So far, Christmas holidays has been a good one for us.
We ended up going to visit our cleaning and her family on Christmas Eve, and then when we got home, hubby and I had finished the last of our wrapping and went off to bed. I'm pretty sure neither of the boys were really ready to go to bed at the time, but they knew they would have to go to 'sleep' in order for the gifts to all get put under the tree.
I must say, both boys did very well with the limited number of gifts that had their names on them under the tree. Boy, were they ever surprised and happy when they found the note in the tree left by 'Santa'! After all the gift opening, we went over and visited with Hubby's family. My nephews are so cute and excited about Christmas. I really miss that with our kids.
S still really wants to believe, and I think he still does to a degree, but the pre-Christmas excitement just isn't quite the same as when they were younger. He did leave out cookies and milk, though, before he went to bed. ;o)
We are visiting my brother and his family right now. It's amazing how fast a couple of days can go by... I'm really happy that my parents were able to stay for the second night. They had debated about going home this morning, but we've been able to play board games, watch the kids using some of their new games, and just have some general together time. It's been a very good Christmas all the way around. We will be heading home tomorrow... that makes me sad.
Okay, off to try my luck at the American Idol for the Wii...
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Busy time of year
Wow - Hubby was ticked when I told him about S's in-school suspension. He had gone to the school on Wednesday to pick up S and when he got there, he had told S that he wasn't in trouble, he just needed to come home.
He doesn't feel that S should have been given any form of 'punishment' the next day. After I explained my rationale about not calling the Principal that day, he understood, but I am pretty sure he will want to make sure additional follow up happens in the New Year.
We took the boys Christmas shopping on Saturday. Not my ideal time to be hitting a mall - hate malls at the best of times, never mind on the weekend before Christmas - but we had to finish our shopping, and the boys hadn't done any of theirs, either.
When we arrived at the mall, we established a meeting place, then went our separate ways. I was thinking that I had so much to finish, but in the long run, I didn't really take that much time to get what was needed. The line ups were pretty long sometimes, but the actually stores we not as busy as I had feared.
I had just finished up, and was planning on grabbing some lunch when I got a text from the A-man telling me that he and S were finished, so I asked them to come and meet me for lunch. As I was replying to the A-man, I got a text from Hubby telling me he was almost done, too. We all had lunch, picked up one final gift for my niece, and then headed home. Total time away from home was about 2 and a half hours.
I now have all presents wrapped except those that will go in stockings - it's a tradition that Hubby and I always do on the 23... wrap the stockings, take an inventory of what we have/need, then use the 24th to pick up anything that might have been forgotten. Most times there isn't anything that we 'need' to get, but it's just a nice way to spend a night together before Christmas hits.
This year we don't have anywhere we have to be for Christmas Eve. This is not normal for us. I am planning on making a nice ham dinner and then we are going to spend some time playing pool together and then watch a Christmas movie or two before bed. Christmas day will be busy as we will be visiting with Hubby's family in the afternoon and then heading to my parent's for dinner. This is the first in many years that I haven't been preparing the traditional Christmas dinner. (I am okay with that!)
We will be going to the large family function on Boxing Day, then the four of us will be heading up to visit my brother and his family for a few days. We should be home a couple of days before the New Year celebrations. We were originally supposed to spend New Year's Eve with my brother, but that didn't appear to be a viable plan, so this is next best thing. I am just happy that he is home, and safe. I wish he didn't have to go back.
I don't think I will have much of an opportunity to blog over the next week or so.
Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone.
Cuz, I will talk to you on Christmas morning, I am sure, but if not, have a great time with everyone. I am still anxious to hear about the gift the R-man purchased...
He doesn't feel that S should have been given any form of 'punishment' the next day. After I explained my rationale about not calling the Principal that day, he understood, but I am pretty sure he will want to make sure additional follow up happens in the New Year.
We took the boys Christmas shopping on Saturday. Not my ideal time to be hitting a mall - hate malls at the best of times, never mind on the weekend before Christmas - but we had to finish our shopping, and the boys hadn't done any of theirs, either.
When we arrived at the mall, we established a meeting place, then went our separate ways. I was thinking that I had so much to finish, but in the long run, I didn't really take that much time to get what was needed. The line ups were pretty long sometimes, but the actually stores we not as busy as I had feared.
I had just finished up, and was planning on grabbing some lunch when I got a text from the A-man telling me that he and S were finished, so I asked them to come and meet me for lunch. As I was replying to the A-man, I got a text from Hubby telling me he was almost done, too. We all had lunch, picked up one final gift for my niece, and then headed home. Total time away from home was about 2 and a half hours.
I now have all presents wrapped except those that will go in stockings - it's a tradition that Hubby and I always do on the 23... wrap the stockings, take an inventory of what we have/need, then use the 24th to pick up anything that might have been forgotten. Most times there isn't anything that we 'need' to get, but it's just a nice way to spend a night together before Christmas hits.
This year we don't have anywhere we have to be for Christmas Eve. This is not normal for us. I am planning on making a nice ham dinner and then we are going to spend some time playing pool together and then watch a Christmas movie or two before bed. Christmas day will be busy as we will be visiting with Hubby's family in the afternoon and then heading to my parent's for dinner. This is the first in many years that I haven't been preparing the traditional Christmas dinner. (I am okay with that!)
We will be going to the large family function on Boxing Day, then the four of us will be heading up to visit my brother and his family for a few days. We should be home a couple of days before the New Year celebrations. We were originally supposed to spend New Year's Eve with my brother, but that didn't appear to be a viable plan, so this is next best thing. I am just happy that he is home, and safe. I wish he didn't have to go back.
I don't think I will have much of an opportunity to blog over the next week or so.
Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone.
Cuz, I will talk to you on Christmas morning, I am sure, but if not, have a great time with everyone. I am still anxious to hear about the gift the R-man purchased...
Friday, December 19, 2008
Day to Day
I have an unexpected day off today.
Just as S was heading out the door for his van, my phone rang and it was Boss asking me if I wanted to forgo coming in today in exchange for a day over the holidays. I asked why, and he told me that it was storming pretty good in his area, and since he'd been watching the weather network, he thought today might just be a good day to stay home.
I hadn't really planned on working any time between Christmas and New Years, but I suspected that I might have found myself going in for a least one day as Boss is finalizing a budget for a new client, and there are usually a few things that I am required to do when presenting a budget for the first time. So, needless to say, I took the opportunity to stay home!
I have a ton of laundry that I need to work on, and now I can take the day to work on my Dad's album. Granddad's is finished, but I didn't make his as 'fancy' as I am my Dad's. Oh - final family count - 9 kids, 25 grand kids, 21 great grand kids. I have photos of everyone - including spouses - in the album except for 2. Given the sheer size of the family, I think that is a pretty good ratio.
~~~~
I believe I mentioned that S had to come home early on Wednesday due to a problem in the school yard at lunch. Well, when I got home from work yesterday, I had a little black storm cloud sitting in the living room. He was very upset that our Internet was down (we have it through satellite) and was to the point of almost hyperventilating.
I was pretty sure he was upset about more than just not having Internet, and it turned out my suspicions were correct. S was very upset because he had been given an in-school suspension yesterday, which meant he was required to spend the entire day in the office. No recesses - nothing. Having to sit for an entire day is torture for this boy.
I'm sort of torn about this. On one hand, I can understand that he needed to suffer the consequences of his actions, but on the other hand, it has been duly documented that taking away recess is not to be used as a form of punishment for S. Quite simply, he needs some down time to be able to run away and work off excess energy.
Part of me wants to phone the Principal and explain that he should have been given at least 10 minutes in the gym a couple times throughout the day, but another part says "Hey, he's going to be in high school next year and won't have recess anymore." Plus, it is the last day before Christmas break - the entire school will be in chaos.
Do you see the dilema?
I think I will leave it alone for today. I think what I will do is contact the Principal in the New Year and talk to her about the series of events and my concerns about the lack of 'free time' handed to S. If I give myself a bit of time, I won't appear an emotional, crazy person, and perhaps she will be more open to suggestions. See, I still don't really know this lady - I haven't had many dealings with her - fortunately!
Oh - and an A-man story to share.
On Wednesday, when I got home from work, I started dinner and while it was doing it's 20 minute simmer, the A-man and I went to have a hot tub. While we were in the tub, he asked if I would be able to take him to buy a Christmas present either that night or the next.
I asked if he could just wait until the weekend, when we had planned on taking the boys so that we could all finish up, and he told me that he had to have it for Friday because it was a gift for R - the girl he was supposed to have a date with.
Well, of course I couldn't say no to that, so I took him shopping last night. His original plan had been to buy her the newest Narnia movie, but when they only had that available in BluRay, he picked up a copy of Momma Mia - the movie he had planned on taking her to see.
I suggested that perhaps maybe a gift of a movie wasn't really all that personal, and maybe he should look around the store a little bit more to see if something else struck him. As we wandered the store, I pointed out a few things that were in his price range. We were heading back to the front of store when he told me that he thought she would really like the watch/bracelet thing I had pointed at, and that he would put the movie back and get her that instead.
On the way home, I asked if R knew that he was going to give her a present - my intention was to coach him on the way to react when giving a gift to someone that wasn't expecting it. He truly surprised me when he answered with "Oh, yeah, she knows. I asked her if she wanted one."
WHAT?!?
I laughed and made the comment that she was a girl after my own heart, because let's face it, if someone gives you the option of them getting you a gift, aren't you going to take it? Well, if you were 15??
From what I have been able to gather from the A-man, he is now 'unoffically' her boyfriend since she isn't allowed to date. He likes her, she likes him, but they can't go out together on dates. They never talk on the phone...I think this just means they hang out together at school and have acknowledged that they like each other.
Whatever it is, it's kind of cute to watch him entering this next phase of his life. I asked him why he didn't at least phone her sometimes, and his responding question reminded me so much of Hubby... "Well, if I phoned her, what would we talk about? I see her at school everyday."
He is such a guy.
Anyway, she will be opening a pretty little silver watch with a matching bracelet today. I hope she likes them.
S took my 'now famous' (his quote, not mine) cookie pizza to the school today and my karaoke machine. I hope he has a good day at the class party this morning and the dance this afternoon.
Hopefully the buses will be able to make it home after school.
Just as S was heading out the door for his van, my phone rang and it was Boss asking me if I wanted to forgo coming in today in exchange for a day over the holidays. I asked why, and he told me that it was storming pretty good in his area, and since he'd been watching the weather network, he thought today might just be a good day to stay home.
I hadn't really planned on working any time between Christmas and New Years, but I suspected that I might have found myself going in for a least one day as Boss is finalizing a budget for a new client, and there are usually a few things that I am required to do when presenting a budget for the first time. So, needless to say, I took the opportunity to stay home!
I have a ton of laundry that I need to work on, and now I can take the day to work on my Dad's album. Granddad's is finished, but I didn't make his as 'fancy' as I am my Dad's. Oh - final family count - 9 kids, 25 grand kids, 21 great grand kids. I have photos of everyone - including spouses - in the album except for 2. Given the sheer size of the family, I think that is a pretty good ratio.
~~~~
I believe I mentioned that S had to come home early on Wednesday due to a problem in the school yard at lunch. Well, when I got home from work yesterday, I had a little black storm cloud sitting in the living room. He was very upset that our Internet was down (we have it through satellite) and was to the point of almost hyperventilating.
I was pretty sure he was upset about more than just not having Internet, and it turned out my suspicions were correct. S was very upset because he had been given an in-school suspension yesterday, which meant he was required to spend the entire day in the office. No recesses - nothing. Having to sit for an entire day is torture for this boy.
I'm sort of torn about this. On one hand, I can understand that he needed to suffer the consequences of his actions, but on the other hand, it has been duly documented that taking away recess is not to be used as a form of punishment for S. Quite simply, he needs some down time to be able to run away and work off excess energy.
Part of me wants to phone the Principal and explain that he should have been given at least 10 minutes in the gym a couple times throughout the day, but another part says "Hey, he's going to be in high school next year and won't have recess anymore." Plus, it is the last day before Christmas break - the entire school will be in chaos.
Do you see the dilema?
I think I will leave it alone for today. I think what I will do is contact the Principal in the New Year and talk to her about the series of events and my concerns about the lack of 'free time' handed to S. If I give myself a bit of time, I won't appear an emotional, crazy person, and perhaps she will be more open to suggestions. See, I still don't really know this lady - I haven't had many dealings with her - fortunately!
Oh - and an A-man story to share.
On Wednesday, when I got home from work, I started dinner and while it was doing it's 20 minute simmer, the A-man and I went to have a hot tub. While we were in the tub, he asked if I would be able to take him to buy a Christmas present either that night or the next.
I asked if he could just wait until the weekend, when we had planned on taking the boys so that we could all finish up, and he told me that he had to have it for Friday because it was a gift for R - the girl he was supposed to have a date with.
Well, of course I couldn't say no to that, so I took him shopping last night. His original plan had been to buy her the newest Narnia movie, but when they only had that available in BluRay, he picked up a copy of Momma Mia - the movie he had planned on taking her to see.
I suggested that perhaps maybe a gift of a movie wasn't really all that personal, and maybe he should look around the store a little bit more to see if something else struck him. As we wandered the store, I pointed out a few things that were in his price range. We were heading back to the front of store when he told me that he thought she would really like the watch/bracelet thing I had pointed at, and that he would put the movie back and get her that instead.
On the way home, I asked if R knew that he was going to give her a present - my intention was to coach him on the way to react when giving a gift to someone that wasn't expecting it. He truly surprised me when he answered with "Oh, yeah, she knows. I asked her if she wanted one."
WHAT?!?
I laughed and made the comment that she was a girl after my own heart, because let's face it, if someone gives you the option of them getting you a gift, aren't you going to take it? Well, if you were 15??
From what I have been able to gather from the A-man, he is now 'unoffically' her boyfriend since she isn't allowed to date. He likes her, she likes him, but they can't go out together on dates. They never talk on the phone...I think this just means they hang out together at school and have acknowledged that they like each other.
Whatever it is, it's kind of cute to watch him entering this next phase of his life. I asked him why he didn't at least phone her sometimes, and his responding question reminded me so much of Hubby... "Well, if I phoned her, what would we talk about? I see her at school everyday."
He is such a guy.
Anyway, she will be opening a pretty little silver watch with a matching bracelet today. I hope she likes them.
S took my 'now famous' (his quote, not mine) cookie pizza to the school today and my karaoke machine. I hope he has a good day at the class party this morning and the dance this afternoon.
Hopefully the buses will be able to make it home after school.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Small school issue
Got a phone call around 1pm today. Seems S did not have a very good lunch recess. He had become extremely agitated, and tried to climb the fence that borders the school. Big no-no.
Since he is a flight risk, and we have a safe plan in effect, the Principal had to phone me and ask that someone come to pick him up. This was the first incident that S had this year. The Principal actually commented that the school has been very chaotic the last few days - always is just before Christmas break - and she appreciated that S is the type of child that doesn't do well when normal routine is interrupted. She just felt it would be more to S's benefit if he had time at home to take it easy and then she would discuss the events with him in the morning. Hubby wasn't far from the school and was able to pick him up pretty quickly.
I called home a little while ago and he seemed very calm and was able to talk to me about the events of the afternoon. I guess I will have to hope he remains calm when he realizes the Principal and I agreed that he shouldn't 'help' backstage this evening for the Christmas concert.
Given the time of year, and S's history, I really should have been expecting a call this week. Granted, this year has not been a traditional one for him, but the pre-Christmas excitement is starting to mount. One more week until Christmas Eve.
I'm very grateful that the entire situation was dealt with in such a smooth manner. Hopefully the follow up will be just as clean, clean and concise.
Since he is a flight risk, and we have a safe plan in effect, the Principal had to phone me and ask that someone come to pick him up. This was the first incident that S had this year. The Principal actually commented that the school has been very chaotic the last few days - always is just before Christmas break - and she appreciated that S is the type of child that doesn't do well when normal routine is interrupted. She just felt it would be more to S's benefit if he had time at home to take it easy and then she would discuss the events with him in the morning. Hubby wasn't far from the school and was able to pick him up pretty quickly.
I called home a little while ago and he seemed very calm and was able to talk to me about the events of the afternoon. I guess I will have to hope he remains calm when he realizes the Principal and I agreed that he shouldn't 'help' backstage this evening for the Christmas concert.
Given the time of year, and S's history, I really should have been expecting a call this week. Granted, this year has not been a traditional one for him, but the pre-Christmas excitement is starting to mount. One more week until Christmas Eve.
I'm very grateful that the entire situation was dealt with in such a smooth manner. Hopefully the follow up will be just as clean, clean and concise.
Monday, December 15, 2008
This and that
I was very tired yesterday. For some reason, I was wide awake yesterday morning shortly after 6am. I don’t normally ‘do’ mornings very well, and the fact that I was awake and up before 7 on the morning after a party is pretty much unheard of.
By the time Hubby got up and was ready to have some coffee, I had all the dishes washed up from the night before and was working on the final floor sweep up. He was amazed.
I worked on my grandfather’s album for the full morning, and then in the early afternoon I went to lay down for a nap. I was not able to see straight, so I figured a nap was probably a good idea. I had just got up and moving again when my parents stopped in for a quick visit.
After they left and we had dinner, I spent some time wrapping Christmas presents. The A-man was busy tormenting the bejeezus out of his brother, so after a while I sent S to have a shower and the A-man to have some alone time in his room.
After I finished with some of the boxes I had been wrapping, I went in to talk to the A-man about his behaviour from the day. He was just sitting there smirking at me while I was talking to him. He seemed to find it very amusing that he was able to agitate his brother to the state he was in. The smirk was not the best face to put on when I was already upset with him. Weekend breaks from medication are no longer to be considered – he is just a total goof ball on his ‘off’ days.
I’m going to pick up a few more Christmas gifts today on my lunch break, then I am going to a funeral of a friend’s mom. She passed away very suddenly on Friday. It is never a good time to lose a parent, but this time of year just makes it that much worse. I feel for him.
I’m hoping the boys will help me with a bit of Christmas baking this week, too. We shall see what the week brings…
By the time Hubby got up and was ready to have some coffee, I had all the dishes washed up from the night before and was working on the final floor sweep up. He was amazed.
I worked on my grandfather’s album for the full morning, and then in the early afternoon I went to lay down for a nap. I was not able to see straight, so I figured a nap was probably a good idea. I had just got up and moving again when my parents stopped in for a quick visit.
After they left and we had dinner, I spent some time wrapping Christmas presents. The A-man was busy tormenting the bejeezus out of his brother, so after a while I sent S to have a shower and the A-man to have some alone time in his room.
After I finished with some of the boxes I had been wrapping, I went in to talk to the A-man about his behaviour from the day. He was just sitting there smirking at me while I was talking to him. He seemed to find it very amusing that he was able to agitate his brother to the state he was in. The smirk was not the best face to put on when I was already upset with him. Weekend breaks from medication are no longer to be considered – he is just a total goof ball on his ‘off’ days.
I’m going to pick up a few more Christmas gifts today on my lunch break, then I am going to a funeral of a friend’s mom. She passed away very suddenly on Friday. It is never a good time to lose a parent, but this time of year just makes it that much worse. I feel for him.
I’m hoping the boys will help me with a bit of Christmas baking this week, too. We shall see what the week brings…
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Family Tree Album
The house is now duly decorated for Christmas. In fact, we had a Christmas Open House yesterday and I actually had a couple people comment that they wished I would come and decorate their houses for them!
Yes, the house pretty much exploded Christmas on both floors.
I've been working on putting together a family tree album for my Grandparents as a gift. I decided this is what I would do about a week and a half ago. I'm also going to make one for my father. I've been able to track down most of the information for the family, but it has been quite difficult to get in touch with two family members. No one seems to know how to reach them. I'm going to start putting the photos in place today, and my hope is that I will be able to track down the telephone numbers I need in the next few days, and then I will be able to get the final details in place and actually finish the "tree" part of the album.
My Dad's family is way too big; he's the oldest of 9. Can you imagine having 9 children? I have an Aunt that is 5 months younger than me, and an Uncle that is 6 years younger than I am. There is 36 years between the oldest grandchild (me) and the youngest one. Anyway, it has been quite the adventure gathering all the photos, making sure I had everyone covered off, and also making sure that one particular group of family members wasn't more pronounced than any others...
Truly, it has been a labour of love, and I am going to be so happy with it when it is done. Should keep me busy for the next little bit, anyway. You know, in case the whole "week before Christmas" isn't usually enough to keep me hopping!
Yes, the house pretty much exploded Christmas on both floors.
I've been working on putting together a family tree album for my Grandparents as a gift. I decided this is what I would do about a week and a half ago. I'm also going to make one for my father. I've been able to track down most of the information for the family, but it has been quite difficult to get in touch with two family members. No one seems to know how to reach them. I'm going to start putting the photos in place today, and my hope is that I will be able to track down the telephone numbers I need in the next few days, and then I will be able to get the final details in place and actually finish the "tree" part of the album.
My Dad's family is way too big; he's the oldest of 9. Can you imagine having 9 children? I have an Aunt that is 5 months younger than me, and an Uncle that is 6 years younger than I am. There is 36 years between the oldest grandchild (me) and the youngest one. Anyway, it has been quite the adventure gathering all the photos, making sure I had everyone covered off, and also making sure that one particular group of family members wasn't more pronounced than any others...
Truly, it has been a labour of love, and I am going to be so happy with it when it is done. Should keep me busy for the next little bit, anyway. You know, in case the whole "week before Christmas" isn't usually enough to keep me hopping!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
This and that
You know, I have been very proud of S in the last little while. He has been VERY good at getting his homework done and making sure that he completes all of it every night.
See, a few weeks back we got his report card and learned that S has not been doing a very thorough job with respect to homework. He and I made a bit of a deal – he would be required to have the EA sign his agenda on the days that he DIDN’T have homework. This would entitle Mr. S to a total of $0.25 Mom Bucks every single day. Pretty simple way to make some $$, in my opinion. If he has homework and writes down and brings the required information home, also worth $0.25. So, for simply doing something he is supposed to be doing anyway, he is ‘earning’ an extra $1.25 each week.
Let me tell you, S is a Mom Bucks hoarder. Oh, he doesn’t want the actual money any time soon – he simply loves to play with the collection of chips that he has been gathering. Once he has the money, he just spends it and then all incentive is gone, you see, but the chips…well, that is a whole other story in his mind.
Whatever it takes.
My thought is that if he gets in to this habit for the remainder of this Grade 8 year, it will just make things that much simpler for him next year when he enters high school. I don’t care if it’s a bribe – it’s working and he is getting his homework done!
~~
Having dinner tonight with the people I was on a jury with about 4 years ago. This has been an annual affair since the year we sat on the jury. We have a shared lottery purchase, too. Will be really nice to see everyone again.
Also having a Christmas open house this Saturday. No, I am not ready for it and the decorations are almost there, but not quite finished. Nothing like making time be the ever deciding factor!
See, a few weeks back we got his report card and learned that S has not been doing a very thorough job with respect to homework. He and I made a bit of a deal – he would be required to have the EA sign his agenda on the days that he DIDN’T have homework. This would entitle Mr. S to a total of $0.25 Mom Bucks every single day. Pretty simple way to make some $$, in my opinion. If he has homework and writes down and brings the required information home, also worth $0.25. So, for simply doing something he is supposed to be doing anyway, he is ‘earning’ an extra $1.25 each week.
Let me tell you, S is a Mom Bucks hoarder. Oh, he doesn’t want the actual money any time soon – he simply loves to play with the collection of chips that he has been gathering. Once he has the money, he just spends it and then all incentive is gone, you see, but the chips…well, that is a whole other story in his mind.
Whatever it takes.
My thought is that if he gets in to this habit for the remainder of this Grade 8 year, it will just make things that much simpler for him next year when he enters high school. I don’t care if it’s a bribe – it’s working and he is getting his homework done!
~~
Having dinner tonight with the people I was on a jury with about 4 years ago. This has been an annual affair since the year we sat on the jury. We have a shared lottery purchase, too. Will be really nice to see everyone again.
Also having a Christmas open house this Saturday. No, I am not ready for it and the decorations are almost there, but not quite finished. Nothing like making time be the ever deciding factor!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Made for TV movie
Last night, the A-man and I watched a made-for-TV movie called “Front of the Class.” It was a Hallmark presentation and was an amazing (true) story about a teacher from the US named Brad Cohen. The actual movie was based on a book of the same name. The reason we made a point of watching this movie was because in addition to being an incredibly talented and dedicated teacher, Brad Cohen has Tourette Syndrome.
I will admit it – the movie brought tears to my eyes. As a parent of a child with TS, I could empathize with the mother of this remarkable man, and I could also appreciate the frustrations that he must have experienced while growing up.
It was amazing how they were able to portray the actions/reactions of the teachers and students as he was growing up, and even more how everyone tried to remain politically correct while he was going through the interview process as a young adult. The actors did an incredible job of portraying the verbal ticks that Brad lives with – both the child and adult actors were amazing at carrying on life in a ‘normal’ manner while making odd noises and moving in jerking motions.
As we watched the movie, the A-man kept repeating how he was so grateful that he doesn’t have the verbal ticks that were shown in this movie. The A-man has a head-shake tick, and has recently begun an eye-lift tick. (His eye brows rise up as if he were surprised about something.) The stutter that developed when he was between Grades 7 & 8 has never really dissipated, but we do see times when it is both really pronounced and really relaxed. While we watched the movie, I did have the chance to explain to him that it is possible that a more vocal tick could happen in the future. He was very aware of that, and I must say, he seems to have a very positive outlook on it too. I don’t know if he will remain as positive should it happen, but at least he is prepared and I think his view on life is very remarkable for a teenager of 15.
Actually, one thing that he said that made me laugh was that he has friends in school that don’t even realize that he has TS. Some of the new friends have noticed he does the head-shake during exams – high stress times – but he told me that they just assumed that he was working through the answers in his head, and was saying “No” to himself before writing the answer. I hope that by watching the movie he learned some very positive ways to discuss Tourettes.
My biggest hope, though, is that he never experiences the negative reactions that Brad Cohen had to face; the Principal that said he would hire him if he promised to not make the noises while teaching, the people in the bars that continually turn and stare/glare while he is having a relaxing time with friends. I hope he always has friends – and girlfriends - that are able to ignore the ticks and see the real person that is behind the odd facial expressions.
As a young man, Brad Cohen was very fortunate to have the Principal that recognized that he truly could not help the noises and made a point of educating the entire school about it and not allowing the bullying and rude behavior of both adults and students. Once he was ready to look for full time work, it took a long time for him to find school staff members that were able to embrace him and welcome him into the teaching profession, but his perseverance was remarkable. The most ironic part of Brad Cohen’s story? The students (Grade 2) never had a problem with seeing past the noises; it was always the adults that couldn’t cope. He even had one student pulled from his first class because the father didn’t think he would be able to “properly” teach his child while ticking!
My biggest hope though, after watching this movie, is that a number of people were educated about the neurological disorder that is Tourettes. I hope that there are less jokes about the swearing, and more people willing to learn – and accept – that not everyone can be the same. What a boring world we would live in if that were true.
I’m so proud of the A-man. Like Brad Cohen, he is very aware of his own self worth and I pray that he is able to succeed in a similar manner.
“Front of the Class” – if you have a chance, watch the movie. I’m going to be looking for the book very soon.
I will admit it – the movie brought tears to my eyes. As a parent of a child with TS, I could empathize with the mother of this remarkable man, and I could also appreciate the frustrations that he must have experienced while growing up.
It was amazing how they were able to portray the actions/reactions of the teachers and students as he was growing up, and even more how everyone tried to remain politically correct while he was going through the interview process as a young adult. The actors did an incredible job of portraying the verbal ticks that Brad lives with – both the child and adult actors were amazing at carrying on life in a ‘normal’ manner while making odd noises and moving in jerking motions.
As we watched the movie, the A-man kept repeating how he was so grateful that he doesn’t have the verbal ticks that were shown in this movie. The A-man has a head-shake tick, and has recently begun an eye-lift tick. (His eye brows rise up as if he were surprised about something.) The stutter that developed when he was between Grades 7 & 8 has never really dissipated, but we do see times when it is both really pronounced and really relaxed. While we watched the movie, I did have the chance to explain to him that it is possible that a more vocal tick could happen in the future. He was very aware of that, and I must say, he seems to have a very positive outlook on it too. I don’t know if he will remain as positive should it happen, but at least he is prepared and I think his view on life is very remarkable for a teenager of 15.
Actually, one thing that he said that made me laugh was that he has friends in school that don’t even realize that he has TS. Some of the new friends have noticed he does the head-shake during exams – high stress times – but he told me that they just assumed that he was working through the answers in his head, and was saying “No” to himself before writing the answer. I hope that by watching the movie he learned some very positive ways to discuss Tourettes.
My biggest hope, though, is that he never experiences the negative reactions that Brad Cohen had to face; the Principal that said he would hire him if he promised to not make the noises while teaching, the people in the bars that continually turn and stare/glare while he is having a relaxing time with friends. I hope he always has friends – and girlfriends - that are able to ignore the ticks and see the real person that is behind the odd facial expressions.
As a young man, Brad Cohen was very fortunate to have the Principal that recognized that he truly could not help the noises and made a point of educating the entire school about it and not allowing the bullying and rude behavior of both adults and students. Once he was ready to look for full time work, it took a long time for him to find school staff members that were able to embrace him and welcome him into the teaching profession, but his perseverance was remarkable. The most ironic part of Brad Cohen’s story? The students (Grade 2) never had a problem with seeing past the noises; it was always the adults that couldn’t cope. He even had one student pulled from his first class because the father didn’t think he would be able to “properly” teach his child while ticking!
My biggest hope though, after watching this movie, is that a number of people were educated about the neurological disorder that is Tourettes. I hope that there are less jokes about the swearing, and more people willing to learn – and accept – that not everyone can be the same. What a boring world we would live in if that were true.
I’m so proud of the A-man. Like Brad Cohen, he is very aware of his own self worth and I pray that he is able to succeed in a similar manner.
“Front of the Class” – if you have a chance, watch the movie. I’m going to be looking for the book very soon.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Unprepared "professional"
I am normally very willing to give teachers the benefit of the doubt with many things, but I am getting really frustrated with the A-man's Tourism & Hospitality teacher.
Back before Thanksgiving, she had the students sell apple pies to family members. The A-man actually sold quite a few - both before and after Thanksgiving. The idea was that as the student brought the money in to school for the pie, they would then use the next day's class time to prepare the pie.
My mom didn't get her pie for over a month because the teacher 'forgot' that the A-man still had to make a few more.
Now on to more current events. About a month ago, this teacher assigned and ISU to the class. After two weeks, the A-man and his partner had not done anything on the assignment, and I informed the teacher that he was going to work on it by himself. Fine.
The written portion of the assignment was due last Friday. On Thursday afternoon, the teacher informed the students that she was going to be away on Friday, so they were given an extension - the written portion of the assignment was now due Monday.
Great - extra time for those that needed it.
The A-man turned in his written assignment on Monday - apparently only half the class was finished, and the A-man was relieved that I had told him he needed to do the assignment alone because he previous 'partner' was not done her project.
The A-man's presentation portion of the project was to be done on Wednesday. On Tuesday afternoon, I got a text from him telling me that I didn't need to pick up the various ingredients as his presentation had been moved to Thursday. I picked up the ingredients as planned, and told him that he should make the dish as planned because Hubby was having company on Wednesday and the kitchen wouldn't be free. He made the dish, and after it was cooled, we put it in the fridge.
The presentation had been postponed because the teacher didn't realize the class was going to be watching a play that afternoon.
Yesterday, I drove the A-man to school with the kugelis and sour cream - much easier than trying to manage on the bus. I sent him a text after school asking how he did, and was then informed that he didn't get to present because the teacher had 'forgot' to reserve the projector for those that had prepared PowerPoint presentations. So, rather than having 3 presentations, the class got to see one, and then basically just sat around for the rest of the class.
This person is a "professional" that is teaching my child! Grades are diminished for unpreparedness when a student doesn't have something done on time.
Am I allowed to send a final grade to the school for the TEACHER at the end of this semester?
Back before Thanksgiving, she had the students sell apple pies to family members. The A-man actually sold quite a few - both before and after Thanksgiving. The idea was that as the student brought the money in to school for the pie, they would then use the next day's class time to prepare the pie.
My mom didn't get her pie for over a month because the teacher 'forgot' that the A-man still had to make a few more.
Now on to more current events. About a month ago, this teacher assigned and ISU to the class. After two weeks, the A-man and his partner had not done anything on the assignment, and I informed the teacher that he was going to work on it by himself. Fine.
The written portion of the assignment was due last Friday. On Thursday afternoon, the teacher informed the students that she was going to be away on Friday, so they were given an extension - the written portion of the assignment was now due Monday.
Great - extra time for those that needed it.
The A-man turned in his written assignment on Monday - apparently only half the class was finished, and the A-man was relieved that I had told him he needed to do the assignment alone because he previous 'partner' was not done her project.
The A-man's presentation portion of the project was to be done on Wednesday. On Tuesday afternoon, I got a text from him telling me that I didn't need to pick up the various ingredients as his presentation had been moved to Thursday. I picked up the ingredients as planned, and told him that he should make the dish as planned because Hubby was having company on Wednesday and the kitchen wouldn't be free. He made the dish, and after it was cooled, we put it in the fridge.
The presentation had been postponed because the teacher didn't realize the class was going to be watching a play that afternoon.
Yesterday, I drove the A-man to school with the kugelis and sour cream - much easier than trying to manage on the bus. I sent him a text after school asking how he did, and was then informed that he didn't get to present because the teacher had 'forgot' to reserve the projector for those that had prepared PowerPoint presentations. So, rather than having 3 presentations, the class got to see one, and then basically just sat around for the rest of the class.
This person is a "professional" that is teaching my child! Grades are diminished for unpreparedness when a student doesn't have something done on time.
Am I allowed to send a final grade to the school for the TEACHER at the end of this semester?
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
No decorations yet...
I have had the best of intentions to haul my Christmas decorations out of the crawl space, but the nights just seem to pass too quickly!
Monday night was the first time I had been to my fitness class in a couple of weeks. I was very pleased to see that I could get back in to the 'swing' of things fairly quickly, too. By the time I got home from that, the last thing I wanted to do was to start pulling out boxes.
Last night I got home from work about half an hour later than usual to find that just the A-man was home. Hubby and S had gone over to help a friend install their TV satellite dish. After a fairly quick dinner, the A-man and I got to work. He on making another kugelis dish, and I on contacting family members to pull together a family tree album I want to make for a Christmas gift.
This idea just popped in to my head yesterday, and I am now determined to make it happen. The only problem is that it's for my Dad's family - he is the oldest of 9 and a few of the family members are sort of estranged from others. It's very complicated to say the least.
Anyway, through the wonderful world of Facebook, I have been able to get quite a bit of information already, and I know I will be able to pull photos that way, too. I'm hoping to be able to turn this in to a gift for both my grandparents and my Dad. I did a similar thing a number of years ago for my Mom and my Dad was very touched by it, so I'm sure it would be appreciated.
My Dad is the oldest of 9 children. I am the oldest grandchild - there are 24 grandchildren now and about 36 years between me and the youngest. I have counted 17 great grandchildren, but I have 2 cousins that I am sure have children and I am waiting for details about that from my Aunt.
The A-man is not the oldest Great Grandchild, but he is the oldest Great Grandson. (One girl born about a year and a half before him...) Yes, a very large family tree, and that does not include any of the children that have come into the family as step-children; like my eldest niece!
As I was on the phone with my cousin getting information, I could see the A-man peeling potatoes, chopping onions, and gathering all the items he needed. He eventually interrupted me to see if I could assist with the chopping. We finished putting together the dish and popping it in the oven just as Hubby and S returned.
S got to work on his homework, then the two boys played a game of chess before bed. (I will admit - this no electronics on a school night is quite lovely.) S tried to tell us that he only had Math homework, but his brother had shared with me that he also had some French homework that he didn't want to complete. I "checked" his agenda - which he is going to keep updated daily to earn more Mom Bucks - and then asked him about French. He gave a groan, pulled out the binder and finished the work in about 10 minutes. What a guy.
Turned out Hubby was sent home from work yesterday at his lunch time due to a machine malfunction. Both plants were sent home for the remainder of yesterday and all of today. He didn't mind the chance to sleep in this morning, and was actually looking forward to getting some computer jobs finished up today. It was nice to have some time together last night after the boys went to bed. (Hubby usually goes to bed around the same time as the A-man...)
I am going to be attending a Grade 8 information session tonight at the highschool. Not sure how long it will be, but I'm pretty sure I won't have a chance to haul out Christmas decorations tonight, either. Sigh.
Monday night was the first time I had been to my fitness class in a couple of weeks. I was very pleased to see that I could get back in to the 'swing' of things fairly quickly, too. By the time I got home from that, the last thing I wanted to do was to start pulling out boxes.
Last night I got home from work about half an hour later than usual to find that just the A-man was home. Hubby and S had gone over to help a friend install their TV satellite dish. After a fairly quick dinner, the A-man and I got to work. He on making another kugelis dish, and I on contacting family members to pull together a family tree album I want to make for a Christmas gift.
This idea just popped in to my head yesterday, and I am now determined to make it happen. The only problem is that it's for my Dad's family - he is the oldest of 9 and a few of the family members are sort of estranged from others. It's very complicated to say the least.
Anyway, through the wonderful world of Facebook, I have been able to get quite a bit of information already, and I know I will be able to pull photos that way, too. I'm hoping to be able to turn this in to a gift for both my grandparents and my Dad. I did a similar thing a number of years ago for my Mom and my Dad was very touched by it, so I'm sure it would be appreciated.
My Dad is the oldest of 9 children. I am the oldest grandchild - there are 24 grandchildren now and about 36 years between me and the youngest. I have counted 17 great grandchildren, but I have 2 cousins that I am sure have children and I am waiting for details about that from my Aunt.
The A-man is not the oldest Great Grandchild, but he is the oldest Great Grandson. (One girl born about a year and a half before him...) Yes, a very large family tree, and that does not include any of the children that have come into the family as step-children; like my eldest niece!
As I was on the phone with my cousin getting information, I could see the A-man peeling potatoes, chopping onions, and gathering all the items he needed. He eventually interrupted me to see if I could assist with the chopping. We finished putting together the dish and popping it in the oven just as Hubby and S returned.
S got to work on his homework, then the two boys played a game of chess before bed. (I will admit - this no electronics on a school night is quite lovely.) S tried to tell us that he only had Math homework, but his brother had shared with me that he also had some French homework that he didn't want to complete. I "checked" his agenda - which he is going to keep updated daily to earn more Mom Bucks - and then asked him about French. He gave a groan, pulled out the binder and finished the work in about 10 minutes. What a guy.
Turned out Hubby was sent home from work yesterday at his lunch time due to a machine malfunction. Both plants were sent home for the remainder of yesterday and all of today. He didn't mind the chance to sleep in this morning, and was actually looking forward to getting some computer jobs finished up today. It was nice to have some time together last night after the boys went to bed. (Hubby usually goes to bed around the same time as the A-man...)
I am going to be attending a Grade 8 information session tonight at the highschool. Not sure how long it will be, but I'm pretty sure I won't have a chance to haul out Christmas decorations tonight, either. Sigh.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Day to day living...
After my voyage in to the ditch on Wednesday morning, I was very grateful that the car didn’t cost me lots of money to repair. I was also very grateful that neither the A-man nor I were injured during the slide. Nothing like the “thunk” of a ditch and snow bank to make you see what is truly important.
Thursday was a fairly typical day. When I got home from work I lay down on the couch and only woke up when the A-man gave my shoulder a wee shake to tell me he had made dinner. Gourmet feast of pork chops and mac’n cheese, but I was thrilled that he had taken the initiative to make something when it was so obvious I wouldn’t be doing so any time soon. I was surprised that I had fallen asleep – that is not like me at all.
S had a PA day on Friday; I think he liked having his special alone time with Daddy before he went to work, to be honest. The boys and I had a fairly casual Friday evening and enjoyed sitting on the couch munching on some pizza! I will never see the draw to the television shows they enjoy, but S sure does like to share them with me on Fridays.
On Saturday, I told the boys some of our plans for Sunday and asked that both of them consider completing their homework that afternoon so that there wouldn’t be any issues on Sunday. In the early afternoon, the boys went outside to shovel off the deck. I was so happy to see them doing that; until I realized they weren’t really doing the task at hand. They were throwing snowballs, and eating the snow…but not really doing anything else.
When I called them in for lunch, I explained to them that I didn’t mind them going out and playing, but if they are going to start one task, it needed to be completed before they started another. I also reminded them that we had company coming in the evening, and some tasks needed to be done BEFORE they arrived.
The A-man got to working on his project for Tourism. I had helped him start the PowerPoint presentation, and left notes on the slides with respect to the order he would have to transfer data from the written portion of his project. After reading over the assignment requirements, I also made notes to suggest he find some other photos to put into the presentation.
S was doing some of his Religion homework and History homework during this time. For whatever reason, S has decided he doesn’t need to bring home his laptop – I guess he thinks I will believe he doesn’t have any homework that way.
When I got his report card last week, it indicated that S has been very lacking in completing the homework in the first term of school. I thought he’d had it pretty light, but when you don’t see an agenda, or the agenda isn’t completed, it’s pretty hard to know what he is doing and not doing.
Anyway, I found out from the A-man that S did have homework for the weekend, and made sure he did all that was required. He became very upset with me when I told him he would have to do it on the computer and I didn’t care if it took him longer. Had he brought his laptop home, he would have had the voice to text technology, but, since he decided he didn’t ‘need’ it, he had to do it the hard way; by typing it out. Once he was done the homework, I could tell he was very pleased with it. The starting of the task is always the worst thing in the world for S; once he is done, you can almost SEE the pride coming off him.
Just before dinner, the A-man started to get together the various items he needed to make for his Tourism dish. The A-man had decided to do his project on the capital city of Lithuania – Vilnius – and prepare one of his favourite Lithuanian dishes – Kugelis. (We are not of Lithuanian decent, but our good friends are, and both boys have enjoyed traditional Lithuanian cooking on occasion.) This is a baked potato pie that uses 5 pounds of finely grated potatoes and a full pound of bacon – with all the fat from the bacon. Not a diet dish.
After supper, the A-man finished preparing the dish and I took pictures of each step. We had time for me to show him how to transfer the photos onto the laptop and then on to both the written report and the PowerPoint. He was just finishing with the last photo when our company arrived. What a pleased boy he was when he was able to offer our company a plate of warm, filling kugelis. I think the A-man ate half the dish himself.
He will be making the dish again tomorrow night to take to school on Wednesday. Wednesday is when he will have to do his half hour presentation. He planned on using class time today to practice what he was going to say, and then asked if I would let him practice with me as his audience again tomorrow night. He’s done a good job. The written report was 10 pages long, and the slide show is over 20 slides long. I will be curious to see how he presents the information he has gathers.
Went out with my Mom yesterday and got quite a bit of Christmas shopping done. I am hoping to get the boxes all pulled out this week for decorating. It's so dark and dreary now; the lights should help make the nights feel better, anyway.
Thursday was a fairly typical day. When I got home from work I lay down on the couch and only woke up when the A-man gave my shoulder a wee shake to tell me he had made dinner. Gourmet feast of pork chops and mac’n cheese, but I was thrilled that he had taken the initiative to make something when it was so obvious I wouldn’t be doing so any time soon. I was surprised that I had fallen asleep – that is not like me at all.
S had a PA day on Friday; I think he liked having his special alone time with Daddy before he went to work, to be honest. The boys and I had a fairly casual Friday evening and enjoyed sitting on the couch munching on some pizza! I will never see the draw to the television shows they enjoy, but S sure does like to share them with me on Fridays.
On Saturday, I told the boys some of our plans for Sunday and asked that both of them consider completing their homework that afternoon so that there wouldn’t be any issues on Sunday. In the early afternoon, the boys went outside to shovel off the deck. I was so happy to see them doing that; until I realized they weren’t really doing the task at hand. They were throwing snowballs, and eating the snow…but not really doing anything else.
When I called them in for lunch, I explained to them that I didn’t mind them going out and playing, but if they are going to start one task, it needed to be completed before they started another. I also reminded them that we had company coming in the evening, and some tasks needed to be done BEFORE they arrived.
The A-man got to working on his project for Tourism. I had helped him start the PowerPoint presentation, and left notes on the slides with respect to the order he would have to transfer data from the written portion of his project. After reading over the assignment requirements, I also made notes to suggest he find some other photos to put into the presentation.
S was doing some of his Religion homework and History homework during this time. For whatever reason, S has decided he doesn’t need to bring home his laptop – I guess he thinks I will believe he doesn’t have any homework that way.
When I got his report card last week, it indicated that S has been very lacking in completing the homework in the first term of school. I thought he’d had it pretty light, but when you don’t see an agenda, or the agenda isn’t completed, it’s pretty hard to know what he is doing and not doing.
Anyway, I found out from the A-man that S did have homework for the weekend, and made sure he did all that was required. He became very upset with me when I told him he would have to do it on the computer and I didn’t care if it took him longer. Had he brought his laptop home, he would have had the voice to text technology, but, since he decided he didn’t ‘need’ it, he had to do it the hard way; by typing it out. Once he was done the homework, I could tell he was very pleased with it. The starting of the task is always the worst thing in the world for S; once he is done, you can almost SEE the pride coming off him.
Just before dinner, the A-man started to get together the various items he needed to make for his Tourism dish. The A-man had decided to do his project on the capital city of Lithuania – Vilnius – and prepare one of his favourite Lithuanian dishes – Kugelis. (We are not of Lithuanian decent, but our good friends are, and both boys have enjoyed traditional Lithuanian cooking on occasion.) This is a baked potato pie that uses 5 pounds of finely grated potatoes and a full pound of bacon – with all the fat from the bacon. Not a diet dish.
After supper, the A-man finished preparing the dish and I took pictures of each step. We had time for me to show him how to transfer the photos onto the laptop and then on to both the written report and the PowerPoint. He was just finishing with the last photo when our company arrived. What a pleased boy he was when he was able to offer our company a plate of warm, filling kugelis. I think the A-man ate half the dish himself.
He will be making the dish again tomorrow night to take to school on Wednesday. Wednesday is when he will have to do his half hour presentation. He planned on using class time today to practice what he was going to say, and then asked if I would let him practice with me as his audience again tomorrow night. He’s done a good job. The written report was 10 pages long, and the slide show is over 20 slides long. I will be curious to see how he presents the information he has gathers.
Went out with my Mom yesterday and got quite a bit of Christmas shopping done. I am hoping to get the boxes all pulled out this week for decorating. It's so dark and dreary now; the lights should help make the nights feel better, anyway.
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