Conference

Ben's dad and I went to his Parent-Teacher Conference yesterday. We were so proud to hear that he is doing fantastic in school. His teacher said that he would be happy if he had a whole class filled with kids like Ben. I know we aren't the first parents to hear these words of praise, but it definitely thrilled us. Ben was happy when we told him the news that he will not have to return to Kindergarten... I don't think he believed that was such a funny joke.

We didn't even get the dreaded "Ben talks too much in class, " that we were expecting to hear. He is a performer, and he tries to be the class clown, but according to Mr. L he is learning the appropriate times for being a clown.

Yayy Ben! I'm proud of you~!

Another Sweet Kid moment

Sarah has been a pill lately. She has been giving me a run for my money. Digging in her heels and holding her stubborn ground on everything. Last night, there were several consequences for her behavior, one of which was for her to go to bed a half hour before Ben did. Sarah showered, put on her pajamas and then screaming and crying went to bed while Ben showered. As I helped him get out of the shower he asked me, "Mom, do you feel a little bit sorry for Sarah?" He surprised me with the comment and I told him, "No, Ben. I really don't feel sorry for her. She acted very badly and she was very disrespectful to me today. She has to take the consequences." His simple response was, "Oh! I feel a little sorry for her. I don't really like it when she gets in trouble."

And of course my heart melted. I just love that they like each other so much and that he is such a good big brother!

Behind the scenes

You can be jealous. I'll understand! I'm quite sure you have always wanted a behind the scenes tour of the grocery store and a trip to Jack in the Box with 26 preschoolers. I know, this is something that every adult aspires to, but unfortunately, this time I am the only one that was lucky enough to be allowed to enjoy this experience.

Sarah's preschool had a field trip today. Four classes walked down the street to the grocery store for a tour then walked to Jack in the Box for lunch, before returning to the school. Somehow, I was persuaded to participate. The real persuasion was that I really enjoy the school staff members and the other moms and went along more as a social opportunity. Yes, purely selfish motives. The kids toured the produce dept., the meat section, got to see the loading dock and the box baler and the event was rounded out by a stop at the bakery and cookies for everyone. Jack in the Box quickly prepared 26 kids meals and then we walked back. It was a very eventful morning and I'm sure the kids all took a VERY good nap this afternoon.

Sarah Big Eyes

Sarah's teacher from last year handed me this picture a few days ago, it was taken last Thanksgiving. So it is almost a year old. My goodness, a girl sure changes a lot in a years time. Aren't those just the cutest big brown eyes ever?

Stinkin' Stunks

Sarah refers to Skunks as "Stunks." Our family has decided that this is a much more appropriate name for the smelly creatures. And speaking of the Stinkin' Stunks, Big Ben and I woke up a few mornings ago to the overwhelming stench of skunk. One lives in our neighborhood, and must have sprayed right outside of our bedroom window. Let me tell you, I'd much rather wake up to the smell of bacon. Stunk is not a great way to start your morning!

One Proud Mamma

Because spelling was always such a challenge for me I am nothing but proud of the hard work that Ben has put into his spelling. To share, I thought I would show you his last two spelling tests.

Back to it

I know posts have been few and far between. I apologize! I think I can get back on track now. I feel like I am escaping the high stress period that we have been going through. A little recap on what has been going on.

-Both Kids lost soccer games last week
-Ben got 100% on last week's spelling test
-Big Ben's child support dispute has been settled
-I've started my first class

I know, I'm not giving you much here, but I'll do better. Big Ben took my picture card to work today to back up some of the photos, so I don't have it with me to post soccer pictures. I'll get them on soon.

What every kid needs

Growing up, I often heard my babysitter's (Nanny's) husband say that every kid needs "dirt to dig in and a tree to climb." To assist with this necessity, Big Ben has created a tree house in the large Mulberry in our front yard.This tree house almost makes me wish I was a kid again...
I'm pretty sure Big Ben feels the same way, since I've caught him hangin' out in the tree with the kids a few times.The downside... Sarah fell out of the tree on Sunday. It scared all of us. She was climbing out where she shouldn't have been. We were very lucky that she only got a small sore behind her ear. No broken bones, no head trauma. She is fine, and was right back up in the tree yesterday afternoon.

It's official

I was told yesterday that December 31st will be the end of my long run at GE. They have decided that my contract position will be replaced by a GE employee who will not be located in Tehachapi. The new person will most likely be located in Iowa, someplace I am not interested in relocating to. I have been with the company for 4 years, and it has for the most part been a good run. It is disappointing for it to end this way, but I am grateful that they have given me almost 4 months notice.

The last 24 hours have been spent regrouping and making some decisions regarding which direction life will take.

Andrew Linington

In first grade I greatly frustrated my teacher. My favorite pass time during class was talking to Andrew Linington. I have absolutely no memory of what we talked about, but I clearly remember sitting and talking to the boy with the freckled face and buzzed haircut. We talked so incessantly that our brand new teacher had no idea how to deal with the problem. In a poor attempt to quiet us, she moved each of us to a different class for math. Andrew was sent to a class that was a little more advanced, I was sent to a class that was a little more remedial despite my ability to keep up with the other kids. This gave our teacher a one hour break from our chatting each day.

Ben is in first grade. And my boy seems to clearly take after his momma. Almost daily he has come home with tales of having to "pull a green card" because he has been talking in class. While I don't think Ben has a favorite chatting partner, I think he just has a huge problem trying to keep his mouth from moving during class. I know he wants to, I know he is frustrated that he is missing out on rewards that can be earned in class for not "pulling a green card."

I find it impossible to get upset with Ben for these infractions, since I was guilty of the exact same thing. I turned out to be a good student and more importantly a good person... I'm not too worried about his pulled cards.

Homework

We have entered the world of real school. Ben came home with so much homework last night. He was absent from school on Friday, so that was part of the accumulation. Ben's philosophy is to get all of his week's homework done in the first night he has it so that he doesn't have to worry about it the rest of the week. Therefore, we were doing homework for two hours last night. That's a long time for mom, not to mention a first grader. He is also now getting a list of words every week, so that we can start the spelling test rituals. I've promised him a treat every Friday that he gets 100% on his spelling test.

Even though homework seemed extremely long to Ben and I, it was really hardest on Sarah. She just couldn't understand why her playmate wasn't playing with her. She kept begging him to just finish it later. They are so dependant on each other for entertainment.