Cute Antics Update

It's been awhile since I've updated with cute antics here!  So, here goes and I'll add some pictures too :)

Cute antics:

• playing history taboo, he got a wee bit excited when he figured it out and yelled, "The Decapitation of Prague!"  (That would be "defenestration", but he got it after I started laughing.)

• when promising to do his writing work as soon as we got home, "I swear upon my honor is that good enough!"

• with imaginary pistol and lots of vigor… chasing sea gulls.

• asking, "Can you read some Star Wars or are you trashed for bed?" (After we laughed and explained how trashed is usually used, he continued…) "So that got enough energy into you to do it please?"

• overhearing me say to Andrew something about a playful, teasing compliment being perhaps in a depreciating tone, Cameron called over, "If you're being sarcastic with Mom, JUST TELL HER!"

• responding to his dad's teasing about all the spicy foods we could include in dinners with a dead pan, "You're fired as a dad."  He added after the laughs,  "Not really."

• Sprinting to the stairs yelling "Frisbee for action!" and then explaining how he was going to defend me from a burglar by throwing a foam frisbee at him.

• asking "Could you write me any skip the dinner for free cards?"  (Perhaps a wee bit too much fun in iPad Monopoly?)

• looking at his bowl of soup that didn't seem to be getting smaller and commenting, "This soup is having a reincarnation problem."  (Um, no that would be he was tinkering with legos and not eating, but it was an amusing use of the word I'd just explained that morning during his myth class!)

• expertly  putting together the multiple pieces of a word problem and then declaring, "So now we have our interaction party!" (And then verbally acted out of the various steps with drama.)

• setting serial timers for himself to monitor his iPad playing

• stating "I'll collapse when I'm done." and proceeding to run 80 laps around my parents house before bed time... ya, just a little energy.

• after I'd mentioned hearing the stomping for several minutes told me he hadn't been sitting and focusing while brushing his teeth, he grinned and told me, "No, I was marching around my room and thinking about the French Revolution."  (Is it any wonder he looses focus on doing a thorough job!  He literally marches to the beat of a different drummer... challenging and delightful :) )

• "Of course every concoction needs chocolate chips!" (Responding to an incredulous look when describing his latest meal concoction of tomato soup, cream, dolhma insides, and... chocolate chips.)

• after a teasing guilt trip from my dad, Cameron responded with this elaborate compliment and then proceeded to tell us through his laughter that he wanted to keep up the "drama".

• playing clue, "I suggest Grandpa did it with his compassionate candle stick!"

• responding to the query if his philosophy of life was "eat drink and be merry" with, "No, video games, Calvin and Hobbes, and staying home."

• playful teasing, he grabbed my bra and kept meowing like a cat.  When I responded "Let go of my Bra, Azriel", he replied, "All right gargoyle!"  (Um, he hasn't watched Smurfs in awhile, so his take on "Gargamel" was a bit off.)

• getting hungry while the hippos were snoring in his Dance Mat Typing computer program, he spent all week referring to the feeling of hunger as the "hippos' curse"

• pondering after he'd thrown a pencil in frustration, "I need a better way of expressing my last straw."  (It's awesome that he can contain this kind of thing at school.  We're working on those better expressions at home where he feels more comfortable.  This was the first time I heard him pondering on his own and it was cute that he added part of an idiom :) )

• dictating a fun thank you to my parents :)

Thank you for inviting us to your house.  One of my favorite parts was being on the scooter.  I liked the speed and being able to go around the neighborhood.  Particular hills that were very steep and just places to go were great. I liked playing UNO the most with Grandpa.  I like how dramatic Grandpa is when it comes to UNO Attack, like patting the machine when it doesn't give you cards and when it does just scowling at it.  I also liked the Clue game because you're really good at it and I really had to think about it.  You said your suggestions with such intensity like the person had done a real murder and you were upset about it; that drama was particularly fun.  You might not have seen it, but I was pooped after those a hundred laps and when I got home, no, I did not do 111 laps, I only did 30.  But, I don't think I wanted to do 111 laps after how exhausted I was.  Rooney was a good dog and I like him.  I mean "Is a good dog"; it's not like he's dead already.  I like that he's nice and good to pet.  Thanks again!

Bye!

• these two history smiles:

We've had a double dose of history delights!  First, the Dawes Plan? Where America basically sent money to Germany so Germany could send it to Britain and France so Britain and France could send it back to America... well, my kiddo was listening to me read The Great Brain last night. The Great Brain rigs this plan where the allowance money is going in a circle so that he gets all his money back and doesn't have to do the chores. My kiddo declared that The Great Brain was like Germany and this was the Dawes Plan of Adenville, Utah! How's that for learning from history! Yay for History at Our house! 

Then, we did long division! Oh, what a morning of giggles! He decided to make it more interesting by describing attacks of numbers early on in the division as pyrrhic victories as he continued down the seven digit number!  Enjoy the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkcVpqsHGU4&feature=youtu.be and smiles of a kid who really loves to show off his knowledge :)

This is the video description I posted: We've been integrating all my eight year old's math knowledge by having him do everything from fractions with finding a common denominator to exponents (we just started talking in more depth about decimals throughout arithmetic, so that's a newer skill) and then, the goal was proper ordering of the results from lowest to highest (including negative numbers).  Here he chooses to make long division more exciting by turning it into a battle!

• and dictating this letter to his prior teacher / classmates in Washgington:

Dear Mrs. Kier and her scholars,

Thank you for the letters book!  I like how it was so organized and it was beautiful, even in black and white form!  To answer some of your questions, I don't have a pet yet, but I'm going to get twenty pet ants and then I'll have lots of pets.  I'm getting twenty ants for an ant farm and to watch it on the kitchen counter.  I'm living on Laurel Road in the Santa Cruz mountains in California.  No, I don't like hamsters, but I've never met one so I don't like them, but I don't necessarily hate them.  No, I don't have a lap top, but I do have an iPad that I bought from my dad!  I'm not used to having the iPad yet, I'm not used to it being mine, so I usually try to do good time with it. There are lots of games I like on there.  I'm trying to use it not too much and not too little.  My school is Vine Hill Elementary and I like it.  Now, I'm doing "Mommy School".  Mommy School is just school at home.  For math I do, decimals, parentheses, multiplication, division, exponents, fractions, percentages and negative numbers.  For writing, I'm telling my mom how to make certain things out of legos… writing down all the steps.  You remember Dance Mat at school?  I've gotten up to the Yak level in typing.  The Yak level is the first animal in level three.  I'm also listening to this guy called Rufus Fears who's really an expert at talking about myths and he's a country famous history teacher.  We watch a video for thirty minutes of him doing his thing.  I also listen to a history class on European history.  My favorite part so far is the Hapsburg sandwich.  I think it's not Hamburg because there's a city in Germany called Hamburg.  Sometimes, I run around and play on the deck which is big.  I usually pretend something, make up this game where it's basically one player and I make up the other players.  In a real game with real people it would take four people with four weapons and each person would play separately. I like Calvin and Hobbes a lot.  Sometimes, I spend over an hour reading Calvin and Hobbes on Dad's bed!  

This summer, I finished lego camp a few days ago.  It was basically practicing making a basic lego car, windmill, and golf putter through one whole week of stuff.  There was one whole part about how to program the legos to do what you want.  There were lots and lots of sensors.  There was even a lego brick that's like you're arm.  I liked the motors; that's what moved them.  Soon, I'm going to have a chess camp and fencing, somewhere in the summer at least.

Oh my, there are a lot of banana slugs around here.  A lot of weeks ago, I found a lot of slave ants running everywhere and I found one banana slug and the ants were getting stuck in the banana slug slime.  A banana slug is just basically a slug that is pale yellow and can be really short or really long in banana slug form (but long is more likely).  Putting their slime on your fingers is like putting super glue on your fingers and then trying to get it off.  It sticks really well!  You have to wash it off with a dish rag with water on it and it takes awhile!

Thank you again!

Bye!

Cameron

Climbing on a eucalyptus log at the beach

Reveling in the fact that I was nervous and he wasn't

Romantic "Extras": The Fun Work of Keeping a Romantic Relationship Vibrant

This is a topic near and dear to my heart!  I just love the sparkly moments that make your heart sing with love for your partner.  What could be more cool than focusing on how to make those moments happen?!?!  Most couples know that it's delightful to share loving "extras" with their partner.  The key conclusion of my ATLOSCon talk was, in fact, making those efforts to do something special isn't really "extra", it's part of the essential joy of a vibrant romantic relationship!  

Wanting to share loving actions with a partner isn't the challenge for most people though, it's figuring out how to make that happen effectively over the life of a relationship.  
It's fun!  
It's work!  
It's worth it!  
Happy couples know it's fun to share these moments and they also know that it doesn't just happen, it takes work to make them happen.  Finally, it's worth it.  This person is the one you have chosen to cherish.  If you want the best possible joy in the partnership, it's worth the investment in romantic "extras".  In the talk I shared three tips which I'd like to share here too.  I'm even going to be talking this Wednesday on the Philosophy in Action podcast about this cool topic!

Find Out What Makes Your Partner Feel Loved

Always Be Collecting

Schedule

Find out what makes your partner feel loved.   Of course, if you've been with a partner for awhile, you know some of the things that they like, but that's not what I'm talking about.  It takes a serious conversation to find out what really makes them feel that overwhelming, joyous I-love-you feeling.  This is different for different people.  For example, I love anticipation.  My husband will buy me a gift and give me riddle hints for a week and I just revel in that glorious anticipation of some kind of fun... what could be more grand than knowing there's an especially cool something selected for you by your love and you're getting closer and closer to enjoying it?!?!  My husband finds anticipation to be a horrible, upsetting, anxiety-producing experience.  If I want him to feel loved, I can get him a surprise, but I need to just present it.  In this context, I would not be communicating love if I did the same things that make me feel loved; I'd be torturing him!  Finding out, having the conversation, is so important to gaining that most in-sync level of joy in a loving relationship.  It may require some time and introspection for you or your partner if you haven't really thought about what feels most loving, but it is time well spent.  Also, preferences can change!  You may find flowers the sweetest gift and then attend a surprise funeral and find flowers no longer feel as loving because of the sad association.  My husband feels most loved when I save him time by buying socks or putting together dinner, but if he suddenly found himself with lots of unscheduled time, that could change.  The point is that what makes someone feel most loved must be discovered and given due attention to successfully communicate powerful caring.  

Once you've figured out what kinds of actions are perceived as loving, it's time to keep your eyes and ears open i.e. always be collecting.  The variety of particulars that your are able to share communicates attention and caring.  If you find out that your partner loves roses and then you get them a rose every couple weeks and that's it... you'll miss the vibrance and instead have anything from a pleasant routine to a chore.  Again, the variety of ways you can communicate loving shows that you're investing thought, that making your partner feel loved is of great value to you.  This is where a trusted organizational system like Getting Things Done can come in really handy, but whatever tool you use, you want to have a place where you collect ideas.  Did they express interest in a particular vacation spot, restaurant, activity, or item?  For example, my husband knew that I had loved horseback riding and set up horseback riding lessons for us to try together (over the years we've learned multiple new skills together including playing the flute, voice lessons, and ballroom dancing).  You can put a gift certificate to the clothing store they mentioned in their lunch box or have a flower they love delivered to work.  These passing comments can be golden opportunities for showing you're listening and you care.  Then, when you move on the next step, you have a treasure chest of delightful ideas that you know will make your partner feel especially cherished.  

So, now that you've figured out what makes your partner feel loved and you've gathered this wealth of ideas, it's time to schedule.   Stressors and the business of life happen and it is very easy to let weeks or months go by without doing anything "extra" for your partner.  This is the person you have chosen above all others, the person whom you cherish most.  This person belongs on your calendar.  They deserve more than a birthday and anniversary appointment if they are a top value in your life.  It's not less spontaneous if you make sure to remember and invest in your romantic relationship.  So, set yourself a reminder in your trusted system that you'd like to do something.  When that reminder comes up, delve into that treasure chest of ideas and do something special that says I-love-you.  Those actions aren't really extra; they're essential to fuel your relationship.  As for frequency, I like to do something small weekly and bigger things more rarely depending on how big is big.  The largest things we've done for each other are pre-planned trips where the partner has everything scheduled... location, driving music, activities, dinner reservations, everything!   The spouse just knows they're being sent off for a certain time period and then they follow the clues for their custom-designed vacation.  This is a picture of the ideas that the class I taught came up with:

The left has ways that people felt loved and the right shows particular ideas that they had used for making a partner feel loved.  (Again, it's important to do step one and find out what your partner feels as loving because they may hate some of these things.  I do not enjoy clothes shopping and my husband isn't into public displays; it's important to know if you want to communicate effectively.)  Again, regarding magnitude, you're obviously not going to get a new car surprise on a regular basis, but you can slip a note in the underwear drawer or a flower on the pillow much more often.  All those little moments of loving actions add up to a big message of I-love-you passionately, vibrantly, actively.  It keeps the joyous feeling as feeling sparkly with fresh edges and no complacency.

It’s worth it!   Nourishing your relationship with romantic "extras" is worth the investment.   I get a bit enthusiastic on this topic because I have so much fun with these extras!  A relationship nourished by these extras sparkles and gives you the full delight of a romance that is fueled for your enjoyment of each other.  If that is the kind of relationship you want, romantic "extras" are not really extra.  I'd love to hear more ideas of what you've done in the comments, like I said, I love this topic!

Objectivist Round Up

As we near the end, I want to send my thanks to Jenn and all the contributors to the Objectivist Round Up!  This has been a fun way to get a news digest from blogs of interest and I'm glad to have participated.  I've been saving this quote which I love for it's empowering message.  


"Man may be justly proud of his natural endowments (if they are there objectively, i.e., rationally), such as physical beauty, physical strength, a great mind, good health. But all of these are merely his material or his tools; his self-respect must be based, not on these attributes, but on what he does with them. His self-respect must be based on his actions -- on that which proceeds from him. ...

If a man says: "But I realize that my natural endowments are mediocre -- shall I then suffer, be ashamed, have an inferiority complex?" The answer is: "In the basic, crucial sphere, the sphere of morality and action, it is not your endowments that matter, but what you do with them." It is here that all men are free and equal, regardless of natural gifts. You can be, in your own modest sphere, as good morally as the genius is in his -- if you live by the same rules.

Find your goal within yourself, in whatever work you are honestly capable of performing. Never make others your prime goal. Demand nothing from others as an unearned gift and grant them nothing unearned. Live by your own rational judgments. Be independent in whatever judgments you hold or actions you undertake, and do not venture beyond your own capacity, into spheres where you'll have to become a parasite and a second-hander. You'll be surprised how decent and wonderful a human being you'll become, and how much honest, legitimate human affection and appreciation you'll get from others."


The Journals of Ayn Rand, p. 291.


This week's edition of the Objectivist Round Up:


Paul Hsieh of We Stand FIRM presents "Forbes OpEd: Is President Obama's Prostate Gland More Important Than Yours?" saying, "My latest Forbes piece discusses, "Medical freedom for me, but not for thee."

Rational Jenn presents "The Naming of Houses is a Difficult Matter . . ." saying, "I'm thrilled to announce that I've thought of a name for our new home that suits exactly!"

Darius Cooper of Practice Good Theory presents "Long term Stock-Market Returns, saying " I look at some interesting charts from Crestmont Research."

Nicholas Provenzo of The Rule of Reason presents "The Supreme Court's ‘Declaratory Act’" saying,  "In his Obamacare opinion, Chief Justice Roberts, however, "rewrote" the punitive feature of the individual health insurance mandate and called it a "tax," arguing that such a tax is not outside the bounds of Congressional power. In that single act, Chief Justice Roberts, in an act of evasion and moral cowardice, conferred upon Congress the power and authority to tax every human action and commodity."

John Drake of Try Reason! presents "Central Purpose in Life - Another Look", saying " What is a central purpose in life and do you need one?  In this post, I take another look at how a central purpose can guide and enhance your life."

Earl Parson of Creatures of Prometheus presents "Death of a Crockpot" saying, "I eulogize my trusty old Crock Pot, which has bit the dust, with a silent prayer of "Thank Capitalism" in my heart."

Thank you for your entries in this week's Objectivist Round Up.  To enter the final Objectivist Round Up, please email Jenn with your post.

History Smiles

We've had a double dose of history delights!  First, the Dawes Plan? Where America basically sent money to Germany so Germany could send it to Britain and France so Britain and France could send it back to America... well, my kiddo was listening to me read The Great Brain last night. The Great Brain rigs this plan where the allowance money is going in a circle so that he gets all his money back and doesn't have to do the chores. My kiddo declared that The Great Brain was like Germany and this was the Dawes Plan of Adenville, Utah! How's that for learning from history! Yay for History at Our house! 

Then, we did long division! Oh, what a morning of giggles! He decided to make it more interesting by describing attacks of numbers early on in the division as pyrrhic victories as he continued down the seven digit number!  Enjoy the video and smiles of a kid who really loves to show off his knowledge :)

This is the video description I posted: We've been integrating all my eight year old's math knowledge by having him do everything from fractions with finding a common denominator to exponents (we just started talking in more depth about decimals throughout arithmetic, so that's a newer skill) and then, the goal was proper ordering of the results from lowest to highest (including negative numbers).  Here he chooses to make long division more exciting by turning it into a battle!

Catching Up

I think this start to my last update says it all and... explains why I can finally return to this blog!  I'll also catch up on the cute antics :)

"Hip hip, hooray!!!  We have internet!!!  On Fathers Day, we took our parents on FaceTime tours around the house and had video chats too!  It's so glorious to have all the glories of internet at home!!!  Cameron can do the online typing programs and Kahn academy!  I can do my classes next year!  Andrew has the option to work from home!  We are so thrilled to have that huge challenge addressed :)"

It was very cool to watch the tree climber go over 100 feet up to scale one of the redwoods, but he wound up needing to put the receiver on a neighbor's property.  

Cute antics:

• when Andrew did something loud, Cameron said, "That made me feel meek and week!"  I said, "I don't believe it, there's nothing meek about you." [Pause]  Cameron reply, "I know."

• replying when I handed him his flosser, "You are very thanked for your slave acting deed." (I think that was meant to acknowledge that I'm not a slave and didn't have to help.)

• hearing him call from afar, "Where are you?  I'm in the attic!"  (?!?!?  He apparently took advantage of the ladder when the internet installer was here.)

• announcing as he walked toward us with a watering can, "I'm feeling very mischievous!" (A few comments on likely consequences convinced him to water the forest.)

• coming in after running up and down the driveway for a half hour sporting his colonial hat, foam shield, and lego pistol with the announcement "I'm changing into military clothes!"  [After rummaging upstairs for five minutes, he changed out of shorts and sweatshirt and returned to declare.]  "Matching colors!"  (He clarified that matching colors, in this case navy shirt and pants, equaled military clothing.)

• asking me to heat up his soup and then complaining,  "I can still smell the hotness!"

• suggesting Andrew kill a particular video-game-bad-guy by saying, "Why don't you pluck him from his life?"

• dinner comment, "My dessert stomach says, 'Sure!  Pile it up!"

• declaring 8:30pm "The Golden Age of the Day!" because that's when he's been playing Civilization with Andrew

• when asked if he had a best friend, he answered "No, my parents are my best friends."

• writing on a class handout, when asked how he solved the problem, "I just saw through it."

• walking out of the house for some pretend play, "I'll patrol the main bridge, see ya!"  Informing me during a pause in that play, "The armory is now the barracks, your highness." (I was appointed queen of the castle that particular day.)

... and one that I just learned about from LB in Sacramento:

"Another antic to add from Lindamood-Bell: Cameron had four different animal stickers that he used as a "rating system" for how well he liked each of his clinicians!  He put stickers on their name tags.  He only told one clinician about the system...so cute!  Lions were his favorites."

• looking at me with streaming wet hair after washing it in the sink and saying, "You look a site."

• indignantly correcting my description of a voice as raspy by saying, "That's not raspy; that's gruff!" (Does it help that he was right?)

• "I'm getting close to frustrated. [Mom comment about introspection]  I'm down to annoyed.  [Few more seconds] I'm back to calm."  (Sometimes it's really not cool that he shares his thinking and sometimes it's awesome!)

After a really rough week, succeeding at lego camp!

Lindamood Bell Experience

Having now finished both an intensive six weeks and a first round of follow up therapy with Lindamood-Bell, I wanted to document that experience and have a place to share for those considering this option.  First, Lindamood Bell (LB) provides several different specialized therapies and my son worked with the Visualizing and Verbalizing curriculum.  In all their tests, which reflected our observations, my son had advanced vocabulary and reading skills. He didn't need help decoding language or using it in a simple manner.  However, as soon as what he was experiencing (or wished to describe) became more detailed, he'd falter. He wasn't painting a vivid picture of what the words he either used or heard meant.  He was painting a quick, fuzzy picture and that had significant consequences for his ability to both understand and speak effectively.  He would picture a potential action in the fuzzy way and not get the "natural" side effects.  He would try to describe what happened in a personal situation and would again picture it in this fuzzy way and communicate it in a disjointed manner that wasn't effective for painting a cohesive picture in someone else's head.  We'd often be totally confused if we hadn't been there.  (It was one of the huge benefits of me helping in his classroom that I could bring a context to his school descriptions.)  So, we saw many ways in which a therapy that helped him first see clearer pictures and then communicate them effectively would benefit him.

Of course, there are lots of bogus therapies and we could certainly acknowledge a wanted result without thinking a certain therapy would get us there.  So, does this therapy work?  I have been on a Hyperlexia parenting list for years and have consistently found their experiences are good guides.  Those on the list who had paid for this therapy had consistently found it a positive choice which is a significant statement considering the huge expense involved (more on that later).  So, I had anecdotal evidence based on a group of highly similar peers. There have been some studies showing physical improvements in the brain and reading improvements in schools using LB.  I bought the Visualizing and Verbalizing book and tried to impelement it myself, but was not very effective (the intensive, 4 hour per day training wasn't feasible and I wasn't trained in their teaching styles either). We took the offer of a discounted evaluation when we were living in Washington.  The tests and evaluators seemed to pinpoint exactly the areas of challenge that we saw which added confidence that could accurately evaluate my son and understand his challenges.  My husband and I first concluded that LB sounded great, but was just too expensive and we'd try to do our best on our own.  We took advantage of the free annual re-evaluations which showed our son progressing but remaining well behind in these visualizing skills.  

So, we remained interested in the therapy, but not finding it worth the financial commitment (about 10k) and time commitment (4-6 weeks of 4hours a day, 5 days a week).  Then we had a change of circumstance which made us reconsider.  When we began the moving process from Washington to California, we had an uncertain period in temporary housing while searching and closing on a new house (where joining a local school would have been disruptive).  My husband also received a sign on bonus that allowed us to reconsider the relative value of LB therapy to us.  We decided to use this as our son's school for a 6 week period.  It offered him stability and one on one attention in a key area of challenge and we hoped it would make a difference.

During intensive therapy, my son mostly enjoyed himself.  He had some minimal behavior issues of getting silly and refusing to participate, but the staff were adept at helping move him into a positive learning frame of mind and they were also responsive to suggestions for increasing his interest.  The reports throughout were a bit difficult to understand, but the staff were always responsive to questions especially during the weekly parent conferences.  I think more detailed written reports at those weekly meetings would have helped me feel more secure that he was gaining value.

Results?  My kiddo is clearly able to visualize language better.  He paints a more detailed picture in his head and is able to more cohesively share that with another person.  He will get jokes more quickly.  He'll listen to an audio book and laugh appropriately instead of his previous delay.  He'll listen to us describe the day's outings and have a cohesive picture of what that means (and be able to quickly visualize proposed changes to that schedule too which helps with flexibility).  He can visualize and respond to questions more precisely / appropriately.  We noticed improvements and his test results definitely soared in all areas regarding verbalizing his visual imagery.  While this was not the night and day kind of experience that some parents report (my kiddo was already fairly high functioning), there were clear gains.  The final test they did was in the area of writing which is a key area where I would like to see this learning applied.  Can he "verbalize" in writing this more cohesive imagery?  The answer was clearly, "Not yet."  They thought that six weeks of brief therapy (2 hours, twice a week) could help him cement this skill.  So, having moved into our new house, we decided to give this a try as an after school program.

While the quality of staff and focus on visualizing before writing was still there, this was clearly not LB's area of expertise.  They helped him practice the skills of summarizing and they also helped him do some creative writing (while the therapist typed his dictation and asked clarifying questions).  He improved some in his writing abilities, but I didn't see them doing anything that I couldn't easily do at home.  So, this wasn't a good trade of value because their expertise in writing instruction was not greater than my own.

My final evaluation is that Lindamood Bell can offer a powerful teaching stimulus with its intensive Visualizing and Verbalizing program.  I think we were correct to wait for therapy until it was the right financial choice and I think it also gave my son the ability to better grow (because he had a more extensive experience / vocabulary from which to pull in therapy).  The warmth of the staff at all three centers we used was a huge positive in making the learning environment feel welcoming.  I think their follow up that focuses on their areas of expertise could by highly valuable for students that need refreshers, but I would pass on those areas that are not their focus.  The huge value of one on one attention to address the areas that are challenging for a particular child cannot be under emphasized.  Lindamood bell combines their intense therapy curriculum with skilled providers and they focus on bringing the best of that combination together for each student they teach.

Graduation-day, celebratory sundae!

Sitting at whole Foods!

I have my desk top iMac set up in front of Whole Foods, but at least I'm able to sync this machine for the first time in awhile.  We're still hoping to get internet set soon, but I figured sharing some cute antics would be fun :)

• "I don't want to put his head back.  I like his squishy brain."  (It's an anatomy model that Cameron seems to want to keep disassembled indefinitely.)

• "That last look doesn't count!" (when insisting he'd hid something from his dads glance).

• calling his dad cunctator for putting off game playing!  He remembered that as the nickname for the Roman leader who refused to fight Hannibal and was nicknamed "the delayer".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabius_Maximus

• barefoot, shirtless, balancing on the curb, he walked up and down the driveway for a good half hour at dusk (50-60F)

• this note from his teacher which so reminds me of his dad!  "I had to keep a sharp eye on Cameron at PE today. The kids were doing soccer skills. He was wandering off to the dug out and trying to climb a tree."

• when I talked about efforts to engage his mind at school he told me, "Engaging my mind is usually dodge ball."

• stating, "I I think it's a fallacy that kids need twelve years of school."  (This kid is not eight!)

• yelling up when Andrew and I over slept, "The early bird gets the worm.  You haven't got the worm yet ! [Long pause.] I got the early bird!

You didn't." 

• as we were walking by the school classrooms, he commented "Is that my class?  By golly it is!" 

• when playing the game of feature's he has from me or Andrew, he stopped the conversation early by saying he resembled … Godzilla.

• taking my dad's idea of different stomachs for dessert and main course to declare, "Mom, I'm full but my dessert stomach is begging."

• swinging this hard plastic angled thing, he came into the office to watch Andrew playing video games and informed us, "Charles is coming too!  [Pause as he settles.]  That's his nick name.  His real name is fool-snake.  [Before he picked it up in the woods, he thought it was a snake.  He settled down and then started to croon,]  Do you like Civilization, Charles?"

• suggesting sternly that I make sure to bring him a strawberry milk shake (He loves the Starbuck's strawberry frappuccinos as a cool, sweet on days when we drive straight from school to Lindamood Bell.)

• giving me an architectural tour of two lego forts he built (They tend to mix swords, guns, light sabers, cannons, and jet-propelled guns, but that's just my battle loving kid.)

• finding the pony licking my arm to be absolutely hysterical

• when he put the boots on the wrong feet, crossing his legs to consider riding cross legged (making the correct boot on the correct side of the horse while still on the wrong foot)

• enjoying listening to me read him "The Great Brain" and pondering the scenes for hours afterwards 

Creating one of his mazes!

Andrew holding up Charles :)

Update

It's been awhile since I've posted one of my full, weekly updates and, since there's been a shift this week, I think it's a good week to make that happen :)


5/4/12

Hello everyone,

The bumps are getting smaller :)  This week, someone in Istanbul stole my Facebook password which I used in several other online places like iTunes and Amazon.  So, I got to do some password changing, but that was only an hour or so, and most of this week has really felt like I'm turning the corner on that state of always being precariously close to the edge of overwhelmed.  I think we finally have a workable, interim solution for teaching my classes which involves a parking lot, a lap top, and a library study room.  Andrew is also saying that our neighbor with a line of site to the WiFi hub has been scouting out trees that could host a receiver for us (and let me teach from home)!  Andrew has also had an exciting week at work with the first release of their product to in store testing and his company wide talk on GTD being well received.  Cameron has had only minimal bumps with his first week of school and seems to be well matched with a considerate teacher.  The construction guys have repaired the deck and will start on the roof Monday; they're estimating being done in 2-3 weeks.  Andrew is also following up with the plumber to get those tubs fixed and I'm following up with a water treatment guy who can resolve the hard water issue in the house that has damaged so many of the fixtures as well as the water using appliances (hot water heater, dish washer).  So… we're moving forward!  Andrew and I even squeezed in a little grading for the Ayn Rand Institute's essay contest, but we both had to pass on doing more than one round.  There's still much to do, but we're hoping the open boxes throughout the house will be banished to the garage, deck, or storage area by the end of the weekend and then we'll really feel more settled!  And… we also had a weekend adventure as a family!  We went to Napa and enjoyed a cozy visit with the Cordairs and a lovely dancing /appreciating visit to their gallery.   It was good to get away from the house whirlwind for 24 hours :)

Other good things to share:

Cameron analyzed one of the gallery paintings with me and came up with this statement: A mysterious lady with an inscrutable expression relaxes and thinks about something important.  (It was a painting of a lady in a yellow blouse that he picked to try and understand better.  By the end, I'd seen much more than my first pass and it was really cool.  By the way, he loves the word "inscrutable".)

Got the smog check and CA license plates for both cars

Successful dinner outing and trying out a new babysitter

Our twenty minute beach walk before coming home was lengthened because Cameron was having such fun throwing rocks for a dog

Scrumptious Indian dinner in Napa, I don't think I've ever enjoyed goat curry like that anywhere else!

Glorious, morning stroll in a Napa neighborhood… stuck my nose in lots of roses :)

Andrew got the little bronze that he had been desiring for over a year and we're planning on my getting a print that I've had on my mind for more than five years… fun housewarming gifts to ourselves.

Cameron said he thought he made one friend on his first day of school "It's quite a coincidence that his name is also Cameron."

Our new cleaner is awesome and even though there are still boxes in many rooms and I did extensive cleaning already, it felt good to have that whole house professional feel!  (I really appreciate that help for the deep cleaning.)

I'm getting more tutoring with Lindamood Bell scheduled, but much less intensity/frequency (just a couple hours each week and focused where he needs it… writing)!

It seems like I finally found a decent employee at the store that sent us the dented fridge, she says one week to get the new door (the other contacts I've had have already been dragging their feet for a month).

Picked up some mended pants for Andrew which were well done, so now I've found a local seamstress

Cameron was in tears when I picked him up because of their rules restricting where he could wait, but I got him calmed down and happily contemplating how he'd coordinate the traffic if he were principal

Although I couldn't take a bath because we discovered the other tub stopping mechanism is broken too, I snuggled up in a newly washed blanket for relaxing time

Here's to relaxing and enjoying and getting through the stressful times with aplomb :)

Rachel

P.S. Cute antics:
• responding the reminder to dry his hands well with a vigorous scrub on the sweat shirt.
• choosing "Betsy the anaconda" when we were contemplating what wild animal we'd like to have as pet if it could be tamed.  (The family came to the conclusion she wouldn't be very good at guarding the house because she'd eat one robber and go to sleep for a month.)
• insisting that we stand guard at the restaurant to make sure no one tried to come into the bathroom when he was… washing his hands.
• declaring "just as I suspected" when our hostess made a Connect Four move… he was pretty sneaky and mentioned in his thank you note that it was fun not just playing against himself (He's been having self tournaments as one of his ways to wind down before going to sleep.)

P.P.S. Update photos:

The toss the rock game 

The picture he chose to evaluate (and the look is because I had the nerve to ask for a picture before going out to ice cream).  I highly recommend the website if you want to enjoy the art of the gallery! 

Eating a late lunch after we got home with both ladies (the new bronze and the oil painting)

A ten minute walk out from that light house and I'm turning around to head back… really lovely even it's not my favorite ocean of crashing waves and cliffs.  It still smells glorious!

Field trip to a natural history museum, this is a whale sculpture that has a third of his class on it