This Thursday, we attended parent/teacher conferences. We started the afternoon with a playdate after school at Tower Grove Park with friends. The weather was so nice and we ended up staying until 5 p.m. The playdate was impromptu though so the boys were starving and I decided to make a quick run through some fast food joint. I dreaded the experience and the place we went lived up to the expectation. The service was super-slow and the food was eh. I'd chosen fast food because I thought it was going to be fast...it wasn't we ended up running late to the parent/teacher conference. My anxiety was only exacerbated by the fact that Dirty called to tell me he was also running late because of traffic. Eventually, we made it to the school and were really only five minutes late. Monkey's teacher assured us that it was no problem.
We went into her room and sat at a table. The boys played quietly behind me as she paged me through his portfolio. Not too long after we started, she said, "Come on in, we're just getting started." That was Dirty getting there. We finished looking through the portfolio and Monkey is continuing to progress in writing, letter and number recognition, she said he's ready to start reading and that he would start that soon, she said his drawing has improved and that they are becoming more recognizable, then she let us have it. Monkey has not been behaving this week. She said that she has seen a whole new side of Monkey that she did not know existed. Normally, she can easily redirect him, but this week he has really been misbehaving, he's not napping, and he's been really defiant. We expressed our concern and did the parent thing, by trying to rationalize, with decreased sleep, diet changes, et cetera. All of which is true. Plus, we are coming off of spring break where we didn't have set bedtimes, routines were screwy, and he was gone from school for a whole week. She told us that she didn't say anything throughout the week but it has been a bit of a problem. At least, academically he is doing well. I'm sure he'll be back to his normal Monkey self soon. The Scientist, on the other hand, is doing great.
The Scientist's report was gleaming compared to Monkey's (which I won't do because good parent's don't do that ;). His teacher said his writing has much improved with his confidence since the beginning of the year. He received "A's" in Reading, Social Studies and Math, which his teacher usually doesn't give out until 4th quarter. Mr. C. said that The Scientist's ability in those areas is really exceptional so he'd earned the "A's". All of his other subjects he is still doing well in. He's still a bit too talkative at times, but he's gotten better at controlling himself when he's supposed to. Finally, there's me.
I would love to say that I've got straight "A's" again, but sadly I don't. I have one "A" and three "B's". There is a likelyhood that I will get two of those "B's" up to "A's" by the end of the semester. The one "A" I have is in Anatomy and Physiology though, so I'm pretty proud of that. I've made it to the point where most people drop A & P and I've made it here with an "A". I filled out my financial aid and will receive even more than I did for this past year. It's nice to get "something" for the almost eight years that I've been a stay-at-home-mom. All the sacrifice and low-income is paying off with...free schooling!!! Totally worth it. I got to be home and raise my children during their more formative years and now, with more confidence in myself and my abilities, I've started a path that I've always wanted to take, and I'm doing awesome.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Spring Break...
We had a great spring break! The boys and I were off the same week, which was nice. I pretended that I was just a stay-at-home-mom again and not a student. Well, that's not completely true because I worried about not studying throughout the week and I did go to S.'s house to identify muscles on the pictures she took of the models in Anatomy. We ended up with a playdate every single day. Here is a brief description of how that went.
Monday: We were originally supposed to go to TG Park and ride our bikes, then go to lunch at the R.'s. But then M.R. got strep so that was cancelled, but we still had the boy R.'s over for a playdate while M. and A. went to the doctor and then had the prescription filled. Then we rode bikes to my in-laws house, where we played and fed the dogs and watched satellite. Then we rode back home.
Tuesday: We went for a bike ride to TG Park. Then we stopped by my in-laws, to see if A. needed us to come back to feed the dogs. She didn't so we went home and the boys played in the back yard for something like four hours. I stayed inside and cleaned the kitchen and tidied up the rest of the house. Later in the evening, The Scientist's friend, M., came over for a sleepover. They stayed up pretty late playing video games then reading.
Wednesday: We all went to Mastadon State Historic Site, in Imperial, to visit their museum and hike their "Bone Bed Trail". It was a neat little museum and I learned the difference between Mastadons and Mammoths. Mammoths were mainly in the western portion of the United States. Mastadons were mainly in the eastern portion. Mammoths were bigger than Mastadons. The differences between the two are similar to the differences between African and Asian elephants. After the hike and a snack, we came home and the boys played outside for another few hours.
Thursday: We went "all the way" to Wildwood to visit the Ri.'s. It was the first time that I got to meet their newest addition C. He is super-cute and pretty much just slept the whole time were were there. BUT that meant that D. and I got most of the entire playdate to ourselves to sit and chat. The boys all got along great and were pretty much off playing. D. and I ended up tidying up the toy room near the end. I realized mid-playdate that I forgot to take the play table, which I told P. M. that I would transfer to D. Then the boys and I left, and it wasn't until I reached Lindbergh on I-44 that I realized that I'd forgotten both of the boys books in her basement. So I called her and we set up an additional meeting the next day to exchange everything I'd forgotten.
Friday: I dropped the boys at the R.'s to play while I went to meet D. in Eureka, where we had a cup of coffee and chatted a bit more. It was nice to see her two days in a row (just like old times). That ended pretty quickly, because I needed to leave to get back to the R.'s. I watched A.'s boys, and my own, while she took M. and G.K. to dance class. While she was gone I tidied up her kitchen from lunch. I figured it was only fair since she fed my children. Then she got back, and we sat and chatted. I tried to help her process clothing choices for her upcoming reunion in NOLA. It was a lot of fun, but being the fifth day of non-stop action I was pooped and therefore not much in the energetic scheme of things. The boys actually left relatively easily, which was a nice end to things. That night, we met my in-laws for dinner at Pho Grand, and then we had gelato next door at The Gelateria.
Saturday: I believe we had a pretty lazy morning, then we headed to Home Depot. After that, we came home, regrouped, then headed back out. The boys went swimming and I went to Target. I bought all of the Charlaine Harris' paperback books, Twilight: The Movie, new shelves for the boys room, and a few other odds and ends. Then, I went back to The Heights to meet the boys. They were finished playing, but the weather was so nice, so we went to the playground.
There one of my pet peeves reared it's ugly head. A mom sat in her car where she talked on her cell phone the entire time. Within one minute of the boys getting onto the playground, the youngest needed help getting down from somewhere. Within fifteen minutes, the youngest whipped "it" out and started peeing in the middle of the playground. Granted, this was after a minute or so of him looking frantically around for "something". At that point, his mother started yelling his name from her car. He obviously couldn't hold it and she's yelling at him. After about ten seconds of him peeing in the middle of the playground and her yelling, she FINALLY gets out of her car, still on her cell phone, and it isn't until she actually gets to the gate that she says, "So and so, I have to go. Yeah, I'll call you back later." Then she yells at him, "YOU DO NOT DO THAT! IF YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM YOU GO TO THE SIDE OF THE PLAYGROUND! YOU DON'T STAND IN THE MIDDLE AND GO! YOU ARE SO NAUGHTY!" Then she called her older son and said they had to leave shaming her younger son even more by saying, "We have to leave because your brother is naughty." Um yeah, how about you don't leave two children under six unattended on a playground. Sure, the playground is completely fenced in, but what are they supposed to do if they need you? Walk out of the playground and across the parking lot to your car to ask you? Right, then you make your child feel like an idiot because he doesn't know what to do, but you are nowhere near him in order for him to ask you. Nice.
Sunday: Another last lazy day. We took our time getting ready and then we went to the Zoo. We went to Zoomagination Station and renewed our Zoo membership. Then we rode the train and got to see the orangutans close up. All of them were right up against the glass just looking at the people looking at them. So cute. After the zoo, I dropped the boys at home and I went to Old Navy. Then, we spent the rest of the evening at home, winding down, and getting ready for the upcoming week. I finished my homework for tomorrow and finally completed my notecards for the muscle test in Anatomy on Friday. And now I'm writing a blog about our Spring Break week. It was so nice to have a week off, do nothing but be, and we have fantastic weather. It could have been slightly warmer for my tastes, but overall it was lovely.
Monday: We were originally supposed to go to TG Park and ride our bikes, then go to lunch at the R.'s. But then M.R. got strep so that was cancelled, but we still had the boy R.'s over for a playdate while M. and A. went to the doctor and then had the prescription filled. Then we rode bikes to my in-laws house, where we played and fed the dogs and watched satellite. Then we rode back home.
Tuesday: We went for a bike ride to TG Park. Then we stopped by my in-laws, to see if A. needed us to come back to feed the dogs. She didn't so we went home and the boys played in the back yard for something like four hours. I stayed inside and cleaned the kitchen and tidied up the rest of the house. Later in the evening, The Scientist's friend, M., came over for a sleepover. They stayed up pretty late playing video games then reading.
Wednesday: We all went to Mastadon State Historic Site, in Imperial, to visit their museum and hike their "Bone Bed Trail". It was a neat little museum and I learned the difference between Mastadons and Mammoths. Mammoths were mainly in the western portion of the United States. Mastadons were mainly in the eastern portion. Mammoths were bigger than Mastadons. The differences between the two are similar to the differences between African and Asian elephants. After the hike and a snack, we came home and the boys played outside for another few hours.
Thursday: We went "all the way" to Wildwood to visit the Ri.'s. It was the first time that I got to meet their newest addition C. He is super-cute and pretty much just slept the whole time were were there. BUT that meant that D. and I got most of the entire playdate to ourselves to sit and chat. The boys all got along great and were pretty much off playing. D. and I ended up tidying up the toy room near the end. I realized mid-playdate that I forgot to take the play table, which I told P. M. that I would transfer to D. Then the boys and I left, and it wasn't until I reached Lindbergh on I-44 that I realized that I'd forgotten both of the boys books in her basement. So I called her and we set up an additional meeting the next day to exchange everything I'd forgotten.
Friday: I dropped the boys at the R.'s to play while I went to meet D. in Eureka, where we had a cup of coffee and chatted a bit more. It was nice to see her two days in a row (just like old times). That ended pretty quickly, because I needed to leave to get back to the R.'s. I watched A.'s boys, and my own, while she took M. and G.K. to dance class. While she was gone I tidied up her kitchen from lunch. I figured it was only fair since she fed my children. Then she got back, and we sat and chatted. I tried to help her process clothing choices for her upcoming reunion in NOLA. It was a lot of fun, but being the fifth day of non-stop action I was pooped and therefore not much in the energetic scheme of things. The boys actually left relatively easily, which was a nice end to things. That night, we met my in-laws for dinner at Pho Grand, and then we had gelato next door at The Gelateria.
Saturday: I believe we had a pretty lazy morning, then we headed to Home Depot. After that, we came home, regrouped, then headed back out. The boys went swimming and I went to Target. I bought all of the Charlaine Harris' paperback books, Twilight: The Movie, new shelves for the boys room, and a few other odds and ends. Then, I went back to The Heights to meet the boys. They were finished playing, but the weather was so nice, so we went to the playground.
There one of my pet peeves reared it's ugly head. A mom sat in her car where she talked on her cell phone the entire time. Within one minute of the boys getting onto the playground, the youngest needed help getting down from somewhere. Within fifteen minutes, the youngest whipped "it" out and started peeing in the middle of the playground. Granted, this was after a minute or so of him looking frantically around for "something". At that point, his mother started yelling his name from her car. He obviously couldn't hold it and she's yelling at him. After about ten seconds of him peeing in the middle of the playground and her yelling, she FINALLY gets out of her car, still on her cell phone, and it isn't until she actually gets to the gate that she says, "So and so, I have to go. Yeah, I'll call you back later." Then she yells at him, "YOU DO NOT DO THAT! IF YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM YOU GO TO THE SIDE OF THE PLAYGROUND!
Sunday: Another last lazy day. We took our time getting ready and then we went to the Zoo. We went to Zoomagination Station and renewed our Zoo membership. Then we rode the train and got to see the orangutans close up. All of them were right up against the glass just looking at the people looking at them. So cute. After the zoo, I dropped the boys at home and I went to Old Navy. Then, we spent the rest of the evening at home, winding down, and getting ready for the upcoming week. I finished my homework for tomorrow and finally completed my notecards for the muscle test in Anatomy on Friday. And now I'm writing a blog about our Spring Break week. It was so nice to have a week off, do nothing but be, and we have fantastic weather. It could have been slightly warmer for my tastes, but overall it was lovely.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Note to self...
A bird free-flying around an open space will scare the living s&%# out of you. Having a flying beast come near your head with wings a flappin' will cause you to pull your left trapezius. It will also give you flashes of gigantic moths flapping around your face, and you know how freakin' scary you think that is. No, no it's not swimming from manta rays or stepping on crocodiles in rivers, but it's still an experience that will scare the bejeezus out of you. No matter how much the bird tries to lift the cage door open or tweets at you to let him out, "DO NOT DO IT!!!"
Monday, March 9, 2009
I can't fall asleep....
I don't know if it was the Diet Dr. Pepper after 7 p.m., the ice cream at 9 p.m., the uneasy processing about my day, or my anxiety about the upcoming week, but I cannot sleep. I was hoping that if I got into bed and relaxed with a little music that I would get the urge, but it's now 12:15 a.m. in the newly daylight savings time and I am no closer to sleep. This week Dirty and I are watching my in-laws three dogs and their lovebird. I'm torn between the comfort of home, which is a sense of normalcy for me and the boys, namely a fairly set schedule, and how much time I can spend at my in-laws to give their animals a sense of normalcy, namely people in the house. Although, my two kids, and heck even the husband and I, are probably more stressful for them that just being alone. Part of my reason for not falling asleep is figuring out my school schedule, the family schedule, and adding in the extra four animals schedule. I know I can work it out. I will work it out.
My next big worry is my Anatomy class, which is slightly weird considering I also have a History test this Thursday. But I am more worried and especially anxious about the two Anatomy exams I have after getting back to school after spring break. The two exams are on muscles. (sidenote: Yay, a yawn.) There are A LOT of freakin' muscles in the human body. I don't have to know all of them, but of the 40+ muscles I do need to know I also need to know their origins, insertions, actions, and innervations. I'm already behind in the schedule that I made up for myself for the next couple of weeks. This week, I'm going to put some time into learning those four things about the muscles I need to know, but I'm going to put more time into learning where exactly they are on the body. I have to do that because the campus is closed the week of spring break, which means I'll have no access to the charts or models on campus.
I've also been feeling especially out of shape lately. I told myself that when I got the right equipment (a sports bra) that I would start jogging. Even with my crazy upcoming week, I'm going to try and jog for at least 20 minutes 7 days a week. My other problem is that I have clicking in my wrist, knee, and sometimes ankle. Now my anatomy professor said that once it starts it won't get better, but right now I'm carrying more weight than almost ever, I haven't worked out regularly since I started school, and my diet is that of a couch potato. I've been really stressed by school, family, life...
Some good things:
I thought I might be sick of John Frusciante's The Empyrean before I listened to it, but I wasn't. It is really a spectacular album. I hope I never get sick of it.
The workmen, R. and J., finished all the work on the plaster and the hole in the hall ceiling that they were hired to do. It was nice to no longer have strange people in our house...no matter how nice they were. (and they were really, really nice people) They did a great job, and I can't wait to paint everything.
We have painted the boys room. The Scientist picked the color (although we actually bought the shade lighter than what he picked, please don't tell him...ever). It is called moss green. It looks great in their room. We still have to re-white the trim and parts of the ceiling, but we are going to do that a little later because painting a room is a lot of work. We also purchased a curtain rod and four navy curtain panels to place between the living room and their room (Monkey picked out the blue). I also bought a new lamp for their room. So we can get rid of the lamp that was a hand-me-down and had a patched wire (kind of scary). Our final purchase for their room will be shelves for the wall and that will likely happen next weekend. (that's my hope anyway)
We had a really nice playdate Friday night with The Scientist's three best friends, J., I. and M., for M.'s birthday. He chose to go swimming at The Heights, which works out great for us since we're members, and dinner at CiCi's Pizza. All the parents were there, and we both really feel blessed that The Scientist has such a great group of friends. They play really well together and go out of their way to make sure that everyone can be included. On another day, they wanted to go down the big slide, The Scientist was the only one not tall enough, so in the spirit of fairness they decided that no one should go. All of the kids, except for I. are also in the gifted pull-out at school which, after a couple weeks of The Scientist not wanting to go to school on Fridays because of it, he is enjoying it again.
I suppose that's all for now...even though I'm not really any more tired than before. I probably shouldn't have taken Macroeconomics on a Monday, because I seem to get like this every Sunday. Then I'm in a class on Monday that is very interactive and the teacher makes us answer questions and write on the board and I'm out of it. Nice.
My next big worry is my Anatomy class, which is slightly weird considering I also have a History test this Thursday. But I am more worried and especially anxious about the two Anatomy exams I have after getting back to school after spring break. The two exams are on muscles. (sidenote: Yay, a yawn.) There are A LOT of freakin' muscles in the human body. I don't have to know all of them, but of the 40+ muscles I do need to know I also need to know their origins, insertions, actions, and innervations. I'm already behind in the schedule that I made up for myself for the next couple of weeks. This week, I'm going to put some time into learning those four things about the muscles I need to know, but I'm going to put more time into learning where exactly they are on the body. I have to do that because the campus is closed the week of spring break, which means I'll have no access to the charts or models on campus.
I've also been feeling especially out of shape lately. I told myself that when I got the right equipment (a sports bra) that I would start jogging. Even with my crazy upcoming week, I'm going to try and jog for at least 20 minutes 7 days a week. My other problem is that I have clicking in my wrist, knee, and sometimes ankle. Now my anatomy professor said that once it starts it won't get better, but right now I'm carrying more weight than almost ever, I haven't worked out regularly since I started school, and my diet is that of a couch potato. I've been really stressed by school, family, life...
Some good things:
I thought I might be sick of John Frusciante's The Empyrean before I listened to it, but I wasn't. It is really a spectacular album. I hope I never get sick of it.
The workmen, R. and J., finished all the work on the plaster and the hole in the hall ceiling that they were hired to do. It was nice to no longer have strange people in our house...no matter how nice they were. (and they were really, really nice people) They did a great job, and I can't wait to paint everything.
We have painted the boys room. The Scientist picked the color (although we actually bought the shade lighter than what he picked, please don't tell him...ever). It is called moss green. It looks great in their room. We still have to re-white the trim and parts of the ceiling, but we are going to do that a little later because painting a room is a lot of work. We also purchased a curtain rod and four navy curtain panels to place between the living room and their room (Monkey picked out the blue). I also bought a new lamp for their room. So we can get rid of the lamp that was a hand-me-down and had a patched wire (kind of scary). Our final purchase for their room will be shelves for the wall and that will likely happen next weekend. (that's my hope anyway)
We had a really nice playdate Friday night with The Scientist's three best friends, J., I. and M., for M.'s birthday. He chose to go swimming at The Heights, which works out great for us since we're members, and dinner at CiCi's Pizza. All the parents were there, and we both really feel blessed that The Scientist has such a great group of friends. They play really well together and go out of their way to make sure that everyone can be included. On another day, they wanted to go down the big slide, The Scientist was the only one not tall enough, so in the spirit of fairness they decided that no one should go. All of the kids, except for I. are also in the gifted pull-out at school which, after a couple weeks of The Scientist not wanting to go to school on Fridays because of it, he is enjoying it again.
I suppose that's all for now...even though I'm not really any more tired than before. I probably shouldn't have taken Macroeconomics on a Monday, because I seem to get like this every Sunday. Then I'm in a class on Monday that is very interactive and the teacher makes us answer questions and write on the board and I'm out of it. Nice.
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