Overstuffed

I can finally fit myself behind the computer again, now that Thanksgiving dinner has finished digesting. It was a very nice time and even though it was at someone elses home, with none of the food I grew up having for Thanksgiving, it was still delicious. Plus we had good company with whom to enjoy the meal. I'm thankful I have our friends who invite us to every family holiday get together they have. We would be very lonely without them. I have got to make sure we don't piss them off, especially around the holidays!
I did not get to go out "Black Friday" shopping until much later in the night. Hubby had to work and I had to do taxes for the school PTO. OK, I am never being the treasurer again for any organization. 21 forms printed out by the time I was done, and I'm not sure if I did all tax forms I was supposed to do. Yuck, yuck, yuck. Then, on the next to last page, the server of the sight I was using went down. Arrgh! Luckily, I'd been saving all along, but I couldn't finish until today.
Time for a break - I think there is some leftover pie calling my name.

RAD kids

While I've been at work this week, the little monkey I call my son has had vacation. Luckily, the college I work at offers a "Discovery Kids Camp" which has all sorts of courses for the kids to do. Besides cooking and computers, the kids are learning what to do in dangerous situations, like attempted abductions.
Today, I got to watch the demonstration of the skills that my son had learned. He did a very good job defending himself, remembering to aim for the eyes and to kick at sensitive areas while screaming "no" and "you're not my dad". However, as I watched the padded "attacker" go after my son, lunging at him and grabbing him, I had such a feeling of distress. I assume it was similar to the feeling I would get if my son ever actually was attacked. I was close to tears. I felt so silly, yet I couldn't stop myself from felling that way. It is funny how the "mama bear" instinct kicks in, even when you know things are perfectly safe.

Snow day

Here in southern Texas, we do not get to see snow, it is just too warm. However, one day out of the year our home owners association has a "snow day". They truck in a machine like the ones that are used by ski resorts and make snow for the kids to enjoy. It usually is for only a few hours, since by the end of the event the snow has tuned to slush.
Today was snow day. There are different types of joy one can experience during his life, and I think playing in the snow ranks high on the list. We moved here from New England, so we are used to feet upon feet of snow, but to see the smile on my son's face as he ran to the small 2 inch layer of icy slush snow was priceless.
Never have I been one for snowball fights, as a child I was the one who would run and tell mom when my brother and his friends were throwing snowballs. However, today I could not have been happier than when I was being pelted by icy snowballs. Hearing my son' evil manical laughter just before the thump of a snowball had me laughing hysterically. Even the snow down the back of my pants (a tradition in our family - get snow down other members necks and pants), which made me look like I had a bladder control problem once it melted, was almost enjoyable.
To follow the theme of a cold winters day, the HOA also provided hot chocolate, coffee and lemonade. While we were waiting in line, I heard the server tell the folks in front of us there was no more hot chocolate. As I was preparing my son for this disappointment, mentioning how lemonade would be just as good and that we could make hot chocolate at home; one of the servers said to us "I think there is enough for one more cup if you are willing to wait a moment". So the little guy got his hot chocolate after all. It was a really nice ending to a great time.

Veteran's Day

Today, I honor my father, my husband, my uncles, my friends. They have all served proudly in the military, although if you say to most of them how proud you are, they will shyly demure and state that the real vets are those who have been injured/killed.

Growing up, I knew my dad had done his time in the military, but not in detail. Only after I married my husband, listening on one of their conversations did I find out he had been a drill sergeant (if you knew my dad, you would know how humorous this is). Not until last year did I learn that he actually qualifies as a veteran, since he was called back to duty during the last stages of Vetnam. I joked with him that this would have been very helpful to know when I was applying for scholarships, since so many exist for the children of vets. However, since he never had someone shoot directly at him, he does not consider himself a veteran and therefore did not feel that he or his family should benefit from these programs, his belief that there were others who more greatly deserved them.

Bing bang boom

Today was not a good day for me. I was at work, gathering boxes to put into our recyling bin, when "WHAM" a 15 foot medal ladder hits me in the head. Whomever put it back last did not put it back properly. So, with my movement in the general area, the little bit of vibrations I caused in the floor disturbed it enough to cause it to topple over on top of me.

It was behind me, so it was completely unexpected. Do you remember those Tom & Jerry cartoons were Jerry would hit Tom over the head with a wooden mallet? Stars and little birdies would circle his head? That is exactly how I felt. For the next two hours every time I went to walk a straight line, I wobbled a bit to either side. If it was a sobriety test, I would not have passed.

No I didn't go to the emergency room. I stuck an ice pack on it and took some Tylenol. My boss (well temp. boss - the other one is on leave) wanted me to go as did my district manager who was around today. Yes, I did do the paperwork for workman's compensation in case it gets worse, but I hoping it doesn't.

School joy

The other day I got a note home from my son's teacher. The very first words of the typewritten note "Today **** yelled at me" What?!? My son is yelling at the teacher, what the heck is going on here? Then I continue reading. He didn't start off yelling. It seems they were doing some editing work, and he spelled "when" incorrectly. They correct the papers in class, and he thought he heard the other student spell it "wen". So when he teacher approached him, he told her "I did not spell "wen" incorrectly". Ok, that is being disrespectful to an adult, and is not acceptable. What followed was also not acceptable.

This teacher then decided that the class, yes the whole class, should spell "when" for my son. That is when he yelled "I'm doing it now". Let's see, embarrass my child in front of his peers, that'll get him to do the work. Plus, he has an educational modifications in place, called a 504 plan, in writing which states that he is to have "private discussions regarding his behavior". To not follow this plan is breaking federal law.

The teacher then states that she was going to take him to the office, but didn't have time so she sent him to the reading corner. "While sitting there he finished his work and came up voluntarily and gave me a very nice apology. Therefore (she) did not take him to the office." Another part of his plan, he is to be allowed a "cooling off period" which she inadvertently provided which works as you can see from his behavior after the incident. This teacher drives me batty. She has stated in the past that she does not have time to give students (these are 2nd graders) individual attention. She has expressed reluctance in providing my son any modifications, even though they have been instituted with both the vice-principal's and the principal's knowledge and recommendation.

Part of the problem is that my son is very bright, which she knows and therefore believes should overcome any of his emotional/physical problems (his ADHD and immaturity - he is the youngest in his class). The other problem is that she has a mindset from how she was raised as a child and believes that it is the only way to go. She told me that she can not believe how fresh children are today and that when she was a child she would have "gotten a pop on the mouth for being that way". She quickly added that she wouldn't do that to a student, but boy it sure sounded like she wanted to do it.

She did apologize the next day to me, after my husband and I sent a scathing note to her about her lack of professionalism. Her excuse? She and my son are very much alike. (She has the mindset of a 7 year old?) and that she needs to be more professional. It is going to be an interesting school year.

1000 visits

I have had my 1000th visitor today - Whoopee!! True, if I take out all the times I've visited looking to see if anyone left comments (I'm a comment junky), I'd probably be on visitor number 312, but I won't, so yeah for me.

"Who is the 1000th visitor?" you ask. Again, it was probably me but if I take myself out of the running it looks like it was a dear friend in Miami (whose phone never gets answered as of late - what happened to your answering machine? Did the hurricane wipe it out?).

Gosh, I feel like I should be putting up some deep thoughtful posts in order to keep you visiting...it's not going to happen to don't hold your breath. Maybe I'll put up a few of my short stories, you can give me your opinions on them. I just have to figure out what "safe" storage spot they are in. I had better start looking.

Ghouls and goblins

I must rant about the quality of trick-or-treaters I saw at my door this year. The first person to ring my door - two teenagers, neither dressed or even pretending to be anything. Halloween is a holiday for little kids to get dressed up in costumes, not for older kids to demand candy as if it were their God given right. We had about the half the number of people come by as they did last year, which could be because there was a cold rain falling.
Still, if you ring the door at my house you need a costume, or quick imagination if you want some candy. I would pose the question and statement, "What are you? You are not getting anything if you can't at least come up with a good excuse." (I do this every year and have been lucky not to be egged by anyone as of yet.) Some, since they had their letter jackets on, said they were athletes, which although a lame idea, is at least an idea. One kid was with a friend who did dress up. The friend was Zoro, and the kid in regular clothes? He was Zoro's secret identity. I gave him 2 pieces of candy for that.