Random bits of catch up

Hello blog. I won't even bother with the old 'long time, no see' crap that usually precedes my posts. Let's just agree to the fact that our relationship is a flighty one. Perhaps a numbered list will serve as a post today?

1. J-man continues to grow and do lots of amazing things. This year has posed many new challenges to my role as a parent. Most notably, the fact that school absolutely sucks for him. He's a smart boy. Exceptional, really. But school isn't his bag. It's become apparent that he learns differently than most of the other kids, and the classroom is not his ideal situation. I've spent these first 9 weeks in and out of meetings and conferences with the ex-ed department discussing his services and we seem to be getting nowhere fast. The system is designed so that it takes nearly a year to get the appropriate steps completed so that he can receive the things he needs- namely, a reading coach. Meanwhile he continues to struggle in class, or simply do nothing at all, and then bring home nearly his entire day's worth of work to be completed at home. It leaves me struggling with whether I believe that mainstream school is where he belongs. Yet, with our busy schedules, I also doubt my ability to dedicate enough time to education to even entertain the idea of homeschooling. And have I mentioned that working the system requires a degree of its own? It's baffling, and no one can provide me with a schedule, timeline, or roadmap. *sigh* So we press on, me butting heads with a lackluster teacher, and trying to encourage my boy to do his best while secretly wondering what value can be had by him cutting and pasting and coloring worksheets at home when what he really needs in order to learn is a solid foundation in reading. A skill he has yet to even begin to master. Math? No problem. The concepts of science, social studies, even story comprehension, he gets it. But unless he can read the questions, read the stories, read the damn instructions on his work, none of it really matters. He can't do the work.

2. The above situation has caused me to take a long, hard look at our home life. The world, and the economy dictates that I HAVE to work. We, along with most of America, don't have the luxury to allow me to quit my job and be home with munchkin full-time, living the June Cleaver life of wholesome meals, bake sales, and sparkly clean houses. My job has, for the past several years, allowed me to work only three days a week, plus occasional Saturday shifts, which has been a blessing. But those days are long. I'm gone from 7:30 in the morning until after 8:00 in the evening. By the time we get home, it's already past bedtime. That, of course, means that no homework gets done on those nights. Or, if it MUST be done that night, we have to skip bedtime, which sets the next day up for complete failure.

I've been resenting my job, and the long hours, for a long time. And now that I can clearly see the way it affects Jonas, I've made the resolution that it's time to move on. I love my job. I love what I do and where I do it, but J is my first priority, and if that means eating Ramen noodles exclusively for the next few years, I have to believe that it's worth it.

Sooo...

3. I landed a new job as a transcriptionist. I know, right? All these years later, I'm finally going to put that education to use. I started the transcription training program back when J was just an infant with grand hopes of breezing right through it and working blissfully from home before his second birthday. Now, finally, I'm going to be doing that, and no one could possibly be more excited and nervous about it. I wasn't exactly the star pupil in my studies. I squeezed by the final with the lowest possible passing grade-- an 85%. Not the stellar grades that make companies jump at the chance to hire you, or even give you a second glance. After nearly 100 applications and company testings, I finally found one willing to give me a chance. So, in about a week I'll begin a new chapter of my working life, after 8 long and mostly fabulous years at the vet's office, I'll be a work-at-home mom.

4. New jobs are scary things. I don't feel the need to expand on that. We've all been there. We all know.

5. J is now officially in cub scouts. This is a fun little adventure for us. He seems to be enjoying it much more than he did Karate, which was a big expensive failure. Note to self: Do not commit to a contractual sort of thing when a 5-year-old is involved. They are fickle and their interests are fleeting.

6. My knitting mojo has flown the coop. I've got a project stalled on nearly every pair of needles I own, with no real hopes of finishing any time soon. I still love knitting, but when I have 10 minutes to myself and the option to either knit, or just sit and breathe. I usually choose the breathing thing.

7. After gaining something like 30 pounds in the last year or so, I've gotten back on the healthy eating wagon (pay no attention to that cheeseburger behind the curtain) and I'm about 1/2 way back to my goal weight, and to fitting my fat ass in my jeans again. I refuse to go buy new fat girl clothes after finally donating them all to Goodwill.

And that's the last few months in a nutshell. Not very exciting, but good to get them all back into the open. Now, when I decide to pop in here and rant about something, at least you'll have some sort of idea of what the heck I'm talking about.

Obligatory Blog Post

Hello, dear blog. It's been so long, I know. It's not that I don't love you. It's simply that there's only so much of me to go around, and lately Facebook has been courting me with it's instant gratification and speedy interaction. I highly doubt people are interested in reading one line snippets here in blogland.

But, dear blog, you are my true love. If I had to choose between the two of you, you'd win hands-down.

Where shall I begin in catching you up.

How about with a picture?

Here's a hat I recently finished. It's the Fake Isle pattern, and I adore it. Too bad it's about a million degrees and I won't get to wear it for about 6 more months, if at all. I really love it!

I've also been doing some spinning when I get the chance. Little bits here and there. I'm working on some lovely white alpaca my parents sent me, and trying my best to spin a laceweight 2 ply. I've been somewhat successful. I'm proud for a first attempt at something so fine.

Really, there hasn't been much in the way of knitting or spinning going on. Things have just been too busy and hectic this summer!

In the never-ending quest to get J ready for Kindergarten, we've been spending a lot of time in doctor's appointments. So far we've managed to finally eradicate the strep that he's been carrying around since about December or January, eliminating the need for a tonsillectomy this summer. *whew*

We've also visited the neurologist, who ordered a sleep study and an MRI to be done. The sleep study was completed 3 weeks ago, and it was a story all to itself. Be glad that I'm sparing you the details. Imagine hooking any 4-year-old up to about 30 various wires, then instructing him to go to sleep in a strange room, without his beloved tv or lights. Oh, and did I mention that it stormed like crazy all night, just to add to the creepy effect? He did fine, but it was a long night for both of us.

We've got an appointment with the pediatrician next week for a physical, which is a prerequisite to the MRI that will be taking place the following week. Being 4, they're going to sedate him for it, which scares the bejeezus out of me. I know that anesthesia is pretty darn safe these days, but still... The day after the MRI he has a dentist appointment to fill a cavity, and the day after that we have our meeting with the school board to discuss his services and approve his education plan.

ARRG! Enough to make your head spin, right?

Now add to that a crazy-hectic work schedule, the fact that I'm also working my butt off to finish my transcription course. I finished my very last report yesterday. Now it's just a matter of submitting them all and taking my final exam. Yippie! I'm really, truly almost done. And just in time, as the girl that does our transcription at the office is going on vacation the first week of August, and I'm hoping they'll let me take over.

And to top off our crazy summer, our shed was burglarized last week and they stole all of our lawn equipment. More of a pain in the ass than a major crime, but still, a HUGE inconvenience in the middle of rainy season when the grass needs cutting twice a week.

But I don't want to end this post on a sour note. Let's focus on something good, shall we?

Our house sits right on the border of three school zones. Two of the three schools are decent schools, but unfortunately, we're about two streets to the other side of the decent schools, and J is zoned to go to a failing school. I put in a request for transfer before the end of last year, but wasn't holding out much hope. Due to budget cuts and capacity issues, most of the schools in the county are not accepting any transfers. Today I got the letter in the mail letting me know that J's request was approved, and he will be able to attend a different school! Yay!

All good things must come to an end

Tomorrow is J's last day of preschool. I can't express how sad I am about this. Not only because it means I'm stuck with a bored 4-year-old for the entire summer, but also because it means that tomorrow when we walk out those doors it'll be the very last time I see so many of these faces that have truly become part of our family.

Some of you may remember the struggles we've had with previous attempts at daycare. It was with a heavy heart and a huge weight of trepidation that I decided to entrust my baby to them, but they have blown me away with their love, dedication, and compassion for the children.

I've watched my son go from a clingy, crying, self-conscious little boy to a confident, boisterous, intelligent little man right before my eyes. I can't even begin to describe the bonds he's formed with his teachers and his classmates. Ms. Tracy 'gets' him, turns her curriculum on its ear on a daily basis to accommodate him, and does so in a way that makes him feel successful, even at things he's not so astute at.

Last week when they had the school circus, and J was sad because he wanted to be a clown, but got stuck as a tumbler (certainly not in line with his motor skills) Ms. Tracy talked him up, velcroed the beanbag to his head, and held his hand as he walked the balance beam. And when it came to the actual tumbling, while all the other kids did summersaults, she got down on the mat with him and they barrel rolled together.

And I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that I wasn't bawling like a baby behind the camera lens when he walked across the stage in his burgundy cap and gown at graduation, pausing to hug each of his teachers-- a display of affection that even I rarely get the privlege of receiving.

Yes, my baby, you've grown so big, so strong, so smart, and so capable this year. You take my breath away, and I owe so much of it to this amazing school, and the beautiful women who are a part of it.

So tomorrow I promise I'll try not to cry too much, and I promise that we'll do our best to keep these people as life-long friends. I know that all good things eventually end, but will try to remember that for every ending there is a sweet new beginning.

J goes on a field trip

I use that term very loosely. Because his school is small and is only Pre-K, they don't have the required insurance etc. to take the kids on a proper field trip. So, if a kid's going to attend, a parent has to take them. No big deal, except that mapquest lies like a dirt dog and leaves nervous mothers stranded in bad areas completely lost and clueless.

We'll leave it at that.

We arrived late, which suited Jonas just fine. He would have preferred that we simply turn around and go home. But I'll be damned if I'm going to drive 2 1/2 hours somewhere only to give up.

So, Green Meadows was nice, and the day was perfect for a petting farm. But our tour guide was a total waste of time. Why they'd hire someone who hates kids and knows nothing about animals to work at a place full of both baffles me, but there you have it.

And did I mention that my kid refused to pet, or even look at, any of the animals. The closest we came was the last pen we stopped at on our way out-- a little pot bellied pig. Go figure. No fuzzy ducks or cute little goats for my boy!

It wasn't a total loss, though. They had tractors to climb on, and a hay ride, and a lame-o train that circled around a couple of acres of completely empty enclosures. All of those things ranked high on J's list of entertainment.

I was going to do a cute little narrative of the day, but I'll just pile a heap of pictures here and call it done. I'm honestly too tired to do it much justice.


Obligatory sheep photo

Anything BUT transcription

So today was J's second day of school. Thankfully, he still loves it, and still hates me for returning to pick him up. I guess he thinks that if I forget to come get him he can just stay there forever.

I have very few complaints so far about the school. Only two tiny red flags have been raised for me, and believe me, they're really tiny. Today when I dropped him off, he headed straight for the "house" center with the baby dolls and the dress up costumes and the play kitchen. Then he turned to me, pointing to the purses and dolls and told me "I can't play with these. This is stuff for girls only." I don't know if one of the other kids told him that (most likely) or if one of the teachers told him that. I don't believe in gender biasing. As a matter of fact, J probably has more dolls and teddy bears than any little girl in his class. It balances out the side of him that turns everything else into a gun, sword, or laser shooter.

I simply reassured him that he could play with anything he wanted to. There were no such thing as girl or boy only toys, and left it at that. He proceeded to head to the train table, and I made my exit.

Second tiny flag: Today, in a completely random conversation he revealed to me that big boys should never cry. I had to sit and explain the difference between crying because you're really sad or hurt and whining simply because things aren't going your way. I don't think I like the idea of anyone telling my son that he has to be stoic, but have to admit that he is a bit of a whinebag at times.

Like I said, small things and neither of them are things that would prompt me to really worry at all. Everything else about school is going great, and I think he's already learned quite a bit in his two short days.

Today he brought me home Orange Ovals, a cute octopus made of a painted paper plate and streamers, another octopus decorated with cereal, and an owl. Yes, the letter of the week IS 'O'.

The idea behind him being in school twice a week, besides his socialization and freedom from me, is to give me time to do my school work. This was supposed to be a fast sort of thing for me to breeze through. When I quit working when he was 18 months old, I fully expected to be finished by his 2nd birthday, and working from home. Ummm... yeah, we are approaching birthday 4. Thanks for reminding me. I've never been a bad student. And whether it seems like it or not, I DO like doing the transcription a lot. I just keep coming up with other things that I either MUST do first, or want to accomplish with the small amount of free time I have. To say that I'm discouraged about ever finishing would be a huge understatement.

So, in the two days he's been at school, have I worked like mad to push through this last unit before my final? Ummm... negative. I've scrubbed bathrooms down to the corners behind the toilets. I've done umpteen loads of laundry, I've swept, mopped, dusted, cleaned litter boxes. And today takes the cake: I steam cleaned all of the living room furniture. Then I spun about 1/2 oz of some merino I'm anxious to finish. Then, since I only had about 30 minutes before it was time to pick him up, I sat down and knit on the heel flap of a sock.

I keep telling myself that next week will be more productive school-wise. It has to be, or I'm in trouble, and will be left justifying myself to the hubby who has been gracious enough to put off going back to school himself so that I can finish first.

On the upside, J and I did finish digging out (by hand!) the entire garden bed. All 15x10 feet of it. Oh my blistered hands! Now to start our seeds and finish off the flower beds. Sooner or later our house is going to look a little less trashy, I swear.