Halloween

my Hero-Son

So, when we were at Disneyland, we went to the attraction "A Bug's Life". Part of the performance involves 3D bugs (what were we thinking?) so at some point, Chickadee is cowering on the floor at my feet. When the large horrific spiders dropped down from the ceiling, I covered her with my body.

Guess who leapt out of his seat to cover my body with his, protecting me from the spiders?

Dandy. It still just melts my heart thinking about it.

I want to see what her breast looks like.

So, I overhear my son say:

"I want to see what her breast looks like."

And of course I dash in there, disguising my dash as a casual saunter of course, and find the two gazing out the window.

"Whatcha doing?" I ask, as I approach the window, scanning the horizon for the object of their curiosity.

"Look at Catherine!" (Catherine is our Polish-Crested chicken) "She's rolling in the dirt and showing us her tummy." Chickadee answers.

"Yeah, I want to see if it looks like what we buy at the store."  Dandy adds.

This puberty thing has me all jumpy I guess.

sneaking off

If you know us in real-life, or even in blog-life I guess, you know that Dandy is not a free-range kid. I always have to know where he is and what he is doing. If I don't, he gets himself into trouble. It's not a lot different from parenting a 4-year-old, only a lot taller.

Any way, he has been sneaking off for the last few days. You know where I find him?

On his bed. Reading.

Oh happiness and joy.

He is reading, for real, Harry Potter. Not pretending to read it, but really reading it -- able to correctly tell me what is happening.

He is in 4th grade; three years ago he spoke only Russia and read nothing but his name in both languages.

homeschooling

We just got Dandy's test results from the end of the school year. I am posting this for all of you that question our home-schooling decision.

Let's look at Reading first. The top line is the district norm, the triangles are his class norm (pretty much the same). The lower line is Dandy.

The first measure is May 2008. Then September 2008, then May 2009. Yes, he is below grade level (approximately at mid-2nd grade level when his age peers are at end of 3rd grade level), but he had to learn a new language and alphabet at age 7, so being behind is to be expected.

What I want you to notice is this: his group went up a half a bar in a year; Dandy went up a bar and a third.

Now let's look at Math.

The first measure is May 2008. Then September 2008, then May 2009. Yes, he is below grade level but only by a teeny tiny bit and again, look at the gains. His peers went up half a bar; he went up a full two bars (thank you Math-U-See).

So tell me again why I should not home-school them? Oh right, the socialization. Honestly, with the state of pop culture, and the government using schools as tool of social "reform", I can do without the socialization.

Have I ever mentioned that, as a community college English teacher, I see in my classes the products of public schooling? Of the outstanding students I do get to work with (few and far between), many of them are home-schooled.

Now, I know that home-schooling does not fit for many families; I am not posting this to say that you should home-school. I am posting this for those who question the fit for our family and to brag a little on our hard work. Go Dandy! Go home-schooling!

not one of the difficult kids

Yup. That is what Dandy's day camp counselor told us at the end of the week. That our son, the one that is usually the Difficult One in other contexts, did not make the naughty list at day camp. We are so pleased. I can't possibly share with you how many hours of coaching and parenting and intervening and fretting this accomplishment cost us, nor how pleased we are to -- at least not on this occassion -- to not be the 'in-trouble' family. Yeah Dandy!

In other camp news, he got to go knee-boarding and inner-tubing and roll in the dirt and sing and romp and came home filthy and exhausted. It was a great week.

day camp

Each child has or is having the treat of day camp this summer. Chickadee finished her week last Friday, coming home so tired that one evening we found her dozing of standing up with her head on the counter. She came home every evening sticky and dirty: pine pitch, dirt, pine needles, what have you. Dirty, tired, and happy -- she loves camp.

Dandy goes off to camp this week. I signed them up separately as I wanted her to have her own experience; she too easily allows her life to become a mere derivative of his. Not a life-habit I want to encourage.

full report later . . . pics to tide you over

another growth post

Try to contain your excitement, as here is another growth report, with illustrations this time.

dogs and kids

Have you ever lived with a dog from an dominance-oriented breed? One that -- though it loves you -- is always angling for the take-over? Our beloved Akita is like this and every 4-5 years I have to take her on and reestablish that she is not in line for the position of beta dog. (My husband is -- in doggie eyes -- alpha and I am beta).

With a dog, I know how to do this. If they are sleeping in your path, don't go around, but poke them until they get up. If it's really bad (and you are sure they won't bite you) hold their muzzle to the ground until their body languages shows that they submit. Our Akita is a senior citizen now, and has not made a bid for my spot for quite awhile.

My son, on the other hand, has apparently decided that I am ready for retirement. And I don't have any idea what the parenting equivalent is of holding his muzzle to the ground.

magical castles

So Dandy is day-dreaming of a magical castle and he is narrating the dream to us.

Dandy: So we walk in and we know it's magical right away.
Chickadee: How?
Dandy: Mom's fingers stop hurting and M&Ms are falling from the ceiling.

He is such a sweetie. Mom's fingers came first.

overheard

upstairs:

Chickadee: G'night, I love you.
Dandy: I love you too.

lessons on partying from a 9 year old

Live blogging here:

Dandy: Mom, you are a terrible partyer!
Me: What is wrong with my partying?
Dandy: You are just sitting there!
Me: Yeah, that's what I like to do.
Dandy: You are doing it wrong.
Me: What am I supposed to do?
Dandy: Eat ice-cream! Look at the tree! Snuggle your son!
Me: Anything else?
Dandy: No looking at the computer. You are supposed to be partying!
Me: Why?
Dandy: You are done with school. You told Papa we'd be partying.

He has a point. I just hope that when he is in college and he finishes a semester, he celebrates the same way.

THINK!

I am so excited about one of Dandy's Christmas gifts. One of the tools we use with him is the idea of THINK wherein each letter is linked some criteria which ought to be considered before one starts to speak. He has some issues with blurting out really weird, hurtful, or meddlesome thoughts.

My blog-friend Kim, over at Bookworms Bookmarks, has made our THINK into a beautiful piece of wall art which we can hang in his bedroom.

She also does a beautiful Engrosser script (a style of Copperplate) that is written with a pointed pen instead of a broad, flat nib. Kim can do all sorts of different lettering styles (called 'hands' by the calligraphy crowd). Go take a peek at her work: Bookworms Bookmarks.



:: one year ago today: works for me: allowances and Belgium
:: two years ago today: trees and more

kids are so cool

Overheard:

Dandy: Chickadee, let me read these too you. They are really good ones.
Chickadee: What are they?
Dandy: Verses.

He then reads a whole bunch of verses from his AWANA book as she listens attentively.

A few minutes later they ask:

Mama, where are our Latin cards?
Me: Why?
Chickadee: We want to practice our new words.

So they are now drilling one another on laboro, surgete, oremus, and so forth (I work, stand up [plural], and Let us Pray). We are using Prima Latina and really like it.

See what can happen in a TV-free household?



:: one year ago today: works for me: allowances and Belgium
:: two years ago today: trees and more

Christmas wishes to melt your heart

Me: So, Dandy, what are you hoping that Santa will bring?
(long long wait)
Dandy: What I would most like, more than anything, is a picture of my old best friend from the orphanage and some news about him.
(he tears up, and continues)
I feel bad, being so happy, and he is so . . . so alone.

Dandy drives me to my wit's end with his poor choices and bad behavior, but his heart? His heart is full of all the right stuff.



:: one year ago today: and home again and yes, please, we'd love it if you prayed for us today
:: two years ago today: Mrs. Mama and EWwwwwww

sleep-helping

So, after 3 days of busyness, we were finally tucked into our beds, nicely snoozing, when I hear a little voice from the doorway:

Dandy: Mom?
Me: Mrmrph.
Dandy (in a wee little voice): I forgot what it was that you had asked me to do.
Me: What?
Dandy: Mrmrph.
Me: You're asleep. Go back to bed.

Little footprints go up the stairs and I hear him crawl back into bed. Isn't that just the sweetest? He had been so focused on staying on task and helping mom that it carried over into his sleep-walking.

He got the whole day off today: nary a chore or responsibility for him, and precious few for me. Occasionally I hear a piece of pie calling me, and I do obey that. And the little kitty has required petting, as have the bunnies, so I buckled down and took care of them. All other chores are postponed indefinitely.


:: one year ago today: CNN/You Tube debates and Ron Paul's Statement of Faith

blue children

Dandy is singing:

Jesus loves the little children.
All the children of the world.
Red and blue and black and white . . .

"Blue?" I ask.

"Yeah, the cold children."

:: one year ago today: half-lives and other insights
:: two years ago today: calming my wild child this should be required reading for anyone with a son.

oh, to be 9 again

Dandy comes in this morning with a concerned look.

Dandy: Mom, something really weird is happening to me.
Me: What?
It's happened twice now.
(His voice is fraught with worry)
What has happened?
At night-time, I am really sleepy and tired and I only want to go to bed.

Me: So what is happening that is weird?
Dandy: That. That is it. I am sleepy and tired and I can barely move my body. I think something is really wrong.
Oh honey. I feel that way every night, right about dinner time. It's called being tired -- this has only happened to you twice?
Yes.
Oh, I want to be you.

:: one year ago today: because we don't have enough stress in our lives

Happy Birthday Dandy

He's nine. We just finished making his cake -- he wanted to bake it and hey, it's his birthday so I just say yes to practically everything today. My fantabulous best-friend baked me a yummy cake for my birthday which was still delicious five days later when I was well enough to eat it. That cake has been decreed the Official Birthday Cake for our household and that is what we made today. After it is assembled I'll try to take a pic.

He was thrilled to receive both birthday phone calls and birthday packages in the mail today. One of his gifts was 1000 Questions and Answers which has completely absorbed him It is a perfect gift for him.

We will have a small dinner party at Mom's tonight and cake and presents -- we got him some building kits to do with his Dad and a new family game and some books.

I'll post pictures later in the day, so check back.

:: one year ago today: it's good to be the king
:: two years ago today: and the winner is . . . and Happy Birthday Dandy