Junior high and Archer have become something of a frustration to me. He is doing fine with his peers, no bullying issues thank goodness. Honestly that is what I was most worried about. He scores well on his tests. His teachers all talk about what a smart, kind, and respectful person he is. He does his homework. Where might the frustration be you might ask? All of that sounds great does it not? He truly is a great young man. However the kid cannot seem to turn his homework in on a consistent basis! From talking to friends I am finding that this is a very common issue. He had a hard time in a couple classes first term. Second term did great, mostly A's with a couple B's. This last term, back to his bad habits from the first term. It seems like a huge waste of time to me to expend the time and effort of doing the work and then not reaping the rewards of it. There is a large learning curve involved. In elementary school teachers will remind you to turn work in, in junior high not so much. In elementary teachers only have 20-30 kids in their classrooms, not over 100 different kids throughout the day. So I understand why it is put on the kids to keep track of these things. It can be hard for a child to learn to do. The solution we came up with is that every Sunday evening, before the school week starts, Archer and I will sit down and review the upcoming week. We will pull up Infinite Campus and make sure he has no missing assignments, we will review the scores he has gotten up to that point, and we will see what is due that week. The hope is that he will get into the habit of doing it himself, but in the meantime part of my job as his mom is to help him learn to do it. At the end of the day if he gets a C in a class that he struggled with and worked his butt off at, then I will be okay with it. If he gets a C in that same class because he did not turn in work he had done, not so okay with that. So the learning curve continues, for both of us. Archer's learning curve is keeping track of assignments. My learning curve is to help my child with this new portion of his life. Just like we had to teach him to balance to ride a bike properly, we need to teach him how to do this to succeed at school. At the end of the day, no matter how frustrating it may be I am so very proud of Archer and all my kids. They are fantastic and I am blessed to be their mom.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Learning Curve
Junior high and Archer have become something of a frustration to me. He is doing fine with his peers, no bullying issues thank goodness. Honestly that is what I was most worried about. He scores well on his tests. His teachers all talk about what a smart, kind, and respectful person he is. He does his homework. Where might the frustration be you might ask? All of that sounds great does it not? He truly is a great young man. However the kid cannot seem to turn his homework in on a consistent basis! From talking to friends I am finding that this is a very common issue. He had a hard time in a couple classes first term. Second term did great, mostly A's with a couple B's. This last term, back to his bad habits from the first term. It seems like a huge waste of time to me to expend the time and effort of doing the work and then not reaping the rewards of it. There is a large learning curve involved. In elementary school teachers will remind you to turn work in, in junior high not so much. In elementary teachers only have 20-30 kids in their classrooms, not over 100 different kids throughout the day. So I understand why it is put on the kids to keep track of these things. It can be hard for a child to learn to do. The solution we came up with is that every Sunday evening, before the school week starts, Archer and I will sit down and review the upcoming week. We will pull up Infinite Campus and make sure he has no missing assignments, we will review the scores he has gotten up to that point, and we will see what is due that week. The hope is that he will get into the habit of doing it himself, but in the meantime part of my job as his mom is to help him learn to do it. At the end of the day if he gets a C in a class that he struggled with and worked his butt off at, then I will be okay with it. If he gets a C in that same class because he did not turn in work he had done, not so okay with that. So the learning curve continues, for both of us. Archer's learning curve is keeping track of assignments. My learning curve is to help my child with this new portion of his life. Just like we had to teach him to balance to ride a bike properly, we need to teach him how to do this to succeed at school. At the end of the day, no matter how frustrating it may be I am so very proud of Archer and all my kids. They are fantastic and I am blessed to be their mom.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
My Little Pony
Have you seen My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic? I've seen most of the episode on Netflix, though my kids tell me there are new episodes on now. I'm sure I'll be seeing them soon enough! The original MLP shows were pretty cheesy. I remember watching them as a kid and they were okay. It was horses, so couldn't be bad. The newest G4 ponies are pretty cool though! The animation is great, the storylines are above average for a kids show, and the themes of the storyline are great. I honestly do not mind watching this show at all. Princess and Angel both love the show, Archer tolerates it, and Picasso loves it too. Yep, my son loves MLP! Do you know what? I am 100% okay with that. He would not be considered to be a "Brony", as he is too young to fit that demographic, but he definitely is one. His favorite pony is Rainbow Dash. She is one kick butt pony! Build a Bear has some large Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie ponies the next month or so. I am very tempted to go get one of each for Picasso and Princes as they have birthdays coming up in a couple months. We will have to see if I end up getting them or not, but I am considering it.
Today at the mall I stopped in at Hot Topic, as they are one of the only places I know of to get Doctor Who merchandise in stores in the US. They had Doctor Whooves merchandise! I promptly bought a t-shirt and a Doctor Whooves figurine. The t-shirt was given to the kids before we walked out of the mall and Picasso had changed into before we got back to my mom's house. The figurine will be saved for his birthday. The shirt has this graphic on it, minus the wording. I am sure there will be some fighting over who gets to wear the shirt on any given day. It combines My Little Pony AND Doctor Who. You cannot go wrong with that! I will definitely be returning to Hot Topic to check out what other Doctor Who related stuff they have. And if I happen to find a fantastic MLP item, well that may come home for one of the kiddos too.
I know that there are those out there who would have an issue with my boy like MLP. It is for "girls". Give me a break is what I have to say to them! Who puts these gender stereotypes on items? Adults do, not kids. Who cares if my son likes ponies or my daughter likes to dress up as the Incredible Hulk. Why is it such a big deal if boys like "girl things", but not near a big as deal if girls like "boy things"? I do not understand that double standard and there is a large double standard. Personally I will support my kids in their likes and dislikes as long as it is not harmful to them or others. So Bronies, rock on! Enjoy those things in life that you find to be worthwhile, no matter what anyone else thinks.
Today at the mall I stopped in at Hot Topic, as they are one of the only places I know of to get Doctor Who merchandise in stores in the US. They had Doctor Whooves merchandise! I promptly bought a t-shirt and a Doctor Whooves figurine. The t-shirt was given to the kids before we walked out of the mall and Picasso had changed into before we got back to my mom's house. The figurine will be saved for his birthday. The shirt has this graphic on it, minus the wording. I am sure there will be some fighting over who gets to wear the shirt on any given day. It combines My Little Pony AND Doctor Who. You cannot go wrong with that! I will definitely be returning to Hot Topic to check out what other Doctor Who related stuff they have. And if I happen to find a fantastic MLP item, well that may come home for one of the kiddos too. I know that there are those out there who would have an issue with my boy like MLP. It is for "girls". Give me a break is what I have to say to them! Who puts these gender stereotypes on items? Adults do, not kids. Who cares if my son likes ponies or my daughter likes to dress up as the Incredible Hulk. Why is it such a big deal if boys like "girl things", but not near a big as deal if girls like "boy things"? I do not understand that double standard and there is a large double standard. Personally I will support my kids in their likes and dislikes as long as it is not harmful to them or others. So Bronies, rock on! Enjoy those things in life that you find to be worthwhile, no matter what anyone else thinks.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Easter and Family
Happy Easter! We have had a wonderful day filled with family, laughter and lots of smiles. We started off the day with Easter baskets and a yummy breakfast. I almost never make breakfast, or eat it for that matter, so the kids were loving a warm breakfast. We went to church, like we do every Sunday, and enjoyed the Spirit we felt there. It always brings me peace to attend church. We had very yummy Easter dinner at my mom's house. I have to say that homemade rolls with homemade raspberry jam are amazing! Overall it was a fabulous Easter. Nice and low key, but filled with the joy of being together as a family.My sisters and their kids are in town. So the cousins all have been having a lot of fun. We hung out on Thursday, went to the pool on Friday, took my nephew to the Rapids game with us yesterday, and then spent the afternoon together today. Capped it all off with an Easter egg hunt in the backyard. There was nothing in the plastic eggs, but the kids still had a lot of fun finding them! Amazing how the simple things mean so much when you are little, an empty plastic egg can bring so much joy and happiness. I love that!
We also had a new niece born into our family this weekend! Yay for babies! She is a beautiful baby and we cannot wait to meet her. There will be two more babies joining our family this year in the next couple months. Such wonderful blessings.
I got to talk to my maternal grandmother today also. That was the best! I miss my grandparents a lot. It has been six years since I have seen them. I have been wanting to get back to see them for years, but it has never worked out budget wise. Thankfully we were able to swing one plane ticket so I can get out to see them. I wish I could take the whole family with me, but I will take what I can get. My paternal grandmother will be turning 96 soon. Ninety six years old! My maternal grandparents are not too far behind her in their early 90's. I know that I am very lucky to still have them still. So many of my friends have lost all their grandparents already. My paternal grandfather died before I was born, so I never had a chance to know him. However I am close with my remaining grandparents and I know that at sometime in the not too distant future I will lose my remaining grandparents for the rest of this mortal life. I am not looking forward to that day! I'm sure it will come too soon. I am sure it always seems too soon. I am grateful for the atonement though and the knowledge that we can be together again someday.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
GI Joe: Retaliation
I have been finding myself sliding into depression lately. It does not happen often, but every now and then it tries to creep back into my life. After my last couple miscarriages I spiraled into a pretty bad funk. The depression got bad enough that I tried counseling and meds. Neither helped. The doctor, mainly because we did not click, and the meds because meds and I tend to not be friends. I was able to get out of that dark place. It was a daily struggle for a time, but it got better. Every so often I find myself trying to slide back into that place. It is not a place I want to be!
I believe that this time it is being caused, in part, by the frustration over my foot not healing as quickly as I hoped it would. I overdid it and set myself back a bit. It makes me feel as if it will never get better. I am sure that it will. It just takes time and patience. I seem to be lacking in the patience at the moment.
I have been doing a little better the past day or two. Not great, but better. Tonight I went to see GI Joe: Retaliation with one of my best friends. It was just what I needed! Something about a movie based on a childhood favorite cartoon just makes you smile. I actually really enjoyed this one. I think it was more serious than the first, but still just as fun. I was sad that Chris Eccleston as Destro was not in it, however I can see him in Thor in a few months. :) My friend was disappointed there was not more Channing Tatum in it. That did not bother me. I did miss having Duke as a main character to a degree, but I missed Eccleston more. Yes, I really like Chris Eccleston! He is a great actor and has pretty eyes. In regards to the movie and kids, I would let Archer see it, but would not let any of the younger kids see it. There is no graphic violence and I do not recall a preponderance of bad language. However it is very intense in a few parts and I feel, that for my family, it would not be appropriate for the younger kids. At 13 years old, Archer would be okay with it. The younger kids might be okay with it too, but I would rather they wait a few years to see it. Same thing we did with the last Harry Potter movie. The younger kids are still waiting anxiously to see that.
So yay for a girl's night out with a good friend and a fun action flick! Makes a girl feel better.
I believe that this time it is being caused, in part, by the frustration over my foot not healing as quickly as I hoped it would. I overdid it and set myself back a bit. It makes me feel as if it will never get better. I am sure that it will. It just takes time and patience. I seem to be lacking in the patience at the moment.
I have been doing a little better the past day or two. Not great, but better. Tonight I went to see GI Joe: Retaliation with one of my best friends. It was just what I needed! Something about a movie based on a childhood favorite cartoon just makes you smile. I actually really enjoyed this one. I think it was more serious than the first, but still just as fun. I was sad that Chris Eccleston as Destro was not in it, however I can see him in Thor in a few months. :) My friend was disappointed there was not more Channing Tatum in it. That did not bother me. I did miss having Duke as a main character to a degree, but I missed Eccleston more. Yes, I really like Chris Eccleston! He is a great actor and has pretty eyes. In regards to the movie and kids, I would let Archer see it, but would not let any of the younger kids see it. There is no graphic violence and I do not recall a preponderance of bad language. However it is very intense in a few parts and I feel, that for my family, it would not be appropriate for the younger kids. At 13 years old, Archer would be okay with it. The younger kids might be okay with it too, but I would rather they wait a few years to see it. Same thing we did with the last Harry Potter movie. The younger kids are still waiting anxiously to see that. So yay for a girl's night out with a good friend and a fun action flick! Makes a girl feel better.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Disney on Ice presents Treasure Trove
I have had some questions about how to get the discounted tickets to Disney on Ice presents Treasure Trove. Due to that I thought I'd give instructions to break it down for you. :) So here you go: Go to www.ticketmaster.com/treasure. Pick your date and click on the "Find tickets" button. Enter code STN26 into the offer code box (make sure you do all caps). Then tell it to show the promotion on the map. If you click on the map it will show you price by seats. The lower seats are $50 including all the taxes, while the upper seats are $18 including the taxes. Pick your seats and you are good to go! Remember parking is free at the Coliseum, unless you chose to park in one of the pay lots.
The Denver Colorado dates are April 4-7 at the Denver Coliseum.
My kids are getting really excited about going to see Treasure Trove and so am I. It is such a fun family outing that everyone can enjoy. Even Archer, being a young teenage boy, enjoys it. I sometimes hear that it is just for girls because it is princesses. I personally don't feel that way at all. If you like Disney movies, then you will like Disney on Ice. The productions are essentially snippets of the movie live and on ice. Cannot go wrong there!
Here is a clip of what it is:
The Denver Colorado dates are April 4-7 at the Denver Coliseum.
My kids are getting really excited about going to see Treasure Trove and so am I. It is such a fun family outing that everyone can enjoy. Even Archer, being a young teenage boy, enjoys it. I sometimes hear that it is just for girls because it is princesses. I personally don't feel that way at all. If you like Disney movies, then you will like Disney on Ice. The productions are essentially snippets of the movie live and on ice. Cannot go wrong there!
Here is a clip of what it is:
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Recovery and Sisters
There are a few things that you should not do while recovering from foot surgery.
- Shovel wet, heavy snow. Duh right? It's wet and heavy and requires much pressure put on your foot. Yet it seemed to really matter that I get the driveway shoveled before dark so that when we went to church the next day it would be ready to go. Why didn't my sweet husband or kids do it? My sweetheart has a bad back which was seizing up after shoveling three times that day already. Archer was out sledding with friends and I did not want my younger ones out in the dwindling light shoveling really wet, heavy snow.
- Volunteering for things that require standing for long periods of time. Especially soon after shoveling wet, heavy snow. I just cannot say no when help is need. When the help is needed with book fair, well sign me up! Twice! Just for good measure. I do love book fair. The second day I was able to sit a good chunk of it, so that was good.
- Do something that requires repeated trips up and down stairs, after shoveling wet, heavy snow and standing for long periods of time. It hurts, a lot, and probably shouldn't be done.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Disney on Ice presents Treasure Trove Contest Winner
Amanda Trenck!!!!
Amanda you must contact me within 48 hours to claim your prize. I hope your family enjoys attending Disney on Ice presents Treasure Trove!
For those of you who did not win you can still buy tickets.
For those of you who did not win you can still buy tickets.
Disney On Ice presents Treasure Trove playing Denver Coliseum – Save $4 per ticket! Use coupon code STN26 at www.ticketmaster.com/Treasure. This code is valid for the Thursday, April 4, and Friday, April 5, shows and cannot be used for Front Row or VIP seating. No double discounts.
Show Dates:
Thurs., April 4 - 7:00 PM
Sat., April 6 - 11:00 AM, 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Sun., April 7 - 11:00 AM, 3:00 PM & (7:00 PM SPANISH SHOW)
Tickets:$15, $21, $27, $42 VIP, & $68 Front Row
Facility Fees, service charges and handling fees may apply
Parking is free at Denver Coliseum.
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