Who's In School... Me Or My Kid?

The end of the school year projects are starting.. Which means major parent participation or my kids won't get a good grade.. It's crazy the things I have had to do in the name of education... For example - the 5th grade state project.. All pages needed to be typed.. all pictures needed to be color... and most research is done on the Internet... I remember when I was a kid - we'd send out a letter to the Department of Tourism and we'd get this big packet of really neat stuff...not anymore. It's all Internet... what if someone didn't have a computer.. or a color printer.. oh geez.. This state project was about 25 pages not including the full brochure that "we" had to make.. Thank goodness, I know how to cut and paste... So my kid this year and my other kid two years ago got "A's" I got major callus on my typing fingers..... This year's state project was so good the teacher asked to keep it... Of course, Kara is delighted..
Last night my kids were majorly stressed out - two big projects were due TODAY! They had only known about them since JANUARY!! So I had to make a mad dash to Michael's to get feathers and ribbons... Okay, I just read that sentence...this is a "family blog" people... I got the hot glue out and was ready to glue..
Kara my "work challenged" one had a hard time getting out of lazy land to do the actual book report... I am thinking that she thought the more she procrastinated the more likely I was to do it for her... I assured her that if it wasn't done by 7:30 PM, I would not help her...Well she finally got the message..funny girl - all she had to do is cut out the pictures (I found on the Internet) and glue them. She had already dictated to me the words for her report and they were printed out for her to cut out and paste... Nikki had several things due but her most fun project was her math project. She is my perfectionist kid.. she worries over the the little things.. mistakes that she can see but no else can.. I think her project turned out very nice. Her math ability has skyrocketed this year... GO NIKKI
I have to say I am really proud of both my girls.. Nikki for almost completing her first year of junior high and maintaining her Honor Roll grades. She also beat out 38 other junior highers to be on the Yearbook Team... very exciting stuff.. Watching her grow and spread her independent wings made me really proud to be her mom.
Kara is one of those kids that getting straight A's has never been a problem.. She never studies... she just listens in class and retains EVERYTHING... I am very proud of her ability to laugh at herself and take joy in all that is around her... I could take a lesson from her on that one.. I hoping that next year (6th grade) will be just as easy.. that's when things starting getting harder for Nikki... we'll see.
On a side note. Kara's book report was about General Custer's Last Stand.. She recently found out that Custer is her Great Great Great Grandfather... on her Dad's side... she loves bringing a little fame into her life...thus the book report on General Custer and not something in my opinion more interesting...She did love it...

Another Crazy Day

Yesterday was one of those days that I wanted to be June Cleaver.... wear my pretty dress, have my hair perfect, and always have my home and kitchen and kids under control and everyone is so happy.... Yesterday... was nuts... by 9:00 PM I was ready to put my head in the electric stove... I had 20 balls going in the air and praying that none of them would fall. I was finally got "caught up" at 10:15 PM... and crashed..
This morning my lovely husband let me sleep in. He woke up both the kids, had them make their lunches, and breakfast. He had everyone stay really quiet and I slept till 7:20 AM.. that was very nice... Came down stairs and gave the girls and hubby a quick hug as they walked out the door. After they left I found two notes.. One from Dusty on my computer keyboard and one from Kara (my youngest who drove me nuts yesterday) on my office door... ahhhhh..... all is forgiven...
What was also very nice is the way Dusty set my tea out for me... You got to see this... He loves me...
Today was another crazy day.. I almost forgot to register the kids for school next year but remembered at the last moment... yeah. tomorrow should be pretty good..
Having family that loves you during the stressful days is a nice thing to have.

I Wish Today I Was June Cleaver

Today was one of those crazy stressful days... Let's see...Got the kids up at 6:30 AM made breakfast - made lunches - fed the dog - yelled at the kids a couple of times to get the lead out - drove them to school - arrived just before the bell at 8:00 AM - came home answered a couple business calls - took a shower - jumped in car and took mom to doctor's appointment (2 hours) got back to home office - Seventeen voice mails and twenty - three Urgent emails.... my idea of urgent and my clients' idea of urgent don't always agree... Took care of all Urgent requests - 2:55 PM jumped in car to pick up girls - arrived back at home office 3:30 PM asked youngest one to do her chores - empty and load the dishwasher...went back into my office - 3:45 - caught said kid lying on couch watching TV - kitchen still a mess - Do your chores - closed door went back to work - husband calls his plane will be early can I pick him up at 5:30 - okay... Have four important things I need to get done by 5:15... hear ball bouncing - see chore ignorer running for the kitchen... DO YOUR CHORES...... Go back into my office - copying, faxing, emailing, typing, and stressing.. go back out kid finally putting dishes away.... Don't forget the trash... go back into my office only a few things left and then....phone rings "My plane has landed, come get me" Now I'm really going fast...copier print faster....come on come on.. okay done - put my files in Transbox to ship out tonight... go out into the living room and my kid is laying on the couch again... trash still in the can...TAKE OUT THE TRASH!!!. Big kid stays home and little kid comes with me to pick up Daddy... Explain to little kid how disappointed I am that I had to tell her several times to finish her chores... Kid tunes me out by singing a song from a commercial thinking she's cute.....okay counting 1 2 3 4 5 ... Get to airport arrive at 5:35 PM pick up husband..drive home... "What's for dinner?" Oh geez 1 2 3 4 pork chops, applesauce, potatoes, and garlic bread... sounds good.. Start cooking... Mom can you help me with my book report... Mom I need you to type up my math project.. I lost the other one.... Honey, could you please remember to bring in the mail..... 1 2 3 4 5
I finish dinner - I have the husband and big kid clean the dinner mess.. I go into my office to try to finish things up... M O M M O M.... Honey Honey "Can you....."
1 2 3 4 Days like this makes me wish I was June Cleaver...

When is Censorship Too Much?

I am a huge book fan. I love to read. I mostly go for the romantic suspenseful books. You can usually find my nose buried in a Sandra Brown, Heather Graham, Kay Hooper, or Mariah Stewart book - when I have time to read...which lately I haven't.. My daughter Nikki is also a major book enjoyer. She has on many occasions asked to read one of my books... The answer has always been "no" - mostly for the fact that there is quite a bit of violence trying to catch a serial killer of some sort and the sex can be pretty descriptive... I'm an old married lady so not much shocks me....but sometimes ... I even say, "OH BOY".
I think it's a great thing that my kid loves to read. She is in the in between age.... where "Junie B. Jones" is too young and "Killer Take All" by Erica Spindler is way too sophisticated.
Several of her friends like an author by the name of Lisa McMann. The two books Nikki has read by this author is Wake and Fade. The books are geared towards teens 14 and older.. I have read a little of each of the books and granted they are a little racy but it's nothing that the kids don't see on TV or talk about at school.... It's life..... I am glad there are books out there that intrigues my daughter to read.. reading is good..... in my book. (pun intended)
As I have shared with you in previous posts, my girls go to a Christian school... It's funny what sets off the administration. For instance, the uniforms are not to be altered.. we had to sign an agreement... but several of the girls either hem their skirts to practically crotch level or roll up the waists. The teachers see this...they cannot not see this and nothing is said or done..... Now I bring bags of candy for Halloween for my daughters "Harvest Party" and there are pumpkins on the bags... The teacher makes the kids dump the candy out of the bags and put them into baggies....because Pumpkins are BAD.... it's funny because at my Church our pastor used the pumpkin as an illustration of being a Christian. God picks out a pumpkin, He washes it, He takes out all the yucky stuff inside, then puts a smile on its face, and finally puts a candle in it to show God's love burning bright from within..... so I thought a pumpkin bag was a great idea... any hoo.
So back to the books.... You know the Twilight series... who doesn't right.. I loved the book and I enjoyed the movie.. Okay, it's about a vampire but he's a really cute and nice vampire... Anyways, the Principal at my kids' school thought the book was bad because the girl character was willing to die for the man she loves... he is comparing it to the girl dying as Christ died for us.... very reaching on his side, I think.... I say, if we over censor, our kids might just find a way to read, watch, or do behind our backs.... I would rather give my kid a little extra rope on matters such as this.. because she is reading..... in front of me... and if she has a question.. she'll come to me... not someone else.... If we continue to hold our children in a plastic bubble...what's going to happen when they go away to college? away from home?
I believe we need to raise up our children in the Lord and give them the opportunities to learn and test their boundaries and find out what they love to do... and if reading a "slightly racy" book is the worst of our problems.... I'm thinking we have it pretty good.....

Okay.. Enough Already!!!

Today was my day of frustration! You see, my mom got a hairline fracture on her pelvis around the beginning of March. She has no idea how she got it except that she started a workout routine at Curves... After several weeks, the pain got too intense to continue to ignore it so my sister Debbie took her to Urgent Care on March 17th. There they did an x-ray and an ultrasound and found the fracture... So then she made an appointment to see a orthopedic doctor.. I took her to that one... On the first appointment - he looked at the x-rays and he did not see the fracture so he had my mom get a MRI and see him again in 2 weeks... Okay two weeks go by, my mom still in extreme pain and cannot work.. She is bored out of her mind staying at home..my dad passed away last summer so there really isn't anyone to talk to during the day except for the dog, Pati Jo and she just licks her responses..
I take mom to her next orthopedic appointment and he finally sees the fracture that the Urgent Care doctor saw a month ago... grrrrrrr... So what does the doctor say? Well, you have fractured pelvis and looks like you have a torn muscle... continue to relax and you will start getting better...Well she's not and today she was in extreme pain..so much so I took her to the Emergency room..After another round of x-rays and waiting around 3 hours...the doctor finally sees her.. and you ask what happened??? "Oh, you have a fractured pelvis which looks like it's healing.." says the doctor.. "Well, I am in more pain that I was before, why do you think?" my mom asks.... You know what this doctor said????? "Well, it could be your age.." You have got to be kidding... oh and to top things off....he asked my mom how she thought she might have gotten injured.. she said she was working out at Curves.. and he told my mom don't stop doing that!!!!!! SHE HAS A FRACTURED PELVIS...YOU MORON!!!!! So, my poor mom was sent home with a copy of a new x-ray to show her orthopedic doctor...
I don't know what I was expecting.. a miracle?...maybe... Some definite answers? Absolutely... I know my mom.. she is not a whiner.. or a complainer.. or a wimp.. If she says she is hurting, you better bet your bottom dollar she is really hurting... So her frustration and my frustration continue.... we see the ortho doc Tuesday...Think he'll send her for another MRI?