Hello, let’s talk mainstreaming

Hello my lovelies! It’s been a while since we’ve talked. Never fear, I’m still writing.

I started taking writing classes and it is definitely keeping me on my toes. It has a secondary affect, which could have been adverse. My 11 yr old son is being mainstreamed in English Language Arts (ELA) and math. I am hopeless with math, but English? Who Ohio! I’ve got a degree in that!

This is important. If you have a child going from Special Ed to Mainstream you need to listen carefully.

His teachers are phenomenal. But most classes in the SDP range are focused on reading, writing and spelling. Parts of speech, well… So we have a child that has fought his way through everything and is ready to cross the threshold hold but doesn’t know half of what’s being asked of him. Not because he’s dumb. Not because of bad teachers. But because the program that got him this far didn’t teach him those particular things.

He also has a problem with short term memory. Don’t feel bad though, his brain goes so super fast, he’s able to convert to long term memory. It might take him a bit, but he’s able to do it. Pre Mommy taking classes it was no problem.

With me taking classes it is a problem. There’s only so much time in the day. Also, my kid will be a turkey with me:crying, pouting, fit throwing, you know the drill. Our kids will push us to our limits of patience, but will be perfect angels for everyone else. This just childhood, nothing to do with dyspraxia.

But a tutor? And a person he already loves to death? Who also happens to be card carrying member of the Grammar Police? Oh yes, that will do. That will do nicely, thank you very much. No crying, no fits, just lots of learning. And that is a wonderful thing.

Now, I’m off to do your own homework. Ack! I promise, tho, no crying… well. I won’t throw a fit…. no. I promise to do my homework. How’s that?

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Ending as you mean to begin

I ended 2017 the way I mean to go on for 2018. Namely, I wrote a short story, did some spot editing (which is my bad part), sent it off to a couple of Beta readers. I’ll be submitting it before the week is done. Next thing up might be an essay contest regarding the end of the world. I have some thoughts that if I can get the zombies pointed in the right direction just might work 🙂

I’m taking a few online classes, too. Just to get the old noggin working again, keep myself busy and all that. I finished one on CS Lewis, and this week I start Tolstoy. He terrified me in college, but now I’m ready to tackle him. I can do this!

My son did end up with presents under the tree. Sigh. But we will be going to SF, maybe next weekend. That would be awesome. This weekend, we’re going to a kid’s paradise, where they have go-cart racing, mini golf, rock climbing, laser tag and oh so much more. I did buy him the year pass for it, so he’ll be going. A lot.  Although I just looked online and the season pass is cheaper than a day pass. SMH.

Hope all of your Christmas Wishes and New Years Dreams come true.

 

 

A Different Kind of Christmas

My son nickel and dimes me to death. Video games, in-app purchases, toys, soda, chips…. It seems like every day there’s a new thing that he needs me to buy for him. Sometimes I say yes, but I often say no. He’s a pretty good kid, and there are never any fits or tears over my not wanting to be a walking wallet.

               A few nights ago, that changed. Not about things though. He misses doing things with me. Simple things like playing 2 square, crafts and playing with his Legos. Little trips going to places we love. “We never do anything fun anymore!” He cried. Not for things, but for me.

               I was a little confused, as we had just been up to Sacramento for a fun filled weekend. Back in September, we went to Monterey, and on the way back stopped at Pea Soup Andersons. We might not do fun things every weekend—but I don’t have him all the time. He spends Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning with his dad.

               We had the conversation. I needed to know before the Black Friday deals disappeared. “Do you want things, or do you want me to buy tickets for us to do stuff through out the year?”

               “I want to do stuff with you,” he told me.

               “Ok. That means you’re not going to be able to be with your dad every weekend.”

               “I miss you, Mom.” Way to break a Mommy’s heart, kiddo. I miss you too, but I wanted you to have that opportunity to build a relationship with your dad. Now, though… Well. Mommy’s back in the driver’s seat and we’re going to do this!

               I still surfed the ads bought him a few things for under the tree (thank you wifi!). But I also started my evil plan.

               Boomers:  This weekend, the year pass is only $39.99 It doesn’t cover the arcade or food, but it is something he loved doing with his dad. It’s also something that I can just as easily take him to, let him go Go Kart racing, climb a wall, all sorts of fun stuff. The pass also works for the remainder of this year. Hmmm…. To give early or not?

               The Exploratorium He loves science and tinkering and there is no better place than the Exploratorium. I’m still debating between a yearly family membership and just buying one time tickets. We travel a lot with my sister and her son, so they would be on the pass as well. One huge thing in favor of the pass is that I don’t have to drive there. We’ve taken Amtrak down to Pier 39 before: it’s an economical, fun way for us to get into the city and back home again. In 2 visits, the pass would be paid for. I almost did it last year and regretted passing.

               The Winchester Mystery House: My son is 11 years old and has been asking to visit “Sara’s House” for at least a year. He’s fascinated by why she would build the way she did, all the little oddities. I’d like for him to experience it in real life, instead of via YouTube.

               In addition to the above, I’m looking at both science and art kits for us to do together. There are a ton of them out there, including some that come as a monthly subscription. I like that more for the science than the art. For art projects (which we’ll start on Sunday when he comes home), I can go to any number of local stores. There are plans for experiments on the Exploratorium website, and I could probably find kits online and just buy one or two. I have time to figure it out, though.

               The sad part about the list above is that coupled with what I snagged online for him, I’m not going to spend a whole lot more money on Christmas by doing this. There will be a lot less Christmas clutter, and I’m going to have to get creative on how to wrap and present these gifts.

               But before that, we’re going to go out back and play 2 square together.

               In the end, I’m giving him the gift he wants. The gift of time. With me. 

Nano

Well. I’m nanoing. Not burning it up like some, but an increase in words almost every day.

I’m almost 10k into my story and I have no clue who it’s about. I have all the characters… but who I thought it was about?

Nope.

But I’m told that I can edit later. 

I believe I can do this. Even with the curveball I keep getting  thrown.

No excuses. Just words.

Not quitting till December 1st.

I can do this.

Neuro

My path is not the

Straight and narrow 

Of your ken…

You say you understand,

My brain isn’t wired like yours.

And yet, 

Every time,

Everyday,

I have to fight for the

Simple right

To be 

Who 

I 

Am.

If I had autism

I’d fit in your b
ox.

If I had ADD

You’d feel better

Putting pills 

In my mouth.

It’s not my fault

You choose not 

to see….

There are no boxes 

For souls

And mine is beautiful

Even if you choose

Not

to

See.

Boys and poetry

The princeling and I often talk about stories. Last weekend, I listened to him try to rewrite all of my stories. Every single one. 

While cleaning up some papers, I came across a poem we had started together. I remembered the first line, but had forgotten he had written the second. And now I know why he and I don’t work poetry much. He’s 11. And a boy. And I shouldn’t have been suprised….

Here goes…..

If I had a robot heart,

Would I be able to fart.

Yup, my son has mad rhyming skills.

Competition

I’m good at what I do. I enjoy the hell out of my job, now that I’ve gotten away from my crazy abusive boss. I have a great boss now, he’s not only fair he realizes that by giving me the tools and support I need to do my job…. his company succeeds. He isn’t afraid or hesitant to support me when customers are angry with me, and it’s generally like night and day compared to my previous job.

The only thing I missed from my old job were my coworkers. One retired, and I still see him and his wife from time to time. My son loves comparing phone games with her. Another does my taxes every year. One of the latter hires and I still talk on the phone from time to time.

There was one coworker whom I talked with everyday but I haven’t since I left. I’m on the left coast, and she’s on the right coast.

I’ve talked to her every day this week.

She is now a part of our team and I love it.

I am hyper competitive and we are now a sales team of 2. Before, I was checking my numbers against the Florida warehouse and I was ok with it. Since I’m not on commission, I feel like I should take care of all of our customers. No lie, keeping up with all the aspects of all the customers keep me on my toes. As I’m bored easily, it’s perfect.

Perfect!

However I’m hyper competitive. This is not something my boss puts onto me, though he likes it. No one is pressuring me. I’m not in commission, because I turned it down. I’d rather work on salary as I have the princeling. It also frees me up to answer phones and help everyone. 

But she… she’s good. She’s very good. And my competitive gene kicked in. And things starting building up…… so that by Friday morning I had a melt down.

A minor one. And all from internal pressure.

I understand and applaud putting customers who were under my rep number going over to hers if they will buy more. Every once in a while tho, one will come through that a different person reentered under their own number that was mine. My boss fixes it everytime. But one came through yesterday that was completely accidental and I lost it.

Thank God the boss man wasn’t there because I was so frustrated I cried when telling my coworker. Argh I hate that. But by talking it over with L I was able to calm down enough to email what had happened to the boss man.

I think L. may have talked to the boss man. 

Cool.

(And please be aware, my frustration had nothing to do with C.. I have always wanted nothing but to support her and make her life and transition easier. I like her. A lot. I love working with her. We worked together and talked almost everyday for 8 years. I’ve met her in person once, and had  blast. We used to joke wed take over the old company if we ever got together and that’s why we were only in the same place once.)

Later in the day, right before closing, he gave me words of encouragement. Something to the effect of C. being hired doesn’t take away from what I do. That I’m great at what I do and he’s happy with my work. He hired her to be a me on the other coast.

“It’s just I’m so competitive..”

“I know.” I’m pretty sure he said he like it too. I know he does.

“It’s just… I have my sales number to track, but I take care of everyone. House accounts, anthony, mine…”

And he gets it. He doesn’t try to make me feel less. He let’s me know he sees everything I do, and he likes it. I am good at what I do… even when I’m competing in my own head. Instead of being strung out and worried all weekend, I was able to leave work feeling great. It carried me through a crappie drive home. It stays with me everytime I get in the car at butt o’clock in the morning. I’m gone from 6:15am to 5pm and I more than ok with it. 

I used to say that my boss from my first job after college was the best boss I’d ever had. Tough, but fair and would always support me if I told him what was going on BEFORE the caca hit the fan. That has been changed. 

I’ll still be competitive. I won’t let that go. It’s all in my own brain, anyways. 

But for work, I think I’m going to focus my competitiveness outside the company. Show the industry what happens when women in the work place are valued and supported.

Yah. We can do that.