This weekend and housekeeping

This weekend is the Girl Scout campout for Bri, Jimmy's Braves Campout (that we are not going to), a trial Ju Jitsu class for Jimmy, a birthday party, work on Saturday for me, and an induction ceremony for Princesses.

If we survive, it'll be nice enough to fish. *

Isn't this how parenting goes? Its everything or nothing going on. Next weekend is more of the same. Then we may have a breather weekend. Maybe.

I have to work at least the next two, if not three, Saturdays. Thanks for work taking our systems offline as long as you did. At least I'll have company, too bad I won't be able to listen to NPR without my headphones. Maybe someone will bring baked goods. No bananas please.

And I know I ranted and raved before about the cats that roam out neighborhood. We still have the problem with the cats that don't belong in my yard. Unfortunatly, James hasn't run them over yet. I had enought and trimmed back all the front bushes to be greeted with that familar litter box smell. Great. So, I was talking to James about this issue one night when Bri informed me that her friends' parents are one of the guilty parties letting their cats roam the neighborhood. But one of the two cats uses a litter box in their garage so its ok the cat is in my yard. Um, no its not. The cat needs to be in the house.

Speaking of pets, the kids are asking for a dog. Again. We visted a humane shelter on Sunday. And the issue is that Jimmy is too young for the dogs they had. And I really don't want something else to clean up after around here. Also, I'm not liking the names the kids picked out. Jimmy wants Snowflake. Bri wants Chuck Norris. James hasn't made his opinion known. Go figure.

And speaking of the neighbors, today we had pizza for dinner cause James had a meeting and Bri came in the house, followed by one of her friends asking if Bri and Jimmy can eat outside. We said no, cause we had stuff to do tonight like getting ready for this campout. She asked if Bri and Jimmy could come back out and we said no, we had things to do and they did get to play for a rather long time today. So Bri went upstairs to wash her hands and the little girl followed her upstairs. Then Bri came back down, minus her friend. So we told Bri she needed to ask her friend to leave cause its dinner time. Bri's friend came down and made herself at home on our couch. James talked to her and walked her back home.

I'm glad the kids have friends on our block but these girls are always outside playing and looking for someone to play with. And the little one keeps making herself at home in my house. Which I'm not pleased about. She'll come in without Bri or Jimmy looking for a snack. And a lot of times I nap on the couch in the afternoon and James will not be home or around taking care of things so this makes me nervous. We've had enough accidents around here this year. And I don't know if my homeowners covers snack related mishaps for visitors.

*from Fairly Odd Parents. Ask your kids.

The peace and quiet of cornfields

It's been a long week in my life. Work is...ugh. We'll leave it at that.

So, what has been going on at Casa de Toast of late ?

Well, we started the homework rewards system. Based on a discussion with my therapist (that will be another post when I have the strength to tell it. Not yet.), we started a reward system to alleviate some of the battles I have been going through trying to get Bri to do her homework. The kids get a smelly sticker each day for completing their goals. Bri's is to do her homework WITHOUT COMPLAINING OR WHINING and to be finished with ALL HER HOMEWORK by 8 pm. Jimmy's is just to do his homework. We have had three good days this week. Today was not so much BECAUSE the kids DID NOT put their homework folder/docket in their bags the 20 or so times they were asked. So I don't think they are getting the sticker. But we told them if they did this 3 of 4 days per week they have homework (none on Fridays) for two weeks they would get a bigger prize. Probably take them for ice cream or something like that.

We have a house guest. Corduroy from school. Last Friday, Jimmy was given one of the two Corduroys to bring home for a week. We had to write a journal of what Corduroy did with us for the week. Tonight we made a poke cake for work, which was added to the journal. I brought up a lot of suggestions, but I don't think his kindergarten teachers would appreciate them, considering one of his teachers is a nun. And the aide for the other class is a nun. Anyhow. He goes back tomorrow and he probably was the quietest guest we have had in a while.

Speaking of not quiet, Bri and Jimmy have friended two girls who live down the street from us who are the same ages as Bri and Jimmy. Today, Bri and Jimmy took lollipops for them that had been found in the pantry as a thank you for all the silly bandz rings they kids have been given. I like these girls overall. Minus the running in and out of my house and their house. I've looked up to see the youngest one in my kitchen.
My complain is that they are always outside and looking for Bri and Jimmy to play with them (there aren't a lot of kids on this street). So there are times when James has taken our two kids to the Y and I get back from writing, shopping, an errand, that I see the youngest one at the end of my driveway, looking for Bri and Jimmy. At 8 pm. Or knocking on the door to see if the kids are here cause they are bored. Its gotten better now that everyone is back in school but still its a wee bit annoying. Plus today the youngest was running up and down the street in her socks.

You probably are wondering about the cornfields. One thing I do to calm down is take drives. I like to get out in the country and see the farms. I like to see wind turbines also, I think they are oddly facinating. A lot of times before or after (or some days both) writing, I like to hop on a major road and drive and see what's out there. Out where you can see the stars, speed limits seem like suggestions and moths commit suicide on the front of your car. Its peaceful and quiet and relaxing. I don't know why. But it helps sometimes.

Then I turn around and come back to reality. Whoo hoo.

The homework battle of 2010

You know school has begun if you listen for the screams from my house.

From Brianna.

Ugh. I love the kid but I HATE homework time. Its not my fave. You can't talk to her. For example, today we were working on a couple sheets about rounding, one that was practice and one was homework. So she showed me the practice sheet first and she had made some errors. I told her and explained it to her again. I asked if she understood and she did. I gave her a few verbal problems to tell me the answers and she got them right.

So then, I told her that I wanted to see her homework sheet when she was done. She didn't read the directions clearly. So when she showed me her sheet, there were four problems that were incorrect. I tried to explain to her that she needed to correct them since she hadn't rounded correctly. You would of thought I shoved bamboo under her nails. She cried and erased so hard she almost ripped her paper.

I don't get it really. I wasn't yelling or screaming. I was calm. I don't understand it. She's not like this in school. She's a totally different kid in school, or so her teachers tell me. I think there's another Brianna in class and no one has told me.

So, beginning next week, the kids are getting a homework chart. They will get a smelly sitcker for each day homework is done without a fight and by 8 pm. No screaming, yelling or crying. If they do 3 out of 4 days a week for two weeks they will also get a bigger reward. What, we haven't decided but something not too big.

I'll let you know how this goes, cause if it goes badly I may not continue homework duty. I'll make James do it. Or pull out the hunting ear protectors.

Pushed one tiny finger poke to the edge

I love my kids. But they can sense when I'm not in a good mood. And push me towards the edge of snapping.

And the parent nights at school aren't helping me either.

This is the THIRD YEAR I have walked out of Bri's classroom, rather angry about something. At least the last two years James wasn't with me. And didn't get to witness my screaming tirade in the car about people contradictions in what the say. In the 20 minutes the teacher talked to the parents.

Last year it was handwriting. Come to think of it, so was the year before. We're still having problems with handwriting and spelling. Ugh.

Anyhow, this year was the; they want the kids to take responsibility and do their homework without a parent's help, but they want us to check their homework and sign their demerits.

WHICH WAY ARE WE GOING WITH THIS PEOPLE? REALLY? Can we pick how we're working this and go with it?

This is the kind of stuff that makes me really angry. REALLY, REALLY ANGRY. Even with meds.

Jimmy's parent night is tomorrow. Should be all kinds of levels of awesome.

So today, I'm still not in a good mood. Ever get angry just by the sound of someone's voice? That's the mood I'm in. So I decided to try and sit upstairs and watch TV when we got home from school. The kids were playing on the computer. Guess who is now sitting next to me in my room, watching SpongeBob and kicking me.

Yup, Bri and Jimmy. No point in moving, they just follow me.

So glad I get to go get the oil changed later. Maybe some piece and quiet.