Teacher Letter

{TC eating a s'more on a stick, our new favorite treat.}

Tomorrow is the first day of school for my oldest two, and I just finished emailing E's new teacher. I am already very pleased that he is sound asleep, as last year he missed the first day after staying awake all night. A and I spent the afternoon finishing up what we weren't able to accomplish during the hurricane weekend (which I will blog about tomorrow). She now has new shoes, freshly cut hair and new earrings and I am at the top of the mother-daughter food chain. Wait, no, that sounds like I may eat her later. I just mean that she thinks I'm awesome.

TC doesn't start preschool for a few weeks, so I'm looking forward to some extra one-on-one time with him. He is such a super love bug right now that I could just eat - wait. Seriously, what is wrong with me, maybe I need a snack. Anyhow, he must tell me he loves me about seven times an hour. *swoon*

Weight Watchers is going well and I got some breathing room in a pair of jeans today. And speaking of jeans, hooray for the cool temps we got today! I do so wish that they would stay, although I know it's too early for that to happen.

So here's the letter. I liked this teacher when A had her, and my prayer has been that E would get the teacher that would be the best fit for him. He's been medicated for over a year now, and I'm really looking forward to seeing his growth as a student. The changes last year were amazing.

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Mrs. B,
I wanted to send a letter to you to say hello and reintroduce myself and my son. You may remember that you had my daughter A a few years ago. My name is Shay and my son E will be in your class this year. We’re excited about 4th grade and looking forward to an enjoyable year.
E is bright and inquisitive, and loves to talk in detail about subjects that interest him. He has an amazing memory. He lives with me and his father, along with two siblings and various pets. He loves computer games and is an excellent problem solver. He loves to be a helper and being given small tasks.
E has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, commonly called ADHD. He takes a daily medication for this that helps him enormously. Still, you will see the disorder and I wanted to give you some information that may be helpful.
E can at times have great difficulty remaining seated or need to be given multi-step directions more than once.
        Behavior charts, where E has to be accountable (with his participation in marking them) seem to work well for him. In the past his day has been broken down into 30 minute increments, with certain requirements for that time. Examples would be staying in seat, following directions, completing assignments, etc. This is of course just a suggestion, and you may find another approach more suitable.
E is a story-teller, and loves to tell tales in great detail. Sometimes you will find these are not true. We have been working on teaching him that it’s ok to be creative in story-telling, but that he cannot portray wild stories as reality. Mrs. KB has experienced this several times.
If E does not complete work during classroom time, we have found it ineffective to have him kept inside at recess, or sent to do the work with Mrs. KB or Mrs. O. E loves one-on-one time with adults as his captive audience, so this is more like a reward for him. Feel free to send uncompleted work home with him and we can work on it with him, or to handle it in another way of your choosing.
E does not make friends easily. He wants playmates, but frequently will talk another child to death and not realize that he isn't really having an interaction. He has participated in a social group with Mrs. O in the past.
E has good and bad days just like any other child. He sometimes will only need redirected once to stay on task, while other days may need multiple reminders.  I know that we are of course quite biased, but he really is an amazing young man.
My email address is...  My home phone is.... and my cell phone is... Please feel free to contact me at any time; I am at your disposal.

Many thanks,
Shay

Waiting.....

So far we've had lots of rain since early afternoon, but nothing major. The wind is picking up...

Thanks, but no thanks.

Non-drinker inundated with nosy questions

I found this little letter to Miss Manners and was thinking about my experiences with this. My friends and family know that I'm in recovery, so it's not too often that I'm either offered a drink, or questioned about why I don't drink. But honestly, it really doesn't bother me when either happens. I'm comfortable with who I am and where I am.

I was at a gathering recently and an acquaintance was having a glass of wine. We were chatting, and she suddenly remembered that I'm an alcoholic. She was apologetic, and felt very badly for not having considered my feelings before drinking in front of me.  This is very sweet, but completely unnecessary.
I have come across this kind of thinking before, where people worry about tempting someone by drinking near them. I don't want to to sound snooty, as if I have my life all nailed down, but if all it took for me to go back to the hell of alcoholism was the mere presence of alcohol, I'd be screwed.

Years ago I was at a dinner for Tom's work, and one of the other wives offered 'helpful' advice that maybe I could drink again someday. I guess she thought that some time off would give me back control over alcohol. This is not only misguided, but very dangerous and stupid advice.

Alcoholism is not the only reason that some people choose not to drink. As mentioned in the link, there are other health issues (my husband has one) or family history that lead people to abstain. It's none of anyone's business why someone doesn't drink. I also find it silly when people try to convince me that I could drink again, or just have a little, or whatever other harebrained idea they've got. I know my friends are smarter than this, but if someone out there has ever had that thought, let me relieve you of it now. If your friend or loved one is an alcoholic, their disease already tries to convince them that they could drink successfully again someday. Please don't tell them that they are not an alcoholic. Even if they are wrong, it doesn't hurt them to think it and not drink. I have accepted that I can never drink again and other people need to accept that too, and let it go.

Pinterest

I'm currently obsessed with Pinterest. I blame Janet. Here is my profile link if you want to see what I've been pinning....

http://pinterest.com/shayprendy/

Think about having a bulletin board where you tack up all the stuff you like. But multiply it by OCD and the internet, and you have Pinterest. Any time I find something I like online, I have a button on my browser to pin it. You can have a bunch of categories, such as funny stuff, foods I want to make, decorating ideas.

Here's something I pinned today. (click the picture for the recipe)

It's now saved on my Om Nom Nom board. If Janet, who I still blame, sees that I pinned this and likes it, she can repin it to one of her own boards, or just comment on it about how brilliant I am. So there's a bit of community fun built right in.

Some of my boards are very functional, such as the food one where I have pinned a ton of tasty looking Weight Watchers recipes. Other boards are just for fun, like the Mischief Managed board where I pinned a bunch of Harry Potter stuff that amuses me.
Enjoy, and happy pinning!

Overheard

TC: "Mom, I want to watch Diego Diego Go Go!"

Me: TC, I told you not to jump on the couch.
TC: That's not jumping, that's hopping!

Just a reminder....