Remember the time...?

Just thought I would let you know that I am wearing my "firefighting socks" today. Yes, I still have them and almost never wear them, as I want to keep them around and not wear them out. But today, I am feeling nostalgic and thought it would be fun to reminisce every time I look at my feet. :)

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The good news is...I made a batch of really yummy apple butter! Grandma Hetrick would be proud.

The bad news is...I have eaten far too much apple butter already and anticipate a tummy ache any minute.

The ugly news is...Things with Sadie Lynn are not looking so good. She is having some major problems at school and there is a real possibility that she may be told she can't come back. We really thought she was getting a handle on her emotions and how to deal with them, and then yesterday I get yet another "your daughter is in the office for hitting" call and this time it was followed by "please come pick her up now, she may not go back to class." It was all I could do not yank her arm out of the socket as I dragged her to the car. We then drove straight to preschool, I set her and Sydney Joy down with packed lunches (string cheese and grapes counts as lunch right?) sat myself down at my desk to get ready for class and promptly burst into tears.

I just don't know what to do.

Maybe I need to find child care for Sydney Joy so I can spend the mornings in class with Sadie Lynn. Maybe she just needs to be enrolled in some physical activity outside of school like gymnastics or karate to help her work through her aggression. Or maybe I need to pull her out and homeschool for Kindergarten, praying that we can get things under control and still have the option of returning to Delta next year. If she gets kicked out, that goes on her record and she can't go back. That would not be good.

Seeing as her problem is a social issue, I'm not sure that pulling her out of school is the best choice. However, if she also did some other activities that kept her in groups and forced her to deal with people, then maybe that would be enough interaction. But on the other hand, since her issue is social, changing classes or schools doesn't fix anything it just changes the group of kids she is hitting and kicking.

I just don't know what to do. Why don't these darn kids come with instruction manuals?

Any advice? Anyone? Anything? Please?

Yeah, I know, I know.

I'm not even going to talk about how long it's been since I posted an update on this blog. Let's just move on.

So, our wonderful Sadie Lynn is in Kindergarten this year. I struggled with myself at the beginning of the year over whether or not to "warn" her teachers about her strong personality. It would be good for them to have a fighting chance in getting her in line, and I wouldn't want them to think that I think that she is a perfect angel. On the other hand, I didn't want to label her or help others pass judgement without getting to know her entirely. Yes, she is a handful at times, but she can also be soft and nurturing, and I didn't want people to only focus on the negative (although, I'm not convinced that her toughness is really negative.) I really debated, weighed the pros and cons and finally decided against having that discussion with anyone at Delta.

Apparently I decided wrong.

If I had warned her teacher that Sadie Lynn has been known to do things like paint the fish in the fish tank, to paint her sister's feet blue with nail polish, and to eat things like Christmas ornaments and polish remover, then maybe there would have been more supervision with the scisors and she wouldn't have cut both her own hair, and the hair of one of her friends. But I didn't warn. And hair was cut.

If I had warned her teacher that Sadie Lynn is very emotional with extreme ups and downs, and that you have to take care of a disagreement at the very beginning or it WILL escalate and end in someone getting hurt (and that someone will surely not be Sadie Lynn) then perhaps the two (that I know of) arguments over toys in the playhouse wouldn't have ended is a little girl getting hit in the head and Sadie Lynn in the office. But I didn't warn. And two calls have been made to say "Mrs. Hinton, your daughter is in the office for fighting."

Nice. Great. What a wonderful way to not only start off the school year, but her educational career. Just super.

I'm praying that Sadie Lynn has decided that the consequences for getting in trouble in school are not worth it, (the home discipline worsens exponentially the second time) and that she will take another route in solving her problems with fellow students. A route that does not include hitting, kicking, or biting. (Alternative solutions have been discussed ad nauseam.)

We shall see.

Here's another one of Sarah Jane's drawings. They had one minute to draw the object placed in front of them. I know I am a bit biased, but still. I couldn't draw a whistle that well in one minute, in 3D, with a shadow and everything.

Creative Child 'O Mine

Sarah Jane received an award at school last week for "Showing Great Potential in Art." She was the only one in 2nd grade to get this honor. She loves to draw and has created some really good work, for an 8 year old. Here is one of my favorites.

Pretty good, huh?

Just Venting

A couple of weekends ago I attended a convention for the California C?? of Parent Participation Nursery Schools. (I can't remember what the second C stands for) I heard one awesome speaker and got to talk personally with several others who were quite interesting. I bought a book that I thought would help not only in the classroom but also in our family. Here's what I have learned from this book so far- I'm only on page 29:

1. Having the letters "Dr." printed before your name does not mean you should write a book.

2. It must be hard to find a good editor these days. Or even a half way decent one. Or even use the spelling/grammar check on your computer for that matter.

3. It IS possible to make 10 typos in the first 29 pages of a published book.

4. It is also possible to have 5 people write the word "humorous" in their review of your book even when you're not the least bit funny.

5. Teaching classes worldwide in family counseling, encouragement, parent-teacher education and conflict management does not mean that you know what mothers themselves are thinking. This could not be more evident then when the author states that "Permissive" parenting mothers say "What would you like for breakfast, darling?" but are thinking "I have no rights as a human, I am a mother. If you would like, go get the kids in the neighborhood and your brothers and sisters and come trod on me; I'll be lying here on the kitchen floor." Seriously? This is "her thinking"?

6. You can have too much of a good thing. The author's "ideal" parenting/teaching style is based on giving choices. Limited choices, but choices. OK, I agree with that- to a certain point. In my world you get a choice and that's it. Take your pick, this or that. the end. Apparently how I should be doing it is to follow this example: Dad says to the daughter, "Sally, your dog Rover needs to be fed. Do you want to feed him now or before dinner?" (good choice- they have control over when it gets done, but it still gets done and you're not the mean bossy parent. I do this.) Dinner is on the table and Dad says "You need to feed Rover, this was our agreed upon time. Should I put your food in the oven to keep it hot, or would you like me to leave it on the table while you feed him?" (Not sure this choice is really necessary...) Sally argues that neither choice is OK and she doesn't want to feed the dog, so Dad says "How long do you need to be in your room to decide which choice is acceptable, five or ten minutes?" Too far. Too many choices. In ten minutes she is out of her room, her dinner is cold, and the dog still hasn't been fed. And what if she still doesn't want to do it? What choice comes next? Ridiculous. I know kids want to have power. If you don't give it to them, they will try to take it and then you have a rough time ahead of you. Giving choices gives them power, and limiting the choices keeps your power in tact. But at some point you have to be the parent, put your foot down, and remind them who is really in control.

7. I wish I had my $12 back.

Your 'till I ask my kids "Do you want to brush your teeth with warm water or cold water? With your left hand or your right hand? After you put the toothpaste on, or after I put it on?"
-yes, those are actual suggested questions from the book.

Quickie

Just a fast update to say that I'm currently leaning toward the preschool. No committment made yet, as is signing up for classes. But today I'm thinking James Marshall. Ask me again tomorrow, though. You never know.

Preschool Con

Staying at the preschool means that I stay at $21.95 an hour. Not that I'm not appreciative for that amount- actually it's really good pay for a preschool teacher. But without a boost in income the chances of us being able to afford a bigger house are pretty slim. I like our house, and we make it work even with 5 of us. But as the girls get older they are going to need their own spaces, and will be wanting more room without everyone being on top of each other. Now, I know that the housing market is not going to stay where it is forever, and that maybe we could get a good price for our house and also be able to afford something bigger in the future. But when in the future? In only 5 years we will have a 13 year old, a 10 year old and a 7 year old. Those early double digit years are the ones that will be insane if they are sharing a room. Even if only the two youngest share a room it will still be crazy. And I can already hear "why does Sarah Jane get HER own room and I don't?" Of course, if they are in any sports or after school programs or other activities then that limits the amount of time they are all home together during the week. And during the summer we can put them on a plane to Grandma's for a month! What a good idea! OK. So it may work being in this house for the long haul. But I still daydream about a bigger home...

Weekend Update

Steve and I got away by ourselves this weekend. A rare occurrence, every minute of which I took full advantage of.

It started with the hour and 45 minute drive, 90 minutes of which I slept through. We arrived in San Fran and went directly to our hotel. We're lucky if we get one night out of 365 without the girls so we splurged a little. OK, a lot. We stayed at the Westin at Union Square, used their valet parking, and didn't bring any of our own food for meals. I know! Way extravagant!

After checking in we freshened up and set out to find dinner. We walked a total of 6 blocks and finally settled on Max's, which happened to be on the same block as the hotel. They had a great menu and we proceeded to shamelessly stuff ourselves. Knowing that our pre-dinner walk would only put a dent in the calories we had just consumed, we continued to wander the streets around Union Square. We went in an antique shop which felt like a museum, an art gallery that was showing a few Warhol pieces- it was awesome- and then we stopped in at Borders just to see what they had on the clearance table. We didn't buy anything but had a good time looking around. It being almost dark we went back to the hotel. It didn't take long for my eyes to droop, and both of us ended up getting 11 hours of sleep that night.

In the morning we took our time getting ready and hit the streets again to find breakfast. Only this time it was raining. Just a dribble, but enough for us to not want to go very far on foot, so we went back to Max's. Steve and I both had incredible breakfast sandwiches and again had to pry ourselves out of the booth after licking our plates clean. We wanted to see more of the city so we checked out of the hotel, loaded the car and drove to the gate to China Town. Steve had been looking forward to walking through China Town, so we decided to brave the weather, but only on the condition that we could buy umbrellas. And as luck would have it, umbrellas were a popular item at practically every shop we passed. We walked almost the whole length and back again managing to keep mostly dry. But after that we decided that this wasn't the day to do much more sight seeing, so we headed home.

I did manage to stay awake on the drive home, concentrating mostly on lesson plans for this week. We gathered the girls who had been spending time with Auntie Hannah and Uncle Daniel. Steve had missed the girls so much that he took them out to dinner and to the mall this evening. I, of course, stayed home, the mall not being my favorite place. But also because I wasn't invited. Mommy had already had her alone time with daddy and now it was their turn.

Speaking of which, they have pretty well wound down from their fun and are ready for bed. Duty calls.

Yours 'till fortune "cookies" can tell where I will go next on the internet.

I am so hip!

OK- does using the word "hip" to describe myself automatically mean that I am not?

Not only do we have cable TV, caller ID and high speed internet- I also have a Facebook page! Can you believe it? You have Christy Cook to thank for this update. I have never been this up to date in my entire life. I have always been a bit behind the times- hence the use of the word "hip" in 2009. What fun it has been to reconnect with people from Alma and Mott. Yes, I said Mott. I have communicated, in that impersonal internet kind of way, with 2 people from high school and have found a half dozen more I hope to talk to soon. I found my buddy Martha from Alma, too! It's been years!

So if anyone reading this also has a Facebook page, look me up.

Yours 'till I put my Facebook up on the shelf.

Preschool Pro

Today I went to a West Sacramento Chamber of Commerce Connection Luncheon. The preschool just became members of the Chamber and since Mrs. Brown wasn't able to attend the lunch I got to go and represent. As a new member I had the opportunity to stand and speak about the preschool and had my picture taken holding our new plaque. After the lunch and special presentation (a riveting power point on local road improvements) was concluded other members introduced themselves and asked all kinds of questions about the school. Some asked just because they were curious, but I passed out several brochures to people who were genuinely interested in the program for their own kinds.

I really do believe in the Parent Participation Nursery School opportunity. I know that co-ops are a dying breed and that West Sac is very fortunate to have one in our community. And while I recognize that with our state's dismal budget issues James Marshall has a big target on it's door for closure, I am glad to have the opportunity to fight for our existence. To make connections with the business leaders in our community is just one step in making a name for the school. I have written a letter to our school district top dogs and board members inviting them to the upcoming CCPPNS conference to be held in Sacramento in March. (BTW- California Coalition of Parent Participation Nursery Schools) I don't think that any of them will show up, but we had to let them know that there is more to us than just our little classroom.

It is hard to think about leaving the preschool when I feel so strongly about its benefit to the children and families we work with. And with Mrs. Brown ready to leave in the near future, I can see myself being the Director and really digging in to the importance of parent co-ops and standing up as an advocate for this program for as long as I can.

Any thoughts?

Hmmm?

So, I've been thinking.
I know, could be dangerous, but sometimes you gotta' do whatcha gotta' do.

I am really enjoying my job at the preschool. And I must say, I am pretty good at it too. Toot! (that was my own horn) However, as some of you know, I have been teaching third grade math and science in the mornings at Sarah Jane's school*. That has been fun and very educational for me as much as for my students. In fact, during this time at Delta it has occurred to me that I could teach elementary school and be very happy. So I've been kicking around the idea of going back to school to get my full credential so I can do just that, but I can't seem to make up my mind on what I want to do.

It is fairly frustrating to be 32 and still not know what you want to do when you grow up.

There are so many pros and cons for both sides that I am torn. One day I am in love with the preschool and knowing that the director will be leaving in a couple of years and that I could take her place is very appealing. But then again, I could teach half days in a kindergarten class and make twice as much money and never have to worry about weather or not the school district is going to ax our program, which is a legitimate concern with James Marshall Preschool.

Anyway, I'm going to work through this decision and hope that you will help me. Let me know what you think by commenting to this post. I would like to get some outside perspectives.

Yours 'till there's a harvest in the kinder-garden.

*that job had now ended. They hired a second grade teacher last week. I'm glad to have my mornings with the baby whom I didn't see much of before.

21st Century- Here We Come!

Let me begin by saying that this is not an excuse, just an explanation.

I have found it difficult to devote the necessary time it takes to blog regularly. With our super, mega, ultra slow Internet connection, and the fact that it takes up our only phone line (yes, dial-up does still exist) a normal length post takes about a half hour. Add in the constant interruptions by my wonderful children and we're looking at an hour, at least. And don't forget the 5 phone calls on my cell phone because our line was busy...Anyway, you get the idea.

But no more will this be an issue!
21st Century, here we come!

Just this morning Steve set up our brand new Wi-Fi connection. Woo Hoo! I am currently on the internet and on the phone at the same time.

Just a minute, let me hang up...

OK. Where was I? Oh yeah, I can be on the computer and still get a phone call at the house. It's amazing. Not to mention that it took all of 45 seconds to connect to the internet, open my blog, log-in, and start typing. Just that alone before took long enough to make me want to scream. I am so excited! And since it's not connected to the wall, I can move around the house, I can stop and referee an argument, check lunch in the oven, heck, I can take a shower and do my hair and not worry about the fact that the phone is busy. I don't why that always bothered me, but it did. What if someone important needed to get a hold of me right at that very minute?

As if getting an up to date internet connection wasn't reason enough to celebrate- we also got caller ID on our house phone! I know it's you calling before I answer. How weird is that? Caller ID has been around so long that our friends couldn't believe we didn't have it, but since it wasn't free, it wasn't on our phone. But now we got a good package deal through AT&T for the internet, house phone, and one more thing...Satellite TV! I know! Can you believe it? I haven't had cable since I was a kid. Needless to say, my husband is in heaven. I may never get him off the couch again. He may be permanently glued to both the TV and the computer for a while. At least until it looses that "new car smell." Not me, though. I have stuff to do. I just wanted to take a few minutes (literally) to say hello and fill you in our recent arrival into the current decade.

Yours 'till Charlotte lives on the Web.

Jesus Christ Superstar in Review

As the audience filters in, eerie blue lighting and gentle wafts of smoke cross the stage. When the lights dim and the first dissonant notes rise from the orchestra pit, the excitement becomes tangible. Heads sway as they inch toward the edge of their seats. The lights warm as you see a man put to death by a Roman guard amidst a crowd of people. As the bystanders gather to morn this man a figure appears in the distance and as he moves forward one single spot light from above comes to life just as he reaches center stage, arms spread out in the classic Jesus pose. He is here. The audience cheers and jumps to their feet almost as if they were one body. And as they settle back down the man seems to take the power given him by the people, and performs his first on stage miracle, giving the dead new life.

At the beginning there are some questions as to whether or not Ted Neeley can fill his own shoes. After all, it had been 35 years since he first portrayed Jesus, and while he looks like the Jesus you remember, will he sound like him? Only the upcoming scenes will tell. The first half flies by as you tap your toes and bob your head to the contagious beats of What's the Buzz, Everything's Alright, and Hosanna. By the time Judas has sealed his fate and taken his fee you are pretty well convinced that yes, this is the same Ted Neely whose voice you have so loved for years. Every time he opens his mouth you are taken back to the hours you have spent listening to this score and personally witnessing his performance in the temple has inspired goose bumps. However, the real test is yet to come.

As the lights go out on the audience after intermission, the air is once again electrified. The big scene is coming. Right around the corner. As Jesus interacts with his disciples in the first scene there is a moment of clever parody when everyone freezes in the exact pose of Divinci's The Last Supper. The audience chuckles and some of the tension is released. But as Jesus and Judas go back and forth over his betrayal and as the music rises to meet that conflict you can't help but anticipate what is coming next. There is a quiet moment as the disciples fall asleep and as Jesus reaches his place of divine communication. But as he wrestles with his fate, battling between the God and Man within him, his voice lets go and every hair on the back of your neck is standing at attention. You listen to the words, absorbing the sound and the meaning of them and the shivers down your spine travel all the way to your feet and back again. That clear strong voice has taken your breath away. As the scene ends, and your regular breathing starts, Jesus is taken away and so are any doubts you may have had in Ted Neely's ability to pull this off again, after all these years.

As you leave the auditorium, you are full of satisfaction. The great lines were there, the snappy choreography was there, the hidden meanings were there, even some crafty staging and creativity that you didn't expect was there. And that voice- oh yes, that voice was there. The only thing not there- disappointment.