Chasing After the Naughty Dingos, 6 years on -- July Thread - Page 8

[tjsmama]

real~Racing Underground's chips have a velcro strap that you wrap around your ankle. Some races just give you a strip and one of those plastic wristband things to put it on, so some people own their own chip strap, but I've only done a couple of those races. Any race you do around here that's timed by RU (which, honestly, is the majority of them) will use the velcro strap. Did they time Slacker when you did it? If so, it's the exact same chip/strap deal.

The dog is currently cowering on my lap, as he is NOT amused by the killer lightning storm that we're in the middle of. But yet, the kiddo is sleeping right through it! I'm supposed to be working on my paper tonight, but what's a little more procrastination, right? I'm really thinking I'm just going to go to bed early, in hopes that I can be rested enough to get some work done tomorrow night after I get home from work.

rr~15ish mile bike ride pulling the trailer. We revisited the scene of yesterday's long run fiasco, wherein I said thank you to the tree that (kind of) sheltered me. There was a ridiculous amount of debris on the trail. It was blazing hot, but at least the storms waited a couple more hours to roll in today. No way I wanted to repeat that, especially with DS in tow!

[sparkletruck]

I think I saw an inkling of AF just now Thank you! (sorry Real )

Random; we are staying at one of my closest friends' house while in boise, although she wont be there (unfortunate bad timing). however, just learned that her sister (also a very close friend, both for 26 years, both childhood through adult running, back-packing intimates) will be flying out of there the same morning that dh is, coming from sun valley where she will have been for the week with her dh and 6 mo. old twins,, and wondered if she could stay with us at the house the night before the flight havent seen them since january when the babies were 3 weeks. they live in the bay area, and we are not going there this visit, and I was asking her if she'd be up around yosemite at that time, and she said no she's going to ID, and so it went.

Harry Potter was awesome, for those who care. Then it was pedal-to-the-medal to pick up dd2 and swerve past our house to get swim gear so that we could make it to the pool for ds' swim lesson (made it w/ 3 minutes to spare), where dd2 (3 1/2) swam to me almost 15 ft.! Then, quick, back in the car, swerve past the [en route] house again for dd1's violin and then to the lesson, then rush to make dinner because I hadnt eaten for 7 hours, and you know if mama's hungry, everyone suffers

[Runningmommy]

Originally Posted by sparkletruck 

.

RM - I am very curious about your clean eating challenge. Arent you thin and dont you run an 8 minute mile or something? Seriously, what is the motivation? Weight loss, energy, curiosity, all of the above?

 

Originally Posted by MelW 

RM, I'm interested in what the clean eating challenge is, too.

Originally Posted by bec 

RM - What are you doing for the clean eating challenge?  I SO need to do something!  Of course, it won't be until after vacation, so beginning of August, but still, I need to plan!

Good morning!!

You ladies sparked a great thought process for me over the past few days!!  I started to really contemplate my answer and that lead me to think about the reason/s that I am doing the challenge and what led to it.  THIS COULD GET LONG.  :)

Sparkle~I guess people (dingos that have seen me too) would call me thin.   I can run an 8 minute mile.  Shouldn't that all be good enough right??  Yes, it is something that I am perfectly content with.  I am so happy and blessed with life that I am totally thankful for each day that I get to spend with my family.  It sounds corny maybe, but in losing my Mom, my best friend, when she was only 59 makes me live each day to the fullest.  We never know when it is our last, so I want to be the best I can be for those around me. 

I feel that there is always room for improvement in oneself.  In me, spiritually (bible study), personally (always disect my conversations with others), physically (fitter, healthier), etc.  Does this stem from having a father that always thought I coudl be better than I was?  The only track meet my dad came to I got third in a multi school meet (against some UBER fast chicks) and his response was "you 'could've' gotten first".  I think it was his way of being so proud of me and knowing the potential in me.  Although at that time it felt like disapproval and that he couldnt' love me for just who I was. 

Yet, I don't think that is the case.  I just think that Lance Armstrong didn't fight cancer by being settled.  He didn't win the Tour de France many times over by being complacent.  He kept striving to be better even when he was awesome. 

The challenge?  "The Next Level Challenge", 12 weeks long with meal plans given and full support of over 250 other women in this with me.  "Clean Eating" by Tosca Reno.  Cutting out the extras, and eating the basic food goodness.  I am at the begining and just learning.  What do I want out of it?  I would love to lose the layer of fat on the bottom portion of my gut and lower back (think over the top of your undies).  I would love to improve on my half marathon time as well as my arm strength.  I would love to inspire others to do what they feel impossible.  The lady leading the challenge lost over 200 lbs and is now going to be featured on the cover of Oxygen magazine.  How is that for inspiring??  :)

I'd be happy to share the meal plans with you if you like and direct you to the webistes of Tosca Reno. 

RR: 5 miles yesterday, found that the matt I put under only the front of the TM changed the incline (the lowest it can go is 1% anyway) so that is what was making a difference in how it felt running. So I put my yoga matt under the back part and all is well again.  I also did the body weight work out that literally kicked my butt earlier this week (couldn't walk right and sitting was a challenge!!).  Then foam rolled so as not to be in that position again.  :)
 

NRR:  at work now, not sure what the plan is for today.  Spent yesterday afternoon at the public pool with my kdis and got some sunburn (darn it!!!).  Any suggestions for sunscreen for the face?  My two children taht tan well on their body, burn terribly on their faces!!! No matter how many times I apply 50spf sunscreen!!  Help! 

[Runningmommy]

Alex~I sure hope you can get answers and find the peace that you need soon!  Hugs mama!!

Geo~decision on the nanny?

JO~so good to hear from you.  Your life is like a movie!!

eks~good to see you here as well!  Miss you and hope you are doing well!!

[sparkletruck]

RM - I think we can all relate to that striving. Good luck!



Re: SUNSCREEN (from the woman raising blond children in the desert )

When you go to the link below, you may be directed to a page that asks you to sign in (although I didnt link to that page) - if you are, just look at the bottom where it says "continue..." and press it; i.e. you dont need to sign in. Then you will get a page that asks you to choose which kind of sunscreen you want ("sport", "cosmetic" - or something like that). Sport is what you want for pool/beach/sports. ... (edited to say I just checked the link, and you want to go to "Best Sunscreens" and then choose form the drop-down which kind...)

Here is a link to a website about sunscreens; the good, bad, and ugly. This group rates them on how well they block UVA and UVB, as well as on what kinds of ingredients they are made of. They also explain what all these things do. For example, the only screens that really block UVA and UVB (and you want both. If I remember, UVB shows up as a burn, but you can still be getting overexposed to UVA and not see it), and the importance of avoiding ingredients like vitamin E (on the ingredient list as Tocopherol something-or-other) reacts with UVB rays to create a cancer causing reaction, yet most sunscreens advertise that they have vit. E, and if they dont, they have Tocopherol in the ingredients.

The one I use on my family's faces is Badger (in the purple tube - the white tube has Tocopherol if I'm remembering right). It is rated a 1 (the highest) but is also expensive, so for bodies I use Coppertone in the pink bottle, which is rated a 3, but we all wear rash guards so I'm not so worried about putting a 3 on their legs, when I bother to (I think some sun exposure is good for you).

Basically, you need a physical barrier, either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Both of the the ones I use have those. Yes they make you white. I dont care

Also on this website I discovered a face lotion with sunscreen (for everyday) that has zinc oxide in it. I have always used a face lotion w/ sunscreen, but when I learned what it should have in it I found one by a company called Devita. It ROCKS. I recommended it to a friend, who told her derm about it and now he recommends it to his patients. I could link you to it or you could google the brand. Its gotten very popular since the Environmental Working Group's ranking last year so you wont have any trouble finding it


Real - at least now that AF is here, you will be in the estrogen half of your cycle for the Tri - that will make you perform better I hope you get some sleep too!!

[memiles]

Quick driveby:  Leaving for the Warrior Dash.  It's 55 and POURING.  Completely overhauled the outfit-bye-bye VFF that give me blisters when wet and cute skirt, hello capri tights, thin UA base layer top and old pair of running shoes with the hole in the toe so I can just donate them at the end. Yes, the tank top for team shirts was my brilliant idea, why on earth do you ask?.  It's JULY!  Now I need to overhaul my attitude and go out there and rock the mud.  Decided to leave Dave and the kids at home and ride with 2 girl friends, no reason to put them out there for 3 hours in the pouring rain to see me finish, although I did try to pull the "how many rain games have I watched for you?" on Courtney to get her to go.  I'm not proud.  Wish me muddy, muddy luck!

Tomorrow Courtney and I are volunteering for the See Jane Run half as split timers.  In all honesty, I'd rather have the rain today if it will clear up tomorrow, as standing there with a stop watch sounds miserable in this weather.

[bec]

Also, after you have been burned (lots of fair skin here, especially on my body!), there is nothing like Burn Away Plus to help it heal!  It is the bomb-dog diggedy! 

RM - I am DEFINITELY interested in meal plans.  I think I am proving to myself that I cannot make good choices on my own, so really need to have some structure at least to begin with.  Once I have some momentum, I generally do well.  But I am all out of momentum right now!  I definitely resonate with wanting to always improve (whether that be physically, emotionally, or spiritually).  I am inspired by this idea and your motivations!

[bec]

Have fun, Memiles!!!!  DH and I are signed up for the Warrior Dash in September, although, I have had my eye on the Muddy Buddy for some time now.  Dates just haven't worked out yet.  One day!  It sounds like a real blast!

[Nemesis]

Does anyone here still mountain bike?  I haven't seen mandy around...

LBS is hosting a camping weekend for mountain biking basics.  It's cheap and sounds like fun.  I could get a bike, probably, for a reasonable amount of $.  It's short notice, but it sounds fun.  I am finally able to run 3m without stopping, I'm building my mileage in general..  I feel like I need something new and fun!  I am not a really strong cyclist, but I pull 50lbs of kid with my 3speed bike from the 60s day in and day out... I can't be that bad, right?  

Advice, words of wisdom, etc.. would be welcome! 

Good luck, memiles!  I'm doing the Dash next weekend with DH! 

[Geofizz]

Whew.  Nanny accepted the job.  We'll be paying an extra $140/month for it, but we're getting daily cleaning (main living area will be her responsibility).

Whew.  I think my blood pressure went down 20 points.

Whew.  She starts Thursday.

Onto the next stressor - DS is still showing signs of phonological problems.  After months of working on it daily, he still can't identify rhyming.  Seriously, we do everything right on that front, and he still just can't do it.  The problem is that he's now memorized enough of the groups of words that rhyme, that for most things he can do the exercises by brute force.  If we ask him which two of three words rhyme like "bat" "but" "cut", he's generally pick the alliteration (bat & but) instead of the rhyming.  Yes, he knows what rhyming is - it's not a definition problem - but he simply can't hear it.  He also has a sight-word vocabulary of maybe 500 words before even starting kindergarten, and he can infer words through context so well that no one in the schools is going to pick up there is a problem until he hits the point where he can't just memorize it all (though honestly, they probably wouldn't identify it ever).  Our doctor has no clue where to send him ("oh, he's good at math.  We should send him for an autism evaluation..."), and the local ed psychs don't seem to do that kind of thing.  Back to calling the chair of SLP here....

RR ~ 10 miles with morning with C.  It sucked rocks.  We were both hurting after 7 miles.  I guess they can't all be good runs.  The worst?  Two running groups of people we knew past us after we'd given up. 

RM ~ good for you on the eating.  I know you work hard at it, and it's given you a lot of benefit for your health already.  Keep it up.  :thumb

Nemesis ~  Mandy is on facebook, and frequently posts to her blog.

We're in the throws of our CSA.  Our CSA includes milk, cheese, bread, and fruit along with the veggies.  Our main challenge is the cilantro.  The stuff doesn't keep worth beans, and it's been rotten both times before I got to dealing with it.  Lunch today:  Chopped cucumber + garbonzos + fresh feta + eevo + vinegar + fresh basil. 

[bec]

Oooh, Geo, your lunch sounds delish!  Mine is going to be mostly coffee.   I did have a pretty big breakfast (kinda like a breakfast skillet with more veggies than potatoes, and a couple of eggs on top), so that is my defense.

On the rhyming, I think that some kids just don't get it.  Abby got it around 2.5 years old.  Katie (pretty strong in the language arts area) didn't really get it until around 2nd grade.  She still has something of a hard time with it.  Yes, she will more likely choose the alliteration over the rhyme.  she hears beginning sounds easier than ending sounds.  This may be tied up in whatever learning disability she has, but I just don't know.  I've suspected Central Auditory Processing Disorder, but that has a lot of similar symptoms with ADD (which she has been diagnosed with).  And, I also wonder sometimes if it doesn't have something to do with her sequencing issues.  This is the primary difficulty she has with her number sense and ability to do even very simple calculations.  Obviously, your son has no problems in the math area, and he sounds very strong in the literacy/language arts area as well.  Maybe it is something that he just needs a little more time with.  Can he identify rhyming words when they are written down and he is looking at them?  Or does he just have problems when they are spoken to him? 

No exercise today, but I am gathering and organizing camping gear, which is building up a sweat, oddly.

[sparkletruck]

RM - re-read what i wrote and think i sound snarky. I did NOT mean too. I meant, what you say resonates with me and probably many of us. I wish you in your pursuit of improvement!
As for that roll (oh, I know), I do several exercises that have pretty much got rid of it... for now anyway . I cant seem to lose the last of it in front (its my 5 lbs of fun, aka chocolate chip anything!) but my low back is pretty strong and lean these days ... my core in general. One good exercise is to prop yourself up in a side plank: lower arm (facing floor) propped on elbow, upper arm (facing ceiling) straight up toward ceiling, one straight leg stacked on top of the other (upper, lower). Make sure your lower hip is lifted so your body is straight! Now raise the upper leg toward the ceiling, leading with your heel as much as possible, without breaking your hips (that is, dont let that lower hip sag as you lift the leg)! Do 3 sets of ten on each side (switching the leg that is on top/ elbow that is on the bottom). Best to do on a rug so your feet dont slide down, although I do it at the gym on wood floor and my running shoes stick me to the wood, but less so than the rug.

Geo - geh, that sounds so frustrating. I wish I had a suggestion as to where to look. What does the SLP say?

NRR: I wont even tell y'all what I had for lunch (see above note about chocolate chip anything for clues)

Sort of RR: Found a great bike route from the camp. Turns out riding btwn. camp and hetch-hetchy is fairly well known and lauded. Then had a refresher on how to change a bike tire just now Now all we need to do is find a babysitter among the camp counselors for dd2 and bike rides in the sierra are in my future

[Geofizz]

Cold soak of the very tired legs at the pool, followed by frozen custard.
 

Originally Posted by bec 

On the rhyming, I think that some kids just don't get it.  <snip>  I've suspected Central Auditory Processing Disorder, but that has a lot of similar symptoms with ADD (which she has been diagnosed with). 

I hadn't bumped into CAPD, and while the descriptions I read on Dr Google seem to fit him at the edges, examples of what it looks like in kids doesn't fit DS at all.  (He's aware of and understands conversations happening in another room, oral math is no problem, he can follow complicated instructions when he wants to...)

Note that the rhyming is an example that is very tangible at this point and at his age right now, and I see it as a sign of something else going on related to our phonological processes disorder diagnosis he got at age 3.5.  I wouldn't be concerned at this point on the lack of rhyming except for the fact that we've worked on it so consistently only to the effect that he has memorized which words are in the same word families.  I know they're memorized because he'll repeat them in the same order I would have said them 2-3 days prior.  I don't think it's any easier or harder orally vs written.  When written, he's positive if they're spelled the same (hat and bat) but not if they aren't (sun and one).  Of course, we talked about the fact that 'sun' and 'one' rhyme a few days ago, so he'll now just know that they rhyme.

My concern educationally is that he'll be able to brute force the reading instruction at school for a few years, after which point he won't be able to memorize any more words or decode words once he starts reading more complicated things.  Mind you, he has such a huge base of knowledge, that he can use context cues to read words that you might otherwise think he was decoding, but he's not.  It's good guessing. 

I know it seems weird to worry about reading development for a kid reading before kindergarten.  His diagnosis is associated with a 50% rate of being functionally illiterate at 12th grade.

Originally Posted by sparkletruck 

Geo - geh, that sounds so frustrating. I wish I had a suggestion as to where to look. What does the SLP say?
 

 

We've been discharged from the SLP for almost a year.  They discharged him with "age appropriate" expressive speech even though they never actually had him pass the articulation or phonology test again, though he most of his moderate goals.  The MS-degreed SLPs have never worked with a kid like DS.  They got him to the point of saying 5 word sentences as an almost 5 year old (I $h*t you not) and said it was age appropriate.  Good enough.  Good bye.  Mind you that he hit the ceiling on the evaluation for receptive speech, ranking in the 90%ile for a 7 year old at that point.  We're dealing with something that he is compensating for quite effectively with an unsettlingly good memory.

I'm starting to learn that my kids will never be easy.  I went to "coffee with a councilor" at DD's genius camp* and the entire conversation was foreign to me.  None of the generalizations about "these kids" talked about my kid.

*not its actual name, but what we've dubbed it in this house after dinglet bedtime because the admissions process was so bizarre.

[Realrellim]

Nemesis--I think you ought to be fine mountain biking. That said, your wisdom (pulling kids around) is the same wisdom I've been using to justify a duathlon with a 15-mile mountain bike portion, so I probably can't be trusted. The only "mountain biking" I've done ever is to ride my bike along roads in the mountains--and not up a major pass or anything like tjsmama will be doing next weekend!

memiles--hope your Warrior Dash rocked!

Geo--yay for a new nanny! Hope you can find some answers about the rhyming issue. Is there any chance it's just one of those developmental issues that will resolve by the time he's 6 or 7? (I couldn't make a "sh" sound until I turned 6. My sister had a similar issue with "th." Both resolved without a problem. I'm not sure if there might be something similar on an auditory level....) And after reading your last post, my best advice is to ask around and keep the issue on the back burner for now. Once he's in school they have to offer necessary services. Also, I might add that kids who are really bright often find interesting ways to adapt. I'd guess that he will too.

And as far as conversations at the genius camp...um, I think an awful lot of parents have a habit of playing up certain stories about their children and downplaying others.... DH decided to take an online seminar offered by our county's G&T program. It was amazing to watch people take normal childhood issues like being scared to go down the slide and completely pathologize it to the point that the reason the kid was scared to go down the slide was because they were so much better than other kids at visual tasks that it was too scary. Riiiiight. It certainly couldn't be that the kid was both really bright in some areas and possibly had some sensory issues or really, just wasn't ready to handle big slides yet. I didn't participate, but it was, um, enlightening to see the kinds of personalities I might be dealing with next year. That's not to say that your kids aren't their own unique creatures, but that there's some interesting versions of "truth" out there when it comes to parents who believe their children to be little geniuses.

Come to think of it, that's true of grandparents too, which would explain why MIL keeps treating my nephew as if he's the new Stephen Hawking and my daughter as if she's an average 4yo instead of someone who's 6-1/2 with advanced math skills herself. People see what they want to see. (ETA: my nephew does basic calculations very quickly--a combo of being on the spectrum and having his mother drill his with flash cards--though I should note that I've also heard him do them incorrectly.) However, we were at a restaurant and R was doing some of the activities on the menu. One activity had a few math problems, so she started working them out. She'd just started one and apparently she wasn't doing it fast enough for MIL, who grabbed her hand (!) and started showing her how to do it. I jumped in and told her to let R figure it out, and her apology--as it's been for the last three years--is that she's just so used to working with younger kids. Really, it's because she has a bias against girls, and especially a bias against shorter-than-usual girls. FTR, my nephew is exactly 5 months older than R. The way she treats them, you'd think it was more like 5 years.

RR: ran 6 in the morning, biked 10 in the evening. And I'm finally feeling better too, thankfully.

[doctorjen]

memiles - I know it was fun, because I have facebook, but I'd love to hear a report!

Geo - yay for nanny hirage!  I hope you are able to find some competetent answers for ds.  It'd be nice to know what the future holds with that type of processing issue - whether it's likely to be compensatable with his other skills, or if he will eventually hit a wall and not be able to compensate further.  I think there is a huge area of speech, OT, developmental therapy that doesn't know what to do with kids who have an issue, but excel in other areas enough to seem to compensate well.  Hopefully you can find someone who has the experience to at least tell you what to watch for, if not actually provide therapy for him.

bec - had to laugh at your mostly coffee lunch.  I'm trying hard to be more deliberate in my food planning.  If you find something that works well (and fits into a busy life!) let me know.

sparkle - fascinating about the sunscreens.  Do you have an idea about where to find some of the better brands?  My middle 2 are starting band camp tomorrow, where they'll be outside several hours a day for 3 weeks.

NRR - have to do some shopping today - feel like we've been bleeding money since the move!  We need another lunch cooler, and water jug for band camp tomorrow, and I need some shoes for work, and Catherine doesn't have any shorts that fit well and aren't indecent (she has some really short ones!)  And then tomorrow, they start band camp and I start work.  Had a nice chat with my actual boss (who will be on vacation my first week) and I'm again reassured that I get a lot of shadowing and mentoring time before being on my own, but I'm still kind of a nervous wreck!  At least my dh is home again (he spent last week in IL.)

RR - I ran 14+ yesterday with a KC running group, Runner's Edge.  I'd intended to run 12, but no one was turning around at the 6 mile mark (most folks were doing 10 and turned around at 5 miles) and the one lady I'd been running with was doing 14, so I followed her rather than turn around on my own and try to find the course alone.  Unfortunately, she started having a really rough time after we turned at mile 7 - had to make a urgent bushes pit stop, and then had a hard time running again.  I stayed with her until 11 miles, when I was getting really antsy about not having my phone, and finally after she assured me she was fine to run/walk back, I left her.  Since I'd been moving pretty slowly up until then, I blazed the last 3 miles back, all under 10 min!  and still felt great at the finish despite it being my longest run in almost 3 years!  I did go ahead and join their fall training group - you get supported group runs every Saturday with courses marked usually from 2 miles to 16-20 miles, coaching, running store discount, weekly speed sessions, and various other group events (yesterday there was pancake breakfast in the park right after running!)  It was a little more than I wanted to spend, but in this heat in a new environment, I really need the support I think - and especially the planned out and supported long runs.  I really like the coach - very friendly and approachable, and I like the training schedule and philosophy.  And there will be Runner's Edge pacers at either Denver or KC depending on which race I run.  And I met some really nice runners, including a KC ob/gyn!

[sparkletruck]

Drjen - many natural food stores (from whole foods to locals) have the Badger brand among others, but the pink Coppertone ("water babies"?) you can find at Target. This is perfectly fine (i.e. has titanium dioxide), but got a lower rating than the Badger because of some chemicals in it that EWG deemed unsavory. I figure if I'm using it on body parts and not their whole bodies every day, its fine.

RR: edited to add; 85 minute bike/run block. Thought Dh was working today, but turns out he switched for a later shift, so I got an unexpected day ON Wow am I fast and strong on estrogen + my new playlist! Seriously, I defy you not to run an 8 minute mile while listening to "lose yourself" by Eminem

[JayGee]

sparkle ~ that is one of my all time favorite running songs!!!  It's perfect!

DrJen ~ the running group sounds wonderful and a great way to meet new people in a new city.

Geo ~ congrats on the nanny and I hope you can figure out you DS's issue.  Sounds frustrating, especially given his advanced level in other areas.

RR ~ heading to the Y later for some fun on the elliptical

NRR ~ fun day yesterday with the kids at the indoor trampoline park.  DS is SO good!  He just got invited to be on the competitive trampoline team our gymnastics gym is starting, but I need to see how the schedule will work with his soccer (already committed to a year of travelling soccer).  He'd much rather trampoline though!

Off to watch the Women's World Cup final!  Go USA!!!!

[MelW]

memiles, hope the dash was terrific despite the weather!

Geo, congrats on the nanny and wishing you the best with your DS's rhyming/phonological issues. I think you're right in your instinct not to wait until the school system picks up on it given his memory and generally asynchronous development. I know that rhyming is only one example, but was pretty amazed at how the "ability to make and recognize rhymes" was "not assessed" for my daughter on her first and second report cards this year- it's pretty hard to spend more than a couple of minutes with her and not recognize her ability to rhyme, and it's something that strangers often comment on (and I occasionally have to nag her to just say what she means instead of try to find a way to say it in rhyme). But in the final months of kindy they were "assessed" on rhyming, with worksheets and the ability to fill out rhyming/matching words such as _at: find bat, rat, cat, etc. Anyways, a long-winded way of saying absolutely trust your instinct on this one, since it seems that it might take a while to find the supports/resources that your son needs given his ability to compensate and not to appear to be struggling...

DrJen, good luck with the first day at work, and congrats on finding a great running group, too!

sparkle, way to go with the estrogen and playlist!

Yesterday I decided to not care about the rain and take the kids to the BMX track in the mud. I always get a good workout there running to keep up and pushing my youngest up the bigger hills. The co-ordinators of the BMX club were there doing some maintenance as we arrived, and as usual invited us to join the club. It's cheap, friendly and only a few blocks from home, but I can not convince my oldest daughter to do anything that might involve anything other than perfection in front of strangers. She won't even bike on the track if there are other kids there, let alone consider the club. We've been butting heads about learning to swim lately, so I'm more irritated than usual about it. She refuses to consider swim lessons, and won't let me or my husband make any suggestions about swimming. She wants to do it, but gets terrified of failing publicly and decides that she'll just learn on her own. I don't know any self taught swimmers... Since her fiddle teacher is about the only person in the world that she'll take "teaching" from, maybe I should see if the fiddle teacher can also teach swimming . Otherwise I'm at my wits end. It would be so bad if we didn't spend so much time and the river and beach, but I feel like I'm just going to have to tell her that a life-jacket is mandatory until she takes some instruction.

[Geofizz]

Originally Posted by MelW 

memiles, hope the dash was terrific despite the weather!

Geo, congrats on the nanny and wishing you the best with your DS's rhyming/phonological issues. I think you're right in your instinct not to wait until the school system picks up on it given his memory and generally asynchronous development. I know that rhyming is only one example, but was pretty amazed at how the "ability to make and recognize rhymes" was "not assessed" for my daughter on her first and second report cards this year- it's pretty hard to spend more than a couple of minutes with her and not recognize her ability to rhyme, and it's something that strangers often comment on (and I occasionally have to nag her to just say what she means instead of try to find a way to say it in rhyme). But in the final months of kindy they were "assessed" on rhyming, with worksheets and the ability to fill out rhyming/matching words such as _at: find bat, rat, cat, etc.

Thanks for your comments. I'm sure of several things it is not, but still have no idea what this is. Interesting that you didn't see rhyming until the end of kindy. Here there's a state assessment they have to do within the first 3 weeks of school. However, he'd only miss the rhyming part of it, and so he'll pass and not be referred to intervention (since they do intervention without testing here until 3 rd grade). I,m at least confident that he,ll get the rhyming part wrong on that one giving me grounds to talk to the teacher about it. I know he,ll get them wrong, because he knows that cat and bat rhyme because we've told him. The test, however, will ask which two of three words sound the same. He won,t tell you that they sound the same, but he might tell you they go together because the both are animals, belong outside, and both could be black.

I found a good website with phonological exercises on them that I,ll start incuding in our morning speech practice time. Sigh.

Thanks for the listening ear, dingos. I,m going to call the Speech center we,d gone to and see if I can talk to someone, as well as calling the Speech dept at the university and call in a professor favor.

Back to doing the house "reset" for the new sitter.

Rr: 18 miles on the bike this morning to check out the new downtown park.

[Nickarolaberry]

So...she (dd1) came home with us on visiting day.

It takes a stronger person than I to withstand the begging, pleading, tearful eyes and a "Mommy, I just miss you so much I can't stand it anymore. PLEASE let me come home with you. I'll even wash the floor."

Sigh.

Not to mention dh was totally, completely, the opposite of helpful. Dada wanted to sweep in and rescue his little girl and that's what he did.

I must say I feel like I"ve failed her somehow, in the independence department. On the one hand, she was there for 3 weeks and had a great time, which is the longest she's ever been away from me for sure. And I've always maintained (much to everyone else's chagrin and chastisement of me) that she needed to wean on her own, and pursue independent ventures at her own pace. That her close attachment to us was a good thing.

I guess I still feel that way but I suppose I believed that at almost 11 years old, she'd be ready for more separation. I am thankful, on the one hand, that she values our relationship so highly and wants to be with her family. But I somehow, still feel like I failed her and she is suffering immaturity or something because of something I did or did not do for her.

Meanwhile I am traveling back to camp next weekend to get her stuff as they did not want us to pack it and take it out with all the kids and parents there, which I understand and agree with. In the meantime I told dh I am going the night before and taking the time to go outlet shopping by myself, staying at a hotel on my own, then picking up the bag and coming home the next morning. I need some time to regroup. I am feeling pushed and pulled and stressed in so many different directions right now...