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Awesome Facebook Freudian Slip
May. 10th, 2012 06:56 amOld friend who just had first baby: Anybody have a particular breast pump they can recommend?
Someone I don't know: Medea worked best for me.
Someone I don't know: Medea worked best for me.
baby names
May. 3rd, 2012 09:43 pmRose Elizabeth, born to Kate and Mark.
Molly Jo, born to Lola and Jay.
Maxwell Drew, born to Jessica Simpson. (I am interested that Max has gone very gender-neutral - I have a college friend with a daughter Max who is 2. Sidney, spelled that way, is on a lot of girls, too. I would have thought of them as "little old Jewish man" names!)
Molly Jo, born to Lola and Jay.
Maxwell Drew, born to Jessica Simpson. (I am interested that Max has gone very gender-neutral - I have a college friend with a daughter Max who is 2. Sidney, spelled that way, is on a lot of girls, too. I would have thought of them as "little old Jewish man" names!)
We have smart bunnies
Apr. 17th, 2012 06:47 pmWe've been trying to get copies of the results of Casper's gifted testing done in Georgia since before spring break. I'll spare the ugly runaround details, but we got them today, and I think her existing scores will be good enough to get her into the [public school] Gifted Academy that's moving to the elementary school a 10-minute walk from our house.
Can I brag? I'll cut-tag it if you are squeamish.
( Read more... )
Can I brag? I'll cut-tag it if you are squeamish.
( Read more... )
Bus riding, week 2
Apr. 10th, 2012 06:31 pmToday on the (25-minute behind schedule) ride home, there was a woman on the bus with Tourette's. Not that she could help it, obviously, but there's nothing like a woman hand-flapping and screeching, "sweaty vagina!" in an odd, high voice to let you know you're on a public conveyance.
ION I started 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles,' and then went and spoiled myself for the plot via Wikipedia, and I'm not sure I want to go on. Maybe I will only read 19th-century novels written by women, since so far in the ones I've read written by men the women are all Symbols of Pure Womanhood and/or Connected To Nature (or actually named The Vengeance.)
IOON, week two of moving books 4 hours a day and I am not any less sore at the end of each day. Nor is my butt smaller. I suppose this is a consequence of being 39.
ION I started 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles,' and then went and spoiled myself for the plot via Wikipedia, and I'm not sure I want to go on. Maybe I will only read 19th-century novels written by women, since so far in the ones I've read written by men the women are all Symbols of Pure Womanhood and/or Connected To Nature (or actually named The Vengeance.)
IOON, week two of moving books 4 hours a day and I am not any less sore at the end of each day. Nor is my butt smaller. I suppose this is a consequence of being 39.
The perils of public transportation; baby
Apr. 3rd, 2012 07:38 pmI've reduced my hours and my duties at my job to 4 hours a day, shifting the journals (a complex back-to-front flip in tight space, with the need to leave room for growth for some titles but not all, the need to shelve in oversize titles (resetting shelves as necessary), and the need to integrate a formerly separate modern Greek journal collection.) This allows me to put the kids on the bus at 8:45 and pick them up from the bus at 4:10 and it feels so luxurious not to be rushed and exhausted all the time.
The bad part is, I am taking the public bus to and from work now (instead of driving with mr. flea.) Day 1: I caught the AM bus and all went as scheduled. I expected a 3:32 pm bus; the bus actually came to the stop at about 3:50. This was late enough that I was in danger of missing the pickup from the school bus. I called mr. flea and it turned out he got to the school bus stop right as the kids got off. I didn't know that, though (we only have one call phone and I had it), and saw the bus turn down the next block as I ran to the stop, and saw a kid I took to be Casper looking out the window, and saw the other family walking away from the bus stop, and didn't see mr. flea or my kids. So I kept running home, now sobbing, thinking nobody had met the kids and they'd been taken back to school on the bus. That sucked, even though everyone was fine except me.
Day 2: I caught the AM bus. Less than halfway into the 4-mile journey, it broke down. The driver didn't actually make any announcement for a few minutes, so we just sat there. Then he said there wouldn't be another bus for half an hour, so I got off and walked at top speed and was only 7 minutes late to work, although somewhat sweaty. The afternoon bus (I shifted my schedule to take a bus 45 minutes earlier, so no matter how late the bus was I could make it), worked as scheduled.
Either The Gods don't want me to do this job, or the Cincinnati public transit folks suck. And people wonder why everyone drives everywhere.
Baby name: Cyril Ray, big sister Petra, parents Heather and Niclas. Nicknames already include Cy and Spy-baby.
The bad part is, I am taking the public bus to and from work now (instead of driving with mr. flea.) Day 1: I caught the AM bus and all went as scheduled. I expected a 3:32 pm bus; the bus actually came to the stop at about 3:50. This was late enough that I was in danger of missing the pickup from the school bus. I called mr. flea and it turned out he got to the school bus stop right as the kids got off. I didn't know that, though (we only have one call phone and I had it), and saw the bus turn down the next block as I ran to the stop, and saw a kid I took to be Casper looking out the window, and saw the other family walking away from the bus stop, and didn't see mr. flea or my kids. So I kept running home, now sobbing, thinking nobody had met the kids and they'd been taken back to school on the bus. That sucked, even though everyone was fine except me.
Day 2: I caught the AM bus. Less than halfway into the 4-mile journey, it broke down. The driver didn't actually make any announcement for a few minutes, so we just sat there. Then he said there wouldn't be another bus for half an hour, so I got off and walked at top speed and was only 7 minutes late to work, although somewhat sweaty. The afternoon bus (I shifted my schedule to take a bus 45 minutes earlier, so no matter how late the bus was I could make it), worked as scheduled.
Either The Gods don't want me to do this job, or the Cincinnati public transit folks suck. And people wonder why everyone drives everywhere.
Baby name: Cyril Ray, big sister Petra, parents Heather and Niclas. Nicknames already include Cy and Spy-baby.
stuff I can't post on Facebook; books
Apr. 1st, 2012 07:26 pmmr. flea and Dillo (who is in the bath) are having a hilarious argument involving whether or not Dillo should pull back his foreskin and wash underneath it. Dillo had apparently never noticed that he is uncircumcised and mr. flea is, and I think mr. flea just got his junk out to demonstrate.
In higher-mind news, this year so far I have read Middlemarch, Alice in Wonderland, Jane Eyre, and am halfway through A Tale of Two Cities - all on Kindle. Over break I also read Wide Sargasso Sea in print.
In higher-mind news, this year so far I have read Middlemarch, Alice in Wonderland, Jane Eyre, and am halfway through A Tale of Two Cities - all on Kindle. Over break I also read Wide Sargasso Sea in print.
more on schools
Mar. 24th, 2012 07:51 amI guess the only thing worse than no choices is having choices, right?
I went to the open house at the school very close to our house. This fall they will definitely have the Gifted Academy there (3rd-6th) and a neighborhood school Kindergarten. It sounds quite unlikely that they'll offer first grade this fall, as there had been a rumor going around about. That could only maybe happen if they have, say, 35 Kindergarteners sign up, and they could open a second K and make it K-1 if they got 10 1st graders. So this school is unlikely to be a choice for Dillo until fall 2013.
The Gifted Academy, on the other hand, sounds pretty good. The school manager spoke and ran the meeting, and I was impressed by her - she was frank and transparent about uncertainties (it's unclear how things will progress with the neighborhood school because a lot depends on how many people actually enroll). Next year the Gifted Academy will have 2 3rd and 4th classes, and 1 each of 5th and 6th. This means there is still room in 4th, and she implied when I spoke to her personally that there will be for some time to come, so we don't need to sign up immediately. She says the school is diverse ethnically, religiously, and geographically - it currently draws from 25 neighborhood districts in the city, and next year she expects it to draw from 35. The work is project-based. When I spoke to her one on one, I asked what sort of student the school was for - was it for the Hermione Granger types, or the wicked smart but more disorganized and more creative thinker types? She said there were both kinds of kids at the school and suggested I go over and talk to a current parent who has a 3rd grader plus 2 other kids at our current school.
So I did, and was really heartened by what this parent had to say. I re-used my Hermione Granger analogy (that was the kind of gifted kid I was) ad she totally got it, and she said her son was not that type, but he was thriving at Gifted, and they teach to the kids' learning styles. She obviously likes our current school - her other 2 kids are happy there, and she'll be president of the PTA next year - but it was good to hear someone else say that the very traditional pedagogy there is not right for every kid, even every smart kid. (I have been feeling guilty about being unhappy with one of the best schools in the city.)
We're getting Casper's Georgia gifted testing scores faxed over to our current school, and hopefully they will let us see them (they wouldn't fax them to us directly; ah, bureaucracy.) They do Ohio testing April 21, so if Casper's scores won't get her in, we can consider that, if we want to go forward.
I'd still like to go look at the Montessori public school our neighbors go to, and the School for Creative and Performing Arts downtown. Now that my job is, for the moment, over, I hope to have the flexibility to actually go to the schools, although the Open House season for them is basically over, and we might not be able to get spaces for fall 2012. But if one or both of them screams perfection, we might stick with the current school and plan a transfer in fall 2013 for Casper. We might, after everything, stick with the current school anyway. You remember what I said about the paradox of choice?
Dillo, I dunno. He is excelling academically at the current school, and while he isn't Hermione Granger in personality, he does have a really straightforward sort of high intelligence, unlike Casper. Everything academic so far comes easily to him. He hates change, which is an argument for keeping him in the current school. On the other hand, he did really well at his Montessori preschool, and the Montessori elementary might be a good fit. And as far as social atmosphere, the current school's traditionalism does extend to gender roles, and I think that's unhealthy for Dillo. His fundamental nature is beta, but the past 2 years of school social environment seem to have made him act out a lot and his primary emotional reaction to anything is anger. I'd like to see him in a gentler social environment. (In good news, there's a "feeling class" at school that's been started - by external researchers from a local college - about teaching emotional awareness and social skills to K-1 kids, and we got Dillo into it, and it's pretty damned awesome. I hope it helps him.)
I went to the open house at the school very close to our house. This fall they will definitely have the Gifted Academy there (3rd-6th) and a neighborhood school Kindergarten. It sounds quite unlikely that they'll offer first grade this fall, as there had been a rumor going around about. That could only maybe happen if they have, say, 35 Kindergarteners sign up, and they could open a second K and make it K-1 if they got 10 1st graders. So this school is unlikely to be a choice for Dillo until fall 2013.
The Gifted Academy, on the other hand, sounds pretty good. The school manager spoke and ran the meeting, and I was impressed by her - she was frank and transparent about uncertainties (it's unclear how things will progress with the neighborhood school because a lot depends on how many people actually enroll). Next year the Gifted Academy will have 2 3rd and 4th classes, and 1 each of 5th and 6th. This means there is still room in 4th, and she implied when I spoke to her personally that there will be for some time to come, so we don't need to sign up immediately. She says the school is diverse ethnically, religiously, and geographically - it currently draws from 25 neighborhood districts in the city, and next year she expects it to draw from 35. The work is project-based. When I spoke to her one on one, I asked what sort of student the school was for - was it for the Hermione Granger types, or the wicked smart but more disorganized and more creative thinker types? She said there were both kinds of kids at the school and suggested I go over and talk to a current parent who has a 3rd grader plus 2 other kids at our current school.
So I did, and was really heartened by what this parent had to say. I re-used my Hermione Granger analogy (that was the kind of gifted kid I was) ad she totally got it, and she said her son was not that type, but he was thriving at Gifted, and they teach to the kids' learning styles. She obviously likes our current school - her other 2 kids are happy there, and she'll be president of the PTA next year - but it was good to hear someone else say that the very traditional pedagogy there is not right for every kid, even every smart kid. (I have been feeling guilty about being unhappy with one of the best schools in the city.)
We're getting Casper's Georgia gifted testing scores faxed over to our current school, and hopefully they will let us see them (they wouldn't fax them to us directly; ah, bureaucracy.) They do Ohio testing April 21, so if Casper's scores won't get her in, we can consider that, if we want to go forward.
I'd still like to go look at the Montessori public school our neighbors go to, and the School for Creative and Performing Arts downtown. Now that my job is, for the moment, over, I hope to have the flexibility to actually go to the schools, although the Open House season for them is basically over, and we might not be able to get spaces for fall 2012. But if one or both of them screams perfection, we might stick with the current school and plan a transfer in fall 2013 for Casper. We might, after everything, stick with the current school anyway. You remember what I said about the paradox of choice?
Dillo, I dunno. He is excelling academically at the current school, and while he isn't Hermione Granger in personality, he does have a really straightforward sort of high intelligence, unlike Casper. Everything academic so far comes easily to him. He hates change, which is an argument for keeping him in the current school. On the other hand, he did really well at his Montessori preschool, and the Montessori elementary might be a good fit. And as far as social atmosphere, the current school's traditionalism does extend to gender roles, and I think that's unhealthy for Dillo. His fundamental nature is beta, but the past 2 years of school social environment seem to have made him act out a lot and his primary emotional reaction to anything is anger. I'd like to see him in a gentler social environment. (In good news, there's a "feeling class" at school that's been started - by external researchers from a local college - about teaching emotional awareness and social skills to K-1 kids, and we got Dillo into it, and it's pretty damned awesome. I hope it helps him.)
As you may remember, I've never felt super-great about the kids' current school. It's rated excellent, they have a lot of good enrichment and so forth, but we haven't felt like it's a real community for us, and it seems like there's an excessive focus on test prep and achievement generally.
A couple of weeks ago we did a Girl Scout Cookie booth, and the leader, who has daughters in 6th and 3rd grades, gave me an earful about 4th grade at our current school (unprompted). She said, "4th grade is the year [school] loses kids," and talked about the 3 4th grade teachers who have worked together for 15 years and are very tight, how parents are explicitly discouraged from spending time in the classrooms (despite a school-wide open-door policy), and how they are very hard on the kids, with respect to strictness and high standards. Today Casper told us that her current (3rd grade) teacher gave them a lecture today about how hard 4th grade is, and how if you forget to turn things in you get a 0, and (unlike in 3rd grade) they don't let you correct mistakes in your work for extra points after a first grading. Casper was in tears about this.
So, what to do? I definitely think it's a bad idea to paint the 4th grade as a "make or break" year, presenting a challenge in a negative light, to the children, as Mrs. S did today. Casper now has the impression that the 4th grade teachers are mean.
But aside from the PR problem 4th grade has, is the actuality a red flag, or not? I've been ambivalent about the level of rigor at the school; it certainly feels more authoritarian and focused on achievement in the matter of grades rather than in the matter of understanding than our previous school. I have tried to convince myself that this is a good thing, or at least okay, since Casper has mostly managed to rise to the challenges of lots of homework, and she has a tendency to be a bit lazy and sloppy by her (daydreamy, rushing through boring work) nature. I told myself that the enforced rigor would be good for her, teach her that she can achieve high standards if she pays proper care to her work. Now I'm concerned that the school is teaching her that dotting the 'i's and crossing the 't's is more important than love of learning and understanding concepts. Which way is right? Does anyone have experiences with school personalities and the rigor question?
I'm going to an open house on Thursday for the new neighborhood school we'll be eligible for. Unfortunately they won't have 4th grade yet next year, and they won't have 5th grade yet by 2013, so it's not really an option for Casper. There will be someone from the Gifted Academy for 3rd-6th grades which will also be moving into the building. But I'm not positive Casper would be able to get into Gifted by the Ohio criteria, and I have no idea about the environment there. And then we get to think again about magnet schools and private schools, again too late and of course the $ issue.
Next on Woes of Elementary School Parenting, we'll have a fun discussion about social anxiety, brattitude, and your 5 year old. At least he has excellent grades?
A couple of weeks ago we did a Girl Scout Cookie booth, and the leader, who has daughters in 6th and 3rd grades, gave me an earful about 4th grade at our current school (unprompted). She said, "4th grade is the year [school] loses kids," and talked about the 3 4th grade teachers who have worked together for 15 years and are very tight, how parents are explicitly discouraged from spending time in the classrooms (despite a school-wide open-door policy), and how they are very hard on the kids, with respect to strictness and high standards. Today Casper told us that her current (3rd grade) teacher gave them a lecture today about how hard 4th grade is, and how if you forget to turn things in you get a 0, and (unlike in 3rd grade) they don't let you correct mistakes in your work for extra points after a first grading. Casper was in tears about this.
So, what to do? I definitely think it's a bad idea to paint the 4th grade as a "make or break" year, presenting a challenge in a negative light, to the children, as Mrs. S did today. Casper now has the impression that the 4th grade teachers are mean.
But aside from the PR problem 4th grade has, is the actuality a red flag, or not? I've been ambivalent about the level of rigor at the school; it certainly feels more authoritarian and focused on achievement in the matter of grades rather than in the matter of understanding than our previous school. I have tried to convince myself that this is a good thing, or at least okay, since Casper has mostly managed to rise to the challenges of lots of homework, and she has a tendency to be a bit lazy and sloppy by her (daydreamy, rushing through boring work) nature. I told myself that the enforced rigor would be good for her, teach her that she can achieve high standards if she pays proper care to her work. Now I'm concerned that the school is teaching her that dotting the 'i's and crossing the 't's is more important than love of learning and understanding concepts. Which way is right? Does anyone have experiences with school personalities and the rigor question?
I'm going to an open house on Thursday for the new neighborhood school we'll be eligible for. Unfortunately they won't have 4th grade yet next year, and they won't have 5th grade yet by 2013, so it's not really an option for Casper. There will be someone from the Gifted Academy for 3rd-6th grades which will also be moving into the building. But I'm not positive Casper would be able to get into Gifted by the Ohio criteria, and I have no idea about the environment there. And then we get to think again about magnet schools and private schools, again too late and of course the $ issue.
Next on Woes of Elementary School Parenting, we'll have a fun discussion about social anxiety, brattitude, and your 5 year old. At least he has excellent grades?
baby names
Mar. 1st, 2012 03:41 amI am sort of amazed by how many of my age-mates are still having babies. I mean, bully for them, but mentally my baby years are SO over, so it's so crazy to me.
Born:
Vivian Sophie, big brother is Jude.
Eliana Grace
Samuel Eric (Sammy), siblings are Ellie (Elizabeth Lindsey) and Frisco (Fransisco).
And in celebrity news, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's 3rd child is named Samuel (big sisters are Violet and Seraphina).
Born:
Vivian Sophie, big brother is Jude.
Eliana Grace
Samuel Eric (Sammy), siblings are Ellie (Elizabeth Lindsey) and Frisco (Fransisco).
And in celebrity news, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's 3rd child is named Samuel (big sisters are Violet and Seraphina).
Well, today sucked.
Feb. 29th, 2012 08:06 pm1. I had to leave the room while in a meeting at work, because I didn't trust my ability to keep my temper.
2. I spent most of the day working on a big spreadsheet. I've had students work in it at various times, and at some point somebody - I sure as hell hope not me - sorted one of the columns but not all of them, so that the data are now mismatched. In good news, some of it is still okay - it doesn't all have to be done from scratch - but in not so good news, you can't necessarily tell by looking whether the data in a given row is right or not. So I really ought to check everything. All 1200 items.
3. mr. flea had to call the mortgage company again. They accidentally paid $4000 from our escrow account to a random county in which our house is not located. They have been remarkably remiss in clearing up this error, and our statement for payment, due tomorrow, asks us to pay an extra $500 to start rebuilding our escrow. They said we should go ahead and pay the old amount, and they will send us a new statement eventually. My distrust of the company is such that I worry that this is some trick to declare us delinquent and make us pay huge fees.
4. Casper has been having homework fits all week. Tears and procrastination and the whole thing. Tonight is no different. Tomorrow a book report is due.
5. The uptight downstairs neighbor pounded on the ceiling, at 7pm on a Wednesday, because Dillo was dancing around in the dining room (which is uncarpeted because, hey dining room, with messy kids at the table). Dillo wasn't even wearing shoes. This is not the first incident of ceiling-pounding, and the other weekend said neighbor had a freakout at mr. flea because the children were running to and fro. At noon on a Sunday. Being, you know, kids. It makes me feel like we don;t have a right to have actual lives.
I miss our own house and my old job and our lives.
2. I spent most of the day working on a big spreadsheet. I've had students work in it at various times, and at some point somebody - I sure as hell hope not me - sorted one of the columns but not all of them, so that the data are now mismatched. In good news, some of it is still okay - it doesn't all have to be done from scratch - but in not so good news, you can't necessarily tell by looking whether the data in a given row is right or not. So I really ought to check everything. All 1200 items.
3. mr. flea had to call the mortgage company again. They accidentally paid $4000 from our escrow account to a random county in which our house is not located. They have been remarkably remiss in clearing up this error, and our statement for payment, due tomorrow, asks us to pay an extra $500 to start rebuilding our escrow. They said we should go ahead and pay the old amount, and they will send us a new statement eventually. My distrust of the company is such that I worry that this is some trick to declare us delinquent and make us pay huge fees.
4. Casper has been having homework fits all week. Tears and procrastination and the whole thing. Tonight is no different. Tomorrow a book report is due.
5. The uptight downstairs neighbor pounded on the ceiling, at 7pm on a Wednesday, because Dillo was dancing around in the dining room (which is uncarpeted because, hey dining room, with messy kids at the table). Dillo wasn't even wearing shoes. This is not the first incident of ceiling-pounding, and the other weekend said neighbor had a freakout at mr. flea because the children were running to and fro. At noon on a Sunday. Being, you know, kids. It makes me feel like we don;t have a right to have actual lives.
I miss our own house and my old job and our lives.
CSA and math
Feb. 26th, 2012 06:47 pmOur neighbor suggested we join her CSA, which has a convenient drop-off point at her house (across the street). It's $550 for a half-share, which I think is plenty for us, and we get delivery from Mid-May through October. So, probably 20 weeks, that comes to $27.50 a week. We certainly don't spend that much on produce now, although perhaps we should. Fortunately, the deadline is Tuesday, so I don't have long to agonize over the decision.
In related math news, the kids were driven by Phineas and Ferb ("there's 104 days of summer vacation...") to calculate their summer vacation. Sadly, it comes to far fewer than 104 days; they get out May 30, and go back August 15. Seventy-seven. I made Dillo promise he would not take a rocket ship full of cows to the moon while under my care.
In related math news, the kids were driven by Phineas and Ferb ("there's 104 days of summer vacation...") to calculate their summer vacation. Sadly, it comes to far fewer than 104 days; they get out May 30, and go back August 15. Seventy-seven. I made Dillo promise he would not take a rocket ship full of cows to the moon while under my care.
You know your kids are old when...
Feb. 5th, 2012 07:28 pmYou can't remember which of the basic rash diseases they've had. Casper has blotchy red cheeks today, and I'm trying to recall if she ever had Fifth Disease. I am sure she's had Roseola, and I think hand foot and mouth. Dillo's only has one serious rash, on his first birthday, and it wasn't defineably any of the Classic Six. His cheeks are starting to come on red but he has such a Celtic complexion it could just be from the couple of hours spent playing outside.
Well, we'll see what develops. I just hope Casper's not having a histamine reaction, which might mean she's developing a sensitivity to pistachios, which she adores and ate in large numbers last night.
Dillo, for his part, is ill with Five Year Old Entitlement Syndrome, for which the only know cure is Time and Maturity. He has taken to throwing a fit if we don't do what he wants, or buy him what he wants, instantly. And we don;t, obviously. The fits are very tedious, and also loud.
Well, we'll see what develops. I just hope Casper's not having a histamine reaction, which might mean she's developing a sensitivity to pistachios, which she adores and ate in large numbers last night.
Dillo, for his part, is ill with Five Year Old Entitlement Syndrome, for which the only know cure is Time and Maturity. He has taken to throwing a fit if we don't do what he wants, or buy him what he wants, instantly. And we don;t, obviously. The fits are very tedious, and also loud.
Overwhelmed
Jan. 22nd, 2012 07:29 pmI have a stack of kid school papers on the table. All of them have come home in the last week except for one, which came home the week before.
All need decisions or feedback or something.
*Girl Scout field trip Feb. 25. (Probable yes, must consult Girl Scout.)
*Scholastic book club order form for Feb. 3 (for K). (Probable recycle.)
*Annual flower sale order form due Feb. 14. (Whoops, no garden, I guess I can recycle that one).
*Primary Choir (K) - rehearses Mondays 8:20-9:05 starting Monday, performs May 8, cost $5. (Probable no.)
*Note from K class parent re: Teacher Appreciation Day Jan. 27, I should send in a school supply from the list by Wednesday. (Whoops, did not purchase today, may skip.)
*Spanish Language school (both kids), meets Tuesdays 8:10-9:05, $120 for 10 weeks, due (whoops) Jan. 16, starts Jan. 31. (I'd actually like the kids to do this, but neither of them wants to.) (This is the form that came last week.)
*Spring soccer (both kids), times & location TBD (could be a problem), $40 per kid + $16 uniform, due Jan. 26. (I thought Dillo was dying to play soccer, but he is not enthusiastic about it, which could be just as well since I think they practice in a place we can't get to except by car, and probably in the 3:30-6 window. Also given the league rules and cutoff date he'd probably be the youngest child on a team of 6-7 year olds (the cutoff is must be 6 by July 31, which he makes by 3 weeks) and he's never played soccer before.)
*Lengthy note from 3rd grade class parents about all events for the rest of the year. (I can't even skim without getting breathless with anxiety.)
*Flier for School Night at local bookstore, Jan. 26, show up in PJs and story time with local author. (Probably skip; we don't get home until 6pm).
*Forms requesting feedback for the principal on how we like our school, what we'd like to see changed, etc. (Maybe skip.)
Last week I recycled forms about spring baseball and softball, roller skating club, and art club (after Casper told me she didn't want to do it - she does not like the art teacher, which is sort of a tragedy.)
I also have notes about conferences for both kids (Feb. 2), a note on the 100th day of school celebration for Dillo (Jan. 25), plus of course homework packets for both kids.
Between this and double fits about homework (one from each child; Dillo finds it boring and too easy and also just likes to be contrary; Casper finds it boring and too hard and also just likes to be melodramatic), I actually thought that homeschooling might not be so bad just now.
Not-school papers that need decisions:
*Cincinnati ballet discount ticket mailing ($20 tickets) for 1pm Feb. 18 child-friendly performance.
*Art Academy Saturday am art class flier for both kids, Feb. 4-March 10, $135 per kid.
All need decisions or feedback or something.
*Girl Scout field trip Feb. 25. (Probable yes, must consult Girl Scout.)
*Scholastic book club order form for Feb. 3 (for K). (Probable recycle.)
*Annual flower sale order form due Feb. 14. (Whoops, no garden, I guess I can recycle that one).
*Primary Choir (K) - rehearses Mondays 8:20-9:05 starting Monday, performs May 8, cost $5. (Probable no.)
*Note from K class parent re: Teacher Appreciation Day Jan. 27, I should send in a school supply from the list by Wednesday. (Whoops, did not purchase today, may skip.)
*Spanish Language school (both kids), meets Tuesdays 8:10-9:05, $120 for 10 weeks, due (whoops) Jan. 16, starts Jan. 31. (I'd actually like the kids to do this, but neither of them wants to.) (This is the form that came last week.)
*Spring soccer (both kids), times & location TBD (could be a problem), $40 per kid + $16 uniform, due Jan. 26. (I thought Dillo was dying to play soccer, but he is not enthusiastic about it, which could be just as well since I think they practice in a place we can't get to except by car, and probably in the 3:30-6 window. Also given the league rules and cutoff date he'd probably be the youngest child on a team of 6-7 year olds (the cutoff is must be 6 by July 31, which he makes by 3 weeks) and he's never played soccer before.)
*Lengthy note from 3rd grade class parents about all events for the rest of the year. (I can't even skim without getting breathless with anxiety.)
*Flier for School Night at local bookstore, Jan. 26, show up in PJs and story time with local author. (Probably skip; we don't get home until 6pm).
*Forms requesting feedback for the principal on how we like our school, what we'd like to see changed, etc. (Maybe skip.)
Last week I recycled forms about spring baseball and softball, roller skating club, and art club (after Casper told me she didn't want to do it - she does not like the art teacher, which is sort of a tragedy.)
I also have notes about conferences for both kids (Feb. 2), a note on the 100th day of school celebration for Dillo (Jan. 25), plus of course homework packets for both kids.
Between this and double fits about homework (one from each child; Dillo finds it boring and too easy and also just likes to be contrary; Casper finds it boring and too hard and also just likes to be melodramatic), I actually thought that homeschooling might not be so bad just now.
Not-school papers that need decisions:
*Cincinnati ballet discount ticket mailing ($20 tickets) for 1pm Feb. 18 child-friendly performance.
*Art Academy Saturday am art class flier for both kids, Feb. 4-March 10, $135 per kid.
bay-buh-lade
Jan. 15th, 2012 07:51 pmThis has been the weekend of the bay-buh-lade. Bay-buh-lade is a game that Dillo has created. I think it originated with a toy called a Battle Blade. These are plastic tops, with serrated edges, and you spin them at each other and make them battle. I think at after school, the kids have started making "tops" out of legos and battling them. This is what we have been doing at home, pretty much continuously, since 6am Saturday. There's a basic structure of each bay-buh-lade, built around a core that's square foursies with a platform made of two by fours in the middle, and then you build an outer ring of two by fours that sits on that, and then you add fins and wings and other elaborations. The good ones get names - the Ice Queen, The Firestarter - partly based on their colors. After a lot of building and tinkering, you sit on the wooden floor and spin them at each other. My method is twisting using the top foursie of the core; Dillo has a two-handed method using the arms. Sometimes the bay-buh-lades don't hit each other when you spin. If they do, the one that keeps going wins, while the one that gets knocked off loses. Losing pieces is points lost too. We have mostly managed to keep sibling fighting over this to a minimum, and have fun instead of getting too into point-keeping. It helps that one parent is usually involved.
It's great that Dillo is creative and made his own game and loves to build things and is learning about symmetry (to make them spin well) and how to build them strong and so forth. But after two full days I am so tired of the bay-buh-lade game. We need another 5 year old boy to keep up with the obsession.
It's great that Dillo is creative and made his own game and loves to build things and is learning about symmetry (to make them spin well) and how to build them strong and so forth. But after two full days I am so tired of the bay-buh-lade game. We need another 5 year old boy to keep up with the obsession.
we're not in Georgia any more
Jan. 10th, 2012 12:28 pmConversation at bedtime last night:
Me: Casper, could you [something or other, like put on your pajamas].
Casper: Yes, ma'am. [beat] I have to stop saying that.
Me: Yeah, nobody says 'Yes, ma'am" in Ohio.
Casper: And they don't say y'all! I had just gotten used to the y'all!
(Note, of course, she was born in North Carolina, but in a sliver of it that wasn't very Southern.)
Me: Casper, could you [something or other, like put on your pajamas].
Casper: Yes, ma'am. [beat] I have to stop saying that.
Me: Yeah, nobody says 'Yes, ma'am" in Ohio.
Casper: And they don't say y'all! I had just gotten used to the y'all!
(Note, of course, she was born in North Carolina, but in a sliver of it that wasn't very Southern.)
name of note
Jan. 9th, 2012 01:31 pmRemember Tyquavious, and Quindarrius, and Montavious? How about the amazingly-monikered Barkevious Mingo, a football player at LSU? (http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=3660186) Given that his nickname is "Key-Key", I would guess it is pronounced Bar-KEE-vee-us, not Bar-KAY-vee-us.
The Facebook friend who pointed it out suggested it sounds like a Harry Potter character name, but (if you assume as I initially did that it's said Bar-KAY-vee-us) it would also be an excellent name for a large, friendly dog.
The Facebook friend who pointed it out suggested it sounds like a Harry Potter character name, but (if you assume as I initially did that it's said Bar-KAY-vee-us) it would also be an excellent name for a large, friendly dog.
my life is absurd
Jan. 6th, 2012 08:40 pmmr. flea has had a mild obsession with the Bigfoot phenomenon for a while now. Now he's watching - and got the kids addicted to - a TV show called Finding Bigfoot. http://animal.discovery.com/tv/finding-bigfoot/ (warning, link makes monkey noises). IT IS SO RIDICULOUS.
On the plus side, my mother handed down my childhood copy of that early-80s classic, Gnomes, and Casper and I have developed a plan to write and illustrate a similar volume, titled Bigfoots.
On the plus side, my mother handed down my childhood copy of that early-80s classic, Gnomes, and Casper and I have developed a plan to write and illustrate a similar volume, titled Bigfoots.
baby names of the prepsters
Jan. 3rd, 2012 06:44 pmFrom my elite private Connecticut prep school alumni magazine:
Merrill Charlotte
Denali and Birch
Amelie Blaine
Mikhail (father is Russian)
Liam
Alexander Steven
Joseph and Jake
Gunnar and Axel
Isabel and Charlotte (okay, I have to quote this: "... relocated from Wellesley, Mass. to London this past August and are settling in to a charming Edwardian row house in Belsize Park. The move follows [husband's] decision to transfer to the relatively new London office of [blah blah], where he is a private equity partner. While here I plan to continue my interior decoration studies, brush up on my language skills, and take in as much as possible." Trying MUCH too hard, no? This woman was in my class.)
Ryan David, big brother John Elliott
Brady Esther (f)
Morgan and Ava
Lillian Jane
Sierra
Porter Rust
Karis Juliet
Jacoby Bernard
Brooks Lyle (m) ("We are loving parenthood and Brooks enjopyed his first summer in Maine." See, THIS is how you do it.)
Brianna Marlene, big sister Abrielle
Mathilda (they live in Munich)
Bruno, Brooke, and Bruce (last name starts with B also, and contains a U)
Ansley Laine (gender not noted, presumably f)
Katherine Pearce
Theo
Peter Grayson
Thomas Frederick
Anne Violet
and a dog named Henry Barkston
Merrill Charlotte
Denali and Birch
Amelie Blaine
Mikhail (father is Russian)
Liam
Alexander Steven
Joseph and Jake
Gunnar and Axel
Isabel and Charlotte (okay, I have to quote this: "... relocated from Wellesley, Mass. to London this past August and are settling in to a charming Edwardian row house in Belsize Park. The move follows [husband's] decision to transfer to the relatively new London office of [blah blah], where he is a private equity partner. While here I plan to continue my interior decoration studies, brush up on my language skills, and take in as much as possible." Trying MUCH too hard, no? This woman was in my class.)
Ryan David, big brother John Elliott
Brady Esther (f)
Morgan and Ava
Lillian Jane
Sierra
Porter Rust
Karis Juliet
Jacoby Bernard
Brooks Lyle (m) ("We are loving parenthood and Brooks enjopyed his first summer in Maine." See, THIS is how you do it.)
Brianna Marlene, big sister Abrielle
Mathilda (they live in Munich)
Bruno, Brooke, and Bruce (last name starts with B also, and contains a U)
Ansley Laine (gender not noted, presumably f)
Katherine Pearce
Theo
Peter Grayson
Thomas Frederick
Anne Violet
and a dog named Henry Barkston
forever house
Dec. 13th, 2011 07:07 pmCasper had a hard day for no reason at school yesterday, and came home with a drawing of our "forever house." We've been talking about this since before we moved; some of it is silly, and some of it is real. Casper wants a fireplace, a big porch, a tree that's right for a treehouse, and a creek in the back yard. Also, a weeping willow. (She wanted a weeping willow for the treehouse, but I explained they were not well suited for such.) She also at various points has wanted dolphins and a Giant Pacific Octopus to live in the creek (while realizing this is environmentally implausible).
Today Dillo said he liked our old house better than this house because it had good places to play outside. Yesterday at after school he drew our current house, quite nicely and accurately, with the driveway and our car and his room and the big field in back that we sometimes let the kids play in.
I'm having a hard day today myself; it's dark, and our schedule has me in the car 80 minutes a day, and we don't meet anyone at the kids' school due to it so we don't know anyone except our (very nice) neighbors, and my job is high-stress and poorly paying, and we won't have much of a Christmas (we're not poor; it's lack of effort and inspiration) and it feels like obligation rather than joy to see family and exchange gifts. I am mourning our move today. I liked our OLD forever house.
Today Dillo said he liked our old house better than this house because it had good places to play outside. Yesterday at after school he drew our current house, quite nicely and accurately, with the driveway and our car and his room and the big field in back that we sometimes let the kids play in.
I'm having a hard day today myself; it's dark, and our schedule has me in the car 80 minutes a day, and we don't meet anyone at the kids' school due to it so we don't know anyone except our (very nice) neighbors, and my job is high-stress and poorly paying, and we won't have much of a Christmas (we're not poor; it's lack of effort and inspiration) and it feels like obligation rather than joy to see family and exchange gifts. I am mourning our move today. I liked our OLD forever house.
