Day 4

today i officially didn't care - TV, lunch, playground, nap (yeah!) and Disney. No outbursts, good kid, rash is better (but the butt). I even cut the lawn on my 'lunch'. I get an hour lunch so 30 min at the playground, 30 cutting the lawn. No food, but my lawn is cut.

Day 3

Better today (thank god!).

Managed to get work done and entertain a 3 year old. Ran 2 errands, skipped lunch and made dinner. Rash is better but her poor butt is still pretty bad.

Now if I can just get those SOWs out and review the support issues, I'd be better.

2 down .. 3 to go..

So Monday was a hellish day. Erin had been sick this weekend, little fever, crabby and complaining of Bubbles in her mouth.

Monday I take her to school (no fever since Saturday early morning) and as I'm about to leave, I spot them - little spots on her hand. Not bug bites, not boo-boos... but blisters. Damn...

Off to the doctors (and a paniced daycare - like illness hasn't happened). Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (again). Last bout as in June of 2004 (I remember because it was my birthday). So that means - home with Erin while she is contagious. All week. She should be ok by Friday to go camping but I don't know. We'll see. Once the spots appear, its usually safe but because its viral, Daycare centers want to play it safe. I totally understand but my sanity is short.

I'm gonna loose it.

So the end of day 2
No Nap
2 screaming matches
Reset the 'who makes the rules' boundry (yeah, I do make them)
and its 7:18 and she's out cold.

I hope she sleeps through the night. I need some me time. I love my daughter, I really do. But Its difficult to work 8 hours, watch her and make sure she's NOT gluded to the TV.

If I were a SAHM, it would be different. I could do activities with her, play games, do stuff. Not so much when I have clients screaming that they need custom work now and support issues in limbo. Good god, can the universe survive without me for a day so I don't loose my mind?

a note from Erin

ernhtiko896wtew555r6565rtr4yy677668867676766687574tyytyutt5u6t5tu6
y57tytyftyttytyfygtytgyutyyfytyryrtyfdtttfyfyzxct7yyr7er676erw747r ettee455eaaatu78r7ut11gftfdtt5rtfutifyu77uuugtutj re5frerttyr4545tt43t643et34r45353445653ewqi45765tr5rsxdsrdsrzda6 wgyddds
vbnmqwerrtyuiop1233
zxcvcvbnmasdfghjklqwertyyyyytyuioiop12312345567ye53ry46y45yt65r7r r4757r7h
gtdg

dyugger3fte4r34te353twyt5drgde64re533trre5e53yr3wyhert4tftry6tgdtffr5 rwduhffu7

44wtetrstctrddtdgfdhggdgdydyehdegdfdewetwhwyrfyufuft7rt6uttu55uztvgg fftffww

hfyhgjyhyuyhuyuittuutt7590khfkttrjyrjky tifyt66788990tfjrjggtkgwj3gfgyuhkjuvgjffcxnfcdhxzzjmcnccjvvlvlfogohhohhhh hhyhj ,nhnnmlmjjupbhhknhbjlnh.jjuinnjljhmjjym.kjlcc vl gfklfltlvlhkkhhkktrrtt5ghtu6t75c7r4r45te21uuxeuyr6r6tcxdsuaqw21quwwqqq
hrude8u5ir5i4r8948589rr5f5tyy6bhutgtyyryddufdeyfucduuixxjxnvbvjnurfiiw2fdg
yttyytyytyytyytyytytytytytyttrttryrterdur7e744y74545y7556ttgtrrrr47re34
rruuttrxtrdtetrst4e6r45re 5trdtxxeeeeeeeegfrnnnnfsggdfteeftegedtdtef4eyr
twqgtee5e5ewe55wtw6teee4qrfre3wtttfsfstwtswgeftgfrdr jiutiuyjyu5tu7yytttty hb egdftdfttr35etrereretetdtette5533232rats
4rtr4g44tfj8tyu887867y8u8887988677786f7i76y76879u88

yr4ryytgu6t5yt5t8rt57yt7reeyt6fy46r44y45yyy756uu6turtftrgredtr4t4645t5
That is from Erin - she wants to type like mommy. My kid86u58u rocks.

Saturday with the Clan

Saturday was a big day for the family - every late August/early September, South Buffalo holds a Feis. A feis is like, well.. a party. Here's what was there:
Bands
Irish Dancers
food
expo of local shops and services
lots of drinking

The point of the Feis is to rekindle the idea of "shop in your neighborhood". The shops and services all set up tables and give you free stuff (pens, balloons, chapstick, waterbottles,...).

For our family, its a time to all come together. My husband's family sees friends from the neighborhood they haven't seen a while so its kind of like a old homes day. If you gre up in South Buffalo, you go to this.

The only problem this year - it rained. alot. And my kid loved it. She didn't care. We danced in the rain my daughter and I and world watched and wondered at our insanity. I had my daughter and she had me, I didn't care.

So after 10 or so bands, 3 dance troops, 5 drinks, 4 trips to the playground, 3 rain stalls and one creepy guy who hit on Brigy's friend, we called it quits. Erin passed out at 9:30 on the ground next to her cousins. It was a pretty picture.

The New First Grade: Too Much Too Soon?

I was taking a break and saw this Newsweek article: The New First Grade: Too Much Too Soon?

This must stop!

"Sept. 11, 2006 issue - Brian And Tiffany Aske of Oakland, Calif., desperately want their daughter, Ashlyn, to succeed in first grade. That's why they're moving—to Washington State. When they started Ashlyn in kindergarten last year, they had no reason to worry. A bright child with twinkling eyes, Ashlyn was eager to learn, and the neighborhood school had a great reputation. But by November, Ashlyn, then 5, wasn't measuring up. No matter how many times she was tested, she couldn't read the 130-word list her teacher gave her: words like "our," "house" and "there." She became so exhausted and distraught over homework—including a weekly essay on "my favorite animal" or "my family vacation"—that she would put her head down on the dining-room table and sob. "She would tell me, 'I can't write a story, Mama. I just can't do it'," recalls Tiffany, a stay-at-home mom. "

Wait a minute! She is how old... lets review: "But by November, Ashlyn, then 5, wasn't measuring up. " FIVE YEARS OLD!!!


"In the last decade, the earliest years of schooling have become less like a trip to "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" and more like SAT prep. Thirty years ago first grade was for learning how to read. Now, reading lessons start in kindergarten and kids who don't crack the code by the middle of the first grade get extra help. Instead of story time, finger painting, tracing letters and snack, first graders are spending hours doing math work sheets and sounding out words in reading groups. In some places, recess, music, art and even social studies are being replaced by writing exercises and spelling quizzes. Kids as young as 6 are tested, and tested again—some every 10 days or so—to ensure they're making sufficient progress. After school, there's homework, and for some, educational videos, more workbooks and tutoring, to help give them an edge. "

Now I'm all for learning how to read... the key word here is LEARNING. They are 4, 5, 6, 7 year old kids.... Give them a chance to learn. I love reading with my daughter and neices and nephews. Hearing them read aloud is great. Helping them read is even better. Sound out the word - and yeah, I will help.

"Parents are acutely aware of the pressure on their kids, but they're also creating it. Most kids learn to read sometime before the end of first grade. But many parents (and even some teachers and school administrators) believe—mistakenly—that the earlier the kids read independently, write legibly and do arithmetic, the more success they'll have all through school. Taking a cue from the success of the Baby Einstein line of videos and CDs, an entire industry has sprung up to help anxious parents give their kids a jump-start. Educate, Inc., the company that markets the learning-to-read workbooks and CDs called "Hooked on Phonics," just launched a new line of what it calls age-appropriate reading and writing workbooks aimed at 4-year-olds. In the last three years, centers that offer school-tutoring services such as Sylvan Learning Centers and Kumon have opened junior divisions. Gertie Tolentino of Darien, Ill., has been bringing her first grader, Kyle, for Kumon tutoring three times a week since he was 3 years old. "It's paying off," she says. "In kindergarten, he was the only one who could read a book at age 5." Two weeks ago Tiffani Chin, executive director of Edboost, a nonprofit tutoring center in Los Angeles, saw her first 3-year-old. His parents wanted to give him a head start, says Chin. "They had heard that kindergarten was brutal" and they wanted to give him a leg up. "

OK - Number 1 - BABY EINSTEIN SUCKS! They have proven that. Its not good for babies. No TV is good for kids. My mistake there but I'm a sucker for Seseme Street but I watch it with her and talk to her about whats going on.

Number 2 - "heard that kindergarten was brutal"... oh yeah - snack time, and nap time and story time... brutal. I want to go to school with daughter and have nap time.

I have about had it with the idea of giving the kid a leg up - a chacne to get ahead. Please! They are kids. They learn more by play and experience than by workbook. Erin is 3 1/2 years old - learning letters because she wants to write like mommy. She is counting and learning simple math (I have 3 cookies and I ate 1 - now have this many - holding up 2 fingers - I'll save the others for later). I didn't force that on her.. she wants COOKIES!! She wanted to keep a few for later.
"If you push kids too hard, they get frustrated," says Dominic Gullo, a professor of early education at Queens College in New York. "Those are the kids who are likely to act out, and who teachers can perceive as having attention-span or behavior problems." Why does this sound so familar? Do you think that so many kids are diagnoised with ADHD and the like is because of the educational system?

In this age, we should be letting Kids play - socialize, fall down, get back up, take naps, run around, learn about bugs, figure out right and wrong, learn how to cross a street. I will not let my daughter get school burn out by the time she is in the 3rd grade. NO! NO! NO!

Labor Day

We're all home today Labor Day. The plan? Laundry. Nothing fun, nothing exciting. On a free day off, we do house work.

Erin Tim and I all work up at about 6:30 am (normal time to get up) and Erin and I are chilling on the couch. Tim is trying to sleep. I already started laundry and well, suddenly became very depressed.

Labor day always meant starting school, new clothes, new paper and pens, new shoes, new bag and seeing old friends. A chance to start new and try to do it right this year. Now that I'm done with school for some 10 years now, I miss that. I have to go back to work tomorrow to same old office, same old desk, same old clothes. No chance of renewal. The slate is never wiped clean and doom is always lurking - bills, insurance, housework, clients, emails....

For adults, we are caught in this constant spiral of looking to start over and it just gets darker, like the weather. Labor day also signals the start of fall.. gloomy skies, earlier nights, last of the fall harvest. That crisp fall smell I remember is gone.

on a high note - Yankee candle is carring my favorite scent. They are calling it WICKED this year.... at least I have that to look forward too..

Dane Cook- The Catholic Religion

This is another one that got me laughing... and its so true.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Thanks to Michelle for passing this one along.

Master of Horror has returned

wow, talk about a flash back. I got found on My Space by my old boss and horror partner in crime.. Tommy K... master of Horror and Sloan Gangsta Rap (heheh)

Tom was my boss at Spencers - best boss ever!

Turns out, he has his own store finally - Rotten Jack's Creep Shack

For those that know me.. this is normal. For those that don't, I am a Halloween/Horror junkie. As soon as Oct 1 hits, the Halloween totes come out. I'd start earlier but hubby has his limits. Even Erin got into last year and she was only 2!

This year, I introduced her to the Lemax Halloween village "Mommy - we have to get that! Get that one... ohhh.. get that one... ". I love my kid.

I digress... Tom had the best Halloween Parties know on this side of the lake... even the bathroom and attic were decorated. The Bathroom for Christ's sake.

This was one year ... I don't remember which, they all tend to blend together. Tom is the Umpalumpa and I was Jack the Ripper's Victim.



Damn.. I wish I had a picture of Tom as PRINCE....(giggle)

Oh My

 

This just made me laugh..... 

Home in One Piece

We made it home from War in one piece. Just a few minor injuries but nothing big (blisters, sore muscles from walking and sunburn).

War was fantastic! we managed to see 1 battle - the heavy weapons Town battle. And to make it better, I got to see Sam on the field...

So - some things to note from Pennsic XXXV
1) Goat Milk Fudge
2) Hawk Muffins
3) Willam Shattner followed by Marilyn Manson
4) I can't drive 55 (or under 75 come to think of it)
5) Wine = making friends
6) a gallon of Rum.. need i say more
7) Zigging when I should have zagged twice
8) 'blood' water
9) middle eastern is HOT!
10) uphill sucks
11) I need new shoes
12) Yurt is a funny word to say
13) Henna should smell like fresh Hay....
14) MORWENNA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
15) More Garb is good
16) need a carpet for the tent
17) More Garb.....

Off to War

I think I have everything... I think. I did some last minute food shopping yesterday and all I need to get is bottled water and ice. Oh.. and Woodchuck.

Clothes - I have enough and I just need to finish the Linen.
Shoes - got em
Food - Check (Sammy.. i have a surprise for you.....)
Dwelling - Yeppers
everything else - I hope so.
PreSchool is paid for
Tim and Erin have food
where the heck are my needles???

Trunk is empty and waiting and I'll be packing in the dark to leave by 7 AM. What in the world possessed me to do this??? All I hope is that my cold is bansihed by Spirits and the weather stays nice....

Cube

I gave in today. I made myself a cube for work. Yes, I want walls damn it. My desk is right near the color printer and its loud, not to mention that my desk is in a cubby open to the floor. Noise noise noise.

So - i moved the bookshelf and moved a freestanding cube wall that there and VOILA! A little space for me. I even have room for a chair. I hate not having my own space. Now, if I only had a door

Never in a million years

I took Erin to the park yesterday to get her 'wiggles' out. Caz park is a nice size and there is a lot to do. There was a party in the park and an argument erupted with some pretty foul language. The 4 sets of parents around looked over and laughed it off. The kids didn't care and the one party member was horrified. I ended up talking to one of the moms while Erin was playing. Not a big deal.

Erin wanted to go see the water so we walked by the creek. The one mom was also headed that way due to her kid. We talked a bit more (weather, the kids) and she asked if I was single. I said no. This peeked my interest. She went on to tell me that her brother wanted to know - he saw me and thought I was cute. I was cute.. I GOT HIT ON!!! A 31 year old overweight married mom!!

Never in a million years...

Feeling Old

Last weekend, we went to the Strong Museum in Rochester which got me remembering my childhood and toys and shows. One of the girls I work with (Michelle) is just about the same age as me and sent me a "you know you were a kid in the 80's" list. I almost peed myself.

So for your enjoyment, I found 2 to share

You know you're an 80's kid if
How to know if you're an 80s child
You might be a child of the 80's if...


Here is just a sample
You're an 80's child if...

- You wanted to be on StarSearch. (Come on, we all did)
- You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off. Or even when he had those freaky eyes in "Thriller" at the end of the video.
- You wore a banana clip or one of those slap on wrist bands at some point during your youth.
- You wore french rolls on the botom of your splatter painted jeans.
- You had slouch socks, and puff painted your own shirt at least once.
- You owned a doll with 'Xavier Roberts' signed on it's butt.
- You knew what Willis was "talkin' 'bout."
- You know the profound meaning of "Wax on, Wax off."
- You can name at least half of the members of the elite "Brat Pack."
- You can remeber watching full house and saved by the bell for endless hours.
- You have seen at least 10 episodes of Fraggle Rock.
(SIDE NOTE: They are out on DVD now, and yeah, I own them)
- You know that another name for a keyboard is a "Synthesizer."
- You hold a special place in your heart for "Back to the Future."
- You know where to go if you "wanna go where everybody knows your name."
- You thought Molly Ringwald was REALLY cool. (Was there an 80's movie she WASN'T in?)
- You know what "Sike" means.
- You fell victim to 80's fashion: big hair, crimped, combed over to the side, and you wore spandex pants
- You wanted to be a Goonie ("Goonies never say die.")
- You've heard of Garbage Pail Kids.
- You knew "The Artist" when he was humbly called "Prince."
- You actually saw Ted Danson as the MacDaddy he played "Sam" to be.
- You ever wore flourescent -neon if you will clothing...(or nailpolish)
- You could breakdance, or wished you could.
- You know who Max Headroom is.
- You remember when ATARI2 was a state of the art video game system. (Remember Pong)
- You know all the words to "ice ice baby".
- You remember M.C hammer.
- You can still sing the rap to "fresh Prince of BelAir".
- You own any cassettes.
- You were led to believe that in the year 2000 we'd all be living on the moon.
- You remember and/or own any of the CareBear Glass collection from Pizza Hut.
- Poltergeist freaked you out.
- You carried your lunch to school in a Gremlins or an ET lunchbox.
- You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the ONLY female smurf.
- You wanted to communicate with some being named Cinergy, or you wanted green hair like that lead singer of the Misfits.
- You know what a Doozer is.
- You wore biker shorts underneath a short skirt and felt stylish.
- You ever had a Swatch Watch.
- You had a crush on one of the Coreys (Haim or Feldman).
- You remember when Saturday Night Live was funny.
- You had WonderWoman or Superman underoos.
- You wanted to be The Hulk for Halloween.
- You Believed that "By the power of Greyskull, you HAD the power!"
- You thought that Transformers were more than meets the eye.
- You know what a "Whammee" is. ("No Whammy, no whammy, stop!!")
- Partying "like it's 1999" seemed SO far away.

Sunday Morning horror show

Erin woke me up at 7:30 am - that's sleeping in. She wanted to watch cartoons. Thank goodness for PBS and the Canadian channels for airing kid's programming that early.

So now its 9 am and we've moved on to My Little Pony videos. Man, they are bad but I just can stop watching them.

As long as she's quite for another hour and I have coffee, I just don't care.

One Brave Kid

For those that have been to the Sterling Ren Fair in Sterling, NY (near Oswego) you have seen the goose neck slide. Its pretty long. I'm not quite sure of the length its quite a distance. You actually have to go up 2 flights of stairs to get to the top of the slide. Then you plop you r butt down on a rug, wait till the person ahead of you is at the bottom and then you slide.

Now, Tim and I both did this. We gained a bit a speed going down (thanks to gravity). It was fun and refreshing..

Erin made us. She road this thing like 6 time ($2 a ride x 6 - you do the math).





I was able to get proof that Erin road this all by herself. She was a champ. Not once did she cry or get scared. The only problem was her asking for me to carry her back of the hill. Not in this life time.

Road Trip Signs

I made Tim stop on the way home from camping to get a picture of this street name. Its PREEMPTION ROAD for Christ's sake. What is is preempting?

home in one piece

We made it home. A little worn and tired, but rested. First, thanks to Saturn - I have an Ion. Its not a big car at all and we got in
tent, tarp, 3 chairs, cooler, 2 bags of clothes, box of food, cleaning supplies, 3 duffel bags, 3 pillows, camping stove, propane tanks (the little ones) and some random stuff for Erin. We got it all in (pictures to follow). And to top that, we got it all BACK in the car on Monday (minus some food and plus some extras). Kick ass mileage in this gas craze. Thank you Saturn.

Back to the trip. All went pretty well I think. We stayed at Fair Haven State park. Its one of the top parks in the nation and it shows. We picked a different section this year and it happened to be a predominant Camper/trailer section. There was our little tent in the midst of all the campers. Friday - Set up - no issues. Ground was a little hard but we made due. It was at this point, we needed a break. HEAD TO THE BEACH. Lake Ontario was great - not deep and warm and we got Erin in. Sand castles were put on hold and she didn't want to get out of the lake. Neither did I.

Tim ended up getting a ton of wood and most of it was still pretty green. Creating fire was a challenge but we did it. Hot dogs over real fire are so much better.

The rain came. Not metaphorically - literally. It started to rain Saturday morning. After Erin and I got up to make breakfast, it started to sprinkle. Not a big deal, we can walk the Ren fair in this. Yeah, so God laughed at me and it started to pour. CALL NOAH! I NEED AN ARK!

Water was just streaming past and under the tent, seeping in and pooling on the rain guard. On to Plan B - The Strong Museum in Rochester. This place is GREAT but not on the weekend. Way too many people and Erin could hardly get a turn on some of the play areas.

We ventured back to the camp site and found it wasn't too bad. Some water in the tent but thanks to a handy dandy mop I bought on the way home, I saved the day. But, I wasn't cooking. A trek to Oswego diner was a life saver.

Sunday proved much better. A great day at the fair - Pirate weekend and Erin had a blast. A few break downs but she's 3. I ended up carrying her a lot since there is a lot of walking and 'too may peoples' for her to deal with. The big draw for her was the 'slippery slide' - the goose neck slide. I think she did it some 5 or 6 times. Erin and I took a camel ride (way cool) and all 3 of us did the maze. She even made friends of one of the workers - Erin rode the CARROSOLL 2 times and it was way too muddy and she was the littlest one. The one worker picked her up and carried her. She 'loved' him and was taken with her.

The trip home we tried something different. We took 104 thru to Rochester and of course made a stop at Millennium. I am the best wife ever - i let Tim loose in the gaming store.

Now we are home - sore and a ton of laundry to do. Half was done yesterday and I need to finish putting everything away. The tent is gross and needs to be done soon. I'm camping again in like 2 weeks.

So to sum up the Vacation:
Need a bigger car
Remember to bring more pants for me and Erin
Put everything in Totes
Don't put juice boxes in the cooler by themselves.
make sure the tent is flat on the ground
A rug is not a bad idea for inside the tent
I am a walking Buffet for mosquitoes
Raccoons like fruit snacks
Bring anti-itch stuff along
More towels