Another Milestone

The kids didn't have school yesterday (and I didn't have to work) so Landon and I finally made it to the DMV so he could get his Learner's Permit!

He's been taking practice tests online as his form of studying, but right before we left I found these flashcards online so he was able to study in the car on the way there.

They took his picture before processing any paperwork of having him take the test.

It was crazy busy there at 10:41 on a Monday morning, but they have a fine tuned system so we just soaked it all up. There was a broad cross section of people there including a Yoko Ono look-alike in a hat and glasses. 

We tried to figure out their system, but my theory is that they don't go in a numerical order so as not to freak people out when their ticket's number is 629! 

Our turn arrived and meant we got to stand there and watch the guy process our paperwork for what seemed like a long time, and then Landon got to take his eye test.

The moment of truth...the test! He got 90%.

Victory!

This means we need to teach him how to drive! He's only had one short tutorial in the church parking lot so he has a lot to learn. He'll be taking Driver's Ed in June, but he needs to practice before then. Good times.

Oh No

{Click to Enlarge}

I went to a Parent/Teacher conference for Whitney last week and was surprised by a couple things her teacher had to say. 

1. Whitney spends so much time drawing that she sometimes misses instruction and has to come ask me for help later. She also distracts others around her because they want to see what she is drawing.
2. She was assigned a partner to work with for a Revolutionary War project involving text and illustration. When Whitney's partner was asked what he contributed to the project he said, "Nothing, she wouldn't let me help!" (I was horrified by this until the teacher clarified that he is the kind of kid who is more than happy to let the other person do all of the work...but still.)

The projects were hanging up around the room but I spotted Whitney's immediately, she has a detailed style for sure.

Also expressed during this conference was that Whitney prefers to work by herself than in groups even if the assignment is specifically for the sake of learning to work in groups (uh-oh). This was the first time I have ever come away from one of these feeling panicked. This girl has a stubborn streak that makes me nervous. I know that often there are personality traits that don't jive well in childhood but can serve us well as adults, but I'm at a loss as to how to help her.

**Thoughts??**

Comment Window Tidbit: I am battling some attitude problems these days and am feeling rather unsatisfied with life right now. I think I have issues with repetition. It's hard to get up and go to work AGAIN every day, even though it's not bad when I'm there. I feel like I can't do all the things I want to do at home and I have been getting headaches which shut me down so the afternoon hours are useless. Wah!!

There's a Viola in the House

The little Missy has been talking about playing an instrument for years, but now that she's in 5th grade and Elementary Orchestra is an option we've finally taken the plunge (i.e., started paying for it). Part of her interest in this is that cousins Bella and Megan both play the violin and have been for quite awhile. We opted for the viola because Adam told us that violists are less common so scholarships are more abundant for them...say no more! So though it felt like I was signing my life away today at the music store as I paid my down payment, insurance fee and signed the contract for the next 18 months worth of payments, I am choosing to see this as the start of her college education. Hopefully she will love playing the viola and will get good enough to get a scholarship someday. If not, we'll have to consider it a public service donation.

**Have you ever had to sign one of those contracts?

Do you think about scholarships?

Did you ever have a scholarship?**

Comment Window Tidbit: So Tuesdays and Thursdays will find me working 7:30 to 3:15, picking Whitney and Madison up from school at 3:30, dropping Madison off at home, then running Whitney back to the junior high for Orchestra by 4:00. It's like driving a tortuously slow (25mph with cops all over) circle in a hurry. Aargh. I'm going to have to find my happy place with this new schedule. Plus next week her beloved art classes resume on Wednesdays at 5:00! I really don't know how people with more than 2 kids manage it all.

A Conversation

Whitney: What time did you get home from book club last night?
Me: Oh I don't know, around midnight.
Whitney: Wow, how do you do that, you don't seem tired?
Me: I don't need as much sleep as you do. Kids need more sleep than adults because they're still growing and developing, I'm not.
Whitney: [Laughing] You're developing wrinkles.

**Thoughts??**

Comment Window Tidbit: We woke up to breezy cool weather this morning which feels wonderful after having several days of beasty hot temperatures...vive la difference!

Miscellaneous Monday

We finally got our first big snow of the season! I have been yearning for some snow to set the mood and get me more into the Christmas Spirit so this was good timing for me. Also, Whitney and I hung the garlands on our fence on Saturday, and they always make me feel festive as well.


After 4 days of convalescing and watching an obscene amount of football, Landon finally got his cast. His color choices were pink, camouflage or red. He went with red because it's the color of the Atlanta Falcons, the Chicago bulls and our local high school, also he thought the signatures would show up better than on the camouflage.

Michelle and family came home today!!

Landon and a friend from school (not the one pictured here) have decided they want to have a business shoveling snow...ahem, hello, broken arm anyone? I'm trying not to be a dream crusher so I let him test it out on our sidewalk and driveway and this afternoon with his friend. He says it doesn't hurt, let's hope it stays that way.

Also, take note of his attire here: shorts, a t-shirt, a thin hoodie and tennis shoes. Where is his mother?? He claims he can't button or zip his pants with the cast on his right hand, but he can shovel? He'll be wearing jeans tomorrow!

**What gets you in the Christmas Spirit?
Are you a stickler for weather-appropriate attire?
What are your favorite Christmas decorations?**

Comment Window Tidbit: It finally snowed! Now I feel like Christmas is actually coming...oh no, is that panic I'm feeling?!

Whosiwhatsit

Today around 2:00 I got a call from one of the school secretaries (seriously the nicest lady on the planet) asking if I could come pick up Landon because he'd fallen and hurt his arm (the 6th graders were running laps and he tripped). I drove over to the school thinking, "I hope this isn't serious" and "I wonder if he just wants to come home and lie on the couch and watch So You Think You Can Dance" (he had to miss it last night).

But upon seeing his red eyes and slumped body in the office I knew he was really hurt. Jean (the secretary) had given him a baggie with ice in it and was very concerned about him (seriously, I love this woman).


I ended up taking him to the Insta Care place and was very relieved that they have a $49 a month for 6 months plan to cover this. It also covers him for other office visits during that time, so I told him if he's going to get any ear infections, strep throat or anything else to do it now. Hee.

He was in decent spirits when I pulled out my camera in front of the place, he said, "Gotta document". (It was very bright, hence the eye closure and the fact that I couldn't see it when I took the picture, ugh.)



It took quite awhile to fill out all the forms (I kept thinking, "Apparently I'm the mom, when did this happen?") and get all the paperwork in the computer before they could see him. Poor guy, he was really hurting.



They gave him a less leaky ice pack and left us in a seriously overheated (I was even wearing short sleeves!) room to play I-Spy for a few minutes. He was reluctant to play at first, but ended up having fun with it and totally bamboozled me by choosing really tricky items under my chair!

The nurse who helped us was nice enough, but had very poor, small-town Utah grammar (i.e., "Where was ya when ya did this?") and she man-handled him a bit. We also heard her on the phone saying, "Landon Strout"...what the? Stuart is not a hard name.

The doctor was very nice, but scared us both with his overdiagnosis involving words like "orthopedic surgeon," "bone fragments," "growth plate," and "expensive." Landon teared up after hearing him talk and I almost did too! It was a total "keep it together man" moment for both of us.


The doctor ended up sending the x-rays online (isn't technology fabulous?!) to a radiologist (for an extra $20 cash today or $37 later...good hell) and we ended up being told it was only a class 2 radial fracture whosiwhatsit type thing, so it can be handled at the Insta Care place and NOT at the orthopedic surgeon's! (God bless us, everyone!)


The nurse with the poor grammar hurt him again when she set him up to wrap the wrist (and started wrapping the wrong wrist first) causing he and I to both get teary, but after that all was well. He needs to go back in this weekend to get a cast put on. Can you believe he's 11 and this is his first bone break?


Since Dipidee was right next door we had to go in and reward ourselves for making it through this tough time. Landon got a brownie (bottom right of the picture) and I got a little cookie called "Pieces of Heaven" (it definitely was).

I gotta say, this was totally one of those acute parenting moments for me where I was the one in charge, I was the source of comfort, and I felt incredibly upset that he was hurting so much. I wanted to take the pain from him. We actually talked about the Atonement and how Jesus felt everything Landon is feeling. This was Landon's first time really suffering, so it humbled him and made him feel vulnerable. It was a growing experience for us both.

**Thoughts??**

Comment Window Tidbit: I got 4 hours of sleep last night in 2 two-hour stints $#@!, I don't know what's going on, I've been doing well with my sleep issues for awhile now. At least I got some reading done, but still, sleep is preferable.

Flashcards

I just returned from parent-teacher conferences and must say it was the first time I almost cried during one of them. Whitney's teacher (who is the same teacher Landon had for 4th grade) said that Whitney is very kind and that she can partner her up with any of the kids in class because she knows Whitney will work well with them, even the kids that no one wants to be partners with.


This sort of report does my heart good, because though I want our kids to be good students and get good grades, it's more important to me that they are good people. (I would be devastated to find out if they were ever rude or bullying to anyone.) I found myself close to tears as I muttered something about "working on math at home, but that there are no flashcards to teach kindness".

Landon is thriving in 6th grade and only needs to improve his penmanship (which is something I have pointed out to him many times), his teacher said he is a great part of their class and can handle anything she throws his way. Phew!


This hilarious bit of work hanging on the wall was done by a neighbor kid whose dad used to be Landon's scout leader (I'm assuming that's why he had this picture). Isn't this so funny?

Here's my version of accept/except sentences.
I have to accept that I will not be full strength in time for Paris.
I can do anything except stand up easily or walk normally. Hee.

This is a creepy bit of art Landon made in class, check out his spiky hair.

Whitney had me guess which picture was hers, but of course it had to be the one with so many details, including the rocket ship and shooting star.

Back update: I didn't sleep well last night and have been pretty sore today, but I took a nap this afternoon (mainly so I could lie flat for awhile) and woke up feeling so much better. I was able to get out of bed almost like a normal person, as opposed to the 5 minute process I've been doing lately to ease myself over onto my knees so I can stand up. The kids have been calling me "the roach" because I'm like a bug stuck on its back that can't turn over! It has been highly entertaining for them to watch this process each morning and night before we say prayer.

**Have you ever cried at an SEP conference?
Is raising kind kids important to you?
(What kind of a question is that?)
Do you love kid art?
What would your accept/except sentence for today be?**

Comment Window Tidbit: I really wish I had a personal chef, even just a couple times a week. Why is dinner such a problem for me?

Return of the Popsicle Sticks

Now that we're home from our trips, this week feels like our first real week of summer. I really want us to have good habits, yet it's nice when summer vacation feels different from the routines of the school year. I'm actually the one having the most problems because I've been sleeping so poorly. I'm in a bad cycle of being up at odd hours during the night and then sleeping in late in the morning...not good. I bought some Tryptophan tablets thanks to Adam's recommendation and was actually able to sleep for 6 hours in a row last night, woohoo!

{Notice Whitney's inside out and backwards shirt.}

But I digress, one of the things I want to work on in the summer is teaching the kids some life skills (remember this post from last summer?) along with having them do some work each day. Last summer I initiated the Popsicle-stick job bag which involved them pulling a Popsicle stick with a job written on it out of a bag. It worked well and was fun too, so we're doing it again this summer, but I added about 25 more jobs to the bag.


Some are super easy, some are fun, and some are a bit hard, but overall they are helping the kids learn to clean and help run the house.


Whitney's job on Monday was to make dinner. She was totally excited about this and chose to make spaghetti. I was in the kitchen with her the whole time, but had her do everything. She browned the meat, boiled the water, preheated the oven for the rolls, set the table, and so on.

Clearly, she's satisfied with her work!

Landon's "job" today was to write a letter to one of his cousins. He was happy doing this, but wouldn't have been had I just suggested it for something to do. I hope the kids catch the vision of some of these activities along the way.


Whitney and I made a reading chart for her to record and rate the books she reads. I really want her to gain a love for reading. She loves books, but is so visually-oriented that she prefers the books with pictures of animals, dinosaurs and such.


Another one of Landon's "jobs" this week was to list 20 things he's thankful for. I was impressed by how quickly he was able to do it and by the wonderful things he listed. He did this completely on his own. (I have no idea what made him think to write that last one.)

**Any job suggestions?
Do you have goals for the summer?
How did you gain your life skills?
What do you wish you knew how to do?**