Last day of National Blog Posting Month.
Woo hoo! I made it! A post a day for a month....
And now I'll resume my regular posting schedule, which is to say, irregular at best!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday School Stew
No, not that kind of stew. Not the Sunday church kind of School, either. No, my Sunday School Stew is based on the following definitions:
Sunday, n., day of the week before Monday.
School, n., where my kid is supposed to learn stuff.
Stew, n., agitation resulting from active worry.
Read on, if you can take a lengthy rant about my frustration with my son's education (or lack of education). And please, if you have any ideas that might be helpful, leave them in the comments section.
My daughter flew through Kindergarten and First Grade. My son, not so much.
He is a smart kid (sometimes a little too much of a smart-alec), and he has a good memory in general, especially for social information. For example, the week he started preschool, his teacher talked about a horse she had when she was a kid. She did not mention the horse again. Three months later, he asked her whatever happened to her horse. She did not remember even mentioning the horse and asked him how he knew she had a horse. He said, "Miss L, you told us about your horse when I was new here." He can also spout a ton of information about his favorite Bakugan characters and what they can do. Clearly, he can remember information if it is important to him.
But he has a few problems my daughter did not have.
First, I think he is a little ADD or ADHD. He often has trouble sitting still for very long - although he is able to focus and build fairly complex things with his legos and Lincoln logs. My mom (a licensed Ph.D psychologist) has been doing some testing with him and says the tests definitely indicate at least mild ADD / ADHD. His ability level consistently tracks significantly above average, and tracks well above his achievement level (which is below average), and he has trouble focusing on boring tasks for extended periods of time.
I hesitate to have him officially diagnosed, as I'm not sure what good that would do. IEP's can be a good thing, but they can also be trouble with a capital T, as I've discovered with some of the cases I've been litigating on behalf of some clients lately. And I'm not sure yet about the medication issue. I know it is good for a lot of kids, and it might be right for my son, but I'd like to try other solutions before turning to labeling and medication.
Second - and I think a much bigger factor - is that I think he did not get the same fundamental drilling and instruction that my daughter had in Kindergarten, and I think he's not getting solid instruction now, either. When my daughter was in Kindergarten, they sat in a group and said aloud the letters and sounds every single day. They also did the number chart every single day, counting by ones, then fives, then tens, learning to add by ones and tens. The letter and number charts were prominently displayed in the room. I never saw a letter or number chart in my son's Kindergarten classroom (he is at a different school, supposedly a better school than the one my daughter attended). They sent home a letter chart, but he insisted his teacher said he did not have to do the letter combinations and sounds on the back (initial letter combinations and dipthongs such as ch, sh, ph, ou, ow, oi, ie, and fundamental building blocks like -ing, etc). He has trouble recognizing and reading those sounds now, in First Grade.
Third, he has an older sister who is hyper-competitive and cannot stand to think that her little brother might know something she does not, so she constantly tells him he "can't do" things and points out things that she knows that he does not. As a result, he is not motivated to try something if he does not immediately know it. I think he is afraid he'll be teased if he's wrong. I've tried everything with my daughter to get her to quit treating him this way, and she's getting better about it, but the damage will take a while to undo.
He had troubles learning to read last year. He didn't even want to try. I worked and worked at it and finally got him motivated to try. We did the letter charts, and then got out the "Dick and Jane" book. (Literally. It's cringe-worthy, but effective). Once he tried, he saw that he could do it and became more motivated. We still read every night for at least 15 minutes. He reads me a story, then I read him one. Sometimes he gets so excited, he wants to read me two stories. He still has trouble with some sounds, but his reading is much improved and he is tracking along at grade level, at least.
This year, he has had problems with spelling. He is at least motivated to try, but has a lot of trouble with it. His grades are ok, in part because I spend 15 minutes every morning working on his spelling with him. I talk to him about the sounds certain letter combinations make and we practice the words with those combinations, sometimes even making up other words. For example, if "ball" and "wall" are on the list, I'll ask him how to spell "mall" and "call," and he can do it. But when the teacher puts old words from a week or two prior on this week's list, it is like they are new words for him. He has to learn them all over again. What's with that?
I asked his teacher about it. I asked what method she's using in class to teach spelling so I can reinforce it more effectively at home. She said, "well, it seems to me you just have to memorize how to spell all the words." She also said she is having trouble keeping all the kids in line, having them pay attention to the spelling lessons.
Holy cow, no wonder the kid is having trouble. If she's truly not giving the kids any spelling rules, just random lists of words to spell, no wonder it's so hard for him. I mean, can you imagine memorizing the spelling of all the hundreds of thousands of words in the English language with no guidance at all about how certain sounds are generally spelled?!? And no wonder he seems to tune me out when I talk about spelling rules. It probably seems to him like random boring stuff mom has come up with, not relevant to what his teacher told him at school about just needing to memorize the words.
So, I'm working on that. We'll do flashcards with the words. We'll talk about spelling rules (even if I have to look up a bunch of stuff on the internet to make sure I'm remembering things correctly). Eventually, hopefully, he'll "get it" and have an easier time with spelling.
But now it turns out he's having issues with math, too. This week, his teacher wants him to memorize math facts such as 2+2=4, 3+3=6, 4+4=8, and so forth up to 9+9=18, plus 10+1=11 up to 10+1=19. But again, she seems not to have provided any foundation of rules or a method of understanding what it means to "add" these particular numbers. Maybe he was supposed to learn that in Kindergarten and it's not her "job" to teach it? I really don't know.
I just know that when I asked my son about it, he seemed to have no concept of what it means to "add" four plus four. I showed him 4 fingers on one hand and 4 fingers on the other hand, and he can count up to 8 and answer. But then I asked, "what's 5 plus 5" and he had no idea how to do that. And forget about 9 plus 9 - there aren't enough fingers for that one, even if he did understand the concept!
So, I made him a number chart on Friday (he said he had not seen one like it before) and we played with it all weekend. We started by simply identifying random numbers on the chart. He couldn't do it consistently at first but we practiced and now he can. Then we practiced "adding 1" to given numbers. He finally seemed to "get it." So we practiced "adding 2" to numbers. He finally could do that, too. We talked about what it means to "count by ones." Then we talked about what it means to "count by fives." We practiced counting by 5's, which he can now do. We practiced "adding 10" to given numbers, and he seems to "get" that, too. He seems to finally understand the relationships between the numbers on the chart - this one is one more than that one; this one is ten more than that one. He even counted by fives up to 200, even though the chart only goes to 100.
But he still hasn't memorized this week's math facts. He can do all the 10+x problems up to 19. After having practiced with the number chart, he "gets" it that all you have to do is replace the 0 with the number you're adding to 10. But having spent a couple of hours just learning to count properly by ones and fives and tens (things he should have learned in Kindergarten, I think!), we didn't have time to learn how to add the other numbers or to memorize the fact that 9+9=18. And those problems aren't as obvious from the chart, either.
And I'm not sure how to explain much more. I don't feel qualified to teach elementary mathematics. I was good at math in school, but I'm not trained to teach it, and first grade was too long ago - I don't remember what my teachers did to teach me. My husband is a teacher, but he teaches sixth grade, not first. Plus, he seems to think the school should teach our son and we shouldn't have to. I agree in principle, but if it's not happening, then what should I do, just sit there and watch him fall further behind?
I am a little resentful. If I wanted to home-school my son, I would have done that. But as it is, I have a job. I can't stay home all day to home-school the kids and I don't really want to. I want my kids to interact with the other kids and to be exposed to a variety of teachers and cultures and ideas.
And, done right, school (with the variety of teachers trained for different subjects such as math and music and P.E. and so forth) should be able to teach the kids more, and more effectively, than I could.
Plus, it's not fair to my son to have to go to school all day and then come home for another hour of lessons, plus 15 minutes of spelling every morning.
He has above-average intelligence. He sometimes lacks focus, but I have had very little trouble getting him to focus on math or spelling for 15 to 30 minutes at a time, and he learns the information fairly quickly when he focuses. I want the school system to teach him what he needs to know, but so far, it doesn't seem to be happening.
I'll be visiting the classroom to see exactly what the teacher does all day with the kids and to offer assistance. If the instruction seems appropriate but she truly is overwhelmed with a lot of behavior problems, maybe I can round up some parent volunteers (including me) to take turns coming in every day to help keep the kids in line so she can teach. And if the problem seems to be that my son isn't listening / paying attention, not that she's not teaching, then I'll keep supplementing and consider the ADD issue further. But if the instruction seems to be lacking, and it's not about behavior problems with the kids and/or my son, then I'll talk with her and/or with the principal about what she could do to teach spelling and math more effectively.
But meanwhile, does anyone know anything about teaching basic math to 6 year olds? Any good web sites I can look at? Any ideas for teaching addition?
Or am I crazy for thinking First Graders should learn math theory? Should I just use the flash cards and have him "just memorize" the basic math facts, as his teacher seems to want? If that is the recommended method, the thing that all schools do and that all kids need to do, then that's what we'll do.... it just seems to me like you'd explain the concepts first and teach how to add, and what it means to add, not just have kids memorize random facts. But maybe I'm just nuts.
Does anyone have any other ideas for what I can do to help my son learn - not just math, but spelling, too?
Sunday, n., day of the week before Monday.
School, n., where my kid is supposed to learn stuff.
Stew, n., agitation resulting from active worry.
Read on, if you can take a lengthy rant about my frustration with my son's education (or lack of education). And please, if you have any ideas that might be helpful, leave them in the comments section.
My daughter flew through Kindergarten and First Grade. My son, not so much.
He is a smart kid (sometimes a little too much of a smart-alec), and he has a good memory in general, especially for social information. For example, the week he started preschool, his teacher talked about a horse she had when she was a kid. She did not mention the horse again. Three months later, he asked her whatever happened to her horse. She did not remember even mentioning the horse and asked him how he knew she had a horse. He said, "Miss L, you told us about your horse when I was new here." He can also spout a ton of information about his favorite Bakugan characters and what they can do. Clearly, he can remember information if it is important to him.
But he has a few problems my daughter did not have.
First, I think he is a little ADD or ADHD. He often has trouble sitting still for very long - although he is able to focus and build fairly complex things with his legos and Lincoln logs. My mom (a licensed Ph.D psychologist) has been doing some testing with him and says the tests definitely indicate at least mild ADD / ADHD. His ability level consistently tracks significantly above average, and tracks well above his achievement level (which is below average), and he has trouble focusing on boring tasks for extended periods of time.
I hesitate to have him officially diagnosed, as I'm not sure what good that would do. IEP's can be a good thing, but they can also be trouble with a capital T, as I've discovered with some of the cases I've been litigating on behalf of some clients lately. And I'm not sure yet about the medication issue. I know it is good for a lot of kids, and it might be right for my son, but I'd like to try other solutions before turning to labeling and medication.
Second - and I think a much bigger factor - is that I think he did not get the same fundamental drilling and instruction that my daughter had in Kindergarten, and I think he's not getting solid instruction now, either. When my daughter was in Kindergarten, they sat in a group and said aloud the letters and sounds every single day. They also did the number chart every single day, counting by ones, then fives, then tens, learning to add by ones and tens. The letter and number charts were prominently displayed in the room. I never saw a letter or number chart in my son's Kindergarten classroom (he is at a different school, supposedly a better school than the one my daughter attended). They sent home a letter chart, but he insisted his teacher said he did not have to do the letter combinations and sounds on the back (initial letter combinations and dipthongs such as ch, sh, ph, ou, ow, oi, ie, and fundamental building blocks like -ing, etc). He has trouble recognizing and reading those sounds now, in First Grade.
Third, he has an older sister who is hyper-competitive and cannot stand to think that her little brother might know something she does not, so she constantly tells him he "can't do" things and points out things that she knows that he does not. As a result, he is not motivated to try something if he does not immediately know it. I think he is afraid he'll be teased if he's wrong. I've tried everything with my daughter to get her to quit treating him this way, and she's getting better about it, but the damage will take a while to undo.
He had troubles learning to read last year. He didn't even want to try. I worked and worked at it and finally got him motivated to try. We did the letter charts, and then got out the "Dick and Jane" book. (Literally. It's cringe-worthy, but effective). Once he tried, he saw that he could do it and became more motivated. We still read every night for at least 15 minutes. He reads me a story, then I read him one. Sometimes he gets so excited, he wants to read me two stories. He still has trouble with some sounds, but his reading is much improved and he is tracking along at grade level, at least.
This year, he has had problems with spelling. He is at least motivated to try, but has a lot of trouble with it. His grades are ok, in part because I spend 15 minutes every morning working on his spelling with him. I talk to him about the sounds certain letter combinations make and we practice the words with those combinations, sometimes even making up other words. For example, if "ball" and "wall" are on the list, I'll ask him how to spell "mall" and "call," and he can do it. But when the teacher puts old words from a week or two prior on this week's list, it is like they are new words for him. He has to learn them all over again. What's with that?
I asked his teacher about it. I asked what method she's using in class to teach spelling so I can reinforce it more effectively at home. She said, "well, it seems to me you just have to memorize how to spell all the words." She also said she is having trouble keeping all the kids in line, having them pay attention to the spelling lessons.
Holy cow, no wonder the kid is having trouble. If she's truly not giving the kids any spelling rules, just random lists of words to spell, no wonder it's so hard for him. I mean, can you imagine memorizing the spelling of all the hundreds of thousands of words in the English language with no guidance at all about how certain sounds are generally spelled?!? And no wonder he seems to tune me out when I talk about spelling rules. It probably seems to him like random boring stuff mom has come up with, not relevant to what his teacher told him at school about just needing to memorize the words.
So, I'm working on that. We'll do flashcards with the words. We'll talk about spelling rules (even if I have to look up a bunch of stuff on the internet to make sure I'm remembering things correctly). Eventually, hopefully, he'll "get it" and have an easier time with spelling.
But now it turns out he's having issues with math, too. This week, his teacher wants him to memorize math facts such as 2+2=4, 3+3=6, 4+4=8, and so forth up to 9+9=18, plus 10+1=11 up to 10+1=19. But again, she seems not to have provided any foundation of rules or a method of understanding what it means to "add" these particular numbers. Maybe he was supposed to learn that in Kindergarten and it's not her "job" to teach it? I really don't know.
I just know that when I asked my son about it, he seemed to have no concept of what it means to "add" four plus four. I showed him 4 fingers on one hand and 4 fingers on the other hand, and he can count up to 8 and answer. But then I asked, "what's 5 plus 5" and he had no idea how to do that. And forget about 9 plus 9 - there aren't enough fingers for that one, even if he did understand the concept!
So, I made him a number chart on Friday (he said he had not seen one like it before) and we played with it all weekend. We started by simply identifying random numbers on the chart. He couldn't do it consistently at first but we practiced and now he can. Then we practiced "adding 1" to given numbers. He finally seemed to "get it." So we practiced "adding 2" to numbers. He finally could do that, too. We talked about what it means to "count by ones." Then we talked about what it means to "count by fives." We practiced counting by 5's, which he can now do. We practiced "adding 10" to given numbers, and he seems to "get" that, too. He seems to finally understand the relationships between the numbers on the chart - this one is one more than that one; this one is ten more than that one. He even counted by fives up to 200, even though the chart only goes to 100.
But he still hasn't memorized this week's math facts. He can do all the 10+x problems up to 19. After having practiced with the number chart, he "gets" it that all you have to do is replace the 0 with the number you're adding to 10. But having spent a couple of hours just learning to count properly by ones and fives and tens (things he should have learned in Kindergarten, I think!), we didn't have time to learn how to add the other numbers or to memorize the fact that 9+9=18. And those problems aren't as obvious from the chart, either.
And I'm not sure how to explain much more. I don't feel qualified to teach elementary mathematics. I was good at math in school, but I'm not trained to teach it, and first grade was too long ago - I don't remember what my teachers did to teach me. My husband is a teacher, but he teaches sixth grade, not first. Plus, he seems to think the school should teach our son and we shouldn't have to. I agree in principle, but if it's not happening, then what should I do, just sit there and watch him fall further behind?
I am a little resentful. If I wanted to home-school my son, I would have done that. But as it is, I have a job. I can't stay home all day to home-school the kids and I don't really want to. I want my kids to interact with the other kids and to be exposed to a variety of teachers and cultures and ideas.
And, done right, school (with the variety of teachers trained for different subjects such as math and music and P.E. and so forth) should be able to teach the kids more, and more effectively, than I could.
Plus, it's not fair to my son to have to go to school all day and then come home for another hour of lessons, plus 15 minutes of spelling every morning.
He has above-average intelligence. He sometimes lacks focus, but I have had very little trouble getting him to focus on math or spelling for 15 to 30 minutes at a time, and he learns the information fairly quickly when he focuses. I want the school system to teach him what he needs to know, but so far, it doesn't seem to be happening.
I'll be visiting the classroom to see exactly what the teacher does all day with the kids and to offer assistance. If the instruction seems appropriate but she truly is overwhelmed with a lot of behavior problems, maybe I can round up some parent volunteers (including me) to take turns coming in every day to help keep the kids in line so she can teach. And if the problem seems to be that my son isn't listening / paying attention, not that she's not teaching, then I'll keep supplementing and consider the ADD issue further. But if the instruction seems to be lacking, and it's not about behavior problems with the kids and/or my son, then I'll talk with her and/or with the principal about what she could do to teach spelling and math more effectively.
But meanwhile, does anyone know anything about teaching basic math to 6 year olds? Any good web sites I can look at? Any ideas for teaching addition?
Or am I crazy for thinking First Graders should learn math theory? Should I just use the flash cards and have him "just memorize" the basic math facts, as his teacher seems to want? If that is the recommended method, the thing that all schools do and that all kids need to do, then that's what we'll do.... it just seems to me like you'd explain the concepts first and teach how to add, and what it means to add, not just have kids memorize random facts. But maybe I'm just nuts.
Does anyone have any other ideas for what I can do to help my son learn - not just math, but spelling, too?
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Saturday Shopping
We went shopping this evening. At the first store, we pulled into the parking lot. It was packed. So I drove along, looking up each row to see if I could see any place to park (easier / faster than driving up and down every row).
About four rows past the entrance, I spotted someone leaving, about four spaces up the row. I put on my turn signal to turn left into the row and waited for the car to back out and then exit that row, then had to wait because a car was coming from the other direction and I didn't want to turn left directly in front of the car.
So the car pulled up, turned right and parked in "my" parking space. I guess she thought my turn signal meant, "look over there, there's a space!"
I was pretty miffed. I mean, was that rude, or was that just "survival of the fittest" and I should adopt the same aggressive attitude and cut in front of the car next time?
So I drove up the row anyway; no other spaces. Went over a few rows seeing no other spaces, and then headed back down the row right in front of the entrance. A car was just leaving. From the first spot, closest to the door. And it wasn't even a reserved / handicapped spot. Parking bliss! No trek across the lot with two kids; no trek back across the lot with arms full of bags and two kids!
I parked; we got out of the car; we walked into the store.
The woman who cut me off to park in "my" spot four rows over walked in right behind us.
My husband said I should have thanked her for her wonderful holiday spirit in taking the worse parking spot so I could have the better one.
About four rows past the entrance, I spotted someone leaving, about four spaces up the row. I put on my turn signal to turn left into the row and waited for the car to back out and then exit that row, then had to wait because a car was coming from the other direction and I didn't want to turn left directly in front of the car.
So the car pulled up, turned right and parked in "my" parking space. I guess she thought my turn signal meant, "look over there, there's a space!"
I was pretty miffed. I mean, was that rude, or was that just "survival of the fittest" and I should adopt the same aggressive attitude and cut in front of the car next time?
So I drove up the row anyway; no other spaces. Went over a few rows seeing no other spaces, and then headed back down the row right in front of the entrance. A car was just leaving. From the first spot, closest to the door. And it wasn't even a reserved / handicapped spot. Parking bliss! No trek across the lot with two kids; no trek back across the lot with arms full of bags and two kids!
I parked; we got out of the car; we walked into the store.
The woman who cut me off to park in "my" spot four rows over walked in right behind us.
My husband said I should have thanked her for her wonderful holiday spirit in taking the worse parking spot so I could have the better one.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Friday Feature - i am bossy
Today's Friday Feature - extremely late, I might add (sorry, bossy) is i am bossy. Her blog is just plain fun.
Check out her fun features in the sidebar (featured gay, poverty party, favorite things), fun attitude, and fun topics.
I'll post late again tomorrow, in the hopes that everyone will have a chance to read this and drop by bossy's blog.
Happy reading, bossy friends, happy reading!
Check out her fun features in the sidebar (featured gay, poverty party, favorite things), fun attitude, and fun topics.
I'll post late again tomorrow, in the hopes that everyone will have a chance to read this and drop by bossy's blog.
Happy reading, bossy friends, happy reading!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving, Lawyer Style
Happy Thanksgiving!*
* DISCLAIMER:
* Please read all terms and conditions carefully, as they may affect your rights. Do not accept this greeting unless you agree to all of these terms and conditions.
* This holiday greeting is offered "as is."
* The provider of this greeting offers no warranty of any kind, either express or implied, that the greeting will in fact lead to the desired result or provide a specific level of happiness, whether mild, moderate, or severe.
* The provider expressly disclaims any and all liability for failure of the greeting to provide holiday cheer and/or for the provision of too much holiday cheer, as well as for any and all injuries that may be suffered due to the receipt of this greeting including, but not limited to: eye strain or any other condition or symptom related to the use, underuse, or overuse of a computer; cheek strain or any other condition or symptom related to smiling or frowning; fatigue; depression; mental distress; holiday burnout; heart attack; stroke; cancer; high-blood pressure; and any and all other physical, emotional, or mental damages that may occur, whether consequential or incidental and whether related or unrelated to the receipt of this greeting.
* Acceptance of this greeting constitutes agreement to the terms and conditions stated herein.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Anticipating Thanksgiving
I love this holiday. I am (shall I say it?) thankful for this holiday! I love the food. Comfort food, and lots of it. I love having two days off from work. I love an excuse to invite friends and family to share a meal and an afternoon of fun. I love football.
Here is what's on our menu this year:
A few appetizers: cheese and crackers, nuts, fruits
Then, the main event:
A huge turkey (20 pounds so we can be sure to have lots of leftovers) with stuffing and awesome gravy.
Homemade cranberry sauce (from real cranberries! mmmmmm.....)
Canned cranberry sauce, because some folks (read: mother in law) just can't live without it and it's so cheap and easy and why not just make them happy?
Mashed potatoes and awesome gravy.
Glazed and roasted sweet potatoes.
Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top (too sweet for me, but the kids love it).
Glazed carrots.
Salad with cranberries and apples and feta cheese.
Green bean casserole, made with porcini mushrooms and cream.
Corn and peas, from the freezer, because the kids don't like the salad or the green bean casserole (foolish children, but what can you do?).
Homemade rolls.
Tea.
And white wine... And red wine... lots of red or white wine for those who aren't driving.
And beer for those who prefer it.
And soda for those who prefer that.
And milk for the kids.
And the desserts.... oh, the desserts!
There will apple pie with ice cream,
and ice cream sundaes,
and chocolate cheesecake,
and - my very favorite thing in the whole wide world! - pumpkin pie with lots of whipped cream.
And coffee. Lots of coffee. With Kahlua if you want it. And whipped cream.
And we will eat and talk and eat and talk and then when we can't eat anymore, we'll clean the kitchen and talk some more, and the kids will play and the dog will get some table scraps and everyone will take some leftovers home for lunch the next day.
Does life get any better than that?
I can hardly wait until tomorrow!
Here is what's on our menu this year:
A few appetizers: cheese and crackers, nuts, fruits
Then, the main event:
A huge turkey (20 pounds so we can be sure to have lots of leftovers) with stuffing and awesome gravy.
Homemade cranberry sauce (from real cranberries! mmmmmm.....)
Canned cranberry sauce, because some folks (read: mother in law) just can't live without it and it's so cheap and easy and why not just make them happy?
Mashed potatoes and awesome gravy.
Glazed and roasted sweet potatoes.
Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top (too sweet for me, but the kids love it).
Glazed carrots.
Salad with cranberries and apples and feta cheese.
Green bean casserole, made with porcini mushrooms and cream.
Corn and peas, from the freezer, because the kids don't like the salad or the green bean casserole (foolish children, but what can you do?).
Homemade rolls.
Tea.
And white wine... And red wine... lots of red or white wine for those who aren't driving.
And beer for those who prefer it.
And soda for those who prefer that.
And milk for the kids.
And the desserts.... oh, the desserts!
There will apple pie with ice cream,
and ice cream sundaes,
and chocolate cheesecake,
and - my very favorite thing in the whole wide world! - pumpkin pie with lots of whipped cream.
And coffee. Lots of coffee. With Kahlua if you want it. And whipped cream.
And we will eat and talk and eat and talk and then when we can't eat anymore, we'll clean the kitchen and talk some more, and the kids will play and the dog will get some table scraps and everyone will take some leftovers home for lunch the next day.
Does life get any better than that?
I can hardly wait until tomorrow!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
"Stank You Bury Much"
My son is, and always has been, a very polite young fellow.
This doesn't mean he's always pleasant to be around. Sometimes he can annoy you to no end by asking question after question after question after question after.... well, you get the idea.
Other times, he'll whine and wheedle and bug the heck out of you asking for you to get him some toy or other that he saw on tv, or to let him have ice cream, or to take him to the park. He can be relentless.
But if you get annoyed and raise your voice to tell him to knock it off, he'll smile and say, "OK Mommy" or "OK Daddy" and then he stops.
My husband says he's a very accommodating pain in the ass.
He also generally asks politely for what he wants, as in "Please can I have some milk?"
(Well, maybe I should say he asks politely when he's not playing the "passive aggressive" game and saying things like, "Hmm. No milk tonight? I thought we'd have milk with our dinner...." I think he gets this from my mother-in-law. My husband thinks he gets it from my mother. Go figure.)
And then when you get the milk for him, he likes to express his appreciation. Trouble is, until recently, his words of appreciation sounded like "Stank you."
As if he were saying "you stink."
It was adorable and made me smile every time.
I especially liked his version of "thank you very much": "Stank you bury much." What's that you say? I stink and need to be buried? Like brown nuggets in the cat box?
It was all I could do not to laugh every time I heard that one. But I just smiled and encouraged his good manners. Isn't that what moms get paid the big bucks for?
He's been working on correct pronunciation this year, and I think "Stank you" is a thing of the past. I'll miss the cheap chuckles every day, but it's for the best. I wouldn't want him going off to college and "Stanking" up the place.
* * * *
Lately, I've been getting a new comment nearly every day on this post, from February. I knew it was a good post when I wrote it. But why so many comments now, 8 months later?
Some of the comments are in French, some in Arabic, some in Russian.
Wow, am I getting so many comments because it was such a witty and engaging post that all across the world, people are referring others to that excellent post to read LegalMist's amazing words? I wish I could read French, and Arabic, and Russian to see what they are saying about my most brilliant post!
Oh, but wait, what are those links .... ?
Links that consist of names for certain "private" products and activities that I don't want to mention here for fear of attracting even more spammish comments to this post.
I'm glad I have the comment moderation turned on so I can just reject the comments rather than having to go in and clean up the stinky mess every day.
* * * * *
So, to all you spammers out there, I'd like to say: STANK YOU for the comments. STANK YOU BURY MUCH.
This doesn't mean he's always pleasant to be around. Sometimes he can annoy you to no end by asking question after question after question after question after.... well, you get the idea.
Other times, he'll whine and wheedle and bug the heck out of you asking for you to get him some toy or other that he saw on tv, or to let him have ice cream, or to take him to the park. He can be relentless.
But if you get annoyed and raise your voice to tell him to knock it off, he'll smile and say, "OK Mommy" or "OK Daddy" and then he stops.
My husband says he's a very accommodating pain in the ass.
He also generally asks politely for what he wants, as in "Please can I have some milk?"
(Well, maybe I should say he asks politely when he's not playing the "passive aggressive" game and saying things like, "Hmm. No milk tonight? I thought we'd have milk with our dinner...." I think he gets this from my mother-in-law. My husband thinks he gets it from my mother. Go figure.)
And then when you get the milk for him, he likes to express his appreciation. Trouble is, until recently, his words of appreciation sounded like "Stank you."
As if he were saying "you stink."
It was adorable and made me smile every time.
I especially liked his version of "thank you very much": "Stank you bury much." What's that you say? I stink and need to be buried? Like brown nuggets in the cat box?
It was all I could do not to laugh every time I heard that one. But I just smiled and encouraged his good manners. Isn't that what moms get paid the big bucks for?
He's been working on correct pronunciation this year, and I think "Stank you" is a thing of the past. I'll miss the cheap chuckles every day, but it's for the best. I wouldn't want him going off to college and "Stanking" up the place.
* * * *
Lately, I've been getting a new comment nearly every day on this post, from February. I knew it was a good post when I wrote it. But why so many comments now, 8 months later?
Some of the comments are in French, some in Arabic, some in Russian.
Wow, am I getting so many comments because it was such a witty and engaging post that all across the world, people are referring others to that excellent post to read LegalMist's amazing words? I wish I could read French, and Arabic, and Russian to see what they are saying about my most brilliant post!
Oh, but wait, what are those links .... ?
Links that consist of names for certain "private" products and activities that I don't want to mention here for fear of attracting even more spammish comments to this post.
I'm glad I have the comment moderation turned on so I can just reject the comments rather than having to go in and clean up the stinky mess every day.
* * * * *
So, to all you spammers out there, I'd like to say: STANK YOU for the comments. STANK YOU BURY MUCH.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Interesting Fact Of The Day
According to my alumni magazine, Dr. Pepper (yes, that Dr. Pepper) was named after Dr. Charles T. Pepper, who earned his medical degree in 1855 from the medical school at the University of Virginia, which is LegalMist's alma mater.
Dr. Pepper gained lots of fame, but no fortune, from having the soft drink named after him.
I find it ironic that the most famous graduates of other medical schools go on to do things like cure various kinds of cancers or invent open heart surgery, while the most famous graduate of my alma mater's medical school had a soft drink named after him.
I guess it's all about the marketing...
Dr. Pepper gained lots of fame, but no fortune, from having the soft drink named after him.
I find it ironic that the most famous graduates of other medical schools go on to do things like cure various kinds of cancers or invent open heart surgery, while the most famous graduate of my alma mater's medical school had a soft drink named after him.
I guess it's all about the marketing...
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Too Many Deadlines
I promised to post every day, no matter how busy I am. But, oh, what a day.
I taught my LSAT preparation class all day yesterday and today.
My brother-in-law arrived in town this evening, so we took an hour out to go say hi and have dinner at my mother-in-law's house. We took the opportunity to say goodbye to her beloved Molly, who will be euthanized tomorrow. Molly was happy to see us all, but it was clear she is not feeling great. Her breathing was a bit labored, and she was not up and about as much as usual, begging to be petted and loved. We will miss her.
I have two different court pleadings due tomorrow.
I also have subpoenas to serve for a case coming up soon.
I have numerous legal writing papers to finish grading.
I am supposed to meet with a couple of students tomorrow, but I may have to move them to Tuesday.
So here I am at almost midnight, working frantically. Wish me luck and wakefulness.
I taught my LSAT preparation class all day yesterday and today.
My brother-in-law arrived in town this evening, so we took an hour out to go say hi and have dinner at my mother-in-law's house. We took the opportunity to say goodbye to her beloved Molly, who will be euthanized tomorrow. Molly was happy to see us all, but it was clear she is not feeling great. Her breathing was a bit labored, and she was not up and about as much as usual, begging to be petted and loved. We will miss her.
I have two different court pleadings due tomorrow.
I also have subpoenas to serve for a case coming up soon.
I have numerous legal writing papers to finish grading.
I am supposed to meet with a couple of students tomorrow, but I may have to move them to Tuesday.
So here I am at almost midnight, working frantically. Wish me luck and wakefulness.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
It's Time To Plan My New Year's Eve Party . . .
. . . because I can't wait for this year to end. As if the economic news isn't bad enough...
My mother-in-law took her dog, Molly, a beautiful 8 year old Akita, to the vet on Thursday because she was coughing a bit and hadn't been eating well for several days. She has lost 8 pounds since the last vet visit this past spring. She was refusing her favorite treats, and would eat only canned cat food and only half a can at a time, which is not a lot a lot of food for an 80 pound dog.
After an exam and chest x-ray, it turns out that Molly has lung cancer that is so bad, the huge tumors are literally pressing against her esophagus, making it hard for her to swallow and breathe. It is not curable. So my mother-in-law is spending this one last weekend with her beloved friend, and will take her on Monday to be euthanized so she won't suffer and go hungry any longer.
It makes me want to say, "Thankgiving. Bah, humbug!" But I think that sentiment is supposed to wait until Christmas.
Yes, yes, of course we'll be very thankful this coming Thursday that the deaths were not more numerous, that all of *us* are still here to celebrate. Of course we'll be grateful for the many wonderful years that my grandpa was with us before he died earlier this year. Most certainly we'll be grateful for the many good times we shared with aunts and uncles before they passed. And yes, without a doubt we'll be grateful that we enjoyed the love and companionship and sheer joy our little furry friends shared during their short, happy lives here with us.
But we'll also be sad. As if it's not enough that we've lost so many relatives, now we've got to lose our little furry friends, too? One after another, pop, pop, pop... gone. What kind of cosmic justice is *that*?!?
If you ask me for "thankful," you're likely to get something like this out of me: "I have had just about enough sadness for one year, thank you very much!"
So I'm mentally skipping Thanksgiving and Christmas and jumping right to a holiday that just might bring some relief from this misery we call 2009. That's right, folks, I'm pinning all my hopes on New Year's Eve!
Maybe 2010 will bring us a new beginning with no more dying relatives and some new, youthful, playful furry friends, so that by next Thanksgiving this past year of a crappy economy, rampant deaths, and other assorted miseries will be a distant memory. At least, that's what I'm hoping for...
... so, mark your calendars. This year, I'm having a blowout celebration to ring in 2010!! I just can't wait!
My mother-in-law took her dog, Molly, a beautiful 8 year old Akita, to the vet on Thursday because she was coughing a bit and hadn't been eating well for several days. She has lost 8 pounds since the last vet visit this past spring. She was refusing her favorite treats, and would eat only canned cat food and only half a can at a time, which is not a lot a lot of food for an 80 pound dog.
After an exam and chest x-ray, it turns out that Molly has lung cancer that is so bad, the huge tumors are literally pressing against her esophagus, making it hard for her to swallow and breathe. It is not curable. So my mother-in-law is spending this one last weekend with her beloved friend, and will take her on Monday to be euthanized so she won't suffer and go hungry any longer.
It makes me want to say, "Thankgiving. Bah, humbug!" But I think that sentiment is supposed to wait until Christmas.
Yes, yes, of course we'll be very thankful this coming Thursday that the deaths were not more numerous, that all of *us* are still here to celebrate. Of course we'll be grateful for the many wonderful years that my grandpa was with us before he died earlier this year. Most certainly we'll be grateful for the many good times we shared with aunts and uncles before they passed. And yes, without a doubt we'll be grateful that we enjoyed the love and companionship and sheer joy our little furry friends shared during their short, happy lives here with us.
But we'll also be sad. As if it's not enough that we've lost so many relatives, now we've got to lose our little furry friends, too? One after another, pop, pop, pop... gone. What kind of cosmic justice is *that*?!?
If you ask me for "thankful," you're likely to get something like this out of me: "I have had just about enough sadness for one year, thank you very much!"
So I'm mentally skipping Thanksgiving and Christmas and jumping right to a holiday that just might bring some relief from this misery we call 2009. That's right, folks, I'm pinning all my hopes on New Year's Eve!
Maybe 2010 will bring us a new beginning with no more dying relatives and some new, youthful, playful furry friends, so that by next Thanksgiving this past year of a crappy economy, rampant deaths, and other assorted miseries will be a distant memory. At least, that's what I'm hoping for...
... so, mark your calendars. This year, I'm having a blowout celebration to ring in 2010!! I just can't wait!
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