Day 11: I Ain't Got A Worry

Here's a creative picture Anna took of our three shadows as we were walking down the street the other day.

The kids each got to spend a few hours playing with friends today--one at our house and one at another. And it being Saturday, they got some morning TV and we made it a movie night, too. And on top of that we had baked beans and stuffing with some other left overs. What a great day, except that no one besides me really liked the baked beans. Or the stuffing. And the cats had to hide out when Toby's friend came over, because things got a bit wacky. But overall, we had no worries. Hoping Theresa and friends have none either.

 

Day 10: Star Performer

Today Toby was very proud to have been awarded the Star Performer of the week, despite all of his anxieties about his performance at school which continued tonight as he fretted over an art project at risk of not being completed on time. I tried to take a light-hearted approach and compared it to yesterday's homework which worked out just fine, but he explained to me that I didn't realize "how serious of a situation" this was. I'm hoping the weekend and having his friend over to play tomorrow will loosen him up a bit. He has his toys laid out ready for a battle.

Also shown here, The Dark Crystal, which I came across on Netflix today and had a memory of when I was a kid and my parents took the family out to see the movie, Gandhi, which was released that same year, 1982. But I stubbornly refused to see it, desperately wanting to see The Dark Crystal, so my Mom went with me while my Dad and sister saw Gandhi.

I'm now on the other end of this, observing my kids with their own expectations and deep desires, which can be "very serious situations" for them.

Day 9: Six Girls Riding on Bicycles

Draw a picture to describe three girls riding on bicycles and then three more join them. Who in their right mind asks a six year old to draw six girls riding on bicycles for math homework? Who do they think he is, Dr. Seuss? Even at a quick 5 minutes apiece, this is a 30 minute assignment for a single question among many, and then try fitting this artwork into a rectangle the size of a dill pickle. Did they really have to be riding on bicycles? And ask him what 3 plus 3 is, and he's got the answer with 29 and a half minutes spared.

Day 8: How We Are

I've mentioned Toby's concerns about "the boy who comes up to him at school." This morning he woke me, climbed into my bed, and was choked up about some other recess problems that also involve kids who, in my opinion, are just interested in talking to Toby or even inviting him to play. Certain social situations trouble him, and he copes with it by trying to avoid them. I wish he would stop worrying about it and just play and have fun with his friends. I am sad to think he views recess as unpleasant and he wants the time to go by quickly.

Anna seems to be the opposite, converting strangers to friends in a flash. After school today (half-day), I took the kids to Jump Street, where they both had a great time racing around and bouncing all over everything. And after 2 hours, Anna had made three friends, and hugged them all before we left.

Introverted myself, I was always shy as a kid, too, and had many uncomfortable experiences where I found myself alone and wishing the time would pass (though I don't recall this as young as first grade). I'm hoping Toby can find a way to get through this faster and better than I did. Or maybe this is just how we are, and going through it feels unpleasant, but is part of becoming aware and comfortable with ourselves. The good news here is that other kids genuinely seem to like Toby, if only he'd see it that way!

Maurice says, "Come home soon."

Shown here, the moon tonight, as the kids wave to it and think of Mommy. We miss you, Theresa!

Day 7: Whistle While You Work

In progress. The magic is in the patterns.

While the kids are at school, I'm doing all sorts of projects and activities around the house, and running errands all over the city. Most of it is costing us a fortune--new running shoes and socks (to match my new high-performance underwear), a trip to the eye doctor for new glasses, some replacement of various critical kitchen components (pans, spatula, um...television).

The completed antenna

The proof: 4 bars on elusive Ch 12

However, one of my associated home projects cost exactly zero, and is truly amazing. We get relatively poor reception to our kitchen TV, and usually maneuver the rabbit ears into an awkward position on the island counter, such that no one can really move from sink to fridge, etc. I stumbled across a web page that describes how you can create your own HDTV antenna using aluminum foil and cardboard, and it works as good or better than an expensive one you might buy. So, I made one. And it's awesome. It looks pretty ugly, but can be easily concealed and doesn't need to be adjusted all the time. The secret, I guess, is in the exact shape and arrangement of the metal--something about log periodic, I think a physics or electrical thing. It now gets great reception and cost nothing. I happened to have a small antenna adapter and spare coaxial cable in the garage. The rest was cardboard, aluminum foil, glue, and a few nuts and bolts. 

Below, a few pics of our fantastic students heading off to school this morning.

Day 6: The Deal

Silvery and Rose passed away yesterday. It was their time, anyway. At first, I told the kids we would get some new fish. But today, I just really didn't want to buy more fish. More cleaning of the tank, more filters and food and other apparatus. So I made a deal to assist the kids in buying some other item they had been wanting, in exchange for agreement that we would not buy more fish.

Anna is contemplating Meatloaf the dog, an American Girl doll accessory. Toby has had his eye on a Fisher Price dinosaur toy. (Recall the Target episode mentioned earlier.) Details of the deal required some concessions on my part. Toby's negotiation style involves far too much emotion. Anna is more of a transactional style, withholding final agreement until the terms are fully to her liking.

I would really like to move away from anything related to stores and buying things for the kids, as it always seems to lead to problems, and is not an area in which I'm a model parent. On the other hand, I also went shopping for various other things today and spent a ridiculous amount of money. Obviously, I need to go back to work where I can just earn money and don't have time to think about how to spend it.

(Toby continues to struggle with the boy who comes up to him at school. We now know his name, and he has apologized to Toby and given assurances of being nicer. I think it's all on Toby's end now. Toby stays on the basketball court at recess, and I wish he wouldn't let his fears keep him from having fun and playing with his friends.)

Day 5: The Tooth

Sunday morning, I was reading Toby a Magic Treehouse book (another great present from Theresa). And Anna came bounding down the stairs, shouting, "My tooth came out!"

It seems only recently this, the 7th of her lost teeth, was only starting to move slightly. But she had been aggressively wiggling it, and is quite fearless now about any pain or blood associated with losing a tooth.

On the other hand, she's still afraid of the dark, bad dreams, and certain scary things. Yesterday, we saw Ice Age Continental Drift at the movie theater, and since it's nearing October, there were several previews for Halloween movies. One in particular continues to haunt her a bit. Frankenweenie is a rather creepy-looking Tim Burton film about a boy who brings back to life his dead dog. This bothered Anna, and she hopes not to find this dog in her closet.

In a distantly related turn of events, our two goldfish both died today. I may tell the story another day, but while I expected the kids to both be distraught, it did not seem to bother them. They were rather curious, and enthusiastic about the possibility of getting new fish. I never quite know what will upset them and what they will shrug their shoulders at. As long as our goldfish don't come back to life, I guess we're ok here.