Dingoes Defy the February Slump: Keep Running, Mamas - Page 8

[Plady]

Why did I just open a box of Christmas shortbread cookies and start to work on them?????

[Realrellim]

Originally Posted by Plady 

Why did I just open a box of Christmas shortbread cookies and start to work on them?????

Because they're yummy. Also, nice workout earlier! And yes, R still has the tooth. Must do something about that this weekend.

Originally Posted by kerc 

But I will say: three diapers for a 15 min library visit is better than zero diapers for a three hour one. Both are equally possible with my uber smart but not real life smart husband.
 

Yeah, he's done that one too. He's kind of all or nothing. Will you be able to go skiing this weekend?

On homeschooling/public schooling:

Originally Posted by bec 

I think this is just the next extension of the mommy wars.  It started with do you breastfeed/bottlefeed, cosleep/crib, CIO/not, disposable/cloth diaper.  It just goes on and on.  It's why I cherish the Dingos.

Exactly that.

Nic--glad to hear about the job offer and hope they can offer you something workable. It's nice to be wanted no matter what, right?

JenLove--I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother. And switching gears to the homeschooling conversation (yep, I had some catch up to do!): how about you you move to Colorado. There are a lot of homeschoolers. Most of the Front Range districts also offer "options," which is a one-day-a-week program where parents can opt in to subjects they'd rather have someone else teach. There are also other homeschooling groups up the wazoo. I'm pretty sure that at least 50% of our local AP/NFL board is homeschooling. Our zoo and museum are now offering a monthly class geared toward homeschoolers too. And I think there's even an unschooling school (or heated building in which your kids are supervised but not taught?) in the metro area too.

JayGee--I'm technically a PTA mom too (we have PTA instead of PTO). I belong and volunteer and all, but I can't make the regular meetings 'cause I teach those nights. Our PTA is a mixed bag, so that's a plus, at least. Good luck with the new food start. I've been craving baked goods lately and I know that's not healthy.

Geo--interesting news on the meetings. And for permanent solutions. One thought on moving your son up: one of the boys in R's class was a Dec birthday but tested well and started kindy at age 4. Last year he started in the 1st grade G&T classroom, but it turned out his reading skills weren't where he could be to keep up. So they put him in a regular 1st grade classroom, and this year he's back in 1st grade (with his peers--R and he have birthdays a couple of days apart), but in the G&T class where they're working a year ahead anyhow. The changes haven't been too disruptive for him, fwiw. And on the fish oil, perhaps you can make some sort of no-bake bars that store in the fridge?

anjsmama--hope the croup settles down with your LO in the next couple of days regardless of what you decide to do while running.

1jooj--personally, I'd have an exit plan in place. Mostly, that would involve having a good amount of cash on hand (in American dollars or whatever will work best on the black market and such). It never hurts, given where you are and all the turmoil in the area. And all that said, I hope your lives between now and this summer remain incredibly dull. And a huge congratulations on the poem!


tjsmama--I hope they are able to move, and on a separate note, that you have a fabulous time skiing.

BBM: on no sugar for six weeks. Wow. I don't think I could do that at this time of year.

sparkle--ack! feel better!

Shanti--hope your daughter ends up with a mild case that resolves quickly. Or that you're able to distract her with lots of fun stuff in the meantime.

MelW--ugh on the sickness. Hope everyone feels better soon and you don't feel any worse.

Classroom Valentine's Day party tomorrow. Child care arrangements for J fell through, so she's coming with. She's very excited. Wish me luck!

[1jooj]

Just mapped the beach run. It is indeed, just about exactly 4 miles. I think I am going to shoot to do a double of it one day this week. It's time to gear up; my friend is coming in a month, and she's been running half distances just for fun. Don't want to let her down. It would be super cool to be able to run a 10-miler with her. Pending weather and jet lag adjustment, of course.

Ran the beach this morning while dh and kids had breakfast there. Dh ran the beach first thing, too.

The pub is Magnolia Journal. I'm just thrilled that someone appreciated what I was trying to do with the story, and of course a pub credential is always a good thing.

sparkle, your comments make me  and I appreciate your thoughts on writing about where I am. Saying the wrong thing and having it taken the wrong way by the wrong person could land me in the hole. Someday when I am comfortably living elsewhere, it will all come out. Isn't that something to think about, my commentary has been heavily self-censored. It's worse than I say it is. Worse yet, to me, is how many people "just love it." 

Real, your cash recommendation is a good one, and didn't even occur to me. I feel like all my self-reliance "muscles" have atrophied. At the least, I'll figure out the way (on foot) to the consulate, stash some cash, and hope everyone can chill for a few more months.

Fish oil in the homemade Lara-type bars sounds brilliant. So does Plady's walnut-flax idea. Yum.

I am off the starches and it feels so much better. Those first three days were killer. Physically painful. But I seem to have switched the gears. Now to stay focused and up the activity. On both the bread and DC fronts, dh showed up with Subway and a giant DC after work on Wednesday. I had to be kind of sneaky about it, but avoided both and fed the kids and dumped the quart or so of DC. In the interest of family harmony, I am trying not to see it as sabotage. This also applies to the Pakistani sweets and chocolate bar he brought me last night. The sweets are in the fridge and the choc is in the snack cupboard (kids can have them).  And my post-run 2 eggs were delish. For reals.

drjen . Just keep running. I have been feeling a little guilty about my internet time, but when I realize that this is really my primary tool for human contact outside my family, I feel less bad. I hope you're finding balance.

Speaking of, I am trying at the moment to set up a few social calls. A "play date" which is really more a mommy date, and a couple coffee/walk dates with women I know here. I really am operating on a lower level of energy \. Sleeping more, achieving a lot less with my time than I ever have before. Makes me wonder whether maybe I've become imbalanced to the point of needing medical correction. ?? So, because I know hard running is better than drugs, and interaction is important, I will try adding those and see what happens.

JayGee, any discussion about nerve irritation? I saw a doc here who brought it up, basically on the idea that long-term back issues created what he called "ennervation" (?), which is maybe at the heart of the pain issue for me. He didn't have a solution but said there's a doc in TX doing something with ultrasound? sigh. I wish there were simple, effective and cheap solutions. Besides denial.

[Shantimama]

I don't know what I was doing while I was sleeping but this morning my knee is tingling and super painful. Walking down the stairs was excrutiating so I may join dd on the chesterfield watching musicals all day  I must be fighting some virus too as I am so tired I feel dizzy even though I slept more than usual last night. Bummer. I say I will take it easy today but there is a half ton of laundry that needs to be done, the kitchen is a disaster zone and I can't live with that, and dd's pox have reached the horribly itchy stage and she is needing lots of TLC. Last night on the way home from band rehearsal I picked up the ingredients I didn't already have to make another batch of Jo's soup so I can live on that and oranges for the weekend. I can't seem to get enough oranges these days and the sweeter, the better. 

So many hard things are happening these days but yesterday had some good moments. We have a friend who is a music teacher and leads the brass quintet two of my kids play in. On his way to work yesterday he dropped off a bag with at least a dozen musicals for dd to watch while she recovers - things like Singin' In the Rain, Grease, Amadeus, Beauty and the Beast, Show Boat, Guys and Dolls and a few symphonies. A couple of hours later there was another walk at the door and a woman who goes to dh's church and plays in a couple of concert bands with us handed me three bags of groceries - deli chicken, potatoes, popsicles, ginger ale, watermelon, cupcakes - made my day with the girls so much easier and helped me feel less alone in all that is going on. All these people know is that we have a couple of sick children but these acts of kindness ease so much more than that.

[babybugmama]

Jo, first and foremost of course what sparkle said, second, be safe..., third, I know for my dh and the diet changes it has taken a long time for him to get it.  I think it was me not eating his birthday cake and then not drinking margaritas (he bought the all in one kind - hello hfcs).  I know he bought sugar free chocolate for me for valentines, which I don't want either...I'm staying away from the artificial sweeteners too, but he means well.  He cannot fathom the idea of not eating sugar at all.  I don't think he truly gets what it means. I'm wondering if your dh is the same, it doesn't affect him in that way so why should it affect you?  I dunno.  I admit though it has been frustrating and rather than look to him for support I've had to watch what he brings in the house and prepare myself.

The day is beginning here and it started at 5:10 am...all because my stupid dog uses his collar as an alarm clock and woke ds up.  I hate getting up at the butt crack of dawn.

[Geofizz]

Jo, you might think of making a 'go' list as well. Don't pack so much as write a list of everything you'd want if you had to leave in a hurry, with details on where things are. It seems awfully paranoid, but hopefully it can bring you a degree of reassurance. But yes, cash first.

My RP is more outraged on behalf of my kids than I am. 7 miles, including the "hill" twice, was enough to let me sleep until all the way until 1:35 this morning. I'm anxietiating myself over DD's math and worrying if Ds' verbal skills are good enough.

Can folks compare for me the Strawberry Nordic Naturals to the Carlson's orange burst? The reviews of the Carlson's makes me think that the "gummy" bit might be too gummy, and they have just 40% the DHA as the Nordic ones. Still researching...

[Nickarolaberry]

Jen, so sorry to hear of your Grammie's passing. 

Geo, sending you for figuring out your dinglets' stuff and wishes for  for you. You are one intrepid mama. And I would love a similar review; it's time for me to incorporate the fish oil into my kids' diets too but they won't take anything that tastes icky. 

My SIL just had surgery yesterday for an upper spine herniated disk that was impinging on her nerves and putting her shoulder in agony for months. Please send up good thoughts and prayers for her.

Jo, yes, definitely, exit strategy: cash, map how to walk to the consulate/embassy, emergency list, and perhaps photocopies of important documents stashed with your folks overseas as well as instructions what to do in an emergency? It's probably a good idea for anyone traveling anywhere, these days, sad to say -- but esp. in a situation where the region could fall apart quickly around you. And, perhaps some ideas about other peoples' homes to get to if you need to (other expatriates or Emiratis you trust) and how to get there. I was in Israel during the first Gulf War when the scud missiles started falling on Tel Aviv, and we had to do this kind of stuff. Scary, and luckily we did not need it, but better to be prepared.

Shanti, hope today is better and things get easier! 

I feel so yuck after my eating fest yesterday. Going to detox a little this morning (yogurt and a rice cake, coffee only) and then go for a run when the temp hits 40 as it's supposed to midday. Meanwhile I am cooking for everyone else -- Shabbat dinner. On the list: roast bbq chicken (I don't eat this but others in the fam do), GF cornbread stuffing, roasted yams/potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, and maybe some asparagus if I can get it.

Want a good laugh? The other day in school the kids had a special Tu B'Shvat 'meal' (the arbor day thing) and it's custom to eat lots of different dried fruits, nuts, etc. They ate carob. DD2 said to me, "Mommy, they made us eat a CARIBOU! It smelled like sweaty socks." 

[JayGee]

Nic ~ sweaty socks?!   Prayers for your SIL for a speedy recovery.

Geo ~ it sounds to me like you're making some excellent choices for your children.  It is stressful to make so many huge decisions all at once, but you're doing it in a thoughtful, well-intentioned way.  Is your DH starting to come around?  What are his concerns?  I can't believe the red-shirting in your community.  A 7 year old in kindy?  Really?  My DD2 is still only 5 and won't turn 6 until May....

BBM ~ I can understand your feelings and anxiety about running on that trail after what you saw.  A few years ago, one of the women from my running group was sexually assaulted on my favorite trail.  I just couldn't run on it for a long time after that.  It wasn't until we did a huge community-wide "Take Back the Trail" run with at least 100 other women that I felt empowered enough to brave that trail again.  Thinking of you .

Shanti ~ oh no.  CP!  Enjoy your sofa time with DD and I hope the itching subsides quickly.  I had to laugh at your use of "Chesterfield" though!  I've never heard that term before and had to look it up!

Jooj ~ sweet beach run!!!!  That sounds lovely.  At least the runs on the beach are there to balance out all the other yuck there.  I can't believe people love it like that.  Then again, your farmy existence in WI was pretty much the antithesis of Dubai-living.  Stay safe in the time of unrest.

Real ~ hope you and J have a good time at R's Valentine's party!

kerc ~ lice.... ew..... Did you find any?

tjsmama ~ enjoy your ski day!  I hope it all works out where your XH can move back to Colorado.  I am always amazed by your equanimity towards him.

NRR ~ my kids are off school today for Parent-Teacher conferences.  They only do conferences at this time of year for children who are having trouble either academically or behaviorally, so we don't get one.  Good in some ways, but I'm still not seeing any additional "challenges" from DS's teacher.  He got his mid-term report yesterday.  Honestly, when a kid hasn't scored below a 96 on any assignment or test for the entire semester, it's time to give that kid a little more .  So much of the school is geared towards children with special needs/behavioral issues/developmental issues ~ there are actually more special ed teachers and aides in the school than regular teachers.  Yesterday, when I was in the library, a boy had a huge emotional breakdown (screaming, throwing things, kicking, punching, trying to fight off the teachers who where holding him).  I see why so many teachers and aides are needed, honestly.  But I still wish a small fraction of that budget could go towards kids who need an extra challenge too.

RR ~ dropping DD2 off for a playdate this morning and then dragging DS and DD1 to the Y so I can walk or something. 

[babybugmama]

Shanti I missed your post.  That sounds like lovely community loving.  So sweet.  I'm sorry you're feeling lousy, take care of yourself...do the bare minimum to keep the house maintained and just rest.

Geo - how did I miss how old these kids are in kindy?! That's insane.  I knew ds couldn't handle kindy socially/emotionally at 4/5, but by 5/6 he would have to...

Jo - I wish I could be that ear that you could whisper all the wrong.  Trust that we are listening with our hearts.  I like everyone's ideas of plans...Anxiety provoking to think about.

Dd has her book club here today.  She heard me talking about my book club one time and decided she wanted to do that. I figured maybe once or twice and she'd let it go.  But almost a year later they are still going. There are four of them including dd and they have read such a variety of books, rainbow fairies, nancy drew notebooks, beast quest, (typical 3/4th grade fodder), etc. It's been fascinating the lessons she has learned interpersonally.  The newest is that she has really leaped reading level-wise, but her friends haven't yet (from 3/4 to 5/6).  I've been talking with her about the idea of book club for the long haul and the amazing books they will read together as a group, but that for now she needs to be patient with them and allow them to catch up.  Meanwhile she and I will read the books she's interested in and talk about them.  She's disappointed and it's not the same, but I think she gets it.

[Geofizz]

Carob as sweaty socks is about right.

BBM, I'm wishing you peace as you reclaim your sense of safety and security in your neighborhood.  I love book clubs for kids.  Newbery award books are always a good go-to for something like this, and often google can kick up some guidance on running a discussion about the books. 
 

Originally Posted by babybugmama 

Geo - how did I miss how old these kids are in kindy?! That's insane.  I knew ds couldn't handle kindy socially/emotionally at 4/5, but by 5/6 he would have to...

JayGee found me in another thread.

The cutoff is 5 by Sept 30 to start kindy, but there is a de facto cut off in the neighborhood of May 31, as in, if they're not 5 by the end of preschool, then hold them out until they start kindy at 6.  Some people will hold out even older kids, and there's always one or two January or February birthday per class.  The sad thing is that when I see who they are in 3rd or 4th grade, almost all are in special education for a variety of learning disabilities.  Clearly the parents were seeing something that made them think that their 5 1/2 year old wasn't ready, but instead of realizing they were going to need help, they went with the standard advice to let them grow up more.

Some of this stems from the local "culture" of the district, and some stems from a mis-understanding of what immaturity vs disability looks like amongst the local preschool teachers.  There had been a huge problem getting appropriate services for dyslexic kids in the district, and a parent group formed 2 years ago to pressure the district to do the right thing, educate teachers and the community about what it is and when it can be identified, and in the end, they ended up filing a formal complaint against the district last spring.  Amazingly enough, these parents have managed to maintain a positive relationship with everyone, running parent and educator speaker series and pressing the issue with a smile.  The main bottle necks in the district have been fired or reassigned, the district is on watch with the state (part of what appears to be making DD's case fast tracked), and there is a turn around in culture there about reading disabilities.  The next task for this group is now to pull in the local preschool teachers to help them see the differences between the very rare immature kid who really should maybe not join school until age 6 from the kids who are showing signs of needing intervention through the schools. 

[Plady]

Originally Posted by 1jooj 
 I really am operating on a lower level of energy \. Sleeping more, achieving a lot less with my time than I ever have before. Makes me wonder whether maybe I've become imbalanced to the point of needing medical correction. ?? So, because I know hard running is better than drugs, and interaction is important, I will try adding those and see what happens.
 

Jo - I feel like you're writing my last days in Mexico (when the right address for my blog was inertiatrap?).  It all felt so pointless.  But you've got an end in sight.  In the meantime are there any service organizations that you could get involved with?  There have to be other people who are not satisfied with the status quo and don't have patience for just treading water.  Maybe just getting something on the schedule like that could help the remaining months go by a little more quickly.

Geo - Add me to the very impressed list.  Really, you've got so much to consider and you're doing such a good job of trying to keep the whole picture in view.  I hope your dh can be helpful and isn't just overwhelmed.

  For all who need it.  I'm taking my cat to the vet today to see if he's got diabetes, I'm pretty sure he does.  Either that or the weird cancer that we thought he had about 6 months ago didn't disappear when the big tumor thing in his abdomen vanished.  Bracing myself for upsetting news one way or the other.

Hopefully I'll fit in some lifting today although I kind of feel like I could use a rest day. 

[mommajb]

I no longer get updates despite checking and double checking that I am logged in, subscribed and set up to get them.

This will be the first time I haven't done SS but I will not fail somebody. I came so close last year.

So many things to say but I will only take the time to address Kindy. My June girl went just after turning 5, September girl and October son were held out agains my wishes by the local at the time date but it turns out to be good. I think the extra maturity helps them cope with junior high and high school. February girl went without my second guessing her placement. I am already getting grief about not sending ds2 next fall. He will be 5 is September and just fine academically. He reads and computes well, chapter books and equally strong number sense. People at LLL meetings have actually used the term red shirting. I am both looking at the environment I want him in next fall and how old and mature he may or may not be as we hit later milestones in education. LIfe is not a race or a competition. Mommy wars, indeed.

I lied, there is more. bec, it is never too late to find and follow a path that will support you emotionally and financially.

[babybugmama]

So it's friday, should I keep SS open or work toward pairings.  Speaking of which, someone offered to do the pairing for me...I can't remember who....

mommajb no worries, I didn't do ss last year.  I just felt like something fun this year.  I still think fondly about the hat DrJen knit me...it has disappeared somewhere and I'm really sad.

[doctorjen]

Ok, back to try again.  Actually, life is good.  I am just trying to be more mindful about computer use at home and limit it as much as possible.  My kids are all busy, and they all still want to talk to me so I'm trying to be accessible and not buried in my laptop.  Plus, I want to spend time with my spouse, and accomplish some house projects, and run!  My big issue with mdc is it loads very slow, and crashes my browser a fair amount at home - especially when I try to edit for some reason.  I can read on my iphone or ipad, but I can't edit the race/results lists from there, and I don't have time to do it from work, so it just doesn't get done.  I read regularly, though, so I know what's going on with my dingo sisters!

Geo - the anxiety must be terrible.  Are you getting some fish oil, too?  I find it pretty helpful.  Can dd swallow pills yet?  I don't have experience with the chewables, but I find that a high quality capsule kept in the refrigerator has pretty much no taste and no fishy side effects.  Do you think having the right diagnoses will help with figuring out how to help dd especially be content in her educational environment, or do you have enough information from the testing to see what changes she needs? 

bec - what about other sales related fields - marketing?  advertising?  event planning?  Any of that appealing?  I enjoyed retail also, and find skills I learned there very helpful in the practice of medicine, too, so I think having a good customer-service skill set is important in many unrelated fields.

mommajb - I thought you were a fantastic SS!

JenLove - so sorry to hear about your grandma's passing, but I'm glad it was a good family experience.  There's always some comfort in helping people have a peaceful end surrounded by people they love.

Plady - I'm loving hearing about boxing.  I always thought that sounded like fun.  Can dh see how important having exercise time is for you?  Does he have a good compromise solution in mind?

Shantimama - ugh on CP.  My youngest ds had them twice, and then had shingles as well (first had CP at a little less than a year, then again at 5, then shingles at 13)!  My oldest ds only had them once and was a really easy patient on top of it.  My girls were both vaccinated and have not had any form of CP/shingles.  Have you had them, I hope?

Real - any chance of sedation + dentist for the tooth situation?  Or a quick yank while she's sleeping?  I can't believe you manage to run at all with all you deal with!

Nickarolaberry - I've not seen these cherry M&Ms.  I think I'm glad!  I hope they work out the job offer more to make it worth your while.

JayGee - are there any outside challenges for ds?  My kids participated in the FIRST Lego robotics challenge in junior high and have all loved that.  Younger ds and dh have now joined the local astronomical society, too, and are enjoying the outside contact with people passionate about a subject.  Dh and ds are also working on learning how to program games for Android devices.  It'd be great if the school could provide him with more appropriate challenge, but if they can't, maybe there is something outside for him.

RR - I've been running well.  Trying to stay over 30 miles a week and succeeding.  This week I did both a hard interval workout and a tempo run, and still feel pretty good.  I'm on call this weekend, though, so worried about getting the miles in.  Worst case scenario, I'll push my long run to Monday, which is really not ideal.  Hopefully any baby who wants to make an appearance will do it during daylight this weekend!  9 weeks to my half.

[Realrellim]

Originally Posted by 1jooj 

I feel like all my self-reliance "muscles" have atrophied.

Nah. I just favor stories about the Cultural Revolution in China and similar ones where people (real or imagined) have to find alternative ways to extract themselves from bad circumstances. And once upon a time I wanted to be a FBI agent. (Yes, for real. In college. My eyesight disqualifies me.)

Originally Posted by Geofizz 

Jo, you might think of making a 'go' list as well. Don't pack so much as write a list of everything you'd want if you had to leave in a hurry, with details on where things are.

Jo--this too. I have an evacuation list posted to my fridge in case we had to evacuate in 30 minutes or less. Mine is based on wildfire concerns which, while unlikely, aren't rare around here either.

Geo--R and J both love the Strawberry Nordic Naturals. R is my picky one (and has sensory issues related to eating that become even worse when she's anxious, and has a number of vitamins she won't eat).

Originally Posted by Nickarolaberry 

"Mommy, they made us eat a CARIBOU! It smelled like sweaty socks." 

Originally Posted by JayGee 

So much of the school is geared towards children with special needs/behavioral issues/developmental issues ~ ...[snip]...I see why so many teachers and aides are needed, honestly.  But I still wish a small fraction of that budget could go towards kids who need an extra challenge too.;

Yeah. I just heard a podcast that pointed out we're spending a lot more money than we used to on education, but all that extra money is pretty much going to special ed; all too often, kids at the top are losing ground because there aren't enough resources for them. (American Radioworks - "Academic High Fliers" if anyone is interested.) The answer, obviously, is that we need more resources designated for those kids too. I think that schools need to start compartmentalizing, particularly with the violent and disruptive students, but I don't see it happening anytime in the next ten years. And it's a logical nightmare--though possibly not much different than the nightmare of having a kid with special needs who is disruptive on a regular basis and so much so that he has a special aide assigned to him to deal with the outbursts. That'd be my nephew, by the way, who I firmly believe would do better in an environment suited to his needs and personality than in a regular classroom. MIL parrots the "but it's the law" line when this comes up and SIL is horrified by the thought that her son would associate with "others like him." She seems to think the normal will rub off, which is as ridiculous as me assuming that if J and R hang around tall kids they'll grow to be a more average size. SIL and BIL are unhappy when he's getting into trouble and feel the environment should be more forgiving of his outbursts (the ones that are so loud and disruptive that he gets carried into the hallway to yell and scream). Basically, they want him in a mainstream environment, but they want the mainstream environment and all the children therein to conform to my nephew's behavior and interests. (That sounds reasonable except that he's really rigid. Once he was complaining that his parents hadn't brought his conversion chart because he wanted to see how many yards there were in a mile. He was building up to a breakdown when I told him there were 5280 feet in a mile, and since he had his calculator [in his hand; he had been carrying it around for a while] I told him he could simply divide 5280 by 3 to get the number he wanted. Would he do it? No. He wanted the conversion chart, period. And he only wanted to punch in random numbers on the calculator. Eventually his dad ended up taking him upstairs to cool down.) The closest his school can get to normal is assigning him a personal aide--which is a considerable amount of money to be spending on one or two kids, yk? (His IEP called for a personal aide, not shared and not one that could say, assist the teacher when A was behaving. Budget cuts have forced the aide to watch a couple of kids and sometimes assist the teacher. SIL/BIL/MIL remain angry about this, apparently not understanding that at $20K or whatever the aide is making, a *lot* could be done for a lot of the other kids in the school too. If the district was running a surplus, sure, but they're not and I'm rather amazed that all my in-laws are fine with taking away services from other kids for this one. They have a daughter. She's bright. She gets completely ignored by then because she's not hyperliterate and wasn't spelling her colors at age 3. She starts kindergarten next year, so perhaps at that point they'll realize that she's getting neglected in part because so much money in that district is going to not so much to even educate her brother as just to keep him from disrupting the classroom for large periods of time.
/

DrJen--so good to hear from you. Your 30 miles/week is my inspiration. I'm about to start marathon training, and I figure if you can manage it with more kids and a more demanding job, I'll find a way. And on R's tooth, mostly, we just need to "motivate" her this weekend. Her broken arm bills are going to eat up a good bit of our HSA (yep, high-deductible insurance), so I'm not willing to shell out a bunch more money for oral sedation for a very normal thing that she just needs to come to grips with. DH is a psychologist, so he's going to be assigned the job helping her through the anxiety and getting the thing out this weekend.
Edited by Realrellim - 2/10/12 at 10:22am

[sparkletruck]

Real - You have described perhaps THE pandora's box of education; the issues of mainstreaming vs. tracking. Mainstreaming has been such a long and hard fought battle, I dont see that changing even in ten years. The question, as you say, is now what? Because yeah, it's nearly universally understood by parents of competent or performing (let along high performing) kids that their children's needs will not be met by conventional ed./ed. as it is now. This is largely why G/T ed. is turning into a middle/upper middle class white "special ed." department itself. So sad

Speaking of which,

JG - my dd1 has been expressing boredom with school lately too. She is nearly the oldest in a mixed age class (1st, 2nd, 3rd), so not only is she 3 mos. away from a whole new level (4th/5th) but also one of the bright kids/NOT a squeeky wheel. There are plenty of those amongst the 1st grade boys, from what I hear. I told her to set up a meeting with her teacher and discuss ideas for how she can be more challenged; perhaps develop a research project that meets curricular goals. We are thinking of looking at the state education budget and how it is disseminated. I want there to be some math in the project, so she would have to take the $ amount for the state, find out how much various elementary schools get and why, how much her own school gets, how its used, etc. I just came up with this yesterday, so its rough, to say the least. She had a meeting with her teacher yesterday. We'll see what happens from that and if I need to insert some homeschooling in the next few months...

NRR: O.M.G. Seriously, coughing fits for 30-60 minutes, 20 seconds between major breathless attacks. So exhausting. Im juicing, drinking whatever hippie tea I can find (that I know doesnt work, but I dont care at this point). Oh yeah, PEEING on myself, thank you very much. Just a tinkle here and there, but Dh and I have this joke; whenever I sneeze I do an arm pump; "yes! 3 kids and bladder control!" Not this week

[JayGee]

Real - Thanks for that podcast. It is exactly what I'm talking about.

Dr. Jen a Your mileage is impressive!

[zubeldia]

Hi Dingoes!

SO sorry not to have kept up with any recent threads. It's been a crazy few months. My mum returned to the US with us after my dad's funeral in early December and in the midst of everything we had to pack up and move house. Mum leaves next week after 2.5 months of being with us and we're trying to readjust.

But I miss you all so much and will have more screen time when my mum leaves. But, I could do with some dingo good thoughts and vibes as I am pregnant again. I saw a RE and he found nothing to explain recurrent miscarriage so gave us the go ahead to try again. Well, we got lucky first time, again, so here I am, nervous as hell and wondering how on earth it will work out. hCG is going up as should (but it did last time, too) and so we're just waiting for that first scan (on the 21st). Just holding on to some hope that this will be our lucky baby.

Zub

[Geofizz]

Originally Posted by zubeldia 

Hi Dingoes!

SO sorry not to have kept up with any recent threads. It's been a crazy few months. My mum returned to the US with us after my dad's funeral in early December and in the midst of everything we had to pack up and move house. Mum leaves next week after 2.5 months of being with us and we're trying to readjust.

But I miss you all so much and will have more screen time when my mum leaves. But, I could do with some dingo good thoughts and vibes as I am pregnant again. I saw a RE and he found nothing to explain recurrent miscarriage so gave us the go ahead to try again. Well, we got lucky first time, again, so here I am, nervous as hell and wondering how on earth it will work out. hCG is going up as should (but it did last time, too) and so we're just waiting for that first scan (on the 21st). Just holding on to some hope that this will be our lucky baby.

Zub

Hi ZUB!!!!  CONGRATULATIONS!

Oh, I'm crossing everything for you.  Fingers, toes, legs, arms, hairs, everything.  Stick and grow baby! 

[Shantimama]

babybugmama - 

So it's friday, should I keep SS open or work toward pairings.  Speaking of which, someone offered to do the pairing for me...I can't remember who....

That was me. I am housebound with dd2 for the next several days so just let me know how I can help.

Hi Zub