Excuse Me!
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Rants

Whenever I go to a work-related class, I always introduce myself as a developer which is what I do 85% of the time. The other 15% is database work. So when I attended the SQL Administration class last week, I made my introduction and the instructor, after saying he was glad I had “admitted” I was a developer, proceeded to insult me at least three times in the first hour alone, each time being sure to glare at me over his glasses. He claimed programmers put bad code out on the server which bogs down the server and then who has to clean it up? The DBA…glare. He claimed programmers don’t know database design and should take that class…glare. He claimed some programmers use tempdb over and over again…glare. After 45 minutes I was ready to knock his glasses off his face. Where do these people get off?! I certainly made my feelings known in the course evaluation, but I’m sure I’ll never hear anything back.

Cool Stuff
Mood:  silly
Topic: Lauren

My car has been out of commission for a while and I have been using my MIL’s 1995 Saturn for a week while she was out of town. Riding in the car the other day with Lauren, she piped up from the back seat, “Hey what’s this cool cranky thingy?” Get this!...She meant the window crank! Apparently, that cool cranky thing has followed albums, 8-tracks, and dial telephones into the abyss.

A Nice Surprise
Mood:  happy
Topic: Lauren
As mentioned earlier, we were somewhat disappointed after the testing but then very pleasantly surprised when Lauren came home the other and announced that she is now in a program called Independent Investigations. She then came home today and announced that she is in a book club and something called Extreme Math. It turns out there are various levels to the High Potential program at her new school and while she did not qualify for the highest level, she did qualify for other services! Independent investigations is an enrichment program that allows the kids to investigate an area of interest, develop a report, and present the findings to the classroom. Book Club lets Lauren enjoy reading material at her level instead of the regular classroom level. And Extreme Math is currently getting her ready for algebra. We were getting a bit worried that she would end up in the same situation as her old school (not allowed to work past her grade level), but now we really feel we did the right thing in moving her. Things are looking good

Missed It By That Much
Mood:  sad
Topic: Lauren

Back in Spetember, given that Lauren was reading at a 5-6 grade level and doing math a year above grade, we asked that Lauren be tested for the High Potential program at her new school, and the results are in...to be in the program, she needed to score 98% or better...she scored a 97%. Needless to say we are a bit disappointed, not in Lauren, but in the fact that she will not be able to participate in the program. There's always next year though and we will be sure to have her re-tested.

It's Finally Over

And Thank God. I've had all I can handle of the election. In my opinion, they last far too long.

A message to President-Elect Obama: you've talked a good talk and won...now prove to me that you belong there because I was not convinced. 

And for those Obama adulators who assume that means I was a gung ho McCain supporter, that is not necessarily true, so don't bug me about it and try to convince me that I should be as ecstatic about Obama as you.

Just Getting By
Mood:  sad
Topic: Lauren

Is it possible that Lauren could have lost the desire and excitement to learn already? At second grade? All she seems to want to do is be with everyone else and do the work everyone else is doing. I've heard that it happens. Kids want to do only as much as they have to do instead of what they are capable of doing. Years ago it was a little different for me – I wanted to be not just with my friends, but with my intellectual peers and I wanted to do the work - even if it would have been hard work - but the school kept putting me back with others. Over time, I became accustomed to everything being easy so I lost interest in anything that involved work. Unfortunately, I'm still like that today. Sure Ic an get excited about something and even start work on it, but then it hits. It would just take too much time and study to go through with it. I don't want that to happen to Lauren. I want her to enjoy the struggle because that's the only way she'll enjoy the pride of accomplishment. There's got to be a way to keep that in her.

Ode To A Banana Muffin
Mood:  sharp
Topic: Lauren

Not yet have I tasted the mouth

And the potato chip like teeth.

Or the tongue, so like a sponge.

 

Lauren

on eating a banana muffin with a top that looked like a face. 

New Beginnings
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Lauren

We are just about to start the second month of school and the year so far has been surprisingly easy considering we switched Lauren to a new school.

In our state there is something called Open Enrollment where anyone living in one school district can enroll their child(ren) in any other school district provided there is space available. We had considered doing this for Lauren’s first grade year (last year) which was the year when the school district we live in was deciding whether to close a school and redraw the school boundaries. The school board decided on the option which kept Lauren at her school so we continued in our own school district.

But, we were not all that pleased with the curriculum for Lauren last year. She was reading at a 5th-6th grade level and while she was in an advanced reading group, it was every day in a different room with a different teacher. Now, how could they even begin to assess her growth with that scenario? In addition, we just weren’t sure about the rest of class curriculum. In the beginning of the year Lauren was capable of adding two digit numbers with carrying (regrouping as they now refer to it), but her class was starting out with tally marks. They did manage to end the year at adding and subtracting up to/from 18, but the teacher would never provide more challenging work for Lauren.

At the end of last year, and I mean the end…like the last week of school, after we heard a few things from neighbors about other issues at the school (class size and principal issues), we decided to think about switching again. It was a difficult decision and we went through a lot in finding our answer. We visited three other schools, talked with parents at the other schools, and had many discussions between ourselves about what it would mean to switch. In the end, we decided it would be better if we switched now, before she became that much more attached to her friends. So she started at her new school a month ago and has loved every minute of it. She is just so happy to be back in school, I’m not sure it would have mattered where she went just as long as she went. And when it comes right down to it, that’s more than half the battle, isn’t it?

Ulterior Motives?
Mood:  not sure

Last New Year's Eve I told Tony and Lauren that if I did not lose 30 pounds during 2008, I would pay them each $100. Maybe it wasn't a very good idea since my success rate is, oh, about 0%, but I was feeling optimistic. Since then I've had a few too many "hoorays" from Lauren when my answer to whether I had lost any weight was "no". She just can't wait to get her hands on that $100 even though she knows most of it would go into the bank. But not last week...last week there was a different answer. A change in tactics perhaps? Last week when I said I had not lost anything, she replied with a pout and a hug, "If you lose 30 pounds then you won’t be a nice, cuddly, chubby mommy any more." Well that was just so sweet, but it did leave me wondering.

Oh, and my dearest Lauren, you will definitely not lose your nice, cuddly, chubby mommy because, believe me, I will still have some cush left.

Seven!
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Lauren

What can I say? Lauren is seven and it's just unbelievable! There have been many changes in the past year, but the one that really stands out is that she has blossomed when it comes to her interactions with others. In fact, a neighbor just mentioned a couple weeks ago how Lauren used to say almost nothing to adults, but now talks and waves when she sees them. It seems my cautious baby girl has been replaced with an outgoing, rather confident little girl.  It is amazing to watch her interact with both adults and her peers in ways she never has before. She initiates play dates, she contributes to conversations, she compromises, and she enjoys all of it. That's the kicker - there's no wish more important to me for my child than to be more outgoing than I am. It will eliminate all the troubles of the timid and serve her well for the rest of her life.

Lauren - Happy 7th Birthday and you go girl!  Love you!