button button, who's got the button?

Last summer I inherited my mom's button stash. Sifting through them brought back many childhood memories. Yes, there are some buttons that old. I was quite happy to have that tin in my possession. Granted, it's not the tin that I remember from my childhood. That would have been icing.

So now my kids get to play with the buttons. I had them stringing buttons last week. A few months ago we made those little button on a string "toys" that my sibs & I used to play with back in the day b4 there were 10 different kid dedicated t.v. channels and pc's were still the stuff of geek fantasies. Lib & Fi enjoyed them just as much as Ben, Sue, & I had done. So yesterday I was crafting a VDay card & Fi was bored while she waited for Lib to get off the "compoooooota". I'd been wanting to separate out the different colors of buttons & put Fi to work. She was content for a 1/2 hour, at least.

the city expo

Orlando. all work done by an actual 3rd grader -except for the typing, which she sat beside me & dictated while I typed; otherwise it would've taken an additional week to complete. Oh, & talked her through how to measure an actual mickey mouse ears hat & then how to figure the ratio to draw it larger on her board -she did the math & the drawing. I guess I did help print out pictures, but only with her sitting here helping me to look for them & her deciding which pictures she wanted to use. I did NOT mount her pics on foam core squares nor did I cut out the pics for her. I did no actual art work for her.

I wish I had taken my camera to the expo so that I could show you some of the projects that could not possibly have been done soley by a 3rd grader with minimal help from an adult. It was like walking into an exhibition of work done by adults, I kid you not. I mean, there were some like Maddie's that were for sure the work of a 3rd grader.

It was not required (or even mentioned in the specs) that the project be mounted on a cardboard display. Mad agonized the night b4 whether or not she should have one for her project..."what if I'm the only one with a cardboard display?" "what if I'm the only one without a cardboard display". She decided to go ahead & mount hers. When we arrived at school she saw a few kids walking in with 3D visual displays & no cardboard displays. I could see in her face & hear in her voice that she was concerned that her project would be "judged" as inferior. I told her that she did the best that she could & that she chose to do her project how she felt was best for her & that she needed to walk in there & be proud of all her hard work.

I'm really glad she did have the cardboard display b/c more kids than not had them & the ones without really were deemed "inferior". I've been told that one child was told in not so many words by a teacher. And thankfully I happened to pick up a "pretty" purple folder for Mad to hand in her report to her teacher. Another child was chided for merely stapling his report to his visual display. God forbid. Well, no one could leaf through the report while viewing his visual display. Oh, & one of the comments on Mad's grading sheet actually said "pretty cover". ?!?!?!?!? What if she had just handed it in stapled? I suppose it would have been sub-par work? In 3rd grade! I only bought it b/c she had been pretending that she was in college while she worked on the project & she could be "like Nikki" & hand in her report like a college kid would do; how the report was to be presented to the teacher was not mentioned in the specs either, just that it had to be handed in separately from the visual display.

Then there's the issue that it was supposed take place in the classrooms, you know, each child @ his desk with his city? Apparantly this was changed a couple nights b4 to the cafeteria. Three 3rd grades -say, 75 kids or so- in this little caf space AND all of their parents & small sibs AND students from other grades all milling around. I had a heck of a time moving around (round tables, 4 projects to a table). My little ones were stressed out b/c it was so crowded; right, they only stand as tall as everyone's legs & there was no actual room to move. I honestly wondered if it exceeded the maximum capacity for the space. I did momentarily wonder what would happen if some disaster struck. It was another school event dominated by chaos. Kids running around -well, not running, b/c there was no room, but definitely limited adult supervision. Grrrr. It was nigh impossible to actually see all of the projects, which was a bummer b/c it could have actually been an informative, pleasant experience.

At least we learned alot about Orlando!








(btw, it was my idea to include a bibliography; it wasn't required. I don't think it's too early for a 3rd grader to learn how to give credit to the original information for her report -which is far more important, don't you think, than the outward appearance of the report?)

(the US map fell off the top right corner of the display. She had maps from distant -where in the US is Orlando- to up close -downtown Orlando.)

just when I thought it was safe to step out the door

old man winter says "not quite yet". What a tease the past couple days have been. In fact, yesterday I went to pick up the Madster at the bus stop & it was a mid 50s pleasant. When left I for work an hour later -no jacket on, right?- the temp had dropped at least 15 degrees & it was overcast. Foolish me for believing that Spring had arrived. This season is just all about the cold. Brrrrrr.

Have I mentioned that Fi is completely potty trained? Not one accident in about a month. I've been holding my breath b/c, you know, it's almost inevitable that there be at least one accident. I guess I can exhale now. One down, one more to go. Lib has absolutely no interest in the quest for "big girl" status, so I may be waiting a while to take diapers completely off the budget.

Madster got a 4 out of 4 on her city expo project. She was so stressed out she nearly made herself sick the last couple days b4 it was due. It's 3rd grade for cryin' out loud. And it was worth a whopping 4 points. Well, I guess it would break down to a 3 being a "B", etc etc. Oh, but we have this new grading system in Denver now. We no longer have letter grade, but a 4 point system.

Some numbskull thinks it's easier for parent & kids to understand. Really? Is it really necessary to spend our already limited education budget on a district wide grading system overhaul? The report card is friggin' 4 pages long. FOUR FRIGGIN' PAGES. IN 3rd GRADE!!!!! I mean, c'mon now. Do you really think the teacher with 24 kids in her charge has time to accurately assess each & every one of those student on a list of 100 items?!?!?! And then to break it down to a FOUR point system. In my eyes, it's the same as a letter grade. Look, is it really that more difficult to understand A B C D than it is 4 3 2 1???? WTF. If I truly wanted to know EXACTLY how my kid's doing in school, shouldn't the grading system be broken down into actual percentage points? You know, out of 100 points Mad scored 100 on her city expo? If the project has 7 or 8 items to be covered & a child misses just one of those, does that bring the grade down at all? Or when exactly does it become worth 3 points versus 4? I suppose if the number of items is divisible by 4, then it works out; but then isn't it worth the same effort if the child covers only 7 items instead of 8? And does that cheapen my own child's effort b/c she could have gotten the same grade had she done less work?

So there's my rant for the day.

Oh & don't even let me get started on the whole topic of who really did the work on some of those projects I saw -some of them, certainly not "just" the 3rd grader. And the fact that it was yet another chaotic school event with kids running amok. Or how 'bout the fact that Mad's teacher emailed "some" of the students over xmas break & then apologized that she thought she had everyone's emails but didn't. That looks like favoritism or at the least an unfair advantage when everyone else -including us- didn't get the project specs until 9 Jan. And one more thing today, CSAP testing started today & I'll just let that one go for another day's post as well.

flashback of the week

It's not a flashback, but it's my new favorite song. And no, I've never NEVER been a JT fan. I used to jag Snick about her 'nSync obsession many moons ago. It's just a catchy tune. At first I thought, it's really too "happy", too danceable to be a good "break-up" song. Then again, it is exactly the kind of break-up song I'd listen to when I'm at that point of realizing that the break-up is for the best; you know, it's all good in the end. I guess in that respect it is a "flashback". Besides, it has a good beat; you can dance to it. :P

(if I could find the code for the music w/o the video, I'd put that up instead of all the dialogue that detracts from the actual song)

(And THANK YOU Snick! for taking the time to make your mom 16 -that's right 16- CDs -including the new JT- AND for writing out the playlists -by hand, no less- for the whole lot! You're the most awesomest 18yo in the world! Without you, this post wouldn't have happened....)

oops, almost forgot...

Happy Groundhog Day!




Maddie just happened to be assigned to bring snack in for her class today. She wanted to bring the groundhog cake that we usually do at home...it's a little morbid, actually. Imagine a chocolate frosted groundhog looking cake & when you cut it open, it's all red inside -like guts. yeah, I know, but we like it. (it's red velvet cake, duh!). But they don't like to do cakes @ her school b/c of the mess involved in the cutting, etc. So we opted for cupcakes with H A P P Y * * * G R O U N D H O G * D A Y !!! I didn't get a snap b/c we were running late. I had to get up at 6 to do the darn things, as it was. And then get everyone bundled up & out the door. It was, after all, like -2 degrees when school started. And I hear Denver set a new record low last night at about -19. I certainly hope Phil is right in his prediction. Which, the teacher did let Maddie read the official prognostication to the class. They don't have that tradition here & by golly, Maddie is bound & determined that she will be the official Groundhog Day representative every year. It's fine w/ me b/c it seems to me that her school could use a shot of fun just for the sake of fun every once in a while.

my first attempt at decorating a "fancy" cake

I had help from all three girls natch, and it was after dinner (you know in my house that's onwards of 7). I really wanted to give it a try on my own but you know that just doesn't happen unless it's before everyone wakes up or after everyone's asleep. I thought I would try another practice cake (or "uh-oh" cake, as Maddie called it) but haven't had an opportunity to do so this week. It's been a busy week w/ Maddie's city expo project (Orlando!) and sewing princess hats & other party preparations and STILL working on the bookshelf.

Fi is FINALLY potty trained! We were lent a book called "the Princess and the Potty" and it helped alot (Princess Fiona doesn't wear diapers anymore, she wears "pantalettes"). That and the promise of going to school with Maddie in the fall. Today we will attempt to register for ECE when we visit the school to check out the city expo.

It is snowing again. Again. And it's all of 19 degrees. I know summer will be here soon enough, and will most likely be the usual hot hot hot, but I am so done with the cold. I honestly don't mind the snow. It's the cold that I don't necessarily enjoy. Snowboarding is different because you don't notice the cold when you're having fun. I don't relish the idea of being outside just for the sake of going to the store, or wherever. I mean, one of the reasons I moved here was because the winters are (usually) so mild.

Then there's the issue with the roads. The ice is still so bad on some roads that it's like off-roading -in my civic! I was telling my dad that it's worse on some of the side streets than even the back roads in W. PA. Think driving in the winter to someplace like "the christmas tree farm" or "thud flat" back home or any number of those deserted outdoor keg party locations in high school. I think I can best describe it to folks not from my hometown as driving on a logging road, if you know what that's like.

Um, there's one street a couple blocks away that's like driving in one of those antique car rides at Cedar Point. Just take your hands off the wheel & step on the gas, b/c the car ain't goin' nowhere but following the 6 inch ruts in the ice for the tires. There were times when I felt that surely I must have been plowing the snow with my low clearance.

And get this, we have potholes here now that PA would be jealous of. hahahahaha. It's been what, a month? two at the most, of this weather? Talk about instantaeous potholes. It's like a disease, they're everywhere & spreading. It's gonna be a great year for folks in the auto repair biz. Suspensions and alignments will be most popular.

the coveted Nitti hat

Lib wore Snick's hat on the drive to take Snick back up to school. Lib fell asleep on the way and didn't wake until we got home. Of course Snick had to remove the hat so she could wear it at school. The first thing Lib cried about when she woke wasn't the usual "where's Nitti?" but "where's Nitti's hat" :P

yes, I'm still here

I just had to post these two cutest occurences today:

First, this evening Fi took a small sheet of notebook paper & folded it in half. She drew some rudimentary keyboard buttons on the bottom half. A designated on button & a separate off button, as well. She proceeded to tell me that she was "prittytend Nikki" and that was her computer. "It has games, and stories, and music and everything." Maddie got in on it too. She made a larger scale version for Fi with a mouse attached. Fi decorated it -with a flower on the top of the outside, even. There was also a finger pad thing that I don't know the proper name of b/c I don't have a laptop. The key's for F, A, I, O, and N as well as some other indiscernable letters were drawn. She would scroll on the mouse with her right hand, then scroll on the finger pad with her left, then push the mouse button. "wanna listen to some mooosmic?" "wait, I have to turn off my computer b4 I go to sleep" "when I wake up, we can listen to some more mooosmic". She made a little folded paper into a cellphone. I think she was in the midst of making an ipod when I told her it was time to turn off the light. Geez, the things these kids know these days. She and Maddie were arguing about "downloading" something on the "prittytend computer". Even Lib knows her way around the computer & requests daily to get her fair turn online. (I had to set up a child friendly account just for the little ones to access their sites; e.g. PBS, Sprout, Nick jr, Noggin). I think when I was 3, I played with dolls & other mundane circa 1960's child type activities.

2) Maddie tonight tells me that when she's falling asleep she likes to think about how it will be when she's a saint. Oh yes, she did say that. Right out of the blue. Like it's just a given. "I wonder what kind of saint I'll be when I die" I think is what she said. And "well, you're going to be a saint, aren't you mom?" Um. Weeeeelllll. ahem. I told her that saints are the kindest, most generous, unselfish people she can imagine & if she would like to do so, she should certainly try to be like that. (that's got my name written all over it, huh?) Oh, and she'll have to perform miracles. Well, if this is stimulation for good behaviour, bully for Madster. She certainly does like to go to mass. Hey, if things continue in this vein, maybe I'll only have 3 weddings to pay for!

Pow! Slam! Blam!

So I've been going to bed really early lately. Since xmas. I've just been falling asleep w/ Mad. A) it's cozy in her bed that used to be Snick's that used to be mine & is THE comfiest bed in the house. B) I put her to bed last & it's easy to just stay there, and fall asleep. C) G got an xBox 360 for xmas & plays it every night while I put the girls to bed. When I go downstairs he say's he'll be done "in a minute" but I don't feel like wasting my time doing something that I feel is the greatest time waster ever: WATCHING SOMEONE ELSE PLAY VIDEO GAMES. It's really not DOING anything at all. It's just stupid. That and it's got to be the longest "minute" in history. Like multiply "a minute" by 180 or more. Yeah. It's like that.

Now my sleep patterns are all screwy. I sleep until 1am when G starts putzing around in the kitchen making all manner of noise doing god knows what that can't wait until daylight. Of course he has no problem going straight away to sleep. I, on the other hand, have the hardest time falling back asleep after getting 2 or 3 hours of shuteye. Grrrr. So here I sit at nearly 3am.

Whoop-di-do! I have some quiet time for myself! What I really want to do is fall asleep, damn the quiet time. I just can't bring myself to do anything productive at this hour b/c it'd most likely wake someone. Then again, probably not. Everyone else sleeps fairly soundly. I'm the only one cursed with being a light sleeper. I used to spend my sleepless nights doing homework -papers, studying, the like. Sometimes I'd like to change it up a bit & do some cleaning. Throw some Sinatra on the stereo & organize the crap out of my apartment or clean detailed things like toys or even wash & dry & fold every item of dirty laundry (you know, the usual tools of schoolwork procrastination). Now I sit here & blog.

I could knit. That's kind of quiet but for the t.v. which I feel compelled to run in the background just to empty out my DVR which is chockfull of crafty type shows. But my brain doesn't like to knit in the wee hours of the night. The next day I end up frogging everything I knit overnight b/c of some minor yet important mistake I made 20 rows back. So no.

I kind of wish I were back at school for these very wasted sleepless nights. All in good time, my dears. Or maybe it's b/c of school that I have these kinds of sleep patterns. Hmmmm. No, as I recall, I've had a difficult time sleeping most of my life. It goes back to childhood. Yeah, I remember everyone else sleeping & me being freaking wide awake quite frequently. Maybe I should try Lunesta or some other "sleep aid". Um yeah, probably not. Scrips are goooooooooood, so that would be too easy. It might work, but it also could be addicting which would be baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad.

I sometimes wish I had an overnight job. But when exactly would I sleep? While the pre-schoolers run amok during the day? At least when it's a temporary insanity, I mean insomnia- I can eventually get back to some semblance of normalcy. A permament overnight job would be permanently unnormal -for everyone.

I was browsing other people's blogs. But then, that's how I ended up here. I felt guilty b/c I hadn't written anything in some time. I HAD to blog or risk being the lame-don't update often-boring type blogger that annoys me. Or maybe it's my competitive side wakening in the midst of the many, many blogs I've read tonight. That compulsive "hey! I can write too! I can write better than that!" little thought in my subconscious. Friggin' ego, anyway.

I am getting sleepy sitting here typing. But I know the schtick: I'll go upstairs to sleep & be wide awake again as soon as I lay down. To top it off, Mad has Sunday Morning School at 9am. (that's CCD in other parts of the country or at least in other decades)(now it sounds so "Protestant" & I feel I must elucidate the matter)(how I love $.25 words!)(I must be tired to let that confession slip)(and there is no "cent" key on the keyboard. Where was it exactly on a typewriter & when did it become so obsolete that it's no longer necessary to have it's own key?? And what replaced it on the key?)(is it the little squiggly line above Spanish n's that I can't for the life of me think of the correct name? That seems to me to have been "unnecessary" in the era of typewriters.) Anyway, I need to be bright eyed & bushy tailed in a few short hours. Get all the kiddos ready for mass, be presentable myself. And then work at 2. Then home again for the same awesome make dinner-kids to bed-fall asleep-wake at 1am routine. See you all tomorrow? Same bat time, same bat channel.

wednesday mind hump one day late

Greetings, people! Today's hump is brought to you by Drinking Straw Day. We're just gonna get silly for this one.

1. What's your favorite beverage to suck up through a straw?

strawberry milkshake from Gunther Toody's

2. Do you prefer the ordinary straight straws, or the crazy, colorful, twisted straws?

ordinary straight or bendy. I don't like crazy straws b/c they're too difficult to clean thoroughly.

3. Do you ever make those loud sucking noises at the end of the drink to annoy other people? And does that annoy you?

sometimes. Not really, only if it's incessent & there is no need for it (e.g. there is nothing left at the bottom of the cup to suck up)

4. Name one thing to do with a drinking straw other than using it to drink.

why, blow the straw wrapper at the person sitting across from me, of course!