streak! She seems to delight in mischief, making Gabriel cry, and making us nuts. Then she’ll turn around the next day and act like an angel.
I made a decision today to start sending her to OUR room when she’s punished. Our room contains nothing but a bed and a nightstand, so there’s nothing with her to play with there. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. Anyway, isolation seems to be like the best punishment for her personally … she REALLY hates being alone, even for a small amount of time. I’m just going to have to step up things on my end and stop letting the little things slide. She constantly almost follows directions. By that, I mean, if you tell her to put something in an exact spot or do a specific thing, she will make sure you are looking and put the thing in the vicinity of where you told her to put it, but not exactly in the right place. She then gives us an evil grin … she knows exactly what she’s doing. Thumbing her nose at us. It’s hard to explain, but if you could be here and see it, you would know.
Thank you, internet, for letting me vent. Maybe tomorrow will be a little easier.
I’m bad, but not THAT bad
Jay is always ragging on me about my addiction to soda. First it was Dr Pepper, and now it’s Coke. So yesterday when I was running around trying to get the house ready for company, I somehow found myself in the bathroom with a bottle of Coke, which I set down on the edge of the sink.
Later in the day, Jay went in the bathroom and called out: “Why is there a Coke in the bathroom? Wow, you ARE addicted.”
Fourth of July Fun!
We had a really great 4th of July. I think the best one yet since our kids were born. Not that the holiday has been bad since we’ve had kids … but you know how it is, it’s hard to enjoy a holiday until your kids are old enough to enjoy it along with you.
7/4 also has a special place in my heart and is growing to be one of my favorite holidays. I am growing more patriotic and realizing that I AM proud to call myself an American. My country may not be perfect, but I’m not going to drag it through the dirt. I’m weary with Americans who seem ashamed to call themselves that … as far as I’m concerned, THERE’S THE DOOR. I hear Canada is nice this time of year.
But I digress (SHOCKER!). Yesterday was fun, and I’ve decided to declare our family’s July 4th celebration an annual event. Earlier in the day, we went to a carnival/festival and had a blast while getting burnt into crispy critters – well, the kids didn’t get burnt because I slathered them with sunscreen. The carnival seemed on the small side this year but it was fun anyway. There was a petting zoo, rides and games for the kids, booths where you could buy things (Jay got some Strawberry Habanero jelly … NO THANKS) and food vendors. My favorite part was the petting zoo. The kids really enjoyed it this year, although when Gabriel went to feed the pony, he thought he was being eaten. Ha. Mikaela amazed me, how comfortable she seemed with all the animals. For instance, she walked right up to a rabbit and scooped it up like a baby. She is certainly the opposite of Gabriel … not cautious at all. I guess that could be a good thing and a bad thing at the same time.
Later in the day, we had some family and friends over for dinner – and Jay cooked out on his “new” grill. We had pork ribs, sausage hot links, jalapeno “firecrackers” (stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon), potato salad, baked beans, deviled eggs, watermelon, fresh ears of corn that we roasted on the grill, dinner rolls, and homemade vanilla ice cream. Everything was wonderful (I can say that because I didn’t cook!) After we all stuffed ourselves silly, we played board games and then left for the fireworks put on by the city. After the city’s fireworks, we came back home and let the kids play with sparklers for the first time. They enjoyed it, although they need to learn some patience! We were having a hard time getting them lit in the wind.
All in all, I’d say it was a really great day. I hope next year’s celebration is bigger, better, and even more memorable.
If you want to see photos of our merriment,click here.
Mis-heard lyrics
Mikaela was singing “Yankee Doodle” in the car tonight and instead of singing the last line as “and with the girls be handy,” she sang “and girls were being handy.” Well, I guess that’s more age-appropriate for her, anyway. ha.
Earlier in the song, Mikaela stopped after the “macaroni in his cap” part and said, “that’s funny, mom!”
