Class Photo Time

Stole this idea from Stimey...and because, let's face it, I love showing off my kids.

I think these class photos really capture their school attitude.  It's also so cool my kids get to go to school right on the beach.

Keegan, who tolerates but refuses to enjoy any part of school.  Really, he was just fed up with the photographer and how long he took with the class photo.  Enough with the smiling already.

Donovan might not want to admit it, but he does enjoy school.  This weekend he read me his little assignments, so cute, and even said he missed school a bit, mostly recess with his brother.  The get along best when it's two agaist the world, in the backyard they'd rather annoy each other. 

He's still figuring out how to "smile for the camera." 

But then again, so am I. 

This was the morning of the SV Turkey Trot. 32deg, and the turkey beat me by a nose (my husband's joke).

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. 

Your kids don't play chess? How will they ever get into college?

Keegan loves trying new things, and watching him get right back up after falling off his skateboard, getting "rug burn" from a trampoline or pulling a groin slipping on wet grass in soccer is inspiring. The one area he is not comfortable is taking direction from other people, besides coach daddy that is. Donovan, on other hand, pretty much needs only one thing to make him want to join in, other kids...preferably slightly older boys but he's not too picky. So I was really excited when Donovan wanted to sign up for chess now that he's in kindergarten and has a chance for "after school activities." I was hoping Keegan would see how much fun he was having, and join i the fun.


They are both jocks for sure, but they can't help but reek of geekyness, what with the multiple advanced degrees in the family and a nephew who learned to read and play chess before he was potty-trained. Sadly, I know the rules of chess and that's pretty much it, although I can beat an average 5 year old. Brian's good at many things that he doesn't particularly enjoy teaching. This is the first thing in a while Keegan's signed up and he just loves it. Five minutes after the first class he complained he'd have to wait a week before the next one.



Seriously, though, in this class what's not to love?

Chess with the world's sweetest chess player - this is Donovan with one of Keegan's classmates, who's been playing chess for a while.

Chess Master Ryan in the back there - I want to say a teenager, but that's probably my age showing.

And Chess Master D is in the house. Heard this guy was from a family of 9 and loves chess and children.

Boys will be...Restless

I just learned that my 11 year old nephew has been diagnosed with ADD after getting 4 As and an F on his latest report card. Seems he didn't turn in any of his homework, which counted for about 40% of the grade. My mom's response was disbelief, after all this was a kid who at 3 could sit for three hours just playing with buttons in a car, the same age he learned to read. "Sure" responded a friend, "they can focus on stuff they are interested in." Why does there have to be something wrong with a kid who doesn't work hard on things that don't capture his attention? This kid can play golf or chess for hours, video games too, although that's not quite the same. I'm sure it doesn't help that my parents and I are are currently engrossed in the book "Weapons of Mass Instruction" but that's for a later post. At the same time I was learning my bright nephew is failing due to lack of homework (he did fine on the tests), I have come face-to-face with the 2nd grade language arts standardized tests and it makes me sick.

On a recent Thursday I find myself sitting on a pint-sized chair with two 2nd graders. I'm helping them prepare for their first standardized test given in English. They are both native Spanish speakers who've been in a dual immersion program since kindergarten and I've volunteered to give them some extra help. The enthusiastic and eager little girl, N, sits so close to me you can't even fit one page of the test booklet between us. She loves to read, do word searches and is thrilled when she gets an answer right. The sweet-faced and active little boy, who I'll call S, has not stayed still for more than about 30 seconds since we started the session, and as I turn to answer N's inquiry, he darts across the room, ostensibly to sharpen his pencil, but his legs move a lot more quickly than his brain as he looks confused as to how and why he's standing there. I call him back and manage to hold his attention for about 3 minutes before "coach" (my husband) wanders in to get his iced coffee and our son. "S___________" he barks out, followed by the patented hand slap fist bash, and I can see the longing on S's face as my two guys head out to play pick-up soccer.

He was so full of energy he literally could not sit still in his chair, half falling out and popping up every once in while. He'd already been in school for four hours (this was a short day, other days it would have been 6) and he made it very clear reading was not his favorite subject. Why do we make kids sit down all day to learn? This boy had already been separated from his buddy, who had a tutor all to himself since he "was worse" I was told. S made it very clear reading was not his favorite subject. He even asked if we could do math instead.

I worry about both kids. The little girl absolutely loves to read, but the moronic questions she has to answer will likely burn that love right out. Would not her time be better spent pouring over books with princesses and witches and silly chickens, rather than answering "which of these is not used to make bubbles?" (the answer is glass balls, in case you were wondering, not scissors as any normal person would have surmised). I remember my mom telling me there was no need for SAT prep classes. I should simply read as much as possible, looking up any words I didn't know.

I guess I should feel lucky, in as much as my son can't sit still at home and complains about having to sit still all day at school, he is a rule follower. He would rather get on the rocket ship of good behavior in class even if it means sitting and being quiet when he's supposed to. He's actually in the most active 1st grade classroom at the school, one where the teacher routinely gets told he needs to get better control of the classroom. That class fits us well, although drives the parents who are former teachers a bit crazy. Even in this lively room full of 1st graders the need for conformity threatens to crush his active mind and adventurous spirit.

My husband encourages all his kinesthetic learners to juggle a ball while he's talking to them out on the field, as long as they aren't talking to each other. A roomful of moms were given "permission" by a professor of childhood education to let our little boys (and girls) play during reading time, that our toddlers and preschoolers would still get the benefits of reading. Can you imagine how that would be received in a public school? Actually, it's been done here, so maybe there is still hope.

In the meantime, I'm also following the rules to the best of my ability. The boys now have different tutors, ones who can get them to sit for the full hour. I'm working through the tests with two sweet girls and letting them read as much as they want, but no more.

Photo courtesy of creative commons

Total Randomness with a recipe

Live blogging here, from Cubes & Crayons on my new Dell Mini when what I really should be doing is live searching for jobs and resume writing. It's time, it really is. I've got a couple months, but in this economy, with these utterly depressing headlines and friends losing jobs left and right it may take much longer than that to get a job. But I've been filling my time with lots of cool stuff, and I'm not just talking about the Wii or catching up on episodes of Psych and Ugly Betty.

I've been cooking, and meaning to post recipes like pork in plum jam a dijon mustard sauce (which I of course made with fig jam and hot sweet mustard), but the kids absolutely loved it. I'd weaned them off chicken nuggets and macaroni, but when I heard my son say "chicken again?" I knew something had to change. I scored a great recipe book called 122 Week night Recipes from Sunset (came free with some personalized wine) and the Orange Carnitas were also outstanding (I made that with turkey).

The last two nights we worked on a giant lasagne and next up are the chimichangas my mom used to make. You take a frozen brisket, sear it on all sides then cook it for many, many hours in a combonation of red wine and coffee (or beer and wine, or beer and coffee). The broth makes an awesome base for french onion soup. Shred the meat and sautee with onions and peppers and fill up tortillas. You then fry those up and can freeze them for later, or serve them right away with sour cream and guacamole and salsa and whetever you want. Mmm mmm good.

I've also become a regular at Keegan's school, where tons of help is needed this testing season. Monday I read to the kids, today I had them constuct a water cycle wheel in honor of this lovely wet weather, and I'm tutoring a couple 2nd graders to help then with their first English comprehension standardized test.

But right now, well after I get something to eat and party it up with some fellow moms tonight, I'll turn my attention to this hear job hunt. A friend on a similar quest has sent me some job postings. I hope to get and give advice on the search for those in the same boat. Right before I left work I ramped up my efforts to build my online network, on LinkedIn and to a lesser extent on Facebook (my former new college grads I'd hired are on there.). LinkedIn is an excellent place for finding jobs, and Craigslist and to a much lesser extent Kijiji provided some leads. I also found @JobAngels on twitter but have yet to start participating.

So on that note, off to update my resume. A friend just suggested we need a program which would automatically rearrange the resume to suit different jobs, so if anyone has access to that or funding to start that business let me know. I hate customizing my resume.

I leave you with this, my transformed children.

Pick Me Pick Me!

Taking advantage of the semiconductor downturn which means a shutdown week, I got to listen to my son read a story at the school's "Author Fair" today. All the kids got assigned to circles and read from books that they either write (1st grade and above) or illustrated (for the kinders). It was just so sweet first to see my son with his buddy - who a crack-up. Each kinder gets assigned a 3rd grade buddy and they do projects together (see giant picture below). Roman makes my son laugh and laugh, which is so sweet.

I was so thrilled to see how different my son is from me - volunteering right away to read the book, amazing. I do that now, but as a 5 year-old no way would I have stuck myself out like that. There were all ages, moderated by a 5th grader, who seemed to have the control by silence completely mastered, staring down two sweet girls who clearly did not want to read.

After we whipped through the books, she played some games with the kids. Bibbity Bibbity Bop, which I swear is a drinking game, and hide the penny - where one student stands in a corner and another hides a penny. The first one has to guess who, among all the giggling elementary school kids, actually has the penny. It's usually the only one actually keeping a straight face. My son has that "stretch your arm up as high as you can, with a pained and serious look which screams out - PICK ME" - down pat. He was only picked once, to hide the penny (and boy will he make a good poker player), but afterwards all he could seem to remember was when "she picked me." Ah, to be young and have selective memory.

Peanut, Peanut Butter & Jelly

Rather than dwell on the horror that was day 2 of kindergarten I present you with the very first lunch made my the poor traumatized kindergartner. I came home from Whole Foods bearing yummy and healthy snacks for lunches and got my son so excited he wanted to make his own lunch. "I want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cheese crackers and bagels and cream cheese."

He was kind enough to split the sandwich with his brother, who you'll see was too tired to help. The "bagels" mini whole wheat pita breads, which I have not been able to find anywhere but Whole Foods. Then we've got grapes, cheese duckies, cheese crackers and "hot cheetos, which I'll eat after my lunch," cuz he's just that responsible.

I've Got the First Day of Kindergarten School Blues

We made it through the first day of kindergarten. I'd like to say at least it won't get worse, but I have a sneaking suspicion day 2, when he knows exactly where he's going and he's got after school care it just might. I should have known when last night he said he doesn't like his teacher because "she shot him, with a gun" things would not go smoothly (she didn't, really, he'd met her once and was quiet but gave her a high five.)

It's a wonderful school, friendly parents, a warm and outgoing teacher, a room full of sweet kids, and one miserable little kinneygartner. Even though I've been through this before I still felt just awful, once again wracked with guilt. With preschool it's part of their job to comfort a crying child, sort of, maybe, I think. But as a working mom the guilt still overwhelms me on those initial days and weeks of adjustment to a new school. Since this is kindergarten I theoretically don't have a choice (I know, homeschooling!), but I could "redshirt" him, I mean he's not even five. So in the heat of the moment I just let loose with threats, uh, promises of taking him back to preschool. Please don't let that come back to haunt me.

He cried and clung to my leg when I left and when I picked him up less than three hours later, he said "After all the kids got back from the bathroom I finally stopped crying." Not sure how to take that. He was not actually crying when I left, although I literally tiptoed out after staying the promised "12 minutes" per our deal. I did hear later a couple kids in other classes were crying (no clinging, though) but at the time I really wanted to ask someone in "authority" if this "is allowed?" Is part of kindergarten readiness "being able to leave mommy without crying and running after her." My kid can tie his shoes, count to 20 in two languages, write his name, remain calm after asking his brother for the 16th to please give back the car and tell and endless rambling story with dragons and houses and a family just like ours.

I felt even worse as one of the mom's at our "future kindergartner" playgroups assuring other parents that their kid would not be the youngest, although I was comforted to see mine would not be the smallest. An August birthday? That's old compared to my kid. Don't worry, I said, you can't decide solely on age. Actually, not being involved in many playgroups lately, and even with all I've read about it, I was amazed at the number of parents who are waiting to send their kids to kindergarten. One mom was sure that her son, with a February birthday, would be the youngest. Another was the only one in her playgroup to send her 4YO to kindergarten.

So okay, better late than never I turn to the internet. Surprisingly, I found only one kindergarten readiness list that mentioned separation, and the link was all about toddler separation anxiety. This line really killed me: "The fact that your toddler makes such a fuss when you leave shows that she loves you." Yay! Sigh, that doesn't really help. Even part 9 of Polk School Readiness (I know, 9 parts!), which is on Social and Emotional Development didn't mention this factor.

My husband's response, "he'll get over it." And now that I think about it, we'd go through the same thing at a new preschool, and probably again if we waited until next year. So I'll get past this too.