After a pleasant couple of months with the girls (we won’t discuss the teen today) – things are going downhill at a rapid pace.
Molly is starting to fall behind in school. Her comprehension of lessons she used to excel at is slipping, her grades are following suit. I have no idea on her behaviors in school because we missed Parent Teacher conferences in the wake chaos around the teen’s hospital stay. I’ve contacted her teacher in hopes that we can develop new ways to tackle this and keep her going. She’s so smart, I don’t want her to lose that edge.
Kennedy.
Oh, Kennedy.
Her anger has always been an issue. While we’ve been seeing a massive resurgence of her anger – another threat has been lurking, ready to pounce on us out of nowhere.
Lying. Stealing. Manipulation.
I always knew she was a good liar. I kept an extra eye on her when I could.
I don’t know if it’s the recent stresses on the family, or just being in full time school, me going back to work, or just testing limits.
But it’s blown out of proportion.
Over the past two weeks we’ve caught her in two lies, the latest involving stealing. Then lying to me three times about it.
We’re calling the counselor.
She’s having recess revoked as punishment.
Now I just have to figure out how to punish her here at home.
Threats of Santa not coming have no effect.
How do I get through to this one?
What punishment would you suggest? She shares a room with her sister, and some punishments would affect both of them, which isn’t fair to her sister. So keep that in mind.
Two years ago I took a leap of faith. Despite initially cringing at the cost of a membership to the Indianapolis Zoo – I splurged and bought it to cover our family. I knew that one of the leading factors behind us never going was the cost to get in. I thought, if it’s “free” after that onset – maybe we’ll use it.
And use it we have. I re-purchased it last year and go on a moderately regular basis, weather and time permitting. Sometimes just me, but most often with the kids.
One thing about going to a smaller zoo – you learn some of the quirks. Like the brown bear always hides, the wild dogs are always asleep, and the gibbons are always chirping like mad.
This past weekend we went with the girls on a gorgeous sunny day and the zoo had turned on its head. The Gibbons were silent, letting us hear the chirping of the otters they share a cage with. The wild dogs were awake and moving all over their enclosure. Best of all, the brown bear was up close and personal – with a big friendly grin on his face.
I’m so glad that this time I took my camera – because I get to throw some of my favorites at you. Of course I have SO many, I’m struggling to pick just a few so I will beg you to please head on over to my FLICKR account to see the rest. It’s worth it, I promise…everyone was posing for my camera.
I freely admit to being a computer/internet addict.
My husband is addicted to movies (in his defense, he is equally addicted to books).
Denver is now addicted to his iPod & Netflix (i.e. Star Trek).
In the past several months we’ve started to make the conscious decision to unplug at least twice a month and reconnect by using actual words – a long forgotten art in this house it feels like sometimes.
So we unburied some board games, bought some new ones – and some new puzzles. We’re slowly building our choices of games, including ones that the youngers can play (like [amazon_link id=”B004LZ2QZW” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Sorry[/amazon_link] and [amazon_link id=”B00000IWHG” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Perfection[/amazon_link]). We have probably 5 different versions of [amazon_link id=”B0017S1Y4A” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Trivial Pursuit[/amazon_link] – including two very old ones like the [amazon_link id=”B0009RGXPK” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Classic Genus[/amazon_link] and the (vintage?) Junior edition.
We’re building a list of games we want to add, trying to find classic games we remember playing “way back when” – you know, in ancient times when 3 channels on TV forced to to be creative and play these board games.
I am plotting and trying to get Erik to agree to learn how to play Rummy. The poor guy doesn’t know how to play – and I’ve always loved a good game of Rummy.
For now our go-to game that comes out just about every time we decide to play? [amazon_link id=”B00000IWDB” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]SCRABBLE[/amazon_link]. Between the three of us over the age of 10 – it’s always a toss-up who’s going to win.
The best thing about bringing these out is it gives us a chance to sit around and actually talk. Even though it’s often about the game or nothing – it’s reestablishing some levels of communication. Letting us relax and just have fun together so that not all of our conversations revolve around a child getting in trouble for something or a movie we just saw.
What family couldn’t stand to just have fun together without technology?
I now regularly stare at my wishlist for games, and scope out the board game section at Goodwill. For Christmas I hope to add a few more options for family togetherness to my list.
With Christmas coming up, don’t you want to add some fun under your tree? What’s your favorite board game?
When one kid is in the hospital you disappear into a bubble.
The world outside of that room fades away and you are nothing but medicines and doctors and nurses and monitors.
The last time we were in the hospital we didn’t know Denver had CF. We were there for just three days and everyone was always visiting Kennedy.
This time it was Denver in the hospital and Kennedy couldn’t visit (they don’t even like CF kids living together but…well, siblings and all that). We couldn’t all be up there, and we had to switch things around and find someone to watch the girls and – chaos reined until my in-laws were good enough to take them over the weekend.
We were able to focus on the one child. The sick one. The tests and orders and plans for what would happen with him.
In the bubble things are protected – but you don’t feel whole.
Coming home is chaos. Suddenly girls are screaming and running and Denver is teasing them and it’s loud and crazy and gives me such a headache.
The bubble bursts into wild days of life bursting at the seams and homework and chores and stories of all kinds.
The bubble is safe, protected, sheltered.
Life on the outside might be dangerous, but suddenly you have peace you didn’t before.
The street I grew up on was lined with trees. Big tall trees that shed piles upon piles of leaves every year in the fall. The neighborhood kids would gather up gigantic piles to dive into, swim around in, get lost in.
My brother, being older than me, was a major ring-leader in the activities. No matter what the season, he liked to head up the games. Whether sledding in the winter, street hockey in the summer, he was in the thick of it.
Leaves was the one thing among these that I wanted to do more than anything.
How fun could that be?
The free fall with a cushioned landing.
I wanted to so much.
I never could.
I might have mentioned before that I had pretty severe allergies when I was young.
Among them were pollen, trees, tree sap, all that fun stuff.
Playing in the leaves gave me hives. All over the place.
By the time I had grown up enough that my allergies lessened we were in a brand new neighborhood with baby trees.
Now my kids live in a house with a huge tree in the backyard that drops a ton of leaves. They are never bright & colorful – but they are always plentiful. Now it’s their turn – and I love watching them bury each other in the leaves and scramble through. Even when my aware & very adult brain is protesting the dirt/bugs/need-baths-now…I love seeing the blatant joy at the simple pleasure of free falling into a pile of leaves.
[flickr id=”5993418909″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]Last year Molly and Kennedy were playing and there was an incident. A finger (or was it a dinosaur?) went astray and Kennedy got poked in the eye. Her left cornea was scratched and after almost a week of pretty hefty pain she was better. The scratch was off to the side and not a major concern.
This morning while goofing off on the bus a plastic folder went astray.
Once again the big beautiful brown eye (the left one) got in the way.
This time the scratch is right over the pupil. It’s still not very large, but the location is a concern. They don’t want it to scar.
Kennedy is miserable.
Molly? Feels horribly guilty.
Guilty to the point of thinking she was going to be on the news for what she’d done.
I reassured her that the news doesn’t cover stories like this.
After a pleasant couple of months with the girls (we won’t discuss the teen today) – things are going downhill at a rapid pace.
