Happy Birthday, Critter!

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Critter is 6 years old today.

Nothing like a sibling birthday serenade to start off the day. Papa made the Critter's favorite breakfast of eggs, bacon and pancakes. And then Mama sent him to school. No worries though I took lunch for him and The Negotiator and they each got to bring a friend to the guest table. It's the little things that thrill my kids.
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Just a sampling of the gifts Boy 2 got for his birthday. We don't really do friend parties anymore. Just having the family over is a major event by most people's standards. You have to figure though that with Papa as one of SEVEN kids and counting step-sibs on my side we also number seven, the potential for just an immediate family gathering is pretty astounding. Besides if you're not used to a big family - particularly one of the Latino variety - it can be quite daunting. We tend to shelter our unexposed friends from the congregation of our family.
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That there is an ice cream cake and it was delish! Of course we had dinner since our kind of parties aren't about snack food, ice cream & cake. Latinos make a meal when we make a party. There is no other standard by our way of thinking.

If you're so inclined you can take a walk down memory lane from the birthday five.

E
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Mother's Day and Other Crazy Ideas

When is Mother's Day not Mother's Day? When you have a sick kid. Of course, having a sick wee one is what being a mom is all about. Poor Critter came home with a fever and a headache on Thursday and has been puny all weekend. Turns out many in his class are fighting this bug. I missed the family meal with Papa's side of the family so one of us could represent and one of us could serve as cootie master (that'd be me).

Sunday has been better all the way around. Critter seems to be fever-free and if he can stay that way he'll go to school tomorrow. He's definitely looking better and getting into trouble which is the real sign that he's on the mend.

We were able to go to my mom's house for lunch. GG - Grandpa Golf (that would be my mom's hubby and my step-dad) - made a fabulous lunch and drinks. I got to have a mango margarita, eat chips with salsa and talk to my mom. My mom asked that I make her cookies for Mom's Day.

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Since I got a margarita from them I returned the favor. I cookies are rimmed in sugar crystals to look like salt. Next time I think I'll add a little bit of fresh lime to the icing just to give it a kick.

As for me I got my off the hook new iron/steam generator. One of the Hancock Fabric Stores is going out of business. Their loss is my gain. This is a $150 iron and it was marked for 70% off and the cashier gave me an extra 10%.
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The box was crushed, the machine was dusty and it had been in the back of the store for quite awhile (it was an older model). Still I plugged her in and she fired right up. I walked out the door for about $40, happier than a pig in shit. Papa cleaned her up for me and she is a honey. So that was my Mother's Day gift along with the potted begonia that is really nice. It sits outside my home office and makes me smile.
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Happy Mother's Day everyone!!

E

I Have The Mind of a 4-Year-Old

My 8-year-old son just told me not to wait to go potty.

I was on my way to take care of business when the Critter asked me a question. Being the dutiful mom I am I stopped to answer his inquiry. The Negotiator says to me, "Mom, I thought you were going to the bathroom. You really shouldn't wait until the last minute." Hmm, I wonder where he's heard that before...

Earlier today I was looking for trinkets for the treasure box in my classroom. While I was going though some boxes of donated items I found a box of mints.
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I could not stop laughing.

Being the completely mature adult that I am, I waited for my boss to go take care of his business and then I left the box of mints on his keyboard. Tee hee. I went back to my classroom to wait. And watch. I could barely contain my school-girl giggle. When he got back to his desk I saw him smile so I went to 'fess up. He said he knew it was me.

I suppose my reputation precedes me.

E

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Thanks, Bluebonnet

For leaving that bottle of Mudslide at my house from a long-ago bunco.

Last night The Critter nearly took the tip of this finger off playing with a garden tool (we are such watchful parents). He saw Papa using the long-handled branch clippers to cut back some of the branches near the fence we’re taking down. Critter decided to “help” and sliced into his pinky near at the fingernail. Blood was everywhere! We took him to the ER last night, but the blood finally stopped so we brought him home and took him back to his pedi today. We knew his tetanus shot was current and that the finger was still attached so we didn’t stay for the hospital procedure. Critter was so exhausted and totally freaked out by the ER that it was less traumatic to wait for Dr. J and just dope him up for the night.

We got in to see the doctor this morning and she put Humpty Dumpty back together again. It seems like the only time Boy Two sees his pediatrician is when she’s has to patch him up and send him on his way. We had lunch and ran some errands before picking up Boy One with Boy Three (who today is Tinkerbell's son since she has strep throat and Big A is out of town). At the moment all is right and happy in Boyland.

But wait! Fast forward…

You will not believe it, but Critter stepped on a nail this afternoon. He went in the backyard without shoes. The rule is you have to have shoes on so outside so I didn’t specifically tell him that this time. Because it’s every time, you know? He’s running around playing tag with the Negotiator and Boy Three when all of a sudden Critter comes in the house crying. The nail wasn’t actually in his foot, but there was a nice gaping hole from which blood was oozing. Fortunately we know for certain from our visit THIS MORNING that his tetanus shot is current.

God has a wonderful sense of humor. Or this whole “secret/law of attraction” theory everyone is banking on is all a load of shit because I tell myself constantly how careful and cautious my children are and nothin’.

E

BUSTED

I was putting some of the Critter's worksheets in a bag for the recycle bin and he caught me.

"MOM! You're going to recycle my projects?!" he cried.

"Of course not! I was putting it in a bag for safe keeping until after everyone has come to dinner. Then I was going to let you tell me all about it!"

Papa and The Negotiator looked at me knowing I was lying like a rug, but Critter bought it. That's all that mattered.

Spring Break In Pictures

I meant to post these earlier, but well, you know...




The Negotiator earned his archery belt loop at Cub World. All the cubs and dads went to a District sponsored event. I can rest easy knowing Boy 1 can bag a water buffalo in a famine.




Spring Break isn't a break without a carnival. We opted out of the official rodeo carnival for the rag-tag outfit about a mile from the house. We didn't have to pay for parking and the wrist bands were only a $1 more than at the Texas Star event. Neither boy noticed the difference so who are we tell them?




I love that they are each other's best buddies. They fight, but they do have a great time with one another. Makes my job much easier - and much harder.




We planted spring flowers. Our yard looks like doo doo. Papa and the boys spent some time getting the weeds out and adding a little color. I'm hoping to add more, but they were worn out with just the clearing stages.

E

Tastes for Two

Why can my boys like the same thing?

It seems I'm usually making two different "somethings". One will want a burger and the other chicken nuggets. One will want fresh fruit and one will only drink smoothies. I know I should put stuff out and too bad, so sad if you don't like it. Still I'm a mommy and seeing my kids NOT eat goes against every fiber in my body.

I'm trying a different approach. I'm sending the boys to cooking camp over spring break and maybe they can learn to cook for themselves since they seem to have such different tastes. At the very least I hope to get some help in the kitchen.

E

Missing The Clothes Boat

I hate it when I miss the season on my boy's clothing. I put away The Negotiator's spring clothes last year for The Critter this year. When I pulled them out The Critter had already outgrown them. How could he?? Moving on.

So I purged The Critter's closet of no-longer-fits clothing and got a bag ready for the clothing pantry at Papa's work. I know all the clothes there go to great new homes and I'm glad. It gives me incentive to keep purging, and believe me I need it since it feels like we are drowning in stuff.

E

Teacher Talks

We had our conference with The Critter's teacher today. She says he's doing great. From what I can tell at the student-led conference, the teacher is correct. He can maneuver the computers like nobody's business. He's whipping through those math manipulatives. He seems to be inclined towards reading and is already at the 1st grade level.

It's all good with The Critter.

The Negotiator has made great strides. His reading has shown remarkable improvement and he's reading slightly above grade level. Whew! As much as we valued the teacher's input we decided to take our own way of helping The Negotiator along with his reading. We started out with us reading to him from chapter books. He had to understand that all those random letters pulled together to make a word and those words in the correct sequence made a story. Once he made that connection he started challenging himself to read more.

This time we didn't meet formally with The Negotiator's teacher, but she sent home a progress form. He kicking mathematics booty. As I said, reading is rocking (a very special thanks to the Harry Potter books). We are told there still a bit of a disconnect with writing, which isn't about handwriting at all, but rather showing your reading comprehension through writing.

I don't think I'm gonna worry about that one. First he's a boy and the physical part of writing is just too hard for them at this age. Moving the brain, the language arts muscle, the hand for actually writing and bringing them all together in concert is a lot to ask. He'll get there eventually. I know he's comprehending the material because he can answer the questions verbally even if he can't write them down in his allotted time. Writing, in the case of this evaluation is, in my opinion, just another bullshit bench mark that only serves to make parents panic about their kid's progress. Which is exactly what I did, panic that is, when I got the little note. Then after further reflection it occurred to me that he's just like me. My mom was told I should repeat Kindergarten and that I was possibly dyslexic because I kept flipping my letters or some such nonsense. So at The Negotiator's age I couldn't show my comprehension through writing either. Today I can say that I've written for the news media (radio, television and print) for a mid-sized market in addition to the many other written documents I've produced over the years.

He'll be just fine. Trust me, teacher, I didn't turn out half bad.

E

I Made It Myself!

In light of the new year and doing our best to keep things tidy, The Critter has taken to cleaning his own room. Today he came to me all excited that he made his own bed. I guess a little more practice is in order.

-e