29. Or 30. Or Maybe 65 (Nov 29, 2008)

When someone tells me they are 30, I don't ever think of them being old. It's My Birthday today But when it comes to ME being 30, I feel decrepit. I feel depressed about it. I know it's just a number. I know I'm not the first woman to turn 30. I'm the "big 3-0" today I know I'm only as old as I feel blah blah blah.

A teenager at the place I work at said to me a while ago when she found out I was almost 30, "Whoa! You don't look that old!" Burn! I know it was a compliment, but it could have been said with a wee touch more couth.

I have decided I am going to be one of "those" women. Happy Birthday to me I am going to be 29 again. I can recycle a number, can't I? I mean, after all, it is just a number, right? 29 wasn't necessarily one of my most memorable years, but it sounds so much better than me being thirty! I don't care how old I am, I still want a cake dang it. But it better only have 29 candles

I think one of the reasons it's bothering me so much, is my boyfriend is only 26. Well, he will be in 2 days. So not fair! he thinks it's funny how I say I'll stay 29 for one more year. His response? "Yeah. And I wanna stay 25 for another year." Jackass.
I better be getting something good for this birthday, with the said birthday being today
Maybe I'll feel better about turning 30 when I let myself turn 31.

Maybe.

Or maybe I'll feel better about it tomorrow.

OR I could just lie until it's painfully obvious that 29 has been overly recycled. I figure (I hope!!) that will be when I'm 40. Then I'll lie and say I'm 39. How sweet would that be? By-pass 30-38 all together? Oh yeah! But When I turn the ripe old age where I'm classified as a senior, I'll be all over that one. Seniors get kick ass deals on things! Who would want to miss out on that?! Okay. 30 isn't sounding too too bad now... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!! Oh. I mean, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!! :)

I didn't even get to sleep in today. Booooooooooo!!!!

Concocted by Lana@The Kids Did WHAT?! at approximately 6:13 AM 9 reflections

Random (Nov 28, 2008)

Six random things.

1 ~ If I eat honey, I get a severe stomach ache. This only started about 5 years ago.

2 ~ I think toes (for females) look very odd without nail polish. I have polish on, but it is very neglected. Chipping like crazy! I'm better off right now taking it off and risk having odd looking colourless toes!

3 ~ I like to scare my cat. I love her to pieces, but I can't help myself. The way she leaps into the air with a back flip and a "Oh-my-God-I'm-going-to-die" look on her face sends me into hysterics. OH! Maybe THAT'S why she's trying to kill me!!

4 ~ The stretch marks I got from my pregnancy with my son don't bother me one iota. (I didn't get any with my second pregnancy) The hangy pooch of excess skin/fat/baby mush belly that will never go away even after I lose more weight and exercise like crazy? THAT bugs me.

5 ~ It's my birthday tomorrow I think I will be okay with turning 30, since I discovered something else that I don't want. Ever. Grey hair. Don't have any...yet. *KNOCK ON WOOD!!!*

6 ~ My hair is very long, but most people wouldn't know it. I wear it up 99% of the time. But I won't cut it. Just a trim, maybe once a year. I'm too chicken!!

Thursday Thirteen #7 - Crashident. X2 (Nov 27, 2008)

First off, I would like to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends! In case you didn't know, in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving the second Monday in October. I am preparing myself for insane amounts of jealousy, and will be arming myself with a bib. To catch the drool as I look at your photo's and read about your turkey dinners over the next few days! I may have already had my turkey dinner, but it doesn't mean I'm not ready for more!!

~~~~~~

Thirteen Reasons WHY TUESDAY WAS A BITTERSWEET DAY

1. I rear ended someone.

2. No one was hurt.

3. No damage to EITHER car. On the outside... (My car is a red 1996 Mercury Sable. The car I hit? A blue 1996 Mercury Sable!!)

4. My car wouldn't start after. Hello Mechanic.

5. My mother was able to pick my son and I up.

6. She lectured me...Because she couldn't find her crock pot insert and lid that I borrowed. At Easter. (Um, Mom? I know. Sorry. Get that back to you ASAP. Promise. But the timing was kinda crappy to bring up that sort of thing. you couldn't wait another hour till I calmed down???)

7. Mom let me borrow her car to meet the tow truck driver at my broken car. (THANKS MOM! OK. I forgive the crock pot/timing issue)

8. *I* get REAR ENDED on the WAY TO MY BROKEN CAR. You know, The one that is BROKEN because *I* REAR ENDED someone. (Can we say IRONY, boys and girls???)

9. A teeny tiny iddy biddy scratch on mom's car. That's it. PHEW.

10. The first guy, the one I hit? He said no matter the damage, he wasn't going to claim it. He was SUPER nice. He said his car wouldn't be "worth fixing up, as it is just a beater car."

11. Unintentional slam, I'm sure, but go back up and read what's in parenthesis in number 3. Dude. Your "beater car" is MY only car!! But thank you for being so helpful and kind with everything else!!

12. Braden asked me about 3 micro seconds after impact "Why did you do that Mommy?! Why did you hit that car?", in an admonishing tone. I told him (In a not so nice voice), "Because mommy likes to live on the edge, Braden. I figured you might have some questions about accidents, and I wanted to show you what it was like. ALRIGHT?!" Thankfully my son understands the "tone" and knows there was no "reason" that mommy can't drive, other than the fact that, well, apparently Mommy can't drive.

13. No one was hurt. And my mom rocks. Even when she's more concerned about her crock pot than the mental state of her daughter. (Heh heh...Hi Mom! cough cough...Love you!)

Concocted by Lana@The Kids Did WHAT?! at approximately 6:22 AM 3 reflections

WW - Bridal Viel Falls, BC (Nov 26, 2008)

Concocted by Lana@The Kids Did WHAT?! at approximately 6:14 AM 8 reflections

It's All In The Mouth (November 25, 2008)

Braden brought home his first report card (for grade two) on Friday. What a difference from grade one. He is still behind in reading, but the fact that he IS reading is awesome. I attribute that 100% on his amazing teacher. Sure, we read at home, but I just don't have the "proper" techniques that Braden needed to gain confidence and actually try. Braden, for some reason, has always had the mindset of "If I can't get it NOW or do it correctly NOW, then I just won't do it." That SUCKS!!! It makes me want to rip my hair out! So the fact that he is reading and writing little stories is awesome. He is doing awesome in math and science. I still haven't heard from his speech therapist, who said she was going to call me 2 weeks ago. He sees her once a week at school. If I don't hear from her by the end of this week, I'm gonna have to hunt her down. I need to know what they are doing with him, and what I can do at home to help him "sort out his thoughts".
But his schooling! Incredible! I am so proud of him. I'm happy too! Most importantly, Braden is proud of himself and is really happy too.


Braden continues to be my little helper. He loves to help. He loves to feel important and special. What kid doesn't? But Braden, ... I can't describe it. The garbage needs to go out? He's your man. The floors need to be vacuumed? Call on the Braden-ater! Anything. He needs and wants to be there.

He helped me bake shortbread cookies on Sunday and had a blast. So did I. You see, I can't stand it when kids are in the kitchen with me. Any kids. I like things MY way. I hate hate hate it. I worry they'll get hurt. I worry they'll move something and I won't be able to find it. I worry they will just plain old be in my way, and things won't get done in the time frame I want them done in. Silly I know. But true. He was very impressed with himself, and he did a great job.

Thanks for all your help buddy! When does Mommy love you? That's right baby, ALL THE TIME.

I love when he falls asleep in the car. At home, I don't make it a habit to watch him fall asleep. But I get a fit of the giggles every time I glance in the rear view mirror and watch "The mouth story".

You see, I can tell when Braden is faking sleep. He doesn't sleep with his mouth closed. Ever. So when he's faking, his mouth is closed. When he's out? It's a gaping hole in his head. It's so much funnier in the car since gravity helps pull his mouth open even more, being in a sitting position. (The really weird thing? With his mouth wide open as he sleeps, he still breathes through his nose. Weird, eh?)

Let me illustrate, shall I?

Going...


Going...


GONE!!


Sweet dreams my little man!

Concocted by Lana@The Kids Did WHAT?! at approximately 6:16 AM 3 reflections

B-Day Party Pics (November 23, 2008)

As promised. I know you've all been dying to see pictures of a 3 year olds b-day party, whom 99.999% of you have never met. Wait no longer my friends. :P

Mackenzie wanted to wear her fairy princess Halloween costume for her third b-day party. How appropriate. :)
I know I've been posting about Kenzie a lot lately. Braden posts coming soon!

Here's a few of my favourites from yesterday

Mackenzie & Daddy

The cake she picked out

Mommy cheesing it up for the camera

Cake time!

Show me how old you are now, Baby!

Her new baby from Papa


Intently "reading" the card from Great Grandma & Grandpa

The Party That Wasn't & The Party That Will Be (November 22, 2008)

Today is Mackenzie's long awaited birthday party. I had to postpone it from last Saturday, because she had the flu. And so did I. She's 100% back to her regular divaness, where as I am about 70% better. Whatever. I'm not complaining. I'll take 70% better over 100% attached to the toilet, any day!

She turned three last Sunday. She hardly ate a thing that day. We still wanted to do something for her, so Aaron went to the store and picked up some cupcakes. I put 3 candles in one and we (Aaron, Braden and myself) sang Happy Birthday to her. Her face lit up and she was very excited. She blew out the candles, licked the icing, somehow got icing on her toes, licked her toes, and said she had enough. Here are some pics. Tomorrow I'll TRY to have b-day party pics posted. Okay Shannon? ;)

Blowing out her candles


Daddy let her eat on the couch. Hmmm. Having a taste of the icing.


Braden enjoying his cupcake


She somehow managed to get icing on her toes. And she wasn't going to let it go to waste!


Even though she was sick, she was still a very happy girl.

I've... (November 21, 2008)

I saw this meme in a couple different blogs and kept meaning to do it. It's super quick. Which is good because I don't have any time this morning!! (So sorry sugartits. This one's all about ME today.;))

OK, the rules are simple. Copy and paste the list, putting the things you've done in bold. I'm not tagging anyone, just play if you want to. (Let me know if you do it so I can see!!)

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain Mount Cheam, and Mount Seymour
9. Touched an iceberg - Touched one? Hell, I walked on one!!
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma - I plan to donate blood someday. I really do!
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox Twice!!
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby Twice!
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee Many, many times
100. Had sex outside

Thursday Thirteen #6 (November 20, 2008)

Shut up Sugartits. This is MY blog and I'll publicly love you if I want to.

Thirteen Things about WHY I LOVE MY BEST FRIEND 1. Because she lets me call her sugartits. 2. We share the same disgustingly morbid sense of humor. 3. She is the ONLY person (whom I have EVER had any sort of relationship with) that has NEVER made me angry. Which is a mystery because I get annoyed with EVERYTHING and everyone. 4. She's the only one who will ever understand and appreciate the "great bathtub mounting" incident. (They're normal boys, right??) 5. She can find the good in anyone. 6. Babies and soy sauce. 'Nough said. 7. She's one of the bravest people I know, even if she doesn't see it herself. 8. She uses idle threats on her kid. Just like me. Welll.. Maybe a teeny tad more than me, but that's just to make me feel better about my parenting skills...;) We can do this parenting thing, right? 9. She was there with me when I gave birth to my daughter. She didn't tell me to "shut up" once, nor did she say "Eww!". Not even when I peed on the towel. Or when she saw me butt flippin naked. (Are your eyes okay? Do they still burn randomly? So sorry...) 10. She lets me make fun of her husband when he calls a dinning room suite a "dinning room SUIT". (Love you Jason, ya big monkey) 11. Eleven years later she's still trying to convince me that she really DOES like me. (But, are you sure??) 12. Because I can talk to her about anything, and she shows zero judgement. 13. Because not only are we best friends, we're soul friends. I love you Shannon!!!

WW - Smell This! (November 19, 2008)

Taken in October of 2007

And So It Begins (November 18, 2008)

My son noticed the other day that there are Christmas decoration downtown on the street lights. I HATE THAT!! It's November!! I know it's a ploy to remind people Christmas is coming so start your shopping now, but can't it wait until at least the last week of November if not December 1st?

Anyhow, seeing the decorations inspired Braden to start writing a list for Santa. So far these are the items he has. Keep in mind he just turned 7 in July:

- Electric guitar with giant speakers to plug into. (equals noise. Soo...NOPE)
- Alarm clock. (why? He's the first one to wake up anyways!!)
- An ipod. (Heh. No WAY. I didn't get mine till about 6 months ago, he can wait too!)
- A laptop. (HAHAHAHAHA!! You ain't getting one before me, kiddo!)
- A cell phone. (Again boy, you are SEVEN!!

I went over the list with him and asked what kind of toys he wanted. "That's it Mommy. All on my list is what I want. That's it. Oh yeah. And some really cool Geo shock shoes."

...??? Geo shock shoes? Never heard of them. He says he saw them on TV commercials at Grandma's house. (We don't have cable..Oh how I wish we did!!) He said "All the cool kids are wearing them." WTF? I thought this request for name brand clothing crap wasn't suppose to happen till much later?? Silly Mommy.

Yesterday Braden told me he heard Santa's bells jingling far off in the distance. I told him "I don't think so bud. I'm pretty sure Santa is still in the North pole helping his elves make toys."

Braden disagreed. He said, "No Mommy. Santa doesn't make the toys.... He makes his lists and checks them twice."

You're right buddy. Silly Mommy, once again.

Aftermath Bath (November 17, 2008)

Aftermath Bath

I love this. I love it when the kids have had a great day with each other, minimal fighting and continue to love and be silly with each other at the end of the day.

After their bath, they snuggled together on the chair and shared a snack of raisins. They giggled and put on their own type of comedy show. The best part about it was how they just killed themselves laughing. You know those full blown belly laughs that melt your heart and make you laugh too? Yeah. Those ones.

3 Years Ago Today (November 16, 2008)

3 minutes old new

Wow. Has 3 years really passed by this quickly? I can't believe. My baby girl is 3!!

Kenzie on her first birthday:



Kenzie and her first B-day cake:


Kenzie on her second birthday:


Kenzie and her second year b-day cake:


Kenzie today, her 3rd B-day:
(Well, they were taken yesterday, but whatever!)



She's so beautiful.

I'll have to post party pics next weekend. My little girl has the flu, so I postponed her party until next Saturday. Get better soon baby girl. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEET LITTLE PRINCESS!!

~~~
The Story:

According to my Dr. and ultra sound(s), Kenzie's due date was Dec. 12. According to MY calculations, I said her due date was the 6th of Dec. So my Dr and I met in the middle and pleased each other by saying her due date was Dec 9th. Silly us. She had her own plans. November 16th, 2005 she graced my world with her appearance. 6 pounds, 9 ounces, (Or was it 8 ounces?) and 21 inches long. Or was it 19 inches...? I don't remember!! (Sorry sweety. But I'm sure it's written down. Somewhere. I hope.)

On Nov 15th, I read an email. I can't remember what it said exactly, but it made me mad. REALLY MAD. An hour later I felt "crampy". Being child number 2, I SHOULD have known, but figured it was braxton hicks or just cramps.

That evening I had a BURST of energy. I re-arranged my living room. I moved everything. I cleaned the house from top to bottom. I showered and shaved my legs. Or did I? Shannon, you were there... were my legs hairy? whatever.

I remember having cramping on and off through out the night.it would wake me up just enough to feel, and sometimes my moaning was what woke me. They were pretty inconsistent too. At some point, I believe it was about 2am, I literally said out loud, "God. You know me. You know I have to be hit with a 2x4 to get the point across. I do NOT want to go to the hospital just to be sent home. PLEASE give me a very clear sign so I now when it's time. Thanks", and I went back to sleep. For about 10 mins. My contractions were still irregular, but getting stronger. I moved to my living room and slept on my recliner. It helped immensely.

At 7:50am, I woke up to the weirdest feeling/sound EVER. I heard AND felt a pop. Like a balloon full of jello popping in me. Even though it didn't happen with Braden, I knew exactly what it was. My water broke. Wait. No it didn't. It burst. It's amazing how quickly thoughts run through your head, eh? Because the nano second I felt that pop, I thought of all the articles that say amniotic fluid can ruin furniture, etc. So instead of lowering the footrest and getting out normally, I rolled over the side of my recliner to "save" it. It worked!

I usually sleep in the buff. That night I slept with my clothes on. Thank goodness I did! So much water came out of me, that as I was running, yes, RUNNING to the bathroom, the weight of the water pushed my pants down! I couldn't believe it. I got to the bathroom and more fluid poured out. I looked at my belly and watched it drop down. I felt so heavy. And then my tummy was shrinking. Where the hell did the baby go?!?! I literally looked in the toilet. Nope. No baby. This is good. I still can't believe how much amniotic fluid came out of me!

I took this opportunity to say "Yo! Thanks God! Now THAT'S the kind of sign I was looking for!" My contractions stopped. I didn't have another one for about an hour/hour and a half.

I'm going to save you from all the details. The whole part above happens to be my favourite, so I shared. The rest is just your basic "I popped a baby out of my vagina and I blame the nurses for everything because this MUST be there fault they were evil and blah blah blah kind of stuff"

Oh yeah. Braden, my first, was a c-section. So I am SO SO happy I got to deliver Mackenzie vaginally. I would NOT have done it without the epidural though. Kudos to all you ladies who have done it drug free. You are my hero!!

The Dr who was there for the delivery wasn't my regular Dr. but I knew there was a possibility of that. Dr. S, who was there, was AWESOME. He had a great sense of humour too. He was chatting with the nurse when I realised he was massaging my perineum.
Um... okaaay... Sort of odd, but whatever.. So I asked him "When you're done with that, could you massage my feet next?" He looked kind of shocked at first, like he was trying to process what I had said to him. Then he laughed. He didn't rub my feet. Bastard. From what the nurse said, turns out not many others had requested that before. I wonder why? I mean, if he's gonna get that personal, he may as well do the feet too, right?

So my water broke at 7:50 am, and I gave birth at 7:44pm.

My life has never been the same and for that I am grateful.

Happy Birthday Princess Kenzia!!

Then Comes Worse (Novemer 15, 2008)

Bad - You're down to your last cigarette and can't go to the store due to children sleeping.
Worse - You light your last cigarette at the wrong end.


Bad - Dribbling coffee on a customer's pant leg.
Worse - Dropping a container of syrup on a customer's pant leg. You know. That same customer.


Bad - Having a bathtub take 30 minutes to drain after a bath or shower.
Worse - Hearing the almost 3 year old child saying "Bye bye cotton balls" while holding an empty bag. And staring down the bathtub drain.


Bad - laughing at some dufus who has a sock stuck to the back of their pant leg.
Worse - Having a co-worker tell you 2 hours into your shift that you have a MAXI PAD stuck to YOUR leg. (unused, thank GOD.)


Bad - Being an idiot with friends and talking with an exaggerated lisp to sound funny.
Worse - Not realising until it's far too late that the friend of your friend actually has a lisp.


Bad - yelling at your son to "Come out of the closet!" for the 1,365,324 time that day. (What is so appealing about playing in a bedroom closet??)
Worse - Your son comes out of the bedroom 5 minutes later, crying, because he wants to be She-Ra, Princess of Power, but his 3 yr old sister won't let him.


Bad - Driving around for a month with the emergency brake light coming on every time you make a right hand turn.
Worse - The emergency brake light going off, but now your car jolts and jumps when you go over 30km per hour (That's about 45/50 mph)


Bad - Being in denial about your kids getting older because it means you are aging too.
Worse - Not planning or preparing the party you've been telling her about until last minutes notice, because Mommy is a giant walking brain fart.
(Turns out I'm postponing her party until NEXT Saturday. Poor little thing has the stomach flu)

By The Powers Of Greyskull!! (November14, 2008)

Every once in a while before bed, the kids and I look at funny cartoons or music videos on you tube. A few weeks ago Aaron and I were reminiscing about cartoons we watched as kids. For shits and giggles we pulled up "He-Man".
That caught Braden's eye pretty quick.

Last weekend Aaron found a double DVD with a total of 14 or so episodes of "He-Man". Guess what we did all day Saturday? You guessed it. The four of us sat there for hours watching He-Man.

The next day, Sunday, I had to work. Aaron found a movie online with both He-Man AND She-Ra. Sweet!

I came home from work that day to find out Mackenzie had left a few hours previous. In her place was "She-Wa, Pwincess O' Powrrrr!"

Throughout this past week has been sword fighting (Funny, I don't recall the "real" She-Ra and He-Man sibling duo duking it out with their swords...), begging and pleading to get another cat so we can name it "Cringer", and more begging and pleading for a "Horse with wings, just like She-Wa's"

Mackenzie is still going strong. I called her over to me and this is how it went -

Me - "Mackenzie, come see mommy please"

Kenzie - (Mortified) "I am NOT KENZIE! I am She-Ra, Princess Of POWER, Mommy!"

Me - "Oh. Sorry honey. She-Ra, please come here for a minute"

Kenzie - "Okay Mommy. I comin."

She gets pretty ripped off when I call her brother "Braden".

This usually happens in the car on the way to school

Kenzie - "Hims is He-Man, mommy! Not 'Baden'! Right 'Baden'??"

Braden - (Big sigh) "Mackenzie, I don't want to play right now."

Kenzie - "Yes you DOOOOOO!! You is the He-Man and I. Is. Your. Sister. She-RAAAAA!!"

Braden - (Rolling his eyes) No Kenzie. I can only be the Master Of the Universe On the weekends. I have to go to school and He-Man is too old for school.

The kicker? The other kids at daycare have no clue what Kenzie is talking about and think she's nuts. I can't believe their parents haven't subjected them to early 80's cartoons!! I mean, Come ON, People!!

The boys in Braden's class beg me everyday after school to come over so they can watch this mysterious "Master" wielding a sword while wearing a fur trimmed speedo.

I like it. No, not the fur trimmed speedo. I like that my kids love a corny little show that I used to race home from school to watch everyday when I was 7. Not quite a classic like "Tom & Jerry" or "The Bugs Bunny ans Tweety Show", but a classic nonetheless.

What favourite shows did you watch that aren't played on TV anymore?

"I Like Spiders In A Tree" (November 7, 2008)

I am in love with my son's teacher. She is AMAZING. She is a Saint. She is a great teacher. And she cares.

As I have posted in the past, he had a pretty crappy grade one year. His teacher gave up on him, and tried to attribute his lack of learning to behavioural problems. My kid doesn't have behaviour problems. Well, the kind SHE was referring to anyways.

In September, my precious little boy was at a reading level of a kindergartner. He's in grade two. As of yesterday, November 6, 2008, (we start school here the day after labor day) only 2 months into the school year, my son is now at a reading level where a grade one would be at halfway through the grade one year. Mrs. M said that no child who was that far behind should have ever been able to catch up so quickly. Braden will be caught up with his peers in no time!!

Let's take a moment, shall we, while I try to unpuff my chest and wipe this big goofy smile off of my face.

... Nope. It's not gonna happen. I am one proud Mama!!

The little stinker has even started to write his own stories!
I asked him if I could put his story on the computer and he thought that was pretty cool. He wants Auntie Shannon to read it to Aiden. (Hi Shannon!!)



"I like spiders in a tree and I see spiders in a tree and like our mpl {maple} tree and I like spiders in a tree."



"I like btrflae {butterflies} in the sky and I see btrflae in a sky and I like btrflae in a sky."



I like brds {birds} on the ground and I like the{m} in the sky"

(I giggle when I look at his rendition of a bird, standing on the ground...my poor kid has inherited my artistic abilities...or lack there of! Hee hee!)

The coolest thing is, Mrs. M said once kids start writing out stories on their own "just because" is an AWESOME sign they are well on their way to literacy. WAHOOO!!! GO Braden GO!!