Oompa Loompa Wisdom

We watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the original) today.  I don't really watch movies with the kids.  Dh usually does and I take advantage of the peace and quiet.  I came to a couple of conclusions.  It's a very twisted story and I think some drugs had to be involved in the making of the movie.  Oompa Loompas are smart.  Here are the lyrics to one of the songs:

Oompa Loompas:

Oompa Loompa doompadee doo

I've got another puzzle for you

Oompa Loompa doompadah dee

If you are wise you'll listen to me

What do you get from a glut of TV?

A pain in the neck and an IQ of three

Why don't you try simply reading a book?

Or could you just not bear to look?

You'll get no

You'll get no

You'll get no

You'll get no

You'll get no commercials

Oompa Loompa Doompadee Dah

If you're not greedy you will go far

You will live in happiness too

Like the Oompa

Oompa Loompa doompadee do

Crackerjack doctors

Two weeks ago I had a nasty fall and sprained my ankle.  The next morning I went to the ER and had xrays done and my ankle wrapped.   I spent a weekend in bed watching House and relaxing.  By Monday I was feeling much better and I could walk decently.  I took the kids to the beach a couple of times and managed a yoga class.  I had to modify a few poses but it wasn't bad.  Most days my ankle id fine until the end of the day and the many shades of purple are finally leaving.  Yesterday i got a call from the ER doctor telling me that my xray showed a fracture and I needed to come back in.  Dh was helping his mom for the day so I went this morning.  Same doctor is on and he showed me where the fracture is, tells me how horrible the brace is that I am using and insists on me getting a cast put on.  Fortunately the ortho nurse was handy and helped me convince the doctor that a cast at this point would be of no use to me.   Given my history with my back, I could spend a couple of months undoing the damage that a cast would do to my back.   The doctor walks away and starts writing up a prescription for my crutches and instructions for my cast.  What the heck???? Was he not here for the conversation 2 seconds earlier?  The doctor has his back to me and I can see the ortho guy shaking his head.  The doctor comes back and I tell him that I am not getting a cast.  So he sends me to get it strapped again and is refering me to an ortho clinic.  The ortho guy asks me where I got my fabulous brace because it fits so well.  Walmart!!! He sends me off without wrapping it and saying that sometimes the ER  tends to overtreat.  Ya think?

I have to wonder where these doctors are getting their medical degrees.  last fall I had one do xrays of my spine because I had a severe kidney infection.  He told me that I had the spine of a 60 yr old and if I didn't look into alternative therapies, I was going to end up in a wheelchair.  The radiologist said there was nothing to note on my xray.  Beware the ER doctors.  If you ever need to know the scoop on a doctor, just ask your pharmacist.

Wishing I could help

Do you ever have a time when you just want to make things all better for someone?

I have a friend who is going through such turmoil right now and there's  not much I can do to help.  I really want to fix the issues at hand and knock some sense into some people.  It seems that the more honest you are, the more you get punished for going about things the right way.  I wish the whole situation was sorted out because it really isn't fair and she doesn't deserve this agony.

Finally some answers...

Today Parker has an appointment with a pediatric neurologist.  We've started the process of having him assessed a year and a half ago and the referral for the neurologist went in last year at the end of September.  It took me calling to get the appontment.  Otherwise we'd still be on the waiting list.  The school psychologist  diagnosed him with dysgraphia and beleives there might also be dyspraxia.  That would tie all his physical and speech challenges together and make sense of everything.

Bugs and Boys

The kids haven't had many days this summer where we haven't had something to do or somewhere to go.  this afternoon I kicked them out of the house and Parker actually amused himself.  He played with his Formula Fuelers and then caught a grasshopper.



You know those horrible baby facecloths that come in towel sets?  the ones that are good for nothing?  I found a use.  A breathable top for the mason jar.

Poor Lil Girl

Lydia has had a fever since Monday night.  She's pretty good about fighting off bugs and i think she's only ever had one antibiotic.  that's a far cry from her brother.  For him it was a part of daily life.  Last summer she had a febrile seizure which was pretty scary but she's just had the one.  So last night when dh got home, I went o yoga.  Just as the class was winding down, my phone rang.  He said he wouldn't call before 6:30.  It was 6:33.  Lydia was in a panic and he couldn't calm her down.  I think she was scared she was going to throw up which she hates doing.  I came home and we climbed into bed together since the rest of the clan was watching Harry Potter.  She wanted to practice her letters.



Today she's still runing a fever off and on and she's now been asleep for 4 hours.  but that's usually how she kicks whatever is ailing her.  I hope she's back to herself tomorrow.

To Go or Not To Go...to kindergarten

DELAYED DEBUT: NO ACADEMIC EDGE

No real advantage to starting kindergarten later, study finds

SARAH BOESVELD

August 26, 2008

You want your child to be smarter, faster and stronger than the rest in the big, bad sandbox that is kindergarten. For some parents, holding them back at home an extra year may seem like a good idea.

But waiting to send Junior to school won't give him much of a boost in the long run - at least not academically - according to findings from a recent study.

Researchers from the University of Illinois found that while older kindergarten students naturally do better on academic tests, that edge wears off over time and virtually disappears by Grade 8.

A child's delayed debut into the education system also means he or she will get a job later in life and retire later, putting pressure on the work force and the already-suffering economy, says study co-author Todd Elder, now a professor at Michigan State University.

 "They've in some sense lost a year of their life. They're going to graduate college at 23 and 22. There doesn't seem to be much benefit," he says of the findings, to be printed in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Human Resources.

"The problem is, now people are maybe pushing it a little far and you can imagine people continuing to push it until you have eight-year-old kindergartners and it sort of doesn't matter how smart he actually is."

These kids are also learning a lot more before entering kindergarten, making them much more advanced than their peers, he says.

Using data from national academic surveys that tested kindergartners on their math and reading abilities, Dr. Elder and study co-author Darren Lubotsky, an economics professor at the University of Illinois, tracked the academic performance of kids from kindergarten to Grade 8. They saw that older kids were performing much better than younger students initially, but they eventually merged with their peers through elementary and middle school.

Dr. Elder hopes lawmakers will take notice of his findings - more U.S. states are ramping up the age requirement for students starting kindergarten. In 2002, nearly 21 per cent of five-year-olds were not yet enrolled in kindergarten, a boost from 10 per cent in 1980, the study says.

"If you're basically holding a kid out of school early on, if the cost of that is you have to work more later, that really resonates with people," he said.

The study also found teachers are more likely to diagnose younger kids with behavioural problems such as ADHD because they appear less mature beside the older kids.

"The youngest kids are getting diagnosed with ADHD; they're getting medicated, and that, I think, is really scary to a lot of people," he said, pointing to studies that link diagnoses of behavioural disorders with a child's age. "I think there's this notion that disorders like that are somewhat more subjective than other things."

Robert Cooper, founder of the AD/HD Foundation of Canada, says these kinds of misdiagnoses happen all the time.

"If you're at an age where you haven't matured yet, and being compared, then obviously there's going to be an appearance of ADHD which might go away in six months," he said.

Sarah Ingalls of Saint John, N.B., waited a year to send her son Parker, now 8 - not to give him that extra edge, but because she felt he wasn't ready. Small for his age, Parker was eventually diagnosed with a learning disability, but he fitted in just fine with his younger peers.

"I can't see people holding their child back, though, without a reason. I know when we moved to New Brunswick [from Prince Edward Island], people were astounded we would hold him back a year," she said. "It came to a point where he was saying, 'Hi, my name is Parker, I'm 5 and I don't go to school.' "

But the mother of three doesn't regret her decision to wait.

"You never regret holding them back, but you may regret sending them when they aren't ready."

Smartest City vs. Dumbest City

So in February Fredericton was named one of the world's most intelligent cities.  tp://www.fredericton.ca/en/citygovernment/2008feb19NewZealand.asp

I have nomination for one of the world's dumbest cities.  Saint John!!!  Yes it's where I live.  I called the city today to complain about my brown water.



I went to brush my teeth and that's what i was faced with.  Yuck.  We've had three boil orders since winter.  we pay $675 a year for our lovely city water that we can't drink and then about $400 a year for the water that we buy.  That's expensive.  So the city worker that came to check the water today said that maybe it was from the construction.  The construction that is nearby is work on the road and natural gas pipeline, not water mains.  If they had something to do with the water supply, don't you think you should look into it before they quit for the day?  Then I get a call from the city.  They were flushing the hydrant on our street and that's what was causing it.  Um no.  I live at the bottom of our street.  It's on a hill.  Any water from the hydrants would go in the storm sewer by my driveway.

My other issue- why the heck would you tear up the street and sidewalk in front of a school mid August?  they had all summer to do it.  I really can't see how parents are going to be able to drop their kids off unless they satry working around the clock.  The machines are idle more than they are working.  I can see it out my kitchen window and what a mess.

Just a couple of my pet peeves today.

Magic Beach Trick

I forgot to post about this amazing tip.  A few years ago I had heard that you can use baby powder to rid your fet of sand when leaving the beach.  I would always forget to try it and be reminded on the drive home with sand between my toes.  Ick.  I was tidying cupboards in the bathroom and found a travel size bottle of baby powder.  Yesterday I took it with us and Lydia was a mess when it was time to go.  Salt water just helps the sand stick to your skin.  I always take a dress for Lydia to cahnge inot so I can change her right on the beach or at the van and she still has privacy.  I slipped her dress over her head, sprinkled some powder in my hand and rubbed it over her sticky sandy body.  Wipe down with a towel and TaDa, you'd never know she was at the beach....except for her hair.  By the time we went out for supper and to Walmart, her hair had dried and she had rings of salt around her ponytails.

    +  = a clean kid

FYI, public health does not recomend the use of baby powder.  Be very careful not to use it in the wind or let young children inhale it.

Mmmmmmmm

So far we've had a great weekend.  Tomorrow is Jeff's birthday.  The kids and I managed to surprise him with Mario Kart  for the Wii and noone spilled the beans.  I almost managed to surprise him with a super special desert.....but I left the recipe out.  I made Peanut Butter Pie 

Now as a rule, I only like peanut butter in sandwiches, on hot dogs and on apples.  (The hot dog thing started as a dare at Camp Seggie but I really do like it as long as it's smooth. Oh and crunchy on the apple slices.)  Back to the pie.  It was delicious, Jeff was impressed and I liked it as well.  Enough that I've been resisting the urge to go get another piece out of the freezer.

This afternoon Hannah was performing in East Point Has Talent 

 

She may not be the most talented kid in the contest but she wrote her song herself when she was 9 and she sings it acapella.  Here she is singing it at school.  That was a few months ago and she's a lot more confident now.  that's what this whole experience was about, gaining confidence and having fun doing what she loves to do..

After the performance, Grammy took Hannah and I shopping for some clothes.  Thanks Grammy.  We found some awesome deals at Roots and Cotton Ginny.  Cotton Ginny has an extra 50-70% off.  I may have to go back.  Then we came home and had a nice dinner, Parmesan Chicken Twists with veggies and pasta salad, with Grammy and birthday desert. Mmmm.

What's in store for the rest of the weekend?  Most likely the beach.  It's supposed to be sunny and 22, although I heard 28C earlier.  There's also a kids fair tomorrow so maybe we'll do that.

Steal of a Deal

Ok so I know I said I don't do back to school shopping but Hannah needed some new jeans.  I heard there was a great sale at Old navy.  Apparently lots of other people did too because I didn't find much in the clearance section.  If it's not under $10, it's not a deal.  We did get her a black dress and black tshirt.  She needs black clothes for drama.  And a white tank and a pink shirt, all for $16.  The dress was the most expensive at $6.97.  Then we went to the Clothesline.  It's a new used clothing store, nicer than Frenchies.  For $26 we got

• a coat sweater for Lydia (jillian's Closet, they make nice sweaters)


• a denim skirt for Lydia from Children's place.  There were a ton of patterned skirts there for her but I'm tired of trying to match things.


• a top for Hannah


• a nice Cherokee cardigan


• 3 pairs of jeans for Hannah, two have adjustable waist


• a care Bears shirt for Hannah.  

The jeans were the priciest at $3.75 a pair.

Hannah is paying for half the items at Old Navy.  We have a deal where if she is asking for clothing that she doesn't need, she pays half.  Sure she could use them but it was pants we were on a hunt for.  This prevents her from asking for too much.

Poor Parker didn't get anything.  I think he still has clothes that we got him 2 years ago and they were too big.  I'll have to go hunting for them.

XO

No I'm not giving you a hug and kiss.  When we found out that Parker would need a computer to help him with his school work, we ordered an XO laptop from One Laptop Per Child.  It's not a perfect computer and can be frustrating.  Probably not a good option if you don't have a programmer in the house.  There have been a lot of glitches in it and ours went on the fritz in June.  We finally got it fixed by Jeff's co-worker. (I need to pay him with a batch of cookies)

So today we were doing some errand running and I had it in the van.  I planned on another playground stop to compensate the kids.  I was fiddling with the laptop while they played since the screen is designed to work in bright sunlight.  I took some pics with it.  There is a camera built in on the right hand side. 





And then we had to leave early because someone was in a bad mood.



Right now Parker is playing a memory math game on it.  We also have Scratch , an animation program on it as well as music synthesizers, a video camera, recorder.

Musical Schools- in a bad way

FREDERICTON - Cara Miller is worried about how the province's recent changes to French second-language education will affect her son.

Enlarge Photo

Peter Walsh/Telegraph-Journal

Cara Miller says her son Liam, age 5-1/2, will have to switch schools twice in order to attend French immersion classes.

Because of the new system, her shy little boy, Liam, may now have to switch schools twice to participate in immersion classes.

Fresh out of kindergarten, Liam was set to enter Grade 1 at Millidgeville North, an immersion school in Saint John - until Education Minister Kelly Lamrock took the axe to early immersion in grades 1 and 2.

Because it was an immersion-only school, Millidgeville will no longer offer any classes in kindergarten or Grade 1. Grade 2 will be phased out after this year and Millidgeville will permanently become a grades 3 to 8 school.

That means Liam faces two potential moves in his formative years. He has no choice but to switch out of Millidgeville in September in order to complete Grade 1. But the other school in his area, St. John the Baptist, does not offer immersion in any grade - so, in order to enter the program in Grade 3, Liam would be looking at another move, back to Millidgeville.

"My little guy, he's very quiet," Miller said. "It takes him a long time to warm up to kids. He was really starting to come out of shell. I'm worried this (move) is going to bring him down and crush him."

The only other option, Miller said, would be to enroll Liam in a school outside of the family's region, such as Forest Hills. But the district provides transportation only to the schools designated for each student's community - in Liam's case, either Millidgeville or St. John the Baptist.

In addition, such intradistrict transfers would only be accepted if space allowed. Priority is given to children living in the school's community, said Susan Tipper, superintendent of District 8 in Saint John.

Miller said her situation proves the government moved too quickly to implement reforms to the French second-language program. At the very least, she said, a grandfather clause should be in effect for children such as her son.

"The reasonable thing to do would be to grandfather children who were in (Millidgeville), to allow them to continue in Grade 1 and 2 so they don't have to be bounced around like that," Miller said.

Miller is not the only one in this predicament. Michelle Durelle, a single mother who works full-time as a credit granter at Irving Oil, had registered her daughter, Jenna, for kindergarten at Millidgeville.

But in light of Lamrock's recent decision, Jenna also faces the prospect of being bounced over to St. John the Baptist for her first few years, and then back to Millidgeville for immersion. Jenna had already attended a "welcome to kindergarten" session at Millidgeville, Durelle said, noting the situation is bound to confuse her daughter.

Like Miller, Durelle wants the government to extend a grandfather clause to all students who were attending or were registered to attend Millidgeville in kindergarten or Grade 1.

"I'm kind of in a bind," Durelle said, noting she had made inquiries to the district about the possibility of an intradistrict transfer, but thus far has heard nothing back. "I'm at the point where "¦ I don't know what I'm doing with my kid."

Durelle and Miller say they have accepted Lamrock's decision to eliminate immersion in the early grades, but both feel strongly that there should have been more notice.

"I realize there has to be a cut-off point; I get that," Durelle said.

According to Tipper, parents of children who were enrolled in the early grades at Millidgeville are in a unique situation, and not only because of the immersion decision.

A proposal has been on the table since last year to turn Millidgeville into a middle school, housing only Grades 6 through 8, Tipper noted. If that happens, the school would not be capable of offering early immersion in any form.

Currently, all students enrolled in the school from grades 2 through 8 will be allowed to take the program through to graduation, regardless of any future changes, Tipper added.

Those who had completed or registered for kindergarten - the only grade level that was non-immersion - have been transferred to St. John the Baptist starting in September, she said. Tipper agreed this may lead a number of parents to move their students back to Millidgeville after Grade 2, assuming it does not become a middle school.

"That is a potential, because the Grade 3 entry point for immersion is only where numbers warrant," Tipper said, noting the program has not been warranted at St. John the Baptist in the past. But if demand rises, it could be offered in future, she added.

Intradistrict transfer applications were still being accepted, Tipper said, noting the actual transfers may not occur until mid-September, when student numbers have had a chance to settle down.

Summer or Fall?

It's a decieving sunny day out there.  It's very crisp and fall like in the temperature.  I had a couple of errands I wanted to do today ad what's the best way to do them with three kids in tow?  Promise them something fun.  So we went to the Dreamland Playground at Fairvale Elementary School in Quispamsis.  It's about 15 minutes from here.



Lydia needs a mei tai for her babies.  The sling gets in the way when you're trying to have fun.





I tried using the stitch assist feature on my camera but I'm not sure how it works when it's uploaded to the computer.  It's a big playground.



Baby Kate wasn't the least bit scared going in the tunnels.



Wobbly bridges made of rubber.





Caught Ya.





My purple foot.  Now that I am using it more, it keeps bruising in new spots.  Bandage covers most of it.



"Together, together, together everyone
Together, together, come on lets have some fun
Together, were there for each other every time
Together together come on lets do this right"



Yes they finally started playing together after the summer camp kids left.  They were making up a song about the tire swing to the tune of the BNL song Allergies.



Time to go.

This morning I read mmummy's blog.  It was about being happy with what she has.  So today as I drove through Rothesay and Quispamsis, the affluent areas around Saint John, I reminded myself that we have what we need.  That we don't need a huge house to be happy.  With that comes more expenses and working more.  We'd also need two cars and constantly feel like we had to keep up.  We've lost a good friend because of those strong pulls to have material possessions.  We just weren't in the right circle.  Aside from the crappy weather and being in a construction zone yet again, I love where we live. It's close to almost everything we need.  Our house suits our needs and dh takes the bus so that I can have the van.  We've managed to squeak by the summer without my income and although we didn't take a vacation, the kids were busy and happy.  It's a good place to be.

Vintage toys

Isn't it nice to know that the toys you grew up with are now considered vintage?  I dug out one of my favourite dolls for Lydia, Fisher Price Baby Ann.  Boy did she need a wash.  I'm afraid to put her in the dryer though.  Her hair is already bad enough.



I also have Audrey and the Fisher Price Hospital  http://www.thisoldtoy.com/L_FP_Set/toy-pages/900-999/931-playfmchildrenhospital.html and Snoopy,



His ears got ruined so they were replaced and one of his feet cracked.

Someday when the kids are finished with their toys, I'll have a display shelf for mine.  I also have a doll that belonged to my mother.  She was in really bad shape.  I used to lug her everywhere and she isn't small.  One of her eyes was broken and and arm torn, courtesy of my brother and a big chunk missing from teh back of her head.   A few years ago....ok so maybe 11 or 12, my mil had her restored for me.  I'll get a picture later along with my doll carriage.

Mr Sun

Mr Sun came out today.  What a rarity.  I had to babysit this morning and then figured we had better hit the beach.  You never know when the fog is going to roll in.  The girls passed the morning with puzzle books.



So off we went with my sprained ankle.  I had been on my feet all morning so I put my foot up on a bucket.  Forgot an extra chair.



Still swollen and I am developing another bruise.  It wasn't there this morning.

Take Hannah anywhere and she has a book in her hands.  this summer she's working on Harry Potter and the past three weeks of drama have interfered with her reading time.



Parker working intently on "the hole".



Teamwork.  Don't fall in Lydia.



What's this?  All three working together?

Don't worry, it didn't last.



Finally.

Showtime!!

The past three weeks Hannah has been going to Inter Action Children's Theatre Company   Tonight was a final summer performance and it was a collaboration of all the summer camps.  It was held at Imperial Theatre.  Pretty big deal when you've only been in the theatre for three weeks.  We'll be signing her up for the year, one night a week.  It's definetly something she loves to do. 

At practice-



Performance night-



My videos didn't turn out so I'll have to wait for someone to post on facebook.  Next performance- Peter Pan in May.

I can walk!

So Thursday night I had a bad fall and sprained my ankle.  Friday morning I went to the hospital to have it checked.  I could barely put any weight on it and I couldn't move more than my toes.  I tried using a cane that we have in the house but it's the wrong size.  We were going to go get crutches this morning but I think I can get by without them.  I spent yesterday afternoon and evening in bed and this morning it feels much better.  If I have a lazy weekend and keep it up as much as possible, by Monday, it should be usable.  Good thing I have a whole season of House downloaded.  I knew I was saving it for a special occasion.

Ready, Set, Go

Yesterday I made a quick stop at Walmart.  I didn't have the money to buy school supplies but I thought I'd put it on layaway.  Mil usually takes the kids shopping and while we haven't firmed up our plans, I thought this would speed up the process.  In just under 40 minutes, I had most of Parker's school supplies, found him sneakers (last pair), socks for Hannah and a jacket for Hannah(last one).  Not too bad.

I found these pencils for Parker.  They are triangular and have a nice rubbery finish on them to help him with his grip.  They're great for primary students too. They were $3.97 for 6 at Walmart but I later found them for $.98 at Giant tiger.

I also scored nice big roomy lunchbags.  I like a big one so they can take pretty much anything in it.  I need to pick up new sandwich containers at Dollarama    By using them, I've reduced the sandwich bags to about 1 box every six months instead of every couple of  grocery orders.

In my finds lately I also picked up a paper organizer.  Our house gets very cluttered and bogged down in paper.  Often we're scrambling to find the homework that got moved but not put in the bag or the lost permission slip.  We're short on space too so I've started utilizing the back of our front door.  Last year it was a place to dry mittens with magnetic clips.  Here's my school zone.

 

The mesh basket will be for Hannah, Parker and mail.  Like my calendar?  There wasn't enough room on the fridge for it.  The bulldog clips hold hats and mitts.  I'm going to pick up cheap character pencil cases for the kids for their lunch money, permission slips and book orders.  They can also go on the door.  I need a magnetic cup for pens and then I think I am all set.

Anyway, I'm just about ready to send the kids back to school.  Good thing I did that shopping before I sprained my ankle.

Life with a three year old

is so much fun.  It's almost worth the tantrums and sauciness.  Ok, it is.

On Monday Lydia and I had a visit from Kerem.  MIL and SIL were taking Emma out too do some school shopping and hey, how much fun is that with a two year old brother?  We don't see them often and the last time Kerem was here was when sil needed to have a hole drilled in her head.  That's a long story.

Isn't he cute?  He's such a good boy.





They had a great time together.

Lydia showed him how poop goes in the potty.



After Kerem left, I was scrambling to get ready to pick up Hannah.  Lydia got herself ready.



OK, that is not a going out of the house outfit.

And after a shower, my self sufficient girl likes to do her own hair.



She is just so much fun,.  She makes us laugh all the time.  The tantrums aren't as often as they were and she now knows what follows one.  An apology and a cuddle.