Alex's spelling and reading skills are increasing by leaps and bounds lately. It seems like everything finally clicked AND he's actually interested in reading. He used to whine piteously when he had to read something to us. (Occasionally that still comes out when he's tired.) Now he reads signs, passing trucks, the names of songs on the car's digital display - everything he sees.
Being a grown-up first grader means having spelling lists, and spelling tests every week. The first few weeks of school Alex was insulted by the easy words. This past week we finally got to some that he didn't know right off the top of his head. Why is "said" spelled like that? I have no idea. And maybe it's just me, but I'm pretty much incapable of saying "was" the way it is spelled.
I found him two or three times this weekend sitting quietly (!) reading a comic book for beginning readers. He even got to stay up 10 minutes after we read last night so that he could read. He's on Chapter 3 and I think he's getting most of it. Every now and then he spells things out for me, but most of it he figures out on his own.
Which leads me to our dinner out Saturday evening. They brought a children's menu for him and he insisted on reading it to himself with no outside help or interference. The one word that stumped him was "quesadilla." He saw no reason for it to be spelled that way. Why doesn't it have a "k" at the beginning or sound like the "qu" in quack? Again, I have no idea. Alex narrowed down his choice by playing several rounds of eenie-meenie-minie-mo. (It wouldn't have taken so many but the first one chose Pasta Marinara and he wanted no part of red sauce.) When the waitress arrived she asked what he had decided on.
Alex: "I'd like a cheese quesadilla."
Waitress: "That will be good."
Alex: "Quesadilla with a Q, not a K."
Waitress: "O-kay."
I'll give her that, she took it in stride. His quesadilla with a Q was very good, even though I think it's weird to have a side of fries with it. And tomorrow begins a new week of learning possibilities!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
All I Needed to Know...I DID NOT Learn in School
Alex's first month of school has passed fairly smoothly. He's in the same multi-age class as last year, with the same teachers and many of the same kids. (The kindergartners are new but most of the first graders were together last year.) We knew a few of the younger friends already so that helped even more. I'm happy that the three teachers know Alex and all of his many quirks - it cut down on the learning curve tremendously.
The teachers explained to the first graders that now they were the older friends and with seniority came responsibility. (It cracks me up that first graders are the older, more seasoned mentors; at least it did until I saw some kindergartners at After School Care. They look so tiny and young! I can't believe that was Alex just a year ago.) The older friends are teaching the younger friends class songs, the rules and where things are in the school. The teachers told them that they were to set the example and that they would have to follow the rules more carefully since they already knew them. You could almost see Alex's chest swell out with pride as he talked about helping the "younger friends".
Four weeks in and things are going well. He's only been denied a star on his card at After School Care one day. When I asked the counselor what happened, she consulted the log book and reported that he bothered a girl. That seemed vague, so I asked Alex about it. Of course, he had a much more detailed tale. Alex, Augustus, Jack and Patricia were playing some sort of zombie-princess-medieval game. (The point of things was unclear, even for the players apparently.) Augustus was the king, Jack was a prince and Patricia was the princess. Alex couldn't remember if he was a zombie or a troll. Either way, he was attacking the princess and the others were defending her from the monster. Patricia seemed to be a willing participant but something went awry and the authorities entered the fray. It's possible that Patricia just looks too sweet to be voluntarily involved in something like this. Alex didn't seem worried and it hasn't happened again. I've got my fingers crossed.
A couple of weeks in, homework started. I have to say, first grade homework is much harder than kindergarten homework. I may be totally out of my depth before elementary school is over, if it continues at this pace. There are usually 3 tasks for homework: take-home readers, spelling words and math. Take-home readers are small books that Alex works on at school as well and he usually zips right through them. He's doing much better with his reading, especially when he takes his time and actually reads what's there instead of guessing what it should be.
Spelling words? No problem. The first two sets have been so easy that he's spelled them correctly the first day. (I do expect them to get harder.) He had his first spelling test last Friday. I didn't think to discuss what that would be like ahead of time. He seemed surprised that his teacher only asked them to write the words down once. He thought that was a piece of cake. I guess he expected something more demanding - writing the words two or three times, a speed round - I'm not sure. The only thing he had trouble with was getting his b's and d's backwards.
Math homework? Also not a problem, at least for Alex. I was flummoxed on the very first night. I couldn't even get my head wrapped around what the questions meant. When I read them aloud with Alex he said he knew just what to do. I'm so glad because I was terribly unhelpful. In high school Algebra 2 I Ms. Gleason made me promise that I would never again voluntarily attend a math class. (The idea was not to torture another teacher or myself but I had never voluntarily attended any math class BEFORE the 11th grade! They were all attended under duress.) After the first night I did okay. Then came this week's homework. It involved polygons. What?! What are polygons? I asked Alex, and he replied, "You should know this stuff," a little smugly I might add. That's just wonderful. Art said it was a many-sided shape but that I could look it up if it made me feel better. I decided not to do so. My head's already too full of stuff to try to jam in geometry trivia. Last night Alex drew lines of symmetry to make two equal halves of shapes. I'm pretty sure I didn't do that in the first grade. I don't know if I even did that in high school geometry - probably not.
Our other challenge this month has been sitting still. The summer break was so long because of school constructions and I think it's been difficult for everyone to get back into their routine and sit calmly. When I picked up Alex yesterday, his teacher was parked next to me and came over to talk. First she told me that Alex was supposed to explain polygons to me, which he did. Then she mentioned that Alex had trouble sitting during instruction time and that she'd told him she might have to sit on him. I told her we'd talk about it at home. As we drove out I told him he had to work on it, or he might get sat on.
Alex: "I think that's just a saying."
Me: "Really?"
Alex: "Yeah, if she meant it she'd have done it by now."
I guess he's heard this before. That guess was confirmed later in the evening when he mentioned gym class. He liked the game they played then mentioned in passing that their teacher took them down to the gym for class and told the P.E. teacher to run some of Alex's energy out. Maybe we should keep him awake longer at night! So 17 days down, 163 to go. Keep your fingers crossed.
LATE BREAKING NEWS: I should have known that everything I wrote this afternoon was going to jinx the kid. Today was his the first "3rd Anthill" day of the year. At least it took almost a three weeks of school. Alex reportedly talked during instruction time, didn't sing when he was supposed to and talked back to the teacher. He said that the talking back was when the teacher asked if he knew what his third strike meant, and he said, "Yeah, the third anthill." I'm guessing the tone was the problem, not the words. Tonight was no TV or computer time. I made him walk with me, too, which he considers torture. Well, tomorrow is another day.
The teachers explained to the first graders that now they were the older friends and with seniority came responsibility. (It cracks me up that first graders are the older, more seasoned mentors; at least it did until I saw some kindergartners at After School Care. They look so tiny and young! I can't believe that was Alex just a year ago.) The older friends are teaching the younger friends class songs, the rules and where things are in the school. The teachers told them that they were to set the example and that they would have to follow the rules more carefully since they already knew them. You could almost see Alex's chest swell out with pride as he talked about helping the "younger friends".
Four weeks in and things are going well. He's only been denied a star on his card at After School Care one day. When I asked the counselor what happened, she consulted the log book and reported that he bothered a girl. That seemed vague, so I asked Alex about it. Of course, he had a much more detailed tale. Alex, Augustus, Jack and Patricia were playing some sort of zombie-princess-medieval game. (The point of things was unclear, even for the players apparently.) Augustus was the king, Jack was a prince and Patricia was the princess. Alex couldn't remember if he was a zombie or a troll. Either way, he was attacking the princess and the others were defending her from the monster. Patricia seemed to be a willing participant but something went awry and the authorities entered the fray. It's possible that Patricia just looks too sweet to be voluntarily involved in something like this. Alex didn't seem worried and it hasn't happened again. I've got my fingers crossed.
A couple of weeks in, homework started. I have to say, first grade homework is much harder than kindergarten homework. I may be totally out of my depth before elementary school is over, if it continues at this pace. There are usually 3 tasks for homework: take-home readers, spelling words and math. Take-home readers are small books that Alex works on at school as well and he usually zips right through them. He's doing much better with his reading, especially when he takes his time and actually reads what's there instead of guessing what it should be.
Spelling words? No problem. The first two sets have been so easy that he's spelled them correctly the first day. (I do expect them to get harder.) He had his first spelling test last Friday. I didn't think to discuss what that would be like ahead of time. He seemed surprised that his teacher only asked them to write the words down once. He thought that was a piece of cake. I guess he expected something more demanding - writing the words two or three times, a speed round - I'm not sure. The only thing he had trouble with was getting his b's and d's backwards.
Math homework? Also not a problem, at least for Alex. I was flummoxed on the very first night. I couldn't even get my head wrapped around what the questions meant. When I read them aloud with Alex he said he knew just what to do. I'm so glad because I was terribly unhelpful. In high school Algebra 2 I Ms. Gleason made me promise that I would never again voluntarily attend a math class. (The idea was not to torture another teacher or myself but I had never voluntarily attended any math class BEFORE the 11th grade! They were all attended under duress.) After the first night I did okay. Then came this week's homework. It involved polygons. What?! What are polygons? I asked Alex, and he replied, "You should know this stuff," a little smugly I might add. That's just wonderful. Art said it was a many-sided shape but that I could look it up if it made me feel better. I decided not to do so. My head's already too full of stuff to try to jam in geometry trivia. Last night Alex drew lines of symmetry to make two equal halves of shapes. I'm pretty sure I didn't do that in the first grade. I don't know if I even did that in high school geometry - probably not.
Our other challenge this month has been sitting still. The summer break was so long because of school constructions and I think it's been difficult for everyone to get back into their routine and sit calmly. When I picked up Alex yesterday, his teacher was parked next to me and came over to talk. First she told me that Alex was supposed to explain polygons to me, which he did. Then she mentioned that Alex had trouble sitting during instruction time and that she'd told him she might have to sit on him. I told her we'd talk about it at home. As we drove out I told him he had to work on it, or he might get sat on.
Alex: "I think that's just a saying."
Me: "Really?"
Alex: "Yeah, if she meant it she'd have done it by now."
I guess he's heard this before. That guess was confirmed later in the evening when he mentioned gym class. He liked the game they played then mentioned in passing that their teacher took them down to the gym for class and told the P.E. teacher to run some of Alex's energy out. Maybe we should keep him awake longer at night! So 17 days down, 163 to go. Keep your fingers crossed.
LATE BREAKING NEWS: I should have known that everything I wrote this afternoon was going to jinx the kid. Today was his the first "3rd Anthill" day of the year. At least it took almost a three weeks of school. Alex reportedly talked during instruction time, didn't sing when he was supposed to and talked back to the teacher. He said that the talking back was when the teacher asked if he knew what his third strike meant, and he said, "Yeah, the third anthill." I'm guessing the tone was the problem, not the words. Tonight was no TV or computer time. I made him walk with me, too, which he considers torture. Well, tomorrow is another day.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Things I Don't Need in the Morning
I'm trying to get dressed this morning and looking for the earrings that go with what I'm wearing. As I'm ransacking the tangle of earrings, I see the bathroom light go on, and hear water running. Hmmm. Alex has eaten and is dressed. His face and hands are washed, his teeth are brushed.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm just seeing if these are REALLY waterproof!"
Thankfully, "they" turned out to be plastic-y Uno cards, thus the name "Uno H2O" cards. And, they are indeed waterproof. I'm all for scientific investigation but not before 8 a.m., and not in my bathroom, please.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm just seeing if these are REALLY waterproof!"
Thankfully, "they" turned out to be plastic-y Uno cards, thus the name "Uno H2O" cards. And, they are indeed waterproof. I'm all for scientific investigation but not before 8 a.m., and not in my bathroom, please.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Mother's Little Helper
Mid-afternoon I was working on my canning adventure (more on that later) and I had a question for Art.
Me: "Alex, is Dad asleep?" (At last sighting he was sprawled in a chair).
Alex: "Yeah, but I can make him not asleep if you want me to!"
Me: "Alex, is Dad asleep?" (At last sighting he was sprawled in a chair).
Alex: "Yeah, but I can make him not asleep if you want me to!"
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Werewolves, Bigfoot and Vampires
Okay, here's an argument at our house: does Bigfoot exist? Depends on which member of the household you ask. Not mentioning any names, but the senior member of the family is outvoted 2 to 1 on this question. Alex is as skeptical as I am if you're talking about Sasquatch. It is an altogether different case if you bring up the Loch Ness monster. Alex is a die-hard Nessie fan. I can let that slide on the off chance that I might get to go to Scotland on a fact-finding mission.
Alex is a fan, in general, of all sorts of creatures. His favorite Abbott & Costello movies are the ones that include the Wolfman, Mummy, Frankenstein or the Invisible Man. (Yes, I know that it should be Frankenstein's monster but Abbott & Costello are not correct there, or in many other places.) So, I should have expected it a few nights ago when he showed me a scratch on his knee. "Mom, I have to tell you something. Last night I got scratched by a werewolf."
"Oh, no, are you going to be a werewolf?" "Yes, at the next full moon." He then demonstrated how he would snarl and growl, and asked me when the next full moon was. I have no idea. Since he doesn't stay up after dark, we may be safe. At least until he's older and his bedtime is later.
On the subject of vampires, I have a deep, dark secret. Okay, probably not as deep or dark as I would hope. I am a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan. The TV series, not the movie. (The movie has its moments, especially those with Donald Sutherland in it, but it is not nearly as successfully entertaining as the TV show.) I can probably tell you the plot of most episodes by watching the first 5 minutes. Most likely, I can quote at least one line of dialogue from each one as well. A few weeks ago, Nickelodeon's teen channel started running Buffy at midnight each night. Alex saw some of the ads during the afternoon while watching his beloved Drake & Josh. (I am not nearly so proud to say that I also know the plots of every episode of Drake & Josh. Sometimes I make Alex change the channel when I've reached my lifetime quota of viewings for an episode.) Alex mentioned in passing that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was cool. I agreed. Then he asked who "Rex" was on the show. "Rex?" "Yeah, Rex." Now in seven seasons of Buffy I do not recall a character named Rex. I wracked my brain for minor characters, guest stars or villains that could have been Rex. Nothing. I had no idea.
Finally, last night we were watching Drake & Josh yet again, and the Buffy commercial came on again. The tagline asked what was more difficult - high school, fighting vampires or facing her ex. On that last part it showed her talking and fighting with Angel (played by David Boreanaz). Alex looked at me and said, "That's Rex." No, it's not, his name is Angel. Ohhhhh, "her ex," "Rex," NOW I get it. The kid hears as well as I do!
He almost got in trouble over my faulty hearing yesterday. On the way back from swimming lessons we had the car windows and roof open to help him dry off without freezing in the A/C. The radio was on, too, when he announced (I thought) that "Girls were dumb." WHAT?! We do not talk about people that way, much less girls as a whole! I was just getting wound up when he added, "They're not people, they're animals." I was about to stop the car on the side of the road so that I could yell at him more effectively when he said, "I said TURTLES, not GIRLS!" Well, that's a different kettle of fish altogether. Carry on. But we don't know that turtles are dumb either! We don't want to be species-ists.
To close, I'll try to put beach pictures up over the long weekend. We got some good ones. Here's is one showing how we spent Father's Day.
Alex is a fan, in general, of all sorts of creatures. His favorite Abbott & Costello movies are the ones that include the Wolfman, Mummy, Frankenstein or the Invisible Man. (Yes, I know that it should be Frankenstein's monster but Abbott & Costello are not correct there, or in many other places.) So, I should have expected it a few nights ago when he showed me a scratch on his knee. "Mom, I have to tell you something. Last night I got scratched by a werewolf."
"Oh, no, are you going to be a werewolf?" "Yes, at the next full moon." He then demonstrated how he would snarl and growl, and asked me when the next full moon was. I have no idea. Since he doesn't stay up after dark, we may be safe. At least until he's older and his bedtime is later.
On the subject of vampires, I have a deep, dark secret. Okay, probably not as deep or dark as I would hope. I am a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan. The TV series, not the movie. (The movie has its moments, especially those with Donald Sutherland in it, but it is not nearly as successfully entertaining as the TV show.) I can probably tell you the plot of most episodes by watching the first 5 minutes. Most likely, I can quote at least one line of dialogue from each one as well. A few weeks ago, Nickelodeon's teen channel started running Buffy at midnight each night. Alex saw some of the ads during the afternoon while watching his beloved Drake & Josh. (I am not nearly so proud to say that I also know the plots of every episode of Drake & Josh. Sometimes I make Alex change the channel when I've reached my lifetime quota of viewings for an episode.) Alex mentioned in passing that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was cool. I agreed. Then he asked who "Rex" was on the show. "Rex?" "Yeah, Rex." Now in seven seasons of Buffy I do not recall a character named Rex. I wracked my brain for minor characters, guest stars or villains that could have been Rex. Nothing. I had no idea.
Finally, last night we were watching Drake & Josh yet again, and the Buffy commercial came on again. The tagline asked what was more difficult - high school, fighting vampires or facing her ex. On that last part it showed her talking and fighting with Angel (played by David Boreanaz). Alex looked at me and said, "That's Rex." No, it's not, his name is Angel. Ohhhhh, "her ex," "Rex," NOW I get it. The kid hears as well as I do!
He almost got in trouble over my faulty hearing yesterday. On the way back from swimming lessons we had the car windows and roof open to help him dry off without freezing in the A/C. The radio was on, too, when he announced (I thought) that "Girls were dumb." WHAT?! We do not talk about people that way, much less girls as a whole! I was just getting wound up when he added, "They're not people, they're animals." I was about to stop the car on the side of the road so that I could yell at him more effectively when he said, "I said TURTLES, not GIRLS!" Well, that's a different kettle of fish altogether. Carry on. But we don't know that turtles are dumb either! We don't want to be species-ists.
To close, I'll try to put beach pictures up over the long weekend. We got some good ones. Here's is one showing how we spent Father's Day.
This is my brother Brad, my Dad and Alex at the bar at Lulu's at Homeport Marina. It's an open restaurant but there were lots of fans and we sat on the water. When they brought the appetizers, Alex dug into Mimi's onion rings as Art and I stared in amazement. He said, "What? I eat these all the time." Huh? I missed that memo. We'd never seen him put an onion in his mouth. So two vegetable triumphs this summer: carrots and onions, at least the deep fried kind.
Friday, June 17, 2011
NOT Old Enough to Know Better
Last week Alex and I were in The Beaded Tiger to get a couple of bracelets that I'd broken fixed. Everyone who works there is remarkably tolerant of the million or so questions Alex asks about the beads, the tools, what they are doing and everything else he can think of. At one point he asked the very nice lady rebuilding my bracelet, "How old are you?" Before I could say anything she said, "Old enough to know better." Alex considered that for a moment, then she asked him, "Alex, how old are you?" He immediately answered, "NOT old enough to know better!" Isn't that the truth!
Which brings us to the other little incident from last week. As Art went to get him out of the tub, there was a thump, splash and yelling from both of the guys. I went in to see what the problem was. Alex was out of the tub, Art was fussing at him and most everything was wet. What happened? Art walked in to find Alex going up into a handstand IN THE TUB. Yes, there was water in the tub, and no, it doesn't help that he had goggles on. He apparently was on his hands and knees, lowering his face into the water to look with his goggles. That gave him the notion to just kick his legs on over into a handstand. More fussing was done. Alex's theory that you can't drown in three inches of water was refuted, more or less scientifically. Case in point: NOT old enough to know better!
Which brings us to the other little incident from last week. As Art went to get him out of the tub, there was a thump, splash and yelling from both of the guys. I went in to see what the problem was. Alex was out of the tub, Art was fussing at him and most everything was wet. What happened? Art walked in to find Alex going up into a handstand IN THE TUB. Yes, there was water in the tub, and no, it doesn't help that he had goggles on. He apparently was on his hands and knees, lowering his face into the water to look with his goggles. That gave him the notion to just kick his legs on over into a handstand. More fussing was done. Alex's theory that you can't drown in three inches of water was refuted, more or less scientifically. Case in point: NOT old enough to know better!
Butterfingers
At the end of school Alex's multi-age class had a "Family Feast and Awards Program" extravaganza. Ten minutes before it started we told Alex that it was time to go. "But I'm supposed to dress up. I need to wear church clothes! And a tie!" After fussing at him for not saying anything sooner, we ironed his white dress shirt, found his red and black tie and matching socks, church shoes that fit (sort of) and headed out the door. He doesn't have a black belt, so we left his shirt untucked.
When we got there, just five minutes late, I told his teachers about his dress code. They all laughed. As I suspected, they did not issue a dress code for the performance. The kids asked what to wear and they just told them to dress nice. When a few of the clothes-horses asked "church nice?" the teachers said that was fine. His teacher told me that Alex then said that he usually wore a tie to church. For the record there were three boys in ties for the evening. Alex's friend Ian had on shorts, a dress shirt and tie, and his buddy Jamie wore shorts, a plaid shirt and one of his dad's ties with a map of the world on it. They all looked good. Especially when they rocked out to the musical portion of the program.
A high point of the evening was the class's rendition of "We Are Family." They modified the lyrics to include "in a multi-age ant colony." (Ants are their theme.) Many pictures and videos were taken. Each of the family groups (8 groups made up of 5 children with a mix of kindergarten and first graders) sang a song. They were very cute and did a great job. After that, there were the awards.
Each child got a candy award - Snickers for a child that's funny, Peanut M&M's for someone "small, sweet and a little nutty," etc. Alex got the Butterfingers award for breaking the most things accidentally. On the way home Art asked him about breaking things. He said, "Son, you don't break that much at home, why do you at school?" Alex replied, "Well, they have a lot more stuff." I tried not to laugh. Art said that wasn't a very good reason, to which Alex answered, "It's SCHOOL property, Dad." I guess Art shouldn't worry as long as it's not OUR stuff.
It was a late night, and Alex didn't get in bed with the lights off until after 9. It was rough getting him up the next morning. He wasn't unhappy about it; he just didn't see a need to go to school anymore. He thought the program wrapped it all up nicely, and they should be done now. I kind of agreed. Art said he didn't particularly want to go to work, either. In the end everyone agreed that we had to go whether we wanted to or not. Alex was persuaded to go (at least for that day) because he wanted to get people to sign his yearbook.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Symbolism?
Alex is very into "elements" and "symbols". I think it's due to the cartoons he watches - elements from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and symbols from superhero stuff. This morning before school he brought me a piece of paper with "his symbols" on it. It had four line drawings starting with a heart on top, a swirl below it, then a lightning bolt and finally, a star. Catchy little logo, I thought, maybe he's going to be artistic like his Uncle Brad.
"Do you know what they stand for, Mom?" Um, no. What? "Love, mind control, power and plans." I was pretty much speechless with that bit of news. Mind control? Really? What kind of TV is Art letting him watch? I thought America's Funniest Home Videos was the worst. Now the child is plotting world domination through mind control. I'm just hoping he remembers his good ol' mom when he's a global tyrant.
Speaking of which, I went to an elegant and lovely Mother's Day Tea at the school on Friday. The children sang "What a Wonderful World" for us, told us one at a time why their mom was special, then served us lemonade and cookies. They weren't even allowed to eat until the moms were gone. (And I thought they showed particular good grace in not rushing us out the door.) I'll try to figure out how to post the video here. I got the camera for Christmas but haven't investigated how to get the movies out of the camera. It was impressive. They did a bang up job with the table settings. Lots of pink and flowers were in evidence. Each place had a decorated frame with your child's picture, a card with a poem composed in your honor and a gift they made in art. (I got a necklace made of clay and it matched what I was wearing.)
Speaking of what I wore, the night before, teasing Alex, I asked what I should wear for the tea. Alex thought for a minute. "Prettier, but it's not the prom." So, something between business casual and semi-formal? I went with my floral Easter dress and a cardigan. He was fine with that. He thought I should have a corsage but I explained with my allergies it might just kill me. Thankfully, he dropped the idea.
"Do you know what they stand for, Mom?" Um, no. What? "Love, mind control, power and plans." I was pretty much speechless with that bit of news. Mind control? Really? What kind of TV is Art letting him watch? I thought America's Funniest Home Videos was the worst. Now the child is plotting world domination through mind control. I'm just hoping he remembers his good ol' mom when he's a global tyrant.
Speaking of which, I went to an elegant and lovely Mother's Day Tea at the school on Friday. The children sang "What a Wonderful World" for us, told us one at a time why their mom was special, then served us lemonade and cookies. They weren't even allowed to eat until the moms were gone. (And I thought they showed particular good grace in not rushing us out the door.) I'll try to figure out how to post the video here. I got the camera for Christmas but haven't investigated how to get the movies out of the camera. It was impressive. They did a bang up job with the table settings. Lots of pink and flowers were in evidence. Each place had a decorated frame with your child's picture, a card with a poem composed in your honor and a gift they made in art. (I got a necklace made of clay and it matched what I was wearing.)
Speaking of what I wore, the night before, teasing Alex, I asked what I should wear for the tea. Alex thought for a minute. "Prettier, but it's not the prom." So, something between business casual and semi-formal? I went with my floral Easter dress and a cardigan. He was fine with that. He thought I should have a corsage but I explained with my allergies it might just kill me. Thankfully, he dropped the idea.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Chef Crabby
One day during Spring Break Alex and I went to Greenville to the Children's Museum. It was great, but crowded. He loves that place. We also went to the art museum next door. Less love from Alex, but I found out that he has a deep affinity for modern art. Alas, they do not let you touch the artwork. They were very definite about it, too. Especially Lee Krasnick's, even if you must find out how the big glops of paint feel. And, they made me carry the paper kite he made at the Children's Museum. Apparently he did not look trustworthy with a kite in that wide open exhibit space.
On the way home in traffic we pulled up behind an SUV with a news crew inside. I pointed it out to Alex. He demanded that I pull up beside them so we could see who it was. After several blocks we were next to them. I did not puposely chase them down, I swear. Disappointingly, the driver was not a recognizable celebrity. He was in a t-shirt and baseball hat. I told Alex that he must be a cameraman or something. From the back seat, with a big sigh, he said, "Oh, I see like 15 camerman every day." Really? "Yeah, down in my secret lair. Crabby has a cooking show."
So not only is there a secret lair below our house (oops - let that cat out of the bag!) with a top-secret science lab, his invisible crab is also filming cooking shows there. My life is even stranger than I knew! I suppose this is a natural progression for Crabby since he was such a stellar Subway employee last year. Perhaps that inspired him to continue in the culinary arts. Now if I could only get him to cook dinner for us. Maybe if we went vegetarian?
On the way home in traffic we pulled up behind an SUV with a news crew inside. I pointed it out to Alex. He demanded that I pull up beside them so we could see who it was. After several blocks we were next to them. I did not puposely chase them down, I swear. Disappointingly, the driver was not a recognizable celebrity. He was in a t-shirt and baseball hat. I told Alex that he must be a cameraman or something. From the back seat, with a big sigh, he said, "Oh, I see like 15 camerman every day." Really? "Yeah, down in my secret lair. Crabby has a cooking show."
So not only is there a secret lair below our house (oops - let that cat out of the bag!) with a top-secret science lab, his invisible crab is also filming cooking shows there. My life is even stranger than I knew! I suppose this is a natural progression for Crabby since he was such a stellar Subway employee last year. Perhaps that inspired him to continue in the culinary arts. Now if I could only get him to cook dinner for us. Maybe if we went vegetarian?
Worldwide Pants
As we walked into the house Saturday afternoon I mentioned that there was something on his pants. From there the conversation went into overdrive:
Alex: I wish I didn't have to wear pants.
Me: But then everyone would see your underpants.
Alex: But if EVERYONE didn't wear pants ...
Me: Oh.
Alex: Revenge, Earth, revenge!
This last was uttered in the style of a Shakespearean actor, complete with fist shaking at the sky. He then went on to say that the Earth (the planet itself) should have to wear pants to see how it felt. Then, he mused that Earth pants might trap all the people who lived underneath them. Poor pants people. Perhaps it would just be the southern hemisphere.
Alex: I wish I didn't have to wear pants.
Me: But then everyone would see your underpants.
Alex: But if EVERYONE didn't wear pants ...
Me: Oh.
Alex: Revenge, Earth, revenge!
This last was uttered in the style of a Shakespearean actor, complete with fist shaking at the sky. He then went on to say that the Earth (the planet itself) should have to wear pants to see how it felt. Then, he mused that Earth pants might trap all the people who lived underneath them. Poor pants people. Perhaps it would just be the southern hemisphere.
Whistler's Mother
Alex has been trying to whistle for months. His younger cousin Will learned how a couple of months ago and Alex was horrified that a 4-year-old could do it when he couldn't. He solicited advice from Papa, who taught Will. That helped some. I wasn't much help. I could show him how I did it, but couldn't really explain it to him. Somehow on his own at school he managed to pick it up. That was about a month ago.
I now hear whistling in my sleep. Literally! He sometimes whistles when he wakes up in the wee hours (5:47 a.m. recently). He is whistling at this very moment while I type and while he is home sick [written 5/2/11] on the couch, between sips of water and nibbles of crackers. He whistles at people, birds, dogs and anything else he can think of. Occasionally he whistles to answer questions. I think I've broken him of that - I explained (okay, not very calmly)that we humans can't understand whistles and we must SPEAK to each other.
I blame Star Wars. Specifically, R2D2.
I now hear whistling in my sleep. Literally! He sometimes whistles when he wakes up in the wee hours (5:47 a.m. recently). He is whistling at this very moment while I type and while he is home sick [written 5/2/11] on the couch, between sips of water and nibbles of crackers. He whistles at people, birds, dogs and anything else he can think of. Occasionally he whistles to answer questions. I think I've broken him of that - I explained (okay, not very calmly)that we humans can't understand whistles and we must SPEAK to each other.
I blame Star Wars. Specifically, R2D2.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Confidence Man
You might think, from this picture, that Alex dressed himself for school today. You would be right. While I was in the shower and Art was making breakfast, Alex ransacked his dresser drawers until he found this hand-me-down Clemson jersey. We even had words about my requirement that he wear a t-shirt underneath it. Art cut that one off at the pass by mentioning that football players wear t-shirts (and shoulder pads) under their jerseys. A light appeared in Alex's eyes. "Mom, do you have any shoulder pads I can borrow?" No! I had this horrible vision of the damage he'd do, barreling down the halls of the elementary school, mowing down any haplessly slow pedestrians. Some days I wish I had half the confidence Alex has almost all of the time. He's had a couple of rough days this week. Tuesday I got a phone call from the assistant principal. You just know this is not going to be a friendly call. (Note to school: why can't you make daily random phone calls to parents just to tell them how well their kid behaved that day?) With a heavy heart I picked up the line that Kitty transferred to me. On the up side, I got to chat with the assistant principal. She and I had never talked before, I usually speak to the principal.
Apparently in the line to leave the classroom for the day, there was an eye-poking incident. Doesn't that sound horrible? The other boy was crying and had to go to the nurse to be looked at before he left. I wanted to hide under my desk. It's a big L-shaped desk and I'm pretty sure I could be comfortable in the back corner for a while, especially with provisions, and maybe a TV. Since school was already out, Alex was sent on to After School Care with a warning from the assistant principal. I didn't have to come get him early, I just needed to discuss things with him.
When I walked in the school to get him, the college student at the desk told me Alex didn't get a star for something that had happened that afternoon. "What the heck did he do now?!" Turns out that they had also intervened in the eye-poking situation, so at least there was only one black mark on his file for the day. Alex came walking up the hall, and when he saw me he threw his hands up in surrender (at least I like to think that's what it was), and said, "I can explain!" His side of the story included a demonstration of a Robert DeNiro/Meet the Parents-style "I'm watching you" motion with his fingers in a V. Add to that two bouncing little boys ready for dismissal and the poor kid got a finger to the eye. Mind you, I am not excusing Alex in this scenario. But I was terribly grateful that it seemed to be an accident. A boneheaded, unfortunate accident. Alex lost privileges for a few days and got a stern warning from both parents. He has apologized to the other child, several times. Here are the reasons I think he is telling the truth about it being an accident:
1) The other child - I've never heard Alex express dislike or animosity towards him. They seem to play well together and Alex's teacher says the boy is also energetic. 2) "I can explain" - I'm pretty sure if it wasn't an accident, I would have been greeted with tears and a litany of the horrors that Alex had suffered before the final straw and poking.
3) The demonstration he gave where he acted out the whole situation. It seemed reasonable. I'm a little concerned about his depth perception, though.
So, yesterday, we set off to school. Audio from the ride to school:
children's music on the radio
"Keep your hands to yourself today!"
"OK."
"Calm down."
"OK."
"Don't be wild."
"OK."
more music
The assistant principal kept him in from recess for the day as punishment. I think he handled it well. He made it through the entire day until I showed up to get him. Of course.
I signed him out at the desk. As I looked up the hall one of the minders was talking intensely to Alex, Augustus and a boy a year older than them. Alex was red-faced and shedding a few tears. Now, this, THIS was a situation where he shared some blame. I could tell that from 20 yards. What I pieced together then and over the next hour, using my new found skills as an Inquisition interrogator, was that this was a continuation of a disagreement that began earlier in the game room. The other boy went to the same preschool as Alex and Augustus and there had been some difficulty when they were younger. He's a big, rambunctious kid and the younger ones didn't like to play with him.
So, Alex finds himself across the table from the boy while they were playing with Legos, board games, something that's supposed to be fairly innocuous. And for no reason at all, just something eating at Alex found its way out of his mouth, "I don't like you!" No justification whatsoever. The other boy grabs him and won't let go until Alex hit and kicked him. The teachers saw it all, and separated them, sending the older boy out of the room. Which seemed to help, until they called Alex to the front when I got there. Of course, he intercepts the boy in the hallway. No adults saw what happened, and Alex refused to make a statement at the time. I made sure the boy was okay and took Alex outside.
Thus began the third degree. By the time we got home Alex professed no memory of the events in the hallway. "I can't remember!" I told him if he couldn't remember what happened 20 minutes ago, we were headed to the pediatrician tomorrow to get a detailed examination to see what was the matter. (Sorry, Dr. Draisen, I was desperate.) What he finally admitted was that when he saw the boy in the hall, he repeated his feelings about him, and blows were exchanged. Not sure who landed the first one or if either of them were solid or not. They keep the kids under tight supervision so they were seen before anything else happened. Which led to the object lessons (and lecture) for the evening.
Here goes: There are people out there that we don't like. This does not mean that we have to tell them that, especially to their face, for no reason. We have to work with others even if we don't want to do so. Also, just because it pops into our head, it does not mean it has to come out of our mouth. I went on in this vein for some time.
I'm not sure if it helped but we did see the kid this afternoon when I picked Alex up and there was a "cut direct," Alex acted like he didn't see him, and he sure didn't say anything to him. Probably not the best reaction, but I'll take it over "I don't like you" and fisticuffs any day.
It's almost the weekend. Tomorrow is Friday, thank goodness. Maybe spring fever will die down and spring break will cure some of the wildness running through the school halls. I'm looking forward to Saturday morning. Four of us are going to downtown Greenville for a photo scavenger hunt. It's a benefit for Let There Be Mom, a great organization that helps terminally ill mothers make mementos like scrapbooks, videos, etc., for their families. I hope it doesn't rain. We are a slacker team and certainly not all-weather. When I told Alex that I would be out with some friends for the morning, he said, "You have FRIENDS?" Sigh.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Signs of Spring
Are you looking for a definitive sign of Spring? Well, as someone who shares a house with a 6-year-old boy, I can give you one: dirt in the bathtub. I don't mean a dirty bathtub, as in it needs cleaning. (I'd probably qualify.) I mean when certain short people start wearing Crocs again in warm weather. And playing outdoors in said Crocs. And semi-permanently staining their feet the color of red dirt. And the fun part about Crocs? They allow you to bring the dirt, twigs, leaves and assorted detritus inside with you. Alex took a bath last night and when I went to take one this morning, I swiftly decided a shower was the way to go. At least until I have a chance to clean the tub.
As I did laundry this weekend, I found another point to ponder. Art handles bathtime so I've rarely seen this phenemonon in action. How DOES one remove their pants, underwear and socks all together, at the same time? Alex apparently can do it consistently, not just as a one-off occurrence, because there were several days' worth of his wardrobe arranged just so. Yet he cannot tie his shoes. Hmmmm.
When I picked Alex up from After School Care Friday he was in the art room, one of his favorite places there. I think they have a line of credit with Oriental Trading because he rarely comes home without some sort of thing he has put together, decorated, glued, etc. Friday they'd decorated small pillows and stuffed them with cotton balls. There was also a plastic pocket on the pillow case where you could put in a picture. Alex had written his name for that space and decorated the pillow case itself with writing he called "Chinese characters." (Genealogy note: he claims have Chinese and Indian heritage. Art says if he doesn't mean Cherokee, he is not correct. I'm staying out of it.)
The caretakers/jailkeepers called Alex out over the speakers to let him know I was there. That's when he walked out in front of me, several school employees and parents - with the pillow stuffed under his shirt, announcing in a loud voice (with a Scarlett O'Hara accent)- "Ah'm having a BAY-BEE!" At least it was Friday. I made him demonstrate the performance for Art as well. As for Chinese characters, it just reminded me of that old Chinese proverb and curse: May you always live in interesting times.
As I did laundry this weekend, I found another point to ponder. Art handles bathtime so I've rarely seen this phenemonon in action. How DOES one remove their pants, underwear and socks all together, at the same time? Alex apparently can do it consistently, not just as a one-off occurrence, because there were several days' worth of his wardrobe arranged just so. Yet he cannot tie his shoes. Hmmmm.
When I picked Alex up from After School Care Friday he was in the art room, one of his favorite places there. I think they have a line of credit with Oriental Trading because he rarely comes home without some sort of thing he has put together, decorated, glued, etc. Friday they'd decorated small pillows and stuffed them with cotton balls. There was also a plastic pocket on the pillow case where you could put in a picture. Alex had written his name for that space and decorated the pillow case itself with writing he called "Chinese characters." (Genealogy note: he claims have Chinese and Indian heritage. Art says if he doesn't mean Cherokee, he is not correct. I'm staying out of it.)
The caretakers/jailkeepers called Alex out over the speakers to let him know I was there. That's when he walked out in front of me, several school employees and parents - with the pillow stuffed under his shirt, announcing in a loud voice (with a Scarlett O'Hara accent)- "Ah'm having a BAY-BEE!" At least it was Friday. I made him demonstrate the performance for Art as well. As for Chinese characters, it just reminded me of that old Chinese proverb and curse: May you always live in interesting times.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Yakety-Yak & Tooth Fairy Feedback
Shocker: Alex got in trouble for talking too much at school yesterday. (I know, this is hard to believe.) He "pulled" two ants for talking but didn't get to the dreaded third anthill. However, it was bad enough that he was made to eat lunch by himself as punishment. I tried to play this up:
Me: "Oh, I bet it was no fun to eat all alone without your friends."
(I was kind of feeling sorry for him.)
Alex: "It was great - I got a whole table to myself!"
Our little optimist - a real glass-half-full kind of guy.
Art figures it defeated the purpose by, essentially, giving him a stage for the whole cafeteria to watch him. Apparently he did better today. He claims that his teacher said, and I quote, that "he did pretty more better today." (Doesn't really sound like her but he didn't bring a note home, at least.)
He's not admitting to any more loose teeth these days. I think there's at least one more that is loose but it must not be very loose. The new tooth is coming in nicely and moving into the right space. I was worried there for a little while.
In an impromptu neighborhood moms and moms-to-be meeting last week I told two of our neighbors about our tooth travails. Raquel happens to be from Spain, and I asked her if they had the tooth fairy. She confirmed that they did. "Wait, is it the tooth FAIRY?" Well, no, it is a mouse named "El Ratoncito Perez." We should have gone next door for our information. That first toothless night would have been a lot easier! Leslie mentioned that the tooth fairy at her house once had an unfortunate incident in the night, accidentally leaving $20 instead of $1 because of poor lighting.
Of course, all bets are off when Alex loses his second tooth. We checked "Throw Your Tooth on the Roof" out of the school library so we could do some research here at home. Then I just ordered our own copy online. Surprisingly mice and other creatures play a large part in global tooth disposal. Next time, Alex says he's going to throw his tooth. He also considered wrapping it in bread and feeding it to a dog. I told him the neighbors' dogs are off limits.
Me: "Oh, I bet it was no fun to eat all alone without your friends."
(I was kind of feeling sorry for him.)
Alex: "It was great - I got a whole table to myself!"
Our little optimist - a real glass-half-full kind of guy.
Art figures it defeated the purpose by, essentially, giving him a stage for the whole cafeteria to watch him. Apparently he did better today. He claims that his teacher said, and I quote, that "he did pretty more better today." (Doesn't really sound like her but he didn't bring a note home, at least.)
He's not admitting to any more loose teeth these days. I think there's at least one more that is loose but it must not be very loose. The new tooth is coming in nicely and moving into the right space. I was worried there for a little while.
In an impromptu neighborhood moms and moms-to-be meeting last week I told two of our neighbors about our tooth travails. Raquel happens to be from Spain, and I asked her if they had the tooth fairy. She confirmed that they did. "Wait, is it the tooth FAIRY?" Well, no, it is a mouse named "El Ratoncito Perez." We should have gone next door for our information. That first toothless night would have been a lot easier! Leslie mentioned that the tooth fairy at her house once had an unfortunate incident in the night, accidentally leaving $20 instead of $1 because of poor lighting.
Of course, all bets are off when Alex loses his second tooth. We checked "Throw Your Tooth on the Roof" out of the school library so we could do some research here at home. Then I just ordered our own copy online. Surprisingly mice and other creatures play a large part in global tooth disposal. Next time, Alex says he's going to throw his tooth. He also considered wrapping it in bread and feeding it to a dog. I told him the neighbors' dogs are off limits.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
A Visit from the Tooth Mouse (AKA El Ratoncito Perez)
Well, the first official Toothwatch is over, as of Wednesday. After much wiggling and no results, I called the dentist on Monday. (I was supposed to do that on March 1st if the tooth wasn't out yet but I kept thinking we could give it just a little more time. I'd suggested tying the tooth with a string to a door and shutting it, but Alex said that sounded violent.) The dental appointment was set, Wednesday at 2. I wasn't sure how this was going to go down because our regular cleaning visits are always a grab bag of behavior. Will he lean back in the chair? Will he allow them to actually clean his teeth? Will he clamp his teeth together and refuse to do anything? I think we were both nervous when we went in.
The hygienist spread her tools out on the tray and called the dentist in. They decided that gas was called for and put the mask on Alex. Neither of us had done that before so we were definitely in uncharted territory. They explained that Alex would start to feel floaty soon, and he thought it was pretty cool. Then they examined the tooth and gave him a shot. This was where I thought it was all going to go bad. The gas must really help because he didn't make a peep. Then there was wiggling and pulling. The hygienist prepared a little plastic tooth-shaped box for us, and the dentist handed her something from Alex's mouth. The he stopped and told Alex that we were going to wait a minute until he was ready for them to pull it. I was confused. Dr. John told Alex they would pull it when he gave the word. The hygienist was cleaning something and packing it in the box. Alex told them it was okay to go ahead. Dr. John said okay, then explained that the tooth was missing! How did that happen? They examined his mouth in the mirror, then presented him with his tooth in the box. Alex never knew when (or if) they pulled it. It was magic.
And I can't say enough about how awesome Clemson Family Dentistry is. On the way out they slipped me a Sacagewea dollar for the tooth fairy to leave. Talk about full service.
I took advantage of the sedating effect of the nitrous to have Alex's hair cut. It didn't help. He still wiggles and is so extremely ticklish that it takes twice as long as it should. (I try to tip well.) We postponed our snack until the novocaine wore off but Alex was fine with no ill effects within an hour. I'd meant to make a tooth pillow for Alex to put his tooth in for the Tooth Fairy but like so many of my craft projects time slipped away from me. It was okay though because he was perfectly happy with his little tooth box. The real problem came just before supper time.
I mentioned in passing that we could now leave the tooth for the tooth fairy to collect and maybe she would leave him something in return. The answer was a resounding NO! You see, Alex's class has been learning about teeth and counting how many in their class had lost them and kept a record of them. They'd had a dentist visit and, most importantly, they'd read a book about tooth traditions from around the world. This is a book that I have NOT read or known anything about. Then Alex started telling us something about a tooth mouse and a glass of water. Or, throwing your tooth on the roof. It took a phone call to a friend (an awesome go-to person for experienced mom information) and research on the Internet to unearth global tooth legends and the scoop on the tooth mouse. In some Spanish-speaking countries he's known as El Ratoncito Perez. Has quite a ring to it, doesn't it?
In most of the stories the tooth mouse performs the same function as the Tooth Fairy. You hide the tooth under the pillow, the mouse or fairy collects it and leaves a prize. Sometimes a coin, other money, small prize or candy. (I think the candy is really at cross-purposes for someone who's just lost a tooth.) An obscure custom that is now gaining favor, according to Wikipedia, is leaving one's tooth in a glass of water. The mouse exchanges it for a coin. (Sources on the web theorize that it's easier to sneak a glass of water away from a child's room than to retrieve a tooth from under their pillow.) At our house it was even easier for El Ratoncito. Alex had me fill the glass and put the tooth in but protested when I brought it in to his room.
"I don't want the mouse in my room. Leave it in the kitchen on the counter."
Much more sanitary, don't you agree? The tooth mouse came through, apparently not insulted that he was only allowed in the kitchen. A shiny $1 coin replaced the tooth. All is well and the new tooth is up and just needs to push into its proper place. I'm just waiting on the next tooth he loses. What will we do for it? I've gotten books from the library now - perhaps we'll throw the tooth on the roof or burn it to ashes. Who knew tooth-losing would turn into an anthropological adventure?
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Liberation Theology
Sunday night, the kids made cookies at church. I asked Alex about it on the way home.
Me: You made a lot of cookies tonight, didn't you?
Alex: Yeah.
Me: Did you guys eat them all?
Alex: No!
Me: Well, who were they for?
Alex: Christians.
Me: Christians where?
Alex: Jail.
Me: So, you made cookies for people who are in jail for doing bad things but are now Christians?
Alex: Yeah, so maybe they'll do good when they get out.
Maybe the kids are onto something. Not sure how much of the program they understood, but they had fun making cookies. At least if you judge by the amount of flour on them at the end of the evening!
Me: You made a lot of cookies tonight, didn't you?
Alex: Yeah.
Me: Did you guys eat them all?
Alex: No!
Me: Well, who were they for?
Alex: Christians.
Me: Christians where?
Alex: Jail.
Me: So, you made cookies for people who are in jail for doing bad things but are now Christians?
Alex: Yeah, so maybe they'll do good when they get out.
Maybe the kids are onto something. Not sure how much of the program they understood, but they had fun making cookies. At least if you judge by the amount of flour on them at the end of the evening!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Toothwatch, Week 1
The dentist told us more than a year ago that a couple of Alex's bottom teeth were loose. Nothing happened though, but now his combined kindergarten/first grade class is a hotbed of Tooth Fairy gossip. In January they learned about calendars and they counted how many classmates' birthdays were in January and how many teeth were lost in the month. Seven teeth lost thus far.
Well, finally, the Tooth Fairy is nigh. Alex told me that one bottom tooth was wiggly. I try not to stick my fingers in his mouth, and discourage him from doing so, too, but I made an exception here. Then, one night I happened to catch him open-mouthed near a lamp. The permanent tooth is all the way in, right behind the baby tooth. I can't imagine how he didn't notice it. I called Art in for an inspection. I was afraid that it was going to scar him for life, at least orthodontically speaking. So, the next afternoon we trekked to our dentist, Dr. John. Before he came in the hygienist inspected Alex. He wouldn't sit back in the chair, but he did let her look in his mouth. (She bribed him with Toy Story 3 on the TV in the room.) From the array of tools she put on the tray I could tell she was planning on pulling the tooth that day. It normally takes two to three people holding Alex down for them to clean his teeth, so I was not looking forward to telling him they might pull his tooth out. Thankfully, Dr. John came in and told me we had nothing to worry about. He thinks the tooth will come out on its own soon without any interference from a professional. I could tell he was weighing the options and how much ensuing chaos each would cause. We decided to give it a couple of weeks. So, if the tooth's not out on its own by March 1st, we need to get it pulled. EVERYONE, CROSS YOUR FINGERS!
I asked Alex if I should get to work and make him a little pillow to put the tooth out for the Tooth Fairy. He explained what happens if it falls out at school. "Well, you go to the nurse, because it WILL bleed. Then, she cleans you up and you get a little treasure box or necklace shaped like a tooth to put the tooth in and carry it home. And you get a prize." If a prize is involved, all his teeth may come out at school. Of course, if that's the case there's only at 50/50 chance we'll ever see them, considering the jackets, lunch boxes, etc., that get left at school regularly.
Well, finally, the Tooth Fairy is nigh. Alex told me that one bottom tooth was wiggly. I try not to stick my fingers in his mouth, and discourage him from doing so, too, but I made an exception here. Then, one night I happened to catch him open-mouthed near a lamp. The permanent tooth is all the way in, right behind the baby tooth. I can't imagine how he didn't notice it. I called Art in for an inspection. I was afraid that it was going to scar him for life, at least orthodontically speaking. So, the next afternoon we trekked to our dentist, Dr. John. Before he came in the hygienist inspected Alex. He wouldn't sit back in the chair, but he did let her look in his mouth. (She bribed him with Toy Story 3 on the TV in the room.) From the array of tools she put on the tray I could tell she was planning on pulling the tooth that day. It normally takes two to three people holding Alex down for them to clean his teeth, so I was not looking forward to telling him they might pull his tooth out. Thankfully, Dr. John came in and told me we had nothing to worry about. He thinks the tooth will come out on its own soon without any interference from a professional. I could tell he was weighing the options and how much ensuing chaos each would cause. We decided to give it a couple of weeks. So, if the tooth's not out on its own by March 1st, we need to get it pulled. EVERYONE, CROSS YOUR FINGERS!
I asked Alex if I should get to work and make him a little pillow to put the tooth out for the Tooth Fairy. He explained what happens if it falls out at school. "Well, you go to the nurse, because it WILL bleed. Then, she cleans you up and you get a little treasure box or necklace shaped like a tooth to put the tooth in and carry it home. And you get a prize." If a prize is involved, all his teeth may come out at school. Of course, if that's the case there's only at 50/50 chance we'll ever see them, considering the jackets, lunch boxes, etc., that get left at school regularly.
Tales of a Kindergarten Snob
My child is a snob, specifically, an ageist. Today is a rare holiday when Art, Alex and I are all off. It's a beautiful day, except for the wind. So I promised to take Alex to the park today. I'm in the midst of a cooking frenzy due to a combination of a day off and decongestant. (It came down to sleeping or breathing, and I chose breathing. Mainly because Art was suffering so, at least that was his complaints from the couch.) Anyway, I penciled in the park for a half hour between baking Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana Bread (which is wonderful) and a double batch of lasagna, an apple walnut cake and taco filling for the freezer. I must stress again, that I'm working at 1 1/2 times my regular speed because of the Claritin D. According to my husband I am also overly ambitious about my cooking schedule and my ability to multi-task when the stove is involved. Have no fear - nothing is currently on the stove top and the timer is set for the cake in the oven.
Alex and I set off for the park. I had a book to read, he was wearing his jaunty red Crocs. When we got to the park, it was packed. There seemed to be a group of stay-at-home moms with their preschoolers and a couple of school-aged kids. Alex had unbuckled his seat belt and was about to get out when he surveyed the playground situation. "I am NOT getting out." Why not? "I am not playing with those kids." Again, why not? The gist of it - they're babies. I pointed out two boys who seemed to be about 5 and 7. He studied them for a moment. "More like 6 and 4." I told him that he was 6 also, and 4 was not that far away. "4-3-2-1: baby!" So, we could not possibly play with them. I decided to drive home past the next nearest park to see if the in-crowd was playing there. Nope, all girls. We just went home.
It was probably for the best. After we got home he played outside for 5 minutes then announced it was too windy to stay outside. I'd force him to get more fresh air, but he's really right. It's blowing very hard now and we've lost several dead branches. Knowing my luck, if I made him go outside he'd get brained with a branch and never play outside again. We've almost talked him into getting a bicycle. We tried a couple out at Walmart yesterday. We'll need training wheels and a new helmet, too, and Art decided that we needed to research the bike brand before making a decision. (Decoded message: I will go home and forget about it and hopefully my wife will do the legwork.)
Alex had a really good week at school last week. Granted he was only at school two full days and two half days. But he didn't even make it to the first anthill on Thursday and Friday. That was amazing. I'm pretty sure it hasn't happened twice in one week before. This is the kid who when I got to his classroom to volunteer at 9:15 AM was already on the third anthill a few weeks ago. I was horrified. I thought it took him most of the day to work up to that much misbehavior. When I asked him what was going on, he told me, "It's okay, Mom, I've already gotten in all the trouble I can today." Like it's a quota system and I should be happy that he got it over with early. I'd like to say that he saw the error of his ways but I think the loss of television on 3rd Anthill evenings convinced him to behave.
Alex and I set off for the park. I had a book to read, he was wearing his jaunty red Crocs. When we got to the park, it was packed. There seemed to be a group of stay-at-home moms with their preschoolers and a couple of school-aged kids. Alex had unbuckled his seat belt and was about to get out when he surveyed the playground situation. "I am NOT getting out." Why not? "I am not playing with those kids." Again, why not? The gist of it - they're babies. I pointed out two boys who seemed to be about 5 and 7. He studied them for a moment. "More like 6 and 4." I told him that he was 6 also, and 4 was not that far away. "4-3-2-1: baby!" So, we could not possibly play with them. I decided to drive home past the next nearest park to see if the in-crowd was playing there. Nope, all girls. We just went home.
It was probably for the best. After we got home he played outside for 5 minutes then announced it was too windy to stay outside. I'd force him to get more fresh air, but he's really right. It's blowing very hard now and we've lost several dead branches. Knowing my luck, if I made him go outside he'd get brained with a branch and never play outside again. We've almost talked him into getting a bicycle. We tried a couple out at Walmart yesterday. We'll need training wheels and a new helmet, too, and Art decided that we needed to research the bike brand before making a decision. (Decoded message: I will go home and forget about it and hopefully my wife will do the legwork.)
Alex had a really good week at school last week. Granted he was only at school two full days and two half days. But he didn't even make it to the first anthill on Thursday and Friday. That was amazing. I'm pretty sure it hasn't happened twice in one week before. This is the kid who when I got to his classroom to volunteer at 9:15 AM was already on the third anthill a few weeks ago. I was horrified. I thought it took him most of the day to work up to that much misbehavior. When I asked him what was going on, he told me, "It's okay, Mom, I've already gotten in all the trouble I can today." Like it's a quota system and I should be happy that he got it over with early. I'd like to say that he saw the error of his ways but I think the loss of television on 3rd Anthill evenings convinced him to behave.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Shark Tooth
We noticed last night that Alex has a new tooth growing in behind one of his front bottom teeth. (He's been wiggling that one and telling us it was loose.) We had no idea that the new one was there. Alex thinks it's cool that he has two rows of teeth there, like a shark. Now he's hoping that the rest of his permanent teeth grow in like that. Actually, he wants five rows of teeth - best case scenario. I pointed out that would be hard to do without biting his tongue, A LOT. He agreed.
Guess I need to get to work on the tooth fairy pillow. I've got the pattern, just need to start sewing.
While handing out candy to my officemates today Alex told them his valentine was Gretchen. (Of course.) In class yesterday they were supposed to draw a picture of themselves with their valentine and write a sentence that began "My Valentine is." I was across the room working with the candy hearts so I couldn't see Alex's work. Their teacher told them it could be their mom, their dad or anyone else. She walked past me and said, "Alex's is so going to be Gretchen." When I asked him later who his valentine was, he looked at me as if I was crazy, "Gretchen." Duh!
Guess I need to get to work on the tooth fairy pillow. I've got the pattern, just need to start sewing.
While handing out candy to my officemates today Alex told them his valentine was Gretchen. (Of course.) In class yesterday they were supposed to draw a picture of themselves with their valentine and write a sentence that began "My Valentine is." I was across the room working with the candy hearts so I couldn't see Alex's work. Their teacher told them it could be their mom, their dad or anyone else. She walked past me and said, "Alex's is so going to be Gretchen." When I asked him later who his valentine was, he looked at me as if I was crazy, "Gretchen." Duh!
Fistful of Candy Hearts
Exciting happenings around here. Alex has been sick off and on for the past week. First a 24-hour stomach bug, then 3 days of intermediate mild fever. The doctor's office thinks he might have picked something up when he came in for his check-up, or at school. Lots of help, there.
But yesterday was Valentine's Day, and we had 44 hand-made Valentines to deliver to school. The teachers asked that they make the valentines and that they sign their first and last name on them. If Alex can't spell Holbrooks now, he'll never learn. I've got to give the teachers props. It was a great super-sneaky way to practice writing their names.
Monday dawned bright, beautiful and fever-free. There was a family exchange of boxes of chocolate. Then, Alex and I prepared for a field trip with his class. We were going to the university's theater for Aesop's Fables. Since there was a half hour or so before loading on the buses, I offered to help with classroom prep work. I got to put candy hearts in small bags for a math project they are doing sometime this week. Little candy hearts by NECCO (the real ones, not any cheap knock-offs) may be my favorite candy in the world. They're definitely in the top 5, along with Junior Mints and Necco Wafers, which are the same thing as the candy hearts, just thinner and without the cutesy sayings. However, filling 70 bags of them and the attendant smell (and candy dust) may put me off of them until next year.
At 8:30 coats were gathered (after a debate over who needed them - if you had a sweater, you didn't need a coat but if you were only wearing a t-shirt, you had to have one), then we went in a long line to the bathrooms. Everyone was encouraged to go, just in case. I went. You don't have to tell me twice to use a restroom when one is available. Then on to the buses. It's funny because even with three kids to a bus bench, you can barely see them. Almost all of them are too short to see over the seats. So, you can hear them (most definitely) but not see them. We made the 5-minute trip to the theater, memorized our bus number and got in a long line of children to make our way into the theater.
On the less than 50 yard trip:
Do not touch the berries, they could be poisonous.
Yes, you can stomp the berries.
No you cannot pick the leaves, or stomp the bushes.
I do not know why she is beside you in line.
I do not know anything about the 3 of you having to be separated. Get in the theater and the teachers will sort it out.
No, I did not know you lost a tooth.
No, I do not think the tooth fairy will bring you $50.
Yes, it is Valentine's Day.
We are seeing Aesop's Fables.
A fable is kind of like a fairy tale but with animals.
Yes, they may have people dressed at animals.
If you only step on the bricks between the cracks we will never get in the theater.
And so on. We got inside and the place was packed. I don't think there was an empty seat anywhere in there. All of the first graders from Alex's school were there, several buses from the neighboring county and I saw several home schoolers there for a field trip, too. Alex's teachers handed out books to keep everyone busy until the play started. Alex was unimpressed because he got a book with Sesame Street characters. They are way too babyish for sophisticated 6-year-olds like himself.
Finally, the curtains parted and a lady came out to introduce the show. Since it was Valentine's Day, they'd decided to add a couple of ballet numbers before Aesop's Fables. Hmmm. Okay. The first was nine teenagers dancing en pointe. The kids were interested, for a while. No open rioting yet. It went on for quite a bit, then they left the stage. The lady came back and said there'd be another number from the Nutcracker. The principal dancer from the Carolina Ballet Theater was there along with one of the teenagers to do the Pas de Deux from the Nutcracker. At least the kids knew the music - they studied Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Suite in music back in December. The kids were impressed with some of the turns and jumps. Then, halfway through, Alex leaned over to me, "That guy needs to put on pants." I agreed.
It turned out that the Aesop's Fables portion of the show was modern dance. This was something the teachers had not known or prepared for. The kids handled it pretty well but I don't know that they understood much of it. Oh, well, I guess they need to learn now that sometimes theater is confusing.
Today we are off to the dentist. Alex has a bizarre tooth situation going on with a permanent one coming in behind a baby tooth. They're just going to look at it. Since he had fever yesterday he's not supposed to go to school for 24 hours, so he's going to help me at the office a while. We have to get germ-free. There's a new baby across the street that we're dying to meet!
But yesterday was Valentine's Day, and we had 44 hand-made Valentines to deliver to school. The teachers asked that they make the valentines and that they sign their first and last name on them. If Alex can't spell Holbrooks now, he'll never learn. I've got to give the teachers props. It was a great super-sneaky way to practice writing their names.
Monday dawned bright, beautiful and fever-free. There was a family exchange of boxes of chocolate. Then, Alex and I prepared for a field trip with his class. We were going to the university's theater for Aesop's Fables. Since there was a half hour or so before loading on the buses, I offered to help with classroom prep work. I got to put candy hearts in small bags for a math project they are doing sometime this week. Little candy hearts by NECCO (the real ones, not any cheap knock-offs) may be my favorite candy in the world. They're definitely in the top 5, along with Junior Mints and Necco Wafers, which are the same thing as the candy hearts, just thinner and without the cutesy sayings. However, filling 70 bags of them and the attendant smell (and candy dust) may put me off of them until next year.
At 8:30 coats were gathered (after a debate over who needed them - if you had a sweater, you didn't need a coat but if you were only wearing a t-shirt, you had to have one), then we went in a long line to the bathrooms. Everyone was encouraged to go, just in case. I went. You don't have to tell me twice to use a restroom when one is available. Then on to the buses. It's funny because even with three kids to a bus bench, you can barely see them. Almost all of them are too short to see over the seats. So, you can hear them (most definitely) but not see them. We made the 5-minute trip to the theater, memorized our bus number and got in a long line of children to make our way into the theater.
On the less than 50 yard trip:
Do not touch the berries, they could be poisonous.
Yes, you can stomp the berries.
No you cannot pick the leaves, or stomp the bushes.
I do not know why she is beside you in line.
I do not know anything about the 3 of you having to be separated. Get in the theater and the teachers will sort it out.
No, I did not know you lost a tooth.
No, I do not think the tooth fairy will bring you $50.
Yes, it is Valentine's Day.
We are seeing Aesop's Fables.
A fable is kind of like a fairy tale but with animals.
Yes, they may have people dressed at animals.
If you only step on the bricks between the cracks we will never get in the theater.
And so on. We got inside and the place was packed. I don't think there was an empty seat anywhere in there. All of the first graders from Alex's school were there, several buses from the neighboring county and I saw several home schoolers there for a field trip, too. Alex's teachers handed out books to keep everyone busy until the play started. Alex was unimpressed because he got a book with Sesame Street characters. They are way too babyish for sophisticated 6-year-olds like himself.
Finally, the curtains parted and a lady came out to introduce the show. Since it was Valentine's Day, they'd decided to add a couple of ballet numbers before Aesop's Fables. Hmmm. Okay. The first was nine teenagers dancing en pointe. The kids were interested, for a while. No open rioting yet. It went on for quite a bit, then they left the stage. The lady came back and said there'd be another number from the Nutcracker. The principal dancer from the Carolina Ballet Theater was there along with one of the teenagers to do the Pas de Deux from the Nutcracker. At least the kids knew the music - they studied Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Suite in music back in December. The kids were impressed with some of the turns and jumps. Then, halfway through, Alex leaned over to me, "That guy needs to put on pants." I agreed.
It turned out that the Aesop's Fables portion of the show was modern dance. This was something the teachers had not known or prepared for. The kids handled it pretty well but I don't know that they understood much of it. Oh, well, I guess they need to learn now that sometimes theater is confusing.
Today we are off to the dentist. Alex has a bizarre tooth situation going on with a permanent one coming in behind a baby tooth. They're just going to look at it. Since he had fever yesterday he's not supposed to go to school for 24 hours, so he's going to help me at the office a while. We have to get germ-free. There's a new baby across the street that we're dying to meet!
Loose tooth
Alex has his first loose, or "wiggly", tooth, as he calls it. I asked him if we should get some sort of cement to hold it in so it won't fall out.
Alex: No! I want the tooth fairy to come!
Me: Why?
Alex: So she'll bring me money.
Me: Money for teeth?
Alex: No, money for toys!
Ladies and gentlemen, my son, the comedian.
Alex: No! I want the tooth fairy to come!
Me: Why?
Alex: So she'll bring me money.
Me: Money for teeth?
Alex: No, money for toys!
Ladies and gentlemen, my son, the comedian.
Word of the Day: Sabotage? #@$*?
For those of you not familiar with kindergarten education these days, let me introduce you to "popcorn words". There are 42 words that kindergarteners have to recognize by sight before the end of the school year. So, Alex's class all got Crystal Light canisters full of teeny flash cards of these words. He carries them back and forth from school and is supposed to work on them there and at home.
Alex's biggest problem is himself. He knows more words than he will admit. And, if he stops and thinks about them and sounds them out, he knows almost every one. To get him to go through all of them, though, is pure torture. We were struggling through words like "go," "up," "you," "me" and so on when we got to "said." Alex eyeballed it a minute then came up with "sabotage!" Yeah, 'cause that's a good word for kindergarteners!
Later on we were watching a video that Brad did for a band called People On Vacation. It's pretty cool. He filmed the two guys in the band in front of a green screen, and then added animation behind them afterwards. Most of the lyrics appear on the screen as they sing them. Which was fine until mid-way through the song when a four-letter word appeared. I threw my hand over Alex's eyes. "Mom, I can't read." Well, I'm pretty sure you could sound that one out. So far, he has not. At least not when I could hear him. Thanks, Uncle Brad!
Alex's biggest problem is himself. He knows more words than he will admit. And, if he stops and thinks about them and sounds them out, he knows almost every one. To get him to go through all of them, though, is pure torture. We were struggling through words like "go," "up," "you," "me" and so on when we got to "said." Alex eyeballed it a minute then came up with "sabotage!" Yeah, 'cause that's a good word for kindergarteners!
Later on we were watching a video that Brad did for a band called People On Vacation. It's pretty cool. He filmed the two guys in the band in front of a green screen, and then added animation behind them afterwards. Most of the lyrics appear on the screen as they sing them. Which was fine until mid-way through the song when a four-letter word appeared. I threw my hand over Alex's eyes. "Mom, I can't read." Well, I'm pretty sure you could sound that one out. So far, he has not. At least not when I could hear him. Thanks, Uncle Brad!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Cabin Fever
That sound you heard yesterday afternoon? It was the howl of despair coming from parents across the Upstate area as they heard the news that school would be out AGAIN, for a fourth day in a row. I am on the edge of my seat until we find out what happens tomorrow!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Snowed In: Day 2
The snow is still beautiful but much of the excitement has worn off in the Holbrooks' household. No one has attempted to go outside this morning. We played in the yard for about an hour yesterday, mainly running around and trying out Alex's new sled. After 20 minutes he announced that his butt was frozen, and he was done sledding. Later in the day he loaned it to our neighbors who did not understand that we weren't interested in going out again.
All of our school and work has been cancelled for the day. Not sure if we'll get out tomorrow, either. Luckily, we have bread and milk, those all-important staples of the South when snow or ice is threatening. (I did have to go to the grocery store Sunday night for the milk - since we drink organic skim milk, they still had a good supply.)
Right now, I'm pretending to do something constructive on the computer while Art and Alex play a made-up game with made-up rules in the living room. I'm pretty sure the object of the game is for Art to lose. Every time he tries to do something, he's stopped on a technicality. I don't think he understands the game!
All of our school and work has been cancelled for the day. Not sure if we'll get out tomorrow, either. Luckily, we have bread and milk, those all-important staples of the South when snow or ice is threatening. (I did have to go to the grocery store Sunday night for the milk - since we drink organic skim milk, they still had a good supply.)
Right now, I'm pretending to do something constructive on the computer while Art and Alex play a made-up game with made-up rules in the living room. I'm pretty sure the object of the game is for Art to lose. Every time he tries to do something, he's stopped on a technicality. I don't think he understands the game!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Days - plural
Alex and Art stayed home together for the week after Christmas. The weather was yucky and they were cooped up most of the time. I think they both went a little crazy. At one point Alex told Art, "I just want to be free!" Midway through the week I decided it might be a good idea to leave work early and all of us go on an outing. (We bought a piece of furniture, which Art had to paint. Pictures to follow later.) Thursday, Alex came to work with me for the morning. They made it through the week, but it was a close thing.
Anyway, Alex was ready to go back to school and see his friends when the Christmas break was over on Monday. He got up at 5:20 AM. I should have known it was an inauspicious way to start a week. When I went to pick him up from After School Care, he burst into tears, saying that he wanted to stay longer. We were overly dramatic for the rest of the evening but we chalked that up to lack of sleep.
Tuesday - not too bad, really. When I went to volunteer in the classroom there was a bit of consternation with one of the boys in Alex's group. He and Alex do not get along. The teachers were telling me that they may make a change next week to separate them. When I left, though, all was well.
Here comes Wednesday like a freight train. At work that afternoon I got an email from Alex's teacher. It was to all of the kindergarten parents. Apparently, most of the kindergarteners made some "poor decisions" during music. That led to the entire class being led back to their room early by the much put-upon music teacher. The lucky few whose children made good decisions would know by the absence of an apology letter written by their little darlings to the music teacher, to be signed and returned by parents. All their other classmates would have those. Dare I hope? Could Alex be one of the few, the proud, the behavers? Of course not. But I had another hour at my desk to contemplate what I might find in his book bag.
When I reached the school, again Alex did not want to leave. I told him we had to get to his piano lesson. To which he responded, "Booooo!" As we walked out to the car I asked how his day was. He said, "Wellllll...there was a little problem this afternoon." He claims that he was not a ringleader and that while the real troublemakers were showing their stuff, his only crime was talking. The book bag told another story. He also ran and yelled in the hall and had trouble following directions. He told me that he wouldn't have made it to the third anthill if not for the music class incident, wherein "everyone" got an automatic ant. I pointed out that NOT "everyone" did, some had behaved well.
On to piano - which was an even worse nightmare. Mind you, Alex's lesson is once a week and only lasts 15 minutes. About halfway through, when Ms. Elaine asked him to stop messing around and play something, he burst into tears, jumped off the piano bench and would have run out the door if I hadn't caught him. Poor Ms. Elaine. Luckily it was pay day for her, so I'm sure that helped. She told me that getting back into the post-holiday routine was hard for all her students. I'm not sure the rest show it in such spectacular fashion.
Then came Thursday. A few months ago I started reading "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" to Alex at bedtime whenever he's had a bad day. We may wear it out. He likes the book for several reasons: 1) his name is in the title, 2) the hero is much maligned (like he is) and 3) they share a love of Australia, or at least the idea of it. When I got to the school, Alex hid from me. Like that's not a dead giveaway. As we walked to the car, he admitted that he'd reached the third anthill again. He kicked Patricia. Why? Because they were watching a really interesting movie on polar bears, and she wouldn't be quiet. We tried to talk about what we could do in this situation. He insists they aren't allowed to move away from the person who is bothering him. I'm pretty sure that would be preferable to kicking them. 3rd anthill = no TV. Again. This is a crushing blow for the child. As we turned onto our street he said, "Can we not tell Dad?" I asked how we were to explain the fact that Alex wouldn't be watching TV. When we parked in the driveway he refused to get out of the car. I sent Art out to deal with him. That went better than expected and he got him in the house rather easily.
Then, I checked the book bag. Turns out he "forgot" that he also punched Gretchen at recess. And, if this continues, he will have an appointment to see the principal. There was much consternation and dire warnings. Since tomorrow is his birthday, we kind of have the ultimate incentive. Another three anthill day tomorrow and no playing with birthday presents. Lots of talking. I am exhausted. I can only hope that tomorrow goes more smoothly, and that we don't have to ban him from his own party this weekend.
Also, I am concerned that our friends at the library will see all the parenting books I searched for and requested this evening. I'm sure they're already worried about my bizarre and eclectic reading list. Then again, they're quite close to Alex, so I'm fairly sure they understand why I might need help with raising a monkey boy. Now, there's an idea. Does anyone know of a good wild animal raising book? That might work better!
Anyway, Alex was ready to go back to school and see his friends when the Christmas break was over on Monday. He got up at 5:20 AM. I should have known it was an inauspicious way to start a week. When I went to pick him up from After School Care, he burst into tears, saying that he wanted to stay longer. We were overly dramatic for the rest of the evening but we chalked that up to lack of sleep.
Tuesday - not too bad, really. When I went to volunteer in the classroom there was a bit of consternation with one of the boys in Alex's group. He and Alex do not get along. The teachers were telling me that they may make a change next week to separate them. When I left, though, all was well.
Here comes Wednesday like a freight train. At work that afternoon I got an email from Alex's teacher. It was to all of the kindergarten parents. Apparently, most of the kindergarteners made some "poor decisions" during music. That led to the entire class being led back to their room early by the much put-upon music teacher. The lucky few whose children made good decisions would know by the absence of an apology letter written by their little darlings to the music teacher, to be signed and returned by parents. All their other classmates would have those. Dare I hope? Could Alex be one of the few, the proud, the behavers? Of course not. But I had another hour at my desk to contemplate what I might find in his book bag.
When I reached the school, again Alex did not want to leave. I told him we had to get to his piano lesson. To which he responded, "Booooo!" As we walked out to the car I asked how his day was. He said, "Wellllll...there was a little problem this afternoon." He claims that he was not a ringleader and that while the real troublemakers were showing their stuff, his only crime was talking. The book bag told another story. He also ran and yelled in the hall and had trouble following directions. He told me that he wouldn't have made it to the third anthill if not for the music class incident, wherein "everyone" got an automatic ant. I pointed out that NOT "everyone" did, some had behaved well.
On to piano - which was an even worse nightmare. Mind you, Alex's lesson is once a week and only lasts 15 minutes. About halfway through, when Ms. Elaine asked him to stop messing around and play something, he burst into tears, jumped off the piano bench and would have run out the door if I hadn't caught him. Poor Ms. Elaine. Luckily it was pay day for her, so I'm sure that helped. She told me that getting back into the post-holiday routine was hard for all her students. I'm not sure the rest show it in such spectacular fashion.
Then came Thursday. A few months ago I started reading "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" to Alex at bedtime whenever he's had a bad day. We may wear it out. He likes the book for several reasons: 1) his name is in the title, 2) the hero is much maligned (like he is) and 3) they share a love of Australia, or at least the idea of it. When I got to the school, Alex hid from me. Like that's not a dead giveaway. As we walked to the car, he admitted that he'd reached the third anthill again. He kicked Patricia. Why? Because they were watching a really interesting movie on polar bears, and she wouldn't be quiet. We tried to talk about what we could do in this situation. He insists they aren't allowed to move away from the person who is bothering him. I'm pretty sure that would be preferable to kicking them. 3rd anthill = no TV. Again. This is a crushing blow for the child. As we turned onto our street he said, "Can we not tell Dad?" I asked how we were to explain the fact that Alex wouldn't be watching TV. When we parked in the driveway he refused to get out of the car. I sent Art out to deal with him. That went better than expected and he got him in the house rather easily.
Then, I checked the book bag. Turns out he "forgot" that he also punched Gretchen at recess. And, if this continues, he will have an appointment to see the principal. There was much consternation and dire warnings. Since tomorrow is his birthday, we kind of have the ultimate incentive. Another three anthill day tomorrow and no playing with birthday presents. Lots of talking. I am exhausted. I can only hope that tomorrow goes more smoothly, and that we don't have to ban him from his own party this weekend.
Also, I am concerned that our friends at the library will see all the parenting books I searched for and requested this evening. I'm sure they're already worried about my bizarre and eclectic reading list. Then again, they're quite close to Alex, so I'm fairly sure they understand why I might need help with raising a monkey boy. Now, there's an idea. Does anyone know of a good wild animal raising book? That might work better!
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