Literacy

I volunteer some time at my childrens' school to assist with the "One to One Reading Program" This is great because it allows one on one attention each day for developing reading skills.

I know that illiteracy is a problem that is occuring too often and needs attention. I guess I was being naieve when I thought it was not so prevalent here but more in the U.S.

My eyes have been opened today, and I vow to do even more to help, however I can, if only in little ways.

Reading and English has always been a sort of easy subject for myself . I love to read, and my mom spent time with me as a young child and encouraged my literacy.

I have done the same with my children, both ahead of their ages in their reading ability. I am volunteering in my sons grade one class. So I know to expect various diffrent levels of abilities. However, at first I was dismayed that many of the children did not yet understand how to sound out a word, relying mostly on memorization of their little reader book. Any variation, and the word was often missed. I discussed with my husband , questioning why the could not sound out yet, he suggested maybe that this was just where Chase was ahead, and they would be geting into that more later. They are concentrating on a few words a week, as recognition.

Well, today I got an even bigger surprise, I said I could stay longer today if she would like me to help out with anything else. That would be great she said. There are a couple of students who need work with their letter sounds. So I took them into a room, armed with flash cards. Inside thinking, sheesh how do you get out of kindergarten not knowing what sound each letter makes. Well, as we were going through the cards I was heartbroken to see that not only were they having trouble knowing the sounds to all of the letters, but some of the letters they had difficulty identifying.

My heart went out to these poor children who sat squirming and avoiding my eyes when they got to a letter that they did not know what it was. They know they are supposed to know it already, how insecure it must make them feel. These children need our help. This will only lead to them wanting to hide the fact that they don't know or understand something, in any subject. And this is how they can slip through the cracks.

This is purely the fault of childrens "home figure" time should be spent ensuring that children are armed with what they need in todays society. It makes me mad that kids should have to suffer because someone does not take the time to be with them at home.

Not all children are the best at everything, but they are all capable.

I have volunteered now to make new flash cards for the class that not only show the letter but have a picture indicating the sound and underlining the letter sound in the word. I fully understand how some children learn differently, requiring pictures, or rhymes in order to remember. This is where caregivers need to be involved in their childs education. One teacher cannot teach 5 differents ways of learning to 20 different kids, she can do only the best for everyone, and hope for as much help from their home as possible.

Please, this is a plea to all families and caregivers. Tonight when you get home from that long day of work, or finally finish all the household work. Be with your child, really be with them, don't shuffle them aside because the news is on, or you need to unwind. I have found that the best way to unwind is playing with my children. You can make it fun, they are learning the whole time. Play a game of cards, do a puzzle, paint a picture, sing a song, Read A Book. And most importantly , be proud.

Arrgh

SIGH.....

HOW DO BOYS MANAGE TO COME HOME LOOKING LIKE THEY ATE AN ENTIRE SANDBOX - EVEN WHEN THERE IS ONLY GRASS........

Murder

Well, that didn't take me long - I KILLED it. Yup, it is a gonner. For those of you who do not recognize the character in the picture, it is my Venus Flytrap that I was so excited about getting.

DEAD

That sure did not take me long to kill. No sir ! I mean c'mon, you don't even have to really even water the poor thing and I managed to still kill it ! Yup, anybody who doesn't want a plant any longer, just hand it on over to me. I'll be sure and take care of that sucker for ya. Just gimme a month or two tops. It'll be dead as a doornail.

PS - doornail is a real word, I just looked it up because I was wondering where the heck that saying came from. So, a bit of non useful crappola for you :

If you hammer a nail through a piece of timber and then flatten the end over on the inside so it can’t be removed again (a technique called clinching), the nail is said to be dead, because you can’t use it again. Doornails would very probably have been subjected to this treatment to give extra strength in the years before screws were available.

So, there !

Anyways, back to me being a murderer.... it would not be so bad if I did not seem to do this regularly. Why do I even keep getting the plants ???? I wonder If it is some kind of weird outlet for me to unleash my inner beast. Boy , that's heavy.

Well, at least this one did not seem to suffer a long death, I was able to kill this one off quite quickly.

Never Alone

Once upon a dream I had,
I felt you take my hand.

You came to me when need was great,
From the Promised Land.

Your touch was warm and gentle,
your voice a melodic song.

With your hand and mine,
There could be no wrong.

Safe and protected,
Always by my side.

I learned that night,
to never fear.

For you are always near.

Oh To Be 9 Again

Kids have it sooo great !
My daughters birthday was over the weekend, and man it looked like fun.

I don't get to dress up like a diva princess and go to dinner and a movie. I would probably be arrested if I did.

No one looked at her and thought...geeze she is just one brick short... noooooo that would happen to me.

Why do we have to grow up and loose out on all the fun stuff too. Isn't it bad enough that we have to work, pay bills, be responsible for the shaping of our children, cleaning, shopping ... I could go on and on.

In fact, why don't WE get to have toys or fun stuff in our fast food. Why is theirs called a "Happy" meal, and ours our just "Biggie This" or "Jumbo That" Why don't we get a paper crown , and our meal in a cardboard ship.

I could never get away with licking the ketchup out of the little ketchup package thingy. Nor could I make funny noises loudly in public and not have people think that I have Teretz Syndrome.

Since when does growing up mean we lose out on all the stuff that was fun.

That's It - for my next birthday, I am having Diva Day. We are dressing up (feather boas and all ), having a teaparty, seeing who can burp their a,b,c's , and we will all be wearing those giant candy diamond rings !!! !!!

First Snow !

This morning was the first snow !!!
I was just as excited as the kids.

I remember, as a child waking up, my morning bleary eyes checking the window in hopes that it might have snowed overnight to find that it had ! I would then grab anything edible to eat as quickly as I could so I could race outside and breathe that first breath of clean crisp snow. There is nothing like it.

Today was perfect, my children gleefully (although quite loudly) woke me to tell me the exciting news. So I whipped up a batch of pancakes as fast as I could as the children got dresses.

So far so good.....

After breakfast, I pull out the winter clothing bin to find that children have grown leaps and bound, like kids insist on doing. Therefore nothing fits. Ahhhhhh but as a mother there must be a solution to everything.

"OK" I said. " Give me a minute to think this through."

*Solution *
Daughter : 2 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of sweatpants, sweatshirt, jacket, MY ski gloves. DAD's hiking boots tied as tightly as possible. And a touque that came out of box of Canadian.

Son : 1 pair of socks ( hey I was lucky to even get those on him), fleece pants, fleece shirt, wettish proof spring jacket, MYstretchy gloves and KAYLA's old rubber boots. Oh yes, and anoter touque that came out of a box of Canadian.

So needless to say they changed clothes at least 4 times today. But to see them outside, playing in the fresh ssnow as kids do :

hitting each other in the head with snowballs, facewashes, wrecking your siblings snowman, and then retaliate by wrecking their snowfort. Multiple times of tattle taling about who put snow down whos neck of their jacket.

Ahhhhhhh The Good Old Days

High Fives

I was "tagged" but not sure what I am doing. Have not done this before. So If I screwed it Up, I am sorry.......

High Fives

Five Favourite Movies :

1. Christmas Vacation
2. Harry Potter
3. Emperors New Groove
4. The Story Of Us
5. Pay It Forward

Five Things I Can Never Live Without :

1. My Children
2. My Dog
3. Water
4. Food
5. True Love

Five Favourite Celebrities :

1. Charlize Theron
2. Hilary Swank
3. Johnny Depp
4. Morgan Freeman
5. ???

Five Things I Miss :

1. Bandit
2. Myself
3. Nicole
4. Good Old Times
5. Having A Dad

Five Things I Plan To Do In Near Future :

1. Get Active
2. Some Kind Of New Career Move
3. Bake
4. Resolve Old Matters
5. Spend More Time Savouring Life

Last Movie Borrowed And Have Yet To Return :

None

Five Favourite Books :

1. The Bourne Identity Series
2. The People Of ... Series
3. One Day My Soul Just Opened Up
4. Tuesdays With Morrie
5. Of Mice And Men

I will now Tag :
Judi
Nicole
Kelly

What Fun

Have you ever tried to take a fish to school ?
Well, I just did ....... let me tell you, that was quite a trip. In fact, I am not quite sure that it will be returning.

My daughter, playing a game of some kind of "learning" monopoly at school, won. Her prize.....she was able to bring an animal to school that could sit on her desk ( stuffed or alive)

Now HELLO ! What kid is going to picked a stuffed animal over a real one if given a choice. You don't give them choices, gawd. Don't we al know that. Well apparently the teacher, in her infinite wisdom does not,

So after trying to convince my daughter that it is not easy to take such a thing to school (especially since the thing is half dead anyway - this I did not mention) I finally gave up. "Fine. We'll drive it to school - But you're holding it."

Now ours is in a bowlish thing just like pictured. Looks great right, does not travel so great. Especially when you are a few minutes behind schedule and must maintain a speed of 85.

We are not even halfway to school when my daughter starts bawling and saying mommy it's dead. I said that not to worry it likes to swim on its side. Do you think that worked?

Then the first big corner came. Uh-huh, you can alllllll see what is coming next I am sure. Out sloshes a puddle of water on my kids pants, making her cry more. She is telling me to pull over now, that the fish cannot survive the waves. I said, in all my great wisdom, " Are you kiddin, I bet she loves it." "I bet she is saying right this moment : Whoo Hoo Ride The Waves !" My answer from her : " BUT SHE IS SIDEWAYS MOM.

Well, now I am getting frustrated by the whole thing becuase I am the one who said it is hard to bring in the first place. Now being as smart as I am, I decide to argue and lash out at my nine year old crying daughter. YEAH, Good Move.

" Well, I am not turning this car around now, I told you it was not easy to bring, now knock it off before I stop this vehicle and just dump her out ."

SMOOTH.

So now my son decides he is going to help out my poor daughter with the sideways surfing fish, and her now soaked pants. Every corner, bump, slight variation in the road is being commentated by him, just before it happen so that my daughter is prepared for the sudden happenings.

We are coming to the last stop sign before school, when my daughter say from the backseat : "Don't come to a screeching halt, please mom."

Is that a testament to my driving or what !

All I can say is : just remember It is not easy taking a fish to school.

Stories

Have we ever truly given this enough thought ?

We wonder why some people are so screwed up. Maybe it has something to do with our upbringing and the childhood stories told religously by our parents, and then being told "Sweet Dreams" after this nightly routine.

YEAH RIGHT

Let me break it down :

1. Little Red Riding Hood
A young girl is sent out into a dark and scary forest on her own. She is then accosted by a scary wolf, which happens to be male. She manages to escape and proceed to her ailing grammas house. The perp has now bound the old lady and stuffed her in a closet and has disguised himself. Once the young girl arrives he tries to assualt her. Her saviour appears and gives chase, takes justice into his own hands, and kills the wolf.
Moral of the Story : Kill The Bastard

2. The Three Little Pigs
Young adult siblings move from their parents to make it on their own. They find places of their own, on the wrong side of town. It is not long before they are receiving death threats from the leader "up dere in da hood." Being told that "dey ain't gots no rights hangin deyselfs up eere en all dat." So they must flee their homes and head for the "safe" house. Where even there they are not safe. The neighbours band together, take justice into their own hands and decide that boiling up the assailant is the best punishment.
Moral of the Story : Kill The Bastard.

3. Hansel & Gretel
A poor brother and his sister runaway from home because of their father's new woman. They are lost, alone and afraid in the dark forest. They finally come across what they are hoping is a "block parent" house and safety. Little did they know that an old lady with a history of mental illness dwelt inside. She caged the poor children and explained to them that it was the voices telling her to this. That she must boil them and make them into soup. The children hatch a plan and manage to escape, cooking the mentally psychotic woman in her own pot.
Moral of the Story : Kill The Bitch

4. Never Cry Wolf
A juvenile deliquent boy in his teens spends many of his days alone in the woods, plotting his next trick to play on his family and friends. Through " Tough Love" however, the friends and family have been taught to ignore this behaviour, as it was only a plea for attention. The boy finds himself in serious trouble and no one to turn to, thankfully an old hermit spots the boy in trouble and weilding his M16 levels the criminal that is chasing the boy. The criminal once again being a scary male wolf.
Moral of The Story : Kill The Bastard.

And we wonder why there are screwed up people in the world. Night after night we babmboozle our kids with murder, crime, fear, and call them fairytails. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Think of :

Sleeping Beauty : witness protection, (drugs) poisioning, sexual content, murder.
Snow White : abuse, runaway, organ stealing, drugs (poising) violent death.
Cinderella : slavery, abuse, hallucinatory visions,

And many many more.....hee hee hee
Sweet Dreams :)