4everMom

I'm glad you had five cheery things this week ...

2012-05-28T00:22:06.371-04:00

I'm glad you had five cheery things this week in the midst of some heavy-hearted things. Yes, I will pray for your family.

Praying for you and your family!

2012-05-27T18:54:54.879-04:00

Praying for you and your family!

When I read your post I think, one or 4 or 5 child...

2012-05-26T11:18:24.494-04:00

When I read your post I think, one or 4 or 5 children the worries are the same. And yes, they change.
I also love reading Nora Robert books and the movie "The Indian Palace" as it was called here was absolutely great, one of the best once I have seen lately !

How neat that you got to have such a nice date -- ...

2012-05-25T22:38:13.449-04:00

How neat that you got to have such a nice date -- the dinner and the movie, both.

This sounds like a tough time, but it's just a season. I'm praying for you. Hang on and just enjoy what you can do, today -- don't worry about the can'ts. Enjoy the cans!

I've had that feeling a lot lately especially ...

2012-05-25T20:17:28.671-04:00

I've had that feeling a lot lately especially with my older children - a bit of a panicky feeling that they won't be here with me for much longer! (Living in the house with me, that is, not anything more sinister.) I want to spend more time doing stuff with them but the little ones are so demanding ...... so I think I know what you mean when you say you feel torn in different directions. And after our lovely Anniversary holiday I desperately want to try to hold on to the closeness I shared with my HB, but I can feel that slipping away too as he returns to work and everyday duties consume us both.

Hope your husband's back gets better. I'm currently suffering quite badly from my chronic back problems so I can sympathize with him (but on the other hand, I just have to get on with things the best I can by taking lots of painkillers .... a woman's work is never done!)

Yes, it really does help one's attitude and ou...

2012-05-25T20:07:34.248-04:00

Yes, it really does help one's attitude and outlook to focus on five positive things to write about. It doesn't minimize the seriousness of other concerns, just helps put them in perspective.
I hope Mark's back is better soon!

So sorry about everything that's going on with...

2012-05-25T17:17:59.764-04:00

So sorry about everything that's going on with your family. I can definitely empathize with Mark and his back.
I'll have to check out the movie. I haven't heard anything about it.

I'm glad you joined in and still participated ...

2012-05-25T11:36:23.029-04:00

I'm glad you joined in and still participated even though it was tough. So sorry that your hubby has hurt his back so badly. That is always hard. Saying a prayer that it will heal quickly. I think as Mom's we always want to fix things for our kids. I'm sure she appreciates your support and prayers for her. Happy birthday to your daughter.

My daughters made an acrostic (I think that's ...

2012-05-23T22:02:55.039-04:00

My daughters made an acrostic (I think that's what it's called) poem out of the teacher's last name. It was fun and easy to do on the computer. Then we framed it to give to them. For example, it was like.
M is for the memories
R is for the recesses
S is for the smiles
C is for the cool experiments
O is for the ongoing learning
L is for all the love you showed
E is for everything you did!

I buy the frames at the dollar store.

I usually give something homemade for teacher gift...

2012-05-23T21:01:27.626-04:00

I usually give something homemade for teacher gifts .... fudge, cookies, truffles. Doesn't cost much, and when packaged nicely it looks lovely. But as your other commenters said, write the teacher(s) a note.

One year HB was away for about 8 months. My son (then 7) had the most wonderful school teacher who just happened to be a man. At the end of the year I wrote him a note saying how great it was that Dragon had such a good male role model at school, especially during that year when his own dad as away on army stuff so much.

When we left that school (back in Canberra at the end of 2012 - Dragon was 13 by then and had gone on to high school) that male teacher told me how much he appreciated my note .... he still had it ... he read it when he was feeling down and tempted to quit teaching.

So sorry for rambling - I think you get what I'm saying :)

I have also nominated you for Food Stories Award f...

2012-05-23T14:21:47.200-04:00

I have also nominated you for Food Stories Award for Excellence in Storytelling - please check this link:

http://www.thelady8home.com/2012/05/23/i-am-a-food-stories-nominee-for-excellence-in-storytelling/

Yessss!!!! You can do what I did last winter befo...

2012-05-23T13:27:03.687-04:00

Yessss!!!!

You can do what I did last winter before leaving CA, to thank my son's wonderful class teacher. I made some nice chutney, bottled it in a small clean jar, and pasted a note on the lid for her. Then I used one of those little blank cards (the ones that have golden threads hanging from a corner or come with the big gift bags), and I had my little one write a note too, and hung it from the neck of the little bottle. I put it in a recycled gift bag (small ones that I buy in a bunch from dollar store) and gave it to her.

You can make anything that can be bottled.

What Kat said. Or a freezer meal and a letter. I...

2012-05-23T13:17:17.090-04:00

What Kat said. Or a freezer meal and a letter. I LOVED it when I was teaching and received letters or food! (some things never change. ;) )

Write the teachers a letter telling them what you ...

2012-05-23T09:57:16.308-04:00

Write the teachers a letter telling them what you told us. I think that would mean more to the teachers than anything. It is a thankless job so I'm sure they would treasure it. Send along something you baked (since you love baking so much) too, perhaps? :)
My kids are really gonna miss their teachers too. Lucky to have such wonderful teachers.

That is a great list! So glad you had a wonderful...

2012-05-23T09:54:55.299-04:00

That is a great list! So glad you had a wonderful Mother's Day and now a date night coming up too!! Woot woot! :)

I love homemade sausage - nothing better! All of y...

2012-05-22T11:28:59.702-04:00

I love homemade sausage - nothing better! All of your recipes sound amazing!

Love the flowers. I loved reading the review of t...

2012-05-18T20:43:48.631-04:00

Love the flowers.

I loved reading the review of the recipes you've tried this week. Summer's the time for me to branch out, so I'll be trying new things, too.

Have a great week.

I love to bake too. I'm going to check out you...

2012-05-18T18:52:26.722-04:00

I love to bake too. I'm going to check out your recipes.

Lovely to have a date night to look forward to!

Happy weekend!

I don't have a rice cooker so I'll have to...

2012-05-18T18:16:54.132-04:00

I don't have a rice cooker so I'll have to try experimenting with it on the stove. It sounds delicious. As does the the cod recipe. I love macadamia nuts though I might try another fish. I'm a bit weary of the cod as last week I ended up with a tiny bone in my throat which was driving me nuts for hours until I finally got it down.

The cookies have me interested. I may have to break my "no baking" code and give them a try. LOL.

What a beautiful pot of flowers. Daisy's are ...

2012-05-18T18:06:24.205-04:00

What a beautiful pot of flowers. Daisy's are so cheerful!

Wow, good for you for trying so many new recipes. I have to admit I've been in a bit of a slump for trying out new things lately but hopefully I'll get back on track. I'm going to check out your reviews!

Your Mother's day sounds like it was lovely! Enjoy your date.

Ditto to everything Michelle said. As the parent...

2012-05-18T10:41:32.058-04:00

Ditto to everything Michelle said.

As the parent of a "special" child, I'm pretty sure that other parents talk behind my back and say, "I really hope THAT kid is not with MY child next year." And you know what? It makes me feel horrible to know that some people really can't stand my child, and for something he has little control over.

Luckily my son rarely lashes out at school (and *never* in a physical way). But he has, and still occasionally does, act in such a way that makes it difficult for other adults and students to be around him. You can't tell he has Asperger's just by looking at him, so it's a rare adult or child who will take the time to get to know him and be truly empathetic to his challenges and quirky behaviors.

The funny thing is, those behaviors are often a result of how "typical" children and adults are treating him, how they might be triggering certain responses and (often strange) coping mechanisms. He's been bullied and made fun of by "typical" children all his life, so is it any wonder that he sometimes hides under his desk or burrows under the bean bag chairs in the corner (which only exacerbates the teasing)?

As the parent of two other "typical" children, however, I fully understand the inherent need and desire to keep them safe. I've gone directly to teachers and school officials numerous times on behalf of *all* my children regarding their safety. I'm in the unique position of understanding what might be going on with that other child and how his/her parents must feel, but it doesn't change the fact the *my* child is my priority.

I think the important lesson to impart to Julianna is that the girl she's having problems with is not "bad," but that there must be something else going on that you don't know about (like what Kat said).

SO impressed you pulled off all those new recipes ...

2012-05-17T16:46:18.418-04:00

SO impressed you pulled off all those new recipes in a week! Bravo for you and thanks for the inspiration. Yum!

Hi, I really appreciate your sharing and the comme...

2012-05-16T19:14:59.580-04:00

Hi, I really appreciate your sharing and the comments that you received. Michelle presents some great thoughts. My 10 yo son had a difficult class mate last year who just wanted to be friends but went about it in an agressive manner. Alot of what you wrote sounded familiar. This year the child is in a different class and things are better. We spoke to the teacher, they gave him some strategies and we did too. It is hard to work out the every day dramas and let them resolve them themselves and the bigger things that were down confidence or their safety.

I so agere with Michelle! I work with those kids a...

2012-05-15T21:50:53.698-04:00

I so agere with Michelle! I work with those kids and they are trying to say something. They just don't know how...that being said I will also state the EVERY child has a right to learn....including the normal child. Disabled children do not have the right to make a learning environment unsafe anymore than anyone else. I fully understand that some families (and federal government) feel that disabled children need to be ina leat retrictive environement. However, it should not be at the expense of other children. My advice would be to finish out this year and steer her towards other friendships she will make next year in the new class. As for Jacob, as decision has to be made. Either develop a plan to deal with the other or switch patrols. These students are usually able to be taught proper behavior, but it must be taught to them. They are not always able to pick up on social cues, etc. I have seen kids learn beahvior rules and it amazes me how far they can come when given the instruction and attention they need.

I have no advice to share here. Sorry.

2012-05-15T09:01:56.796-04:00

I have no advice to share here. Sorry.