Time Off for Bruce; Game On for Allison

I'm going to try to catch up on the blog. Which means posting a lot of pictures. Here goes.

Clay's fifth grade program was today. Bruce took off work since this is Clay's last year in elementary school. Here's my fella looking ever so cool.



After the program, Bruce and Clay took off for some father/son time. Clay played model to Bruce's photographer.



Allison loves volleyball evidently. I like it because it's a sport with a short season. Only six weeks of disrupted family dinners... YAY!





Showing some sass. Yep. That's my girl.





Ouch! Ball must not have gone over the net.



Success comes later though...

Washington D.C. Spring Break

Because life is busy near the end of the school year and I'm already feeling that time crunch, I'll be allowing my boys to give the low down on our Spring Break trip to Washington D.C. It was a last minute trip because the weather locally wasn't looking too good for camping. Well, the weather wasn't much better in D.C., but there you go. You do what you've got to do to have family time.

Here's Clay's take on the break.

My trip to WASHINGTON D.C.
March 31, 2011
Today was my first day in Washington D.C. First we imediatly went to the air and space museum in Chantilly, VA.

It was one of the Smithsonions. The last flown S-R 71 Blackbird was there. It was so cool!

We also went to the Arlington National Cemetary. We watched the "Changing of the guards. A time were soldiers change guarding the "Tomb of the Uknown."



Nobody can talk. Two boys were called down because they were talking. The soldiers kind of scared me. They has a very deep voice.

Today was so cool. The Air and Space Museum was awesome and the cemetary made me feel glad that I live in a country that treats those who died fighting for our freedom with great respect.







John F. Kennedy is also burried there. This trip so far is making me feel even prouder about living in the great USA.

April 1, 2011
Day 2 in the District of Colombia. We went to the National Mall today. We went to the National Museum of Natural History, another Smithsonion.



Allison posing with some crochet coral.



Spencer with the real thing.



We also went to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. We watched them make paper money.

Then we went to a Holocaust museum. Very sad.

We also went to the Newseam. Its a museam about news.





Mom's favorite quote from her journalism classes in college.



Clay in front of a section of the Berlin Wall.



I relized today that I will never understand public art. Here's some examples:

(He drew some cubes and other geometric shapes.)

See it's just crazy no offense to sculptors but I don't see what it symbolizes.

April 2, 2011
This is my 3rd and last full day in D.C. Today was good. We finished the Newseum...



The bathroom walls included tiles of newspaper corrections or other headline errors like the one above.



Mom's prerogative to include the quote above, too, because it's just too true. Even though at the time I complained about the low pay and long hours, newspaper journalism was my favorite job - next to being a mom.

The pictures below were taken while the kids recorded segments of themselves pretending to be television news anchors. They loved that part!







... and did the National Gallary of Art. There are lots of nude sculptures. Oh and tip for future if your looking for "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo Da Vinci, it's in France... Paris to be exact. Not in ANY Smithsonian.

We also did lots of monuments and memorials, but before we could it started raining then it turned to hail. Then right on que... thumder and lightning.

Once it stopped we went to the Washington Monument. This is the goofiest saying in the world but "I touched it! I touched the Washington Monument.





Then the next thing was the WWII Memorial. It was big and pretty.





there was a wall with stars and each star represented 100 dead US soldiers IN ACTTION. There were 4048 stars. So that means 4048 X 100 = 404,800. But really dead, POWs, and MIAs totaled 405,399.





We would have seen the reflection pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial but they were doing work on it. So next was the Vietnam Memorial. It's a huge wall with names of MIAs, POWs and dead.



Next was the Lincoln Memorial. Abe was huge! He was about 5 X my height!



But last but not least was the Korean War Memorial. It was statues of soldiers from that era. they were kind of in a battle field.







April 3, 2011
Today we left but before we got out of D.C. we went to the Iwo Jima Memorial. It was big!



I loved the trip to Washington D.C. I mean my brother and sister may have complained there socks off because "I'm bored its just some museams" "I'm tired" you know. But I was and I quote "the best behaved of all." But hey the trip was AWESOME. As one of the signs said in Union Station: "I luv D.C."

Well, this is Clay from Washington D.C. signing off.

And here's what Spencer wrote. (By the way, I didn't ask the boys to do a journal. They just did.)

Washington
by Spencer

I got there after 6 hours of driveing non stop it was like 700 miles eventuly I notest that we had been driveing for like four hours so I told mom why did we have to go on this dumb trip

when i got to washington I was exited the next day we had walked like 10 miles so I told mom I hate this trip.

We went to the musem (the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) I swer it should have been vilont there was blod There was starved pepole. It was scary.

A few days later we went to a newsem. It was about a meusem about news It was fun I cep on waiting to go to the neseums 4D movie it had wind it was awsome I loved it we got to see a movie about the twin towers colison I cep on asking if we could go to the Washington monyoument

the day befor we went to a place that had relly good food. (Panera Bread.)


Here are a few more pictures that I liked.

This first one could have been taken anywhere, but just happened to be taken at our hotel one night after the kids were worn out! It's not every day anymore that my younger two will hold hands.



The cherry blossom festival was going strong while we were there and the blooms were at peak. Terrible for allergy sufferers, but beautiful just the same. The Jefferson Monument is barely visible in the background of this last picture.

Two Times

I always look at the kids' papers when they come home from school each day. This week Spencer brought home a page that had a story on one side and on the other side were questions about the story: three multiple choice and two that needed to be answered in sentences written by the student.

I didn't read the story. I just wanted to see if the sentences Spencer wrote were written well. If he was misspelling words that he should know because they were previous spelling words. If he was remembering to capitalize at the beginning and punctuate at the end.

The last question and his answer got my attention.

The question: "Do you think Sandra will break the rules again? Explain."

His answer: "Well becuse she got punish she probbly do it one more time then shell follow the ruls."

I showed Bruce later. He called Spencer in and asked him about his answer.

With a very serious facial expression, Spencer explained.

"Well, you guys probably know this. Because you were kids. Once. So when you get in trouble and get a spanking, you'll probably do it one more time. Because you forget. Then you won't do it again after you get a second spanking."

Finally. An explanation. I understand Spencer better now.

Wise Beyond Her Years

Allison already has bras figured out.

A few weeks ago she asked me when she was going to get to start wearing bras. As we have a couple of training bras that were handed down to us by a friend with an older daughter, I told Allison she could wear one whenever she wanted.

We went upstairs to try them on. They all fit, so when we picked out her clothes for the next day, she picked the one she liked best and we put it with the clothes.

But the next morning she came downstairs dressed, but with no training bra on underneath.

She decided against wearing it.

Works for me. She obviously doesn't need one just yet anyway.

Just now she was watching a show and bras were mentioned.

"What's to understand about bras?" she said. "You put one on, it's uncomfortable, you wear it all day and when you get home, you want to take it off."

Yep. She's got them all figured out.

I'm the Mom! Hear me Roar!

It's been forever since I blogged. I wasn't even sure I remembered how to log in. By now, I'm pretty sure the only person who will check in here is my mom. Which is likely why I feel safe blogging my current issue. I'll be venting. Starting now...

I do not like my Clay's homeroom teacher. Shhhhh! It's really important he not know that.

But my husband knows it. Yeah. He's heard it a lot this year.

I put it mostly down to a personality conflict. Seriously, I think she's passionate about her subject and a good teacher in that subject. I do not think she is a good homeroom teacher for my son.

She has this opinion of my son that isn't correct. And that really ticks me off.

Evidently, she thinks when he complains that he doesn't feel well, that he's faking it and just wants to get out of school. Clay has never been that kind of kid. He actually likes school.

Plus, he's a smart kid. And I'm not bragging. He actually baffles me with how smart he tests, because both Bruce and I weren't exceptional students. But Clay is. And other than talking too much in class (THAT he gets from me), he's a well behaved student.

I guess this is the first time I think an adult might actually dislike my son. And I don't get it. So it irritates me.

But that's all side issue.

Clay has not felt well for a few weeks now. Back in January I took him for a strep test that came back negative. He was still given some antibiotics and he felt a bit better after a few days.

A few weeks later, Spencer and Allison were treated for strep.

A week later, Clay complained about a sore throat. By then my throat and eyes had been itching for a week, so I put his symptoms off to early seasonal allergies. We're usually hit with allergies around the same time each year.

Then came his headache.

I sent a note to school for his teacher on a Thursday, asking her to allow him to call me once instructional time was over if he still felt ill. He is finished with math, reading, science and social studies by 1:40 p.m. each day. After that, he has recess and related arts (library, music, art, PE). It's a big deal right now for him to have me pick him up because his little girlfriend rides the same school bus. The very fact that he would give up time with her on the bus ride home in favor of mom picking him up is indicative of how badly he would have to be feeling.

But I didn't hear from him that Thursday and when he got home from school, he was pretty much the same. He asked to stay home the next day. Well, he had five tests. And no fever. Still only a sore throat and a head ache. So I sent him to school and told him to call me after instruction time.

I never heard from him. I figured he'd bounced back and was feeling better.

Still, I went up to the school about 20 minutes before classes were over for the day to see if he wanted to drive home with me and Spencer and Allison. I found him in the gym. Sitting out of class.

As soon as he saw me, he walked over looking pitiful and said he wanted to go home "right now". I was surprised and asked, "You're feeling worse?" He said he was. So I asked why he hadn't called me earlier.

"My teacher wouldn't let me," he said.

And that's when I started getting really mad.

Later that night, after three hours spent at the Urgent Care Clinic to get a positive strep culture result, I was even madder.

I told Bruce I felt like she held my sick kid hostage at the school because she deemed him well enough to make it through the day. That's not her job. That's mine. I'm the mom! I'm the one who knew we'd just been through two cases of strep. She didn't know that.

Here we are a little more than a week later and Clay is still feeling ill. Same complaints. Sore throat and headache. But he's fatigued and lightheaded now, too. Still no fever. I sent him to school today with instructions to call me at 1:40 if he feels worse.

Meanwhile, Allison had been sick Saturday night, so she and I stayed home from church yesterday. No more vomiting though, so I planned to send her to school this morning. But her belly was pretty empty. And often when that happens to my kids, they get nauseated. It's a vicious cycle. So I brought her back home with me after dropping the boys off at school.

After a few hours of eating small bits of food every 45 minutes, she felt better and wanted to go to school. When I took her, I checked in with Clay. No surprise, he wanted to come home. But I told him I wanted him to make it through the day. He asked me to reiterate to his teacher that he be allowed to call me later to get him if necessary.

I did so. And during that conversation I let it be known that Clay's siblings had had strep the week before his last case of strep... when she didn't let him call me to get him. And I let her know that his sister had been sick this past Saturday.

You know I got a phone call at 1:40 p.m., right?

So I picked Clay up. And he's pretty much moped on the couch all day. Tomorrow, I have an appointment to have his blood drawn and have him checked for mono, because it is just one of about five yucky things going around at his school.

But before she let him call me, she felt the need to tell him she has noticed that he always wants to call home right before related arts. Well, duh! He's doing what his mother tells him to do. But she also pointed out that he gets a grade in those classes as well.

I told Clay not to worry about it. When he goes off to college, nobody is going to care what his report card showed for PE in fifth grade.

My kids get plenty of physical education. They also regularly visit the local library. We've had them in either church choir or in piano or guitar lessons since they were about three years old. Art? Yeah, I'll give you that, because I've got nothing there but what they're getting at school.

But ultimately, that is our call as well. If Bruce and I are okay with our kids getting their instruction time when they feel poorly (but aren't exhibiting symptoms that make us think they are contagious and should be home) and missing recess or related arts, that's our business. Not a homeroom teacher's.

We're the parents!

I'm the Mom.

I'm done roaring.

For now.

Birthday Bests

So I had another birthday recently. And I've decided there are some great things about getting older. Other than just breathing some more and continuing to spend time with the people I love most on this earth.

For one thing, I'm now at that age where I realize that I could be a grandmother without any scandalously young childbearing going on. This realization did not come gently though.

A few weeks ago I was shopping in Wal-mart and my oldest son called me on my cell.

"Great-grandpa called," Clay said.

"He did?" I asked. "Did you talk to him?"

"No, I didn't pick up the phone, but caller ID showed it was him," he said.

(My kids aren't allowed to answer the phone unless caller ID shows a family member's name.)

"You could have picked up and talked to him," I reminded Clay.

"Yea, but THEN I WOULD HAVE HAD TO TALK LIKE THIS!" he shouted in my ear.

I laughed. "Yes, but that's just how you have to talk for him to hear you. Do you want to call him back?" I asked.

"Nah, I'll let you when you get home," Clay said.

"Okay, sweetie. Thanks for telling me. I'll see you soon. Love you, bye."

End of phone call. I pushed my buggy a little farther before this woman walked up from behind me and said something, but all I caught were the words "sweet" and "grandson". I asked her to repeat what she'd said.

"Oh," she said, "I was just commenting on the sweet phone call you just had with your grandson."

My WHAT??!

By then she was beside me and she started to get flustered.

"Well," she continued, trying to back peddle quickly, "now I'm up closer to you and I see you aren't old enough to be a grandma."

She was embarrassed. And I hate to see that.

"Actually, that was my oldest son. BUT I am old enough to be a grandma," I said. "One of my best friends from high school is a new grandma."

She was off the hook and we continued with general chit-chat a few more minutes. I could have let her comment fester a little bit, but I chose not to. She could have been witness to a not-so-nice conversation between me and my son, so I was just glad she heard us on a good day. I focused on the positive.

See, at 41, I'm mature enough to not let little things bother me anymore. I'm also more of a realist.

So I went to the toiletries section and bought a new box of hair color.

The other great thing about turning another year older is that you can let some dreams go. And see that you are better for it.

I used to always think it'd be a great thing to be, um, more fully endowed at, er, certain places on my body.

I'm not against plastic surgery. In fact, even though I don't routinely spend mega bucks on myself, for my two previous birthdays, I did a couple of things that qualify as cosmetic procedures. And I did it just for me.

I had LASIK surgery when I turned 39. And when the big 4-0 hit, this needle freak voluntarily let someone poke a needle filled with who-knows-exactly-what continuously into whatever spider veins they came across on my legs.

I've also dreamed of having a tummy tuck pretty much since the day my twins were delivered eight years ago. I never had a single stretch mark from my first pregnancy, but twins did my belly in. So when I read awhile back that they can suck the fat off your belly and deposit it straight into your breasts, I thought, "Hey, now that's for me! Nothing fake shoved up in there. All me. Just repositioned."

Seriously... what took doctors so long to figure out that stroke of genius?!

So I started dreaming with a bit more consideration. How much would that cost? How much would that hurt? How long would I have to flinch every time my kids came to me for a hug if both my belly and chest were recovering from surgery?

And then I had a mammogram.

And it came back with "iffy" results.

So I had a repeat mammogram.

And it came back with clear results.

And then I decided that if this mammogram thing was going to be an annual thing, sometimes with repeats... well, then, hey - size DOES matter. And it's better to be smaller!!

So that dream died. And I'll happily lay it to rest.

That tummy tuck thing, though... that might still be a "go". It took me lots of years to work up the courage and save the dough for LASIK. It'll take longer if I ever work up to a tummy tuck simply because I'd have to have general anaesthesia. And that's a greater fear for me than needles.

But, probably by the time I work up the courage to do it and have the money to do it, it won't matter so much. Every other part of my body will be sagging then, too. And I'll be mature enough to handle it then.

Yeah, this getting old thing isn't too rotten.

For now.

Toy Fight

I picked up the kids from school today because Clay had an appointment for a haircut immediately after school. Picking up my kids is like a comedy of errors.

They're all spread out in different classes, the younger ones are in a completely separate wing than the older one, just about as far apart as they could be without leaving the premises. The older one has his related arts classes right before dismissal so I never know where exactly he'll be. Just as soon as they all were gathered together near the front door, Clay said he had to go to the bathroom.

Since we were right beside the boy's bathroom, I told him to go ahead. Then Spencer said he had to go to the bathroom, but not before he snatched some toy that Allison had received from a classmate. A silly little plastic lock of some kind. Which Spencer then took hostage on his sojourn into the restroom.

Tears welled immediately in Allison's eyes. And Woe Is Me, Act I began.

"He took my toy."

"It's my favorite toy."

"I got it from someone in my class."

"I'll never see it again."

Clay had returned from the bathroom by then but a glance at my watch confirmed we were running late. And my boy has been sporting a Shag for quite some time. This haircut was necessary!

I was losing patience. What was taking Spencer so long? Why can't these boys hold their bladders for the duration of a 10-minute drive across town? Can my girl possibly whine any louder?

Finally, I bent over and looked into Allison's eyes.

"Allison, Spencer does these things to bug you. When you react, he wins. Quit crying. I'll make him return it when he gets out of the bathroom."

She was not convinced.

"He'll lose it!"

Big deal, I'm thinking. It's probably the cheapest thing that the dollar store sells.

"Well, if he loses it, Allison, I'll make him buy you a new one."

Still, she was not convinced. Because of one small detail.

"Mom, how can you make him buy me a new one? It said it was Made In China!"

Needless to say, we are not planning any trips to China.

The toy has been returned to its rightful owner.

Apologies have been made.

All is forgiven.

Except for maybe the fact that I laughed in my weeping daughter's face. That wasn't a shining moment of motherhood.

Peace and Quiet

A short conversation with Spencer just now went like this:

Spencer: Mom, you know that tomorrow is a school day, don't you?

Me: Yes. Isn't it great?!

Spencer: Yes. I mean, no.

Me: What? What's not great about school tomorrow?

Spencer: It's great for you.

Me: Why is it great for me and not for you?

Spencer: You get peace and quiet.

"Hmmmm," I think to myself. "I am so busted! My kid knows why I love school days. It's quiet at home. No fighting children. No squealing car noises coming from the boys as they wreck cars. No tattling siblings.

"But I don't want him, or any of them, to think I don't miss them. Or that I don't love being their mom. Or that I don't enjoy spending time with them.

"What do I say now??"

Obviously, I was over thinking, as I am prone to do.

Because this is what was said next...

Spencer: You don't have to hear the teachers talking all day.

Oh. Yeah. THAT kind of peace and quiet.

Shew!