30 Days of Gratitude: Day Twenty-Two

I am grateful for my middle child -- "LittleDuckling".

When I was ready to have another baby, I was excited at how easily I became pregnant.  My second pregnancy wasn't nearly as bad as the first, although toward the end I was sick all the time and I had gall bladder disease that went undiagnosed until about 5 weeks after he was born.  Labor and delivery however, was just as hard as with the first.  I often remind LittleDuckling that he will never be able to repay me for the 28 hours of labor I endured, haha.  All kidding aside though, I remember when the monitor beeps indicated distress and that this baby's entry into the world was a struggle.  With the chord wrapped twice around his neck, every contraction I had was cutting off his oxygen supply.  I was truly grateful once he finally made his debut.

Although his older brother was a small baby at 6 lbs 15 oz, LittleDuckling was definitely the runt at 5 lbs 8 oz.  He was a tiny baby and opposite of his older brother was the quiet one.  He was content to cuddle with me for hours all day...  in fact, that's all he ever wanted to do.  He didn't like to be put down.  I used to strap him into my "snuggli", freeing my hands to do housework.  Like baby Roo, he spent the majority of his first six months attached to Mommy.

I remember being worried that he would never talk because as an infant he was so much quieter than his older brother and as he neared his first birthday he hadn't even tried to speak.  Finally, just weeks before turning one, he uttered his first word, "pease" (please).  He loved to eat, and learned the quickest way to get more was to hold out his hand, flash his dark brown eyes and wide grin while saying, "pease?"  It was seriously the cutest thing ever.  Incidentally, "more" was his second word.

Once he started walking and talking he was content to be alone and NOT in the spotlight like his brother.  He isn't as outspoken although I have learned over the years that doesn't mean he isn't opinionated.  When asked, I have learned that he has some pretty strong opinions about quite a few things.  He enjoy writing as well, and has a vocabulary that blows me away for a kid of thirteen.  Sometimes he will say the funniest things, and just cracks me up - mostly because I don't expect it from him, he's so quiet.  When he does break into giggles, it is contagious... he has the best laugh ever.  One thing I noticed about him as he is growing up is that he will often try to include everyone in the group.  Last year he volunteered for peer tutoring in the special needs class at school.  I was surprised as I didn't even know he would want to do something like that.

He has always been my more sensitive one.  Because of that, it makes him sensitive to others.  As a little boy there wasn't an hour in the day that went by without him telling me he loved me.  He would also apologize when he acted out and he was the first to say "thanks for dinner" when we were finished eating.  He does have quite an appetite (unlike his much pickier brother) and I enjoy cooking for him knowing he will like it.  Ironically, my "LittleDuckling" is now bigger than his big brother.  I am amazed at how fast he is growing...  I can't seem to keep his wardrobe up with his growth spurts and because his brother is smaller than him, the days of hand-me-downs are long gone.

I am pleased with the choices he has been making lately as he is entering his teenage years and hope that he will continue to progress.  When he wants something, he doesn't wait for it to happen -- he makes it happen.  I love him so much and glad I am the lucky one that gets to be his mom.

I am grateful for my middle child.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day Twenty-One

I am grateful for my oldest son--  "FunnyMan".

I remember when he was born...  it was not an easy pregnancy and the labor was no different.  Being an inexperienced 19 year-old mom was probably a good thing; I had no other pregnancies to compare it to so I really didn't grasp the danger he was in.  I was hospitalized three different times in the first trimester and on partial bed-rest during the last.  He was in major distress during labor and delivery that they didn't take the time to suction his airway before literally ripping him from me and rushing him off.  I had no idea that wasn't normal.  And the teensy-weensy island hospital I was in didn't even HAVE epidurals, so I was completely exhausted after the ordeal.  It wasn't until later it all sort of impacted me and I realized that I was truly blessed to have a healthy baby.

For the nearly the first four years of his life he was an only child and I found pure joy in being his mommy.  The one thing I noticed right away, is that he liked to be where the action was.  There was no putting him down in a crib or a playpen.  He wanted to be able to see everyone and be a part of whatever was going on. He used to crane his neck from his baby swing just to see what the rest of us were doing.  From his early baby stages he was fascinated by the TV and more so by movies.  He didn't care for cartoons either -- he liked regular movies. By the time he was a toddler he had every word to nearly every movie we owned memorized verbatim.  If we rented a movie, I had to watch it before he did.  Otherwise, he'd sit an quote movie lines throughout the entire thing...  He was 2 1/2.

This kid has quite a bit of personality and always makes me laugh.  He was a ham as a little boy and can still pull in a crowd.  He was always good at making faces, doing voices and accents and getting the timing of a joke or story just right.  In kindergarten he was given an award for always being kind to others and "rooting for the underdog".  He is still like that and he still likes to be a part of the action.  He doesn't notice the color of a person's skin nor does he care about their social status, religion, or cultural background;  he genuinely likes people and loves to be around them.

As a teenager he does things without being asked, like his laundry.  He's been doing his own laundry since he was 14 and I love that.   He's had odd jobs here and there since he was little -- and mostly involving acting.  He's been an extra in several movies and commercials, and as of late he has acted in Haunted Houses and in his high school theater department.  He is a talented amateur filmmaker and writer as well.  He has ambition to succeed at the things he loves and I know that if and when the right opportunity comes along as an adult, he will go far.

I love this kid with all my heart and I am grateful for him.

Inquiring Minds Wanna Know

I have three children. All of them are intelligent and creative and think things I never woulda thunk when I was their age. Or if I did think those things, I usually just kept my inquisitions to myself. But not my daughter. Nope. She is an asker.

As a toddler...

Her: Why is the sky blue, Mommy?

Me: Because it just is.

Her: But WHY, Mommy?

Me: Because God made it that way.

Her: Why did God make it that way, Mommy?

Me: Uh... I don't know. Ask God.

As a kindergartener...

Her: How did popcorn get invented?

Me: I don't know. I suppose that someone dropped some kernals into hot oil on accident.

Her: But what made them think to taste it to see if it was good?

Me: Um... ask God?

As a 2nd grader...

Her: So, I've heard that tomatoes are fruits, is that true?

Me: Yup.

Her: What's the difference between fruits and vegetables then?

Me: Um... fruits are of the vine?

Her: Apples don't grow on vines. And would that mean a pumpkin is a fruit?

Me: Oh, well, then I think that fruit have flowers first.

Her: Bananas don't start off as flowers.

Me: Google it?

Fast forward.

The types of questions my 5th grader has asked as of late:

Is a pineapple a citrus fruit? What about a coconut? Is that even a fruit at all or is it a nut? And while we're on the subject, Avocados have a really huge pit -- perhaps that is really a nut of sorts. And why exactly were the Montagues and Capulets at odds with each other? I mean, why all the brawling in the streets? And if the Latin meaning of the word Amat means "love", and the root of the word Amateur is the Latin word "amat", then shouldn't the word Amateur have something to do with love? Why do phobias all have weird names? And why are they all Greek words? You're what, twenty-something years older than me? That means you'll be eighty-something years old when Halley's comet comes around again? And is it pronounced Hal-lee's or Hay-lee's? I've heard people say it both ways. What's the weather going to be like tomorrow?

My answers?

I don't know, Google it. Not sure, did you Google it? That's a good question, you should Google it. Um... oh look, Greg on Facebook says... Check Wikipedia for that one. I don't know, they just do. Yes. I suppose. I don't really know... I guess you could Google it. Check weather.com.

When I say Inquiring Minds Wanna Know, I wasn't kidding. She has questions for just about anything, at any time, any where. The wheels in her head are always turning. Always.

But, I must say, she comes by it honestly. Her Granddad is like that. He wonders and thinks and finally tinkers with the things that he thunk, which makes him a tink. hehe.

Since she was in Kindergarten she's wanted to be a pediatric nurse. But she is always curious about space and the stars and planets and about weather and the environment and animals, etc. I think this girl is a Scientist. I can easily see her become a research nurse, if there were ever such a thing. When she has a question about something, she doesn't let go until she finds the answer or solution. I think this is why she'd make a great researcher or scientist or doctor or even nurse.

To all of those questions she's asked over the years, she will often research and find out the truth for herself. And then of course she will share her new found knowledge with me. Haha.

Am I smarter than a Fifth-Grader? Not always! :)

You Can Take this Reading Log and --

DISCLAIMER - It is not the intent of the author to offend or harm any readers, especially those readers who may be educators. Please note the views expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of other slacker moms. Objects in mirror may be larger than they appear. :)

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All right -- we've already established {{HERE}} that I am a Slacker Mom. Ain't no shame... I admit it.

That being said, just a few teensy-weensy little things I need to blog about in hopes for some commiseratin' with my Bloggy Peeps!

Planners & Reading Logs. I HATE signing daily planners and weekly reading logs for my kids. As soon as *I* have to start signing something on a regular basis, it then becomes *MY* homework.

**sigh**

Besides, I am busy enough with my OWN planners and Reading Blogs! I work all day and then have to rush off to school in the evenings, and then when I do get home I am trying to get one kid in the shower, one kid tucked into bed, one missing kid tracked down because he isn't at home on time, all while trying to get my own homework done. I don't have time to check backpacks and look for reading logs!

Here's the thing. Just because I am a Slacker Mom doesn't mean that I don't care about my children's education. I *DO* care. I just don't want to have to sign some planner or piece of paper to prove it. Quite frankly, if your mornings are at all like mine, you're running a few minutes late, one kid can't find his backpack, the other is all of a sudden remembering the volcano he was supposed to have made and bring to science class that morning, while the other is standing in the bathroom, crying because her hair looks "dumb"! And if you *DO* remember to sign ANYTHING, you're sure as heck not going to read it first! Read it? Who does that??? I guess the Slackerless Moms do. (Shut up. I know it's not a real word... but I'm using it anyway.)

What really chapped my hide (we really oughta update that phrase) was when FunnyMan was in Jr High and he practically failed English (his BEST subject) because he failed to turn in reading logs! When I asked the teacher at the parent-teacher conference how on earth this could be, she simply replied that the reading logs were worth 100 pts a week! I was all, "For real?"

It didn't (and still doesn't) make sense to me! Never mind the fact that he is a great speller and never had to practice a single spelling test in his life and aced each one since the first grade just fine. Never mind the fact that the kid uses proper English/Grammar not only in his writing but in his everyday language. Never mind the fact that he is a super-creative and stellar writer and teachers all the way back to his kindergarten years have been super-impressed by my genius of a child because he can write the best essays and stories and poems. Never mind the fact that ALL of his standardized tests have ALWAYS indicated reading and writing skills 2-4 years ABOVE his current grade level. YOU, dear high-and-mighty-you-don't-know-what-sort-of-a-slacker-mom-you're-dealing-with-teacher, YOU are going to FAIL my son because he hasn't brought you a little piece of paper with my signature on it saying that he reads?!?!?!?!?!

Asinine.

That was the point in which I went home, went online, printed off a butt-load of reading logs, signed them all and told him to keep them in his locker.

I could understand if my kid had a hard time reading. But, he didn't then and he doesn't now. I could understand if my kid spent all day in front of the TV. But he didn't then and he doesn't now. Do you want to know how he spent his "free time"? (And still does)

WRITING!!!

That's right, Ms. Teacher. He spent his free time writing screen plays and film scripts! (He does that now too!) He spent time researching online, learning the correct terminology and the intricacies of what goes into film-making and then he applied the knowledge he learned. Yeah, You kinda sorta need to know how to read and write to do all of that! (Which he did and still does.) He then takes his script to his besties and he directs and films his projects with them. (He still does too!)

His dream is to be a filmmaker one day; to write and direct. He is uber-serious about it too. He even created his own independent production company, designed the logo and all! "Get Popcorn Productions".

I don't see how having his mother sign a stupid reading log is going to help him fulfill his future dream. Except of course he needs the stupid logs to get the stupid grade! Grrr.

Now, LittleDuckling is in Jr. High, and that battle is starting all over again. Only *THIS* time I can't vent about it at parent-teacher conference, because I have CLASS! (Not to mention, I didn't really want to go anyway... cuz I'm a SLACKER!)

But really. My kids have very expansive vocabularies. They always have too. English is not hard for them.... just the blasted logs! And I totally love teachers that email the class schedule for the week to the parents. THAT I think is cool. They are keeping the parents informed and then leaving it up to us to check up on our kid. And I *do* think it's great the school provides every kid with a planner. It teaches them to be organized. Nothing wrong with that.

Just don't give ME the homework of signing it, cuz now I'll just sign it without even looking at it just to get it outta my face.

Yep. That's how I do... cuz I am a Slacker Mom!

ps~ if you're one of those parents who absolutely LOVES signing reading logs and student planners, well, then -- you go on with your bad self and sign until your little hearts content. Just don't tell me about it. Not in the mood to be looked down upon by Slackerless moms today. haha!