My favorite teacher

After reading another's blog, I thought I might comment on a teacher that influenced my life as a child. It would be my second grade teacher, Ms. Terry.
Ms. Terry was a very fair teacher. She did not necessarily have all the extra games some of the other teachers had, but she did have the ability to make every one of her students feel special.
I was very shy as a child and did not speak up much (in fact, there was some question as to whether or not I had a learning disability since I did not speak at all outside of my family), but I did like to write poetry. As a gift to her at one of her holiday parties, I gave her one of my poems. Later on, when the other kids started asking where my gift to her was, she simply told them that I had already given it to her; saving me any embarrassment over the type of gift I had given her.
She did not stop there. She continued to nurture my writing throughout the school year, encouraging me to open my heart and let the words flow. She followed my school career and let my next few teachers know that I had a "talent" that should be encouraged.
What a kind heart she had. I always wanted to tell her how much I appreciated her, but we moved away and I don't know where she is at now.

School's Out for Summer

My son finished school this past Wednesday and we have a long summer ahead of us. Well, not that long since school starts back August 10. We had a very trying year, as I had many battles with his teachers.
He is ADHD, but I did not wish to medicate him, at least not immediately. There are many techniques that instructors can implement that can be beneficial for the troubled student while still being nondispruptive to the rest of the class. Unfortunately, I had to keep reminding his teachers that these would not be temporary fixes, that they had to be continuously enforced in order for them to be successful. I also had to remind them that taking recess away from an ADHD kid is not the brightest thing to do, even if it is to finish school work especially since they can just send the work home with him and know that I would get him to do it that evening. This also applies to taking lunch time away, which is absolutely unacceptable since they don't normally have enough time to finish eating as it is.

Of course, I understand where these teachers are coming from. I know how strict the testing is in this part of the country and that the school district that we live in is one of the top ones around; but come on, let the kids be kids a little longer. He was only in first grade and he had to move from classroom to classroom, switching teachers throughout the day. I would like him to think of school as a positive experience, not a torture chamber.

Visiting home

I get to visit my relatives up north in a few days, just the boy and I (I gave up on trying to get my sweetie to take time off - he works crazy hours and always seems to have something big going on during the times of the year when I want to take a vacation). I had planned on keeping this trip a secret from his family, with visits to my side only, a few trips to the beach and to the casino (the boy will not come along for that trip). I have met some resistance with this plan, since Sweetie insists that I should see his Dad, who misses my son, and visit with the great-grandparents (who knows how much longer they will be arond...). Plus his mom said that she would like to take my son overnight the next time we visit...

I understand the logic of this, but the flip side is that I can't just visit one of them, I have to visit all of them and there are step-relations involved as well. Plus, if I was to go to a backyard bar-b-que with everyone there, it would not be enough. No, I would be asked "When will you come visit at my house?" Am I not visiting with you now? I do love his relations, but they are time demanding.

When we visit up North, we normally stay at my parent's house but we shirk my side of the family to go to the numerous family functions his side has("It's Great Aunt Betty's annual Memorial Day Bar-b-que. No she isn't really your aunt and you've only met her twice but she is expecting you to come.") So, my folks get to see their grandson when he wakes up in the morning, but that's about it. And see my brother??? Never happens.

We'll see how it goes. I really would like to surprise my brother-in-law on his birthday, but I can't count on his 2 1/2 year old and 4 y.o. to keep quiet the next time they see their grandma.

Baby blues

I was out with the girls last night and we were discussing babies, how some want more and others are fine with the number they have. I only have one child, and plan not to have any more. Do I feel bad he doesn't have sibling..sure I do, but I also realize that if I were to have another child, there is a very good chance that I would hurt that baby.

You see, when my son was born, I did not feel any maternal connection to him. In fact, I can honestly say I did not even like him for the first two years of his life. Yes, this is very sad, but at the time I did not realize just how bad things were. I had post partum depression, but blamed it on everything else. We had moved to Ft. bragg, my sweetie was not around much, family was far away...you get the picture.

My husband knew something was wrong, but he thought I just was upset because I was stuck at home and my son was a colicky baby. We also debated long and hard about having children, me not necessarily wanting them but giving in in the end.

We moved after one year to Long Island, NY, where I still was miserable, but this time I thought it was due to the monetary constraints we were feeling at the time, and because I never saw my husband (I worked nights and weekends so that we did not have to pay daycare costs). We never really discussed how I was feeling, but we should have.

So many woman figure they will shake off the "baby blues", but it is not that easy. I wasted 2 years of my sons life, wishing he was never born; when I could have been happy, enjoying his gurgles and coos. Did I think it was a sign weakness to get medication? I don't know. On some level I knew I was depressed, in fact was on the look out for it since it runs in my family, but I couldn't act on it to get help. Now, I have a good support system and friends who will be straight with me and tell me that I need help. Sometimes, it is that push that we need to do something. I share my story with my friends hopefully to wake them up, and let them know that it is OK to look for that extra help, that if you suspect something is wrong, it is and you need to do something about it. No one should "miss" those first few years, especially when they have a great kid like my son.

Crawdads, crayfish, roaches that swim in the ocean

I love seafood...well, most seafood. Tonight my sweetie had a crawfish boil waiting for me when I got home from work. He and my son were out shopping and saw crayfish for sale outside the local supermarket. They tried some and decided to bring them home.

To me, they are not worth the effort. They are miniaturized lobsters that look like they were run on the "high" cycle in the dryer one too many times. You expend more energy cracking them open looking for that 1/2 teaspoon of meat then you do eating them.

And then there is the smell. My house is going to reek for the next week or so, smelling like a rotten sewer or a festering bayou in the hot August sun.

Happy Mother's Day

In honor of Mother's Day, I am going to let you peruse the "book" my son made me for Mother's Day. The beginning phrases were given to him and he filled in the endings.

My Mom is special because...she always picks me up at my bus stop.

My Mom can do many things! I think she is best at... throwing a frisbee.

My Mom has a pretty smile. I like to make her smile by...getting good notes home (this is a source of constant friction in our house, more on it some other day).

My Mom looks prettiest when ...she's happy (isn't this true for everyone?What insight my 6 year old has).

My Mom is the funniest when ..she's acting like dad (you know who the disciplinarian is in our house).

My Mom is smart! She even knows...hard math (that first grade math is pretty tough:)).

I want my Mom to always remember me...in the snow (I don't know why, perhaps he's missing New England winters).

This is better than two years ago - then I was great because I could paint a bathroom.

The best part of the day - his excitement as he gave me this book. He is so special, and I don't always take the time to appreciate him. Happy Mother's Day everyone.

Excuses, excuses, excuses

Wow, it has been a long time since I last blogged. Well, to be truthfull not that long - I just can't get my post to publish for some freakish reason or another.
Plus, I've been really busy with work, taking extra hours on. Then there is the new job I've got on alternating weekends. I don't have enough time to keep the day-to-day operations of my home going, never mind blogging.

Case in point, when I looked in my freezer yesterday to take something out for dinner I found the following:

1/4 full bag of Mexican blend shredded cheese

1 box of Toaster Strudels (Not a very nutritious breakfast, but good for when we can't seem to get ourselves moving in the morning. Plus, you get a great sugar rush off the frosting)

1/2 a package of Jumbo (and I mean huge) hotdogs left over from pre-World Series.
My sweetie had a craving for those huge hot dogs you usually only get at the ball park. My son and I hate them, which is why they are still in the freezer and not eaten.

2 frozen go-gurts (liquid yogurt tubes)

a tray of very old ice

several boxes of frozen vegetables

True the grocery store is only a few minutes away, but the point is I always have food in my freezer. My pantry is stocked with 4 different types of sugar, 6 various vinegars and three oils. My neighbors know that if they need some staple I have it, or at least I used to. What has happened to me?!?

Driving

My neighbor's son just got his license and is on the road (most of the time, sometimes the sidewalks aren't too safe). When I learned to drive, it was much easier than it is now. Growing up in RI, I never had to worry about getting lost. The state can be traveled in one hour, from north to south. I just drove to the border of the state, usually MA, turned around and could find my way home. In fact, there was a specific gas station I would hit and know that home was only 40 minutes away. They also had pretty cheap gas, so I could fill up before I headed home.

Now, I'm in TX. I could drive for a day and not reach the border. I pity the children around here.

Occupation change?

Today I filled in as a "hostess" at a local home builders office. I was told all I would need to do is greet and pass out facts sheets. Instead, I sold a house. I really didn't mean to, especially since I knew ahead of time that the copier wasn't working to that it would be near impossible to get the documents needed. Nevertheless, it happened and and I have 2 more people coming back in the morning. I thought I would be able to read all day.
Now if only I could get the commission on it.

New edition to the family

I have a new member of my family. S/he is named Speckle. S/he is a dwarf bunny. Before you say anything, the idea of getting a bunny was not my idea originally. A friend's co-worker was given the bunny because the beau thought that she would like a bunny for Easter. Yes, "thought", didn't ask. What single 25 year old womean wants a rabbit? This idiot didn't even realize that she was going away for the weekend. And that is how s/he became ours.

Speckle will probably be called a he until we figure out its sex. I still don't know how you do it and I don't think I want to.

Oh yes, side note, I have plenty of wonderfuly compact fertilizer now. I swear that one teaspoon of food results in one cup of fecal matter. My grass will be the envy of all my neighbors.

For this Monday mornings...

I saw this and thought how many of my dear friends and family would find it valuable. I of course would recommend sending the kid to find the alarm clock, thereby keeping him entertained and me asleep.


LONDON (Reuters) - Can't get out of bed in the morning?

Scientists at MIT's Media Lab in the United States have invented an alarm clock called Clocky to make even the doziest sleepers, who repeatedly hit the snooze button, leap out of bed.

After the snooze button is pressed, the clock, which is equipped with a set of wheels, rolls off the table to another part of the room.

"When the alarm sounds again, simply finding Clocky ought to be strenuous enough to prevent even the doziest owner from going back to sleep," New Scientist magazine said Tuesday.

Pinewood Derby

We finally had our pinewood derby. Our entry was in the shape of a shark. It had fins, google eyes, and sharp teeth (made from a soda can). It wasn't the fastest, but it did win for "funiest" car. I know for a fact that there were several categories that the judges wanted to give it (most creative, most original), but they were limited to one category per car.

We had a blast. I think the scouts liked it best when one of the cars had a blow out on the track. It actually spun out (if you have ever seen a pinewood derby track you know this is tough to do).

Back to the grind part II

Hmm. now Tim wants to charge me for the free sample he sent, at least for the postage. He hasn't sent me a total yet. Other vendors send samples all the time. I think he is just mad.

Back to the Grind

So how was my vacation you ask? Exhausting. Back to work today and I am thankful for it.

One of the silly things I've done recently is volunteer to be coordinator of my son's upcoming field day. This actually isn't too bad, the most stressfull part being the ordering of the giveaways for the event, made more stressful by my going to the wrong company.

I was told to visit company A on th einternet, to just type in a few prompt words and it would be the only site that popped up under those words. I did that and started working with a joyful fellow named Tim who listened to me, didn't pester me with phone calls, sent me a free sample, and just was fun to work with. Then I find out last Friday, after I call him to tell him I am ready to place our order for 1000+ pieces of merchandise that there is actually another company which has the same name, supplies the same materials and is actually the one I am supposed to be using. Gulp.

I had to send an apologetic email to Tim, explaining the situation, and now I feel like the stuff you scrap off your shoes after wandering through an active cow pasture. I have yet to hear back from him since it was the weekend, but I'm sure he will not be happy. So, let me give props to his company, www.appleadvertising.com , and I recommend that you check them out for company give aways, school gifts, etc.

I'm so excited - I get a week off from work while every one else still has work/school. Ahh, time to myself.
Well, not exactly. Yesterday was spent nursing my son back to health from an attack of Strep. Today will be spent redoing a neighbor's downstairs (I owe her since she watched my son over spring break while I had to work. Her son is the one who gave my son Strep. Tomorrow I have to go to my son's school to work on organizing his field day. Thursday I wait around all day for the air conditioner repair guy to come, along with (hopefully) the plasterer to fix the hole in my ceiling from a water leak i hd over the weekend. Friday is my scheduled day to volunteer at my son's school.

Hmmm....I seem to have lost track of where my time is! :)

cannoli

I went to an "Italian" restaurant which goes by the name of "Johnny Carino's"with a group of co-workers the other day. I put Italian in quotes since the food is rather tepid at best.
One of the group had never had a cannoli but having recently seen a television commercial that kept mentioning them, wanted to try one. I knew she was not going to get the full experience when it came to the table bathed in chocolate, in a shell that was strangly looking like a Mexican churro. Unfortunately I was right. After every tried it we all agreed that it was not a true representative of Italian desserts.

Now I'm on search for a good cannoli recipe, one that includes how to make the pastry. Anyone have a suggestion?

Soup and stuff

My sweetie made chicken soup for our dinner and it came out wonderfully. It is not a traditional American soup, but one with pastene, spinach, and chicken with mozzarella on the bottom that melts as you eat the soup. Since he was going by memory from when I made it last, he did good.

It's been over 10 years since I last had this soup. It actually can bring tears to my eyes when I eat it. It is a recipe that is closely tied to my deceased Italian grandfather. Traditionally, we would have a holiday dinner at his house, beginning with this soup, then pasta, then salad, then the main course with its side dishes, with little or no room left for all the delicious desserts.

My grandfather died when I was 9, so I never had the chance to tell him of my adventures in Europe; travelling to his home village, having complete strangers dig around for the marriage records of his parents on their lunch breaks. In fact, I missed the chance to ever really talk with him since I didn't learn Italian until a few years after his death.

Only later in life do you realize the wealth of knowledge that could have been known if only the right questions had been asked.

Found

I was going to delete my last post, but I think there are some important points that need to be made.

First and foremost, they found him, safe and unharmed at a "friend's" house.
I put friends in quotes because of how he got there.

It seems that this "friend" picked up my neighbor and drove him to his house, in a neighborhood about 10 miles away. The neighbor boy is 14, this "friend" was an adult. What would make someone think it is OK to take a 14 year old out of his own neighborhood to another one and not call his parents to let them know he is OK?

I don't know what would have happened if some female friends hadn't stepped up and called all of my neighbor child's friend. She called everyone in his class and tracked him down. She then called his mom, who went to this "friend's" house and picked him up.

This teaches us a few lessons. One, know who your child hangs out with. The mom in this case had never heard of the "friend" before last night.
Two, warn your children, let them know that if they ever go to someone else house they need to call you to let you know where they are.

We are all of the belief that something bad would have happened to him if he hadn't been found last night. No reasonable adult would drive a child out of his neighborhood, at night, without checking with the parents first (the need for permission to go someone else's house is well know amongst his friends, as his parents are strict, and have different customs than Americans do).

We are just thankful he is OK.

Weak with Worry

I've just spent the last 1 1/2 hours searching for my neighbor's 14 y.o. son. He and his mom had an arguement and he ran off.

I've heard the phrase "weak with worry" before, but I'd never actually seen it. My poor neighbor was so worried that she literally could not stand by herself. She kept collapsing onto my tile floor. I just can not imagine the pain she is feeling right now.

The guilt is overwhelming her. He went to the store without asking permission, she found out, took away the chips he bought, he ran off, she tried to follow, he had a bike, she couldn't go fast enough. She is blaming herself for saying "no", for not running fast enough, for everything. Of course, she can't help but think someone has him, is hurting him

He's a good kid, honor student, on sports teams, very respectful. My heart hurts for her.

More taxes

So this tax thing is not going smoothly. I could swear that throughout the year I saved all the important receipts (ie moving recipts, hotel bills, plane ticket stubs, etc), yet when I go to look for them they are missing, gone, disappeared...you get my drift. Just check your canceled checks or your checkbook. Not there either. We were reimbursed for our moving costs, but will be taxed severely if I can't find these silly slips of paper. And I'm the responsible one. Oh bother.