lermy and the year's first field trip

Yesterday, while playing at my parents' house, Jordan caught a baby lizard. He named him Lermy. Not Wormy, but Lermy. Lermy.

Jordan caught Lermy while playing outside with his cousins and his brother. He fell instantly in love with this little lizard. He ran inside and convinced my mother to part with one of her plastic bowls, then put Lermy safely inside with some grass and a few leaves.

On the way back home shortly after, Jordan dropped Lermy in the car. I do not like things such as lizards and bugs (or most anything else little boys like to catch while playing outdoors), but I gritted my teeth and scooped Lermy up from the backseat before he could scamper away and be lost inside my car forever. Just thinking about it makes me shiver. I must love that kid an awful lot.

Later that night, just before bed, the Hubs suggested to Jordan that he might want to let Lermy go. We were all quite surprised when Jordan burst into big alligator tears and wailed, "No! Not Lermy! He's my best friend. How could you say that, Dad? He's my best friend!"

So we let it go. Lermy spent the night in his bowl on the entertainment center. He was still alive this morning, but I had no idea how to make him drink water. Or where we would find a container small enough for his water. Lermy was tiny! Shaun had a field trip today at Smithgall Woods. The kids and I had a nice day together. Over lunch, I asked Jordan how he thought Lermy was doing. Since Jordan was still sleeping as we left the house this morning, he had no idea. He made the comment that he hoped Lermy was still alive. That's when I began my spill about how we really didn't need to keep Lermy because we didn't know what he needed to eat or how to make him drink water. I said that he would really be much happier safer out in the wild.

When we returned home, Jordan picked up Lermy's container and gave it (the container) a kiss goodbye. He then went out to the front porch and let Lermy go. It was a quiet, peaceful affair. We now have an agreement that whenever we catch an animal, we'll release it back the next day.

I thought this was a cute story. I always want to remember how sweet and loving Jordan was toward this little lizard. He was even willing to put Lermy's well-being above his own happiness. It still makes me smile.

Here's a picture of Jordan and Lermy, taken a few minutes after Jordan caught him.



Also, here's a picture from Shaun's Georgia Studies field trip today. This was our first field trip of the year and he had a really good time. He's still kind of finding his way around our new co-op and wasn't too excited about the outing today, but he wound up having fun and learning a lot about the early inhabitants of our state and how they lived. He was especially interested in how the Native Americans used flowers and black walnuts to make the colors of their dyes. Ha ha!

He's kind of hard to see... those are his black Chuckies behind the girl in the black hoodie... it was the best picture I could get. Jordan sat still for about 15 minutes of the class and then got wiggly.


Today was a good day.

one fine day

One day... when Jordan is a well-adjusted, self-assured, educated adult I will be able to look back and laugh at the time he was reprimanded for being distractive in karate class. I'll laugh about the way he grew bored and said there "wasn't enough moving around time" in karate class. The karate class I signed him up for to get his wiggles out. I'll laugh about how he just had to turn cartwheels while he waited his turn because he just couldn't quite stand it to sit still and wait.

Yes. One day I'll laugh about this.

But not today.

Sigh.

crazy quotes

I went out with some friends to celebrate our good friend Elissa's birthday last night. I love laughing and saying silly things and acting just a little bit crazy. As usual, we said some funny things and laughed a whole lot. I don't want to forget any of these little jewels, so I'm writing them down here. Of course, in order to protect the guilty, I'm not naming any names. I don't even think anyone knows who came along on this little outing, except of course those of us who were there. Everyone's identity should be safe. Anyway, here they are.

Lady Number 1:"My sewing machine needs a tune-up."

Lady Number 2: "Huh?"

Lady Number 1: "If that's what you do to a guitar, why can't you do it to a sewing machine?"

"Being on top is too much work."

"The good thing about having c-sections is that you're not all stretched out down there."

"Oh yeah. People mistake me for a lesbian all the time. I've even gotten free stuff because people thought I was a lesbian. I'm not sure why... do I look like a lesbian?"

"Speaking of R.I.P., I need to let one rip."

Person number 1: "Be quiet, or I'll tell everyone about the bad-awful thing you did."

Person number 2: "The terrible-awful."

Person number 1: "Dang it. Right. The terrible-awful thing you did."

"You seriously don't know what corn pone is?"

"She hates Amish people. She doesn't even like to read Beverly Lewis."

"I just punched her in the face."

And my absolute favorite of the night, even though it wasn't said by one of us, was:

"You is kind. You is smart. You is important."

Because I think we all need to hear it every single day.

one week down and a random rant

Today's Friday. The first official week of school is over. Behind us forever.

Thank God.

This week has been a little hairy. Or downright awful. I'm told this is normal... that the first week is always the worst. Looking back, I can believe that. But it's different this time around. Schooling two elementary aged children is definitely more difficult than an elementary kid and a preschool kid. It's a whole 'nother ball game. I'm hanging on to my sanity by a thin thread. Several times this week I've been tempted to call up Hall County and register Jordan for public kindergarten. I've never felt as out of control or frazzled as I've felt this week. Nothing has gone as planned. I did manage to have both boys complete all of their work this week, up until today. Jordan had a doctors appointment. We didn't get home until late, and then we needed to clean and get dinner going. I finally sat down at the computer with Jordan and was able to get his math and some phonics finished. We'll catch up this weekend.

Jordan. Bless him. He's such a little wiggle worm. As long as something's in front of him, he's fine. He loves his computer lessons and tolerates everything else. Except for phonics. Especially the portion of phonics that is not "hands on". I finally realized that the lessons go a lot quicker if I let him do a little "happy dance" to get the wiggles out after every correct answer.

Co-op is going well for Shaun. He's learning a lot and the classroom time is good for him. He's also doing really well in his lessons at home. I think he has finally resigned himself to the fact that he will have to do his school work whether he whines about it or not. I had zero whining from him this week. He's been good as gold, and has worked so hard for me. Love that boy!

I finally took Jordan to the doctor today for his sleeping issues. Dr O actually did a double take when he walked into the exam room and got a look at me. I guess I looked kind of tired. Jordan hasn't slept in about 2 weeks. I thought we'd gotten over this problem, but now it's worse than before. He's been getting about 3-4 hours of sleep a night. No where near enough. He's exhausted and so are Chris and myself. We're all struggling to function while walking around with our eyes half closed. I finally took the advice of my sister and called the doctor. He's referring us to a sleep specialist. He doesn't think anything medically is causing his insomnia. Most likely it's his strong will. And a sleep specialist will apparently know how to handle this. In the meantime, I'm supposed to hang in there and try to get some sleep.

Last Sunday, a sweet friend from church asked me if I was okay. I told her yes, just tired. I told her a little about Jordan. And she said she'd be praying for sleep. How could I not have prayed about this? I'm so used to praying for the major issues in my life, I forgot that God cares about me needing sleep, too. So please, if you're a believer, join me in prayer for my babe. Pray for him to have rest and for this issue to work itself out without us even having to go see the specialist. I'd really appreciate it!

It was past lunchtime when the appointment was over, so we stopped at McDonald's. We ran into some friends from church in the Play Place and Jordan was able to get some energy out. He was being very good. Not loud, just energetically running and playing in the appropriate area with his friend. Imagine my surprise when a perfect stranger sat down near me and asked how old Jordan was. I told her that he was 5. She then commented to me that he was pretty hyper and that I should put him on Concerta.

O. M. G.

Do you even know how hard it was for me to bite my tongue in my sleep-deprived, PMSing state? Very, very hard. I actually did bite my lip to keep from snapping, "Yes, I know all about Concerta and would really rather not have another child of mine experience all of the negative side effects of those medications. Maybe you should do some more research yourself before giving out medical advice to people you don't even know".

It's one thing to suggest, parent to parent, a treatment that has worked for your child. It is entirely another thing to make a statement like she did. Really... I'm the one who has to deal with my child, so what's it to her? I don't know this woman, but I gathered from listening to her that she and I disagreed about a lot of other things too. I was glad to see her leave.

Tomorrow, Shaun has a long birthday party to attend. Long as in, 5 hours long. My friend Kendra is a brave woman. Ha! Since I haven't had a night off in several weeks, the Hubs and I decided that I should stay in town instead of driving back home. So I'll have a few free hours to myself. Maybe I should find a cheap hotel and take a nap. Instead, I'll probably window shop, see a movie, and get groceries. Then come home, make dinner, sit up with Jordan all night and get ready to do the same thing all over again next week.

I really, really need some rest.

this week, continued

After I finished up my last post, I had to pick Chris up at church. It was late. Eleven o'clock. The kids and I pulled into the parking lot and saw Chris and his friend handcuffed and standing beside one of several police cars. They proceeded to tell me that they had arrived at church and someone had made the security alarm go off. The police arrived and thought they were trying to rob the place. Hence the handcuffs, until the police could "make some calls and straighten this out".

Turns out, they were joking. The alarm did go off, and the police responded. The guys were just outside while the police patrolled the building to make sure everything was okay. And it was. Just a crazy end to this crazy week.

this week

This week has been just plain crazy. It has flown by in a blur. Monday seems like it happened years ago. I'm exhausted. And feeling totally unprepared for this coming Monday, which is when The Smith Academy officially opens it's doors for the 2011-2012 school year. Here's what went down.

Monday. Boys had one last day of freedom. Because it was so hot outside, they were content to sit in the darkened living room to watch movies and play XBox. I realized that Jordan didn't have a backpack and that he needed one ASAP since our new co-op was starting the next day. The Hubs finally came home from work and we all piled into the car and rode to Wal-Mart for a last minute school supplies run. Stopped for pizza on the way home. Came home, bathed the kids, and put them to bed. They actually went to sleep (both of them) fairly easily. And so did I.

Tuesday. First day of co-op. It was great. Really. I'm positive we made the right choice for this year. The boys have great teachers- I think they'll be sensitive enough so that they're not overwhelmed or intimidated but firm enough that he's held accountable. Great mix. Shaun will be taking Meteorology, Earth Science, Health, GA Studies, Literature, Mixed Martial Arts, Chorus, and private voice lessons. Phew! He'll be busy, but it will be good for him. He needs to be in a classroom setting some of the time. Jordan will be busy, too. Phonics, Geography, Karate, and lots of game times and art lessons. Along with his K-12 curriculum, I think he's covered for kindergarten.
Here's a shot of the boys before their first day of co-op. I think I mentioned that we are NOT morning people. It definitely shows in this picture, but I think it's cute regardless.


Wednesday. I had planned on sleeping in a little on Wednesday morning, but then I was told that Wednesdays in August are Home School Days at Frances Meadows. So we woke up really early and took Chris to work so that we could have the car. We came back home and slept another hour or so and then got ready to hit the pool. My sister and her kids, along with another friend and her boys met us there. Let me just say that Frances Meadows is a great place once public school is in session! Such a different experience from going there during the summer. It was practically deserted. Not really, but there were plenty of available chairs and you could actually keep an eye on your own children without having anxiety attacks. It was a great way to spend a hot day. At 2:30, we picked Chris up at work and went home to shower and get ready for church. I had a meeting and it was Back to School Bash night and the kids were excited. They jumped and jumped on inflatables for hours. Between the swimming all day and jumping around in the heat all night, I was sure they would be asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows. But no. Jordan was awake for hours. When we woke up the next morning he was in the living room recliner with NetFlix on, so we suspect he may have pulled an all-nighter. Or at least something close to an all-nighter. He was asleep when we found him but the screen saver for the television wasn't on yet....

Thursday. Shaun played hooky from his 2nd day at co-op so that he and Chris could use his free Six Flags ticket before it expired. I took Jordan to co-op. It was... a lot more hectic than it was on Tuesday. Apparently a ton of people only signed up for Thursday classes. There were lots of classroom changes to figure out. Jordan had a meltdown when he went to a class and discovered he didn't know anyone. He was so, so tired. We made it to the end of the day in one piece, then went to town with my sister and the cousins to get more school supplies. It was so hot yesterday. Everyone was uncomfortable being outside. We were all pretty grouchy. We met up with Chris and the boys for dinner at my grandparents. The kids played and the adults talked and ate. We came home and this time the boys were asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

Friday. My sister and I both had doctor appointments today. The appointments were hours apart, so we agreed to watch each others kids while we were at our appointments. Only I was late getting to Lori's house, so she was late for her appointment. Then she was late getting home, so I was late to my appointment. I wound up having to reschedule. It happens, I guess. We are completely out of groceries, so I took the kids to get hamburgers for dinner. Jordan ate about half of his food and then covered the car in vomit. Blech. So gross. We made it home before he was sick again, several more times. I must say that he's a very good patient. When he felt sick, he would calmly get up, walk to the bathroom and throw up in the toilet. It's been a while since anything happened and he says he feels better. He even ate a bowl of cereal with no disaster. I'm praying his illness is short-lived.

I just read back over this post. It's funny... It doesn't seem overwhelming on paper. Ha ha! Tomorrow's Saturday. I'll be busy all day cleaning and getting the boys' school stuff together for Monday. I'm getting very, very nervous. Not quite sure how I'm going to handle getting both of the kids' work completed every day. Funny how I didn't think of that before, huh?

gone, baby, gone

It all started a few weeks ago. We received a letter in the mail from church, welcoming Jordan to the kindergarten ministry. It explained the process of his upcoming transition from the preschool to kindergarten, as far as church goes. As I read the word "kindergarten", I teared up.

Up until then I had assumed, incorrectly, that I would not get all emotional over Jordan going to kindergarten. Since we're home schooling, I just thought it wouldn't be a big deal. Not like it was with Shaun, when I dropped him off in his classroom, immediately burst into tears, and cried the rest of the day. I didn't cry simply because he was my baby going to school, but because I literally felt as if I were feeding him to lions or something. I honestly hadn't put much thought into the fact that Jordan was getting ready for school, until I read the letter.

Then it hit me. He's grown. My little baby is five years old. 5! I know, I know. He turned five back in January, over six months ago. I guess because I always knew he would be at home with me when he began school, his turning five wasn't as bittersweet as it was when Shaun turned five. I wasn't "losing" him to school- so everything should be fine! I didn't freak out when I registered him for kindergarten (he'll actually be doing an on-line program) or when he had his five year old check up. Reading the words in that letter suddenly made it official.

I've been getting little reminders ever since. Last Wednesday was Jordan's last day as a five year old "Leopard" at church. Here he is with his teachers, Mrs. Jananne and Ms. Tori.


He commented to me on the way to church that afternoon that he would miss his teachers, but that he was ready for KidPak Jr. (For those that don't know- Kidpak Jr is the kindergarten ministry. It's followed by Kidpak, which goes through grade 6.) He went to Kidpak Jr for the first time yesterday morning.

Here he is with his new teacher, Mrs Tara.



This photo was actually taken a few weeks ago. We were in the office after church and he cozied up with Mrs Tara. I had every intention of taking his picture yesterday morning, on his first day in Kidpak Jr. I wanted to take one of Shaun as well, on his first day in the 5th grade room. But we were running late and it just didn't work out. Sad, really. Our new co-op starts tomorrow. I'll try to get an official "first day of school" photo. I'll probably have to take it at the end of the day, as all three of us are not morning folks at all.

But back to yesterday.

Jordan moved up. He moved to a different hall. It occurred to me last week that Chris and I don't have any kids on the preschool side anymore. That if I didn't teach a four year old class, I wouldn't even have a reason to go down that hallway. Which led to watery eyes. Yesterday when I dropped him off in his new class, I didn't get a pager. I've lost pagers at church before, so I'm always paranoid about keeping up with them. Several times yesterday I caught myself frantically digging through my purse looking for my pager, only to remember that I didn't need one anymore. Sad!

Back to School Prayer Service was yesterday. I've always gone through the prayer line since we started home schooling. I figure I need all the prayer I can get. I was going to walk in the line with Shaun, but he didn't want me to. He said he'd rather go with his friends. Ouch! So I went through with Jordan's class. He looked so small standing in line with the other kindergarten kids. Really small, but also really big in his skinny jeans and Converse One Stars.

Can you even imagine the mess I'd be in if I had dropped him off at public school this morning? I shudder to think.

on edge

We stayed at church a long time last night. Like, until 10:00. Of course we were starving afterward, so we went to Waffle House with our good friends, the Cooks. As anyone knows, when you go somewhere with the Cook Family, they''ll be a lot of talking involved. And last night was no exception. We split up into 3 tables. Men at the counter. Kids at a booth, and us women at the booth behind them. We chatted and chatted while we were waiting on our food. Things were relatively calm, save one flying spoon incident.

It was almost midnight when we finally rolled into our driveway. I know. How irresponsible of us, right? The kids went straight to bed without even brushing their teeth, since we had to be up and ready to go to our new co-op's registration this morning. I was really tired too, but Chris had absolutely no clean work clothes. So I sat up and waited on the washing machine.

I read the Bible and looked over Facebook while I waited. I was just about ready to finally, finally go to sleep when I heard rain. I went out on the front porch and saw that it wasn't rain after all, but wind. Lots and lots of wind blowing tree limbs and leaves everywhere. Plenty of thunder and crazy lightening, too. It was pretty spooky, and the wind was kind of concerning, so I was up until the storm passed. I think it was around 3:00 or 3:30 when I finally decided it was safe enough to sleep. I slept an hour, and then I heard Jordan crying. He had a stomach ache. I brought him into our bed and tried to sleep again, but I absolutely cannot stand to sleep with my children. I've never been a mom who needs her kids with her all night long. I need my space. I need to be able to move around. I just can't sleep peacefully with a child pressed up against my side. So I dozed on and off until Chris left for work. I was finally able to move Jordan over, and then we all slept soundly until 9:00.

We made it to registration and... registered. Ha ha! My mom treated all of us (my brood plus my sister and her kids) to a movie. By the time we left registration we had missed the 1:00 movie, so we decided to do lunch first. After lunch we still had time to kill, so we went to Marshall's. All of us. We were there for a really long time. The kids got some new clothes and we were checking out and... Shaun had a meltdown. Now, I am somewhat used to his meltdowns. He doesn't have them very often anymore, but when he was little, they were a regular thing. 11 year old meltdowns are different from 5 year old meltdowns. 11 year old meltdowns are fueled by pubescent hormones. They involve smart-mouthed remarks, tears, and a lot of self pity. Very embarrassing. And he made me mad. So mad that, after we had gotten outside and out of all the other customers' earshot, I said some things that I regret. Eventually things calmed down. Shaun apologized, and I did too.

We finally made it to the movies. We saw Smurfs. It was actually pretty good. The parts I saw were good, anyway. I made about a million trips to the concession stand for drink and popcorn refills. The worst thing that happened at the theater was my mom knocking a cup of popcorn out of my hand. I can handle that!

On the way home from the movie, the boys were playing their video games. All was well. Then Shaun wanted his game that Jordan was playing. And Jordan had a meltdown. A 5 year old meltdown. Ugh. It wasn't pretty. Eventually he calmed down and we made it back home.

Right now, the boys are having their punishment: they're not getting to go swimming and instead are doing some chores around the house. They've accepted their consequences pretty maturely. Maybe they learned their lesson.

Today's been pretty stressful. The 100+ temperatures in Georgia today aren't helping things. We're tired, we're hot. No wonder we're on edge. I'm calling for an early bedtime.

One more thing. On the way home, I was reminded of how our life was about 6 years ago. Shaun was really out of control and we had no idea what was wrong or what to do about it. Those meltdowns? They happened many times a day. Every single day. We know now that epilepsy mixed with some food sensitivities were causing most of it. Things are so much better now. In fact, I can't remember the last time we had a day like today. I mentioned this to my mom, saying something about how we should praise the Lord for how much progress we've made. I'm not sure she appreciated it right then, but I'm sure she will later. :)

hot dog salad

My mom invited the kids and I to dinner last night. We were already there to swim and Chris was working late. Maybe she felt sorry for us.

When Shaun saw what she was cooking, he exclaimed, "Oh! Hot dog salad!" And we all had a big laugh. The "hot dog salad" he was referring to was actually sour kraut and hot dogs. Everyone called it "kraut and wieners" when I was growing up, but I think that sounds gross. I think I'll call it "hot dog salad" from now on, too. The way Shaun's mind works amuses me. He always sees things in a completely different perspective than I do. Cabbage and hot dogs = hot dog salad. So obvious, and yet I had never thought about it that way.

The hot dog salad was good. It had been years since I'd eaten it. We also had green beans, squash, and tomatoes from the garden and potatoes and corn bread. Delicious. We ate so much that there wasn't any left when Chris got home, so he had to settle for Subway.