Bragging Rights

I think awards ceremonies at school are weird.  I can't tell you why but it is just weird.  Maybe because some of the awards are a little sketchy.  Like perfect attendance, they should just call it, "You Send Your Kid To School Sick" award.  Because the year Patrick won it, that's what I should have gotten an award for, convincing my sick kid that a little hot chocolate could cure anything.   And why am I always in the dark about the 3 (reading, math, and writing) grade level awards.  Should I know that my kid didn't meet one or any of these BEFORE the awards are handed out?  Does everyone else know and I'm just missing the memo every semester?

Kevin is reading a book called Not Everyone Gets A Trophy about Generation Y, not my kids generation or my generation but still a relevant concept.  Almost every kid in the room got some kind of certificate or ribbon or whatever.  That's cool but there are some top kids (not necessarily mine) that work their little butts off and deserve big trophies.  Super smarties who not only show up to school but work really really hard, and they get lumped in with everyone else.  Also, they get grades and no one talks about the kids with straight A's (still not necessarily my kid).  And that's what's weird about our academic awards.  The majority of the kids are performing at grade level, so the majority of the kids get an award (the same award).  It is kind of a mediocrity award if you think about it.  You are proficient!  Here's your certificate, I can't think of any other reason you should try harder because that's good enough!  Good luck, that certificate should get you into the college of your choice.

Yep.  That's it.  You helped me figure it out.  Maybe it is just in the primary grades and things will shift next year but we are perpetuating this culture of cheering on every effort, even when we should be pushing our kids to do better.  I'm nuts.... I know it.  This is a post about Patrick and I am ranting about the school.  But if you think about how competitive college entrance and employment are and will be in 10 years you will be a little nuts too.  Patrick wants to go to Hillman or CSU Monterey Bay.  I told him that he should go to the imaginary school and I would write an imaginary tuition check.  WINNER.

HERE I COME HARVARD!  I GOT MY CERTIFICATES!

So he got some awards.  Yay!  He really does work extra hard in Math so DOUBLE YAY.  Notice the writing award is missing.  Turns out he's too creative for the district writing standards.  He free writes, goes off-topic, and makes jokes...... hmmmm..... no comment. 

He set a big reading goal for the first semester: 200 Accelerated Reader points.  He met it and exceeded it (3rd grade students need 20 points for an award).  He got pizza (top 4 third grade readers), donuts (25 points?), and tomorrow lunch at Carl's Jr. with the principal (top 2 primary and top 2 upper grade readers).  As much as I disliked (and continue to dislike) AR this is an area that he really loves and the rewards aren't even just the junk food.  His new reading level jumped up a full grade level (and a half?  I can't remember, I'm horrible with numbers) to just above a seventh grade level.  This is a direct result of the time he invests in reading (in the car, late at night, in the bathroom, at the table, every waking moment).



My friend (who is also a teacher at my kids' fantastic school) posted this on Pinterest and it is so true.   He's absorbed in a new series and already has almost 50 points for the second semester goal.  He's really a great kid, I love his heart and his mind.


 I am going for the Vacuum Master Award this semester, I'll let you know how it goes.

A glimpse at my life.

Lauren, Robert, Missy: Couch Pals

 Let me tell you about my Mondays.  First, Mondays happen to Kevin's only "day off."  By "day off" I mean he gets home from a night shift, sleeps for a few hours and wakes up to help me out.  Because I need help, a lot of help.

When Sunday rolls around, I devote a ton of energy to getting ready for the week and preparing for the craziness that Monday always brings.  Some Mondays try to be even crazier, this was one of those Mondays.
Here's what was happening on Monday.... Wake up in the middle of the night to a sick toddler.  Bring her in, settle her down.  Wake up early and say good morning to my laptop.  Prepare for class, post discussions, respond to students.  Toddler pukes in my bed.  Get boys up and moving, deliver Patrick to school.  Shower and dress for the day, change sheets. Grandpa arrives to sit with the littles.  Back to school, decorate for the assembly.  Back home, reschedule Grandpa's evening babysitting time to accommodate Judo instead of PT, feed kids, get Keith ready for school, deliver Keith to school.  Back home, put Lauren down for her nap, shovel food into mouth, wake Kevin.  Back to school, work in K-1, hang out for the assembly. 

Bell rings, take boys home.  Homework time (Keith gets sent outside to run around, Kevin takes him out, runs him around the block and plays Nerf wars.  That's a nice way of saying that we had a hard time.  Glad Daddy is home.). Scramble to make (finish dinner, I made it the day before) dinner and clean kitchen.  Put dinner on the table, call the boys in from outside , get ready for Junior League remind self to brushteethgetpowerpointgrabnamebadgeandlipglossgivekevincheckbookforjudo. 

Forget most of the things on the reminder list and head to Junior League General Session.  Do the things I need to do at the General Session (including two voting motions) and cut out early.  Back home, sick Lauren is on the couch with Grandpa (Hi Mama!) because she convinced "Robert" to get her out of bed.  Pack up Grandpa and tell him goodnight, put Lauren back to bed (as only Mama can), including lots of required conversation with her friends in her crib.  Pick up the house, shower, change and wait for Kevin and the boys to get home from Judo at 9:00 pm.

Then there are other days when not a lot happens and I let my guard down.  That day is called Tuesday and last Tuesday during homework this happened...... 

Lauren is taking out a patent for the lipstick/eyeliner/blush/mascara/eyeshadow all-in-one.  That's the long-lasting formula.

A Beautiful Mind

There is something about another person's junk that just irritates me.  Especially my kids' junk.  All three kids leave a trail of junk through the house all day long.  And the boys hoard massive amounts of additional junk in their rooms.  Ok, I know that I leave my own trail and I hoard my own junk but their junk is just more irritating.  You know why?  Because I don't.

Well, maybe because I know that I have to clean up their junk and their junk doesn't hold any meaning for me.  I cleaned their junk this week.  I was surprised by the level of hoarding that Keith had achieved.  But nothing ever surpasses the shock that Patrick's collections bring.  6 boxes and one drawer.  Bits and pieces of the most random stuff.  And you know what a lot of it was?  Garbage.  No lie, just plain old dirty tissue, old receipt, clothing tag garbage.  He doesn't have a garbage can in his room and is too lazy to walk his trash down the hall.  yep, my child.

But then he has his stuff.  His bits and pieces of things that have value.  He might not know where it came from or what it is for but he is saving it. Or maybe he does know.  Like his dad he saves every little doodad that might be useful someday.  Scraps of paper, secret battle plans, you have no idea.  His mind is amazing and I know I will never figure out how it works.....

And I've given up on getting upset about the junk, I just schedule it in with everything else.  Put it on the list... #14 Manage the junk.

backwards potty training. by the lazy mom

Potty!

We got Lauren a potty seat for her birthday in October.  She promptly carried it in front of the tv and sat down in her fancy new chair.  Then we explained that it goes in the bathroom.  And that's that she's potty trained.

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Ok, not really.  But if you don't want to hear what a horrible mother I am stop here and believe that my 2 year-old is potty trained.  Otherwise, read on.

Here's the good news, I haven't changed a dirty diaper since Christmas.  Really it has nothing to do with me, she just likes to poop on the potty and understands how to tells us that she has to go.  And who wants to deal with a dirty diaper when there is a better alternative.  Not this mama.

Here's the sketchy part.  She hasn't figured out the peeing on the toilet thing yet.  I tried in November and she wasn't ready.  And now I realize that cleaning up pee and committing to the regiment that successful potty training demands is something I'm just too lazy to sign up for right now.  Diapers are like insurance.  We can coast through Target for an hour and a half, take long walks, do our thing.  Panties mean I'm cleaning up messes and racing my 2 year old across the store.

Here's where it gets even worse.  When she asks me for undies in the morning, sometimes I pretend like I don't understand what she's talking about.  I know, I'm horrible. 

But let's stay focused on the bright-side, I'm thinking that she is the first backwards potty trained kid ever.

Official Potty Outfit

Guess what we're doing this weekend.  Sigh.

Hobbits, Bikinis, and Busy-ness

Hello!   We are back at it.  On Sunday night when we told Lauren that "her BOYS" were going back to school she hid her face in her hands and (fake) wept.  For me it is all good, except for the colds that Kevin and I are trying to get over.  He got antibiotics last night, I'm just planning on getting over it within the next 12-18 hours.

Scrub the stainless Cinderelly

Lauren has thrown herself into her work.  Cleaning my house (go get 'em Cinderella) and eating like a Hobbit.

Afternoon Tea

I've conquered some organization, a bit of laundry, and a whole lot of other stuff.  I even ordered myself a bikini, a $12 bikini because there really isn't any other kind of bikini in my life.

 

So here we go.  Kevin worked 20 hours yesterday.  I started teaching one class today and was just asked to pick up another class that starts next Tuesday.  Keith and I are brainstorming 100th Day of School projects.  Patrick spent 40 minutes on multiplication math facts yesterday.  Lauren learned how to say "sorry".  Busy.

I'm going to be really busy with two classes and I am hoping to get my next writing project up and running early in the year.  We are entering the busiest time of the year for Junior League.  And after three back-to-back colds, I need to start working out again (also, I got fat for Christmas.  Merry, merry). Just in case I disappear, you won't have to wonder what I'm doing. 

So long 2012!

We spent the day watching movies in our jammies.  Now the boys are showering and putting on fresh jammies so we can go party! 
Just a few highlights from our year.  

Work: A very productive year for work for Kevin.  We are looking forward to another busy year.  I taught several classes and finally found my rhythm as an instructor (only to have all of the requirements change).

Reading:  Patrick read hundreds of books this year.  Millions of words.  Keith is on the brink of reading and soon it will be his turn to delve into the world of books (solo that is).  I read all five books in the Game of Thrones series.... well, 4.3 books.  Book Five is still in process.

Date night every month:  I am proud to say that for the first time ever, Kevin and I had a date night every month.  Sometimes it was a date breakfast and other times it was dinner alone while the kids watched a movie, but we did it.  Trust me, it is no easy task.  Especially when your husband works every weekend and many weeknights.

Iowa or bust: The kids and I spent the bulk of the summer with my family in Iowa.  It was a memorable trip and we had so much fun seeing our Keith relatives. 

Half Marathons: I ran in not one but two half marathons this year.  I know that you already know about my running career but I am still surprised that I am was a runner.

Talking back: Lauren finally started talking.  She learns a new word every day.  Today was TuTu.  Other recent highlights include, Elmo, Marley, tie, Buddy, house, Tinkerbell, and BOYS.  Those are the words she taught herself, I teach her more useful words like, a lot, eggs, and please.

Finance VP: I took advantage of the teeny tiny bit of extra time I have to become the Finance Vice President for the Junior League of Fresno.  It has been such an amazing experience, I can't believe that my year is half over!  I love the ladies who I work with and I really enjoy putting my otherwise idle non-profit management skills to use.

40% paid:  We successfully paid off 40% of our debt this year.  We are working really hard and everyone is making sacrifices to help the Callahans become debt-free.  We aren't there yet but it is good to celebrate the milestone.

Sports: T-Ball, golf, soccer, judo.....  And Lauren in My Gym!  2012 had just the right amount of activities for our personalities!

2013 will be more of the same and a lot of new.  One thing that I learned a long time ago is that predicting what might come is a fools task.  We will plan and prepare and do what we need to do, however, we won't know where God's plan might take us until we actually get there.  I say bring it.

Have a safe and happy new year!

Christmas Wrap-up

 I am spending the final days of 2012 having an internal debate about resolutions (or solutions as Patrick said).  One moment I'm walking miles and miles with dogs and kids in tow, drinking  water, counting calories, cleaning, planning, and organizing.  The next moment I am surfing the Internet/watching old Rescue Me episodes/playing Scrabble, drinking wine, eating carmelita(s), and trying to suck the final life out of 2012.  Maybe this is my world in balance.

Our Christmas round-up!

 Lauren No-Nap went to bed early on Christmas Eve and the boys stayed up. They got to open (and assemble) their new Lego table and watch Elf again.  Christmas morning Lauren slept and the boys got their Santa gifts and we ate fried mush.  Once she eventually woke up we opened the rest of the gifts.

Then we headed to Grandma and Grandpa's for some yummy Italian food and more presents.  The next day we headed to the Torosian's for another Christmas celebration.

Cousin Abby got a puppy for Christmas.  Lauren was in love with little Charlie.

Now we count down the days until we have to go back to school.  The boys start back on the 7th, Kevin's new academy class starts on the same day, and I start teaching a class on the 8th. Once I eat all of these carmelitas I'm definitely going to change my evil ways.