2 good news posts in one week!!

It's like the sun is shining from our asses over here!! So what was it, like last week? I posted about how frustrated I was getting with Jenna, and how much she was struggling at school?? PSHAWW!! Ancient History! Yesterdays News! Nonsense!!

Yesterday she brought home her report card. I was Terrified to open that envelope... but!! She isn't doing as horrendous as I thought!! 2 B-'s, 6 B's, 2 C+'s, and a C. From the way her teacher has spoken, I was thinking it was going to be all C's. Her weaknesses are her writing, and her Math. She has a hard time skip counting by 2's...and I think that just means that she does it too slowly. Because she can do it for me. She's excelling at Science, Social Studies, Health and Phys Ed, and The Arts, oh, and Reading!! Which Al and I can see and hear every day as well!! no more pointing to each word, no more "I can do it, the word is too long!" She's getting there. And to prove it, today...

SHE GOT AN AWARD!!!! It's an Award of Merit, which states... "Presented to Jenna McAlendin in recognition of contributions to the life of the school and personal efforts made in putting forth a much improved effort and positive attitude."

The stuff in italics is what her teacher wrote. She's really trying!! She's trying so hard that she got an AWARD for trying!! I am soooo proud of my girl right now!!

And I think I made her day by going to the assembly :) I almost didn't get to go! i didn't know she was getting an award until this morning (Bad backpack checker mommy that I am!) So I hummed and hawed, and waited, and then called a friend to see if she could watch my daycare kids, who was out shoveling and didn't answer her phone (the nerve!). So i almost gave up, and then something lit a fire under my butt, and I knew I HAD to be there!! So I called my daycare Dad that hadn't brought his son yet, who told me it was NO problem coming later today, and then even graciously told me to take an extra 15 minutes! (Which I needed, darn chatty principal!) I crammed my 3 amigos into their coats and boots, and them stuffed them into the car and off we went! I'll never forget the look on Jenna's face when she saw me standing at the back of the Gym :) Awesome :)

Mason kinda stole the show though. It took too long for his patience, and he started to wander. I tried Very hard to keep him entertained and contained, but a couple of the teachers told me not to worry about it, and let him sit with the school kids. yeah. Then he saw his sister and had to sit with her. Then he saw Aidan, and had to sit with him. Then he saw some kids he didn't know and sat halfway across the gym (I'm mortified by this point!). So then it's Finally time for Jenna to get her award, and the principal calls up a few kids at a time to line up. Who runs up to join the line?? Right...Mason!! All the parents and teachers were laughing sooo hard!! And all I could think of was..."Oh sure! Funny now! Wait until he starts kindergarten next year!!! SUCKAHS!!!" :) But man, was he ever cute up there with all those big kids :)

Anyway, back to Jenna! I hope this award, and the better than I expected report card will really help her confidence. A mommy can hope :)

It's about time!!

I have a good post to write!

I don't know what did it, or what happened, or what clicked...but Mason is different. It's strange, but in such a refreshing, take a deep breath and drink it in kind of way, that I don't care!

This weekend Al and I spent a good amount of time starting at each other in awe. Because of something Mason had said, or because of his good behaviour, or just because he did what we asked him to. It was just so amazing!! We went shopping a couple times, and he didn't scream about being in the cart. And when there was no cart at Wal-Mart (You know it's the Christmas season when...), he walked with Al or I, and barely made a fuss about it! This is HUGE people! He hates shopping! He hates being confined to the cart. He hates walking with us! He LOVES running through the aisles scaring people and tempting strangers to kidnap him when he manages to race out of my sight. But there was none of that!!

Mason and I went to a birthday party for one of his friends yesterday. A situation I normally dread. He was SO GOOD! We walked in, and he looked right at the hostess, and said "HI! I'm came to Cory's birthday party!!" And that was such a difference, that Cory's Mom even said "Wow! He looked at me! And Spoke!!" He played with the other boys his age (YAY!) he went upstairs, found some toys, brought them down to where the rest of the kids were playing and said "Hey Everybody! Look what I found!" And it was so clear that I nearly cried right there! He was engaging others! He was sharing! He was COMMUNICATING!! He got upset because he didn't get to help blow out the birthday candles...but by upset, all I mean is that I noticed he was scowling and going "Hmm", "Hmm", in his way that he does when he's pissed off! And then he moved on, ate the icing off his piece of cake, and that was it! When it was time to go, he came! There was a little whining about it, but no more than Jenna or Aidan would have done (Less actually, now that I think about it!)

Today at school, his resource teacher had put up a schedule board for when it was time to go home. I love it. There's pictures for coat on, zipper up, boots on, hat on, mittens on. And at the end he gets a lollipop or treat. (God I love sugar free candy!!) leaving school has been nothing less than torture. Until today. He fought me a bit, but once we got his coat on, and we pulled that first picture off, he sped through the rest of the steps, and got his lollipop. And then he walked calmly up the stairs out to the van. And I can't even believe it!! There was no screaming, or running or hiding under a bench. No racing off to another room, and no interventions from his teacher. Infact, I think we were maybe the third family out of there! That NEVER happens! We're always last. Always. He gets let out at about 11:45. We were in the car and on the road by 11:55 today.

I am so thrilled about this change in him. You have no idea. Well, some of you probably do, since I whine about it! LOL

In other good news!! Aidan is shocking me every day with his reading!! He's way ahead of Jenna at this stage (I think anyway :)) He read half of 'Are you my Mother' to me a few nights ago! And only needed help with a couple words! I had no idea! I mean, I knew he was doing good with reading those little books they make at school (I see a plane, I see a boat etc.) but this was WAY above that! I wonder if his excelling with push Jenna to keep ahead of him? Probably not :) BUT!! We had the kids write their letters to Santa last night. Aidan did a list, which was fine. But Jenna!! She wrote a letter!! Punctuation is slim to none, and there was spelling mistakes, but a letter non-the-less! It's a relief to see that! She also read Mortimer (by Robert Munsch) without pause, and her home reader from school, about birds, without needing to touch each word! So, I'm happy to report some progress there! As for Al and I.... Al's going back to the gym, and that makes me soo happy to see, as it makes him happy to be there. And a happy Al makes a happy Lisa :)

I did 3 cakes this weekend. 2 Lightning McQueen and a Carebear. I discovered that I do not like Wilton's triple star decorating tip. The stars it makes are just too big. And it's awkward it small places. I can see using it on a bigger cake with millions of stars, but for the detailed cakes I did this weekend, it wasn't much good. Oh well. I'm happy to have it anyway :) And that's about it :)

Just want to shake her!

Jenna is frustrating me. She's such a smart girl. But she's not trying. Her teacher has talked to me a few times about her lack of effort at school. Her marks are falling dramatically, and I don't know what to do! I've never worried about Jenna. Maybe that the problem.

Last year she would bring her homework home on Monday, and be so excited about it that it would be done and ready to hand in for Tuesday morning! This year is a completely different story. She brings her homework home on Monday, and Thursday night I'm pulling my hair out because she's been so lazy about it, and we're struggling to get it done. I'm soo not used to nagging her about getting it all done.

I think the worst part is that she's just not TRYING!! She'll pretend to try. When she's reading she'll make the sound of the first letter (if that) and then say "it's too hard, I don't know it." Or "this word is way too long, it's hard, i can't do it" And no matter how many times we tell her that she's so smart, and so talented and so wonderful, she still won't try to prove it to us.

At her Parent/Teacher interview we talked about it with Jenna (her teacher and I), and Jenna said "I'll just stay in at recess to finish my work". Um NO! Not the point dear! So then her teacher said that if Jenna was able to prove that she was trying her best, and started getting her work done in class, that she COULD stay in for recess, to do FUN stuff. Not her work. Jenna was really excited about that. But it hasn't happened yet. She just doesn't seem to care that she's falling behind.

I can't threaten her or bribe her any more than I already have, nothing is working to motivate her.

I do have one thought, and that is that Jenna sits beside the smartest girl in the class. M gets to do lots of extras and fun stuff because she gets her work done so quickly. Jenna is jealous. She's very competitive (like her Mama). I'm wondering if I should ask for Jenna to be moved to sit next to someone more on her level? Maybe she'll gain some confidence back? Do I as a parent have the right to ask that? I guess it can't hurt to ask right??

And NOW! She keeps calling to come home from school, saying that she's sick. It's happened 4 times now this year. And not once has she actually been sick. But it's been too late to take her back to school once I realize it :( But she swears nothing is going on at school to upset her.

I just don't get it. I feel like pulling a move from the V8 commercials, where the people get bonked on the head for not eating their vegetables. But I doubt it will do any good :(

Breathing and Babbling

I had my first meeting with Mason's resource teacher Monday. I heart her I think :)

Remember the hated Carmen? When she was here for the home assessment of Mason she recommended Mason be referred to the resource teacher program run by the county. I agreed, figuring that the more people on my team of helpers the better :) I am so grateful that I agreed!!

I really like Shelly. She knows her stuff, she has great, fresh ideas, and she's flexible. All of which are important to Mason.

Today I got Mason's speech assessment from the pre-school program (The one Carmen did). Ugh Ugh Ugh. He's low or below average on Everything!! Oh wait no, she said "Mason's play skills appear to be developing normally, however his social interaction was limited." I asked awhile back about how others find their 3 year old's play. And I have to say, a lot of them still see parallel play, which is what i see from Mason. I agree that he doesn't engage other kids to play with him, but I also don't see that from the other 3 year olds I have in my care. So who knows.

He's below average on Sentence Structure. (ex. point to the spotted puppy who is in the box), he's below average on Concepts and Following Directions (Ex. point to the giraffe and then to the monkey). And he's on the low average range for Basic concepts (Ex. point to the one that is empty). I'm actually okay with most of this, as when Carmen saw Mason for his first assessment, she told me he had NO understanding of receptive language. (In my head I am saying "Ha Ha! You were wrong!")

There's a lot of "Parent reported that..." And in my head it all seems rather negative. But, I am well aware that Mason's delays are based on his speech delays. And that some of these delays are something that Al and I need to work on. Instead of doing it for him, showing him how. Instead of giving in, sticking with it. I have a hard time, because I know the routine, and I know what to do to make it go smoothly. So I have to work on getting Mason to be more independant, and understanding of what is being asked of him. Homework for Mommy I guess.

Expressively "Mason presented with impaired expressive language skills for his age". Not at all surprised, that's why we took him there in the first place :)

She reported that he 'uses jargon-like speech which was not understandable', that he "stops sounds which require continued air movement (Pish for fish, tik for six, wook for Look). She does note though, that these sound errors are considered age appropriate, and should continue to develop with maturity. So that was comforting to hear.

He's going to be monitored in a few months at pre-school to assess his social language and play skills again. They recommend that we follow up again with the ENT to check his ears and hearing again (and considering the 2 ear infections he's had in the past two week, I'm guessing tubes for sure this time.) Carmen also commented on his lack of eye contact and inconsistent response to questions and requests. Fine.

Back to Shelly (the resource teacher), and why I heart her. I told Shelly of my fears that Mason may fall somewhere on the Autism Spectrum. She looked at me SHOCKED. :D She said that she has worked with MANY autistic children, and that while she can kind of understand my concerns, that she DOES NOT think Mason has Autism. She thinks that it it purely behavioural, stemming from the fact that he gets so frustrated not being able to speak. And he has a Very strong personality. He KNOWS what he wants. He knows he wants it NOW, and he knows which of my buttons to push to get it done. Shelly says that for my peace of mind, I'm more than welcome to get Mason assessed for Autism. But I am not really unsure.

I spoke with Mason's teacher, who is also a friend of mine, and told her what Shelly had said regarding Mason and Autism, and she breathed a sigh of relief, saying that she was SO happy Shelly had said that she didn't think so, because his teachers don't see it either.

And you know, the more I think about it, the more I think, hmm...maybe they are right. His behaviour (ie, sticking to a routine, temper tantrums etc.) still lead me to wonder what it is that makes him so different than other 3 year olds. And yet, his LACK of symptoms also comfort me (he doesn't flap his hands, he DOES have the ability to learn, he will look me in the eye). So, I guess we'll just wait and see! Because it's really starting to dawn on me, that hey! This kid has some very significant speech delays, and I can't imagine how that must effect his WHOLE life.

So, that's that. He starts speech therapy at the hospital in December, and we'll go from there. (Oh, and the Great part is, Carmen will NOT be his speech therapist :))

One Sick Party!! OR tooting my own horn OR how to fake it really really well!

Now that the dust has settled, and the ringing in my ears has stopped, I think I can update about Aidan's Pirate Party!!

First, they came!! And as they each arrived they put their jewels on their treasure chests (Where jewels = sparkly stick on earrings). And then we got out the ink and gave them all tattoos. (Where ink = temporary tattoos)


Then there was games! There was Pirate Pirate WALK THE PLANK! Think Duck Duck Goose. It was hilarious to watch, but a complete disaster, since the kids had no clue which way to run, or they cut through the middle of the circle, or just stood there confused :) My George brought a blue tarp (Think Ocean) and a wooden board (think Plank) and whoever made it back to their spot first had to WALK THE PLANK! I came up with this one all on my own (TOoT!) OH! Almost forgot, I got each of the scurvy brats a pirate hat thingy or bandanna.



After that we played Cannonball ATTACK! I flipped my sectional couch so that the two pieces were back facing back, and split the kids into two teams (Which really means the girls wanted to be against the boys). I blew up a gazillion black balloons into small "cannons" and the kids launched them at each other. Good times. (Sorry about the dark picture, I should have closed the curtains!)



Then.. Umm.. My George challenged the kids to a silence contest. If you make a noise you're out! The girls were Amazing! Wouldn't say boo for nothing!! As each kid went out for making a noise, I had them decorate a sail (White paper slid onto half a skewer. Once they were done, I stuck each 'sail' into their hot dogs (lunch) and my Mom threw some Goldfish crackers onto the plates. It looked so neat! (Forgot a picture though :( I saved a couple sails though, and I'll take a picture next time I make hot dogs :) ) The Hot Dogs really looked like boats! (props going out to the wise old internet for that one!)

After lunch they ran around like monsters and were really really really really really (okay, you get it) LOUD! I think we might have played another game in there, but for the life of me I can't remember, and there's no pictures. (Julie D, I think I need to hire you to take all my party pictures!!)

And then the most fun!! What Pirate gathering would be complete without a Treasure Hunt!? I had run out of time to write clues and plan out the hunt, so had all but given up on the idea. But then, about 20 minutes before the kids all got here, I magically found the coolest treasure hunt Ever! Complete with clues! The premise is the Pirates have stolen the CAKE! the clues led the kids everywhere, from the fridge, to the closet, to the bathroom, to the front door, to Aidan's room, to the kitchen, to the top of the stairs, and finally to the table, where my partner in crime (Think, my Mom), had snuck the cake while the kids were searching for their clues! It was AWESOME! So, then there was cake.



So, judging from the ridiculously flattering comments I got on Facebook, people are impressed. But seriously, I could do an entire blog on how much I dislike this cake :( I think it's the icing. I tried to use a chocolate buttercream icing, instead of using my usual tried and true recipe, and tinting it brown as I had first planned. It tasted great. And I will certainly use it again, but probably just for brownies. It was a Stubborn icing! How absurd is that!? But it's true. I found it greasy at times, and too thick at others. And I could have sold my soul to the devil and Still not gotten a smooth finish with it. I have Never wanted to throw a cake out the window more than I wanted to that one. But, all that said, Aidan was Thrilled with it. And more than one of the kids at the party didn't believe that it was actually a cake! :) That's saying something...although, they were 5, so it's a tough audience to judge :) Oh, and I goofed. I was so anxious to get the 'lid' off the cake, that I completely forgot to sing Happy Birthday to Aidan and let him blow out the candle before I took the lid off! Oops! Sorry Aidan!



After cake we did more running around like mad pirates. Screeching and hollering at the top of our (meaning their) voices. I wrangled them all together again, and got the gifts opened and thank yous said just as parents arrived. It was so great. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to play pin the X on the treasure chest, but no one seemed to miss it, and I'm glad I ended up with a back up instead of scrambling for something to do.

As each pirate headed out the door, they were given their decorated treasure chests (pictures to come of them as well) which my mom had sneakily filled with loot (Ring Pops, Candy necklaces, chocolate coins, gold bars (also chocolate), jewels for the girls, and tattoos.) I also got great deals on pirate paint kits and pirate eyepatch and earring kits, so I made sure each pirate got to take at least one of those home as well.

One of the pirates' mom's bowed to me at the school today. I'm guessing she got to hear all about how it was TOTALLY the party of the year, and that I am the coolest mom on the universe for throwing that wicked party for Aidan. :)

Oh..And did I mention that I planned this all, made the cake, pulled off the party of the year..with a RAGING case of unmedicated, undiagnosed, Tonsillitis?!? Oh yes. Fever, sore throat to the point of spitting my saliva instead of swallowing it (sorry, tmi, I know), body aches to rival a mountain climber (I"m guessing at that). I managed to drive myself to the clinic, the store to get my meds and home again before collapsing. I slept like I never have before.

And I did it with a bare minimum of help, since Al (sadly) had to do mandatory overtime on party day. Which we found out about the day before.

I don't say it often, but I am so proud of ME. :)

Hi, I'm Betty...

Hello internet. It has been 6 days since my last blog. My appologies. I have no excuses. Well, except maybe this one...



I'm my own worst critic, so I can't say that this is my favourite cake. I do like it, I think it's cute, and I am almost happy with how Nemo turned out. But it was a new technique for me, and I wish I had practiced it a few more times before coming down to the wire, and needing to use the only one I had. Oh well. My customer was thrilled with it, said everything tasted perfect, and has already ordered another cake for March, and her daughter's cake for next November as well...so I guess I'm probably just being too critical. :)

And on this weeks Menu.. a certain little boy of mine turned 5 today *SOB* *WEEP* *Sniff*. So, last year he decided he desperately wanted a Pirate party, which I am SO excited about!! So I'm in the process of making him a treasure chest cake. Why oh why do I do this to myself!? I'm terrified that the lid is going to collapse and break :( But, I'm using chocolate cake for it, which tends to be a denser cake. So hopefully it will be able to hold itself together long enough to take a picture and serve it :)

I can't believe Aidan is 5!! Where on earth did those years go!? But I must say, in the same breath, I am also very relieved that he's 5 now. Because 4?? Was a bit brutal at times!! I said with Jenna that 4 was the hardest age, and I think the same held true for Aidan. Both of them were wonderful at 2. I would have called the two's Terrific Two's for Jenna and Aidan. But the 4's will always be the Effen Fours for me :) But 5, :(, 5 makes me sad. He's not a little boy anymore. He's big, and smart, and has a personality, and opinions. I miss my little Aidan. But I do look forward to getting to know my big Aidan :)

And now.. Pictures!!