Wednesday, October 31, 2007

It's the end of the month

the last day of Octoberso here are some random October images

October is a time for pumpkins

multicolored gourds

and a time for hay fights

throwing hay

more pumpkins

pumpkins up to the rafters

campouts

Here's Joey

and sppoky sights

feeling kind of funny

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Middle Meme

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.
4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog


Mine is easy: ELIZABETH

E = emotional. I am and thats all there is to it

L - loud - I have three kids - I need to be LOUD

I = interesting

Z= zany

A able

B blonde

E excitable

T - tense

H happy

Life behind bars

Life skills - how to break out of jail

He's twelve.

The dr. Jeckeyll and Mr. Hyde years are beginning. One minute we are so proud of his thinking skills and the way he's maturing. The next, we wonder where the heck his brain is.

One minute we are happy to see him striking out on his own, blazing his own path. In a moment that happiness is gone when I realze he's no longer my baby boy and sooner than I'd like to admit he'll be on his own. That makes my heart hurt

I used to think that the woman in I Love You foreer was a real wacko now I know, soon enough I'll long for the days when I could rock his cares away and see his sweet sleeping face.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

My New Blog goal

100 posts for 2007 by November 15.

Can we do it?

Yes we can.

Okay no more Bob the Builder.

The letter I should have written in June

but I didn't but will now.

Dear Charles,

You are twelve. for twelve years now, you and I have walked this moer/son road together. You are the child that made me a mother, then a mom and now a mom - sometimes said with exasperation and contempt. In addition to the rand McNally stretch marks on my once flat belly you have made me a large part of who I am. You were the one who got me out of bed at 2 AM and could make me read "just one more story book because my eyes still aren't sleepy". You are the one I learn from this motherhood thing from. You are the one blazing my parenting trail - make the path easier for your brothers. You are the one who made me glad to be the mother of a son and not a daughter. You are my first born son.

Twelve things I love about you

1. As much as I was not fond of your long hair, I love why you grew it out. I love the quiet way you take a stand.

2. I love your quirky, sometimes sarcastic (no clue where you got that from) sense of humour.

3 . The way you call your brothers midgets makes me laugh - when I shouldn't. even though we admonish you for it - we inwardly laugh.

4. I love that even though you are a cool big kid now, you still bring me flowers that you picked - hopefully not from other people's yards.

5. I enjoy watching you become more sure of yourself and your abilities.

6. I am proud of the way, even though it kind of hurts my heart, that you are starting to show you can be independent and can make good decisions.

7. I love the sparkle in your green/brown eyes.

8. I delight in the fact that a good fat book is all you need to amuse yourself.

Innocence?


9. I love watching your imagination come to life

10. The Die Tinky winky song 'nuff said

11. I love that you can make omletes

12 I love the way you love your younest brother - the one you hoped would be a girl.

and one more to grow on

I am glad you are a boys and have way bigger feet than me already so you can never ever borrow my shoes.

Love,
Mom

Monday, October 15, 2007

Ask a Stupid Question

Good rainy Monday morning.

Instead of taking our morning excursion to the park, Joey and I are home watch PBS. PBSkid's Sprouts used to show stuff (mean me) liked. Now it's endless hours of Barney, I hate Barney with a putrid purple passion. "I love you" uh yeah bite me pedophile boy.

So PBS it is.

Curios George is up next yet.

Some day I'll learn that my child is the product of his raising and has an answwer to every question.

I asked Joey "How does curios George sound?" meaning how about we watche George?

The answer I got?

Monkey sounds and a a dance.,

Indeed a monkey does sound like OOo eeeeoooh ohh ahhhhhhhhhh ah ah.

Some day I'll learn.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Changes I don't like

Yesterday, I spent a little time on the Dark Side. I volunteered at my middle son's school at the semi-annual book fair. I hate the PTA. I hate the way they do business. I hate the Steppford cliqueness they always seem to have - I HATE the PTA. But that's not the change I am talking about. I am talking about the change in class language.

We were helping kids make their wish lists at the Book Fair. When the kids would line up the teacher didn't call them "boys and girls" "children" or even "students". she called them "friends". Children in other classes were Mrs./Mr. So and So's "Friends". I asked one of the other volunteers what the deal with the creepy "friends" bit was. The principal has determined in her infinite wisdom that calling the kids "students", "children" or even "boys and girls" is harming to the children. Friends is more gender neutral.

Excuse me?

Gender NEUTRAL?

Also gone are the words "be quiet", "Simmer down" and anything else askimg for silence and listening. To gin a class' attention noiw the teacher (or libriarian) must clap a rhythmic clap which the "young friends" return to show they are ready to listen.

"Be quiet" and the like are listed on an inapproprate words list.

Honestly. To call a child by their gender and ask them to sit down, be quiet and listen to the paid teachers is harming to the esteem of a child?

Somebody needs to stop smoking crack and the bong water needs to be changed.

Color me crazy, but I am not concerned about harming my eight year old's gender identity. I was there when he was born with ten fingers, ten toes and a penis, that he was proud to show, in perfect working order. What I am concerned with is quality of learning that my child receives. I care that he is learning to add, subtract, multiply and divide. I care that he's learning to write a complete sentence and paragraph. I care that he's learning how tou use the dictionary and encyclopedia. we send our kids to school to learn to follow instructions and interact with others. I have never been to a business meeting where some one got their feeling because they were asked to take their seats and be quiet so the meeting could start. I would be appalled that some one had to clap a beat to get the room's attention.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Seasons - they are a changing

and sometimes change is good.

brown edges


soon enough fall will really be here. The crispness in the air will match the bright blue sky. fall and it's gold shades will blend into brown as the world goes to sleep.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Promises Made

Promises Promises Promises.

promises might be broken. I promised myself I'd take more time write on this thing. The number of posts by me in the the last four months is horrid. It was a birthday resolution - like exercising and losing weight that has so far been a big fat stinkin' lie.

My goal is 15 posts in October.

That should be simple. right?