Pops and I decided to have Ki tested for possible admission to the local public smarty pants school (NS). Previously, I was never interested in considering having her got there. It would mean 2 different schools for our family. I am not worried about AJ feeling he is not smart b/c she would got there. That is not how how processes. But I had liked the idea of her being around him to potentially help him out if there was any bullying. I saw if. I mean when.
She took the test today and said it was "easy", although they are not given any feedback on how they are doing. She wasn't stressed at all, so that's good.
There are other hoops to jump through besides her passing the academic and reasoning tests. They look at the past 3 or 4 report cards, the child's written form of why they want to go there and the parents written form along the same lines. These are rated with some sort of a point system. Points are also given if the child has a sibling at the school, they are from a school in PI, they are on free/reduced lunch program, and/or they have a parent who works at the school. She won't get any of those points. SOOoo she would have to pass the tests then go into the lottery after all of the kids who passed and got points otherwise. So I think it is pretty unlikely.
One of the main reasons I wanted to consider this is that she is having a tough time making friends. She keeps to herself often, is a bit socially awkward and hates all things girl. So she likes the boys, but not the rough and tumble boys. She is telling me how it is hard for her to make friends and sometimes she plays alone at recess. I see the other kids just moving aroun here at times as if she isn't there. So perhaps smartypants school would give her a new opportunity with some kids, many of whom are also likely a bit quirky, too.
I believe that whatever path we go down will be the best one.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Icky Poopy
That is what we have at our house.
Aj started us off by coming home from school early on Fri and later vomiting. I kept both kids home on Fri, but they seemed fine, if anything Ki had a stuffy nose.
Sat am brought Aj vomiting at 5 am, and the start of over 24 hours of diarrhea and head ache for me. Pops got home at 2 pm and took to bed and later was ill. Together we parented from our sick bed. Sun am brought Ki feeling sick to her stomach and Granny with her version of the same. Now it is 4 pm on Sun and we are still laying low. I imagine we will be back in our game tomorrow.
Aj started us off by coming home from school early on Fri and later vomiting. I kept both kids home on Fri, but they seemed fine, if anything Ki had a stuffy nose.
Sat am brought Aj vomiting at 5 am, and the start of over 24 hours of diarrhea and head ache for me. Pops got home at 2 pm and took to bed and later was ill. Together we parented from our sick bed. Sun am brought Ki feeling sick to her stomach and Granny with her version of the same. Now it is 4 pm on Sun and we are still laying low. I imagine we will be back in our game tomorrow.
Friday, January 09, 2009
This years XMAS letter
Dear Friends and Family,
The Holidays are upon us it is time for my annual Days of Our Lives Holiday Letter.
January: Kianna turns 7. Heavy rains brought flooding in our lower-than-street-level yard. One week raw sewage and the next knee-deep rain water with no power and a broken sump pump.
February: Kianna attends a birthday party at Build-a-Bear, where you chose an animal, stuff it & dress it. Most girls left with a teddy bear in pastel. Mine left toting a penguin in a cop uniform.
March: We stay at a beach house at Pajaro Dunes over spring break. During an afternoon at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk we capture a photo of the FRIED TWINKIES cart. I am left pondering if the shelf life of a Twinkie is increased or decreased when it is fried. Alex is the only one in sight enjoying a March swim in the Pacific. This year I get the opportunity to do readings from the book I wrote a story for in Seattle, Marin & Redwood City. My voice is even captured on NPR.
April: We go on a four day trip to Disneyland with Kurt’s Dad and brother. At the airport the announcement, "All passengers please be in control of your belongings at all times." gives me pause. Are they talking about me and my kids? We return home to find the dogs are strikingly heavier, waddling even, compared to when we left. Seemingly, they were good at asking to be fed and my Mom was not so good at remembering they had already been fed.
May: After Kurt leaves for work Java replaces him with her head on the pillow and her body under the covers. I regularly awake and find myself spooning with the dog.
June: The first day of summer in Tahoe and Alex jumps off the stair landing and breaks a bone in his foot. My first thought is, “If you can’t go to sports camp during the day, how am I going to work?” And secondly, “Oh, are you okay?”
July: I take on a second term as the President of Special education PTA of Redwood City (SEPTAR). We take kids to see the musical Hair Spray. Alex works to expand his 9 year-old vocabulary and asks if I know the “the ‘F’ Word”. I respond, “Yes, it’s ‘Fart’.”
August: While driving, I blindly paw through the outer pocket of my purse in search of my Blue Tooth. I then desperately try to wrestle it in and around my ear. Not too quickly, I discover that "blue" is the only thing in common between a blue Lego and a Blue Tooth. Kurt enjoys a fishing trip in British Columbia and a hunting trip to Canada (September).
September: While playing halfback in AYSO soccer, Alex scores 3 goals for his team. Kurt and I celebrate 12 years of marriage. I open my clinic for Sage Therapy. It is located in Redwood City and is just 3 miles from our home. It is the space I have always dreamed of.
October: Java, our lab, and my Mom enjoy sitting in their respective dining room chairs at the table. Mom works crossword puzzles and Java looks out the window. They share loving pets and engage in frequent games of fetch. Sierra is 12 and now pretty much retired from hunting. She has mastered the art of barking to guard the house, while never leaving the couch.
November: Alex turns 10 years old. And I turn, uh, 45. Java has severe pancreatitis and a 2 ½ day stay at the vet. She is the pet who steps up this year to allow us to make our annual contribution to the put-your-vet’s-child-through-college fund.
December: Kurt continues managing and working as a Physical Therapist at Adient Physical Therapy. Both of us are occasionally accompanied to work by Sierra. A broken pipe under the slab in the garage enables us to just sneak in our annual donation to put-your-plumbers’-child-through-college fund. My Dad and his wife, Altha, still live in Rancho Bernardo & were un-harmed by the fire there earlier in the year. Kurt’s Dad & brother are still nearby in Alamo, CA.
On a more serious note, we are generally a healthy group. My Mom’s Alzheimer’s has progressed and Alex can be challenging. We work to maintain our sense of humor and we are blessed to have some friends we know we can call upon.
Be in touch
The Holidays are upon us it is time for my annual Days of Our Lives Holiday Letter.
January: Kianna turns 7. Heavy rains brought flooding in our lower-than-street-level yard. One week raw sewage and the next knee-deep rain water with no power and a broken sump pump.
February: Kianna attends a birthday party at Build-a-Bear, where you chose an animal, stuff it & dress it. Most girls left with a teddy bear in pastel. Mine left toting a penguin in a cop uniform.
March: We stay at a beach house at Pajaro Dunes over spring break. During an afternoon at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk we capture a photo of the FRIED TWINKIES cart. I am left pondering if the shelf life of a Twinkie is increased or decreased when it is fried. Alex is the only one in sight enjoying a March swim in the Pacific. This year I get the opportunity to do readings from the book I wrote a story for in Seattle, Marin & Redwood City. My voice is even captured on NPR.
April: We go on a four day trip to Disneyland with Kurt’s Dad and brother. At the airport the announcement, "All passengers please be in control of your belongings at all times." gives me pause. Are they talking about me and my kids? We return home to find the dogs are strikingly heavier, waddling even, compared to when we left. Seemingly, they were good at asking to be fed and my Mom was not so good at remembering they had already been fed.
May: After Kurt leaves for work Java replaces him with her head on the pillow and her body under the covers. I regularly awake and find myself spooning with the dog.
June: The first day of summer in Tahoe and Alex jumps off the stair landing and breaks a bone in his foot. My first thought is, “If you can’t go to sports camp during the day, how am I going to work?” And secondly, “Oh, are you okay?”
July: I take on a second term as the President of Special education PTA of Redwood City (SEPTAR). We take kids to see the musical Hair Spray. Alex works to expand his 9 year-old vocabulary and asks if I know the “the ‘F’ Word”. I respond, “Yes, it’s ‘Fart’.”
August: While driving, I blindly paw through the outer pocket of my purse in search of my Blue Tooth. I then desperately try to wrestle it in and around my ear. Not too quickly, I discover that "blue" is the only thing in common between a blue Lego and a Blue Tooth. Kurt enjoys a fishing trip in British Columbia and a hunting trip to Canada (September).
September: While playing halfback in AYSO soccer, Alex scores 3 goals for his team. Kurt and I celebrate 12 years of marriage. I open my clinic for Sage Therapy. It is located in Redwood City and is just 3 miles from our home. It is the space I have always dreamed of.
October: Java, our lab, and my Mom enjoy sitting in their respective dining room chairs at the table. Mom works crossword puzzles and Java looks out the window. They share loving pets and engage in frequent games of fetch. Sierra is 12 and now pretty much retired from hunting. She has mastered the art of barking to guard the house, while never leaving the couch.
November: Alex turns 10 years old. And I turn, uh, 45. Java has severe pancreatitis and a 2 ½ day stay at the vet. She is the pet who steps up this year to allow us to make our annual contribution to the put-your-vet’s-child-through-college fund.
December: Kurt continues managing and working as a Physical Therapist at Adient Physical Therapy. Both of us are occasionally accompanied to work by Sierra. A broken pipe under the slab in the garage enables us to just sneak in our annual donation to put-your-plumbers’-child-through-college fund. My Dad and his wife, Altha, still live in Rancho Bernardo & were un-harmed by the fire there earlier in the year. Kurt’s Dad & brother are still nearby in Alamo, CA.
On a more serious note, we are generally a healthy group. My Mom’s Alzheimer’s has progressed and Alex can be challenging. We work to maintain our sense of humor and we are blessed to have some friends we know we can call upon.
Be in touch
HELLLOOOOO!!! Capturing a moment
Yes, I am alive, but not to much into writing of late.
Right now.
Friday 5 pm ish.
I am sitting in the living room with Sisi on the coach beside me. Generally, I avoid this room because it can be cold, I don't like sitting on the couch and it is dark.
Well today i am quite a wiz. i brought in the lamp from my bedside, fired up my new IPOD Nano in its new logitech portable speaker and lit a fire. It is a good life moment for me.
Granny is in the dining room playing solitaire and sipping her sherry. I forgot to hide it in my bedroom again. But at least I did remember to water it down. I do wonder what the house keepers think when they find a gallon of cheap wine sitting on my bedroom floor.
Aj and Ki in the family room and Aj actually has a play date! I guess Ki is on the play date too. My kids are never invited on play dates,so this is exciting. They played outside with dog and played basketball and soccer and are now playing with the Wii. A sure crowd pleaser.
Back in the routine of school and work now. Busy but good so far. Work is busier. I am doing well. I can always take on more clients, but it is good. Need to rent my second office out until I have enough clients to hire an SLP.
Kids start basketball next week. 1 practice a week, 1 game on Sat.
Both in the upcoming play Aladdin end of Feb. 2 rehearsals a week.
Social group 1 time a week.
Busy. But good.
Pops changing his work schedule next week to allow me to see more after school clients. He will work 10 hour days MWF and 5 hour days TTH so he can take the kids TTH afternoons. he will leave for work at 6:30 5 days a week. He is a champion. We will hopefully have a summer schedule that is less gruelling for him.
My keys to success:
1. Plan what meals (dinner) and snacks will be and shop 1 time a week. Or atleast one big shop. Sometimes I do Trader J and grocery and/or Costc.
2. Have kids and I pick out our clothes, shoes etc the night before.
3. Pack back-packs the night before.
4. Stay up on laundry and dry cleaning
5. Leave my office clean.
Anyone else have ideas for successfully managing life and kids and volunteer work and work and, oh ya, yourself.
Peace~
Right now.
Friday 5 pm ish.
I am sitting in the living room with Sisi on the coach beside me. Generally, I avoid this room because it can be cold, I don't like sitting on the couch and it is dark.
Well today i am quite a wiz. i brought in the lamp from my bedside, fired up my new IPOD Nano in its new logitech portable speaker and lit a fire. It is a good life moment for me.
Granny is in the dining room playing solitaire and sipping her sherry. I forgot to hide it in my bedroom again. But at least I did remember to water it down. I do wonder what the house keepers think when they find a gallon of cheap wine sitting on my bedroom floor.
Aj and Ki in the family room and Aj actually has a play date! I guess Ki is on the play date too. My kids are never invited on play dates,so this is exciting. They played outside with dog and played basketball and soccer and are now playing with the Wii. A sure crowd pleaser.
Back in the routine of school and work now. Busy but good so far. Work is busier. I am doing well. I can always take on more clients, but it is good. Need to rent my second office out until I have enough clients to hire an SLP.
Kids start basketball next week. 1 practice a week, 1 game on Sat.
Both in the upcoming play Aladdin end of Feb. 2 rehearsals a week.
Social group 1 time a week.
Busy. But good.
Pops changing his work schedule next week to allow me to see more after school clients. He will work 10 hour days MWF and 5 hour days TTH so he can take the kids TTH afternoons. he will leave for work at 6:30 5 days a week. He is a champion. We will hopefully have a summer schedule that is less gruelling for him.
My keys to success:
1. Plan what meals (dinner) and snacks will be and shop 1 time a week. Or atleast one big shop. Sometimes I do Trader J and grocery and/or Costc.
2. Have kids and I pick out our clothes, shoes etc the night before.
3. Pack back-packs the night before.
4. Stay up on laundry and dry cleaning
5. Leave my office clean.
Anyone else have ideas for successfully managing life and kids and volunteer work and work and, oh ya, yourself.
Peace~
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)