School Daze (and we haven't even started yet!)

We had Open House at school last night. It was hectic, for sure. Always is. Tons of kids, grades K through 12 with parents and siblings, coming to find out their teacher, or schedule (6-12) and meet all of their teachers, and determine where all their classes are. Meeting the resource room teacher.

Poster in the Special Education Director's office

Alex is in the same classroom E was in for 5th grade. The teacher isn't the same, well kind of. She was the long-term sub when E's teacher was on maternity leave. That teacher has since moved to a different position and the teacher who subbed took over 2 years ago. So we've had some experience with her. She is nice and had her classroom all laid out with the books they will use, what kind of work she'd like to see on book reports, etc. They are going to do 6 book "projects" this year, where they read a book of their choosing - teacher-approved, of course - and then make a small project, such as a poster, brochure, diorama, etc, and then do a short oral presentation.

He doesn't know what days they have specials yet, but should be taking computers, art, music, gym and Spanish again this year. Last year, and throughout summer, Alex said he wanted to play soccer, but the last two weeks he changed his mind. After I signed him up. I even had all the paperwork at home filled out and ready to turn in last night. He had decided that he would at least sign up and go to the first practice to get practice and game info. His biggest reason for changing his mind? Cub scouts and Choi Kwan Do! He wants to make sure he has enough time to do both of those! What a smart kiddo. Well at least he wasn't to s ad when I realized I'd forgotten all the paperwork at home last night! He actually made sure to tell me that he was absolutely fine with it and he'd much rather work on earning belts at Choi, and awards in Scouts.

Alex was a little upset last night when he saw the class list for his teacher. While he knows several kids in his class, and he knew his best friend and a couple of other good friends wouldn't be in his class (they are in 4th grade and there's no 4/5 split this year), he had hoped a certain good friend would be in his class. Unfortunately he's in the other class. I was proud of him though, because he took it in stride and remembered that they would have lunch and recess together as well as all of his 4th grade friends :)

E is rotating classes this year. It's his first year rotating, because, as you may know, even though he's been in a regular education classroom with no aide since the beginning of 3rd grade, he was in a self-contained "elementary style" classroom for 6 & 7. They have such a large class size for his grade, that it's been split into 3 sections for all of middle school. Previously, due to interest from many families, they had 2 rotating sections - A & B - and one self-contained section - C. Because of the school size, logistics almost required it to be like that as well. At the end of last year, they did a survey asking if there was interest in staying with a SC class, and over the summer we received a letter stating that there was little to no interest, so there would be 3 rotating classes. The high school building was under construction during the summer and there was a small addition put on to one of the hallways. That will now be used for one of the sections of 8th grade. Section "A" was always seen as the "advanced" class, while not honors, they seemed to work at a slighter quicker pace. "B" did all the same curriculum but the pace may have been different. The kids have all been at the same levels for learning basically. They took the kids from self-contained last year and split them between B and C. No biggie. I was a little concerned about E being in B, because of the pace. He's smart and usually ahead in many subjects. B & C will be in the 4-8 building, while A will be in the high school. I was also concerned about him not having algebra this year, which is required for him to go to International Academy next year, should he apply.

I voiced my concerns last night, and I'm so glad I did. The HS resource room teacher made sure to talk to the vice principal for me, and I received a call today!

She wanted to reassure me, that although they aren't teaching Algebra as a class, they are offering the Algebra test for the students! They do it in April, and if they pass, they get credit for taking the class. Sometime in January, E's math teacher should give us some study topics (not a specific study guide and they won't actually be teaching it) to practice with, and they do apparently use an Algebra book (?). Also she wanted me to know that the only reason they didn't put him in "A" was because it's his first time rotating, and they didn't want to throw him into a whole new thing to quick. Since it will be a rotating section AND in the high school vs the middle school building that he knows well. She said if he does really well with rotating - handling transitions, frustrations, etc - as well as his grades, we can revisit it and consider switching him at the end of Trimester 1!!

So, now it comes down to this: Should we just let the math take it's course, or should we do some "homeschooling" for Algebra? And I don't mean extra practice. Basically a real class. Where I go get the Algebra book and Teacher's book, and we sit every day and have a half-hour lesson. More formal than just practice. So he doesn't feel like he has to just figure it out on his own. He's a very visual learner, and I think he will need to be taught some of the concepts he's never been introduced to. I know homeschooling isn't something Jason and I agree on, but they are still going to a traditional school. I'm just thinking of something extra, to give him an advantage when it comes to going to the school he wants to go to for high school. It's not about what I want here, it's about helping him. If the school isn't going to have a traditional Algebra class, but they are willing to test him to pass it, then he needs to actually be taught some of it, right? Thankfully, for him and I, math is fairly easy for him and one of his favorite subjects (math and science are top right now, followed closing by history. Of course he loves to read so reading is not too far behind. Writing and gym are definitely at the bottom of the list, though!), so even though it's not my best subject, with the help of some good textbooks, I think we will be just fine.

E has Art for 1st hour for Trimester 1, which he loves. MTSS(math/reading standards)(M,W-F)/Computers (T), Math, Reading, Social Studies, Lunch, Science and finally Writing. I think it's fortunate that 3 of his best subjects and one of his absolute favorites are in the morning, and his top favorite is right after lunch. He'll be able to concentrate without being hungry on Science. His least favorite is at the end of the day, after lunch and he can look forward to going home after. Hopefully he will get along with all of his teachers, and also continue to deal with frustration and transitions well. His perfectionist attitude has been coming out a lot in Choi Kwan Do, and we've been talking about it daily. I know that it can affect not only his attitude but his assignments, others' responses to him and the atmosphere in the classroom. Two of the teachers are new to the school this year (MTSS and Science), 1 (reading) worked in the preschool before but is new to the MS, 2 (Math and SS) have never taught E but we've talked and they know him, 1(writing) he had in an earlier grade and she knows his difficulties, but hasn't taught him in several years, and the computer teacher I'm not sure about. The art teacher is pretty awesome. He's been there since the school opened 12 years ago, and E had him in 6th and 7th grade. Mr G actually chose Ethan for the Spirit award for his classroom last year and said he saw how much he'd grown and how hard he'd worked on dealing with his frustrations! E is looking forward to Tuesday morning :)

I really need to help Little J  with his potty-training. It's so hit or miss, and I know better than to rush or force it, but I'd really like to have him fully potty-trained day and night by January (October would be better ;) ). I want to put him in preschool at least part-time, during the day, so I can pursue some dreams of my own. More on that later, once the plans are set in stone.

What's up with us

Monday, I took the older 2 boys in to their for their annual check-ups. A is healthy, his eyesight is great, he's about 63 lbs and 4'4" and in the 73% for both height and weight. He's happy and well-adjusted (which I already knew ;) ). E is also very healthy and has good eyesight. He's about 71 lbs and 4'7" and in the 33/34% for height and weight. She predicted that if he stays on this growth pattern, he'll probably be about 5'9" so average. E will be 11 at the end of July and has been having more mood swings - on top of his behaviors, meltdowns, etc due to his frustration and anxiety and generally, his Asperger's Syndrome, which we've been working with him to try and find some better coping skills - so I asked her if it's possible he's starting to hit puberty and she confirmed that it is definitely some of the "issue". Other than that, he's doing good. She checked both boys' cholesterol due to family history and while A's is fine, E's is a little high - 175 is what they watch for and his is 185 and his triglycerides are 120 rather than the normal 100 or less. We just did the quick finger prick test though and rather than put him through more blood work, we are just going to revisit it in a year and monitor him, since most likely it's hereditary vs. diet-related.

We did get a referral for A for his very dry, itchy skin. The poor child is constantly itchy, but no rash or anything and his hands will get so dry they look chapped. Nothing ever seems to help and now, the back of his hands are a darker tone than the rest of his arms! Hyper-pigmentation, she called it. She wants him to see a dermatologist to see what they recommend to prevent it from getting worse and to help relieve the dry and itchiness. E is also going to see a dermatologist for his arms. He's always had these little bumps, like acne on his upper arms and our ped thought it was keratosis, but after looking at it again and seeing him scratching it incessantly in her office, she's wondering if it's molloscum. Either way, we may be able to get him some relief. E is also going to see a neurologist for the first time. We've never had a referral for one before but I've always heard other parents talk about EEG's and other testing for children on the spectrum. She thinks they may also be able to give us some ideas for self-coping skills and maybe some sensory or other type therapies! I will do anything to help E succeed in the classroom and socially! He is such a sweet kid and deserves it.

A has finally seemed to settle down some in the classroom, not talking AS much ;) but he did get his "questions" today. I'm really proud of him though, because he's trying so hard to make progress with his behavior and not interrupting, etc. He's been really trying to help out at home too. A is a good kiddo.

Baby J has a dr appt Friday with an orthopedic surgeon. He's getting his left thumb looked at finally, since he can't straighten it at the knuckle and hyper-extends it where the thumb meets the hand. He compensates but we want to rule out any other problems as well as see why it's this way. 2 more weeks till his surgery.

On top of all that, Baby J and I helped out at the book fair yesterday and today, Jas and I have an appt tomorrow, A has basketball open gym Friday after school and then the weekend is jam-packed. Jas and A have an all-day spring fun day with cub scouts and then the pack meeting is Sunday! Jason starts college on Monday night!!! I can't wait for summer for the boys to be home during the day, so we can just lounge sometimes, and find some neat stuff to do this summer. I've got to get our summer bucket list made up!

what's new around here?

I've been doing so much writing about food that I've lost focus a little about what this blog is really about. Yes, it is about food, to the extent that we are trying to make changes. But really this is supposed to be about our day-to-day life and how I am growing and changing as a person or mom. I don't want to become so centered on one aspect and then lose myself, my writing and bore people ;)

I'm going to help save a life today. No, I'm not a superhero. I won't go running into a burning building and rescue somebody or lift a 2-ton car off of a child. What do I mean then? How can I know I will help save a life? How presumptuous of me! Well, I do know, and so can you!! The boys' school is having a blood drive, and I am signed up to donate blood today. Did you know that each blood donation can go to help up to THREE people!? I didn't! So yeah. I'm doing a good deed today. And while it's something simple, and maybe I shouldn't "brag" about it, I am proud of myself. I wanted to share, because maybe it will inspire someone else out there to do the same.

Baby J goes Feb 13 to Early On to be evaluated on his gross motor skills, to see if he qualifies for physical therapy (PT). If he does, we set up an IFSP (individual family service plan) and see if he needs any other services. I don't think they will find him eligible, only because in the last month his gross motor skills have blossomed so much. He will let go of furniture and stand for several seconds, he cruises around furniture very quickly, he can sit from a standing position much easier, he will bend to try and pick up something while holding on to try and stay standing, he will hold your hands and take several steps, and he went from doing the "army crawl" 95% of the time to crawling on his hands and knees about 40-50% of the time. He was truly only 1 "point" away from passing the pediatrician's evaluation/assessment anyway, so now he'd probably pass with flying colors. We're still waiting to hear from the urologist's scheduler so we can set up his surgery.

A has his blue and gold banquet Feb 24 for cub scouts and will get his Wolf Badge (as long as we finish his last two achievements by the 10th!) It's at noon that Sunday and he and Jas will be going to that by themselves. I'm disappointed that E, Baby J and I won't be able to be there, but we have our first conflict of schedules! Anyway, I am very proud of him, as he has been working on these achievements and some of his electives to get his arrow points starting in April as well as his belt loops! I think he's technically earned 2 of the belt loops and his gold arrow point and first silver arrow point. A seems to be really enjoying the fun activities and Jas and him get to have some father/son time.

E won the school spelling bee and goes to the MI state charter school spelling bee on March 15th. Before that though, he is going to the regional bee for the Scripp's National Bee on Feb 24. Yeah, there's our schedule conflict. Same day as A's blue and gold. I was hoping it would be at a different time, but nope :( Registration is at noon and the bee starts at 1pm (the same time A will get his badge), so E, Baby J and I will go to the bee and Jas and A will join us later. If E wins this regional bee, he would go on to the national bee the week of May 26th. A is excited about this because they would both end up missing some school AND his birthday is May 30 so he'd get to go on a trip for his birthday ;) LOL. Silly kid. It should be interesting going though, because last year, Jas was backstage in case E had any behavioral "issues" and because I will have Baby J, who is only 13 months old with me, I won't be able to do the same. I know he's made a lot of progress and matured a lot in a year so hopefully it should be ok.

I'm proud of our boys being understanding that they have to "share" us for the day, one of us being at one's important event and the other being at the other event.

Jas has to travel for work soon, for a week. It's been a while and I can honestly say that I am not looking forward to it at all. I will have to make sure I have lots of easy dinners on hand since I won't have help.

Almost time to head out for the school and it's snowing. Lovely. Ha! At least I'll be on time for a change ;)

Today...

All three boys were up by 6:30 this morning. It's making for a long morning for this tired mama already. J and I crashed on the recliner couch last night and we were both up and down all night (he wanted to nurse several times). I really shouldn't complain because he did sleep for 6-7 hours in the crib last Saturday and then again for 5 straight hours on Wednesday. I know breastfed babies wake up more often and even though he's almost 13 months, he's still nursing and will still wake up some, if not most nights. Especially if our daytime schedule is off and he takes longer/more naps :) I'm still kind of used to the other two's sleeping schedules. Even when they were babies, they slept most nights, all night long. Even more so after they started drinking formula. Of course, I now know that formula sits heavier, takes longer to digest, etc. and that's not necessarily a good thing. It's biologically normal and good for babies to wake throughout the night to eat. :)

Today is going to be pretty busy. A has a cub scout activity at the local police station. He only has 3 requirements left to earn his Wolf badge! Visit a historical or government location, plan and cook an outdoor meal and finally, read and discuss 3 stories of how people are helping the environment. We get to cross the first off the list today! Jas is taking him to meet his den at 10. Baby J and I have to go to Meijer and Costco for groceries today, since we didn't get out yesterday. I'm thinking since we are all up so early, that after breakfast we will head over to Meijer and then since it's right next door and opens at 9:30, we can go to Costco for meat, bulk cheese and some other stuff. Of course, we won't be home by 10, so E will have to go with me and Baby J. This should be interesting. E is not one that will complacently go to the store, especially for a LONG trip. I don't like having to force him, and I know it's distressing for him, although I'm not sure what is particularly hard for him about it. The crowds, maybe or just all the walking and the fact that it's boring? I think I may have to bribe use incentive to get him to come along without (too much) complaining.

On top of all that, our living room couch, the one I mentioned above, with recliners on each end and a fold-down center section, it's on it's last leg. We've been putting band-aids on it for the last year or two. The one side can't even really be sat on by anyone but the boys because the springs are so bad we have a wooden board and pillow shoved underneath. The side I usually sit on, the recliner mechanism pops loose sometimes and won't open. And finally, the bottom center front piece popped off a couple of weeks ago and now it keeps coming off. Now, mind you, looking at it, it doesn't look so bad. There's no stains or rips, it's still pretty comfortable, but it's losing it's functionality very quickly now. The front came off again this morning and won't go back on, leaving a gaping hole for Baby J to climb in. Can we say unsafe? So I have two throw pillows shoved in the opening. Wow. I'm somewhat glad we have an Art Van store credit card, because even though we don't have cash/regular credit available right now and I hate to use the store card, we should be able to get a new couch for a decent price and hopefully a no-interest for 6 months deal. I just have to use the Dave Ramsey gazelle strategy to pay it off in that time frame. Shouldn't be a big deal, right? LOL.

As I'm sitting here typing, my older munchkins are watching cartoon network and there are some bizarre shows on here. Not on right now, but commercials for them. And, goodness gracious, the crazy amount of ads for candy, toys, movies, online games and McD's. It makes me sad :(