The DDA Trouble Free Zone Part 3

[Cinderumbrella]

nevermind- I finally found it........looks like this is the night!!!!!!!

 

[tmfranlk]

Sorry... I cleaned it out a bit.

No problem! I had a working brain for a few minutes this morning and thought to save the message elsewhere so I just send it to you.

 

[tmfranlk]

nevermind- I finally found it........looks like this is the night!!!!!!!

Yeah! Did everyone finally settle enough on dates that you can book or are you going ahead without them? Happy booking!!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

I guess were doing it Saturday and not tonight. MIL's water heater broke so they are dealing with that tonight.
DH wants us all to do it together (sigh)

 

[Princess Nancy]

Sending wishes for a great weekend to everyone.

My Megan will definitely watch High School Musical Dance moves! She wants her cheer squad (9-12 year olds) to use the finale for their dance in the fall!!

As a side note, My DH is always yelling at the boys at their Bball games "Get your head in the Game" DS rolled his eyes at his Dad this weekend at the Tournament!!!! DH tired to control himself after that!!!

 

[Brendita]

Glad to see a few of you are feeling better.
Pretty quiet around here tonight.
Well I'm calling it a early evening.
Have to paint the master bedroom Saturday.
The painting is easy.
It's moving that D*** heavy furniture.
Well you all take care I'll catch ya later.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Goodnight! That's all for me too, have a great weekend everyone!
Kristin

 

[my3princes]

I have to take the time to post something that really touched my heart today. As most of you know I have spent the last couple of days trying to make the best decision on how to handle the dance situation with Nick. Because of all the stress I have been feeling blue and hunging my kids much more than usual. Nick came home from school today and was so excited to tell me that they are learning how to write poetry. He said his favorite is the hico style poem. Apparently it is a 3 line poem. The first and third lines must have 5 syllables and the middle line must have 3 syllables. He offered to sit down and write a poem to show me. This is what he wrote:

My Mom is the Best
She loves me more than she loves herself
I love her a lot

I read that and was sobbing. I gave him the biggest hug and told him how much that meant to me. He was like no problem mom, it true. Now I have no doubt that what I have done for him has made an impact on his life.

Deb

 

[MinnieMouseMom]

Goodnight all!!

 

[MinnieMouseMom]

I have to take the time to post something that really touched my heart today. As most of you know I have spent the last couple of days trying to make the best decision on how to handle the dance situation with Nick. Because of all the stress I have been feeling blue and hunging my kids much more than usual. Nick came home from school today and was so excited to tell me that they are learning how to write poetry. He said his favorite is the hico style poem. Apparently it is a 3 line poem. The first and third lines must have 5 syllables and the middle line must have 3 syllables. He offered to sit down and write a poem to show me. This is what he wrote:

My Mom is the Best
She loves me more than she loves herself
I love her a lot

I read that and was sobbing. I gave him the biggest hug and told him how much that meant to me. He was like no problem mom, it true. Now I have no doubt that what I have done for him has made an impact on his life.

Deb

I'd be sobbing too, Deb! That's beautiful!!!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

I have to take the time to post something that really touched my heart today. As most of you know I have spent the last couple of days trying to make the best decision on how to handle the dance situation with Nick. Because of all the stress I have been feeling blue and hunging my kids much more than usual. Nick came home from school today and was so excited to tell me that they are learning how to write poetry. He said his favorite is the hico style poem. Apparently it is a 3 line poem. The first and third lines must have 5 syllables and the middle line must have 3 syllables. He offered to sit down and write a poem to show me. This is what he wrote:

My Mom is the Best
She loves me more than she loves herself
I love her a lot

I read that and was sobbing. I gave him the biggest hug and told him how much that meant to me. He was like no problem mom, it true. Now I have no doubt that what I have done for him has made an impact on his life.

Deb

What a cutie!!!!!!!!!!!!
Goodnight for real now!

 

[babytrees]

My Mom is the Best
She loves me more than she loves herself
I love her a lot

Deb

How absolutely sweet!! What a great kid!!

 

[kc10family]

Amy – Glad to hear the party plans are shaping up. How’s the WDW planning going? When do you leave?

Denise- Keep your head up. PD for you and your family.

Glynis- I did no tax anything today, but I did get the house somewhat put together.

Kristin- Did MIL water heater get fixed ok?

Jo- Don’t forget that per Osh/ Lowes / Home Depot or who ever it was said that a tablespoon of vanilla in the paint can will take away the smell. Well at least that’s what the commercial said.

Deb – I cried when I read the hico your DS wrote for you. WOW!



DID I SAY THE DH IS COMING HOME IN LESS THAN 15 HOURS!!!!! Gone for 5 weeks, yes I said 5 weeks. At least he will be home for 7 weeks before he is gone again for another 4 weeks. After that… I don’t know his schedule.

 

[Eeyorecln]

I am having a very stressful morning and could use a little advice from my DDA family. Nick and Hunter's Elementary School has invited in a lady that teaches dance. They have broke the student body into groups and she is working with each group to teach them a dance that they are apparently expected to perform in front of the entire student body and an evening performance for the parents. The lessons started yesterday. Nick has been talking about how much he didn't want to do this for days now. We told him that he had to do it as it is part of his school day. He came home yesterday so upset. He had obviously been talking to Hunter on the bus as he was trying to come up with ways to not have to go to dance. Hunter said he was planning to go to the nurse sick. I need to give you a little background before I go further. Nick is a very nervous child and stressful situations make him physically sick to his stomach. We went through the entire school year last year going back and forth to the doctor's trying to figure out what was causing him to be sick everyday, including weekends and vacations. The stress stayed with him as he knew that he would be going back to school in a few days. We discussed everything with him and could not put our finger on what was causing him to be sick. I even got the guidance counselor involved and she was absolutely certain that it was nothing that was caused by school. Fast forward to this year, no stomach aches, not fighting us to stay home. It has been an amazing year for him. After the first couple of days of school he made a comment to my Mom that he really likes his new teachers. It turns out that while he liked last year's teacher she was his stress point. She was a younger teacher with no children of her own and lacked the nurturing that he needs. He has 2 teachers this year, one in the morning and a different one in the afternoon. One is a mother, the other is a grandmother. Their teaching styles work for Nick and all his issues disappeared. Until this week that is. He is a 4th grade boy dealing with the issues of peer pressure and puberty. He is very confident and will get up in front of his class or the school to perform on his drum, tell jokes and even do oral presentations. He has no difficulty in doing so, but for some reason he is paralysed by this dance thing. He is sick to his stomach, doesn't want to go to school and it is last year all over again for him. Our policy has always been to stick with whatever you start, but I really don't feel that dance is an important part of his education. I don't want him to revert to all the issues that we had last year. Apparently his group is being taught the Can Can. The hoopdee doo comes to mind. I don't think that the choice was a great one for 4th grade boys to begin with. I have talked with other parents and the 4th boys are pretty much opposed across the board. So I called the principal this morning to discuss my concerns. She turned the whole conversation around into how short minded I was as it was only the first day and I need to make him do it a few more days before I have the right to make an opinion. I then talked with his teacher who wants him to continue as if he doesn't have to do it none of the boys will want to and it will become a real issue for her. I am encouraging his behavior that if he doesn't want to do something he can just "pretend" to be sick and I won't make him do it. My stand is that I know what we went through last year and never want to put him or us through that again. I normally do not let him "drop out" of anything (this will be the very first time). I am really afraid that if he has to do this it could effect him acamdemically for the remainder of the year. I need him to know that I am on his side and will stand up for him. So DDA. What would you do? I am letting (making) him participate today and will reevaluate tonight, but do you think that I am making a big deal out of nothing? By the way, Chris, as well as my Mom, Dad and SIL all agree that we should not make him do this as they already see the stomach aches and not wanting to go to school as a problem that could persist. I really need your advice.

Thank you for reading my rantings.

Deb

I would maybe have him try it for a few days maybe even swing by to see what it is. I'm still having trouble seeing a bunch of 4th grade boys doing the cancan? I'm not sure but maybe if all the boys are having issues that they should pick a different dance a more appropriate one for 4th graders boys as well as girls.

 

[Eeyorecln]

This was so cute I just had to share, especially with all of the stories of crazy things that boys do. This is not mine but it is from one of the Chicken Soup books.

Becky


The Littlest Girl Scout
By Erica Orloff

I admit it. I'm not cut out to be a soccer mom.

I'm not class mom material, either.

I don't bake homemade chocolate chip cookies. I don't even boil water. In
fact, when my daughter, Alexa, was in kindergarten, as part of a "Why I Love My
Mommy" Mother's Day project, her teacher asked her to name her "favorite dish"
that Mom cooks.

"I don't have one," she said.

"Oh sweetheart, there must be something your mother cooks that you love; a
special dinner; your favorite dessert?"

"My mommy doesn't cook."

"She must make something," her increasingly desperate teacher insisted,
"Jell-O?"

After lengthy consideration, my daughter listed "cereal."

So it was with much trepidation that I recently learned Alexa wanted to be a
Brownie.

I am a mom who is great at making up stories, singing off-key songs at bedtime
and remembering the names of every Pokemon. But with three kids, a dog, a
rabbit, a parrot and a veritable aviary of finches, life in our household is
disorganized at best. Dinner is a haphazard affair, clothes always need ironing
and shirts missing buttons are given safety pins in their stead. I flunked home
economics in high school. Clearly, I did not have the makings of a
Brownie-badge-earning mom.

"Are you sure?" I asked, trying to mask my dread. Her delighted "yes" sealed my
fate.

I made it through the camping trip, even through crafts - though our potholders
were decidedly ragged-looking. Then came the year's highlight: the cookie
sale. Mentally, I counted my immediate family. I figured they were good for
about ten boxes. I'd buy a few as well. That brought Alexa to a total of
fifteen boxes or so - not too shabby.

Her dad picked her up after the cookie sale meeting. Horrified, I watched as
they struggled through the door with six CASES of cookies. Cases!

After coming to, I managed to sputter, "What's all this?"

"Her cookies," my husband answered. "Each girl is assigned six cases to sell."

"But what if we can't sell all these?"

"We bring them back," he said. "No big deal."

"Oh no, Mommy!" Alexa cried out. "We have to sell them all. We just have to!
The troop will make fun of me if I don't. One of the other Brownies told me that
last year, not one girl brought back any cookies."

Apparently, we were going to be hitting up Grandma for a lot more than the four
boxes I had mentally sold to her.

After ten days of ferocious selling, we had managed to sell a case and a half.
Cookies were stacked in my home office from floor to ceiling - or at least
that's how I remember it. I dreamed at night of Thin Mints chasing me down dark
alleys.

After four more days of selling, we still had four cases of cookies.

Then came one of those days that happen to moms like me - moms whose kids never
have matching socks and whose kids' toothbrushes end up being chewed by the dog
or falling into the toilet.

On that particular day, the dog jumped in the lake after a duck. The duck
escaped, but my dog resembled the Creature from the Black Lagoon. One dog bath,
one muddy mom and thirteen towels later, the dog was clean. But my two-year-old
son had been suspiciously quiet during the whole ordeal. In fact, all the hairs
on the back of my neck were standing on end. Even more than kitchen
pot-banging, TV blaring and loud bickering, all moms dread "the silence."

You know . . . that silence.

"Alexa," I said, emerging from the bathroom, mud clinging to my hair, "where's
your brother?"

"I dunno."

I went tearing through the house. Was he coloring on my bedroom walls again?
No.

I raced to the kitchen. Spilling cereal on the floor? No.

He must be in his room. Was he climbing on top of his dresser pretending to be
Superman again? Not there.

"Nicholas!" I called out. Then, fearing my computer keyboard was being covered
in apple juice, I ran to my office.

There sat Nicholas, surrounded by sixty-one opened boxes of Girl Scout cookies.

In fact, he had the cellophane for the next pack in his teeth, attempting to
bust open another box. Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Buddies and Shortbread Dreams,
or whatever the heck they're called, were splayed from one end of the room to
the other. Cookies were crushed beneath his chubby little feet, and crumbs
covered his rosy cheeks.

"Cookies!" he squealed.

As I wrote out a check for over $250 dollars worth of Girl Scout cookies, I came
to the realization that I am most definitely not a Brownie mom.

But my son? He's the hero of Troop 408.

Love it.

 

[Eeyorecln]

Wow - so her mom had her at 16 - sounds like maybe when she should have been teaching her daughter the proper way too treat others - she might have been too young to know how to and if she just kept having kids - the oldest one might be looking for attention and negative attention is better than no attention at all!!

Julia has a little girl in her class who is a huge problem - Julia could get along with brick wall - but not this girl - two weeks ago they got in trouble for pushing each other in line and I followed up on it at home and the next day at school she had to be last in line all day long - her teacher was SHOCKED I did any follow up at home so obviously the other parents did not - then a couple of days later this little girl came up to julia on the playground (who was happily playing with her best friends - who ironically are not in her class) and said to them - "Don't play with Julia - she is mean!" Julia was crushed by this and was very sad about it for a few days - then a couple of days later when they sat down in circle the little girl said to Julia - "I am glad you aren't sitting by me!" so Julia stuck her tongue out at her - the teacher only saw that and Julia was the one who got disciplined - when she got home Julia told me the whole story -

her teacher has told me this other student is a problem (and I know this from the time I have spent in the classroom) so I have tried to teach Julia just to say - "that hurt my feelings" and walk away - but that is a hard lesson for a 4 year old to learn - I have only met the other mom once - but she seemed very self important and way too involved in her career - which might be why this little girl is looking for this kind of attention at school

Poor Julia. It's so hard to have someone decide to pick on them.

 

[Eeyorecln]

Thanks for the prayers and pixie dust everyone. Phil's appointment seems to have gone well. He came out with a prescription for the depression and anxiety and is on his way to fill it now. Hopefully, there should be improvement there in a few days. For everything else, the doctor advised that he eat a "normal American diet" for the next month and then come back for a full blood work up. Since Phil has been on various supplements based on previous doctor's direction, the doctor wants to reverse that temporarily and get an "unbiased" set of tests.

The other part of the good news is that Phil found the doctor to be a good listener and respectful (something recent doctors haven't really been). Hopefully, this guy will be the one to help us find some answers.

Oh and more from the good news front...we finally got word at work about our performance bonuses from last year. It is looking promising that the amount my be enough to pay for October trip! I tried hinting that maybe we should use it to may for an extra trip for my birthday in May, but I'm not sure how well that went over. Maybe I can convince Phil that the 3rd anniversary is the "Disney" anniversary or maybe that it's the "finally take a honeymoon" anniversary. Hmmm...probably not, but a girl can dream.

Your halfway there. Hang in I always found the hardest part was finding a doctor that would listen to me. I hope that this dr. is able to find the problem and help.

 

[Eeyorecln]

Tia - that sounds like great news!!

I also have GREAT news to share - my brother and SIL are expecting their first baby on July 1 -

they found out today they are having a - I am so excited!!! Nick is too - Julia not as much - she was hoping for a girl!!

Congratulations, how exciting.

 

[Eeyorecln]

Hey all! Sorry I've been sort of MIA for this week..... it's just been an emotional week, and you can ask all my friends in 'real life', too.... I haven't talked to any of them! It's kind of been one of those downer weeks, and when those come along I sort of pull away from the important stuff and focus on less pertinent things. I guess it just bothers me less when I'm in a funk if I'm sort of disconnected from people who can tell. Hmm.... not so sure that made sense.

Either way, I did want to say congratulations to all the grandparents, aunts, etc -to-be, and tell those of you leaving soon to have a fantastic trip! And Tia, my prayers are with you and Terra as Phil seeks a new solution. Depression and anxiety run rampant in my family..... every generation, so I know how painful it is for EVERYONE involved -- on both sides of the issue . Hang in there, and take care of yourselves, too. I'm also sending you a PM.

So anyway.... I'm here, reading along.... just can't ever muster up something to say

Thanks to those of you who have said hello and checked in on me. I'll try and get back to my normal chatty self (that is, if you don't mind )... I just have to wade through the muck here first! Things are looking up though, for the first day in a while. Thanks for your patience, and for providing a place I can drop in on for some sanity.

I hope things continue to look up and improve.

 

[Eeyorecln]

I just wanted to stop by here and officially say . I look forward to chatting with everyone.

Hello Love the pic of your little one behind the mickey ice cream very cute.