Smores

At some point this weekend my husband promised the kids that we would roast marshmallows around the fire pit and make smores. Our every move this weekend involved the talk of making smores. My daughter was completely obsessed with the idea and would not leave us alone about it until the ingredients were purchased and the marshmallows were over the fire. Finally this evening, after we had eaten dinner, my husband sent the kids out to find as many twigs for the fire that they could find. My daughter came back with five little sticks that I am sure she thought could build a roaring fire. We all ended on a hunt for sticks and then my husband decided that we had enough wood to build a proper fire. We roasted the marshmallows on palmetto sticks and then we indulged in gooey, yummy smores. It turned out to be a wonderfully fun evening sitting around the fire with the kids taking turns telling ghost stories.

Saturday

Saturday mornings are my favorite times of the our busy week. This morning we woke up and the kids jumped right into the pool. The warmer weather has brought the water temperature up to about 73 degrees which is plenty warm enough for my kids to jump in and enjoy some fun. This morning's swim ended in a screaming match between my two youngest children. It seemed loud enough to awaken the neighbors so I gave the children a warning and asked them to be quiet. Still, the yelling continued and I had to follow through with my threats and make them get out of the pool. You have to understand that there is "fun yelling" and then there is "mean sibling yelling". This had gotten way out of the acceptable range of noise level. It had even turned ugly toward each of them. Trust me, it would have been much easier to just let them stay in the pool and swim, but once I threaten something, I must stick to my word. Right? Suddenly, my favorite day of the week turned sour for everyone. The kids got out and went and parked their butts in front of the TV. That is NOT how I want them to spend their day. Now I need to think of a way that they can redeem themselves!

Storytelling

This week my daughter and I have been practicing her story for the upcoming Storytelling Festival at her school. She has chosen the story of the Three Little Pigs. In the evenings, she stands on our fireplace hearth and begins with, "Once upon a time, there were three little pigs". She is only five and stumbles a bit through the story, but it is still very sweet.  I encourage her to speak in the voices of the different pigs to give the story more depth. She uses hand gestures and acts out the part of the wolf when he blows down the houses. Both of my boys took part in the festival when they were younger and it was a wonderful experience for them as well. It helps them build their confidence when speaking in front of a crowd and they also gain the extra experience of going to the district festival where they hear the voices of other storytellers. Practicing for the festival does take time out of our busy day, but in the long run, I know that my children will benefit from the public speaking aspect that it provides them.  

Food Police

Last week my nine year old came home with a letter from the school nurse that informed his father and me that he was in a dangerous weight range for his age. What is so bothersome about this is that I see what they serve him in the school cafeteria. Rarely are there fresh vegetables and whole grains served on his plate during lunch period. What else makes this bothersome to me is the fact that his pediatrician says that his weight is fine. The pediatrician also reported that many pre-adolescent children gain a little weight before they hit their next growth spurt. She told me not to worry and that my son is a healthy boy. Even with the doctor's reassurance, mothers still tend to worry about her children.

Today on FOX News, there was a story about a new lunch tracking card that is used in Australian schools. The card allows for parents to place limitations on what their child can and cannot eat in the school cafeteria. Parents can go to the web site that is associated with the tracking card and make choices of what their child may purchase from the school's lunch menu. While I am currently allowed to view what my own children eat at school, I am not able to choose a healthy menu for them. I think Australia is on to something! The only downside that I see to this is that students will not learn to make good choices for themselves when their parents aren't around. Not to mention that my son would probably hate me for choosing legumes instead of his usual choice of pizza.

The evidence shows that childhood obesity in the U.S.is definitely a problem that we must address. Everywhere our kids are surrounded by supersized portions and junk food. Perhaps this food tracking card could help parents in the U. S. guide their children to make better food choices in school when there is no adult to do it for them. I guess this would mean that all U.S. schools would now have to provide the healthy choices that are needed for this plan to work.

Relay

Today we started our day with a breakfast for the upcoming Relay for Life which is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. We had to wake up a little earlier and move a little faster on a Sunday morning, but it was well worth the extra hustle. We gathered in our parish hall at church with our family and friends to help raise money for a wonderful cause. My children didn't want to get out of bed this morning, but once I reminded them that it was our annual Relay for Life breakfast, they got into gear. To my two youngest children, the breakfast was just good food and fun with friends. To my teenager, it was just good food. Somehow though, I hope all three of my children will remember that they have been taught about their duties to service and giving back to society.

Fractions

Last week my nine year old brought home a math test that needed to be corrected for a grade improvement. There was a note at the top of the test that had been sloppily written regarding the instructions from the teacher for how to make the corrections. My husband and my son sat down and made the corrections, but did not show their work. My son returned to school with the corrected test and turned it in to his teacher.Yesterday when I went through my sons folder, I found the test with a note from the teacher. The note said that Kyle had not followed the directions and therefore would not receive a passing grade for his math test.This I might add, was a big unit test and now my son has a C in third grade math.

I confronted my husband and asked him why they didn't show their work. According to my husband, "Kyle said that he didn't have to show the work".

Now in the whole scope of this big, wonderful world, a C in third grade math is not a big deal. I know this. I also know that my son will pass third grade and go on to live out a happy life in spite of not following directions. There is something that is truly bothering me about this episode though. I feel as if there is a break down in the communication between his teacher and us. All he had to do was show his work (and he did in fact do the work) and his grade would have been a A. Now instead, he got an F on his third grade fractions test. Are you kidding me? I guess this is a lesson in following directions and not in fractions after all.

I am looking forward to the next conference night!

Melancholy Mama

Today, my precious five year old daughter is sick with fever and vomiting. Her school nurse called me and requested that I come and pick her up. Of course I rushed right to the school to get her. Now we are home and all she wants to do is lie in bed and snuggle with me. She needs me to bring her crushed ice and won ton soup while she watches her movie. She needs me to just sit with her and rub her back. And that is all that I want to do for her. I don't want to read Frankenstein, I don't want to blog and I don't want to write my lesson plans. These are the days that I question returning to school. These are the days that I am wracked with the guilt that I may not be giving my children undivided attention. Maybe I should have waited until my daughter was a little older and could handle being away from me.
Somehow I will get it all done. I will make sure that my daughter is taken care of and I will finish my assignments. She will feel better and life will go on. And somewhere at the end of the tunnel, I will be both a school teacher and most importantly, a mother.

My Son Needs a Job

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and my fifteen year old son wants me to buy his girlfriend a present that he can give to her. At first I said that I would help him purchase a small token of affection to give to her. I thought that I would take him out and let him buy her a card and a small box of candy. I'm no stick in the mud, I understand that they want to exchange gifts. This morning in church though my son quietly handed me a list of items that he "needed" to buy for his girlfriend. The list included the following: sugar cookie dough, Mike and Ike candy, a teddy bear, a Pandora bracelet, white chocolate and a movie that I had never heard of before. "Oh, and by the way," my son said, "Morgan also wants me to take her to Carrabas". It seems to me that his girlfriend might be what some call "high maintenance". After church we talked it over and I pointed out to my son that he was broker than broke. We ended up settling on a family dinner at Carrabas with an invitation extended to Morgan and a teddy bear with a card. Considering that my son doesn't even have a job, I think that they are pretty lucky. I have decided that the lover man will be working the Valentine gifts off by washing my car and babysitting for his younger siblings.

Teenagers and Acne

Over summer vacation my boys attend Boy Scout camp in the sweltering summer months of July. They sleep in tents and shower once a week leaving their bodies smelly and dirty. This past summer, as a result of living outdoors for ten days, my oldest son returned home with the most terribly broken out face. I know that many teens face minor bouts with skin irritations, but this was clearly a case of full blown acne.

I immediately went to the store and bought some over the counter treatments but nothing would calm the inflammation my poor boy’s face.  Next, I called the dermatologist and waited for an available appointment. Finally we were seen and my son was prescribed a series of expensive ointments and creams. He was even put on oral antibiotics and steroids, but NOTHING seemed to work.  There was still one solution that had been floating around in the back of my mind. Since the acne was now affecting my son’s mood, it was time to take it to the next level.

I had heard terrible things about the drug accutane, but I knew we had arrived at the point where we needed to explore the possibility of trying it. I was the one who brought it up to the doctor and she agreed that we needed to start my son on an accutane regimen.  Accutane is a very serious drug which requires blood work, urine samples and special permission from God himself to fill a prescription. Ok, so I’m exaggerating but seriously, we had to jump through hoops to get him started and to get insurance to cover it.

Prior to starting his first dose of the medication, the dermatologist went over the very long list of scary complications that could occur while on accutane. Some that jumped out at me were: weight gain, chapped lips, digestion problems and moodiness. Hmmm, a teenager that is moody. What teenager with a face full of acne wouldn’t be moody? From what the dermatologist explained, accutane has gotten a bad name because of one single depressed teen that committed suicide while taking the drug. The doctor basically debunked it's bad reputation by saying it was all media hype and finished her spiel saying “See you back in thirty days”.

Within three days of taking the accutane, my son’s face cleared up. It was like magic! It does make his lips severely chapped so he walks around with Chap Stick in his pocket all the time, but his face doesn’t have a blemish on it. He is a happy, well-adjusted teen that enjoys the company of many friends and his confidence, which is very important in high school, has noticeably improved too.

I know that accutane may have gotten a bad rap in the past, but I am here to tell you that we have had a positive experience and would recommend the drug to any family that is at their wits end when dealing with teens and acne. No teenager should have to suffer the effects of acne in this day and age.

Birthday Parties

Today I took my son to a roller skating birthday party. My son has known the birthday girl since they were in pre-school together. When I found the invitation in my son's bookbag, I called right away to to RSVP. My son loves to skate so I took a book and planned to read while the kids celebrated. When we arrived at the party, I discovered that my son was the only male at the party. I told him to go skate with the girls and have some fun, but the girls ignored him the entire time. He really tried to socialize with the guests. I saw him several times try to enter the social circle. It was no use, the girls just would not let him in. He was so bummed, which made me upset too. We decided it was best to leave the party early.

In hindsight, I think the mother of the birthday girl should have stepped in. We have had plenty of birthday parties and I always include all of our guests. I'll be the first one to stay out of my kid's social affairs, but in this case, I think it was just plain rude. My son felt left out and was stuck sitting by himself at a table. Not cool!

Bedtime Story Hour

My children love to read. My children love books. My children love to read because I have read to them since they were babies. 

We all read every night before the lights are turned out. This simple act of opening a book has become a tradition in our home. My children's bedtime always involves a colorful storybook and a parent happily reading it to them. This is a special time of the day that doesn’t require television or being plugged in. It just involves a loving parent and a little extra time.

When my kids were toddlers, I read to them because I wanted them to learn about new topics. Every story was a new adventure that they had never heard before. Imagine hearing William Steig’s Sylvester and the Magic Pebble for the very first time. Or imagine reading Harry Allard’s Miss Nelson is Missing and figuring out for yourself that Miss Viola Swamp is the teacher that the students so love. These are magical and sweet moments that are marked with a special bonding time for my children and me. Not only does reading get us into a bedtime routine, it is also a time where all children can unwind and relax. This in turn helps to lull them into a restful night’s sleep.

Now that my oldest child is fifteen, he obviously doesn’t want me to read to him anymore. Instead, he quietly reads to himself. And let me tell you, the kid loves to read! I can’t help but think that his voracious apetite for reading is a direct result of all the reading I did with him when he was a toddler. I do still read to my two younger children because they enjoy the one on one experience. In fact, all of my children celebrate reading by collecting books for their own personal bookshelves.

Some people collect bugs or stamps. Not my kids though, we collect books.We have books all over our house. My children have books all over their rooms and we even have books in the bathroom. And for presents, guess what? I give books, because they really do make great gifts. Whether it is a birthday present or a Christmas gift, my children can pretty much assume that I am going to find  the perfect book to give them.  

Where do we get our books you ask? I buy books anywhere I can find them…including Goodwill. I also get books at school book fairs, local used book stores and then of course, we always visit the LIBRARY!

If you haven't formed the habit of reading to your children, pick up a book tonight and start a great new family tradition. Even if your children are teens, I suggest a reading night where all electronics are turned off. It’s never too late to instill a love for reading with your family. Tonight after supper, pick up a book and expose your child to the sheer enjoyment of a great story. There are many storybooks that I would like to recommend, below are some of our favorites: 

·         Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel

·         Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle.

·         Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown

·         Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears by Verna Aardema

·         Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky

·         The Full Belly Bowl  by Jim Aylesworth

·         Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

·         The Miami Giant by Arthur Yorinks