Thinking on a Thursday.

I so am going to start writing here more.  It has been at least 6 weeks - I've missed my blog therapy.  

To bring you up on what I am doing, well the easy answer is sliding slowly into oblivion.  Between school, my children, my husband - baseball, no basketball, hockey, dead people (ancestry) and work my life is pretty much insane.  My school is busy and almost finish - well at least this part of it.  The kids & my husband are a constant so that really isn't out of the ordinary, except that my husband is working constantly on influencing their sense of humor in ways that can only be described as LOUD.  Baseball - can't I just say TEXAS RANGERS and leave it at that?  No basketball, ugh.....hockey, I feel weird that it is hockey season without flipping channels to watch basketball during the commercials.  Work - well work is work.  I've been there 16 years so it really isn't that bad, just different.  The company has reorganized a bit and with the death of one of the founders.....sigh.....its sad to go in sometimes.

I still get out and take pictures on a regular basis, but I find that I have less and less time to be creative.  I'm looking forward to a break in school so that I can concentrate on all I have gathered in my brain and do something with it.  Hopefully, I haven't worn my brain out or burned up too many brain cells stressing about stuff that won't matter tomorrow.

I'm a dangerous mom.

So my favorite family member that is not related to me, gave me & my boys the most wonderful book the last time I was in SA.  50 Dangerous Things (you should let your children do).  We've had so much fun doing little things that the book says are dangerous.  The kids even spent a little time doing blogposts themselves about their latest adventure.

Being extra adventurous this week, I cleaned out the hall closet and found an old printer that refused to print any more.  So we chose to have a little fun doing #34 Deconstructing an appliance.  My mom and Margie have bought some small ones for when we get back to SA, but this was good practice.  At first they just wanted to get it in pieces until I sat down with them and talked about learning how they are put together and what goes where and why.  The next time we do this we should learn so much more.

So far we've licked a 9-volt battery, driven a car, spent an hour blindfolded, and learn the art of swordplay.  Hmm, maybe we should whittle next - but hopefully with pa-pa in charge.

Time to vent....

I would probably do better if I posted more regularly on this blog.  I need a place to vent and throw stuff out there.  I need advice.  I need people to reign me in before I go all crazy loon on a particular issue.   That being said, I need to let loose.

My baby is yet again not being given a fair chance.  He's got vision issues, you've heard that before.  But this year as room mom, I've seen a whole different side of education and I'll tell you I don't like it one bit.  My child is in an exemplary, blue ribbon elementary school.  SO WHAT.  He's gotten farther behind, because of either lack of funds, lack of interest in forwarding my child, a total lack of communication between parent & teacher and lack of follow up with special education.

I find disorganization from the teachers appalling.  Several of us moms made ourselves available to the teachers to make their copies for them, to do folders, to take some of the daily busy duties away from them so they could focus on our kids.  The problem, they couldn't get organized enough to let us help them, we sit there and waste our time waiting on them.  We go up to help and instead of having a stack of stuff ready for us they are still conferring on what homework will be ready to go home that afternoon - mind you it is 30 minutes until the school day is over.  There is a lack of control by the teachers in some of the rooms, there is a lack of organization from most of them, there is too much yelling.  And my personal favorite, the reading teacher who doesn't turn her light on in her classroom.

@*&$(#  !(#$&#   *$&@#!

I'm waiting patiently for the Special Ed coordinator to call me back.  I've talked to the assistant principal, I'm trying really hard to compose an email to the teacher that is basically now the bane of my existence.  I have to take care of this logically and without emotion, and that is h-a-r-d for me.  I want to go in there guns blazing and with a take no prisoners attitude.  Don't tell me I need to homeschool him, I am no teacher and never will be and private school is not an option.  This school needs to be completely and totally aware of the fact that they are stuck with my kid and I can only do so much and that depends on communicating to me what his problems are.  You will have to explain his test scores to the world when he fails and you lose your coveted exemplary, blue ribbon status.  YOU AND YOU ALONE.