This will probably get rolled up into another post later about our ski trip, but I just must get this out now.
Whew. What a day. So much bad, so much good.
So, we had a horrendously dreadful drive from the Bay Area to Truckee yesterday, despite a remarkably efficient early traffic-avoiding (we thought) start at 2:15pm. Yet we encountered two accidents and a lot of stop-n-go traffic, setting us up perfectly for more stop-n-go traffic pretty much from Davis to Auburn. We were exhausted and frazzled by the time we gladly reached our rental condo in Truckee. So much for the benefit of an early start.
But immediately, we were dismayed by our rental place. No lights in the kids' rooms. The master bed was unmade. Only a dim oversink fluorescent light in the kitchen. The main source of heat, a gas fireplace, was supposed to have fans that sent heat downstairs, but they didn't work. And the big topper: a note from the maintenance person to the previous renters (not us) about all the problems with the place, most of which we'd just found, except the bathtub (the only bathing facility) not draining properly. So this was no fluke -- it was negligence.
Dave tried to call the emergency maintenance contact: voicemail box full. I tried to call the owner (luckily had noted his cellphone number), left a message. Call service only existed on the balcony, and the land line had been disconnected.
This was a total nightmare. The place just wasn't livable without electricity (heat) in the kids' rooms. If it were just cleaning, fine, but it wasn't. And who knew what else was wrong.
We scrambled and snapped at the kids to be quiet while we tried to figure out what to do. We had to get them to ski school at 8am tomorrow!! This was no time to be searching for lodging!
The one thing that worked was wireless Internet access, and we'd brought our new Netbook-sized laptop. From there, we searched around and found a hotel that had openings.
Meantime, Dave got a hold of the maintenance person -- she said they weren't expecting anyone until March 17. Then I got a hold of the owner: he'd gotten confirmation that morning from the same maintenance person that the place was ready. She told us to use the wall heaters for the kids' rooms. He told us not to, they were dangerous.
This is a mess. We're outta here. We packed up the kids and went to a hotel.
I was furious and miserable and deeply disappointed -- I wanted to be relaxing in a charming place, making hot chocolate and spreading out our stuff, not fretting about where we were going to stay! I'd planned that a long time ago! And we're skiing tomorrow, not looking for lodging!
Fortunately, the Hampton Inn was very nice (for $300 a night they'd better be) and we got the kids to bed somehow at 10:30. They were wasted. Then Dave got to work, sending the condo owner a list of things that would have to be fixed before we could stay there. Then I got to work, looking for alternatives. I sent a few desperate inquiries to vrbo.com places that appeared to have openings for the weekend. Then I got all the kids' stuff ready for tomorrow -- top priority was getting them to ski school on time tomorrow.
We pulled that off. In the morning, the kids and Dave had a nice breakfast in the Hampton Inn lobby, while I sent off two more inquiries to vrbo.com places. We were in the car by 7:45 and arrived at Sugarbowl about half an hour later, just in time to miss the lines getting everyone's rentals and checking them in to ski school. I even ran into an old friend from Las Madres (Cornelia, for you LM2002 readers). Kiss, hug, have a great time, BYE.
Now to figure out what to do. This was the darkest time for me. I was so resentful that instead of being excited about skiing now, I was exhausted and frazzled and worried. I really hated staying in the hotel. There's no place for kids to play outside in the snow, no convenient washer/dryer, nothing for them to do, we're all in the same room, and I had bags of food to make our own dinners and treats in the car. I don't like hotels. I like houses. I hate hotels.
Incredibly, Dave got a voicemail. An inquiry I'd sent this morning -- last-minute -- resulted in a phone call from a kind rental owner who recognized the panic in my email and wanted to respond right away. While we juggled talking to the original condo owner about if the first place would be ready, this new place's owner was relaxed and kind and assuring and said no problem, let us know later in the day if you'd like to stay there. We just couldn't risk it. Time in our lives means too much. We decided that even before waiting to hear from the first place if it would be ready that we'd take the new place.
We left messages for the first place's owner -- who'd told me that he had a cleaner, electrician and plumber out there today -- that we weren't coming back and that we'd like a full refund. Then my new guardian angel in the form of the new place's owner sent us email with all the information we needed to get into his rental house.
I was so relieved and so glad it was over that I just wanted to cry. I knew that much more serious things were going on in the world -- I'm mortified by the events in Japan -- but it still was hard not to take this to heart. I'd been looking SO forward to our ski trip, probably the last of this year, how dare these people mess this up for us!!
It was interesting talking to the new owner and his wife -- they love their place and want to share it with people. The first guy has his place as a rental, but that's all it is, he doesn't live there. A home versus an investment. BIG difference.
Still very tense and upset, Dave and I went to go get our lift tickets and his rental gear. It seemed forever before we were able to finally, finally, FINALLY get on a lift, but when we did, I felt 10 times lighter. Finally. We're safe.
The relief and joy was short-lived though. At least for Dave. I'd assured Dave we were going to an easy blue run, one he'd done last year, the easiest on the mountain. He was nervous about it and said as long as I stuck nearby, fine. But moments into our lift ride I realized that we were on the wrong lift -- one that takes to you where there are no green runs or easy blues to get down.
Actually, the blue runs from the top of the Mt Judah lift turned out not to be bad, but they weren't what Dave wanted to start with. He made it down, with one or two small falls, and found that most of it really was doable. I'm a terrible teacher though -- these runs were fine for me, but I can't begin to convey verbally what to do.
This made the "easy" blue run he'd originally been nervous about very easy for him! We did that a few times, though I started to look forward to our 1:30 lesson. (It should have been 10:30, I prefer morning lessons, but our lodging issues made us too late for that .)
After lunch, I went to the lesson area and volunteered myself as a "Level 4" -- even though I hadn't done most of what "Level 4" is supposed to do: pole plants, easy blacks, off-piste terrain. "But I WANT to do all that!!" I told the guy directing people to lessons. He laughed.
In the end, only four people -- including Dave -- appeared for the Level 3-4 lessons. It only took skiing to the lifts to separate us further: and me and a French-born African-raised professor of veterinary medicine (cool!) got our own semi-private lesson. More cool!!!
And we did all the "level 4" stuff! I had SUCH a great time in this lesson. We went on all sorts of lifts and areas I never went to last year at Sugarbowl. We did whoop-de-doos (hills) in terrain parks, we did something of a half-pipe (more like a quarter-pipe really), some off-piste non-trails in the woods threading our way between trees, we did all sorts of blues (smooth and icy; rough and cut-up), and, it turns out, a black diamond, though we didn't know it until afterward. We were even encouraged to try the little half-dome jump and straight-run terrain park features (don't know what they're called) that you ski (or more commonly, board) up to, then slide on and jump off.
I was delighted that I wasn't fearful during the lesson (certainly concerned at some points though!), never felt out of control, and though I chickened out on some of the more interesting features, I tried more than the instructor expected -- and more than my male companion too. It was SO fun, and my confidence has gone way up. At the end of our lesson, the instructor even hugged me.
It was hard to believe the day had started the way it had. I was on such a high from such a fun, diverse and expanding lesson. What a change from the blackness of this morning!
We picked up the kids from ski school and went through the usual painful logistics of getting everyone's boots and gear off, then went to go find our new rental house. Which we did, with ease.
Paradise. This place is absolutely lovely. It's well-appointed, it's nicely decorated, spotless, everything's in place and ready for us (the last place was missing toilet paper in a bathroom). We're beside ourselves. It's really, really wonderful.
So despite being exhausted, I made hot chocolate and popcorn for the kids when we first got to our new place, then later made dinner. I was delighted to make dinner, because I had a kitchen instead of just a microwave in a hotel. I had the bright idea that since I'd brought marshmallows for hot chocolate, butter for toast, and Brown Rice Crisps (like Rice Krispies) for breakfast, that we could make rice krispie treats. And, the kids have their own rooms (boys in bunk beds), with doors, and Dave and I have our own bathroom. We are deeply gratefuly to this kind house owner who called us right away to help. It's completely turned around our trip.
So why am I writing now!! I'm beyond exhausted!! Well, because that's just what I DO when I must get things out of my head. I can't believe that 36 hours ago, we were struggling with some truly horrible traffic, then the intense frustration and upset about the first rental condo, and now -- we're in a lovely place with a fabulous memory of a wonderful experience today.
Oh wait, one more thing. Kids - they all did GREAT!! We saw Katrina skiing -- really skiing, on her own! No pole to hold, no hoop, no tether -- just skiing!! Slowly, but she was doing great. Julian had poles, but that's because this ski school now gives all Level 2 kids poles. He too did great, I saw him on a blue and talked to his instructor later. Gabriel, sure enough, also hit a black diamond today (I knew he would!), and also did some terrain park and off-piste stuff. They all had a great time and really advanced their skills.
We so did the right thing picking Sugarbowl for the kids' ski school -- but it turns out to be absolutely perfect for me too, as I'm on the steep part of the learning curve and don't need a lot of greens anymore. Dave too had a good lesson -- he ended up on some of the same slope I'd accidentally taken him on this morning, and did just fine!
And while my first shot picking a place to stay was a disaster, my second shot -- mostly a lucky one -- was great.
Not a lot of photos today - hopefully tomorrow.
3/12/2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
3/10/2011 Skiing and soccer
I had a most remarkable day yesterday, and started to write about it. I ran out of time and opportunity -- this is what taunts writers the most, is when something is just gushing forth from your head and circumstances prevent its transference to paper.
Here's what I started to write yesterday.
I just don't think I can handle this.
I had what was shaping up to be an unusually relaxed, if busy, afternoon. I went to work and a weights class during lunch as usual, then picked up my !NEW!SKIS!! before going back to work.
Back to work for an hour, then to a dermatologist appointment. The doc took a sample from a slightly raised new blotch on my face (obviously the concern there is melanoma), and zapped off a "strawberry" on my forehead (that's just vanity).
Then I took the rare opportunity to go buy a new camera, since it was too late to go back to work, and I was in the neighborhood of a camera store I've trusted for years. I chuckled to myself that driving around with my work laptop computer, a brand-new camera in the box, and my new skis made me finally lock my car -- because of the skis.
I got home early enough to put my skis and boots away, change my clothes and relax for a moment before the onslaught of children. I thought.
I noticed a message on the answering machine. Usually I ignore them when I have to leave in a few minutes to go bring kids home, and usually they're spam. But I listened to this one.
"Hello, this is Gabriel's soccer coach. We're practicing Wednesdays and Fridays 5pm-6:30pm at Garden Gate fields, starting today. Hope to see you." beep. The message was left at 4:20pm, and it was now 4:38pm.
Today? TODAY?! **NOW** ??!?!
I haven't heard from the soccer league since I signed Gabriel up for spring soccer weeks ago -- then we get 40 minutes notice for practice?! The coach also didn't leave a phone number or any information, and I couldn't make out his name, AND we're going away Friday for his second practice.
I couldn't believe it. I'd have missed the call altogether if I hadn't left work early, but now I was placed into a terrible position. We weren't ready, Gabriel probably hadn't done his homework, what about Katrina and making dinner...damn it! I'm a planner now, I can't work with 40 minutes notice!
By all rights, I could easily justify missing today's practice. But inexplicably, the idea absolutel broke my heart. Even though I've never been one for organized sports myself, the thought of Gabriel missing out on one of the very very few things I might attempt to squeeze in for him was too much. Tense, angry and upset, I sent a hasty anxious note to the soccer league organizers, and ran out the door. I was actually crying in frustration over something that I knew on the surface seemed silly, but for some reason pierced straight to my heart.
And that's as far as I got yesterday....I'll pick up the story today, from a calmer place.
A recovery plan was forming in my head as I jumped in the car. I grabbed a bottle of water, then called the CDC from my car and asked them to get the boys ready to go. Then I called Dave and asked if he could pick up Katrina, I'd explain later. (Ban cell phone use in cars? Imagine!) The boys were partly ready, but I made them both go to the bathroom and wash up quickly, then pile in the car with minimal explanation.
Fortunately the school where practice was isn't too far. I explained everything to Gabriel on the way, and characteristically he took it in stride. When we arrived, we saw kids practicing, in uniforms. He commented that they were all ready for practice, and I snapped stressfully, "I KNOW Gabriel, I did the best I could !!" He's remarkable when I get like that -- he nods his head and says calmly, "I know Mom, it's OK." He deliberately soothes me, like he can't take my being discombulated -- he needs me to be strong. Yet the effect is that he's the strong one. As if that's news.
I asked a man who seemed like he knew something, and he turned out to be the regional director of the league. He showed me the right group and took me to talk to the coach. Turns out, this coach had everyone's email address but ours, and had double-checked the paper forms today and realized that one of his team members hadn't been contacted. So he called.
He's foreign (Russian or Polish?) and a guy, so he didn't think to add some important social cues in his message like, "Sorry for the last-minute notice, but I just realized I don't have Gabriel's email address." It'd have saved me some agonizing moments of intense self-doubt and feelings of failure and like I just can't possibly balance work and kids' lives.
Though we were 10 minutes late and unprepared, only 3 other boys were there, including the coach's son. Apparently this boys' team would scrimmage and practice today with an older girls' team, but I left so didn't see most of it.
I came back to watch the last 10 minutes of practice. I saw right away that Gabriel is really lacking in soccer skills compared to the other kids. By age 9, many kids have been playing for years and are pretty good. The older girls were really much better, faster, more aggressive and confident, and better at teamwork. And bigger. Gabriel is a head shorter than the other boys, in addition to being by far the least skilled kid. And the worst-dressed.
But this sort of situation is where Gabriel's tough personality shines. He wasn't intimidated, he wasn't uncomfortable, he didn't hesitate to jump in and do everything he could to go after the ball. He didn't complain or refuse to play or act shy or any number of perfectly normal and expected behaviors of any kid suddenly stuck in a really intimidating situation!
I was even prouder that later he admitted that he is way behind: "Boy, I saw that right away, Mom!" Then he went on to tell me excitedly about a new move he'd learned. He was happy, but tired. He was mellow all evening and mostly finished his homework without a lot of pushing, and went to bed without a lot of fighting with Julian. This morning I had to wake him up out of a sound sleep.
A friend last night asked me if he's a team-player sort of kid. I don't think so, really. Not that he can't become one, but generally he leans toward control, not interaction. Soccer might be just the ticket. If nothing else, he was a lot calmer today, I think still tired from a pretty intense workout.
And me....well, getting him to practice twice a week will be challenging, plus games on Saturdays. But like Julian's T-ball last year, my own heart and soul went into it too. I'm ashamed I can't volunteer and contribute more, but I just love seeing the kids in this world, and being a part of it myself to whatever extent I can. Gabriel would probably have gotten over missing his first soccer practice, but I wouldn't have.
Today I left work early to go get a ski helmet. While I was at Sports Basement I thought, "hmm, when will I have the time to get Gabriel the soccer equipment he needs? hmmm, when?" Well, duh! I was already in the store! So I loaded up on cleats, a size 4 ball, shorts and shin guards for him. And my ski helmet. What a juxtaposition -- a winter sport and a spring one at the same time. I smiled wryly as I walked by the summer camping equipment, because that's next.
My new camera. It's really just a newer version of the old one, but with all the screws intact and the lens cover closes. I think it does a better job of light management and flash too. Gabriel and Julian were in their rooms tonight folding their laundry and packing clothes for our trip.
We leave for Truckee tomorrow the SECOND school gets out. I'm SO PSYCHED! Spring soccer will have to wait until next week, because this weekend, it's still winter for us!
3/10/2011
Here's what I started to write yesterday.
I just don't think I can handle this.
I had what was shaping up to be an unusually relaxed, if busy, afternoon. I went to work and a weights class during lunch as usual, then picked up my !NEW!SKIS!! before going back to work.
Back to work for an hour, then to a dermatologist appointment. The doc took a sample from a slightly raised new blotch on my face (obviously the concern there is melanoma), and zapped off a "strawberry" on my forehead (that's just vanity).
Then I took the rare opportunity to go buy a new camera, since it was too late to go back to work, and I was in the neighborhood of a camera store I've trusted for years. I chuckled to myself that driving around with my work laptop computer, a brand-new camera in the box, and my new skis made me finally lock my car -- because of the skis.
I got home early enough to put my skis and boots away, change my clothes and relax for a moment before the onslaught of children. I thought.
I noticed a message on the answering machine. Usually I ignore them when I have to leave in a few minutes to go bring kids home, and usually they're spam. But I listened to this one.
"Hello, this is Gabriel's soccer coach. We're practicing Wednesdays and Fridays 5pm-6:30pm at Garden Gate fields, starting today. Hope to see you." beep. The message was left at 4:20pm, and it was now 4:38pm.
Today? TODAY?! **NOW** ??!?!
I haven't heard from the soccer league since I signed Gabriel up for spring soccer weeks ago -- then we get 40 minutes notice for practice?! The coach also didn't leave a phone number or any information, and I couldn't make out his name, AND we're going away Friday for his second practice.
I couldn't believe it. I'd have missed the call altogether if I hadn't left work early, but now I was placed into a terrible position. We weren't ready, Gabriel probably hadn't done his homework, what about Katrina and making dinner...damn it! I'm a planner now, I can't work with 40 minutes notice!
By all rights, I could easily justify missing today's practice. But inexplicably, the idea absolutel broke my heart. Even though I've never been one for organized sports myself, the thought of Gabriel missing out on one of the very very few things I might attempt to squeeze in for him was too much. Tense, angry and upset, I sent a hasty anxious note to the soccer league organizers, and ran out the door. I was actually crying in frustration over something that I knew on the surface seemed silly, but for some reason pierced straight to my heart.
And that's as far as I got yesterday....I'll pick up the story today, from a calmer place.
A recovery plan was forming in my head as I jumped in the car. I grabbed a bottle of water, then called the CDC from my car and asked them to get the boys ready to go. Then I called Dave and asked if he could pick up Katrina, I'd explain later. (Ban cell phone use in cars? Imagine!) The boys were partly ready, but I made them both go to the bathroom and wash up quickly, then pile in the car with minimal explanation.
Fortunately the school where practice was isn't too far. I explained everything to Gabriel on the way, and characteristically he took it in stride. When we arrived, we saw kids practicing, in uniforms. He commented that they were all ready for practice, and I snapped stressfully, "I KNOW Gabriel, I did the best I could !!" He's remarkable when I get like that -- he nods his head and says calmly, "I know Mom, it's OK." He deliberately soothes me, like he can't take my being discombulated -- he needs me to be strong. Yet the effect is that he's the strong one. As if that's news.
I asked a man who seemed like he knew something, and he turned out to be the regional director of the league. He showed me the right group and took me to talk to the coach. Turns out, this coach had everyone's email address but ours, and had double-checked the paper forms today and realized that one of his team members hadn't been contacted. So he called.
He's foreign (Russian or Polish?) and a guy, so he didn't think to add some important social cues in his message like, "Sorry for the last-minute notice, but I just realized I don't have Gabriel's email address." It'd have saved me some agonizing moments of intense self-doubt and feelings of failure and like I just can't possibly balance work and kids' lives.
Though we were 10 minutes late and unprepared, only 3 other boys were there, including the coach's son. Apparently this boys' team would scrimmage and practice today with an older girls' team, but I left so didn't see most of it.
I came back to watch the last 10 minutes of practice. I saw right away that Gabriel is really lacking in soccer skills compared to the other kids. By age 9, many kids have been playing for years and are pretty good. The older girls were really much better, faster, more aggressive and confident, and better at teamwork. And bigger. Gabriel is a head shorter than the other boys, in addition to being by far the least skilled kid. And the worst-dressed.
But this sort of situation is where Gabriel's tough personality shines. He wasn't intimidated, he wasn't uncomfortable, he didn't hesitate to jump in and do everything he could to go after the ball. He didn't complain or refuse to play or act shy or any number of perfectly normal and expected behaviors of any kid suddenly stuck in a really intimidating situation!
I was even prouder that later he admitted that he is way behind: "Boy, I saw that right away, Mom!" Then he went on to tell me excitedly about a new move he'd learned. He was happy, but tired. He was mellow all evening and mostly finished his homework without a lot of pushing, and went to bed without a lot of fighting with Julian. This morning I had to wake him up out of a sound sleep.
A friend last night asked me if he's a team-player sort of kid. I don't think so, really. Not that he can't become one, but generally he leans toward control, not interaction. Soccer might be just the ticket. If nothing else, he was a lot calmer today, I think still tired from a pretty intense workout.
And me....well, getting him to practice twice a week will be challenging, plus games on Saturdays. But like Julian's T-ball last year, my own heart and soul went into it too. I'm ashamed I can't volunteer and contribute more, but I just love seeing the kids in this world, and being a part of it myself to whatever extent I can. Gabriel would probably have gotten over missing his first soccer practice, but I wouldn't have.
Today I left work early to go get a ski helmet. While I was at Sports Basement I thought, "hmm, when will I have the time to get Gabriel the soccer equipment he needs? hmmm, when?" Well, duh! I was already in the store! So I loaded up on cleats, a size 4 ball, shorts and shin guards for him. And my ski helmet. What a juxtaposition -- a winter sport and a spring one at the same time. I smiled wryly as I walked by the summer camping equipment, because that's next.
My new camera. It's really just a newer version of the old one, but with all the screws intact and the lens cover closes. I think it does a better job of light management and flash too. Gabriel and Julian were in their rooms tonight folding their laundry and packing clothes for our trip.
We leave for Truckee tomorrow the SECOND school gets out. I'm SO PSYCHED! Spring soccer will have to wait until next week, because this weekend, it's still winter for us!
3/10/2011
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
3/9/2011 Coffee Night
Such a remarkable afternoon, and not in a good way, it totally deserves blogging. Instead, I'll complain about it endlessly to my patient and understanding mom friends at a Coffee night tonight.
3/9/2011
3/9/2011
Monday, March 07, 2011
3/7/2011 The Arm Protectors
We finally got a new couch and chair for the family room!!! The new rug isn't here yet, and I still haven't figured out a coffee table (probably a leather storage ottoman actually), but this is a huge improvement.
New chairs and sofas tend to come with arm protectors -- separate pieces of matching fabric that drape over the furniture arms, where human arms will frequently rest and dirty and wear out the furniture arms. I personally hate those things; they're always askew, the kids always tear them off, I don't like the way they look, and we never sit in one place long enough for the furniture arms to show any wear anyway. So when our new furniture arrived, I took off the fabric arm protectors and stuck them on a shelf.
Later that day, I noticed the arm protectors been replaced. Probably Dave thinking someone had taken them off, I thought, and he put them back.
So I took the arm protectors off again, and this time folded them and stashed them farther back on a low deep shelf, so it was clear they were deliberately put there, and not in Dave's line of sight.
Then I noticed the arm protectors all meticulously replaced again. But that was on Friday, when Dave wasn't home. Could he have done it that morning? Seems unlikely. This not being tops on our life's priority list, I didn't think to ask him.
I put them away again. Once again, the next day, they were neatly restored.
This time, I asked Dave if he'd been putting them back, and he said no, he hadn't even noticed. I took them off and put them away again, still visible on an open shelf, but wayyy in the back.
Last night, Katrina had just enough of a temperature to keep her home today, so Dave stayed home with her. And today, once again, the furniture arm protectors returned -- but this time, Dave captured a visual record that solved the mystery.
Mom, this compulsion is your legacy!!!
3/7/2011
New chairs and sofas tend to come with arm protectors -- separate pieces of matching fabric that drape over the furniture arms, where human arms will frequently rest and dirty and wear out the furniture arms. I personally hate those things; they're always askew, the kids always tear them off, I don't like the way they look, and we never sit in one place long enough for the furniture arms to show any wear anyway. So when our new furniture arrived, I took off the fabric arm protectors and stuck them on a shelf.
Later that day, I noticed the arm protectors been replaced. Probably Dave thinking someone had taken them off, I thought, and he put them back.
So I took the arm protectors off again, and this time folded them and stashed them farther back on a low deep shelf, so it was clear they were deliberately put there, and not in Dave's line of sight.
Then I noticed the arm protectors all meticulously replaced again. But that was on Friday, when Dave wasn't home. Could he have done it that morning? Seems unlikely. This not being tops on our life's priority list, I didn't think to ask him.
I put them away again. Once again, the next day, they were neatly restored.
This time, I asked Dave if he'd been putting them back, and he said no, he hadn't even noticed. I took them off and put them away again, still visible on an open shelf, but wayyy in the back.
Last night, Katrina had just enough of a temperature to keep her home today, so Dave stayed home with her. And today, once again, the furniture arm protectors returned -- but this time, Dave captured a visual record that solved the mystery.
Mom, this compulsion is your legacy!!!
3/7/2011
Sunday, March 06, 2011
3/6/2011 Spendy prep day
One thing for sure, getting set up for the ski-bum life isn't cheap. Today we bought a ski rack and some chains, though we'll have to return the chains because they don't fit, and because Subaru says "don't use chains" on their cars (not enough clearance around the wheel well).
Why a ski rack, you might ask? Because we're going skiing this weekend (!!!), and I just can't bear to do rental skis again, not after the awesome demo skis I rented last time. Demos are the same kind of skis that the place actually sells, so you can try them out at a higher rental cost, though you can apply the cost of the demos toward a ski purchase.
So I wanted to rent demos again and bring them with us to Truckee. With the car completely packed with everyone's stuff this time, I probably couldn't get away with squeezing them into the back of the car as I did last time when I went on a quickie overnight with the boys (which has become my favorite ski memory). That only worked, barely, because the car wasn't very full and because my skis are just short enough to barely fit diagonally.
But renting demos isn't a sure thing. Sports Basement was out of my size when I called today, and they said usually by Wednesday of a week, they're pretty low on demo inventory. I could try another place, but I've already done a demo at Sports Basement and want to apply the demo cost I already spent there.
This sucks. It's just time for my own skis. And Sports Basement had the same skis I'd demo'd on sale, with one pair left in my size.
Whenever there's only one thing left in my size, I suddenly become superstitious. It's a Sign. It's Fate. It's Bad Luck not to get them. I already live in fear of the World-Wide Conspiracy Against Size 6-1/2 for shoes, there's no need to tweak the noses of the same deities that reign over other foot-borne items.
And the skis were marked down $125. Really, did I need anything else?
So I made a rare fast decision and bought them. I blindly took the advice of a salesguy on bindings, then and zoomed home to get my ski boot which I'd forgotten, handed it all to the tech department (they need your boot to fit the bindings), then made a fast decision on poles too.
I don't even want to add up how much we spent today, I'm too excited. My own skis! My own boots! My own poles!! My own ski rack! I've arrived! (oops still need a helmet.)
Now let's see if I can make it down from the top of Mount Lincoln this time without total terror. Then I really will have arrived.
Poor kids didn't do much today, just played at home, went shopping with us, and got to watch a rare movie (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) after cleaning up and putting all their laundry away. But even they know it's worth it for the great weekend we have coming up. The only damper was the return of a slight temperature to Katrina tonight, so Dave will stay home with her tomorrow, but odds are good we'll all be in good shape for Friday.
My own skis! Yippee!! Too bad there are only a few weeks left in ski season, but I intend to make the most of them.
3/6/2011
Why a ski rack, you might ask? Because we're going skiing this weekend (!!!), and I just can't bear to do rental skis again, not after the awesome demo skis I rented last time. Demos are the same kind of skis that the place actually sells, so you can try them out at a higher rental cost, though you can apply the cost of the demos toward a ski purchase.
So I wanted to rent demos again and bring them with us to Truckee. With the car completely packed with everyone's stuff this time, I probably couldn't get away with squeezing them into the back of the car as I did last time when I went on a quickie overnight with the boys (which has become my favorite ski memory). That only worked, barely, because the car wasn't very full and because my skis are just short enough to barely fit diagonally.
But renting demos isn't a sure thing. Sports Basement was out of my size when I called today, and they said usually by Wednesday of a week, they're pretty low on demo inventory. I could try another place, but I've already done a demo at Sports Basement and want to apply the demo cost I already spent there.
This sucks. It's just time for my own skis. And Sports Basement had the same skis I'd demo'd on sale, with one pair left in my size.
Whenever there's only one thing left in my size, I suddenly become superstitious. It's a Sign. It's Fate. It's Bad Luck not to get them. I already live in fear of the World-Wide Conspiracy Against Size 6-1/2 for shoes, there's no need to tweak the noses of the same deities that reign over other foot-borne items.
And the skis were marked down $125. Really, did I need anything else?
So I made a rare fast decision and bought them. I blindly took the advice of a salesguy on bindings, then and zoomed home to get my ski boot which I'd forgotten, handed it all to the tech department (they need your boot to fit the bindings), then made a fast decision on poles too.
I don't even want to add up how much we spent today, I'm too excited. My own skis! My own boots! My own poles!! My own ski rack! I've arrived! (oops still need a helmet.)
Now let's see if I can make it down from the top of Mount Lincoln this time without total terror. Then I really will have arrived.
Poor kids didn't do much today, just played at home, went shopping with us, and got to watch a rare movie (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) after cleaning up and putting all their laundry away. But even they know it's worth it for the great weekend we have coming up. The only damper was the return of a slight temperature to Katrina tonight, so Dave will stay home with her tomorrow, but odds are good we'll all be in good shape for Friday.
My own skis! Yippee!! Too bad there are only a few weeks left in ski season, but I intend to make the most of them.
3/6/2011
Saturday, March 05, 2011
3/5/11 The Very Social Day
I had such a full day that if I didn't know better, I'd say I didn't have kids!
First, a nice hilly run at Rancho San Antonio. Got lucky on parking (all lots completely full at 7:40am), and a good 6-mile reunion with my favorite running grounds.
Then a coworker's wedding at a winery in the hills of Saratoga. Beautiful setting, lovely wedding, really fun reception. (Dave stayed home with kids, I went stag.)
I got home just in time to give some former neighbors a tour of our remodeled house. These neighbors moved away soon after we moved in in 1999, but remembered years of previous owners and various states of disrepair of our house, so we offered to show them the updated version.
And we learned that our (apologies but there's no other way to put it) white-trash neighbors across the street are moving!! That is the best real estate news to hit Santa Clara County in years.
Then I had a birthday dinner to attend, a girls' night out for a friend's 40th birthday. This also was terrific fun, chatting with mostly new friends, and a few I already knew, at one of my favorite restaurants. I did some emergency grocery-shopping on my way home, and arrived at a house that's been dark and quiet for hours.
This was one of the fullest days I've had in years, but it still wasn't complete. There's one thing I didn't make happen. It was on my mind on and off all day, but the "on" moments didn't coincide with the few opportunities to execute, and that was: call my mother. March 5 was a coworker's wedding and a friend's important milestone birthday and the day we learned that the dead cars and domestic disputes and people living in the driveway across the street will soon end.
But March 5 was my mother's birthday first, and she should have gotten a call from grandchildren. It was on my mind between events, for whatever that's worth. Hope you had a great day anyway, Mom!
3/5/11
First, a nice hilly run at Rancho San Antonio. Got lucky on parking (all lots completely full at 7:40am), and a good 6-mile reunion with my favorite running grounds.
Then a coworker's wedding at a winery in the hills of Saratoga. Beautiful setting, lovely wedding, really fun reception. (Dave stayed home with kids, I went stag.)
I got home just in time to give some former neighbors a tour of our remodeled house. These neighbors moved away soon after we moved in in 1999, but remembered years of previous owners and various states of disrepair of our house, so we offered to show them the updated version.
And we learned that our (apologies but there's no other way to put it) white-trash neighbors across the street are moving!! That is the best real estate news to hit Santa Clara County in years.
Then I had a birthday dinner to attend, a girls' night out for a friend's 40th birthday. This also was terrific fun, chatting with mostly new friends, and a few I already knew, at one of my favorite restaurants. I did some emergency grocery-shopping on my way home, and arrived at a house that's been dark and quiet for hours.
This was one of the fullest days I've had in years, but it still wasn't complete. There's one thing I didn't make happen. It was on my mind on and off all day, but the "on" moments didn't coincide with the few opportunities to execute, and that was: call my mother. March 5 was a coworker's wedding and a friend's important milestone birthday and the day we learned that the dead cars and domestic disputes and people living in the driveway across the street will soon end.
But March 5 was my mother's birthday first, and she should have gotten a call from grandchildren. It was on my mind between events, for whatever that's worth. Hope you had a great day anyway, Mom!
3/5/11
Friday, March 04, 2011
3/4/2011 Half-days
Yesterday, I left work around 12:15 to get Katrina out of preschool, since she had a 102 temperature.
Normally I look forward to these unexpected "breaks" -- especially when it means time alone with one -- but my head is very wrapped around work these days, so it was hard to get out of it. Fortunately, Katrina is very low-maintenance alone; she happily plays on her own for a long time when she's feeling well, and when she's sick she's a lot like Gabriel: low-key, rests a lot, doesn't whine, isn't demanding, just needs a little fussing-over.
Today, Dave and I did a half-and-half day: I worked from home in the morning minding Katrina, then he came home at lunch so I could go into work. Usually I'd much rather be home, but today, agitation over work and Katrina's returned energy for fusses made me anxious to get going to be around grownups.
Curse Bank of America -- I had to deposit a check for my Dad, so took Katrina to the bank this morning. As soon as she saw the parking lot, she said, "Oh BOY! Lollipops!" BofA gives out free lollipops to kids, and it's really a pain for those of us who don't allow candy before lunch, who don't allow eating in the car, and who really, really, REALLY hate lollipops.
Unlike another mom at the bank, I also restricted Katrina's take to 1 lollipop; her kid kept going back for more and left with a fistful, apparently on his way to school. Sometimes I feel like the strictest parent out there.
Katrina demanded lunch at 10:30 just so she could eat the lollipop, meantime carrying it around with her and dropping it on the floor, spreading sticky candy-splinters everywhere and causing a major crying fit. Great. She really wasn't hungry enough yet for a sandwich, so she fussed and complained for 25 minutes as she forced her sandwich down -- which she did, and finally put the green sugar circle to rest.
I really, really, really hate lollipops -- all it did was cause problems and create cleanup work for me today. Much of my rare morning alone with my daughter was spent fussing about this stupid piece of candy and counting the minutes until Dave got home so I could go be in the grownup world.
The second half of the day I was at work as usual...but then my half-day at home with Katrina didn't seem so bad at all.
3/4/2011
Normally I look forward to these unexpected "breaks" -- especially when it means time alone with one -- but my head is very wrapped around work these days, so it was hard to get out of it. Fortunately, Katrina is very low-maintenance alone; she happily plays on her own for a long time when she's feeling well, and when she's sick she's a lot like Gabriel: low-key, rests a lot, doesn't whine, isn't demanding, just needs a little fussing-over.
Today, Dave and I did a half-and-half day: I worked from home in the morning minding Katrina, then he came home at lunch so I could go into work. Usually I'd much rather be home, but today, agitation over work and Katrina's returned energy for fusses made me anxious to get going to be around grownups.
Curse Bank of America -- I had to deposit a check for my Dad, so took Katrina to the bank this morning. As soon as she saw the parking lot, she said, "Oh BOY! Lollipops!" BofA gives out free lollipops to kids, and it's really a pain for those of us who don't allow candy before lunch, who don't allow eating in the car, and who really, really, REALLY hate lollipops.
Unlike another mom at the bank, I also restricted Katrina's take to 1 lollipop; her kid kept going back for more and left with a fistful, apparently on his way to school. Sometimes I feel like the strictest parent out there.
Katrina demanded lunch at 10:30 just so she could eat the lollipop, meantime carrying it around with her and dropping it on the floor, spreading sticky candy-splinters everywhere and causing a major crying fit. Great. She really wasn't hungry enough yet for a sandwich, so she fussed and complained for 25 minutes as she forced her sandwich down -- which she did, and finally put the green sugar circle to rest.
I really, really, really hate lollipops -- all it did was cause problems and create cleanup work for me today. Much of my rare morning alone with my daughter was spent fussing about this stupid piece of candy and counting the minutes until Dave got home so I could go be in the grownup world.
The second half of the day I was at work as usual...but then my half-day at home with Katrina didn't seem so bad at all.
3/4/2011
Thursday, March 03, 2011
3/3/2011 The Perfect Grade
WOW!! I'm SO proud of Gabriel! He scored a perfect '6' on his most recent book report, both for content and for presentation. Overall he scored his first 'O' for Outstanding. His teacher is a tough grader, so I know he earned it! This is a first for him.
I guess it's politically incorrect and Tiger-Mom-ish to be happy about a good grade, but when you've got a kid like Gabriel, for whom great capabilities compete with even greater resistance and ambivalence, it's cause for celebration.
This most recent book report was to present a "How To" project. Naturally, he picked something related to electricity: How To Make A Battery From A Lemon. This actually was fun to help him with ("go pick some lemons from our tree!"), what little I had to do -- little enough I felt it was reasonable -- and I learned a little myself. It was pretty cool to see an LED light on his Electronics Playground lit up by his battery cells made from lemons, hot-dipped (zinc) nails, and pennies (copper, kinda).
I'll take a little credit: though Gabriel objected and though it caused a fair amount of stress and conflict, I insisted he start this project as soon as he got the assignment. He had to work on it a little bit every day until it was done -- I was not getting stuck working on a book report over a long holiday again. This was painful, but not as painful as cramming it into the last few days, and he was done almost 2 weeks before it was due.
How is it that this kid, for whom symbolic manipulation, logical reasoning and concrete concepts comes so easily, and creates such a struggle for us with math, so easily does so much better with fuzzy intangible stuff like writing and expression?
Come to think of it, I was never any good at liberal arts either - math and science were more my things -- yet the only subject in which I consistently got good grades in was English (well, French too but that doesn't really count), despite constantly not "getting" it. My brain shut down immediately when it came to interpreting literature, but somehow writing and spelling always squeaked me through English classes. Maybe my son has inherited some of that.
He's not going to inherit my crummy grades though. I refuse.
Grade regardless, I'm really proud of what a great job he did on this report, and how much he got out of it. Homework be darned, there's so much more value to the projects -- that they can do themselves that is. He'll remember this, and it will set the foundation for all his future understanding of battery chemistry.
Let's see if I still feel that way after his next report: on poetry. Throwing us right from our comfort zone into a field of nettles.
3/3/2011
I guess it's politically incorrect and Tiger-Mom-ish to be happy about a good grade, but when you've got a kid like Gabriel, for whom great capabilities compete with even greater resistance and ambivalence, it's cause for celebration.
This most recent book report was to present a "How To" project. Naturally, he picked something related to electricity: How To Make A Battery From A Lemon. This actually was fun to help him with ("go pick some lemons from our tree!"), what little I had to do -- little enough I felt it was reasonable -- and I learned a little myself. It was pretty cool to see an LED light on his Electronics Playground lit up by his battery cells made from lemons, hot-dipped (zinc) nails, and pennies (copper, kinda).
I'll take a little credit: though Gabriel objected and though it caused a fair amount of stress and conflict, I insisted he start this project as soon as he got the assignment. He had to work on it a little bit every day until it was done -- I was not getting stuck working on a book report over a long holiday again. This was painful, but not as painful as cramming it into the last few days, and he was done almost 2 weeks before it was due.
How is it that this kid, for whom symbolic manipulation, logical reasoning and concrete concepts comes so easily, and creates such a struggle for us with math, so easily does so much better with fuzzy intangible stuff like writing and expression?
Come to think of it, I was never any good at liberal arts either - math and science were more my things -- yet the only subject in which I consistently got good grades in was English (well, French too but that doesn't really count), despite constantly not "getting" it. My brain shut down immediately when it came to interpreting literature, but somehow writing and spelling always squeaked me through English classes. Maybe my son has inherited some of that.
He's not going to inherit my crummy grades though. I refuse.
Grade regardless, I'm really proud of what a great job he did on this report, and how much he got out of it. Homework be darned, there's so much more value to the projects -- that they can do themselves that is. He'll remember this, and it will set the foundation for all his future understanding of battery chemistry.
Let's see if I still feel that way after his next report: on poetry. Throwing us right from our comfort zone into a field of nettles.
3/3/2011
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
3/2/2011 Homework Talk
I went to a meeting at our school tonight that the principal organized, to invite parents to discuss concerns about too much homework. This was motivated by the movie "Race to Nowhere," which I haven't seen.
About 40 parents showed up. First we split into 3 groups to get acquainted and raise issues, then each group's leader presented what the group discussed. My group was led by a first-grade parent and first-grade teacher in the same district, who had seen the movie. Most of the parents in my group were 2nd- and 3rd-grade parents, mostly moms, and with a higher representation of 2- or 3-kid families than is typical in our classes.
Our discussion opened with about how homework before 4th grade has not been shown to enhance student success before 4th grade. Intuitively I agree, but I hate "correlations" like that because "success" is so ill-defined. And for a first-grader, I'm not worried about long-term success, I'm worried about getting through the next book report.
Though overall everyone agreed there was too much homework, there really wasn't much consensus, even about what "too much" means. One mom thought the difficulty of the homework was too high. Other moms thought the quantity was too high. Others focused on the time it took. Many were concerned about the stress it places on the children; they probably have kids who actually care, unlike mine who shift the homework stress to me. I was glad other moms agreed that the content was an issue, that it needs not to be parent-homework.
Another raised an issue that has bothered me too, which is that it becomes repetitive. That's true, Julian's homework format hasn't changed much since the beginning of the year. In some ways that's good: it's predictable and he can do it himself, but if that reflects his classwork too I wonder if this explains why his behavior reports have been coming in "poor" so often.
Two things we don't experience, but I'm sympathetic to, came up often. One was the child's confidence. One mom said that she didn't want to ask the teacher to reduce her child's homework because it would send her kid the message that he's not capable. We were given the same suggestion by Gabriel's first-grade teacher, but the message I didn't want to send was that Mom and Dad would get him out of homework. Confidence has never been an issue for either of our grade-schoolers. The other thing is ability -- can they do their homework by themselves; the math in particular. This again has never been an issue for us (yet?) both boys have little trouble with the homework content itself. It's getting them to do it that's the problem. If they were more conscientious, they'd both blow through their homework in plenty of time.
One mom I thought was completely out of control assured us that kids are very capable, they'll get through this, long-term this is all good for them. She offered that her kid would be idle and bored and have nothing to do, that he needed the extra structured time with more homework. I disagreed immediately and said I was fine with my kid being bored sometimes. That's when the creative wheels really start to turn, and they need unstructured time. Many nods in agreement.
Out-of-control-mom also told the mom who was concerned about difficulty of work that it was just a matter of practice -- work on the extra math every day without fail and the kid will get through it. She didn't seem to pick up that this is exactly what most of us were here to rally against. When I brought up that the homework was especially difficult for full-time working parents, she asked me, "Can you work from home?" Huh?! It seems the most rabid parents are the ones least capable of critical thinking.
After the small-group discussion, each group presented a summary of each group's primary concerns. I cheered aloud when another group leader described her group's top issue as "Parent Homework (e.g. Heritage Dolls)." THANK. YOU. Yes, that is work for US. Another mom piped up, "But didn't you find that fun?" Me and several others immediately chorused, "NOOOO!!" and the principal laughed nervously.
(I wonder what the heritage-doll/diorama/culture-book advocates would think about parent-dependent project they didn't find fun. How about a project to find a local open space preserve and take a hike and sprint up a hill with your 1st-grader? I'd find that quite fun. Inappropriate to assign as schoolwork to be sure, but fun. I'd like to see how the (let's face it) Indian moms would feel about that project.)
The group leader speaking added that most parents in her group felt there wasn't enough homework. The mom who thought the heritage dolls were fun offered that long-term, it was important for kids to get used to daily turn-in homework early, so that they were prepared for middle school and high school, so they learned to take on daily responsibility themselves. I said, "Yes, but not in FIRST GRADE!"
Where do teachers fit in? As a group, do they believe in homework? Do they realize how much of it is done by the parents, especially in the younger grades? Do they feel it advances the childs' learning in that grade?
Another rare point of consensus in this discussion is a more standardized curriculum -- the principal didn't even know if the 1st-grade teachers get together and agree on what to teach. It seems there's a great deal of variation from one teacher to another within a grade -- for instance, Gabriel's 1st-grade teacher did daily homework turn-in, but most other 1st-grade teachers didn't. And I learned of a 3rd-grade teacher who assigns 9 book reports, instead of our measly 6.
While I'd like to see some more regularity, I also hate to hamstring teachers and take away flexibility. Teachers know better than anyone else what their class can handle -- should a teacher be told what to teach to if the class is ready for more? Or less? So far we've had very good teachers (even if they assigned too much work), and I'm very pro-teacher and in favor of maximum flexibility. The problem comes in when the parents of 18 out of 20 kids in the class want more homework, more advanced work, send their kids to after-school learning centers, and have no compunction about doing their craft projects for them. What is a teacher to do when the other 2 parents complain?
Our elementary school has 750 kids, about 40 parents showed up tonight, and many were there to advocate for homework. I really appreciate the principal taking this on -- he has a very tough job because of the demographic of this school district. He said he aims for balance, and very calmly fielded the variety of comments, and explained that he'd be taking all these comments to the school site committee that oversees the school curriculum. So nothing will change right away, but he's tackling it slowly and practically.
Meantime, this tiger is going to snack on granola.
3/2/2011
About 40 parents showed up. First we split into 3 groups to get acquainted and raise issues, then each group's leader presented what the group discussed. My group was led by a first-grade parent and first-grade teacher in the same district, who had seen the movie. Most of the parents in my group were 2nd- and 3rd-grade parents, mostly moms, and with a higher representation of 2- or 3-kid families than is typical in our classes.
Our discussion opened with about how homework before 4th grade has not been shown to enhance student success before 4th grade. Intuitively I agree, but I hate "correlations" like that because "success" is so ill-defined. And for a first-grader, I'm not worried about long-term success, I'm worried about getting through the next book report.
Though overall everyone agreed there was too much homework, there really wasn't much consensus, even about what "too much" means. One mom thought the difficulty of the homework was too high. Other moms thought the quantity was too high. Others focused on the time it took. Many were concerned about the stress it places on the children; they probably have kids who actually care, unlike mine who shift the homework stress to me. I was glad other moms agreed that the content was an issue, that it needs not to be parent-homework.
Another raised an issue that has bothered me too, which is that it becomes repetitive. That's true, Julian's homework format hasn't changed much since the beginning of the year. In some ways that's good: it's predictable and he can do it himself, but if that reflects his classwork too I wonder if this explains why his behavior reports have been coming in "poor" so often.
Two things we don't experience, but I'm sympathetic to, came up often. One was the child's confidence. One mom said that she didn't want to ask the teacher to reduce her child's homework because it would send her kid the message that he's not capable. We were given the same suggestion by Gabriel's first-grade teacher, but the message I didn't want to send was that Mom and Dad would get him out of homework. Confidence has never been an issue for either of our grade-schoolers. The other thing is ability -- can they do their homework by themselves; the math in particular. This again has never been an issue for us (yet?) both boys have little trouble with the homework content itself. It's getting them to do it that's the problem. If they were more conscientious, they'd both blow through their homework in plenty of time.
One mom I thought was completely out of control assured us that kids are very capable, they'll get through this, long-term this is all good for them. She offered that her kid would be idle and bored and have nothing to do, that he needed the extra structured time with more homework. I disagreed immediately and said I was fine with my kid being bored sometimes. That's when the creative wheels really start to turn, and they need unstructured time. Many nods in agreement.
Out-of-control-mom also told the mom who was concerned about difficulty of work that it was just a matter of practice -- work on the extra math every day without fail and the kid will get through it. She didn't seem to pick up that this is exactly what most of us were here to rally against. When I brought up that the homework was especially difficult for full-time working parents, she asked me, "Can you work from home?" Huh?! It seems the most rabid parents are the ones least capable of critical thinking.
After the small-group discussion, each group presented a summary of each group's primary concerns. I cheered aloud when another group leader described her group's top issue as "Parent Homework (e.g. Heritage Dolls)." THANK. YOU. Yes, that is work for US. Another mom piped up, "But didn't you find that fun?" Me and several others immediately chorused, "NOOOO!!" and the principal laughed nervously.
(I wonder what the heritage-doll/diorama/culture-book advocates would think about parent-dependent project they didn't find fun. How about a project to find a local open space preserve and take a hike and sprint up a hill with your 1st-grader? I'd find that quite fun. Inappropriate to assign as schoolwork to be sure, but fun. I'd like to see how the (let's face it) Indian moms would feel about that project.)
The group leader speaking added that most parents in her group felt there wasn't enough homework. The mom who thought the heritage dolls were fun offered that long-term, it was important for kids to get used to daily turn-in homework early, so that they were prepared for middle school and high school, so they learned to take on daily responsibility themselves. I said, "Yes, but not in FIRST GRADE!"
Where do teachers fit in? As a group, do they believe in homework? Do they realize how much of it is done by the parents, especially in the younger grades? Do they feel it advances the childs' learning in that grade?
Another rare point of consensus in this discussion is a more standardized curriculum -- the principal didn't even know if the 1st-grade teachers get together and agree on what to teach. It seems there's a great deal of variation from one teacher to another within a grade -- for instance, Gabriel's 1st-grade teacher did daily homework turn-in, but most other 1st-grade teachers didn't. And I learned of a 3rd-grade teacher who assigns 9 book reports, instead of our measly 6.
While I'd like to see some more regularity, I also hate to hamstring teachers and take away flexibility. Teachers know better than anyone else what their class can handle -- should a teacher be told what to teach to if the class is ready for more? Or less? So far we've had very good teachers (even if they assigned too much work), and I'm very pro-teacher and in favor of maximum flexibility. The problem comes in when the parents of 18 out of 20 kids in the class want more homework, more advanced work, send their kids to after-school learning centers, and have no compunction about doing their craft projects for them. What is a teacher to do when the other 2 parents complain?
Our elementary school has 750 kids, about 40 parents showed up tonight, and many were there to advocate for homework. I really appreciate the principal taking this on -- he has a very tough job because of the demographic of this school district. He said he aims for balance, and very calmly fielded the variety of comments, and explained that he'd be taking all these comments to the school site committee that oversees the school curriculum. So nothing will change right away, but he's tackling it slowly and practically.
Meantime, this tiger is going to snack on granola.
3/2/2011
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
3/1/2011 Katrina loves dogs
Our dog-walking neighbor happened by as I was parking the car with the kids while arriving from work & school today. She was walking "Polkie," her 12-year-old rescued pit-bull-dalmation mix who's missing an ear. This is the most docile, gentle, sweet dog you've ever met, yet our neighbor says some people get freaked out by her resemblance to a pit bull. Hahhh!
Katrina especially was very happy to see Polkie again, and exclaimed to our neighbor's delight that she wasn't afraid of dogs. "Am I screaming?" Katrina asked, hands in the air, "Seeeee -- No!"
Polkie loved the attention.
I took the opportunity to finally introduce myself to this longtime neighbor we've waved to and exchanged a few words with for over 10 years. Finally today, I asked her what her name was, shook hands and introduced myself, and found out where she lives (a block or two away). She's a lovely kind lady, and as I discovered when I uploaded these photos, she's one of those people who just lights up a camera.
She's lived in this neighborhood almost since it was built, and remembers the original owner and builder of our house, who died in the mid-1970s. And she's been walking dogs around this neighborhood for decades.
Katrina woke me up this morning at 6:45 when I heard her going into the bathroom to tell Dave (who was taking a shower): "Daddy there's BLOOD on my pajamas!" Poor thing had a nasty nosebleed gusher that wouldn't quit for over 20 minutes. She never cried or got upset, she was just very interested in it all as I used wipe after wipe to clean her up and contain the blood. It must have just woken her up too; I could tell from her trembling hands -- she still trembles when she's just woken up, as she's done since she was born.
It somehow stopped at about 7:15 and we all went about our usual day, if there is such a thing.
3/1/2011
Katrina especially was very happy to see Polkie again, and exclaimed to our neighbor's delight that she wasn't afraid of dogs. "Am I screaming?" Katrina asked, hands in the air, "Seeeee -- No!"
Polkie loved the attention.
I took the opportunity to finally introduce myself to this longtime neighbor we've waved to and exchanged a few words with for over 10 years. Finally today, I asked her what her name was, shook hands and introduced myself, and found out where she lives (a block or two away). She's a lovely kind lady, and as I discovered when I uploaded these photos, she's one of those people who just lights up a camera.
She's lived in this neighborhood almost since it was built, and remembers the original owner and builder of our house, who died in the mid-1970s. And she's been walking dogs around this neighborhood for decades.
Katrina woke me up this morning at 6:45 when I heard her going into the bathroom to tell Dave (who was taking a shower): "Daddy there's BLOOD on my pajamas!" Poor thing had a nasty nosebleed gusher that wouldn't quit for over 20 minutes. She never cried or got upset, she was just very interested in it all as I used wipe after wipe to clean her up and contain the blood. It must have just woken her up too; I could tell from her trembling hands -- she still trembles when she's just woken up, as she's done since she was born.
It somehow stopped at about 7:15 and we all went about our usual day, if there is such a thing.
3/1/2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday Dance Class
Bonne Maman was here when Katrina had her first pre-ballet class through the Cupertino Parks and Rec department. This was a lower-key, less expensive, less committed way to go than a "real" dance place that has monthly tuition, dress codes and recitals to rehearse for.
Katrina was so excited to go to a dance class!
I got choked up seeing my little girl doing something I've always loved. And how cute is a roomful of 4-year-olds in little dance outfits?
Unfortunately, as soon as the class started, so did Katrina's bad attitude. She wouldn't follow what the teacher was doing, though would basically stand in the right place. When she had to cross the floor with the other little jumping-bean dancers, she'd drag her arms down and throw her head back in a classic brother gesture of "I'm SOOOO BOOORRRED."
Later she gave up altogether and threw herself on the floor while the rest of the class did the hokey-pokey in a circle.
To me, this wasn't the most appalling performance though. This class had 3 cryers, one of who basically stuck it out with one visit from Mom, but the other two had to go in and out of class several times. At one point, both of them were outside class with their Moms, right by the dance room door, wailing loudly, and their mothers talking to them in rapid-fire Mandarin in an apparent attempt to calm them down. 5 minutes later, they were back in class, then 5 minutes later, back outside. I found this really rude and disruptive for the teacher, who already had her hands full and had made an attempt to minimize the ins/outs from the class. Jeez, if your kid is crying that much, leave!
I made certain to avoid any potential of such a show from Katrina and stayed out of sight, though she wasn't looking for us. Her obstinance is more rooted in irritation that the class wasn't what she was expecting, so she'll show THEM. It's nothing about being shy or fearful or even making an impression on Mom, it's about being PO'd that it wasn't all twirling and scarves. Newsflash, little girl: dance is a lot of work!
But it always takes her a few times to get into a new thing, so I'll take her back next week for certain.
Later when we opened Gabriel's birthday present from Bonne Maman -- a skateboard -- she was all over it and wanted to ride it right away, no hesitation. Maybe for her dance really is just about the pretty clothes.
Whew, I've been working hard this past week -- with Mom here I took a few nights off, but it's been every night for a while, hence the lame unedited blog posts!
2/28/2011
Katrina was so excited to go to a dance class!
I got choked up seeing my little girl doing something I've always loved. And how cute is a roomful of 4-year-olds in little dance outfits?
Unfortunately, as soon as the class started, so did Katrina's bad attitude. She wouldn't follow what the teacher was doing, though would basically stand in the right place. When she had to cross the floor with the other little jumping-bean dancers, she'd drag her arms down and throw her head back in a classic brother gesture of "I'm SOOOO BOOORRRED."
Later she gave up altogether and threw herself on the floor while the rest of the class did the hokey-pokey in a circle.
To me, this wasn't the most appalling performance though. This class had 3 cryers, one of who basically stuck it out with one visit from Mom, but the other two had to go in and out of class several times. At one point, both of them were outside class with their Moms, right by the dance room door, wailing loudly, and their mothers talking to them in rapid-fire Mandarin in an apparent attempt to calm them down. 5 minutes later, they were back in class, then 5 minutes later, back outside. I found this really rude and disruptive for the teacher, who already had her hands full and had made an attempt to minimize the ins/outs from the class. Jeez, if your kid is crying that much, leave!
I made certain to avoid any potential of such a show from Katrina and stayed out of sight, though she wasn't looking for us. Her obstinance is more rooted in irritation that the class wasn't what she was expecting, so she'll show THEM. It's nothing about being shy or fearful or even making an impression on Mom, it's about being PO'd that it wasn't all twirling and scarves. Newsflash, little girl: dance is a lot of work!
But it always takes her a few times to get into a new thing, so I'll take her back next week for certain.
Later when we opened Gabriel's birthday present from Bonne Maman -- a skateboard -- she was all over it and wanted to ride it right away, no hesitation. Maybe for her dance really is just about the pretty clothes.
Whew, I've been working hard this past week -- with Mom here I took a few nights off, but it's been every night for a while, hence the lame unedited blog posts!
2/28/2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
2/27/2011 Cold warm day
Another day of a horribly stuffy nose and a head cold. The worst part is low energy. I hate that.
It was warmer today than yesterday, so Mom and I took the kids to the little park down the block on bicycles and Gabriel's new skateboard to practice. It was great for everyone to get outside in the beautiful weather, though a Katrina tantrum about being forcefully moved from a section of glass sent us back after an hour. She got over it by the time we walked home, then helped Mom and I do some much-needed pruning of our landscaping plants. Now that's a great way to spend the afternoon.
Dinner and nice conversation, and once again too tired to post photos or do much of anything. Mom flies home tomorrow (sniff) and then it's back to the grind.
2/27/2011
It was warmer today than yesterday, so Mom and I took the kids to the little park down the block on bicycles and Gabriel's new skateboard to practice. It was great for everyone to get outside in the beautiful weather, though a Katrina tantrum about being forcefully moved from a section of glass sent us back after an hour. She got over it by the time we walked home, then helped Mom and I do some much-needed pruning of our landscaping plants. Now that's a great way to spend the afternoon.
Dinner and nice conversation, and once again too tired to post photos or do much of anything. Mom flies home tomorrow (sniff) and then it's back to the grind.
2/27/2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
2/25/2011 Aquarium!
Haven't been there in way way too long, but Bonne Maman is a fan, and really, we live here. It was time! So we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium today.
It was pretty crowded, but not impossible. We hit the highlights: penguins, jellyfish, kelp forest, sea otters....I could have stayed for much longer and eavesdropped on more tours and visited the aviary and many other displays, but there's only so much the kids could take. They overall had a great time though.
Such an amazing place we live in that we have such wonderful places like this so closeby!
2/25/2011
It was pretty crowded, but not impossible. We hit the highlights: penguins, jellyfish, kelp forest, sea otters....I could have stayed for much longer and eavesdropped on more tours and visited the aviary and many other displays, but there's only so much the kids could take. They overall had a great time though.
Such an amazing place we live in that we have such wonderful places like this so closeby!
2/25/2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
2/23/2011 Mom's here!
Picked Mom up at the airport tonight! Gabriel was very excited to come with me, so I couldn't turn that down.
And what a rare chance to chat with him alone for 40 minutes and have a nice mother-son talk, like about how to do decimal-binary conversions and how shifting left is multiplication by 2, the usual stuff.
My mom will hang with the boys tomorrow -- I'm counting on the "grandmother effect" to kick in! That is, that they won't be horrible or defiant to her. But worst case, she can call me at work and say "come home!!!" I'm fine with that.
2/23/2011
And what a rare chance to chat with him alone for 40 minutes and have a nice mother-son talk, like about how to do decimal-binary conversions and how shifting left is multiplication by 2, the usual stuff.
My mom will hang with the boys tomorrow -- I'm counting on the "grandmother effect" to kick in! That is, that they won't be horrible or defiant to her. But worst case, she can call me at work and say "come home!!!" I'm fine with that.
2/23/2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
2/21/2011 Separation is the key
Dave had the day off work today, and schools, CDCs and preschool are all closed. But my company was open for business, so I went to work while he took care of the kids.
And my sunroof. There was a recall on my car's aftermarket sunroof, which involved taking it to Hayward on a weekday. Today was a rare opportunity to take care of all -- kids and sunroof.
But Dave was understandably apprehensive about having the boys together all day, and that concern played out first thing in the morning. Fighting, arguing, hitting, screaming....it wasn't even 8:30 yet. He called Tonya and asked if she could take Julian today, especially since Lance was there anyway. She could, so he took Julian over there. That's all it takes to make for a much, much easier day.
When Julian got home, it took less than 20 minutes for the boys to get into another major fight that brought Gabriel to rare tears of frustration. Pestering, insulting; leads to punching, crying, more screaming, door-slamming.
Is it possible for boys to coexist without constant total chaos??
The only thing they agreed on today, and even that was iffy, was playing with the rats. Julian accuses Gabriel of hogging them, but really, Gabriel spends so much time with them that they've gotten very used to him and want to stay with him. I think there will be more tears when it comes time to say goodbye to our adorable visiting little friends. And that can only lead to more insulting, fighting, shoving, punching, kicking, swinging jackets, tripping...good grief. BOYS.
2/21/2011
And my sunroof. There was a recall on my car's aftermarket sunroof, which involved taking it to Hayward on a weekday. Today was a rare opportunity to take care of all -- kids and sunroof.
But Dave was understandably apprehensive about having the boys together all day, and that concern played out first thing in the morning. Fighting, arguing, hitting, screaming....it wasn't even 8:30 yet. He called Tonya and asked if she could take Julian today, especially since Lance was there anyway. She could, so he took Julian over there. That's all it takes to make for a much, much easier day.
When Julian got home, it took less than 20 minutes for the boys to get into another major fight that brought Gabriel to rare tears of frustration. Pestering, insulting; leads to punching, crying, more screaming, door-slamming.
Is it possible for boys to coexist without constant total chaos??
The only thing they agreed on today, and even that was iffy, was playing with the rats. Julian accuses Gabriel of hogging them, but really, Gabriel spends so much time with them that they've gotten very used to him and want to stay with him. I think there will be more tears when it comes time to say goodbye to our adorable visiting little friends. And that can only lead to more insulting, fighting, shoving, punching, kicking, swinging jackets, tripping...good grief. BOYS.
2/21/2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
2/20/2011 Errands
Argh. I had a brainstorm yesterday about shifting our non-ski-day today to Tuesday -- the boys have no school, and maybe crowds will have calmed down by then? Nope. Still no nearby lodging. Ski rentals are completely wiped out (no kids' skis or skis in my size left). Lessons for the 4-8yo set still sold out. OK, I've learned my lesson. "Ski week" must be planned, or it ain't gonna happen.
I'm really happy for those who did plan it though -- what fabulous luck! Major storms and snow right before the busiest snow-sports week of the year. Snow-capped mountains are visible all around us right now too, I just love that. Gabriel said today that we should move to the mountains. I wonder if my love affair with snowy mountains would end if I actually had to live in it? No doubt I'd re-discover my real roots as a summer/water person.
Today I got the boys haircuts, Dave built some kids' storage furniture we ordered weeks ago and never put together, I installed and re-installed a wall shelf, did some other shelf-juggling as long as I had the drill out anyway, then did a lot of combing through closets and toys and getting rid of stuff.
I like the way our new kids' storage units look, though they don't hold things as well as the cheapie "temporary" shelves I bought from Ikea over 5 years ago. But they're better-suited to hold craft materials, which have been buried in a huge box in a closet that the kids can't get to. More and more I realize that things like drawers and big boxes only hide things and make them inaccessible and turn Stuff into Junk. Most kids' stuff needs to be on open, easy-to-reach shelves, and in plain view. You'd think I'd have known that by now.
In fact, so much of the stuff we've been storing in closets we either don't need at all, or should be out for kids to reach (with a few exceptions). We're far overdue for a complete run-through of all our "stored" toys, and the substantial garbage bags of toys that were confiscated in some or other conflict. And all toddler toys can go -- even tricycles! Katrina's heading to kindergarten, we don't need things that help kids learn numbers or letters (or even reading) anymore.
In the end, we need a whole lot less stuff than more storage.
Lots and lots of rat-play today...the boys just love our little visitors! Gabriel was going to build a carboard maze out of one of the boxes that held our storage units, but it turned out that Scabbers (who Katrina has re-named "Scram") could climb out of it too easily. Spot didn't try. Gabriel made a short bridge between a shelf and a table with some blocks and was delighted when Scabbers scrambled over it. Try to get a cat to do that!
I guess checking off some long-overdue home-improvement projects and seeing kids have a great time with their new friends makes up for not spending the day packing and zooming around for a ski day. Sorta.
2/20/2011
I'm really happy for those who did plan it though -- what fabulous luck! Major storms and snow right before the busiest snow-sports week of the year. Snow-capped mountains are visible all around us right now too, I just love that. Gabriel said today that we should move to the mountains. I wonder if my love affair with snowy mountains would end if I actually had to live in it? No doubt I'd re-discover my real roots as a summer/water person.
Today I got the boys haircuts, Dave built some kids' storage furniture we ordered weeks ago and never put together, I installed and re-installed a wall shelf, did some other shelf-juggling as long as I had the drill out anyway, then did a lot of combing through closets and toys and getting rid of stuff.
I like the way our new kids' storage units look, though they don't hold things as well as the cheapie "temporary" shelves I bought from Ikea over 5 years ago. But they're better-suited to hold craft materials, which have been buried in a huge box in a closet that the kids can't get to. More and more I realize that things like drawers and big boxes only hide things and make them inaccessible and turn Stuff into Junk. Most kids' stuff needs to be on open, easy-to-reach shelves, and in plain view. You'd think I'd have known that by now.
In fact, so much of the stuff we've been storing in closets we either don't need at all, or should be out for kids to reach (with a few exceptions). We're far overdue for a complete run-through of all our "stored" toys, and the substantial garbage bags of toys that were confiscated in some or other conflict. And all toddler toys can go -- even tricycles! Katrina's heading to kindergarten, we don't need things that help kids learn numbers or letters (or even reading) anymore.
In the end, we need a whole lot less stuff than more storage.
Lots and lots of rat-play today...the boys just love our little visitors! Gabriel was going to build a carboard maze out of one of the boxes that held our storage units, but it turned out that Scabbers (who Katrina has re-named "Scram") could climb out of it too easily. Spot didn't try. Gabriel made a short bridge between a shelf and a table with some blocks and was delighted when Scabbers scrambled over it. Try to get a cat to do that!
I guess checking off some long-overdue home-improvement projects and seeing kids have a great time with their new friends makes up for not spending the day packing and zooming around for a ski day. Sorta.
2/20/2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
2/19/2011 A rainy Saturday at home
I'd thought seriously about another one-day ski trip with the boys this weekend. It'd be the last chance we have until our trip in March, but logistics were too daunting. To start, school's out and it's the busiest ski weekend of the year. Nearby lodging is full, ski lessons sold out, traffic and crowds will be horrible.
This is all complicated by the WONDERFUL bad weather we're finally having. The storms mean lots of rain down here in the flatlands, but lots of beautiful new snow up in my beloved mountains (and actually even some here as well; Mount Hamilton has snow right now). Great if we were already up there, but getting there will be hampered by power outages, blocked roads, chain controls, and more crowds and traffic. It just isn't the time for us to do an impromptu unplanned trip. If we'd planned one, I'd be ecstatic -- this is perfect for it -- and those who have lodging secured next week will be in snow heaven! I'm so happy for my friends who do have planned snow/ski trips.
Besides, there are no shortage of home projects to catch up on, especially with my mother coming next week and the cleaners coming Monday. So with great regrets, common sense, usually a stranger to me, took over, and we didn't go.
So, a rainy Saturday at home. Our issues aren't about bored children per se -- if there's one thing the Doudna kids are great at, it's self-entertainment -- but it's more about the boys tearing each other to pieces and pestering Katrina nonstop.
Gabriel's March book report is on describing a how-to project. Naturally, he picked something related to electricity, and wrote about how to make a battery from a lemon. I insisted he work on this report a little bit each day, and he's done now. Done! It's due March 2, and no book report hanging over his head during "winter recess" (aka 'ski week', sniff) next week -- Yayyy!
So based on his report, today he wanted to actually try making a battery out of a lemon. He picked some lemons from our one productive lemon tree, we found zinc-coated nails in the garage, he found some pennies, and whaddya know -- he made battery cells out of lemons. He put them in series to produce more power, measured 3 volts, then attached them to his Electronics Playground to light up an LED.
Now that's what I call a great rainy-day activity!!
But indirectly thanks to skiing, we do have another thing to keep kids busy: Rats!
We're rat-sitting for friends who had a ski trip planned this week (lucky ducks, and with the best snow!). It's only fitting that we be responsible to take care of these two, since I'd encouraged the idea of rats as pets.
We're having a grand time with Scabbers and Spot, both females. It is impressive how different rats are from other rodents. I had gerbils and guinea pigs and even hamsters as a kid, but I never remember them being so distinctly different from each other. The unique rat personalities are evident within a few minutes of holding them. They also seem to recognize and get to know individual people really quickly.
No one is more excited about our visiting pets than Gabriel. He absolutely loves watching them and playing with them, while I marvel at his remarkable tender side. He speaks softly and affectionately to them, laughs at the littlest things they do, and generally just lights up around them. Yet this morning, he had no compunction about decking Julian for insulting him.
Spot is the calmer more cuddly rat, who likes to hide in pockets and hang on you, and is generally shyer.
Katrina finally let her guard down when she saw Spot in Gabriel's pocket and wanted a turn with Spot. I think since I'd spent a fair amount of time with Spot yesterday, Spot always wanted to stay on me, so I had to put her on Katrina and vacate. Worked fine.
Scabbers is a busy little girl, always twitching her whiskers inquisitively and looking for new places to climb. Julian was nervous about the rats at first, but got used to the idea quickly.
Gabriel can't get enough of either one, though Scabbers is more likely to join the party.
The kids all put sweatshirts to hold the rats on so that the hood would protect their necks from sharp claws, and so they have pockets for the little critters to hide in. Gabriel has designated his sweatshirt "the rat sweatshirt" and insists on keeping it somewhere that he can get to it quickly in case an opportunity to play with the rats comes up.
Tonight he asked again and again about playing with the rats, and with each passing time I could see he could handle them fine, so have gotten more liberal about letting him play without me hawking over him, as we get to know how to handle these very agile creatures.
These poor deprived children are so overdue for a pet.
As much as I like these animals, I'm thinking of a pet that isn't caged and that can hang with us all the time. A dog is out of the question as long as I'm working full-time. But a cat? This depends on Dave's allergies, which he thinks have improved enough that he can tolerate a cat. He's even said recently he thinks he can live with a cat, and I'm liking the idea more and more.
But now the kids are completely opposed to a cat -- they want rats!!
Cat, rat, pets....I'm just trying hard not to think about the magical fresh snow and how very very far off March 12 is (our Sugarbowl trip) -- and how very very little left there is of ski season after that.
2/19/2011
This is all complicated by the WONDERFUL bad weather we're finally having. The storms mean lots of rain down here in the flatlands, but lots of beautiful new snow up in my beloved mountains (and actually even some here as well; Mount Hamilton has snow right now). Great if we were already up there, but getting there will be hampered by power outages, blocked roads, chain controls, and more crowds and traffic. It just isn't the time for us to do an impromptu unplanned trip. If we'd planned one, I'd be ecstatic -- this is perfect for it -- and those who have lodging secured next week will be in snow heaven! I'm so happy for my friends who do have planned snow/ski trips.
Besides, there are no shortage of home projects to catch up on, especially with my mother coming next week and the cleaners coming Monday. So with great regrets, common sense, usually a stranger to me, took over, and we didn't go.
So, a rainy Saturday at home. Our issues aren't about bored children per se -- if there's one thing the Doudna kids are great at, it's self-entertainment -- but it's more about the boys tearing each other to pieces and pestering Katrina nonstop.
Gabriel's March book report is on describing a how-to project. Naturally, he picked something related to electricity, and wrote about how to make a battery from a lemon. I insisted he work on this report a little bit each day, and he's done now. Done! It's due March 2, and no book report hanging over his head during "winter recess" (aka 'ski week', sniff) next week -- Yayyy!
So based on his report, today he wanted to actually try making a battery out of a lemon. He picked some lemons from our one productive lemon tree, we found zinc-coated nails in the garage, he found some pennies, and whaddya know -- he made battery cells out of lemons. He put them in series to produce more power, measured 3 volts, then attached them to his Electronics Playground to light up an LED.
Now that's what I call a great rainy-day activity!!
But indirectly thanks to skiing, we do have another thing to keep kids busy: Rats!
We're rat-sitting for friends who had a ski trip planned this week (lucky ducks, and with the best snow!). It's only fitting that we be responsible to take care of these two, since I'd encouraged the idea of rats as pets.
We're having a grand time with Scabbers and Spot, both females. It is impressive how different rats are from other rodents. I had gerbils and guinea pigs and even hamsters as a kid, but I never remember them being so distinctly different from each other. The unique rat personalities are evident within a few minutes of holding them. They also seem to recognize and get to know individual people really quickly.
No one is more excited about our visiting pets than Gabriel. He absolutely loves watching them and playing with them, while I marvel at his remarkable tender side. He speaks softly and affectionately to them, laughs at the littlest things they do, and generally just lights up around them. Yet this morning, he had no compunction about decking Julian for insulting him.
Spot is the calmer more cuddly rat, who likes to hide in pockets and hang on you, and is generally shyer.
Katrina finally let her guard down when she saw Spot in Gabriel's pocket and wanted a turn with Spot. I think since I'd spent a fair amount of time with Spot yesterday, Spot always wanted to stay on me, so I had to put her on Katrina and vacate. Worked fine.
Scabbers is a busy little girl, always twitching her whiskers inquisitively and looking for new places to climb. Julian was nervous about the rats at first, but got used to the idea quickly.
Gabriel can't get enough of either one, though Scabbers is more likely to join the party.
The kids all put sweatshirts to hold the rats on so that the hood would protect their necks from sharp claws, and so they have pockets for the little critters to hide in. Gabriel has designated his sweatshirt "the rat sweatshirt" and insists on keeping it somewhere that he can get to it quickly in case an opportunity to play with the rats comes up.
Tonight he asked again and again about playing with the rats, and with each passing time I could see he could handle them fine, so have gotten more liberal about letting him play without me hawking over him, as we get to know how to handle these very agile creatures.
These poor deprived children are so overdue for a pet.
As much as I like these animals, I'm thinking of a pet that isn't caged and that can hang with us all the time. A dog is out of the question as long as I'm working full-time. But a cat? This depends on Dave's allergies, which he thinks have improved enough that he can tolerate a cat. He's even said recently he thinks he can live with a cat, and I'm liking the idea more and more.
But now the kids are completely opposed to a cat -- they want rats!!
Cat, rat, pets....I'm just trying hard not to think about the magical fresh snow and how very very far off March 12 is (our Sugarbowl trip) -- and how very very little left there is of ski season after that.
2/19/2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
2/18/2011 Note to the teacher, and boys
Julian's "poor" behavior report for the week resulted in his being compelled to write a note to the teacher:
Julian's behavior in class is declining; he's messing around a lot, and apparently this week kept getting out of his chair to show off kung fu moves in class. (And I'm about to spend another $300 to continue his lessons?!)
Dave was stunned tonight when Katrina cleaned up some cards that had been scattered all over the floor -- without even being asked. Meantime, the boys present an ongoing struggle every morning to walk them through each normal step of the day -- never mind something that isn't part of a daily routine. We're not used to that level of advanced thought!
I worked late tonight, and Dave ran out to get takeout. We're probably horrible illegal immoral prosecutable offensive parents for doing this, but we do leave Gabriel alone sometimes. What's more, twice now we've even left Gabriel and Katrina alone for a few minutes, like tonight to zoom out to get takeout when another parent is on their way home and running late). Gabriel knows how to call Dave, and we tell him to mind Katrina, and he takes that job seriously.
While you Gentle Reader might think very little of us for doing leaving our children at home alone for more than 30 seconds, consider this: we wouldn't dream of leaving the boys alone together for more than 5 seconds. Gabriel and Katrina are a far more trustworthy pair than Julian and....well, anyone.
I'm not sure what that says about us as parents or people, but in my defensive opinion, it says more about how boys are compared to girls than it does about us. I hear girls dish out their share when they're older, but for now I'm here to tell you: boys are way, way more difficult, less trustworthy, more inclined toward violence and chaos, more defiant, more impossible in nearly every way, than girls at this age.
Any girl-mom who's feeling skeptical right now, I ask: have you ever arrived at a nice restaurant's valet parking and discovered one of your girls' faces covered in blood, matted in her hair, spread all over her face so you couldn't find where it was coming from, dripping all over her jacket and clothes -- because she got punched in the nose by her sister?
Katrina drives me crazy in her own way, and you all know I'm more in my element in the boy-world than the girl-world. Girls have their issues too, I know. But you can probably leave them alone together at younger ages without worrying about broken bones or the house being set on fire. And they don't write as many notes of apology to the teacher!
Blood, notes and all, I do dearly love my boys though.
2/18/2011
Dear Teacher,
I am sorry for doing Kung fu moves. I will never do it again.
From, Julian.
Julian's behavior in class is declining; he's messing around a lot, and apparently this week kept getting out of his chair to show off kung fu moves in class. (And I'm about to spend another $300 to continue his lessons?!)
Dave was stunned tonight when Katrina cleaned up some cards that had been scattered all over the floor -- without even being asked. Meantime, the boys present an ongoing struggle every morning to walk them through each normal step of the day -- never mind something that isn't part of a daily routine. We're not used to that level of advanced thought!
I worked late tonight, and Dave ran out to get takeout. We're probably horrible illegal immoral prosecutable offensive parents for doing this, but we do leave Gabriel alone sometimes. What's more, twice now we've even left Gabriel and Katrina alone for a few minutes, like tonight to zoom out to get takeout when another parent is on their way home and running late). Gabriel knows how to call Dave, and we tell him to mind Katrina, and he takes that job seriously.
While you Gentle Reader might think very little of us for doing leaving our children at home alone for more than 30 seconds, consider this: we wouldn't dream of leaving the boys alone together for more than 5 seconds. Gabriel and Katrina are a far more trustworthy pair than Julian and....well, anyone.
I'm not sure what that says about us as parents or people, but in my defensive opinion, it says more about how boys are compared to girls than it does about us. I hear girls dish out their share when they're older, but for now I'm here to tell you: boys are way, way more difficult, less trustworthy, more inclined toward violence and chaos, more defiant, more impossible in nearly every way, than girls at this age.
Any girl-mom who's feeling skeptical right now, I ask: have you ever arrived at a nice restaurant's valet parking and discovered one of your girls' faces covered in blood, matted in her hair, spread all over her face so you couldn't find where it was coming from, dripping all over her jacket and clothes -- because she got punched in the nose by her sister?
Katrina drives me crazy in her own way, and you all know I'm more in my element in the boy-world than the girl-world. Girls have their issues too, I know. But you can probably leave them alone together at younger ages without worrying about broken bones or the house being set on fire. And they don't write as many notes of apology to the teacher!
Blood, notes and all, I do dearly love my boys though.
2/18/2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
2/16/11 Milestones
When a baby is born, a parent's life transforms drastically from total independence into total tound-the-clock care of another person.
But ever so gradually across a childhood, total helplessness yields to tiny freedoms. Some are larger than others (you can sit up without toppling over), but all are joyful transitions for a parent. Tonight I witnessed one of these miniature milestones when Gabriel trimmed his own fingernails!
2/16/2011
But ever so gradually across a childhood, total helplessness yields to tiny freedoms. Some are larger than others (you can sit up without toppling over), but all are joyful transitions for a parent. Tonight I witnessed one of these miniature milestones when Gabriel trimmed his own fingernails!
2/16/2011
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