Different kids

I know that most of the time I post about my children, my kids, Brianna and Grant... But I am also a teacher and I have 99 other kids that I think about daily.

I worry about them and care about how they do and wonder what they think and wish for their success.

I can't motivate all of them if they don't want to be motivated.
I can't make them listen and remember.
I can't bend the directions everytime one needs to succeed a little more.
I can't do it for them or fix it every time.

Most sadly, I can't make their parents support them or support me.

Parents- The best thing you can do for your children is be there when they need you, and try and see both sides of every story. I know your child is wonderful and believable and they never stretch the truth in their favor... But sometimes the teacher has good ideas and reasons behind their behavior. Sometimes your child has to be upset to learn a lesson. Sometimes they might even need to fail because they didn't pay attention in class or remember to do their big project on time. I KNOW IT'S HARD! Life is hard. It's sad but true. You will not be there to call the college professor or your child's boss when their work is late or done improperly.

I would really like to tell you the story that is prompting this but I am too afraid of it being read by the wrong person.

I AM NOT PICKING ON YOUR CHILD.

Obsessions

I don' know if it's just Brianna, or if it's all 2 year olds... They get obsessed with things!

This week it's stop signs. I don't know if road signs are something the daycare is teaching her or what but she is obsessed with stop signs. She points out every stop sign we see, and asks for more stop signs if there aren't any around. Add this to the green light/red light things and driving in a car with her is REALLY annoying.

To add more fuel to my morning fire, the majority of our drive is east, straight into the sun. After repeating several times that the sun is awake, she starts complaining that it is in her eyes. Not that I can blame her there, the sun is indeed blaring right into our eyes. In the past we have given her paper or a folder to hold up to block the sun. On really cranky mornings, we've even had to hold it up for her. Recently though, I bought her little sunglasses. She finally stopped playing with them long enough to wear them properly and now we can't drive anywhere with out them!

Horror of Horrors...today the sunglasses were left in Daddy's car! The entire way to work I had to hear various levels of whining... I need my glasses! Luckily the sun was blocked by clouds occasionally. I think I will have to buy a second set of glasses this week!

Grant- you don't ever have to start talking if you don't want to!!!

Lazy A-- Post

I am too tired and too busy to really post today but Jamie has some great pictures of my kids today.

If it's not one thing...

So. We figured out this whole Grant/Bottle thing and I won my bids on e-bay. As I speak (type?) more bottles and a variety of nipples are on their way to me. This should be enough to last us quite a while, until sippy cup time! In the meantime, my whole family came down with colds this weekend. Boxes and Boxes of tissue later, everyone is well but me. I seem to have progressed from head cold to mind numbing flu. I took today off work and will probably take tomorrow off as well. Friday I 'm taking the 99 hormonal teenagers and 10 responsible (?) parents on a field trip. If I'm not better by then, I might just kill myself by the end of the day. I'll let you know! (PS- Today Blogger won't let me use my return key to move the cursor so please pardon my messy post!)

More Childhood Torture

Today, and for the next 48 hours, all Grant is going to get is formula. Icky, smelly, tastes like ear wax, formula. And why???? Because mommy doesn't love you enough to breastfeed into eternity. Mommy is just plain sick of the pumping and the crap!

So Grant, when you vaguely remember hating me for some reason, this is it. But don't blame it only on me. The Internet at large and a book called "The Baby Whisperer" told me to do it. They told me that if I don't offer you anything else for 48 hours, you will be forced to drink it because you will get hungry enough. GOD I HOPE SO!

Now that we have bottles you like, you can't use that excuse anymore. So drink up kid! This will be the only thing your getting, I don't care how much you scream. (OK, I do care but my long term sanity is on the line here so please shape up already!)

Today I became an E-Bay shopper

Grant has picked a bottle he likes!!!! Yeah!!!!!

It is discontinued!!!!! UGH!!!!!!

Why is my Jewel even selling bottles that have been discontinued for a year? Even the company doesn't have any more to sell me or give me, they don't even advertise them on their website!
Why is my son so difficult? Is this a sign of things to come? I am quite scared.

So today I stalked e-bay! I found some bottles I can get for VERY reasonably, but the nipples are going to astronomically expensive from a different seller. If I "win" both these items, I will have enough bottles to get through one day at a time. I will continue to spend every evening washing bottles so that I can pre-make them for the next day.

I mentioned this to a nosey/friend/fellow mom at school and she now considers herself on a mission to find more of these bottles for me. I appreciate her help but think she is really weird for wanting to spend her weekends looking for bottles for me.

If you want to be a personal shopper too... Keep your eyes open for "Evenflo Elite". It is a clear bottle with a blue ring and a very shallow, wide nipple. (Hello perves!)

Stalling

Right this minute I should be working on a short paper/assignment that I have due in Grad class tonight. I just can't care! 8 more nights to go...

For posterity

If my kids actually read this someday, like I hope, to find out the things I can't remember from their childhood... I think it's time to log what our day looks like:

5:30 Mom wakes up and gets herself ready
6:00 Mom feeds Grant while Dad gets Brianna ready
6:15 (or more like 6:30 most days) Mom leaves for school with Bri and Grant, Dad gets himself ready
6:45? Dad leaves for work
6:45 ish- Mom drops the kids at school- first I drop off Grant, then Brianna with some cuddles, then back to Grant for cuddles and our daily list of new things to try so maybe Grant will eat today!
7-4 Parents working.... Kids playing
Brianna- You love the kitchen area, especially shopping with the plastic shopping cart and taking care of the baby dolls. You also love painting and eating. Your favorite foods are Chicken nuggets and Mac and Cheese. You also will eat pasta, apples, or grapes until you explode! You are still napping about 2 hours every afternoon. When I come to pick you up, you don't want to leave school. You always ask for "tee mo minutes" (Three more minutes). I usually give you about 5 while I hear from your teachers about what a stinker you were today.
Grant- You are napping about 3 times a day, for an hour or 1 1/2 hours at a time. You eat twice a day at school. You are a stinker about eating at school, you give your teachers a really hard time. You have done better these past few days with new bottles and I really hope that you will be a better eater soon. You are so good at "Tummy time" that you haven't learned to roll over yet. I know you will soon though. You have just figured out mirrors and break into the biggest, most beautiful smile whenever you catch site of yourself in one. Your teachers love you silly and cuddle you a lot even though you are cranky for them.
4-6 Mom picks up the kids and we all go home and play or watch tv. (Dad picks up on Wednesday's and Mom goes to grad school)
6ish- Dinner as a family. We go out about twice a week, or bring in food more often. On Tuesday's Dad and Mom take turns taking Brianna to Gymnastics (aka 'nastics). Bri LOVES 'nastics!
8:15/8:30 Dad takes Bri to bed most nights. Mom does it occasionally if she's not feeding Grant at this time. We read you two books, turn out the lights, say prayers, tuck you in, and remind you of all the wonderful things that happened today and might happen tomorrow. We give you one book to "read" as you fall asleep.


Kids- We love you THIS much!