I'm really trying to not be THAT mother. You know, the one that complains because her kid didn't get the same amount of playing time as another kid, or the mother that thinks the teachers are working the kids too hard. I'm trying...I'm really trying... BUT I'm also really concerned that my daughter isn't in a good fostering a love for school and learning type environment.
I'm really conflicted. One one hand you will deal with people your entire life that you don't always necessarily get along with, and i recognize that its a good life lesson to encounter all different types of people and personalities. However; shouldn't a teacher, ya know...umm...LIKE KIDS?!
Trying to be open and not emotional about this here, but I'm really considering taking her out of kindergarten before finishing the year. Please tell me if I'm crazy and irrational....
So, just a few examples:
1) This teacher is wayyyy different than me and i feel at times like she almost bullies the kids and is negatively influencing my child. A few weeks ago i came to pick her up and she showed me all the bunnies that they decorated hanging on the wall. The first thing she pointed out was "Look at this one mommy...Lucas did a SLOPPY job!" ummm.....WOAHHHHHH! Those arent my words, THAT is not being taught at home. I feel like a good part of my day i spend un-doing what she is learning at school. We talk about how everyone is different and how art is different to every person, and that its important to try hard and do your best but we NEVER put down someone else's work.
2) Munchkin has said that the teacher has "grabbed her arm," "thrown her notebook on the ground" and told some of the other kids that her "M's look like birds" because she wasn't writing them correctly. I've spoken to the teacher about several of these things and i keep getting a spin on it, like munchkin didn't interpret it correctly, or that the teacher was joking and has a funny sense of humor. hmmm...
3) (out comes the obnoxious mother). The teachers has gold coins for the kids. They have a reward system solely based on doing work correctly. When they reach 10 check marks they get a gold coin. Its the end of March and muchkin has never gotten a gold coin. About a month ago she had 7, but didn't pick up after herself when she was playing with some toys and all her check marks were taken away. It makes me really sad, and i dont want her to feel bad about herself as she is seeing all these other kids getting coins. I mean for the love of god, give her a fucking coin at least once in the school year!
I don't know, am i crazy? Is there a positive spin on these things that I'm just not seeing?
Lastly, out of the 12 kids in her class munchkin is at the very bottom. I know this, she knows this, the other kids know this. Her teacher actually told her last week (TOLD HER, NOT ME) that she was afraid that she was going to "drown in first grade." She is the youngest in the class and will just turn 6 at the end of June, but not only that....THIS is an example of her weekly spelling words:
bump
camp
cap
clap
crop
cup
damp
drip
drop
dump
flip
flop
help
hop
lamp
lap
lip
lollipop
lump
map
nap
pan
pants
pat
pen
peg
pest
pet
picnic
pig
pin
plan
planet
plant
plastic
plug
plum
plus
pond
pot
pop
puff
pump
pup
puppet
rip
ramp
scraps
sip
slip
snap
spend
spin
spot
stamp
stop
stump
tap
tip
top
problem
Am i the only one that thinks this is absolutely ridiculous?! 61 freakin words every single week for a 5 year old?!
Damn, i mean i want my kids to reach their full potential, but more than that i want them to be HAPPY and feel good about themselves and enjoy the things they are doing. I see a little girl that is stressed all the time, never wants to go to school, and feels bad about herself because she sits and does remedial work while the other kids get to play outside. I dont know what to do.
So help! Either talk me down or tell me that my mommy instincts are right.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
They have eggs and milk in THAT?!
For the last few years i have toyed back and forth with trying out a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. I hate thinking about the way the animals that will eventually become our food are kept. So, its just been easier not to think about it, and not think about the horrible life that they live before ultimately being slaughtered and becoming a cheap 99 cent cheese burger. For meat prices to be affordable corners have to be cut, and unfortunately its with the animal, and ultimately OUR health.
I'm a picky eater, i always have been, but especially about meat. And again, its often easier not to think about it, OR LOOK AT IT, to get me over the intrusive thoughts that start pouring in. I love to cook, i really do, but doing anything with meat always just makes me feel nauseous. The other night i was cutting chicken and as always i took off the skin, then the fat, then the cartilage piece that holds the breasts together, then i cut off any little piece of blood and veins and anything that reminds me of how my body is held together inside. Eventually i give up on the veins and go back in my little "I love fried meat" bubble to forget about all the veins that are still there.
But whats left? Not much actual meat to be eaten. It drives Dave nuts over how much meat i always throw out, and as someone who really is bothered by the inhumane treatment of these very animals i end up feeling like i am contributing to the waste of these lives. And i am.
So, I'm just going to stop. For 2 weeks anyway, and give eating Vegan a real go. I'm going to give it 2 weeks and see how i feel. A few of my girlfriends have become vegan for the last 9 months....and they look AMAZING! Both of them have lost a bunch of weight, tell me that they have so much more energy and just feel so good. I've decided to try it, and at the very least this will give me the chance to actually learn how to cook things like lentils, beans, tofu and all those foods that have always intimidated me (and that i have never had!)
Today was day one, and also conveniently our grocery shopping day. We had absolutely nothing in the house for breakfast that would work....so i just had a granola bar while the kids and Dave ate eggs. It was over a 90 min shopping trip where i looked at hundreds of labels and have come to the conclusion that there is eggs and milk in EVERYTHING! Seriously, even in the frozen veggie section there was not one veggie package that did not have one or both ingredients. Why the hell is there milk in frozen green bean almondine?! I of course also learned that the granola bar i had for breakfast had milk and eggs in it too - Fail # 1.
I really want to do this right, so i would appreciate any advice or thoughts on how to eat a healthy balanced Vegan diet. I'm already taking a multivitamin, and I'm especially concerned about getting enough calcium and vitamin D, as I'm breastfeeding. I'm really trying to avoid just eating pasta and red sauce for the next 2 weeks, so i'll be posting my meal menu every day to help keep me accountable. I'd love your feedback!
Thanks, Erin
Day 1
Breakfast: Mocha Granola Bar* had milk and eggs in it.
Snack: Craisins
Lunch: Avacado and carrot sushi rolls. They were from market basket though, big mistake, and were pretty bad. Had 3 of them. Also ate Edamame....was still starving and had a big peanut butter sandwich.
Snack
Dinner
I'm a picky eater, i always have been, but especially about meat. And again, its often easier not to think about it, OR LOOK AT IT, to get me over the intrusive thoughts that start pouring in. I love to cook, i really do, but doing anything with meat always just makes me feel nauseous. The other night i was cutting chicken and as always i took off the skin, then the fat, then the cartilage piece that holds the breasts together, then i cut off any little piece of blood and veins and anything that reminds me of how my body is held together inside. Eventually i give up on the veins and go back in my little "I love fried meat" bubble to forget about all the veins that are still there.
But whats left? Not much actual meat to be eaten. It drives Dave nuts over how much meat i always throw out, and as someone who really is bothered by the inhumane treatment of these very animals i end up feeling like i am contributing to the waste of these lives. And i am.
So, I'm just going to stop. For 2 weeks anyway, and give eating Vegan a real go. I'm going to give it 2 weeks and see how i feel. A few of my girlfriends have become vegan for the last 9 months....and they look AMAZING! Both of them have lost a bunch of weight, tell me that they have so much more energy and just feel so good. I've decided to try it, and at the very least this will give me the chance to actually learn how to cook things like lentils, beans, tofu and all those foods that have always intimidated me (and that i have never had!)
Today was day one, and also conveniently our grocery shopping day. We had absolutely nothing in the house for breakfast that would work....so i just had a granola bar while the kids and Dave ate eggs. It was over a 90 min shopping trip where i looked at hundreds of labels and have come to the conclusion that there is eggs and milk in EVERYTHING! Seriously, even in the frozen veggie section there was not one veggie package that did not have one or both ingredients. Why the hell is there milk in frozen green bean almondine?! I of course also learned that the granola bar i had for breakfast had milk and eggs in it too - Fail # 1.
I really want to do this right, so i would appreciate any advice or thoughts on how to eat a healthy balanced Vegan diet. I'm already taking a multivitamin, and I'm especially concerned about getting enough calcium and vitamin D, as I'm breastfeeding. I'm really trying to avoid just eating pasta and red sauce for the next 2 weeks, so i'll be posting my meal menu every day to help keep me accountable. I'd love your feedback!
Thanks, Erin
Day 1
Breakfast: Mocha Granola Bar* had milk and eggs in it.
Snack: Craisins
Lunch: Avacado and carrot sushi rolls. They were from market basket though, big mistake, and were pretty bad. Had 3 of them. Also ate Edamame....was still starving and had a big peanut butter sandwich.
Snack
Dinner
Friday, January 21, 2011
Goodbye Nutting Road
Tomorrow we move out of the first home our family has ever lived in, and I'm feeling more than a little nostalgic.
For the first 6 months of our marriage Dave and I lived with my parents, saving money and preparing for the arrival of our little daughter. When the opportunity came up for first time home-buyers to get a great deal buying a condo in our home town, we jumped at the chance! Of course there were many applicants and a lottery was held at the town library to choose the buyers. I was 8 months pregnant when i waddled in there hoping, praying...WILLING the powers that be, that we would be chosen. Thankfully, my little bean was already considered a person, and 3 and 4 family households had top priority...we got the 4th out of 8 available condos!
That night i met another woman, wearing a halter top, looking AMAZING....2 weeks after giving birth! I promised myself that i would have to hate her for being so pretty. But in truth, she has become a wonderful, amazing, dear friend. We have shared so much, and been through so much together that it literally makes me sick to think about leaving without her. Almost no day playing outside (slip and slide, sledding, bike riding) was without her and her kiddos. They have been like our family here, and we have been blessed to have our children grow up aside hers. Becky come with us, we love you! Who is going to text me when my garage is open now?!
By the time we were ready to move in, little K was 3 months old. I can remember sitting in the builders office, nursing her, while we picked out carpet, linoleum and cabinet patterns. This was no small feet for 20-something year olds who had never owned a house, decorated their own room or designed a thing! Thankfully (by the grace of God) we chose to have grey carpets which i must say have really held up well for the last 5 years and show minimum smeared banana, throw up and pee stains! (Hey, i have 2 young kids - it happens!)
Gosh it seems like a million years ago when we had that baby girl jumping in her jumperoo, ponytail on the top of her head, big chubby cheeked smile, squealing in that upstairs bedroom. Of course, its not just her bedroom anymore; 18 months ago her little brother came into the world....in this very house.
These walls have heard our life, our family over the last 5 years. They've heard WAYYY too many nursery rhymes and replays of the same song over and over (most recently "Teenage Dream" the version by Glee). They've heard our arguments as we grew as husband and wife and learned how to live with another person, discover each others quirks, and grow as individuals and together as a team. This house has heard so much laughter and love, so many giggles, coo's and more than its share of tears. It has witness both of my babies' first wobbly steps and the stomping of their running little feet. Sometimes, both the kids even sleep...and its actually been quiet (Not often though).
I love this place. I love that the "duck" pond is down the road, i love the huge swing-set in the back and the dozens of kids for my children to play with. I love the old train track that leads to East Boston Camps, and that i can literally walk to Dunkin Donuts! This place also ties me to my childhood and i love that it is smack dab in between where 3 of my high school friends lived. I remember running down my street with an ex boyfriend after a party was broken up by the cops, ironically a route that i now run routinely.
We've had 5 Halloweens, 5 Thanksgivings, 5 Christmas's, and 5 Easters here. This was the house that dropped an icicle on Dave's car Christmas morning denting the roof and shattering the windshield! We've worn out that welcome mat so much that you can no longer see the initial of our last name, but you certainly CAN see all of those 5 years of scratch marks on our kitchen table. Reminder: Next time, get a hard wood.
This next part may not make sense or seem important to anyone else, but i need to write it down so i never forget it. I LOVE that every night as i walk up the stairs to put my sleeping baby in their crib, i can see my shadow on the wall due to the light outside shinning through the window below the stairs. Each night i watch my shadow and those little, ever growing, legs and feet bounce slightly as i climb. That wall has seen me make the trip thousands of times with my babies, cuddled in my arms, already off dreaming somewhere magical.
It's time though. We need more space for our growing family, the kids need their own room and GOD do we need another bathroom! I love the backyard here, but there aren't any trees or place to explore in the woods. I want my children to wander in the woods as i did, and to climb trees and bring home tadpoles. I want to get a dog, and chickens and to plant a garden.
Logically, i know that this house is only made of wood, and that home will always be where our family is together. I'm just sad that this stage of my life if ending, and i cant help but be scared that life will never be this good or easy again. I'm sad to see the baby stage ending and that our playroom may never transform from baby toys to infant toys, toddler toys, preschool toys, and back, ever again. But, as the ever-optimistic ex teenybopper, i just KNOW our new house will be amazing and so will that next period of our life.
As the sign over our kitchen says "A house is made of bricks and beams, a HOME is made of love and dreams." and we have pleanty of that to go around!
For the first 6 months of our marriage Dave and I lived with my parents, saving money and preparing for the arrival of our little daughter. When the opportunity came up for first time home-buyers to get a great deal buying a condo in our home town, we jumped at the chance! Of course there were many applicants and a lottery was held at the town library to choose the buyers. I was 8 months pregnant when i waddled in there hoping, praying...WILLING the powers that be, that we would be chosen. Thankfully, my little bean was already considered a person, and 3 and 4 family households had top priority...we got the 4th out of 8 available condos!
That night i met another woman, wearing a halter top, looking AMAZING....2 weeks after giving birth! I promised myself that i would have to hate her for being so pretty. But in truth, she has become a wonderful, amazing, dear friend. We have shared so much, and been through so much together that it literally makes me sick to think about leaving without her. Almost no day playing outside (slip and slide, sledding, bike riding) was without her and her kiddos. They have been like our family here, and we have been blessed to have our children grow up aside hers. Becky come with us, we love you! Who is going to text me when my garage is open now?!
By the time we were ready to move in, little K was 3 months old. I can remember sitting in the builders office, nursing her, while we picked out carpet, linoleum and cabinet patterns. This was no small feet for 20-something year olds who had never owned a house, decorated their own room or designed a thing! Thankfully (by the grace of God) we chose to have grey carpets which i must say have really held up well for the last 5 years and show minimum smeared banana, throw up and pee stains! (Hey, i have 2 young kids - it happens!)
Gosh it seems like a million years ago when we had that baby girl jumping in her jumperoo, ponytail on the top of her head, big chubby cheeked smile, squealing in that upstairs bedroom. Of course, its not just her bedroom anymore; 18 months ago her little brother came into the world....in this very house.
These walls have heard our life, our family over the last 5 years. They've heard WAYYY too many nursery rhymes and replays of the same song over and over (most recently "Teenage Dream" the version by Glee). They've heard our arguments as we grew as husband and wife and learned how to live with another person, discover each others quirks, and grow as individuals and together as a team. This house has heard so much laughter and love, so many giggles, coo's and more than its share of tears. It has witness both of my babies' first wobbly steps and the stomping of their running little feet. Sometimes, both the kids even sleep...and its actually been quiet (Not often though).
I love this place. I love that the "duck" pond is down the road, i love the huge swing-set in the back and the dozens of kids for my children to play with. I love the old train track that leads to East Boston Camps, and that i can literally walk to Dunkin Donuts! This place also ties me to my childhood and i love that it is smack dab in between where 3 of my high school friends lived. I remember running down my street with an ex boyfriend after a party was broken up by the cops, ironically a route that i now run routinely.
We've had 5 Halloweens, 5 Thanksgivings, 5 Christmas's, and 5 Easters here. This was the house that dropped an icicle on Dave's car Christmas morning denting the roof and shattering the windshield! We've worn out that welcome mat so much that you can no longer see the initial of our last name, but you certainly CAN see all of those 5 years of scratch marks on our kitchen table. Reminder: Next time, get a hard wood.
This next part may not make sense or seem important to anyone else, but i need to write it down so i never forget it. I LOVE that every night as i walk up the stairs to put my sleeping baby in their crib, i can see my shadow on the wall due to the light outside shinning through the window below the stairs. Each night i watch my shadow and those little, ever growing, legs and feet bounce slightly as i climb. That wall has seen me make the trip thousands of times with my babies, cuddled in my arms, already off dreaming somewhere magical.
It's time though. We need more space for our growing family, the kids need their own room and GOD do we need another bathroom! I love the backyard here, but there aren't any trees or place to explore in the woods. I want my children to wander in the woods as i did, and to climb trees and bring home tadpoles. I want to get a dog, and chickens and to plant a garden.
Logically, i know that this house is only made of wood, and that home will always be where our family is together. I'm just sad that this stage of my life if ending, and i cant help but be scared that life will never be this good or easy again. I'm sad to see the baby stage ending and that our playroom may never transform from baby toys to infant toys, toddler toys, preschool toys, and back, ever again. But, as the ever-optimistic ex teenybopper, i just KNOW our new house will be amazing and so will that next period of our life.
As the sign over our kitchen says "A house is made of bricks and beams, a HOME is made of love and dreams." and we have pleanty of that to go around!
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