Umma
3 years ago
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Back in the Saddle?
I've been thinking about writing again. Now that I have my wonderful iPhone (no, they are not paying me for the plug), I feel like I should try to be more productive. Aside from raising the kids, caring for our puppy, working a small part-time job, running two school fundraising programs, volunteering multiple times each week in the girls' classrooms, cooking, cleaning, exercising (running a 10k tomorrow!), I feel like I could be doing more. It's shameful that I squander away my spare time each day having bowel movements or sitting down to eat a meal for 15 minutes. So maybe in those small pockets of extra time, like when I am waiting for a signal light to change or while I am taking the dog for a walk, I will try to whip up a humorous, didactic, uplifting blog post. And if I can learn to type with my toes, I should be able to write the next Twilight series.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Parent Teacher Conferences
I'm writing this more for myself...
We had our first round of parent teacher conferences for all three kids.
Sam--we had no idea what to expect. During the three years that our girls went to preschool, not once did any of the teachers come up to us to discuss the girls' behavior. But within the first month of school, one of the teachers chased me down to talk about Sam. Apparently, he gets time outs often and doesn't always listen to the teachers. He is one of the youngest kids there and the teachers seem to really enjoy him being there. He is always giving and getting hugs from the teachers and making them laugh. But he is such a clown that he doesn't buck up when he needs to be focused.
During his conference, we learned that he is actually doing quite well in his academics. He knows all his letters and has already learned about 10 phonetic sounds of the letters. His understanding of numbers is also very strong--he can identify 1 through 10, put them in the correct order, and even count objects to a specific number. He likes to chirp in answers when questions are asked to the class, even when he has no idea what the answer is. He definitely throws tantrums and loses it when he is upset but he's two so it is age-appropriate (unfortunately). All in all, we were all pleased with how he is doing. When we watched him during observation (he didn't know we were watching him), he was having a good time doing the montessori activities so that makes us happy too.
Elysha--Her teacher just raved about her artistic abilities--the attention to detail, the composition, the spatial relations--she was saying this it was all a precursor to writing. We flipped through her journal, which she did in preschool too, and it was just so cute. It's nice that she draws happy pictures, where the sun is shining, the sky is blue, and the people are smiling. She is great at writing her letters and writing phonetically. Her teacher thought she was at a first grade level in her writing abilities. What I am noticing about Elysha is that she is really making breakthroughs in her reading. I feel like she is realizing all that Joey has access to by being able to read, so she has been working harder to really read.
For some reason, though, Elysha keeps getting out of PE. She always claims to be sick or sad or miss me or Chang. So the teacher has been allowing her to sit out, or she tells her to take the class mascot (a stuffed animal crab) for a walk around the play yard. Elysha is our little hippie child. She would be happy to just turn in circles with a crown of flowers around her head and skip around chasing butterflies. When she is on the soccer field, she gets distracted by pretty much everything but the game. We are starting to think that perhaps, team sports is not for her. =) We think she has more natural skills than her siblings but she just doesn't have that "killer" instinct to go after the ball or run fast or play hard.
She is also a perfectionist which is both good and bad. She works hard on her drawings, but when it isn't exactly as she envisioned it, she gets so frustrated. But her drawings are just so beautiful and thoughtful. In some sense, this is why she is great at math. There is only one right answer and so arriving at the answer doesn't disturb her. She's right and done--end of story.
Joey--Where do I begin? She has really bloomed this year. Last year, even though she did extremely well academically, she had some issues socially. This year, she doesn't have these issues anymore. She has her group of friends, she gets along with all the kids in her class, and she has this confidence about her that is almost palpable. Chang thinks it has to do with her experience with her drama club last year. I agree that it is in part because of mini-players. But I also think she came into this year with a greater sense of who she is.
She is in a 1st and 2nd grade combination class which is perfect for her. Even as a 2 year old, she insisted on being grouped with older children, believing that she was capable of doing the same level of work. She was able to write her name when she was only two--but I don't think she even knew the alphabet. She just remembered what lines and curves made her name. So in her class now, she is trying to keep up with the 2nd graders. It has been a great challenge for her and she works really hard to get to their level.
Her teacher said she is reading and comprehending at a end of 2nd grade level. She is a really strong writer. Her spelling could be better but I am already amazed at how well she spells considering how poor it was just a year ago. But stylistically, she is a great writer. It is interesting, nicely paced, with a definitive beginning and ending. Her teacher said that out of a high score of 4, she judges her writing to be 3+.
In math, she is also excelling. I had discussions with her regarding placing Joey in 2nd grade math because of Joey's complaints that her math class was too easy and boring. But we talked about it and agreed that it would be better to keep her in the higher level 1st grade math class. Even though it is easy for her, I would rather she have a solid grasp of what she is learning. Every day, the students do a "mad minute" math quiz in which the have to solve 30 problems in 3 minutes. After a student gets a perfect score five times, she can advance to the next level. Joey is on the fourth level.
Her teacher was saying that she is such a joy in the classroom. She said she is the complete student--she excels in the classroom, she is well liked by her peers, she is generous and kind--always willing to give and receive help. I talked to her about having Joey identified as gifted when she is in 3rd grade (the process begins in 2nd grade). She said that she has already has it in mind to have Joey tested as highly gifted at the end of 2nd grade by the Raven test.
Needless to say, we are so proud of all of our kids. It is every parents' dream to hear that our children are excelling, but also that they are happy, liked by their peers, and enjoy their learning environment.
We had our first round of parent teacher conferences for all three kids.
Sam--we had no idea what to expect. During the three years that our girls went to preschool, not once did any of the teachers come up to us to discuss the girls' behavior. But within the first month of school, one of the teachers chased me down to talk about Sam. Apparently, he gets time outs often and doesn't always listen to the teachers. He is one of the youngest kids there and the teachers seem to really enjoy him being there. He is always giving and getting hugs from the teachers and making them laugh. But he is such a clown that he doesn't buck up when he needs to be focused.
During his conference, we learned that he is actually doing quite well in his academics. He knows all his letters and has already learned about 10 phonetic sounds of the letters. His understanding of numbers is also very strong--he can identify 1 through 10, put them in the correct order, and even count objects to a specific number. He likes to chirp in answers when questions are asked to the class, even when he has no idea what the answer is. He definitely throws tantrums and loses it when he is upset but he's two so it is age-appropriate (unfortunately). All in all, we were all pleased with how he is doing. When we watched him during observation (he didn't know we were watching him), he was having a good time doing the montessori activities so that makes us happy too.
Elysha--Her teacher just raved about her artistic abilities--the attention to detail, the composition, the spatial relations--she was saying this it was all a precursor to writing. We flipped through her journal, which she did in preschool too, and it was just so cute. It's nice that she draws happy pictures, where the sun is shining, the sky is blue, and the people are smiling. She is great at writing her letters and writing phonetically. Her teacher thought she was at a first grade level in her writing abilities. What I am noticing about Elysha is that she is really making breakthroughs in her reading. I feel like she is realizing all that Joey has access to by being able to read, so she has been working harder to really read.
For some reason, though, Elysha keeps getting out of PE. She always claims to be sick or sad or miss me or Chang. So the teacher has been allowing her to sit out, or she tells her to take the class mascot (a stuffed animal crab) for a walk around the play yard. Elysha is our little hippie child. She would be happy to just turn in circles with a crown of flowers around her head and skip around chasing butterflies. When she is on the soccer field, she gets distracted by pretty much everything but the game. We are starting to think that perhaps, team sports is not for her. =) We think she has more natural skills than her siblings but she just doesn't have that "killer" instinct to go after the ball or run fast or play hard.
She is also a perfectionist which is both good and bad. She works hard on her drawings, but when it isn't exactly as she envisioned it, she gets so frustrated. But her drawings are just so beautiful and thoughtful. In some sense, this is why she is great at math. There is only one right answer and so arriving at the answer doesn't disturb her. She's right and done--end of story.
Joey--Where do I begin? She has really bloomed this year. Last year, even though she did extremely well academically, she had some issues socially. This year, she doesn't have these issues anymore. She has her group of friends, she gets along with all the kids in her class, and she has this confidence about her that is almost palpable. Chang thinks it has to do with her experience with her drama club last year. I agree that it is in part because of mini-players. But I also think she came into this year with a greater sense of who she is.
She is in a 1st and 2nd grade combination class which is perfect for her. Even as a 2 year old, she insisted on being grouped with older children, believing that she was capable of doing the same level of work. She was able to write her name when she was only two--but I don't think she even knew the alphabet. She just remembered what lines and curves made her name. So in her class now, she is trying to keep up with the 2nd graders. It has been a great challenge for her and she works really hard to get to their level.
Her teacher said she is reading and comprehending at a end of 2nd grade level. She is a really strong writer. Her spelling could be better but I am already amazed at how well she spells considering how poor it was just a year ago. But stylistically, she is a great writer. It is interesting, nicely paced, with a definitive beginning and ending. Her teacher said that out of a high score of 4, she judges her writing to be 3+.
In math, she is also excelling. I had discussions with her regarding placing Joey in 2nd grade math because of Joey's complaints that her math class was too easy and boring. But we talked about it and agreed that it would be better to keep her in the higher level 1st grade math class. Even though it is easy for her, I would rather she have a solid grasp of what she is learning. Every day, the students do a "mad minute" math quiz in which the have to solve 30 problems in 3 minutes. After a student gets a perfect score five times, she can advance to the next level. Joey is on the fourth level.
Her teacher was saying that she is such a joy in the classroom. She said she is the complete student--she excels in the classroom, she is well liked by her peers, she is generous and kind--always willing to give and receive help. I talked to her about having Joey identified as gifted when she is in 3rd grade (the process begins in 2nd grade). She said that she has already has it in mind to have Joey tested as highly gifted at the end of 2nd grade by the Raven test.
Needless to say, we are so proud of all of our kids. It is every parents' dream to hear that our children are excelling, but also that they are happy, liked by their peers, and enjoy their learning environment.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
My Swan Song...
As you can tell, I haven't been posting too furiously these days. I think I might be hanging up my blogging cap for a while. It's been fun and I have enjoyed writing again. But I feel like I can barely keep up with everything else.
I toyed with not letting Sam take naps for the last few weeks because he has been staying up after we put him to bed--usually singing in his crib (today he was singing Beyonce's "Single Ladies"). Sometimes he wouldn't sleep for hours.
But the nap moratorium was painful for two reasons. One, my days were 12-13 hour days with no breaks. Two, Sam was excruciatingly grumpy because he didn't nap. Last week, however, Sam finally decided to jump out of his crib, come out of his room, and start unloading the dishwasher in the mornings--which would be fine except he often takes things out of the dishwasher and put his mouth all over it. So we moved him into his toddler bed, decked out with new Disney Car's sheets. Now that Sam knows he can exit his room whenever he wants, he has been waking up at the crack of dawn. Thanks to my brainwashing, he only wants Chang in the morning. So even though Chang has more reason to complain, I am still exhausted by the fact that Sam wakes Chang up earlier than before (cue the rolling of eyes from Chang).
These days, Sam has been a terror (yes, my sweet angel baby is the thorn in my flesh at the moment). I'm sure it is a combination of terrible two's and getting significantly less sleep than before, but I am ready to ship him off to a boarding preschool.
In August, Sam will start preschool, so long as I tackle potty training. But honestly, I am sending him in August, no matter what. I'm sure the teachers will hate me because he will have several accidents daily and he is supposed to be fully potty trained. But I am ready for freedom. I have a long laundry list of things that I want to do--finally get fit and fabulous, clean every nook and corner of my house, and meet friends in the middle of the day for cocktails. That is it--no more lofty goals of going to school or writing a book. I just want to enjoy my freedom. I am envisioning myself breaking into a song as I go along the day. Birds will come and sit on my shoulder, people around me will suddenly dance with me in a choreographed ditty. I want to get dressed every day looking like Carrie Bradshaw--no more mommy uniform for me. I am going to wear heels and carry a gorgeous purse because I finally won't have to worry about carrying diapers or a sippy cup in it. La la la laboutin! I can't wait!
So I might post pictures of my kids on occasion but this could be my swan song. The end of the school year is almost here which means I will have all three kids home with me a lot this summer. Then Elysha will be starting kindergarten, Joey will be in first grade and Sam will be going to school on the other side of town. This means, three different schedules at two different locations. It is going to be crazy and though I will finally be childless for the first time in over six years, it will really only be a couple hours every day and that includes the 90 + minutes I will be driving back and forth between the two schools. Freedom finally, yes, but just a little bit.
It's been fun and I appreciate you coming along in my journey of honest parenting. It sucks sometimes...but I still love them...especially when they are sleeping...
I toyed with not letting Sam take naps for the last few weeks because he has been staying up after we put him to bed--usually singing in his crib (today he was singing Beyonce's "Single Ladies"). Sometimes he wouldn't sleep for hours.
But the nap moratorium was painful for two reasons. One, my days were 12-13 hour days with no breaks. Two, Sam was excruciatingly grumpy because he didn't nap. Last week, however, Sam finally decided to jump out of his crib, come out of his room, and start unloading the dishwasher in the mornings--which would be fine except he often takes things out of the dishwasher and put his mouth all over it. So we moved him into his toddler bed, decked out with new Disney Car's sheets. Now that Sam knows he can exit his room whenever he wants, he has been waking up at the crack of dawn. Thanks to my brainwashing, he only wants Chang in the morning. So even though Chang has more reason to complain, I am still exhausted by the fact that Sam wakes Chang up earlier than before (cue the rolling of eyes from Chang).
These days, Sam has been a terror (yes, my sweet angel baby is the thorn in my flesh at the moment). I'm sure it is a combination of terrible two's and getting significantly less sleep than before, but I am ready to ship him off to a boarding preschool.
In August, Sam will start preschool, so long as I tackle potty training. But honestly, I am sending him in August, no matter what. I'm sure the teachers will hate me because he will have several accidents daily and he is supposed to be fully potty trained. But I am ready for freedom. I have a long laundry list of things that I want to do--finally get fit and fabulous, clean every nook and corner of my house, and meet friends in the middle of the day for cocktails. That is it--no more lofty goals of going to school or writing a book. I just want to enjoy my freedom. I am envisioning myself breaking into a song as I go along the day. Birds will come and sit on my shoulder, people around me will suddenly dance with me in a choreographed ditty. I want to get dressed every day looking like Carrie Bradshaw--no more mommy uniform for me. I am going to wear heels and carry a gorgeous purse because I finally won't have to worry about carrying diapers or a sippy cup in it. La la la laboutin! I can't wait!
So I might post pictures of my kids on occasion but this could be my swan song. The end of the school year is almost here which means I will have all three kids home with me a lot this summer. Then Elysha will be starting kindergarten, Joey will be in first grade and Sam will be going to school on the other side of town. This means, three different schedules at two different locations. It is going to be crazy and though I will finally be childless for the first time in over six years, it will really only be a couple hours every day and that includes the 90 + minutes I will be driving back and forth between the two schools. Freedom finally, yes, but just a little bit.
It's been fun and I appreciate you coming along in my journey of honest parenting. It sucks sometimes...but I still love them...especially when they are sleeping...
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
10 Things I Can Live Without...
1) "I'm DONE!!!" announcements coming from the bathroom, implying that whichever child is sitting on the toilet is expecting me to wipe their butt.
2) Going to the bathroom and seeing that a bowel movement was not flushed. It makes me wonder what else was not done after neglecting to flush...
3) Potty Training. Do I really need to go through this torture yet again to be diaper-free for the first time in over six years?
4) Slaving over a hot stove for dinner and then hearing, "Yucky!" It makes me want to serve liver and brussel sprouts for ten days consecutively (I'll give you yucky...).
5) Everyone else getting sick every time one of the kids getting sick.
6) Me getting sick every time everyone else is sick because I don't get any sick days.
7) People giving me the eye when I say I want a margarita at 9 o'clock in the morning.
8) People giving me the eye when I get a margarita at 10 o'clock in the morning.
9) Having to wake up in the middle of the night because Sam is screaming that he can't find his blankie (usually he's lying on top of it but doesn't realize it).
10) Fighting (Elysha told me today that for Mother's Day, she was going to be nice to Joey and not fight with her. "Just for that one day," she said so proudly...can't wait!).
2) Going to the bathroom and seeing that a bowel movement was not flushed. It makes me wonder what else was not done after neglecting to flush...
3) Potty Training. Do I really need to go through this torture yet again to be diaper-free for the first time in over six years?
4) Slaving over a hot stove for dinner and then hearing, "Yucky!" It makes me want to serve liver and brussel sprouts for ten days consecutively (I'll give you yucky...).
5) Everyone else getting sick every time one of the kids getting sick.
6) Me getting sick every time everyone else is sick because I don't get any sick days.
7) People giving me the eye when I say I want a margarita at 9 o'clock in the morning.
8) People giving me the eye when I get a margarita at 10 o'clock in the morning.
9) Having to wake up in the middle of the night because Sam is screaming that he can't find his blankie (usually he's lying on top of it but doesn't realize it).
10) Fighting (Elysha told me today that for Mother's Day, she was going to be nice to Joey and not fight with her. "Just for that one day," she said so proudly...can't wait!).
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
A Star is Born
Joey recently performed in a kindergarten musical ensemble through this program at her school. It was so cute! Here are some pictures from rehearsals and the performance. I'll try to upload video as well.
She sang four songs, memorized the choreography, and gave it her all with each number. We're so proud of her!
Singing the closing song "Make 'Em Laugh" from Singing in the Rain.
Singing Stepsister's Lament from Julie Andrew's Cinderella. Don't they look cute in their feathered boas?
She had the first speaking line in the whole show! She was so brave.
Singing "Put on a Happy Face" from Bye Bye Birdie.
Here is her "head shot."
She sang four songs, memorized the choreography, and gave it her all with each number. We're so proud of her!
Singing the closing song "Make 'Em Laugh" from Singing in the Rain.
Singing Stepsister's Lament from Julie Andrew's Cinderella. Don't they look cute in their feathered boas?
She had the first speaking line in the whole show! She was so brave.
Singing "Put on a Happy Face" from Bye Bye Birdie.
Here is her "head shot."Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Watch Out Ken!
Sam was playing with the girls' Barbie during bath time tonight. When it was time to let go of it, he whined a little bit and said that he wanted to sleep with it. We told him it was his sisters' Barbie. Then he said, "I want one."
I probably shouldn't single out these stories but they make me laugh. The whole day he was playing with his cars and balls, and playing his drums and guitar. For 15 minutes he plays with a Barbie and I'm calling him out on it. But I think it's funny and cute.
I probably shouldn't single out these stories but they make me laugh. The whole day he was playing with his cars and balls, and playing his drums and guitar. For 15 minutes he plays with a Barbie and I'm calling him out on it. But I think it's funny and cute.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Dinosaur Train Guest Stars
Sometime last year (not sure when since everyday is a blur but I can say with certainty it was last year), I took the kids to the Jim Henson studios to a promotion for mommy bloggers. I thought we were going to preview their new show Dinosaur Train and the kids would sit in the audience. But it turns out, they actually wanted to use our kids for a brief explanation clip after the animated segments. I brought Sam into the recording studio as well but the director took one look at him and asked me how old he was. I said, "almost two," which the director repeated back in a mocking tone. "Does he talk?" he asked. "Not that well, but he can talk," I replied. The director turned to Sam. "Sam, can you say Tyrannosaurus Rex?" Sam looked at him blankly with drool coming down his chin. I immediately picked up Sam and said, "Never mind."
Anyhow, the girls almost didn't pull it off. It was really intimidating being in that big room with all these hot lights on them and a stranger asking them to say words that weren't part of their everyday vocabulary. The director almost kicked out our whole group but decided to give them one last shot. Here are the results (if you just want to watch the girls' segment, move the timeline to 3:50).
Anyhow, the girls almost didn't pull it off. It was really intimidating being in that big room with all these hot lights on them and a stranger asking them to say words that weren't part of their everyday vocabulary. The director almost kicked out our whole group but decided to give them one last shot. Here are the results (if you just want to watch the girls' segment, move the timeline to 3:50).
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