quickly

Isaac started in his new class today and did awesome!!! No tears at all at drop off! And when I picked him up he said "I didn't use to like my school but now I like my school" Prayers answered! So far so good!

Gonna Make You Sweat *Sw-eat*

I definitely remember dancing to this song as sleepovers in sixth grade. I don't know how Isaac heard of this song but he loves it. He gets to sing the women's part ("Every body dance now") and I have to sing the rap part featuring such sweet lyrics as "I'm just a squirrel trying to get a nut, so move your BUTT" Also, this particular video is just hilarious. Don't know how to make it bigger though... Here is the link if you prefer..

Lots of tears...

Why does it have to be so hard to find good childcare??? Isaac has been at his new school for about a month now and it's not going well. Here are my issues:

• He's miserable. He cries at drop off which he never did and he tells me he cries all day. He also tells me he plays by himself and not with the other kids and from what I have observed at drop off and pick up, this is true. I expected tears at the beginning. He doesn't do well with transitions and saying good-bye. At his other school his teacher was very warm and friendly and great at distracting him and drawing him into whatever the group was doing. At his new school he is ignored until it is time for me to cross the threshold when the teacher comes over and restrains him as she slams the door. I generally go around the corner and wait a few minutes, hoping I will peek in to see him playing or working but he continues to stand there all alone sobbing pathetically and being completely ignored. This is the very worst one for me. If my kid has to be away from me for eight hours a day I want it to be at a place he is liked and he is happy.

• Food. They have an onsite cook and they provide lunch at no charge. The problem is their lunch is it. They allow no outside food because of concerns with allergies, etc. I get the allergy thing. I really do. At his last school there was a kid in his class who was literally allergic to almost everything (nuts, soy, eggs, meats). Isaac is an extremely picky eater and for the first week or so at school he was eating nothing all day. Apparently they have no alternatives and they feel that preschoolers want to eat things like chicken stir fry. Also, a copy of the menu is not sent for home for parents. It is posted in the classroom and you are just supposed to memorize it. I put my foot down and said that my kid was not going to go from 7:30 to 4:30 and not eat anything and I insisted on sending a lunch in. I have been sending in pre-packaged foods (like lunchables) with food labels so they can be aware of any allergens. The other day I sent a lunchable that had two very small cookies. The cookies were still in his lunch bag when I picked him up. I asked him how come he didn't want his cookies and he said "The teacher said no desserts allowed." How stupid is that???

• Lack of communication. At his last school they went above and beyond in terms of communication. I got a full sheet on Isaac specifically each day and the back had a typed up summary of what the class did that day. I also got a weekly newsletter from his classroom and a weekly newletter from the school. I have not recieved anything so far from his school. I asked today and was told that I should recieve a monthly newsletter. For the younger ones they do a daily sheet but that by preschool they "expect the kids to tell their parents about their day". I tried to explain that Isaac was not able to reliably tell me things I want to know things like did he eat or not or did he cry all day and there is no one left at the end of the day who can tell me that. She then said "Yeah he doesn't seem like a communicator. Even with kids and teachers in the classroom he doesn't communicate." The way she said made it seem like Isaac is autistic or has communication problems. Isaac does not have problems communicating-- he has a huge vocabulary and he is very used to talking to adults since he has grown up in a household of adults. The problem is he is shy and uncomfortable!!!

• General unfriendliness/lack of structure. I'm not greeted warmly. Isaac is not greeted warmly. My concerns are addressed in a way that seems to imply that I am being difficult. One day Isaac had an accident during naptime and I was told that "He refused to use the toilet before nap". The assistant is always leaning against the front cabinet monitoring the kids but never interacting. The other day she was actually filing her nails when she walked in. I have dropped off and picked up at several different times and while the kids are always engaged it always seems to be free play. Is this a summer thing? Isaac never comes home with papers or art projects. What the heck are the kids doing all day? Evidently Isaac is supposed to be telling me this.

So now I feel really horrible. School starts tomorrow for me and I just don't know what to do. I am literally in tears after every drop off and pick up. I don't know if I should try to find another preschool in Pottstown or what. I looked into most of the local ones and this one seemed to be the best. In a desperate moment I did call his other school. They said they would be happy to take him back but they are soooo far away. That would mean driving 1/2 hour out to Oaks, then 1/2 hour back to Pottstown to go to work, then an hour after work each day to pick him up. Tons of wasted gas and time spent in the car, leaving the house earlier. And it seems so silly when I live and work in Pottstown to keep him in Oaks. but it is only a year and it might be worth it for the peace of mind of knowing he is happy and well cared for and liked. Also, next week he will moving up to the Pre-K classroom which will be the same kids but a new classroom and new teacher. Should I hold out until then? Should I send him back to the fabulous but faraway Bright Horizons? How long should I give it?

Any thoughts or advice are much appreciated.

Why does being a mom have to be sooooooooo hard????

Summer update

We have been running around like crazy people for the five weeks or so since summer school let up and we have been having a blast! We have been doing a lot of stuff with family as my brother just moved back to the area from state college and Jenny has been home for a record breaking two months. Her boyfriend Drew joined us for about ten days and we headed down to our tradition family vacation spot of Ocean City New Jersey. It wa sa lovely week of relaxing and eating fudge and enjoying being together as a family. Isaac especially enjoyed spending so much time with his grandfather and the significant others of all of my siblings who played with him tirelessly.

Traditional Ocean City boardwalk picture. How cute is Isaac?

He wanted to be buried constantly. Aunt Jenny and Drew were happy to oblige...

Then my camera broke. Yes, the third one within the past 18 months or so and the one I just bought in April... I give up...

I also did some reading at the beach. I read:

The Pact (A Love Story) by Jodi Picoult, one of my favorite authors. It was a page turner and pretty good but it wasn't the best book of hers I have ever read. It was one of her earlier books, and she definitely doesn't have the maturity as a writer that she has in her later books.

I also read Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Aspergers by John Elder Robison which was a great book. It was interesting on it's own as a memoir but also as a way to explain how it was for him growing up with asperger's and his struggles. Many of my students have Asperbergers (the less extreme side of the autistic spectrum) so I try to read everything I can get my hands on. It was a great read!

Anyways, I will try to post more later. I have been doing a ton around my house and everything looks great. My siblings have all been helping too which is awesome. I have the best family ever!

Blah, blah

1. What is the color of your toothbrush? White

2. Name one person who made you smile today? Isaac of course. that kid cracks me up every single day.

3. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Laying in bed, trying to figure out if I could take more cold medicine yet.

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? Trying to persuade Isaac to get dressed.

5. What is your favorite candy bar? Peanut butter Twix

6. Have you ever been to a strip club? No

7. What is the last thing you said aloud? "Bye Love Bug" to Isaac as he left with my parents (who are the two kindest people on the planet)

8. What is your favorite ice cream? Nutella by Zwahlen's

9. What was the last thing you had to drink? Crystal Light Lemonade

10. Do you like your wallet? Yes. It's a designer wallet (from my pre-Isaac days when I would spend ridiculous amounts of money on such silly things)

11. What was the last thing you ate? Oreo

12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? Yes but it didn't fit, so I has to return it.

13. The last sporting event you watched? I couldn't tell you. Not a sports fan.

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? Butter or carmamel...

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? My sister

16. Ever go camping? Yes, quite a bit growing up, but it is not my favorite now

17. Do you take vitamins daily? no but I should

18. Do you go to church every Sunday? I didn't go today, I'm laid up in bed.

19. Do you have a tan? I do have a little color.

20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza? I'd take either.

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw? I don't care.

22. What did your last text message say? You probably just have a cold. You should go to the doctor.

23. What are you doing tomorrow? Going to the Lanc to pick up my Isaac.

25. Look to your left, what do you see? My dusty nightstand

26. What color is your watch? Silver and pink

27. What do you think of when you hear Australia? Crocadile hunter

29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Drive through

30. What is your favorite number? 17

31. Who's the last person you talked to on the phone? Dad.

32. Any plans today? Don't plan on getting out of bed, except to give the cat a bottle...

33. How many states have you lived in? Utah, Massachuetts and PA

34. Biggest annoyance right now? My cavity (ouch!)

35. Last song listened to? Hit Me BaBy on More Time (on america's next dance crew)

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards? Yes if I had to

37. Do you have a maid service clean your house? In my dreams

38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? Flip flops in the summer, sneakers the rest of the year

39. Are you jealous of anyone? No

40. Is anyone jealous of you? I doubt it

41. Do you love anyone? Yes

42. Do any of your friends have children? Yes

43. What do you usually do during the day? Try to keep this house clean.

44. Do you hate anyone that you know right now? I wouldn't say hate.

45. Do you use the word 'hello' daily? Yes

46. What color is your car? Gray ... love my car

48. Are you thinking about someone right now? Yes

49. Have you ever been to Six Flags? nope

50. How did you get your worst scar? C-section

Just call me Gnarls Barkly

The problem with having having a psych degree, a graduate certificate in psych, and reading various psychology books for fun, is that it is pretty easy to convince yourself that you are nuts. I feel like I should just pin that to my shirt today....

These two...

are both completely nauseating and seriously both deserve to go straight to hell. They have got to be the two most selfish, greedy people on the planet.

If you watch their show, or read their books, you are contributing to their evil empire and you will be partly responsible for the fact that these kids will all need therapy and be totally messed up for life. Their parents' marriage falling apart continues to be documented for them to see in horrific details because middle aged housewives can't change the freakin channel.

It seriously makes me sick...

http://www.lifeandstylemag.com/2009/07/932-jon-gosselin-inset.html