Just some boring stuff...

Reagan has been doing much better with Kindergarten. I think she's getting into the groove of things. Transition is tough for her I think. We did purchase a pre K workbook from Costco and she loves to work in it. She matches letters and knows her colors but really doesn't care what a letter is at this point. It will come and I don't believe in pushing anything with her. She'll just push back.

Remicade is coming soon. I need to wait until the middle of October for my darn TB test at the local health unit. We've got a mumps outbreak here so the health unit is swamped and just can't get my darn TB scratch test done until Oct.9th. Other than that it's all approved and affordable. I've developed the shakes lately so I'm really hoping someone calls me to let me know if I need another iron infusion soon or not. I don't know if I'd shake or not if my hemoglobin is low but it sure sucks. Keeps me away from the coffee for sure.

Courtney's teacher applied for a new position at the beginning of the school year and is now leaving one week into the year. So the poor class of grade 4's have been stuck with a sub since the second week of school while they wait for the school board to figure out who gets the job. I can't believe that my kid has to endure this. Last year was so horendous for her that this just takes the cake. I just pray that this teacher is kind and caring with the kids. I can see the anxiety coming out in Courtney every morning before school already. I cannot handle another repeat of last year.

Jordan seems to be doing his homework so far. He almost has enough lawn mowing hours to turn in to buy a laptop for himself. He's over the moon excited about it. I'm happy for him to reap the benefits of his hard work all summer. He's done good even though I've had to stay on top of him constantly. I hope it will get easier. I need to go into his school and talk to the school psychologist to make sure they get all his testing under way this year. He needs all of his learning disabilities tended to and monitored constantly or he'll just sit there doing nothing and saying nothing. He's more argumentative than ever with me in this teenager phase.

I must stop buying all these kids clothing. That's the only way I can see this laundry crisis getting any better. We all agree in this house that the pool table has become more of a laundry table than a pool table. It is clear now and maybe daddy and the kids can sneak a game or two in this weekend but not for long. Ha!

It never ends.

So the next adventure includes....

throwing rocks at her classmates! (Insert heavy sigh right here) Right as the children are coming out the door at the end of school session the teacher comes to me. NICE is all I could think in my head. (Sarcastically) I am truly horrified for the teacher. Don't get me wrong but Reagan is just such a creative expressionist. OK probably not a word but she expresses herself in very creative ways or maybe some might say aggressive. It only comes straight out of left field though so there is no consistency to her behavior. Oh the horror. I'm upset I don't know how to make you notice so I'm going to throw rocks at you? Could that be what she's doing? I don't know.

So Poor Teacher explains to me that Reagan had a fabulous day playing in the "house center" and at clean up time she did such an amazing job cleaning it all up. She was a perfect listener and the teacher gave her tons and tons of praise throughout this time. Then the end of their session (I wanna say day but they only go for 2.5 freaking hours lol) they all got to go outside and play on the playground. Rocks were thrown and some heads were narrowly missed. Teacher just about peed her pants and Reagan had to have a time out. End of story. This is my Reagan. Is it because she is our 3rd child, lack of preschool, parenting flaws, we just plain suck here. I'm stumped. OR she could be just one of those normal 4 year olds that's confident enough to be herself right away without the shy quiet reserved period of time. Which is freaking the teacher right out because in the conference she had for us she said they don't open up till after Christmas. All the kids are pretty much clammed up till then.

My kid has confidence. I'll give her that.

Laurie

Reagan has now turned on the charm ha ha ha

She stuck a bead in her ear!!! Yep. Am I surprised? Nope. Nothing surprises me with Reagan. So the teacher freaked and Reagan sulked and tried not to cry and the teacher was horrified that I would be mad and Reagan would tell me that she was a monster. Ha ha. That was just a taste of Reagan. We're just on the first week of full sessions now. Let the fun begin. I wished the teacher good luck and explained to her that Reagan is a busy girl and feels that she is ALWAYS the most important person in the room. Teacher agreed with that description of her and said Reagan is a spirited child. Hmmm YA THINK!

I am sure Reagan will do great things with her energy one day. She already does. Today she wants to play and run and do. Be creative now. Why wait when we can sing and dance right this second. Dean and and I just shake our heads. You just have to love her and hope she figures it all out as the weeks go by. I feel like she should have waited another year before she went. She is a big girl but mentally such a preschooler. Maybe I'm just a wimp about sending my last baby to school.

Oh and the teacher doesn't know if the bead came out of her ear because it was tiny. She seems fine and I can't see anything. Hmmmm.

Let's see what tomorrow brings...

Must do laundry tonight or the kids are going to school naked in the morning. They'd looooove that. heh.

Laurie

Oh yes! Upon picking up my child the teacher then proceeds to grind in the point by telling me that she doesn't even recognize the letter R which is really the first letter of her name. Gee lady I don't know that. Gawd I don't like the way this is heading and it's only the second week of the year.

You know what I'm not sorry. Reagan has spent her entire childhood so far playing, interacting with other children and her parents and family. She's never been to daycare and she doesn't watch really any TV at all. She is creative, energetic, social and it will come and come fast. She is only FOUR freaking years old for crying out loud. She is completely not interested yet. You know when they start asking "what does that say mom, what does that say??" she is so not there yet.

Not kindergarten mother of the year this morning

So all 6 of the kids (3 daycare 3 mine)are dressed nicely and hair primped and clean for school. Lunches are packed up and I asked Courtney to help Reagan get a snack to put in her backpack for her first full day of kindergarten. Uh oh. All the snacks purchased are healthy snacks in packages from Costco exept those darn Thinsations and Reagan of course chooses the oreo kind. I of course ask her what she chose as we were pulling up to the school. Well Dean and I just sat through a meeting last week all about kindergarten and were told HEALTHY SNACKS. Well crap I suck already. So I flag down the teacher at the door and apologize and say it won't happen again and she says "Reagan needs to learn to recognize her name ASAP! She is lost every time the children are asked to go to their name tag or pick up the item with their name on it." I tell her OK we'll work on it right away. I feel like double crap. What kind of mother am I. Should have sent the poor kid to preschool that second year when she was 4yrs. Yep I totally screwed up. NICE!

Note to self: less time in the bathroom with the colitis monster and more time teaching my daugher her name. This morning I was another 2 lbs lighter from yesterday thanks to lack of absorption. That's 32lb loss now in the last 3 months. Remicade cannot come soon enough. I am banking all of my hopes and dreams on this shot. Next option- surgery. More blood tests today or tommorrow to see if I need another iron infusion. This will be number 3. I seem to be losing blood at the rate of someone with a slow nosebleed. Kind of dangerous. I am soooo grateful for my doctor who does telephone visits sometimes 3 times per week and I NEVER have to call him. He is my knight in shining armour through the darkness that is pancolitis.

OK this all my guilt pouring out and excuses for my daughter not being able to recogize her name. We'll get in a couple of days. I called hubby and he said to make some flash cards to put up in the house of all the kids names. Hubby is the academic overachiever in the household. He'll patiently work with her till she gets it.

Fun stuff. I better go wipe some snotty noses and change some diapers and do some dishes. These little people are getting bored with the backyard playground and I think I hear a tractor on the front of the property. That always throws the little ones into a crying tailspin.

Into the house we go....

Laurie

Is it my clothing?my hair?do I smell?what?

Kindergarten moms are a tough crowd. This is my child to enter kindergarten and I just don't seem to click with the "in" moms this year I guess. It looks to me like most of them are preggo. I'm so over that part of my life. I'm the child care mom with two toddlers in hand at any given time scooting my third and final child off to kindy and deff not shedding a tear. A might bit frightened for the teacher maybe but that's about it. Reagan is so ready and enjoys the break. We did preschool when she was 3 yrs just to be sure the structured environment was manageable for her and it was with a few weeks of redirection she got it and enjoyed. Never a tear. She truly enjoyed it. Being a structured in home daycare provider it seemed rediculous to send my child out of th home for something we offered right in our own home so we kept her home. I am pleased that the transition the kindy has gone well. PHEW! The moms though seem to beline for any mom but me and intoduce themselves. I'm stumpted. I vow to now shower before kindergarten drop off and do my hair. Sheesh we'll see how that goes. hmphf It's tough enough to primp each and every kid that goes through my door.

Laurie

Finding time to blog

My health has been such an issue lately that I have not had the time nor the energy to blog. There is hope though. All my trips to the hospital an hour away for iron infusions and scopes in the "exit only" area of my body has finally landed me in the fast track for remicade. I need to do some reading on it but it is definately a med that gives me hope. There is a lot of success with it and colitis. I will have to shell out about 800.00 every six weeks for it though. That's crazy but the actual cost per dosage is 4000.00 and my medical plan only covers 80%. So in the grand scheme of things it's not so bad. It's my health/life/energy we're talking about. I know my husband would sell his soul to make me better so the money is not an issue to him at all.

My kids are wonderful. Reagan just started kindergarten. My husband and I are scared to death at what she will say or do next and if she is going to act like the teenager she does at home. For example: The teacher hands me Reagan's painting and says "WOW Reagan sure puts alot of detail into her artwork Mommy. You should take a look," as her and Reagan are both looking at me. I must have turned white as a ghost thinking OMG she drew boobs on the people didn't she. The teacher went back into the classroom and we were walking to the van and I looked at the painting and let out a huge sigh of relief. I was seriously horrified.

Courtney is in Grade 4 this year with all her favorite friends. So far so good. Slight obsession with Hannah Montanna and the fact that her friends tell her that she looks like Miley Sirus. I guess it's her age. Slightly hard to tolerate some days with all the hair flicking and the eye rolling. I'm pretty sure it only gets worse from here on out. I'm a little frightened. Trying not to show it though. I must stay strong. It's her brother I worry about. He might lock her up and throw away the key. 13 year old boys have NO tolerance for 9 year old girls AT ALL.

Jordan is a TEENAGER in grade 8. Lord help me be the most tolerant parent I can be with him. Jordan has turned green and grown warts all over his body. This is our analogy of adolecence in this household. Jordan thinks its hilarious but totally understands what we mean. He even says he DOESN'T LIKE ME BUT DOESNT KNOW WHY!!!!! SOB SOB SOB It took me a while to get over that one. It's getting a bit better. Jordan's bio dad purchased a cell phone for when Jordan is home alone at his house as he doesn't have a land line there. Well Jordan is allowed to carry this phone around as if he is a hot shot. Hubby and I were not on board with this responsibility at all with him carrying it around. Jordan cannot keep anything safe for long periods of time. Sooooo fast forward to this weekend when they were at lacrosse practice and the hooligan boys were running through the corn fields like the hooligans they are. Wait for it.... wait for it.... YESSSS HE LOST HIS PHONE!!!! 45 minutes of him and hubby looking (the kid had the thing turned on vibrate so they couldn't even phone it to find it) they came home because Jordan figures "it's all good, I'll just buy a new one with the money I've earned working this summer" Yeah NOT LIKELY KIDDO. He cried didn't understand why and we explained that our rules are that he will not be purchasing a cel phone for himself with ANY money until he is at least 17 yrs old. END OF STORY. The rules didn't change because his bio dad took a gamble and let him carry that one around. Soooooo I took him back down to the corn field and it's amazing how much harder he looked after he realized he didn't just get to buy a new one. I, me, mommy found it and have told him he owes me daily hugs forever now. He has agreed. LOL The tough part is if we hadn't have found it it would have some how been ALL MY fault till he was old enough to get one of his own. Funny how it works for us parents. Not so fair.


I must convince Reagan to take a nap with me. I have an hour and a half before the girls get out of school.

OooooOOoooo the remicade coordinator lady just called and I might get full coverage for the cost of the drug. I'm over the MOOOOOONNNNN!!!!

Laurie