EARLY CHECK IN: December 15th, 2007 - Seven night Western - 12/15/07

[TammyAlphabet]

Hey Guys!

I wish I had a bigger cabin, I would love to host a party, for drinkers and non drinkers too!

My kids are probably going to miss an entire week of school to go on this cruise. I am a little worried about that, but I guess not really. Since I still plan on going and I saved over 1800 by going a week earlier.

Will anyone else have children missing school for this cruise?

 

[dutch_girl_scout]

Hey Tammy--I thought about you last night. Tennessee was on the news again for tornadoes. Hope everyone is ok.

My kids will be missing at least a week of school, possibly 7 days. When we get back though it will be Christmas break. Last time we cruised we were gone for a week, then the kids went back for 4 days, then Christmas break. I'm a little bit worried about DS, he'll be a freshman and it varies from year to year whether semester tests are before Christmas break or after (the semester ends in January). I'm hoping they go for after break. He's a really good student though so I think it will be ok either way.

We have a contractor coming tonight to talk about adding on/remodling. We have a split level house so we could build above the one level or build onto the back of the house (we'd lose the one big shade tree), or move DS into the basement (need to add an easement window, move the hotwater heater, furnace, etc. All sound expensive and messy. Can I just live on the Magic until they get it done? Guess that wouldn't be cheap either.

I talked to a lady at church yesterday who won a trip to Disney from the local radio station. She is very excited. Her and her husband have 3 little girls who I can just see soaking in all the princess stuff. I told her about the DIS boards and I'm bringing her all my Disney books today. I think I have them memorized anyway.

Well, that's probably enough chatting for right now, I should probably go get my day started. It is beautifully sunny and warm here. I hope everyone has a great day!

 

[lillygator]

Stacie - one thing I found out....people are very chatty on the 'net and then when it comes down to it, either they were too busy or too shy to come out on the ship....and my 10 month old was there simply because Flounders was not open that afternoon!

 

[kath1210]

My kids may be missing 4-5 days of school if they end up at public school in 2007, but they will not be missing school if they stay at their private school. Of course, if they go to public school, it will be a lot easier for us to afford this or a later cruise!

I am not too worried about taking my daughter out - she does well in school. But my son has gotten really lazy lately. He won't do his homework or study,and he lies all the time about it. If he keeps this up, I may leave him home!

 

[Pinkprincessmom]

Hi everyone. Sorry I've been MIA. My dd had a 3 week break from year round school. I took a part-time, temporary job with a CPA firm in January and I pretty much worked full time hours during her break. She spent one week with my parents, one with DH's parents, and then DH took a week of vacation. I've enjoyed the job, but it's quite a change from being a SAHM. These people really dress up. My sweats and capris just don't cut it!!

Welcome Kathy and Vanessa. I think you've joined since I've been away.

Congratulations Stacie.

Hopefully now that I'm back to only working 5 hours per day, I can be a regular contributor to our thread.

I notice my ticker isn't moving very much. Thankfully, we get a Disney fix the last week of April. My DH had a business trip in Orlando and he's taking us along.

 

[dutch_girl_scout]

Pink--glad you had some time to stop by. The end of April is just a couple weeks away! Where are you staying?

I learned last week that an infant doesn't count toward the occupant total at the resorts. We can all 5 still stay at Coronado Springs. I think it might br worth it to get connecting rooms though, or we might just have to go up to a deluxe.

 

[Pinkprincessmom]

We're staying off-Disney at The Fountains. It's part of a time share we bought before we ever visited Disney.

That's great that an infant doesn't count for Disney resorts. We have only one now, a 6 year old dd. We're trying to decide about another.

 

[TammyAlphabet]

I am not too worried about taking my daughter out - she does well in school. But my son has gotten really lazy lately. He won't do his homework or study,and he lies all the time about it. If he keeps this up, I may leave him home!

This cracked me up. This is my son EXACTLY!! Mine is 14, I hear that some boys do this at this age.

 

[cristit14]

Good morning everyone!
Our kids will be missing school too. After the cruise last December I when they missed 8 days, I said never again because the amount of makeup work they had was just insane (2nd and 4th grades). I couldn't pass up this cruise though. They shouldn't have as much work since it will be the week right before Christmas. They will miss at most 5 days and maybe only 3 days. It seems like the last two years (since we have been at this school), they get off that Thursday and Friday before Christmas break officially starts. I hope that happens for the cruise. We won't do the parks before this cruise either. We are going to WDW this August and DH has said that he will be "parked" out after that. He does love the cruise though....

Stacie, that is cool that you know someone who one a cruise.... We qualified with our local radio station last year for one of the repo cruises, but didn't get picked in the end..... Oh well.... we did get a few DCL merchandise prizes out of it.... It sounds like all of your choices for the house will be time consuming..... We are thinking about building in the basement. We will probably get someone to draw up plans this year and then work on it a little at a time. We just had to replace our sewer line so that put us back a little$$, so it will probably take us longer to do the basement. Luckily Brad can do most of it himself.....

 

[TammyAlphabet]

Well, now that I have a job and know what school district my kids will be in I know how many days they will miss. Three days total if you don't count the last half day that they do the party or whatever. I have started the househunting, mortgage loan qualifying, and I am totally sick of it already. I just want it to be over. Some people hate to car shop, I hate to house shop.

Good luck with all the home repairs and improvements, I know that every house I have owned has had a list of "things I'd like to do" to improve the house. I feel like those people in "The Money Pit".

Come he(double hockey sticks) or high water (famous saying in these here parts) I am cruising.....

See you guys later!!

 

[kath1210]

This cracked me up. This is my son EXACTLY!! Mine is 14, I hear that some boys do this at this age.

So, what do we do?? Mine is 14, too - in his first year of high school. I tried to tell him that this is the time his grades really start to count. He doesn't care. I have taken his computer time away - he just watches TV. If I take away his TV time, he reads gamer magazines. Arrrgghhh!

My sister, whose son is 16 1/2, said she tried everything, but nothing worked. He finally had to decide that he wanted to do better, and he did.

It's frustrating, but I cannot help but try to "motivate" him. (In fact, I did agree to buy him this video game he really wants if he got his grades up, but that didn't work either!)

 

[cristit14]

Just had a really funny thing happen on the way home. I was on my way home from running errands and I glanced in my rearview mirror. I had to do a double take because behind me riding a motorcycle was the Easter Bunny. It was pretty funny!

 

[TammyAlphabet]

So, what do we do?? Mine is 14, too - in his first year of high school. I tried to tell him that this is the time his grades really start to count. He doesn't care. I have taken his computer time away - he just watches TV. If I take away his TV time, he reads gamer magazines. Arrrgghhh!

My sister, whose son is 16 1/2, said she tried everything, but nothing worked. He finally had to decide that he wanted to do better, and he did.

It's frustrating, but I cannot help but try to "motivate" him. (In fact, I did agree to buy him this video game he really wants if he got his grades up, but that didn't work either!)

I hate to laugh, I know it is so frustrating!!! But you are describing my son to a "T"!!!!!! I think on the part of my son, it is partly attention getting. Boy, did it work. My son is starting to come around, a little, a very little, but this has been going on for 3 years so far.

I bet your boy is real smart and can do the work, but he just doesn't want to. This is a bit of a power struggle. Last year I went up to the school, every afternoon, went to every classroom, spoke to each of his teachers to make sure that he did his homework. That helped with the lying, but his grades still weren't stellar. Last report card, I left him to his own devices: 3F's a D and one C.

Now, this time, if he doesn't get his act together, he will fail the eighth grade!! I threatened to start coming up to the school everyday again (I am soooooo embarrassing!!). He has started getting the initials of each instructor indicating that all assignments are in to ward off my return to the afternoon visitations!!

I try to sooth myself by saying that it could be worse!! The good thing is that I think it will pass.


Cristi--An easter bunny on a motorcycle. My daughter went to the easter egg hunt on Saturday here locally and there was an easter bunny. She was a little scared of the bunny, even though she did get close enough to get some candy!

 

[kath1210]

Tammy - You are right - he could easily do the work - that's part of what is so frustrating. In fact his grades on the finals are the only thing saving him from failing many of his classes. You did give me a good idea, though. I won't be able to go to school, but I will e-mail his teachers and ask them to let me know when he does not complete an assignment. Maybe that will help.

Thanks!

 

[TammyAlphabet]

Tammy - You are right - he could easily do the work - that's part of what is so frustrating. In fact his grades on the finals are the only thing saving him from failing many of his classes. You did give me a good idea, though. I won't be able to go to school, but I will e-mail his teachers and ask them to let me know when he does not complete an assignment. Maybe that will help.

Thanks!

I was lucky to be able to do that. It kept him from being able to keep lying about it. I tryed the emailing first and the teachers at my son's school did not respond much of the time until days later, not much help. They are not the best in the world. I hope you have better luck.

Unfortunately, I have decided that this is something that is out of my control and I must leave it up to him to decide what he wants to do. I guess I am a bit of a control freak when it comes to the children and he is rebelling against that. And believe me, it has been quite effective at getting at me with this one. Okay, big hug-- They will eventually grow up and be fine people, this is just a phase, lets hang in there.

 

[dutch_girl_scout]

Teenage boys AAAARGH!!!!!! I've been lucky so far but the attitude is definately there. I'm always surprised that he can go from loving adorable boy to "get off my back" in an instant. You can always tell if he cares about something by the way its done, if he doesn't care, he does a half-a-job and calls it good.

We can check his grades online at anytime. The teachers input them directly so that we can see how many points the assignment was worth, how many points he got, and if there was a missing assignment that is indicated. At first the teachers complained that it was more work for them but I think now they like it because the parents are much more informed, and when it gets to the end of the quarter, their grades are already figured. If you talk to other parents maybe there would be enough support to suggest it at a school board meeting or parent/teacher conferences?

I think we're pretty strict, an hour of TV and an hour of computer (unless school related) a day. The computer is the first thing to go whenever we have an issue but like Kathy said, you take one away and he doesn't even seem to mind, he just finds something else to do.

He turns 14 in two weeks and can get his moped license. He thinks its great that he can have freeedom. We keep reminding him that it is a privlege not a right.

The meeting with the contractor went ok. None of the options are cheap and/or easy and he doesn't know if he can get it done by the end of October. We are talking to another one on Saturday.

It is beautiful weather here. High 70's and sun. The dog and I are going for a REALLY long walk. Hope everyone has a good day!!

 

[kath1210]

Thanks so much, Tammy and Stacie! It feels good just to know I am not alone in this. And, boy, you hit it right on the head with the control issue. He's not a direct fighter (like my DD), but he sure knows how to show me what I cannot control. LOL!

I really do feel much better. Thanks again!

P.S. I think our teens seem like they will get along just fine on the cruise.

 

[Pinkprincessmom]

Hi everyone. Sorry I don't have any advice about teenage boys...

My dd will miss a week of school this April when we go to Disney for daddy's business trip. Her teachers are giving her some reading and math assignments to take with her. (Did I mention she is in Kindergarten) Her principal excused her time away from school. Don't know if they have an age limit for things like this.

The weather is nice here too. It's supposed to be 88 on Friday.

 

[TammyAlphabet]

I am glad that we all have healthy teenage boys, just being teenage boys...At least that is what I tell myself when I get frustrated with the boy. I got a note today from his english teacher with a warning about his current average, which is a low C right now. I hope he doesn't blow it.

I spent several hours at the doctor today. I have an infection in my lower intestines caused by diverticulitis. This took around seven hours, through waiting, bloodwork, waiting, catscan, waiting, then, confirmation of the infection. I am glad that it was an infection and not something worse like a female problem or something like that. I was a little worried, but I am going to be okay. But, the medicine was $200 dollars which was not covered by my husband's medical insurance which will not kick in until May 1st since he just changed jobs. The great part is that I am going to be fine. Just have to get alot more fiber in my diet to help keep my colon, ahem, tidy. (I'm sorry, was that TMI??)

Talk to you guys later.

 

[dutch_girl_scout]

Tammy, sounds like you've had a stressful day. I'm glad everything turned out all right.

Kathy, I think your'e right the boys should get along just fine. I'm glad to know too that it's just not me.

DH and DS mowed the yard tonight and swept up the leaf pile that has been sitting in the middle of the yard since September. It looks much better. I've been monkeying around all day with a software program called Smart Draw. I downloaded the trial version, it lets you draw floorplans and has all the furniture and everything. I've come up with a zillion plans for the possible new addition. The trial is only for 6 days. Thank goodness or I'd get some crazy idea about becoming an interior decorator or something. It costs $195.00 to buy the full version. It also has stuff for flow charts, organizational charts, science stuff, anything that you could draw. Does anyone know a cheaper software to do floorplans with? I thought maybe there would be some shareware or something on the Internet but couldn't find anything.