How much I hate when little kindergartners reek of cigarette smoke?

And that says nothing about how hard it is to look at these children who are far far behind their peers, who have various disorders impairing their learning abilities and come to school hungry and filthy and exhausted. The school district can supply a hearing-impaired child with extra auditory enhancements including a microphone that her teachers dutifully wear and pass along to one another but they will do NOTHING if the wax and dirt build up in her ears is so thick and disgusting that sound wouldn’t dare venture in if it were forced.

And can I just mention how disturbing it is to me to be working carefully with a second grader who is doing his best to make English his primary language and to catch up on all the schoolwork he has missed due to migrant parents only to have him write in his journal entry every.single.day about how he can’t wait to get home to play Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4.

And to think that I spent no less than a full hour every day doing therapuetic sensory brushing and compressions on more than five different children three times during the day every school day knowing that these same techniques are never performed by the child’s parents after school.

Can I just say that I don’t know how my second mother taught special education for so many years and didn’t lose all hope for the children of the world (or their parents)?

I’ve talked about taking LM Christmas shopping before. This year, my sister and Bear both offered to take LM shopping so he could buy something for me without my knowledge at all. Unfortunately we just weren’t able to get that squeezed in to our schedules so I took LM out this Saturday to finish his shopping before the crowds and stores got beyond bearable for me (they are already near that point).

LM and I had already talked about Christmas gifts. We knew what we wanted to buy for his dad’s side of the family and had just a couple of those gifts left to get. LM had his wallet with his saved money and a few additional dollars from Mom to buy a gift for her.

Instead of tagging along in the stores and being there to pay at the counter, this year he was on his own. I asked where he wanted to go (“Lowes”) and I drove. And I waited in the parking lot while he went in to choose and to buy. And when he came out empty handed (whew!) we headed out to another store, one full of unique craft items. Again, he headed in alone and I waited in the parking lot. I was instructed to “pop the trunk” when he came out so I wouldn’t even see the bag (he knows how much I enjoy the surprise of a gift!) This time he came out with a bag, although I quickly covered my eyes so I wouldn’t see too much and when he got in the car he proclaimed, “Mom, I don’t know how you don’t OWN that store,” after seeing all the options he knew I would love inside.

Even later, in Target, he thought of something he’d like to get and told me he’d meet me at the car.

Today, he spent four hours wrapping seven gifts. He had music on and was hiding behind a closed bedroom door lest I see. (Not all seven were for me and I knew what all of those were, but he was still hiding while he wrapped.) He came out at one point with a tiny little package. He laughed and waved it in front of me and said, “You’ll never guess what this is!” Proud of himself for the choice and the secret wrapping.

I wonder what the store clerks thought of this boy wandering around looking carefully at various items. Did they worry because he was unaccompanied? Did they think he would steal something? And what did they think when he approached the counter with an item and pulled out his wallet to pay? I wonder what was going through LM’s mind during the four hour wrapping event. Did he smile thinking about the recipient opening his gift? Did he worry if they will like it or if he should have chosen differently?

I hope the store clerks and all LM’s recipients, like me, realize the milestone my son just surpassed. He is now officially his own shopper. He did it all on his own. I hope someday LM’s wife tells me what a great gift giver he is. I’ll just laugh and smile and say, “I know.”

but I was just looking at my sitemeter to see the funny ways people come to my blog. And someone came to me after searching for “some way to make my sister nice”.

I’m just laughing too hard to blog. Sorry. I’ll try again tomorrow!

For as long as I can remember I’ve mailed Christmas cards out on December 1st. I almost always have all my shopping done by the first week of December as well, although I’ll admit, I often pick up little things throughout the month just for fun (and to completely blow the budget).

For the past two years, however, I’ve been a little pre-occupied with NaNoWriMo in the month of November to focus any creative energy towards the ol’ Christmas card, and frankly, starting such a holiday task in October is just a little too much for me.

Similar to last year, I started to panic during the last week of November. How on earth was I not only going to write the last 10,000 words for NaNo, but also complete a somewhat witty, fairly informative Christmas letter, too?

The solution: write the letter while stuck in the car going back and forth to Ohio!

LM took notes while I spewed clever ideas and phrases and helped me to work it into an organized format. I actually wish you could see his version of the letter, it’s really cute in its own right.

As of Thursday, November 29th, when my NaNo novel was complete I had only LM’s notes on the letter and nothing more. Friday evening after a church event, I spent about an hour formatting and getting the cover design ready (by ready I mean downloaded). Saturday morning I put it all together, addressed and stamped envelopes and with LM’s help, printed out the cards and a photo to go inside.

Once again, my cards are out on time. Even more shocking to me, however, was that after being placed in the mail Saturday at noon, cards have already arrived in Eastern PA today (Tuesday).

Happy Holidays!

“…You know you’ve spent too much time playing on your new laptop adjusting settings and controls when you enter your pin number into the microwave.”

Dinner out with the family

The kids were on their best behavior

There were presents to be opened.
(My sister looks beautiful in red, so we got her this gorgeous sweater from Coldwater Creek)

There were wishes to be made, candles to be blown out and cakes* to be eaten.

There was even a little time for horsing around with the kids.

Happy Birthday Dear Sis!! As you pointed out, for two years in a row now we’ve had the chance to celebrate your birthday together! Thanks for letting us share in your day!

*A note about the cake(s). I offered to bring the birthday cake and coordinated with Bear about the details. Ms. Birthday Girl stepped in to tell us exactly what kind of a cake to provide (as if growing up with her all those years ago didn’t leave me with a lasting memory of her disgusting peference for German Chocolate Cake). In her defense, she suggested I bring something everyone would like, not just her. As one who loves surprises, I decided to make neither, but instead paid a visit to Coldstone Creamery in hopes of ordering a special birthday cake. I was overwhelmed by the options, however, and decided to order a selection of their mini-cakes instead. Thinking there would be 10 of us there to celebrate, I ordered 7 cakes. There only ended up being 6 of us there with more cake than we knew what to do with. But, oh, what a sweet problem to have!

Snickers, Peppermint, Peanut Butter, Cookie Dough, Butterfinger,
Mint Chip, and Red Velvet Cakes

Today is my sister’s birthday. It usually means a card went in the mail a week ago and today I made a phone call to wish her a great one and to hear about her day.

Not today.

Today I spoke with her around one, when she called to talk about various things, none of which were really her birthday. We didn’t have to talk about her birthday, we were going to be a part of it.

LM and I went over to Jules’ house around 3:30 after picking up the cake(s) (more on that later). I helped Jules work on her Christmas cards and we laughed and enjoyed a call from Dad. The whole gang of us went out to dinner together and then back home for cake and present opening. Knowing my sister was onto the plan that I was making her birthday cake, and after she took the time to tell me exactly what kind to make, I decided to shake up the plans a bit. I had gone to Cold Stone Creamery to order her a cake, but was overwhelmed with options. I ended up ordering seven MINI-cakes, all different flavors. Seven? Yes, seven. I thought there were four other people joining the six of us, but there weren’t. So we had a lot. I’ll post pictures at some point so you can see how amazing these little cakes were.

I had so much fun sharing part of the day with my sister and sharing cake and presents with her. It’s how a birthday should be: full of laughter and family. Happy Birthday, Jules!! Thanks for letting us share in your special day!

Dear NaNoWriMo 2007 Participant:

So it’s official.

Our word-counting robots have analyzed your November novel, and they’ve delivered their final, binding assessment: Winner.

You did it! You did it! You did it!

This was, without a doubt, one of the hardest years on record for NaNoWriMo participants. At some point in the literary marathon, most of your fellow writers fell by the wayside. They lost their books to work, to family, to school, and to the hundreds of other distractions and interruptions that tend to shutter creative undertakings like NaNoWriMo.

But not you. Not this year.

This November, you set out with the ridiculously ambitious goal of bringing an entire world into existence in just 30 days. When the going got tough, you got writing. Now you’re one of the few souls who can look back on 2007 as the year you were brave enough to enter the world’s largest writing contest, and disciplined enough to emerge a winner.

We salute your imagination and perseverance. The question we ask you now is this: If you were able to write a not-horrible novel in 30 days, what else can you do? The book you wrote this month is just the beginning.

From here on out, the sky’s the limit.

We wish you well on your many upcoming adventures, and hope to see you for Script Frenzy in April, and again for NaNoWriMo next November.

I know, my blog is so boring lately. First, I don’t post for days on end under some guise that I’m actually writing a novel. HA HA HA, boy, you people are suckers aren’t you? (I’m within 5,000 words, I promise, the end is in sight!) Then, when you think I’m actually posting, you realize I’m just sharing more highlights from our life right now and your eyes start to glaze over and you click on the back button and you pray that someone on your blog roll actually wrote something intelligent and funny and well, worth reading.

Yeah, you’re not going to find that here. Not yet anyway.

BUT, tonight’s Beth Moore lesson was on Joy and wow, can that woman make you feel JOY!!

My day might have felt like a real bummer to me in different times. I was subbing in a first grade (and have I mentioned how much I love subbing? I know you think I’m being sarcastic, but I’m being serious. I mean, SERIOUSLY I love being in the classroom!!) Anyway, to make a long story short, I cannot get the maternity leave position until the state of Michigan officially declares me certifiable. Wait, that didn’t come out right. I mean, TEACHER certified. Ahem. But she really wants to get me in and hopes that the state doesn’t take too long and she even told me that the teachers have really liked having me as a sub and other warm fuzzy thoughts that I will savor for weeks. Ahem. Right, where was I? Oh, yes, so I can’t sub more than four weeks in any given classroom (in a row) or they have to send a note home to all the parents saying I’m not certified in the state and no one wants to do that (including me) BUT, the principal has an emergency opening for a pregnant woman who was going on maternity leave in January but has been ordered by her doctor to bed rest and so they have asked ME to fill in for her for the next four weeks or until they find a replacement that will work all the way through her maternity leave as well.

Which is good news in a bad news sort of way. I mean, I really want full-time employment, and short of that, I really want long-term employment but this certification thing is the current hang up, but you know what? I was absolutely tickled today that she asked me. I was tickled that after subbing in the district for about a month they already like me that much. I was tickled, I tell ya. And so I accepted the position (which starts tomorrow) and I let myself feel joy. I mean, it’s four weeks, before the holidays, of steady, consistent work, in the district I might hope to one day have a full-time job in. JOY, I tell ya!

Until the panic set in.

‘Cause it’s Special Education.

And I’ve never taught that or had classes in that, or read a book on that, or even sat next to a teacher who sat next to a teacher who once had a job teaching special ed. The one GREAT thing I have going for me? My second mom taught it for years.

Yeah, Verizon? Could you just direct connect me with Judy for the next four weeks? Um, thanks!

And again, the plug for Beth Moore. I kid you not, go find her Fruit of the Spirit Bible study – at your church, at your cousin’s church, somewhere….and do it. Seriously. JOY COMETH!

Things I’m thankful for this holiday:

1. I had NOTHING to do with getting the innards out of the bird. Ew Yuck Ew Yuck.
2. I wasn’t the one who tried to carve a turkey that was upside down at first. (It fit better in the slow cooker that way apparently.)

3. That I didn’t have to be responsible for getting everything hot at the same time. I was in charge of appetizers and dinner rolls. Easy Peasey.

4. That my sister and Bear didn’t call the insane asylum or laugh out loud (in my presence) when I was out in the rain the day before picking up leaves with the intent of making place cards with them for the holiday dinner.

5. That Squirt decided he was in charge of cleaning up the table after dinner.

6. and 7. Pies.

Pumpkin and Apple. With whipped cream and ice cream to boot.

8. Knowing that LM was having a wonderful time with his dad and his family in Pittsburgh.

9. Spending the day with family.

10. Not having to drive 11 hours to get back home.