Ignore this thread!

[KrissiK]

Sweet Pea's first Booya/h. Awwww. (Dabs eyes with handkerchief).

[texasmama]

AnotherLynn, I am totally in the same page as you. Their personalities are what they are.

 

Slache is facing the classic "easy first" syndrome. Her amazing parenting resulted in such a wonderful baby as John. Where did she "go wrong" with Mary? That's the question parents with easy-first syndrome ask.

 

The answer is:

 

Easy =/= better, and good parenting =/= easy kids. You didn't cause John to be amazing--he just is. And you didn't cause Mary to be amazing (the kind of Amazing that, at three, makes the mom want to start drinking heavily). She just is.

 

Kids are who they are. Horrible parents can do damage but mostly good most of the time parents mostly work out even if you have a fighter.

This is 100% my philosophy. Kids are not blank slates. They are people with personalities the day they are born. Issues arise around "goodness of fit" between parent and child, as much as anything.

[Another Lynn]

I considered posting this song, but past the first 20 seconds the words don't really fit. 

 

[texasmama]

Who doesn't love some Little River Band???

[hornblower]

I've just realized I've been a bit crabby as someone who I considered a friend has been not very supportive recently & now I'm resentful as I believe I've 'been there' for this person a lot but there's no reciprocation. Sure friendship isn't about keeping track but after a while, you start noticing things ... 

And then my GP's office has sort of upset me by calling to tell me to see my specialist about my results. I'm not sure if this was a friendly "just making sure you're going to see the specialist because we want everyone to get their follow up properly" or if it was "holy cow, did you see those pathology results??? make sure she is following up with the specialist!"  And there's nothing I can do about it because nobody will tell me anything over the phone & my specialist appointment (which actually was booked weeks ago) is next Monday and that's the earliest I'll find out anything. 

Sorry to vent at the party. I'll be in the corner eating cake & pie & ALL THE CARBS & sipping all the bubbly beverages. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Let us eat cake...and pie...and cookies...and cupcakes...and pudding. Happy birthday ITT!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Slache]

Be careful of this.  You cannot parent perfectly.  She will sometimes think her life is terrible even if you do.  You can't control all the consequences of the mistakes you make (or the mistakes she makes).  Don't let it effect your parenting judgement or induce you to make things softer for her.  Be gracious and kind and loving for sure.  But over compensating for parenting mistakes (or for anything you perceive lacking in her life) will backfire in ways you might not have thought.  It jumped out at me because I am prone to this. 

 

 

ETA:  I know you didn't mean that as literally as I took it.  Structure is always a positive thing.  Just don't do Mommy-guilt. 

I know, but sometimes we tend to spend the entire day disciplining her and she just has a terrible few days. I want something loving in there somewhere. I don't feel guilty. I'm a good mom, just a good mom that has been slacking too much lately.

 

AnotherLynn, I am totally in the same page as you. Their personalities are what they are.

 

Slache is facing the classic "easy first" syndrome. Her amazing parenting resulted in such a wonderful baby as John. Where did she "go wrong" with Mary? That's the question parents with easy-first syndrome ask.

 

The answer is:

 

Easy =/= better, and good parenting =/= easy kids. You didn't cause John to be amazing--he just is. And you didn't cause Mary to be amazing (the kind of Amazing that, at three, makes the mom want to start drinking heavily). She just is.

 

Kids are who they are. Horrible parents can do damage but mostly good most of the time parents mostly work out even if you have a fighter.

I know. John is very odd in many ways. A mother knows she's lucky when her 3 day old baby sleeps through the night. I'm glad he was first. He's the best older brother any kid (or mom!) could ask for. Mary's a very cool chick, she just need more direction than him.

 

For those of us who do abstain from champagne...I propose we have bottles of that awesome bubbly carbonated juice stuff...sparkling juice or whatever it is.  

Martinelli's! Hello!

 

#noh

[Slache]

::taps champagne glass::

 

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is oft interred with their bones;

So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus

Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:

If it were so, it was a grievous fault,

And grievously hath Caesar answer’d it.

Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest–

For Brutus is an honourable man;

So are they all, all honourable men–

Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.

He was my friend, faithful and just to me:

But Brutus says he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honourable man.

He hath brought many captives home to Rome

Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:

Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?

When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:

Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honourable man.

You all did see that on the Lupercal

I thrice presented him a kingly crown,

Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;

And, sure, he is an honourable man.

I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,

But here I am to speak what I do know.

You all did love him once, not without cause:

What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?

O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,

And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;

My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,

And I must pause till it come back to me.

[Junie]

I had to memorize that.

 

I do not make my kids memorize Shakespeare.  Or poetry.  Or The Gettysburg Address.

[Slache]

I had to memorize that.

 

I do not make my kids memorize Shakespeare.  Or poetry.  Or The Gettysburg Address.

Because you disliked it or found it to be a waste of time? I plan on a lot of memory work here and I've never heard anything bad about it. I would love to have all that stuff in my brain.

[Junie]

Because you disliked it or found it to be a waste of time? I plan on a lot of memory work here and I've never heard anything bad about it. I would love to have all that stuff in my brain.

 

I found it to be a waste of time.  In my case, I never use these things, so I've lost it.  I can recite the first few lines, but after that it's all lost.

 

Dd13 is in the drama group at our church.  She memorizes lines for that.  They memorize words to songs (so poetry, in a way).

 

My kids memorize Scripture for AWANA.  I do not consider memorizing Scripture a waste of time.

 

 

 

Anything else?  Probably.  YMMV.

[Openhearted]

I've just realized I've been a bit crabby as someone who I considered a friend has been not very supportive recently & now I'm resentful as I believe I've 'been there' for this person a lot but there's no reciprocation. Sure friendship isn't about keeping track but after a while, you start noticing things ...

 

And then my GP's office has sort of upset me by calling to tell me to see my specialist about my results. I'm not sure if this was a friendly "just making sure you're going to see the specialist because we want everyone to get their follow up properly" or if it was "holy cow, did you see those pathology results??? make sure she is following up with the specialist!" And there's nothing I can do about it because nobody will tell me anything over the phone & my specialist appointment (which actually was booked weeks ago) is next Monday and that's the earliest I'll find out anything.

 

Sorry to vent at the party. I'll be in the corner eating cake & pie & ALL THE CARBS & sipping all the bubbly beverages.

:grouphug:

 

I hope everything is ok. I would be upset, too.

 

:grouphug:

[KrissiK]

We memorize all sorts of things. Scripture, the Creeds, Latin prayers, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, a poem a month (right now we're doing "If" by Rudyard Kipling, lots of good advice for life there).

[Jean in Newcastle]

Oh my word This morning is super busy. Got ds off to work. Got dh off to the airport. Drove to the big city for medical appointment and zoned out totally so that I had to backtrack 20 minutes. Fortunately I had plenty of time so I wasn't late.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[prairiewindmomma]

Drive by hello wave!  :seeya:

[Professormom]

I've just realized I've been a bit crabby as someone who I considered a friend has been not very supportive recently & now I'm resentful as I believe I've 'been there' for this person a lot but there's no reciprocation. Sure friendship isn't about keeping track but after a while, you start noticing things ...

 

And then my GP's office has sort of upset me by calling to tell me to see my specialist about my results. I'm not sure if this was a friendly "just making sure you're going to see the specialist because we want everyone to get their follow up properly" or if it was "holy cow, did you see those pathology results??? make sure she is following up with the specialist!" And there's nothing I can do about it because nobody will tell me anything over the phone & my specialist appointment (which actually was booked weeks ago) is next Monday and that's the earliest I'll find out anything.

 

Sorry to vent at the party. I'll be in the corner eating cake & pie & ALL THE CARBS & sipping all the bubbly beverages.

Can you tell them you are coming in today to pick up a copy of your records, including the results :D

 

Venting is always allowed, even on anniversaries :grouphug:

[Professormom]

We memorize all sorts of things. Scripture, the Creeds, Latin prayers, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, a poem a month (right now we're doing "If" by Rudyard Kipling, lots of good advice for life there).

We are working on "If" too!!! That is one of my life's mottos, lol. That one and Mother Theresa's "Do it Anyway" are on my walls.

 

:cheers:

[Professormom]

Drive by hello wave! :seeya:

:seeya:

[Tsuga]

I had to memorize that.

 

I do not make my kids memorize Shakespeare. Or poetry. Or The Gettysburg Address.

I do! Doesn't matter if you hate it. I memorized the Declaration of Independence preamble for fun. Edited March 15, 2016 by Tsuga

[Critterfixer]

We memorize a bunch of poetry, but I haven't done much Shakespeare or speeches yet. We will memorize them. I think they are good for practicing public speaking--standing up straight, looking out at your audience, speaking clearly, use inflection, etc. Even if they are good for nothing else. :laugh:

[Slache]

I plan to buy Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization at the conference in July. It has a new section on speeches. John *loves* memorization so I'm sure it won't be a total waste. I admit to being more exited than I should be.

[sweetpea3829]

I know, but sometimes we tend to spend the entire day disciplining her and she just has a terrible few days. I want something loving in there somewhere. I don't feel guilty. I'm a good mom, just a good mom that has been slacking too much lately.

 

I know. John is very odd in many ways. A mother knows she's lucky when her 3 day old baby sleeps through the night. I'm glad he was first. He's the best older brother any kid (or mom!) could ask for. Mary's a very cool chick, she just need more direction than him.

 

Martinelli's! Hello!

 

#noh

 

True story...

 

A couple of years ago, I went through a phase of...ahem...."addiction" with that Martinelli's stuff.  It's my husband's fault!  He'd bring them home all of the time!  Different yummy flavor ones...mmmmmmm....

 

I digress...

 

Anyways...when the last gulp was left, I'd just swill it right from the bottle.  And then I'd leave the bottle on the counter for recycling.  And then one day, while standing there swilling from a champagne look-alike bottle...I caught sight of the long row of champagne look-alike bottles on the counter.  

 

And it occurred to me that some day in the future, my children would grow up and remember me standing there...bottle tipped back, bottles strewn on the counter...and they'd think...

 

"OH MY GOSH!!!  Mommy was a lush!!!!"  

[lots of little ducklings]

Here....I found us a cake...

 

 

booyah.jpg

 

 

 

I think it's important to note that ALL the images I found on Google...have it spelled Booyah.  Probably because the "a" would otherwise be an open syllable and thus long...and thus pronounced boo-yay.  amiright?  

 

Sweetpea gets infinity points.   :D

 

#h

[texasmama]

My kids have memorized the poems in FLL, the definitions and lists from FLL, the preamble to the constitution, and a few other things, including my favorites from Bad NFL Lip Reading youtube videos and the entireity of the "Ain't nobody got time for that" lady's speech.

 

Not a single one of them who has applied has failed to make it in to a top notch ivy league college.

 

I rest my case.

[texasmama]

I can still remember the Shakespeare bits and also the poem "Ozymandias", all of which I memorized in high school.  My short-term memory is crap now, but I know me some Shakespeare.

[texasmama]

#isaidcrap

[texasmama]

I highly recommend the Bad NFL lip reading videos for memorization.

 

"Better get down.  Better dance, good friend.   Jiggy, jiggy, jabba, jabba."

 

"So if you don't like a girl, you buy her a second hand handbag?"

 

"Buy a toaster.  You'll probably use it."

[lots of little ducklings]

I'm reading T. S. Eliot by a fireplace at my editor's country home in South Carolina, and am way too happy right now to pay any attention whatsoever to the message boards.  :001_tt2:

 

SWB

 

In honor of our first birthday....

 

Suuuuuuusan!  

 

 

It's time to show up long enough to tell us you are ignoring us again!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

(ETA: We adore you and are not above begging.  Or bribery.)

Edited March 15, 2016 by Lotsoflittleducklings

[texasmama]

I talked to Suze last night, and she is chin deep in rewrites for her new novel, How to Look Like You are Homeschooling Without Really Trying.  It's a working title.  No worries.

[texasmama]

The rule at our house is that you can say crap if you are over 30.  The kids point out that college girl says it.  I point out that she is breaking the rules.

 

I rest my case.

 

Again, with resting my case!

[sweetpea3829]

Yeah....and not just SWB...but whatever happened to the poster who started this whole rig-a-morale?  

 

I'm going to have my kids memorize Antoine's news interview.  I wonder if that will get them into an Ivy League?   :gnorsi:

 

 

[texasmama]

Our old cat is following me around the house and howling at closed doors.  I yell that Mama has not gone anywhere and that we are not leaving for a week like we just did.

 

Cat trauma.

 

#thestruggleisreal

 

Also, the co-op offerings for little dd for next year are SLIM.  So she will take an exercise class done with drumsticks and a yoga mat and a study of the 50 states.  I am looking into another one day homeschool class place to stick her in so she can get her social needs met, which requires 100 people, evidently.

 

Lynn, I thought of you this morning as I recreating the giving statement for tax purposes by going through a year's worth of statements online.  Fun.  Not.  Yet another reason why I want to be Lynn when I grow up.

 

#humanitiesnotaccounting

 

#thestruggleisreal

[lots of little ducklings]

I talked to Suze last night, and she is chin deep in rewrites for her new novel, How to Look Like You are Homeschooling Without Really Trying.  It's a working title.  No worries.

 

:smilielol5:

[Tsuga]

The rule at our house is that you can say crap if you are over 30.  The kids point out that college girl says it.  I point out that she is breaking the rules.

 

I rest my case.

 

Again, with resting my case!

 

We used to say, if you can say it on the radio, you can say it in the house.

 

However, radio has gotten... freer, shall we say?

 

You know that new song, SOB? Yeah, we need a new rule. I have kind of a potty mouth... basically you are allowed to swear when you get your license. But not at the dinner table.

[KrissiK]

My traumatized cat is feeling better. She found a bird my other cat killed, dropped half of it in DH's work shoe that is on the porch and is gnawing on the other half. Don't ask me why I am watching her do this! I have no idea!

[Susan in TN]

My brain is dead and I'm outta likes. O-U-T OUT I tell you!

 

Nevertheless, I have spelled that big word right there to the left, and also put Heather's Anniversary speech in my ITT archives (which contains our theme song, Math & Grammarland, all the various ITT Christmas and holiday songs, plus Heather's prayer and a few other do-dads and didly-dees.)

 

I don't have any cake, but I do have chocolate fudge frosting, so there may be something I can work up.

[sweetpea3829]

WHAT?!?

 

 

Oh wait...

 

Nevermind...

 

*sheepishly slinking off to hide*

 

I thought it was a new page.... :leaving:

Edited March 15, 2016 by Sweetpea3829

[Professormom]

My brain is dead and I'm outta likes. O-U-T OUT I tell you!

 

Nevertheless, I have spelled that big word right there to the left, and also put Heather's Anniversary speech in my ITT archives (which contains our theme song, Math & Grammarland, all the various ITT Christmas and holiday songs, plus Heather's prayer and a few other do-dads and didly-dees.)

 

I don't have any cake, but I do have chocolate fudge frosting, so there may be something I can work up.

Aww, you have made my heart so happy on a day when I feel like my contributions to the betterment of society revolve around putting in hearing aids and not slugging the teenager :D

 

I love that we have an archive.

 

It is very dreary here, and the drear is supposed to continue into the weekend:-( I have given comments on an essay, picked up dirty Kleenex, taken a shower :hurray: , and done one load of laundry. We are now at piano.

 

I made Dh take ds to the gym last night. I had him work him out hard, lol. Today is better. I also went through all of the old teen boys angst threads and made a list of "redirection" he is going to get if I get any 'tude. Character building things like scrubbing the bathtub with a toothbrush and raking our big, tree-infested yard by hand, and sealing the grout on the entire basement floor, again with a toothbrush.

 

I would not be the awesome parent I am without this board :lol:

 

I have cleaned up my language significantly since having kids, but am unable to purge crap. It is just so useful. Kids cannot say crap until they are adults.

 

As far as hard kids, yes. First was easy, second was, ah, um, high-spirited, lol. Totally different personalities. We parent the kids we have. They still have to follow house rules, but we only have some big ones. All the little stuff falls under a few headings. The big one is, "No disrespect." That was my circus trick when they were toddlers. "Tell Grandma our rule, sweetie." "No diswespect." So cute. I made the 13-year-old say it in the car yesterday. It was the high point of my day;-)

 

#isaidcraptwice

[Another Lynn]

Our old cat is following me around the house and howling at closed doors.  I yell that Mama has not gone anywhere and that we are not leaving for a week like we just did.

 

Cat trauma.

 

#thestruggleisreal

 

Also, the co-op offerings for little dd for next year are SLIM.  So she will take an exercise class done with drumsticks and a yoga mat and a study of the 50 states.  I am looking into another one day homeschool class place to stick her in so she can get her social needs met, which requires 100 people, evidently.

 

Lynn, I thought of you this morning as I recreating the giving statement for tax purposes by going through a year's worth of statements online.  Fun.  Not.  Yet another reason why I want to be Lynn when I grow up.

 

#humanitiesnotaccounting

 

#thestruggleisreal

 

I am so proud of you!!!  :001_wub:

 

[Professormom]

Our old cat is following me around the house and howling at closed doors. I yell that Mama has not gone anywhere and that we are not leaving for a week like we just did.

 

Cat trauma.

 

#thestruggleisreal

 

Also, the co-op offerings for little dd for next year are SLIM. So she will take an exercise class done with drumsticks and a yoga mat and a study of the 50 states. I am looking into another one day homeschool class place to stick her in so she can get her social needs met, which requires 100 people, evidently.

 

Lynn, I thought of you this morning as I recreating the giving statement for tax purposes by going through a year's worth of statements online. Fun. Not. Yet another reason why I want to be Lynn when I grow up.

 

#humanitiesnotaccounting

 

#thestruggleisreal

Our cat used to shun us when we would get home from vacation. First he rubbed on legs, then he would sit just out of reach with his back to us. It was very predictable... Every time:-)

[Tsuga]

I talked to Suze last night, and she is chin deep in rewrites for her new novel, How to Look Like You are Homeschooling Without Really Trying. It's a working title. No worries.

Chapter 10: When You Realize the Local Public School Has an Amazing Robotics Program and Jazz Band and AP Latin and Now You're Only Afterschooling Human Geography but Let's Be Honest That's Just NPR.

[Susan in TN]

My likes are back - it's an ITT Birthday Miracle!

[Jean in Newcastle]

I am going to snuggle under my big green fuzzy blanket and hope to take a nap.  I told dd that I was going to do this and she sort of growled at me.  She's my go-getter who wants to go-go-go with me at her side.  Tough cookies.  She can go on her run and I will nap.  

[sweetpea3829]

Aww, you have made my heart so happy on a day when I feel like my contributions to the betterment of society revolve around putting in hearing aids and not slugging the teenager :D

 

I love that we have an archive.

 

It is very dreary here, and the drear is supposed to continue into the weekend:-( I have given comments on an essay, picked up dirty Kleenex, taken a shower :hurray: , and done one load of laundry. We are now at piano.

 

I made Dh take ds to the gym last night. I had him work him out hard, lol. Today is better. I also went through all of the old teen boys angst threads and made a list of "redirection" he is going to get if I get any 'tude. Character building things like scrubbing the bathtub with a toothbrush and raking our big, tree-infested yard by hand, and sealing the grout on the entire basement floor, again with a toothbrush.

 

I would not be the awesome parent I am without this board :lol:

 

I have cleaned up my language significantly since having kids, but am unable to purge crap. It is just so useful. Kids cannot say crap until they are adults.

 

As far as hard kids, yes. First was easy, second was, ah, um, high-spirited, lol. Totally different personalities. We parent the kids we have. They still have to follow house rules, but we only have some big ones. All the little stuff falls under a few headings. The big one is, "No disrespect." That was my circus trick when they were toddlers. "Tell Grandma our rule, sweetie." "No diswespect." So cute. I made the 13-year-old say it in the car yesterday. It was the high point of my day;-)

 

#isaidcraptwice

Oooooh, I have a great character building activity! Stacking firewood! My 9 yr old spent the first couple of weeks of summer schedule using all of his free time to stack firwood, back when he was 6. Because sarcastic smart-mouth. I felt kind of bad, but seriously? He is turning into an amazing young man and I'm certain it's because we've worked very hard to mold his character. He has always been a handful.

 

Another good one is scraping chicken poop off the roost bars...lol.

[sweetpea3829]

Aww, you have made my heart so happy on a day when I feel like my contributions to the betterment of society revolve around putting in hearing aids and not slugging the teenager :D

 

I love that we have an archive.

 

It is very dreary here, and the drear is supposed to continue into the weekend:-( I have given comments on an essay, picked up dirty Kleenex, taken a shower :hurray: , and done one load of laundry. We are now at piano.

 

I made Dh take ds to the gym last night. I had him work him out hard, lol. Today is better. I also went through all of the old teen boys angst threads and made a list of "redirection" he is going to get if I get any 'tude. Character building things like scrubbing the bathtub with a toothbrush and raking our big, tree-infested yard by hand, and sealing the grout on the entire basement floor, again with a toothbrush.

 

I would not be the awesome parent I am without this board :lol:

 

I have cleaned up my language significantly since having kids, but am unable to purge crap. It is just so useful. Kids cannot say crap until they are adults.

 

As far as hard kids, yes. First was easy, second was, ah, um, high-spirited, lol. Totally different personalities. We parent the kids we have. They still have to follow house rules, but we only have some big ones. All the little stuff falls under a few headings. The big one is, "No disrespect." That was my circus trick when they were toddlers. "Tell Grandma our rule, sweetie." "No diswespect." So cute. I made the 13-year-old say it in the car yesterday. It was the high point of my day;-)

 

#isaidcraptwice

Oooooh, I have a great character building activity! Stacking firewood! My 9 yr old spent the first couple of weeks of summer schedule using all of his free time to stack firwood, back when he was 6. Because sarcastic smart-mouth. I felt kind of bad, but seriously? He is turning into an amazing young man and I'm certain it's because we've worked very hard to mold his character. He has always been a handful.

 

Another good one is scraping chicken poop off the roost bars...lol.

[sweetpea3829]

Obvi, I have posting issues!

[Tsuga]

Oooooh, I have a great character building activity! Stacking firewood! My 9 yr old spent the first couple of weeks of summer schedule using all of his free time to stack firwood, back when he was 6. Because sarcastic smart-mouth. I felt kind of bad, but seriously? He is turning into an amazing young man and I'm certain it's because we've worked very hard to mold his character. He has always been a handful.

 

Another good one is scraping chicken poop off the roost bars...lol.

Isn't chicken poop like toxic?

 

That said I did my fair share of stacking wood. (And chopping!)

 

CHICKEN POoP BOoYAh BoCK BOcK

Edited March 15, 2016 by Tsuga

[Critterfixer]

I is back for about thirty minutes, and then I've got to do the library thang. The boys took their homemade "boats" to the lake. They did as much sinking as floating, but a fun time was had by all. 

[sweetpea3829]

Isn't chicken poop like toxic?

 

That said I did my fair share of stacking wood. (And chopping!)

No, no, no. Of course not! We use it for composting/fertilizer. Or...well. ..we will.

[Ellie]

I have been feeling funky all day. Massive headache when I first got up, some nausea involving lying on the bathroom floor for a few minutes trying not to hurl, lots of sleeping all day. No fever (in fact, it's my normal hypothyroid 97.7). I have finally managed to wash my hair and face. I must go to choir rehearsal tonight because there are only three of us in the alto section and I won't try to sing Sunday if I don't go to rehearsal tonight. Whine, whine, whine.

 

That is all. :sad: