Counting the Ups Instead of the Downs

Written between the last 2 days because, Holy Craziness!




     It is almost Thanksgiving again! Where the heck did the time go? It feels like we just began this year, as we get ready to close it out soon.

     So many ups and downs this year. Honestly, it is so much easier to think about the downs, but, for Thanksgiving, I am determined to focus on the ups. At the end of the day, we are blessed.

     Before I get much further, I should probably mention that Jasin's Mother passed away this morning. She lives in Savannah, Georgia, which is absolutely no place near Western New York, making this that much harder for the family. Not sure any funeral or memorial details at this time.
     The news of her sudden decline came right about the same time that Jasin discovered he will be laid off for the season, beginning this week. Happy Holidays, right? We got this.
     Anyhow, this is probably a good time to be extra nice to poor Bearded Man.

     Update on the Sunday School thing. My class consists of 2 12 year old girls. And George. Who LOVES older girls. Every Sunday, he sets out their drinks and snacks and chairs, and then pulls a chair right up between them. Then he gets all creepy.

     "I'm going to sit here and look at you."

     "I am still looking at you."

     "Can I snuggle you?"

     "Let me just get my chair closer to you."

     "Here. Let me open that for you."

     "Can I color with  you?"

     "I am going to sit here, so I can look at you better."

He usually gets banned to the music room with a bucket of Lego's, and Kaila. Where, he has taken to flicking the light switch while yelling "JESUS IS HERE!!!!!" Repeatedly.

     Also big in our lives currently, is Lexi's swimming. Lex has always been our water kid, and has seriously taken right to being on the school swim team. To her absolute thrill, she has just been moved up a level! There are always bathing suits hung up in the bathroom, as, she has swimming for gym at school three times weekly, and then swim practice several evenings weekly, and then swim meets most Saturday mornings. Lexi is completely happiest when immersed in her artwork, or swimming in the school pool. In regards to the swim team committees; I still have no idea what I am doing...

     Today is Parent Teacher Conference Day. I dread them. To date, there has never been a reason to dread them. But, I do. I never  know what Joe's teachers are going to say about him. Joe is definitely not like the rest of the kids. I wouldn't change a single thing about him... but I am never sure that the teachers feel the same way. You just never know what will come out of his mouth. It has ZERO filter. Recently, at the grocery store, we were in the checkout, and I hear a huge sigh come out of Joe.

     'Well. This is a waste of money."

      "What is, Joe?" Heeeeeeere we go. Again.

     "All of this. I have decided I am on a food strike."

     "Of course you are."

     "You just spent HOW MUCH MONEY on groceries?? It is a waste. Even if I WASN'T on a food strike, I probably wouldn't eat much more than the cereal anyway."

     "The rest of us aren't on a food strike, Joe."

     "I think I am going to try to not eat any food for a whole week."

     "Oh good. We were going to go out to lunch after this, so, that will save me some money."

     "Where are we going?"

     "Not sure. But it doesn't matter, since you aren't eating anyhow."

     And so the conversation goes. The food strike lasted about 10 minutes. Until we arrived home to see Bearded Man's dead deer hanging in the shed as we pulled in the driveway. Food strike was back on, and Lexi converted to Vegan ism on the spot.
     Also, I am once again, a lousy Earth Mother. Because, I absolutely am not okay with dead animals getting processed on my kitchen table. Show me the most grisly human wound on the planet, and I am your girl. Dead deer on the table, finding aortic arteries in my kitchen sink unexpectedly, and being dragged into assistance to stuff deer into pig intestines, and I am really not your girl. I pointed out repeatedly the complete lack of the same assistance during canning season, but, Bearded Man was conveniently deaf at that time.
     I don't know why it's so hard for me to deal with watching and assisting in the entire animal processing thing. It just is.
     Bearded Man cannot wait to go out on Thanksgiving and try to shoot another one.

  Update on how parent teacher conferences went last night:
    
     Honestly, they went well enough that, I wonder if I am not doing at least 2 of my kids a disservice for keeping them in that school, and not looking into an advanced placement classes somewhere. Because Lexi and Joe are doing everything the school can throw at them with zero effort at this point, and are frankly bored with the entire business. Lexi will be assisting with teaching, evidently, as, they have nothing more advanced to give her right now.  Kaila has offered to help them download her 7th and 8th grade learning apps onto their school iPads, for extra work. I don't know. I was told there are advanced classes in the middle/high school, so, we will maybe have to see what happens when they advance a few more grades.
     Lexi is a deceiving little Nerd, in that, she does not look, nor act like one. With her bright colors, glitter, sparkles, rhinestones and "HERE I AM, WORLD!!!" personality, she is more likely to be mistaken for a flake. Her biggest issue is floating off into her own dream world when she's bored. Joe's big hang up is his zero tolerance for what he considers things that do not require his time or thought. Do not ask him WHY a red light is there. EVERYONE KNOWS it is to make you stop and why, so, why are you wasting his time asking for him to write a detailed explanation??!!! Having to stop his brain to put things he does not consider to be important or pertinent, to come down a level to write these things is what is going to slow him down. He has no patience for it. His answers in school are short and to the point, and his aggravation with it is barely concealed. We had a discussion regarding this when I came home from the conferences last night. Joe just does not understand why the rest of us cannot think like he does. He spends hours following me around, throwing math and science questions at me. Something he has done since he was around three and a half years old. Not quite sure WHAT to do with my little Nerdlings! Any thoughts on this are appreciated, actually.

     Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Sorry about the choppiness of this Blog today. Count your blessings! Be Thankful for what you have. So many have so much less. And, throw in a prayer or two for Bearded Man and his family, if you are so inclined. Thank you!


    

    

Newbie Committee Person

     Yesterday George had his surgery follow up. We ended up seeing the Doctor's assistant, and the visit went along the lines of:

"We did a test you probably didn't even know we did, while doing your son's surgery."

"Oh really?"

"Oh yes. We were checking for reflux. I see he hasn't been taking his reflux medication."

"No, he hasn't. It tastes horrible, and he had a really hard time recovering the first few weeks. The screaming every morning before school, and the crying, and the trauma was too much. It was just one thing that needed to go. He has never exhibited any signs of reflux. Ever. He seems to have been fine since."

"Well. The tests showed he has no reflux."

"I thought they might reflect that."

"However, I need to educate you about it. I created these handouts. They are in color and everything, so parents can easily follow along."

"But, he has no reflux. You just said so."

"Well, his diet is probably awful. Most American children have a lousy diet."

"Actually, out of all my kids, he seems to be the healthiest eater... he's always digging for fruit and yogurt and veggies and fruit cups and things like that."

"Well, citrus fruit is probably not helping his reflux."

"He doesn't HAVE reflux! And, he doesn't like citrus fruit."

"Well, he probably eats healthy because he knows the other foods will cause pain."

"He's 4. He has no idea. He's never complained of pain, because he DOESN'T HAVE REFLUX!"
"Well, chocolate will do it too."

"He did bring home 5 pounds of candy but - "

"SEE?! BACK TO THE AMERICAN KID'S DIET!"

"-BUT my HUSBAND took all the kids' chocolate. He really didn't get much. He eats baloney at school, but, just discovered it 2 months ago, so, I KNOW that didn't cause his non existent reflux."

"Well, it's just foods like that, that cause your child pain, colds, ear infections."

"OR, his adenoids, because, since they came out, he's been FINE, because, as you said, he has no reflux."

"His reflux could be in remission."

"I am not going to win this, am I?"

"How is he sleeping? Any snoring?"

"No, he's been sleeping fine since the surgery."

"Actually," pipes up George, "I will probably snore tonight."

"There are pets in the house."

"Yes."

"Did you think this may be the cause of your son's problems?"

"No. He never had a reaction to the dogs or the cat. He was tested for allergies while in surgery. How did that turn out?"

"He has none."

"Then why?.... never mind."

Anyhow. George is fine. Clean bill of health and all that.


     Also in the household is Joe's new campaign. Joe came home from church the other day, and announced he wanted to help hungry kids. I suggested a change jar that we could donate around Thanksgiving. The rest of the kids jumped right on board that idea. Tooth Fairy money was thrown in, babysitting money was thrown in. I was amazed at my kids!
     The school also has a food drive this week. Joe took his favorite soup, that I buy just for him, off the shelf, so he could donate it. He wanted other people to have good foods, and not just what we didn't want that was on the shelf. (Which, to Joe, would pretty much be everything. But, I digress.)

     Also, on our plate currently, is Lexi's Swim Club. Lexi is half fish, and is completely happy when she is in the water. As part of the swim team, parents were informed that it was mandatory to sign up for 3 things related to the swim club to help out. Also posted were mandatory sign ups to help out at 2 out of 3 of the home meets. As a newbie, I took this for gospel, as did only about 5 other presumably new parents. So, according to an email I received yesterday, I am now on 2 committees related to the Swim Club, and signed up to do 50/50 raffles at 2 swim meets.  I have every intention of handing off the 50/50 obligations to Bearded Man and Kaila, truth be told. Because, I now need to plan Hospitality things and make ribbons. With people I only know vaguely. Anyhow, this promises to be entertaining at the very least. 

      Which brings us to the last order of business. I am thinking about going back to school. Next fall. To pursue my nursing degree to the next level. Which would mean no life for the next few years, and then working back up at the VA in Buffalo again. Which would shake up our schedules again, take me away from a lot of these extra curricular activities, and have me working holidays and weekends and overnight 12 hour shifts again. Which, if it was just me, would be completely wonderful. But, at graduation, I would have 3 teenagers, and maybe I should stick a little closer to home. As a friend pointed out: They are only young once! It would be so completely wonderful, if I could go back to school though. I have a few months to make up my mind.

     That's all the excitement around here! Till next time!