FamilyHudson

Something Odd is Happening

2010-06-06T18:19:00.001-07:00

I've had the worst cold for the past week, just enough energy to carry on through the day. It's still lingering, terrible headache today, temperature issues (toohot/toocold) and bad sinuses. But I did manage to get the baking done for the week, and I have pizza for lunch for tomorrow and Tuesday. Grocery bill this week; $38 and some change, but I have a lot of stuff leftover from last week. I will survive.

Today was kiddo's first round with a private coach. He did great, did a true two foot spin and some crossovers, I was impressed! I should have warned Coach that he will cheat in any way possible, but she learned that when he tried to pull some wonky hops and just refused to do a hockey stop. Other than that, he got a lot out of it so we'll continue every other week. (as promised.)

It's strange, something is happening here. Something that's not the skating but is a direct result of it. For the past two years I've been waiting for THE BOY to arrive. You know, the mouthy, argumentative, pushy, daredevil, testy boy. He didn't show up, and I was enjoying a cuddly protraction of toddlerhood. But over the past weeks I've seen a distinct change in my little boy, and he doesn't seem so little anymore. I think THE BOY is here. I see him on the rink, skating around and refusing to do anything for me, MOM, but he'll try a "shoot the duck" for Coach. He skates very well, and the confidence is starting to carry over and out of the rink. He did a lap backwards and two laps without lifting his skates off the ice, challenging himself. He's never done anything like that before, and I'm proud more of the fact he's testing himself rather than he skated backwards.

I'm glad, but I'll miss my cuddles. I was starting to wonder when and what would start to grow him up. If it's skating, then I will start pinching my pennies.

Private Coach mentioned that perhaps I should move him out of the PA2 class and into her Alpha 1 class. This might interfere with our "get the patches" mission, and there's certainly no harm in letting him stay in PA2. I told PCoach "We'll see," which as anyone knows is Mom Code for "No." I like Group Coach a lot, and I like the other parents in that class, too. For me to move him would be making a statement I don't want to make. And it's not like it's going to retard him to stay in PA2.

I skated a bit with one of the other moms, and we finally vented about Old Group Coach. We are both glad to get our kids away from her. She obviously didn't like the little kids. Her every move and expression belied the fact that she was wanting to be elsewhere. She was overly physically aggressive at times, at one point jerking up Kiddo's arms, and at another point pushing one of the girls downwards to correct bad posture. (Makes a lot of sense, I know.) I figure if Kiddo can get through her, then perhaps he stands a chance against other future bad coaches. And now I have a good idea of what bad coaching looks like.

What I didn't know was the incident after the "midterms" last session, where Poor Coach yelled at this other mom for her kids not being able to skate. "There's nothing to see, quack quack quack." According to Other Mom, this is a direct quote. I think at that point I would have gone to another coach for guidance, but as it was Kiddo was skating fine so Poor Coach let him be.

During Friday Skate, I noticed one of the "cooler" coaches taking a peek in at the rink and speaking with one of the guards. (the nice one who first showed Kiddo a crossover.) Later, Guard skated over and told me that Cool Coach had his eye on Kiddo. That felt nice, and a good affirmation that what I see is talent and not Mom Goggles. I didn't tell Kiddo, as Cool Coach does pairs, and Kiddo does not want to do Pairs.

Ah well. One day at a time.

Things I have baked:

2010-05-30T16:39:00.001-07:00

Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnamon Raisin Bread, Pita Bread, Pizza crust, White bread and now pepperoni Pretzels. I will never have to buy store-bought baked good again. As soon as the pretzels get done, a 30 min batch of Snickerdoodles for my sweet tooth.

It just felt so good to walk PAST all the bread and stuff. Next weekend I may try bagels! Seeing as how baking is now more intense, I may have to make grocery day earlier and start baking sooner, always doing the bread while we're out skating.

Haven't done the maths yet on this week's menus... will get to that tomorrow as it's a holiday.

Private Lessons are a yes...

2010-05-28T19:29:00.001-07:00

I told one of the guards at the rink that Kiddo wanted private lessons, and I'd filled out the form. The kindly guard then showed Kiddo crossovers and two foot spins. Bless him, I owe him baked goods. (He did a crossover!!)

Skates are working out fine, I think my feet were a bit swollen yesterday.

White bread in the breadmaker, cinnamon loaf tomorrow. Yeast and I don't have to have such a tumultuous relationship, Breadmaster can be our go-to guy.

Oh god...

2010-05-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

Two things: I got the breadmaker I wanted (which is baking as we speak!)

New skates are very tight. Not sure if this is just because I need to break them in to my feet or if they are indeed a scant too small. My feet hurt, but not like the hurt I had with my old skates.

Kiddo reports pain on the bony parts of his ankles, so I will investigate pads for that part of his feet.

I filled out the form for privates.

BREAD NAO PLS!!!

Snoopy Skate Bag!

2010-05-26T18:59:00.001-07:00

One Snoopy on Ice! Kiddo loves it. Hope it dries in time for tomorrow!!

2010-05-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's Spinach and leek soup night!

View recipe here.

Here's my math:

Spinach, non organic, $1.49
Leeks, Organic $3.00
Can o beans: $.65
Garlic and Spices: Estimate $.25
Chicken broth: $1.49
Bag of small pasta: $.40

Eight servings? $.91 cents each.

Freezes great and is perfect with a dollop of siricha hot sauce.

The trouble with leeks is that the dirt tends to hide in the tick leaves, and I often don't catch it until I'm about to toss it in the pot. I cook mine in my 4qt dutch oven.

And it's midweek cleaning night: Bleach all kitchen and bathroom surfaces, tidy the bedrooms, sweep all floors and dust.

After Kiddo goes to bed I will start to paint the Snoopy. I sketched him out last night and it's not half bad!

Goulash

2010-05-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

This is Kiddo's favorite food. I'm pleased that one of my home recipes is a favorite, but this is incredibly easy and quick.

You need:
1 lb. ground meat. Beef, turkey, chicken whatever. I haven't tried a meat sub but I'm sure it would be fine.
1 big oni0n. Vidalias are great if they're in season.
3 Ribs celery.
2 big Carrots.
1 14oz. can diced tomatoes. Italian style if possible.
1 small can tomato paste.
2 cups pasta. I use whatever is left; tonight was a rotini and egg noodle mix. Tasted great.
Cheese. Again, whatever you've got. Cheddar is good, american is fine, I've even used string cheese in a pinch.
Garlic Salt and Pepper to taste. (If you use American Cheese, taste before adding salt. American cheese has a high sodium content and you might not need it.)

Okay, toss the meat into a dutch oven or stew pot. Turn heat on med/low. Dice up onion, celery and carrots, and add that to the pot. Turn up the heat a bit and let everyone cook. While that's happening, cook the pasta. When the onion and celery begin to turn and the meat is brown, kill the heat and drain off some of the fat. (I would think that with a meat sub, some oil would be in order.) Add the tomatoes, juice and all, and the tomato paste. add one tomato paste can's worth of water. Turn the heat back on, stir thoroughly. By now the pasta should be done, so drain. Toss it in the meat mix and kill the heat. Add the cheese, stir to melt.

Voila. Shouldn't have taken more than 20 minutes. A big pot like this gives me 5 or 6 servings of leftovers, and is great cold for breakfast. Leftovers hold for about ten days. Very cheap, depending on which brands you use, the math works out to about 1.20 to .75 per serving (beef or turkey base) of 1 cup. More pasta can stretch this even further. I've found this doesn't lose it's popularity despite the heat of summer, so I may have to try a camp version.

Next up; Spinach and Leek Soup.

Weekly Menu

2010-05-25T04:47:00.001-07:00

I had to do the menu Saturday due to excessive volunteer work and timing on Sunday just wouldn't have worked out. Transitioning from Winter to Summer fare is always hard, because I'm a leftover cook and fresh foods typically don't last as long as I need them to.

Monday: Jambalaya in the crock pot. DH can eat this while he's home all week. We ate until we were stuffed and there's still three quarts in the fridge for later. (Bonus; Frozen Shrimp comes in a 2 lb bag, only 1 lb goes in the Jambalaya. That leaves me 1 lb to toss on the Grill this weekend!)
Tuesday: Goulash. We ate something Kiddo hates last night, so tonight is his favorite. this will also leave lots of leftovers and is good cold. I'll post that recipe this weekend.
Wednesday: Spinach and Leek Soup. Very nice Summer Soup. Very light, and will provide leftovers.
Thursday: I am slipping out of work early so I can hit the PS and try out my new skates. Afterwards, Tuna Salad Sandwiches. We should get home by 8pm.
Friday: This is payoff night. Kiddo and I can reheat whatever we want, and then hurry out to hit the Ice until 9pm. (And he wants to stop at the Dominick's on the way home for Cookie Crisp. Done.)

I don't cook at all on the weekend. There's lots leftover to reheat and we usually are on the road for lunch.

I try to make menu choices segue into each other for the following week, so ingredients don't get abandoned. Last week's pasta that didn't get cooked goes into the Goulash this week. Lots of rotation goes on in my kitchen.

I had a thought to paint a skating Snoopy on Kiddo's Skate bag. He definitely wants that! So, no more boring black bag. I'll hit the craft store for fabric paint.

Too many girls....

2010-05-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

This was the reaction to the ice show by Kiddo. "More girls," he'd sigh as a bevy of beauties began skating. "Why are there so many girls?"

Here we go.

"There's a boy soloist, he's pretty good," I pointed him out. He was good, great spins! "There's a group of boys."

But sadly, out of a two hour show, there was: One boy soloist. Two boys together. A groupd of ten or so boys, and one uncomfortable looking boy in a group of girls. That's thirteen boys maybe. Fifteen tops.

Kiddo perked up everytime a boy took to the ice, and applauded only the boys. He wants a guy as his private coach, and I said I'd see what I could do.

I emailed DH that night, expressing Kiddo's sadness over the lack of boys, and DH agreed. There is nothing to encourage boys to skate, other than "so the girls can do pairs." Even on the internets, every article bemoaning the lack of males spends half the page saying that girls NEED the boys to do pairs. Kiddo doesn't want to do pairs, and he's said that from day one. Doubtless, he's six. He may well change his mind as he begins to see girls as less of an annoyance and more as nice legs. But for now, there's nothing out there telling him to skate for himself. Nothing but me and dad.

We went to get skates sharpened, and I got him his own skate bag. (Not a Zuca bag, I refuse.) It's black. My other choices were; teal, pink, pink zebra stripe, glitter blue, glitter silver, hot pink and leopard print teal. I got him blade guards. They are black. My other choices were; glitter rainbow, pink, glitter pink, purple, purple glitter, light up rainbow (HA!) and pearlized teal. Did we pick up any skatewear? Not a chance. The walls were all dresses, fitted tees, leggings with hot pink and teal stripes, and sweatshirts emblazoned "SK8TRGURL."

You see my dilemma?

I need a male coach, and I need one now. I need Kiddo to see that not only can boys skate, but boys can tear up the ice in ways girls can't. That he doesn't have to do pairs. Girls can be all pink and glitter, boys can SKATE. In January, had anyone told me that Kiddo would take a crushing fall and GET UP to KEEP SKATING, I would never have believed it. Kiddo quit everything at the drop of a hat, but not this. I don't want him to lose this.

He doesn't want to be in the winter show, but maybe I can get him to work backstage. *Sigh* I jsut go one day at a time.

Whoa

2010-05-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

So I volunteered at the school Carnival. I was painting faces. Mom walks up with her very young son and points to the menu of things I can paint. "Pick one."

The boy points to the star.

"No, pick something boy," says mom. "Pick the soccer ball."

Boy points to soccer ball.

Mom looks at me. "Can you do one on each side?"

Sure, please don't hurt me.

So I begin to paint. Soccer balls are fine. I'm painting and I ask the boy, "Do you play soccer?"

"Yes he plays soccer. He's going to be a big soccer player someday, make millions of dollars. Right baby?"Mom takes over.

Boy looks at the ground.

Uh, wow. I hope none of that was serious.

Back again...

2010-05-22T06:18:00.001-07:00

Yes, I disappear from time to time. No, I'm not lazy. Chances are good that I'm just not thinking about the internets for awhile.

Keith has begun to ice skate. Not hockey skating, there's no chance of hockey skating. He wants to Figure Skate. I'm not all that surprised.

Kiddo has always been unique. I'm not saying that in a "he's better than your kid" way, he's just unique. In some respects, I'd give anything for a clear-cut boy with boy things like Action Figures and Heroes and stuff. I'd kind of know what to do there. But that hasn't come, and I don't think it ever will. The Transformer toys and Hot Wheels sit in his room, largely unused, while there's scraps of paper everywhere from art projects and "office supplies" where he runs some kind of evil empire to make millions of dollars. I bought him an electronics set, and he builds water detectors and radios and he still wants to do the lie detector.

He has no idea who Ben Ten is, and he watches Teen Titans with only marginal interest. GI Joe just isn't in his lexicon, Iron Man neither. People ask me, What does he like? And I have to shrug. Ask him, I don't know. He likes trains, but not in the talking cutesy train sense, he likes the GTF Off the Crossing trains and the noise they make. He's just not going to fit into any of those categories like Star Wars kid or Spiderman Kid. Sorry.

And when it came to Sports I truly had nothing. He showed some marginal interest in basketball, but he's on the short end of short, so that basket was like staring up at the Hancock Tower. I never knew he had an interest in skating until one afternoon during one of our "fancy lunches" he said, "I like this song. Sometimes I imagine I'm spinning and twirling to the music."
"What, like ice skating?"
"Yeah."
"Uh, we live near a rink. Do you want to try lessons?"
"Yes."

And ever since then it's been a unending demand to attend every open public skate session we can. So now, when people ask me what sport Keith likes, I can say "Figure skating," and watch the OMG's roll in.

The Skating thing brings me new challenges, though. There is NOTHING for little boy figure skaters. NO-THING. At all. Zero. Zip. Sorry. Check out time. A little boy figure skater seems to be largely on his own for motivation and style. Girls have an endless line of dresses, sparkles, spangles, tights, legwarmers, gloves, fancy gloves, fancy bags, light up guards, and all at an amazingly exhorbant price. Boys? Have some black skates. Are you still here?

The upside of this is that kiddo's choice of sport for HIM will reside largely with HIM and not in the various accessories. I can't say, "learn this thing and I will buy you a new dress." It will be "learn this skill for the sake of doing so, and take pleasure in that." In that respect, figure skating matches well with our parenting philosophies here. Skating seems to require an emotionally and intellectually mature kid, and Keith is just that. Again, not trying to implicate that he's somehow better than other kids, but he's got an innate horse-sense about him that will serve him well if he pursues this.

And he's good at it. People see him skate and tell me that's he's good for Pre-alpha. He does skate better than the other Pre-Alphas. Which is leading me to think about a private lesson every so often to stave off boredom and give him a challenge. We'll try one next month and see what happens. I bought him a membership in ISI, so he can earn the patches, which he is eyeing with a resolute determination. "I want all of them," he says, scrolling down the internets page.

No Ice this weekend, though, and he's a little irritated. I tell him that it's Ice Show weekend, which we will go see, and this gives his head a chance to heal. Last weekend he took a front-end dive into the boards, leaving him with a mark that made me fear calls from DCFS. It's yellowed and healing now, and he's saying YES YES to Monday skating with Dad. (also YES YES to all weekend Public Skate sessions, including the dreaded "Late Skate" Saturday, where he got his injury last week.) Also, we will get his skates sharpened.

I called the Pro-Shop to ask about skate sharpening. It was funny.

"Can we just stop by?"
"Sure, just come on by and drop them off."
"He wants to watch. Can he watch?"
"What?"
"He wants to watch. Can we schedule the time so he can watch while you do it?"
"Uh... sure... what time?"
"Sunday noon?"
"Oh.. kay..."

See, this goes in with "nothing for boy skaters" thing. Skate sharpening involves this cool grinding thing with sparks flying all over. He thinks that's COOL. And then, not only were those sparking things HIS, he gets to WEAR THEM. HA!! I can't imagine a little girl skater finds the sharpening process as cool as a mechanically inclined boy does. Girls are free to tell me I'm wrong.

So, once again my life takes a weird turn, as there's a poster of Jeremy Abbott, (Keith's favorite skater) and Michael Weiss (OMG HOT) on my kid's wall. Keith has more than once caught me standing in the doorway, staring at Weiss, and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," I say, and move on.

Another week done

2009-09-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

I did good this week; I stuck to my cooking schedule and managed to come out on top. Monday's Shepherd's Pie was a smash hit. Tuesday I was at a loss so I improvised some Spanish Rice, which was still a win. Wednesday I made the Tomato bacon Chowder which was superb, and we have some leftovers for tonight. Thursday was the amazing win of tilapia, mango salsa and cilantro rice. (I have requests to make that again.) Yesterday I made fried rice. Rice week, I guess, but it was all cheap and all eaten. All eaten is the key. The Quinoa Vegetable salad held up well for lunches at work, and wasn't as boring as I thought it would be. So, all in all, grocery money was well spent and we averaged about a dollar a meal again.

This morning's breakfast of bacon and pancakes filled the place with warm smells, which was very comforting and calming. Even now, as I'm finishing my coffee and again plotting ways to encourage Keith to read more books, I'm calm and content.

Keith's first week of school remains a mystery; I still have no clue who his teacher is. I have seen her, and I have shaken her hand. Beyond that, I have no idea. I have written a letter to the principal and cc'd to the Superintendent, but I have yet to send it. I don't want to end up really liking this person and then regret sending a harsh missive earlier. I think I will wait until Curriculum Night, which is the 15th of this month.

There's some discussion starting at the PTA regarding making the school lunches healthier, which should be interesting to watch. I've never imagined that school lunches could be a healthful standard. If you want healthy things, pack it yourself.

We're reading Despereaux and nearly halfway through it. I am thinking of starting the Narnia series for winter, but I'm still not sure. I may start the Oz series, but that depends on what I can find at the library. Keith enjoys me reading to him more than he likes reading independently, which is nice in some ways and not so nice in others. Wouldn't it be great if he would read quietly for awhile?? Mom is getting him a subscription to Highlights, which is fantastic. The last time I got him a Highlights magazine, he pored over it.

I had Jazz Fest on the schedule for today, but Keith says that he would rather not go. So, our trip to the library will be calm and leisurely. Fine by me. We can spend a little time in downtown Evanston. Tomorrow is a free concert by the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, which just so happens to to be across the street from the Crown Fountain. Seems that a picnic lunch and a romp in the fountain are in order!

I suppose we could start thinking about Halloween... but I may wait until this beautiful weekend is over first.

Six Years Old, and What a Party

2009-06-28T06:15:00.000-07:00

Well, it's done. And true to form, I didn't take many pictures. I was far too busy wrangling children to deal with the added stress of "Okay, now pose for me!"

Typical of suburban fashion, folks arrived about twenty to thirty minutes late. I had planned for this, saving the big games for 4:30. We played one of the water balloon relays, but the temptation of three bags of water balloons proved to be too much for the kids. The second game quickly devolved into an all out war. Kids were dashing all over, playing out a dozen little psychologies at once. Kids were hoarding balloons, kids were stomping balloons, kids were aiming for adults, kids were chasing and threatening each other, but everyone was screaming with laughter. Some kids were offended at getting wet, other kids had come in their bathing suits. The parents were standing off, enjoying the show.

I rounded them back up for pinata time, and I was overwhelmed by the shouts of "me next! Me next!" at who would take the next three swings. I resorted to closing my eyes and laying a hand on a kid, it was the only way. The pinata was great, it broke up fast enough that no one got impatient yet slow enough to provide some suspense. The fast grab free-for-all left a few of the slower kids crying, but I don't think it's truly a party until someone cries.

Dinner, with hot dogs and hamburgers, was enjoyed by all. All save the ONE vegetarian who did not identify herself. This kind of irritated me. I asked for dietary restrictions. No one said anything. Had she said, "I am vegetarian, please provide some tofu," I would gladly have brought it. But no. Argh. The funny part was that her husband had two hamburgers and remarked to Patrick that they were a "rare treat."

As I had an enormous cake, I began slicing and said, "I expect everyone to eat lots of cake." The kids were happy to oblidge. One of the girls ate two pieces, and the rest had one huge slice apiece. Ice cream cups were distributed, candy divided, and then the kids ran around the park for the rest of the time we had. The parents were fine with this; they were burning off their excitement and sugar-fueled enthusiasm. It was a gorgeous day, and best to spend it outdoors.

Patrick made s'mores for the kids who stayed long enough, and those were well recieved. They enjoyed watching him carefully toast their marshmallows and sandwich them up. I gave some kids some temporary tattoos while they waited.

Everyone told me that the party was a smashing success, and I wish I felt the same. I think we had about eighteen kids. Eighteen. I'm not sure because I lost count. At some point, I think it was during the massive water balloon fight, I looked around myself and wondered how in the hell this happened. Here we were, in the thick of kids I barely knew, and they were all friends of my son. My SON'S FRIENDS. I was aware of these children on some plane, but I didn't know them well enough to tell anyone what kind of candy they liked or what they were allergic to. But Keith could tell me.

It hit me; My son is old enough to socialize on his own terms. He makes friends relatively easily, and keeps them rather well. I'm sure that there will be the usual passing into and out of his life, but if all these children stay at Oakton for the duration of his five years there, then some measure of camaraderie will stay with them.

Not only can he follow directions, feed the cats, write the alphabet, spell "Kwik-e-Mart", read with a large degree of skill, clean up basic things, and perform basic addition and subtraction, he can make subjective decisions for his own person. We're reaching an age where he can definatively state what he likes and does not like, decide who he wants to play with, and what kind of games he wants to play.

It's not that he doesn't need me anymore. I don't feel less needed. On the contrary, I feel more needed than ever before. He doesn't need me to do basic, black and white things for him. He can do that on his own. What he needs me for now is guidance through an incredibly complex world of media and stuff and Hannah Montana and Transformers. He might want to watch X-Men, but he needs me to put it into some perspective for him so he can make sense of it. He can play car crashes with his toys and on video games, but he needs us to reinforce that while driving on the sidewalk is fun in a game, it's not appropriate in reality. These are hard things to teach, because I have to do it constantly and there are so many things out there that would steer him down a negative path. These lessons test my own resolve, my own values, and even my own person. Diaper changes were easy by comparison.

We've already learned some lessons; that the toys on TV look a lot more fun than they really are. That sometimes things are too expensive for us to buy. That malls can be boring. Sometimes hand dryers don't work and we have to wipe our hands on our pants and this is okay. Sometimes the kids on the playground can be little jerks. That beauty is in the small things. Love is best expressed every day and not just on "special" occasions.

There are some life skills we need to work on. Understanding that you can't get your way all the time, and sometimes bad things happen but we need to move on from them. And that failure doesn't inherently make one a "loser." We can work on those things as we move forward. I'm sure year six and first grade have a lot to teach us.

We'll get there.

Meanwhile, I'm left looking at the pile of toys left in the wake of this. Speed Racer and Hot Wheels and Transformers. I don't think I can keep back the Action Figures and Boy Toys much longer, and I'm making peace with that. We also got a cool "Battleship" game! I'm thinking that we may hold a "kiddie yard sale" to get rid of some of his older toys. He could learn about earning more money and clean out his clutter in the process. (The new allowance system is turning out to be a dream! Already I'm saying that if he wants X he can buy it himself.)

Today we learn the art of the Thank You note. And eat leftover cake and watermelon.

Look, It's a MOUSE!!

2009-06-24T19:38:00.001-07:00

Look, it's a MOUSE!!

Well, that's that.

Now I have gauranteed that it will rain.

Oh, and I also bought some Crayola 3D EXPLOSION while I was at the craft store.

BAD IDEA.

Apparently the magic is in the moisture. The "markers" are moist, which takes off the black coating on the "magic" paper. Underneath the black coating are the vibrant colors that appear 3D with the magic glasses.

Well, it's really humid today. So, Keith had black crap from hand to elbows, and even some on his face.

I was a little hesitant in the store, buying one pad of paper and four markers, all packaged together without any sign of replacements or refills. But once I got home I saw why: the markers are essentially demolished in the process of drawing and coloring the "magic" paper. New paper would be a waste of time without buying new markers, and losing the glasses is a virtual promise, so the whole set just makes sense.

Ugh. Sometimes I hate crayola, seriously. But Keith loves it....

back to Bacardi NAO.

Summer Learning

2009-06-24T04:39:00.000-07:00

Seeing as how "the Wunderkind" (as my aunt calls him) was at the top of his kindergarten class, I've decided to undertake a massive effort in keeping him ahead of his game for the upcoming year. Mom sent me some kindergarten textbooks and I am armed with a library card. What I wasn't prepared for was the unending dramatics of trying to get a kid to read and learn during the summer.

Keith has been tasked with reading one book per day. One. And not even anything difficult. I'm asking him to read through the series that the school sent home with him, a collection of simple paper books. Easy.

No.

The Eye Rubbing. Keith seems to rather rub his eyes out than read these books. He reads out loud in a monotone, as though he's milling flour rather than reading. Both hands are at the eyes, rubbing and digging away, and I'm not even sure how he's seeing the words. His hands get moist from the tears he generates, as though he's precipitating CRYING at the fact I'm asking him to read these books.

Math books?

"Please practice writing your numbers."

"AWWWWWWUGHHHH."

And then in a script resembling late Picasso I get a figure 8. The lined paper has no meaning for Keith. He scrawls through it fast, trying to get away so there's enough time to play more "Simpsons Hit and Run."

So, he's smart enough to remember the cheat codes for this game, something I told him how to do once, but yet not smart enough to write out sevens and eights? I don't think so, kiddo.

And even though "reading is boring," he always begs me for another chapter of the book we're reading in the evenings before bedtime.

The Pinata

2009-06-23T18:26:00.000-07:00

It's done. Sort of. it still needs painting but I can run out tomorrow and get poster paint. I only need black and white, I can mix the rest. It's supposed to be a mouse...

Yes, I know. It's not much now but let me get done painting it. The silly part is that we're reading Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh at the moment. So, I guess we're going to bash some mice!

But other than that, I think we're ready. He's looking forward to it, and so am I.

Maybe if I painted it to look like Despereaux.... God that was a depressing book.

I told the PTA moms that I would try and think of some kind of thing for a dramatics deal at the school, but the only thing that I can think of is a talent show. Would that be such a bad idea? It would irritate the "professional singers" who want to be involved, but I want the kids to have fun, not the parents... I'll toss it on the Yahoo group and see what the reaction is. Yargh.

Okay, OKay, I'm lazy

2009-06-23T04:29:00.000-07:00

But my other laptop died awhile back and it was hard for me to get online with anything other than the Berry. And Berry is no good for doing this sort of thing.

Anyhow - we've been up to a lot and I hope to start catching up with everything. Keith "graduated" kindergarten, we went camping, he's in summer camp, Patrick and I are still working, and life seems okay for now. I'm still having chest pain and things, but I'm dealing with that the best I can and moving forward.

Keith's sixth birthday party is next week, and I guess I should finish the pinata tonight. So far we have quite a few of his classmates showing up, and a few of my adult friends might be there as well. Saturday will be a day rife with birthdays, as it's also Virginia's birthday. She's having her party in the morning at Whole Foods.

Yes, Whole Foods does birthday parties. I have no idea what goes on at a Whole Foods birthday party and I have no desire to find out I will be dropping Keith off to do whatever they do with Organic Food and then Patrick and I will be picking up food for his party later on that day. V's mom tells me that it involves cooking, kitchen safety, and something about a target made out of ice cream. Whatevs, so long as they have fun.

Keith's party will be at the park by the lake, where hopefully we may escape the 90 degree temperatures. Even if we don't, I have water balloons. I have a slate of games for the kids to play for prizes, we're having a little cookout, and I don't know how I will keep the ice cream cold for the afternoon. I just don't think I can carry that much ice.

Keith has taken to reading comic books for the summer. I honestly don't care, I'm just glad he's found something he enjoys reading. Keith is selectively smart. He seems to choose who he is smart with and when. It's kind of strange.

This past weekend was the Custer Fair up the street from us. It's a big Hoo-Doo, with the usual stages and performers, food and craft booths. I love craft fairs, but the more of them I attend, the more I realize that they all have the basic weird stuff. There's always the weird jewelry types, the uber-weird clothing booths, the knitting booth, the sad guy selling landscapes, the weird wall hangings, and the super weird furniture made of knotty wood. Variations on these themes abound, but there they are. I like jewelry, but I tend to look and move on, thinking I'll come back later if I still want it. By the time I'm done wandering, I forget what it was and decide it wasn't that memorable. I never, NEVER buy clothing at a craft fair. Lord knows what was involved in that.

This fair had some Kid's Clothes that looked like a virtual gaurantee of getting creamed on the playground; rainbow print short dresses, red and white polka dot smock tops complete with matching beret, blue pinstripe shorts with flower print tops, and gaudy suspenders as far as the eye could see. I've always been a big proponent of "never put your kids in anything you wouldn't wear yourself." None of these things were anything I would consider putting my pet in, much less wear myself. I didn't bother looking at the price tags, but I can only imagine that she was grossly overcharging for what amounted to kiddie clownwear and a trip to the ER.

I had spent the morning volunteering at the school PTA booth, trying to sell t-shirts and water bottles and few of the other things they sell to try and raise money. I learned the hard way that folks realy don't like being spoken to at craft fairs. My usual cheerful and engaging tradeshow manner was rebuffed! The dumpy old women were grumpy, the hawkish types were outright mean, and no one wanted to buy any notecards! Towards the end of my volunteering stint, I was being so nice I could have peeled paint, just to see how awful and mean the craft fair patrons would be in response. I love me.

We gave Keith ten dollars to spend at the fair. Before anyone says we're too lenient, this would include treats. Some asshat was trying to push a ridiculous duck pushtoy on Keith, and Keith was starting to look longingly at said Duck. Okay, pushtoys are for toddlers. And this "made in China" plastic duck was nothing I wanted in my home. Upon giving Keith his ten dollars, I stated that all toy purchases had to be approved.

Then it was official. I became THE WORST MOM EVER.

Keith whined and moaned, dragged his feet and gave a performance worthy of Shakspeare. Worst mom ever. "You never let me buy ANYTHING. I just want the DUCK."

"No. There are surely other things you will find interesting here." Looking amongst the windchimes made of old spoons, the flat rocks with little flames coming out of them, and the scary mask sculptures, I wasn't sure he would. But there would be ice cream for sure, and ice cream heals all wounds.

Did I mention the Peruvian people? At every craft fair there's two or three booths of Peruvians, and they're all selling little handbags, sparkly stuffed animals, pipes and flutes, and small toys. Maybe an ocarina. The Peruvians had INVADED this fair. I counted SIX Peruvian booths, all with the same wares. This time, they had made bows and arrows out of PVC pipe and dowel rods, selling them for five bucks. Keith wanted one. Perfect. Now I can stop feeling guilty about never buying anything from the Peruvians.

I got an amber and silver ring, as I've always wanted a piece of Amber jewelry.

We ate some greasy fair food, followed by ice cream and dancing in the square. The musicians started out playing some fast and cheerful tunes, but once the kids started dancing they decided to play some slow and somber stuff inspired by their trips to indian graveyards in the Black Hills. As a result, the kids dances looked like interpretive movement. I just wanted to stand up and scream, "can't you go back to the happy crap? Please??"

But all that's done now, and the arrows from the bow and arrow set have become tollbooths at the various doorways around the apartment. Fortunately I am the favored parent and I get through for free.

My Meebas

2008-11-17T07:45:00.000-08:00

Keith has been asking for a My Meebas for the past few weeks. Well, he's been asking for a lot of things over the past few weeks; Moon Sand, Bendaroos, that remote controlled Dinosaur, anything hot wheels, you get the idea. Gotta love endless advertising during Spongebob.

He's had a cold for the past few days, and I was trying to keep him indoors to recuperate. Of course he was bored out of his mind and making me crazy, so I decided to get him one. I figured it would keep him busy while I got my weekly cleaning and cooking done. We dropped off some stuff for work and headed out to Target for a My Meebas.

Now, I know My Meebas is directed at Girls. I'm fully aware of this, but I had no problem getting my kid a "girly" toy. He picked out a Purple Tube, and started playing right away. The premise is that if you "love" and "Nurture" the ameoba enough, it will "evolve" and grow. Grow it enough, and the Tube opens up to reveal that the ameoba is "real" and you get a stuffed critter. Okay, fine. It's a virtual pet with a definative end. I kind of liked this idea.

However, the "Meeba's" can't die. Remember the virtual pets; you HAD to feed them and play with them, else they would electronically perish and you would have to start over. The idea of the game was to make them live as long as possible. "My Meebas" don't die. There is "food" in the game, but it's not required. When you play a game to earn "hearts" required for evolution, and you fail the game, you don't lose any of your existing hearts. Things go on as normal. You can't Devolve.

I was kind of annoyed by this. It wasn't a challenge. Is this the kind of shit being peddled to girls? Weird pseudo sciencey crap, sure. But weird pseudo sciencey crap coupled with non-challenging warm-fuzzy pseudo games? Thank god I have a boy.

And of course, I was the one who got the critter to Evolve to the point where we could get the stuffed critter out of the tube. When I hit the final level, the tube didn't "pop open" as promised, so our dramatic moment of truth was devolved into me prying it open with a kitchen knife and Keith asking, "mommy, why didn't you save the destructions?"

"Well, Keith, since I was the one who played with it the most, don't you think we should share Meeba?"
Keith thinks about this for a moment. "Yeah, we can share."
"Can I take Meeba to work with me?"
He thinks harder about this one. "Only on Mondays."

So, Meeba is here with me. He wants another one. A pink one. Go figure. I'm tempted to start stitching my own Meebas to save myself $15.00 a pop and three hours of pointless gameage.

I did my Chicken Trick this weekend, so I have roast chicken in the fridge and about a gallon of stock to use for Thanksgiving. I can't believe that it's next week! FOUR DAY WEEKEND!!

This weekend I met Anne and one of her friends out at Cesar's for a big margarita, and we discussed the staff cuts at several lighting companies. I said that the oversaturated Chicago market was going to be competing for a smaller pool of business, and that I was anxious to see who made it through to the next economic upswing. Anne said she might not wait and move to Vegas. *sigh*

January will be tough.

Snow flurries all week this week, perfect nights for popcorn and hot chocolate. Whoot!

belated Halloween Pics

2008-11-09T18:09:00.001-08:00

Sorry about the delay, the Awful Technology Tyrants (AT&T) decided to shut off the internet for a few days thinking that I had somehow telepathically authorized them to pull me out of Autopay which is the only way they will provide high Speed DSL Service. Makes perfect sense, I know! Right?! RIGHT??

Anyway, here we go with Halloween...

Here we are as a little ghoul, complete with blood all over himself. The alligator is Candy Gator, which is a game we play... kind of an inside joke..

And here we are at Suburban House Number 50, where the decorations were festive and not too scary. The mothers are all polite and friendly, and yes, we did get an Organic Lollypop or three. We ran into a few of Keith's Classmates, which was a little awkward. I still haven't gotten used to living in the suburbs.

This weekend we had a cold snap, complete with snow flurries, and this makes me think that this is the end of our Indian Summer. I put on Keith's coat and the sleeves were far too short, so we headed out for a new winter coat.

Lord O'Mighty but things are cheap!! Kohl's had some great OshKosh Coats for $30!! I got him a great pair of boots for $20!! My Cheap Side was screaming to buy more, but I held off. Prices WILL fall futher as we approach the holidays. Har har, Depression! SCORE!

And Obama won!! Our boy won!! GoBama!! I stayed home during the rally. Reports from the Loops said that the rally made Taste of Chicago look like a Kindergarten Field trip, and I don't do well in crowds. Yes, it was history, but history is going top be made every day for the next four years. I had copious amounts of wine, several tears, so glad that the Imperial Presidency was finally over, and now we can move forward as a nation. *sigh*

Ah, and I think I finally found a solution to the deluge of paperwork coming home every week - THE SCANNER!!

I spent an hour scanning everything that Mr. New has sent home. And now I can share!

According to Keith, this is myself and him on that day we saw the double rainbow. Cool!

Okay, far too much enthusiasm for one night. Time for bed!

Run! Run home, Charlie! And don't stop till you get there!"

2008-11-04T15:55:00.000-08:00

I have that music playing in my head as I'm sprinting for the train station. It's been a long day and it will be a long night.

I was up at 5am to get out the door and vote. I got there at six, right at opening time, and there was a half hour wait. Never have I waited so long to vote! I can't say how wonderful it was to vote for the man who I voted into the Senate not too long ago.

Work was a drag. Everyone was out voting I guess, as it was slow and quiet.

But I sprinted out the door and now I'm on the train home. Metra has cancelled many trains in some places and running extras in others. CTA will be running all night to the Obama Rally.

Me? I will be home with my popcorn and box of wine. Keith can stay up as late as he wants. I'm hoping for the best, but today I got a deep twinge of Deja Vu, a feeling that usually precedes bad things. Usually. Not always.

The city is vibrating. Literally. I want to be home when things start happening. And I want Keith to see it. He may not fully understand, but...

Halloween

2008-10-31T18:26:00.000-07:00

I have never been more exhausted than I am right now.
I took pictures.

I will post them tomorrow.

Tomorrow might be a trip to Chinatown, too.

Zzzzzz.

"Is it Friday yet?"

2008-10-29T05:41:00.000-07:00

Keith wakes up every morning and asks if it is Friday. I have to remember that Halloween is right on par with Christmas for him, and he's thrilled about the prospect of an all-night candy grab. He's turning into a boy; somewhat devious and just a bit greedy!

Last night I made chicken stew with dumplings and I'd have to call it a success. Keith said the dumplings tasted like sand, but he might not have liked the herbs in them. Patrick said they were perfect. He took the leftovers for his lunch today.

Keith has "Story Store" today. The school sells donated, secondhand books for a few cents to the kids, and the choose what they want. I'm curious to see what he picks out.

Patrick is loading in some show this week... It doesn't sound like something I want to take time out to see.

The Wii should be here tomorrow.... Yipyip!

Reading!

2008-10-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

Keith has been promoted from reading level "aa" to reading level "B" in his class. He still has some trouble sounding out some things, but he is trying VERY hard, and he gets better at it every day. He will sometimes stop in stores, pick out a word from a nearby sign, and ask me what it means.

Today's homework was a story about making cookies, and Keith and I bake together quite frequently. So, this was a breeze for him. I had to run to the store to get some staples I missed on Saturday, and while I was there I picked up some "Molli Cools" Ice cream beads for Keith doing so well with his homework. You would imagine that ice cream "beads" would be a cleaner alternative to ice cream, but you would be wrong. The child puts his spoon in the cup, tilts it out like a lever, and then ice cream beads get catapulted all over the kitchen floor. Instead of falling to the floor in one glop, the beads scatter everywhere and under everything. The child then shuffles over all the beads, melting and smearing chocolate everywhere else. The Molli Cools were a failed experiment. Patrick's comment was, "It looks like we have six cats, and all with the same pooping problem." Needless to say, Keith loves them.

We read a few chapters of "Goosebumps; The Haunted School" instead of playing Zelda. Tomorrow we will play Zelda! Patrick is shopping for Wii games, and we're both getting excited about the Wii.

It's getting colder around here. Yesterday we had record winds and even a scattering of sleet in the afternoon. Fortunately it was short-lived, and temperatures should rebound before Halloween. I will be getting off work early to head up the craft project at the class Halloween Party. Mister New drafted me.

Anyhow, time for me to get to bed. Work is work, but at least I have work!

Holidays

2008-10-25T15:28:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot -

In the interests of economy, and because I have no idea what kind of toys would be best this year, I have decided that we are getting a Wii for Christmas. I have already ordered one online; found on "gently used" and it includes Wii Sports for about half the price as new. Remember, I bought the Gamecube used, and it has served us very well for the past five years.

It should arrive in the next few days, and when it shows up, Patrick and I will make sure everything works and then rebox it all until Christmas. (that will be hard!)

Keith doesn't know, and it will be hard not telling him. He loves Mario, and now we can play Mario Super Sluggers together!

Everyone I've talked to has told me I've made a great decision.

The Wii is THE BIG GIFT for all of us. Everything else will be candy and trinkets. I think this was the best way to go. I always try to choose things that Keith will be playing with six montsh after Christmas, and I haven't struck out since!

So, there we are!

Busy Saturday

2008-10-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

We had a busy day today, starting with grocery shopping. I always plan ahead the meals for the week nd buy accordingly, and I find that it saves us quite a bit of money. I can stick to the list and avoid extraneous purchases. I never knew how much those added up until I stopped the leak in our wallet!

We bought our pumpkin, and Keith was anxious to get carving the moment we got home. BUt he had to wait, as it was housecleaning day and we still had some fun to do.

The apartment was cleaned to shining, and we left the wet floors to dry while we went shopping in Evanston with our Treat Money, graciously provided by Grandma Helms! I had bought Keith a small jar of bubbles earlier in the week, and he wanted to take the Small Train so he could blow his bubbles on the walk to the station. It was blustery out, and the wind could blow some of the bubbles for him!

Our first stop was World Market, where Keith bought a bucket of Gummi Eyeballs. He had seen them last week, but I was holding off for a time closer to Halloween to go nuts like that. They're absolutely vile, and usually I have a strong constitution for that kind of thing.

Anyway. We then went to Border's to get a new Goosebumps Book, as Keith says he likes Scary things. And it's Halloween. Fortunately we wandered in on a story reading time, and so we were treated to a reading of a few Halloween books. I was reading the NYTimes on my Blackberry, so whatever....

After that, we headed home to carve our pumpkin. (oop, and we stopped at the antique bookstore for our last treat; a Snoopy Book!)

Pumpkinhead has a scary face on the front, and a BOO! on the back, which I very nearly botched but saved. I'll get a picture of that when it gets dark.

Tonight Patrick and I are heading out, and the babysitter is due in soon. Hooray!

That was our very busy Saturday. Tomorrow I plan on decking out the apartment for autumn!