The Bullies and The Bullied

My oldest and my youngest child have had similar situations when transitioning to school. We're not a daycare family, we didn't overly socialize our children preferring to do things with our own family most of the time and so because of that both of them struggle in that "learning how to be in large groups of strangers experience" that is school. The nuances of friendship, the little mean games kids play, these things have baffled both of my kids. Both with the boy and now the girl, there have been tears and bewilderment over power plays, withdrawing of friendship and other shenanigans that are simply how children work out how to communicate and socialize.

There has been one little girl, however, who has stood out when it comes to stories from school. My first inclination was to write it off as "this child speaks how she's spoken to, that's sad" because she is constantly saying harsh critical things to the girl. She tells her she's doing it wrong. She tells her or insinuates she isn't doing a good job - apparently quite a lot. She belittles her and makes her cry. There was an alleged incident of hitting, but honestly it was hard to exactly sort out what happened.

I mentioned it to the teacher, that I was concerned about the meanness of some of this communication, and was she concerned? Did they not get along? The teacher assured me it's normal socialization in Kindergarten. We're friends today, we're not friends tomorrow. I don't like you anymore. Now we're best friends. Mean girling seems to start at age five, who knew? But ok, I gotta leave it to the professionals and not be THAT parent.

As a bullied child myself, I'm afraid that sometimes I DO actually look on being bullied as an opportunity to toughen up. That's bad psychology but I know it's also common in adults who were bullied as children. So I've been trying to give her language to dismiss this girl, the husband has too. We've tried very hard to diminish the importance of ANY mean words spoken at school, stressing that our real friends wouldn't speak to us this way. I've tried to focus on making her strong enough to DISREGARD these attacks, but she's five. That's a hard lesson for an adult, it's impossible for a five year old.

Today as she exited the bus, the girl in question spit into her face.

So, phone calls have been made.

I don't need anyone drawn and quartered but I've been the bigger person for quite some time about it and so has my husband and now I'm DONE. Conversations will be had. Change will occur in some form.

The worst part of it all is how today when she's telling me about she says "I really like her, why doesn't she like me?" I wanted to SCREAM "NO DON'T LIKE HER SHE'S AWFUL." But she might not be awful. I don't know this kid. All I know is the sideways conversations my child shares, full of confusion why someone would say mean things to her.

I don't know why. She's so sweet, I can't imagine anyone ever saying anything mean to her. She loves school. I won't have this experience change that.

In a dramatic case of the shoe now shifting to the other foot - I feel certain WE TOO will be getting phone calls.

After what was apparently an awesome happy day at school, Miles went batso on the bus. We struggled so LONG to get him out of his harness. "He won't get up," we said. "He's fine he's outgrown it," we promised.

Today apparently he got up and punched the bus driver. He also spit all over the windows. He was SO OFF THE CHAIN they went BACK to school, got another adult for the bus before they brought him home. The very least I can hope for out of this is a harness for the little monster. Why did he do this? JUST TO BE A JERK. That's the thing with Miles. He's smart. This is willful misbehavior on his part. He's doing it because he can. He's doing it for the same reason he taunts Charlie and makes him cry by making "the raptor noise". He can do it, it's entertaining to him to cause distress.

So now we're also the parents of the jerk. We're the reason your kid was late getting home, because of our kid. Our kid spit on the bus like a wild animal, hocking loogies all over the window.

Perfect. We're bullied and we're bullies. I guess that makes us a well rounded household. We bring balance to The Force.
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The Bullies and The Bullied

My oldest and my youngest child have had similar situations when transitioning to school. We're not a daycare family, we didn't overly socialize our children preferring to do things with our own family most of the time and so because of that both of them struggle in that "learning how to be in large groups of strangers experience" that is school. The nuances of friendship, the little mean games kids play, these things have baffled both of my kids. Both with the boy and now the girl, there have been tears and bewilderment over power plays, withdrawing of friendship and other shenanigans that are simply how children work out how to communicate and socialize.

There has been one little girl, however, who has stood out when it comes to stories from school. My first inclination was to write it off as "this child speaks how she's spoken to, that's sad" because she is constantly saying harsh critical things to the girl. She tells her she's doing it wrong. She tells her or insinuates she isn't doing a good job - apparently quite a lot. She belittles her and makes her cry. There was an alleged incident of hitting, but honestly it was hard to exactly sort out what happened.

I mentioned it to the teacher, that I was concerned about the meanness of some of this communication, and was she concerned? Did they not get along? The teacher assured me it's normal socialization in Kindergarten. We're friends today, we're not friends tomorrow. I don't like you anymore. Now we're best friends. Mean girling seems to start at age five, who knew? But ok, I gotta leave it to the professionals and not be THAT parent.

As a bullied child myself, I'm afraid that sometimes I DO actually look on being bullied as an opportunity to toughen up. That's bad psychology but I know it's also common in adults who were bullied as children. So I've been trying to give her language to dismiss this girl, the husband has too. We've tried very hard to diminish the importance of ANY mean words spoken at school, stressing that our real friends wouldn't speak to us this way. I've tried to focus on making her strong enough to DISREGARD these attacks, but she's five. That's a hard lesson for an adult, it's impossible for a five year old.

Today as she exited the bus, the girl in question spit into her face.

So, phone calls have been made.

I don't need anyone drawn and quartered but I've been the bigger person for quite some time about it and so has my husband and now I'm DONE. Conversations will be had. Change will occur in some form.

The worst part of it all is how today when she's telling me about she says "I really like her, why doesn't she like me?" I wanted to SCREAM "NO DON'T LIKE HER SHE'S AWFUL." But she might not be awful. I don't know this kid. All I know is the sideways conversations my child shares, full of confusion why someone would say mean things to her.

I don't know why. She's so sweet, I can't imagine anyone ever saying anything mean to her. She loves school. I won't have this experience change that.

In a dramatic case of the shoe now shifting to the other foot - I feel certain WE TOO will be getting phone calls.

After what was apparently an awesome happy day at school, Miles went batso on the bus. We struggled so LONG to get him out of his harness. "He won't get up," we said. "He's fine he's outgrown it," we promised.

Today apparently he got up and punched the bus driver. He also spit all over the windows. He was SO OFF THE CHAIN they went BACK to school, got another adult for the bus before they brought him home. The very least I can hope for out of this is a harness for the little monster. Why did he do this? JUST TO BE A JERK. That's the thing with Miles. He's smart. This is willful misbehavior on his part. He's doing it because he can. He's doing it for the same reason he taunts Charlie and makes him cry by making "the raptor noise". He can do it, it's entertaining to him to cause distress.

So now we're also the parents of the jerk. We're the reason your kid was late getting home, because of our kid. Our kid spit on the bus like a wild animal, hocking loogies all over the window.

Perfect. We're bullied and we're bullies. I guess that makes us a well rounded household. We bring balance to The Force.
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On Any Other Day

Yesterday was a milestone x3 and the first day of school around here. I'm up early at 0'Dark Hundred because due to said milestone, I didn't get one single free "me" moment yesterday and if I don't get some silence I go crazy.

This is me attempting sanity by creating sleep deprivation. Don't try to understand it.

Our biggest event yesterday was Julia's very first day of school. Kindergarten beware, she is in you. She tells me she went to the wrong room while showing her friend where to go. She tells me this confidently, she was leading the way, got lost but hey no problem because a nice teacher helped her. She tells me she "did learning" but can't seem to quite tell me what she learned except the bumblebee song.

I was so proud of her yesterday morning. What I wanted was for her to be confident and walk away from us without a hesitation. I wanted her to head off into the world in a way that showed me we'd done it right, despite the fact that we realized we've never let her use scissors in all this time, I wanted to see that the PERSON she is can handle the world I'd just sent her into.

She didn't disappoint. The bus pulled up and she didn't even say goodbye. She turned and walked away, only casting one look back at her friend like "Why aren't you coming?" while her friend hugged her mom again. She got on the bus like a boss, and like that she was gone, into new independence and freedom. Into a world where she got lost and didn't even blink.

THAT'S what I wanted.

Not to be completely overshadowed, it was the twins first day of sixth grade. We got a reprieve from school system chaos and both boys are in the same school this year (although not the same one as Louis). They are on the same bus so that's only ONE thing for me to deal with YAY.

They are in separate classes and I really like both of their teachers. Both boys are in for three years of being challenged to grow and I find that exciting. Charlie was doing potty training day one - and Miles brought home a work sheet that he WROTE the answers on himself. They seemed very happy but tired yesterday. We hardly had ANY fighting.

As for my big boy, my Louis, my first baby? Well he's in 7th grade and while he's just as excited as we are taking pictures and videos of the little ones going to school, when it's his turn you know he's too cool for all of that. SO MUCH TOO COOL FOR IT. When we went to his bus stop he says "WHAT You're COMING TO THE BUS STOP?" and we were like yep, get over it. We're ALWAYS COMING TO YOUR BUS STOP ON DAY ONE.

My husband suggested if he didn't like it, he cold come to school to follow him around on his first day. I think he decided to roll with us being at the bus stop.

So now we're on day two, and I'm sitting at the computer rather than getting ready like I should. I think I've got a plan however, for getting them ready and out the door starting in 28 minutes. First bus is at 7:50, then there is one at 8:15 then Louis has to leave right then to head to HIS bus stop and then I'm off to work.

I'm kind of glad school is back. I'm ready for this next chapter of adventure.

Goodbye summer.
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On Any Other Day

Yesterday was a milestone x3 and the first day of school around here. I'm up early at 0'Dark Hundred because due to said milestone, I didn't get one single free "me" moment yesterday and if I don't get some silence I go crazy.

This is me attempting sanity by creating sleep deprivation. Don't try to understand it.

Our biggest event yesterday was Julia's very first day of school. Kindergarten beware, she is in you. She tells me she went to the wrong room while showing her friend where to go. She tells me this confidently, she was leading the way, got lost but hey no problem because a nice teacher helped her. She tells me she "did learning" but can't seem to quite tell me what she learned except the bumblebee song.

I was so proud of her yesterday morning. What I wanted was for her to be confident and walk away from us without a hesitation. I wanted her to head off into the world in a way that showed me we'd done it right, despite the fact that we realized we've never let her use scissors in all this time, I wanted to see that the PERSON she is can handle the world I'd just sent her into.

She didn't disappoint. The bus pulled up and she didn't even say goodbye. She turned and walked away, only casting one look back at her friend like "Why aren't you coming?" while her friend hugged her mom again. She got on the bus like a boss, and like that she was gone, into new independence and freedom. Into a world where she got lost and didn't even blink.

THAT'S what I wanted.

Not to be completely overshadowed, it was the twins first day of sixth grade. We got a reprieve from school system chaos and both boys are in the same school this year (although not the same one as Louis). They are on the same bus so that's only ONE thing for me to deal with YAY.

They are in separate classes and I really like both of their teachers. Both boys are in for three years of being challenged to grow and I find that exciting. Charlie was doing potty training day one - and Miles brought home a work sheet that he WROTE the answers on himself. They seemed very happy but tired yesterday. We hardly had ANY fighting.

As for my big boy, my Louis, my first baby? Well he's in 7th grade and while he's just as excited as we are taking pictures and videos of the little ones going to school, when it's his turn you know he's too cool for all of that. SO MUCH TOO COOL FOR IT. When we went to his bus stop he says "WHAT You're COMING TO THE BUS STOP?" and we were like yep, get over it. We're ALWAYS COMING TO YOUR BUS STOP ON DAY ONE.

My husband suggested if he didn't like it, he cold come to school to follow him around on his first day. I think he decided to roll with us being at the bus stop.

So now we're on day two, and I'm sitting at the computer rather than getting ready like I should. I think I've got a plan however, for getting them ready and out the door starting in 28 minutes. First bus is at 7:50, then there is one at 8:15 then Louis has to leave right then to head to HIS bus stop and then I'm off to work.

I'm kind of glad school is back. I'm ready for this next chapter of adventure.

Goodbye summer.
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Every Little Thing She Does

My last baby is starting school on Monday. Today we go to the school orientations x4 teachers. We start with her, back to the school that was our first experience, where our big boy learned that there was indeed a life outside of our house.

She's so excited. I feel this pit in my heart, how can she be this big? She doesn't seem READY for school. She's kind of a nut, kind of immature.

She's still my baby.

How is my baby supposed to go be at school all day, without us to make sure she isn't doing the wrong things, without us to help her make the right decisions?

When the boy went, I was excited for him. I might have shed a tear but I wasn't sad he went. I was happy for his new world. Every day was a bit of an adventure, we wanted to hear what happened at school, get all the info from him.

Part of me doesn't think she can DO this. HOW can she be ready for this?

But she is. Foremost, she's desperate to go to school. She's been asking me every day for over a week if tomorrow is the day she gets to go to school. She asked me the day she turned five if NOW she could go to school. She's MORE than ready. She's wanting to go NOW. Now is almost here.

She says she can't wait to eat at their restaurant. I commend her enthusiasm for school lunch.

So we start with her, meet her teacher, do the necessary get a bus assignment and pick up info, get a car rider tag, join the PTA, the usual. Then we lather rinse repeat with the boys. Tomorrow we have dentist appointments, shoes to buy, haircuts to get, etc. The final launch preparation for school to start on Monday begins in 30 minutes when I start waking this household up.

I'm ready for them to get back on a schedule. I'm ready for the normal to return after a kind of crazy summer.

But I am not ready for this little girl to start walking away from me.

Yet, here we go.

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Every Little Thing She Does

My last baby is starting school on Monday. Today we go to the school orientations x4 teachers. We start with her, back to the school that was our first experience, where our big boy learned that there was indeed a life outside of our house.

She's so excited. I feel this pit in my heart, how can she be this big? She doesn't seem READY for school. She's kind of a nut, kind of immature.

She's still my baby.

How is my baby supposed to go be at school all day, without us to make sure she isn't doing the wrong things, without us to help her make the right decisions?

When the boy went, I was excited for him. I might have shed a tear but I wasn't sad he went. I was happy for his new world. Every day was a bit of an adventure, we wanted to hear what happened at school, get all the info from him.

Part of me doesn't think she can DO this. HOW can she be ready for this?

But she is. Foremost, she's desperate to go to school. She's been asking me every day for over a week if tomorrow is the day she gets to go to school. She asked me the day she turned five if NOW she could go to school. She's MORE than ready. She's wanting to go NOW. Now is almost here.

She says she can't wait to eat at their restaurant. I commend her enthusiasm for school lunch.

So we start with her, meet her teacher, do the necessary get a bus assignment and pick up info, get a car rider tag, join the PTA, the usual. Then we lather rinse repeat with the boys. Tomorrow we have dentist appointments, shoes to buy, haircuts to get, etc. The final launch preparation for school to start on Monday begins in 30 minutes when I start waking this household up.

I'm ready for them to get back on a schedule. I'm ready for the normal to return after a kind of crazy summer.

But I am not ready for this little girl to start walking away from me.

Yet, here we go.

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Some Achievement Awards Are Real

I am not a fan of Achievement Awards or Participation Awards. I don't think kids need an award for showing up. That doesn't develop them into people who think they have to WORK for anything. If everyone gets a ribbon or trophy, why are the ones for the winners special? They aren't.

However, I need to add an asterisk to this statement because every once in a while an Achievement Award is real. It's not just because it's my kid, this goes for the other kids like him who got this award last night at Fifth Grade Graduation (also not a real thing in my book but I got teary eyed there anyway.)

Miles got an achievement award last night, and his teacher spoke briefly of the things that he had accomplished in the three years he'd been with him. In truth, he's accomplished an amazing amount of things since we started him and his brother in Autism Pre-K all those years ago.

• He learned to speak.
• He can ask for things - I want this, I want that. Etc.
• He can read.
• He can do math.
• He can tell time.
• He can make change.
• He can follow multi part instructions.
• He learned to take turns.
• He learned to play board games.
• He learned to play the xylophone.
• He learned sign language (on his own might I add)
• He became about halfway potty trained (still working on it)

This is the short list. He started out as a four year old who screamed his wants and needs, who tantrummed all the time like Helen Keller for the most part and while being an affectionate, sweet baby was really just that - a giant baby. There was no willingness on his part to ever understand us, or listen and follow instructions. Today he has pretty much perfect receptive language skills, meaning - he TOTALLY understands us. 

He isn't a perfect child, in fact sometimes he's a complete a-hole. I can say that, I'm his mom. He is. If he were a typical child I think he'd be a real brat. Possibly not, but he's a handful. However, he's also smart, and funny, and he loves books now. He loves to snuggle. He plays, really plays, by himself. HE LOVES YOUTUBE. It's hilarious he's learned that he can enter in anything and watch videos. He must love to travel, and to go to McDonalds because he watches hotel videos from the major chains, and McDonalds commercials all the time. 

He probably won't ever be a child I get to have an actual conversation with, but in the time since we handed him over to the school system I think it's fair to say he has achieved an amazing amount. Next year for the first time in years he'll be in the same school with Charlie which I'm hoping reduces some of the scheduling crazy around here. 

So that's a real achievement award. My kid learned to talk. And pee in the potty. I'm glad to accept an award for that. 

Thank you Gwinnett County Schools. You are amazing.

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Some Achievement Awards Are Real

I am not a fan of Achievement Awards or Participation Awards. I don't think kids need an award for showing up. That doesn't develop them into people who think they have to WORK for anything. If everyone gets a ribbon or trophy, why are the ones for the winners special? They aren't.

However, I need to add an asterisk to this statement because every once in a while an Achievement Award is real. It's not just because it's my kid, this goes for the other kids like him who got this award last night at Fifth Grade Graduation (also not a real thing in my book but I got teary eyed there anyway.)

Miles got an achievement award last night, and his teacher spoke briefly of the things that he had accomplished in the three years he'd been with him. In truth, he's accomplished an amazing amount of things since we started him and his brother in Autism Pre-K all those years ago.

• He learned to speak.
• He can ask for things - I want this, I want that. Etc.
• He can read.
• He can do math.
• He can tell time.
• He can make change.
• He can follow multi part instructions.
• He learned to take turns.
• He learned to play board games.
• He learned to play the xylophone.
• He learned sign language (on his own might I add)
• He became about halfway potty trained (still working on it)

This is the short list. He started out as a four year old who screamed his wants and needs, who tantrummed all the time like Helen Keller for the most part and while being an affectionate, sweet baby was really just that - a giant baby. There was no willingness on his part to ever understand us, or listen and follow instructions. Today he has pretty much perfect receptive language skills, meaning - he TOTALLY understands us. 

He isn't a perfect child, in fact sometimes he's a complete a-hole. I can say that, I'm his mom. He is. If he were a typical child I think he'd be a real brat. Possibly not, but he's a handful. However, he's also smart, and funny, and he loves books now. He loves to snuggle. He plays, really plays, by himself. HE LOVES YOUTUBE. It's hilarious he's learned that he can enter in anything and watch videos. He must love to travel, and to go to McDonalds because he watches hotel videos from the major chains, and McDonalds commercials all the time. 

He probably won't ever be a child I get to have an actual conversation with, but in the time since we handed him over to the school system I think it's fair to say he has achieved an amazing amount. Next year for the first time in years he'll be in the same school with Charlie which I'm hoping reduces some of the scheduling crazy around here. 

So that's a real achievement award. My kid learned to talk. And pee in the potty. I'm glad to accept an award for that. 

Thank you Gwinnett County Schools. You are amazing.

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Back To School Cake

The husband read somewhere that if you simmer a can of Eagle Brand condensed milk for 3 hours it turns into caramel. It's really more like a dulce de leche. But there is nothing bad about that at all. I've been craving a vanilla cake with caramel icing but since we wanted to try this, we decided to do a little tinkering in the kitchen to celebrate the new school year.

My Hunny took care of simmering the can of Eagle Brand until it was a rich and dark golden color.  When I got home Louis and Julia baked a beautiful white cake and once it was out of the oven Louis poked holes in it. We had another, noncaramelized can of Eagle Brand some we poured it over the top, for good measure.
Then we added the can that was the experiment.

Oh my goodness. Can I tell you how good it was? The cake was like angel food as we only used egg whites.

White cake, soaked in Eagle Brand, covered in caramelized Eagle Brand. We served it over ice cream to cut the sweetness.

And that's how we do back to school around here.
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Back To School Cake

The husband read somewhere that if you simmer a can of Eagle Brand condensed milk for 3 hours it turns into caramel. It's really more like a dulce de leche. But there is nothing bad about that at all. I've been craving a vanilla cake with caramel icing but since we wanted to try this, we decided to do a little tinkering in the kitchen to celebrate the new school year.

My Hunny took care of simmering the can of Eagle Brand until it was a rich and dark golden color.  When I got home Louis and Julia baked a beautiful white cake and once it was out of the oven Louis poked holes in it. We had another, noncaramelized can of Eagle Brand some we poured it over the top, for good measure.
Then we added the can that was the experiment.

Oh my goodness. Can I tell you how good it was? The cake was like angel food as we only used egg whites.

White cake, soaked in Eagle Brand, covered in caramelized Eagle Brand. We served it over ice cream to cut the sweetness.

And that's how we do back to school around here.
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The Tunnel of Carpal

As a manager of people who use keyboards, for the past oh 20 years or so, I've always been a skeptic of carpal tunnel. I WOULD SAY NONBELIEVER in fact. But of course, like all things I don't believe in, it ends up happening to me and with a vengeance. My right hand was so whacked and numb and useless the past couple of weeks that I actually started cleaning my office at work, vs doing reports and stuff.

That's how you know it was bad, I chose CLEANING.

It was a busy week regardless, we had science night at school where we all went to see the robot Louis and the robot team have been working on. They can make it run around a room and fight with other robots. I'm guessing this is how SKYNET gets started.

We also went to the science room where there were crafts, according to Julia. In fact we were supposed to be making a cell. Julia just thought it was great to glue buttons onto things. She doesn't respect the cytoplasm, clearly.

We also spent the week getting ready for the big Boy Scout soap box derby. Louis this year was the coolest kid on the block and made a DALEK.

He didn't win anything this year but the admiration of all the nerds and geeks on my FACEBOOK page, which is really alright with me. Nerds and geeks run the world, after all. :)

We may go to a home remodeling show today. I would like to win the lottery and have someone come in and completely redo this house. I love my house. But I lack the mental fortitude to do all the things I want done to change it.

I'm just glad my hand works again. It's good to be back at the computer.

Now, time for WoW. :)


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The Tunnel of Carpal

As a manager of people who use keyboards, for the past oh 20 years or so, I've always been a skeptic of carpal tunnel. I WOULD SAY NONBELIEVER in fact. But of course, like all things I don't believe in, it ends up happening to me and with a vengeance. My right hand was so whacked and numb and useless the past couple of weeks that I actually started cleaning my office at work, vs doing reports and stuff.

That's how you know it was bad, I chose CLEANING.

It was a busy week regardless, we had science night at school where we all went to see the robot Louis and the robot team have been working on. They can make it run around a room and fight with other robots. I'm guessing this is how SKYNET gets started.

We also went to the science room where there were crafts, according to Julia. In fact we were supposed to be making a cell. Julia just thought it was great to glue buttons onto things. She doesn't respect the cytoplasm, clearly.

We also spent the week getting ready for the big Boy Scout soap box derby. Louis this year was the coolest kid on the block and made a DALEK.

He didn't win anything this year but the admiration of all the nerds and geeks on my FACEBOOK page, which is really alright with me. Nerds and geeks run the world, after all. :)

We may go to a home remodeling show today. I would like to win the lottery and have someone come in and completely redo this house. I love my house. But I lack the mental fortitude to do all the things I want done to change it.

I'm just glad my hand works again. It's good to be back at the computer.

Now, time for WoW. :)


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Bring Me A Fall Festival

We've started down the path of doing "THE LAST" of things, in elementary school - at least at Lou's school. This weekend was our last FALL FESTIVAL.

I'm a sucker for a FALL FESTIVAL I have to admit. I love everything about it. The first one I remember was at Nineveh Elementary School in Indiana (That's Hickory High for those of you who saw HOOSIERS). They held it in the gym because it rained, and my Aunt Suzie took me. There were silly games, and snacks, and the requisite CAKE WALK. I won a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing that I thought was the best cake ever made. I've been entranced ever since.

My son's school holds a very traditional festival, just like the kind I grew up with. You see him above diligently watching the squares in the cake walk. HECK YES HE WON. Nowadays no one brings homemade anything though. I think that's really sad. But we got some donuts from Publix, so yay donuts.

He was nearly the front of the line for the first round of DUNK THE TEACHER and he had the honor of being the kid who dunked the teacher first. 

It seems like we are always overbooked lately. I guess that's a symptom of having four kids. But we had a soccer game in the middle of the festival so after some bounce house action we all took off for the park.

And then after the girl got a goal but lost anyway, we all packed it up and went BACK to the festival again.

We weren't going to get to do his last festival of elementary school ever again, so we had to make sure it was as perfect as it could be. It's amazing, he's been there 6 years. He was so LITTLE when he started there, such a little guy. Now he's one of the biggest kids in the whole school in size and grade.

We didn't win the raffle basket (dangit) but that's ok. We had the best time. Even when the ice cream melted all over everything.

Now, it'll be two years and we'll start it all over again. 

I can hardly wait.

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Bring Me A Fall Festival

We've started down the path of doing "THE LAST" of things, in elementary school - at least at Lou's school. This weekend was our last FALL FESTIVAL.

I'm a sucker for a FALL FESTIVAL I have to admit. I love everything about it. The first one I remember was at Nineveh Elementary School in Indiana (That's Hickory High for those of you who saw HOOSIERS). They held it in the gym because it rained, and my Aunt Suzie took me. There were silly games, and snacks, and the requisite CAKE WALK. I won a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing that I thought was the best cake ever made. I've been entranced ever since.

My son's school holds a very traditional festival, just like the kind I grew up with. You see him above diligently watching the squares in the cake walk. HECK YES HE WON. Nowadays no one brings homemade anything though. I think that's really sad. But we got some donuts from Publix, so yay donuts.

He was nearly the front of the line for the first round of DUNK THE TEACHER and he had the honor of being the kid who dunked the teacher first. 

It seems like we are always overbooked lately. I guess that's a symptom of having four kids. But we had a soccer game in the middle of the festival so after some bounce house action we all took off for the park.

And then after the girl got a goal but lost anyway, we all packed it up and went BACK to the festival again.

We weren't going to get to do his last festival of elementary school ever again, so we had to make sure it was as perfect as it could be. It's amazing, he's been there 6 years. He was so LITTLE when he started there, such a little guy. Now he's one of the biggest kids in the whole school in size and grade.

We didn't win the raffle basket (dangit) but that's ok. We had the best time. Even when the ice cream melted all over everything.

Now, it'll be two years and we'll start it all over again. 

I can hardly wait.

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Like Glitter In The Sidewalk

Our last week has been a week of have to do moments. School is back, and that means only one thing, conformity. No more slap and dash and make it work because we all have places to BE by goodness. 

That's hard for us. You'll hear a lot of dreck about how much better Autistic kids do on schedules. Ok no that's not dreck, what IS however, is how casually people say those words. Like it's easy. Remember how easy it was to make your baby go to sleep without crying? It's that easy.

There are whole books written about how to lay your baby down to sleep and how to cope with the crying. NOVELS, methodologies, you can take classes about it. Now imagine that every single behavior you want your child to exhibit - let's say SITTING DOWN IN THEIR SEAT AT DINNER - requires that kind of work on your part. That kind of patience, and practice. 

What's good is yes, they DO love the routine of school. ONCE THEY GET IT. 

We spent our last hours of freedom before we had to start invoking the process of SCHOOL ROUTINE in the woods around us, and at the playground, being silly and taking in the fresh green air. The twins will say HAVE FUN when we head off to these places and they're right, we are going to have fun.

Summer ended with fireworks. The last days were stressful and hard on Mom and Dad and probably on them too as we found our groove again. We're not there yet, not by any means.  But we'll keep finding things that are good, and that make us happy. Usually they are little things, stuff that surprises me that changes my whole outlook for the day. 

Like glitter in the sidewalk. A small touch of sparkle, in an ordinary place. 

The little things, they keep me going.

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