Last week of school: Hurray? or Help!

Well, I can hardly believe it but here we are. Wasn't it just a couple of weeks ago we were all snowed in? Wow, time does really fly as you get older.

Shea is almost done already. Just has 2 more days in the morning pre-school, one which is a party. I am actually glad about that because school is interfering with the bold and herculean strides he is making in the potty training department.

Even though, the thought of his princeliness with nothing to do but hassle me about playing on the computer all day is a scary prospect. Quickly and with plenty of forethought, I signed him up for the first session of swim lessons at the pool. I usually don't in June because our normal weather is rainy and bleak but not this year. We are in the full swing of summer and swim lessons are just what he needs.

I sign him up for 2 times, back to back; 10 & 10:30, so he has a solid hour in the pool with the instructor. Who are all terrific Vashon High School kids. The nicest teenagers in the world. He thrashes around for an hour without his floaty vest during the lesson. Then, afterwards I strap him into his vest and armed with a kickboard he is happy and pretty self-suffient.

He doesn't like to get his face wet so he is still in the basic class. Maybe this year he will feel comfortable enough to blow bubbles.

Miss Molly? What is she doing this summer? Staying up late and sleeping until noon? Probably, unless I do something about it.

Tennis camps mostly and a rocking Art Camp where they will do basketweaving, glass blowing, copper work and other stuff. Cool!

Right after school is out Jake and Molly head to upstate New York to see his parents for a week. They always have a great time despite the quite rigorous airplane ride and are treated like the prodigal son and his darling offspring. Molly comes back with stories of catching fireflys in a jar, skating in a real hockey rink, daisy chains and knitting with her Nanny. Jake comes back, fully caught up on the family dramas, and about as happy to be back home as anyone in the world could be.

I convince myself that I will take the kids to the beach, right down the hill, as many times as I can this summer.

Yet, come fall, I will wonder why I didn't do it more. Time sure does fly, doesn't it?

Half way through allergy hell

I haven't posted yet about my own personal allergy struggle. I haven't yet mentioned it despite my house filling up with used Kleenex perhaps because I am getting used to my annual hay fever hell. Or that I don't want to whine too much.

I can seriously say that I don't think I was allergic to anything until I turned 40. Ever since then June hits with itchy, scratchy throat and nose and the most annoying tickle right back there almost in your ears. Raucous rounds of explosive sneezing, not in ones or twos but tens and twelves.

Kleenex at the ready, I arm myself in May. Do I have enough? I stash more fresh boxes of kleenex for the miserable month of June because lord help me if I need to resort to toilet paper, my nose already raw and painful by mid month.

And, then Jake gets it too. At first not so bad but now he is in full allergy swing too. Isn't that sweet? We have allergies in common! Ugh. But, I do share the Kleenex with him.

If I didn't live on 5 acres on an island with vegetation bursting forth from every inch, I might try to discern what the heck I am allergic too for all of June each year. I think I have narrowed it down to grasses but, quite honestly, it could be anything.

I fear and wonder if it is the big sprawling old Locust trees we have here. Planted? Or just sprung up like vigorous weeds some 50 - 60 years ago, now they give our property needed and appreciated shade in the summer. Now is the time when they blossom, large pea flower tight clumps that smell quite sweet then gently "snow" down on us as they fade.

What would I do if I found out I was allergic to the Locust trees? Or all the Scotch broom or all the grasses that go un-mowed on our little island?

Nothing. Just grab more Kleenex.

Perhaps it is the price for living in paradise.

Recipe for disaster

A good excuse?

From the Chicago Tribune:

One 10-year-old Wisconsin girl has a rock-solid excuse for missing the last day of school: a personal note to her teacher from President Barack Obama. John Corpus of Green Bay stood to ask Obama a question about health care during his town hall-style meeting at Southwest High School. He told Obama his daughter Kennedy missed school to attend the event and he hoped she didn't get in trouble.

"Do you need me to write a note?" Obama said. The crowd laughed, but the president was serious. On a piece of paper, he wrote: "To Kennedy's teacher: Please excuse Kennedy's absence. She's with me. Barack Obama." He stepped off the stage to hand-deliver the note -- to the girl's great surprise.

"I thought he was joking until he started walking down," Kennedy said after the event, showing off the note in front of a bank of television cameras. "It was like the best thing ever." The fourth-grader at Aldo Leopold elementary in Green Bay already knew exactly what she was going to do with the note: get it framed along with her ticket to Thursday's event. She said she'd make a copy to give to her teacher. Kennedy said Thursday was the first time she's seen Obama. "He's really nice," she said.

Skate girls rock!

I have officially become a steward of the Vashon Skate Park.

Officially, because I donated some food and t-shirts for a fundraiser at the skate park today.

Officially, because I was asked to become a steward of the skate park. What does a steward do? I asked. Stick up for the park, basically.

I asked if there were any boring meetings. I was assured there was only 1 boring meeting during the year. Ok. I can handle that.

It all started when they began promoting a Girls Only skate day. Thursdays. No boys allowed.

It was the deep of winter and interest was high. It seemed like good clean fun. Seasons have changed and interest is still up there.

They are a little steadier on the skates, have taken some basic strides on the skate board and continue to be scooter aficionados.

Shea even! I know, he is a boy but he cruises around while I chat and he has gotten good at scootering.

Honestly, most of the time all the kids just run up and slide down the ramps but they are exercising, having fun, staying out of trouble and supporting a local park.

I don't get to see the big kid, hot shot skaters much but they are pretty impressive the times I have seen them.

These guys have a focus while they skate that I wonder if they give anything else in their life that much attention.

I like the idea that we can keep this little skate park going. There are not many things for teens to do on this island. And, if you aren't a real "team" sport person, the skate park can be a god send.

It is the poor step child of all the parks on Vashon and doesn't get much attention or funding. Hense, the fundraiser.

Hot dogs, corn, fruit salad and greens from my garden. Graffiti t-shirts to make. And, of course, skating a plenty. It was a success. And, the future of girl's skate day is secure. In fact, it could be an institution by now.

We made the front page!

From the Vashon Beachcomber:

Molly Dillon sat in front of Vashon Thriftway selling homemade cookies and friendship bracelets on Sunday — not for an extracurricular club or Island nonprofit but to save teaching positions at her elementary school.

“We don’t want good people to lose their jobs,” the 10-year-old Chautauqua Elementary School student said matter-of-factly, a plate of chocolate chip cookies in front of her.

Indeed, many — from fifth-graders like Molly to the head of the school district — are working hard to try to help Vashon’s cash-strapped public schools stave off a round of layoffs that could cost several teachers their jobs.

An ambitious fundraising effort slated to end next week has garnered more than $25,000 so far — enough to save a portion of one position. School board member Laura Wishik, who is spearheading the effort, said she hopes the campaign will bring in $50,000 by the time it concludes on June 15.

Immunization for Measles

Sorry, I am not usually an immunization Nazi (whatever that is) but this article that Roald Dahl wrote just got to me.

MEASLES: A dangerous illness by ROALD DAHL

Olivia, my eldest daughter, caught measles when she was seven years old. As the illness took its usual course I can remember reading to her often in bed and not feeling particularly alarmed about it. Then one morning, when she was well on the road to recovery, I was sitting on her bed showing her how to fashion little animals out of coloured pipe-cleaners, and when it came to her turn to make one herself, I noticed that her fi ngers and her mind were not working together and she couldn’t do anything. “Are you feeling all right?” I asked her. “I feel all sleepy, ” she said. In an hour, she was unconscious. In twelve hours she was dead. The measles had turned into a terrible thing called measles encephalitis and there was nothing the doctors could do to save her. That was twenty-four years ago in 1962, but even now, if a child with measles happens to develop the same deadly reaction from measles as Olivia did, there would still be nothing the doctors could do to help her. On the other hand, there is today something that parents can do to make sure that this sort of tragedy does not happen to a child of theirs. They can insist that their child is immunized against measles. I was unable to do that for Olivia in 1962 because in those days a reliable measles vaccine had not been discovered. Today a good and safe vaccine is available to every family and all you have to do is to ask your doctor to administer it. It is not yet generally accepted that measles can be a dangerous illness. Believe me, it is. In my opinion parents who now refuse to have their children immunized are putting the lives of those children at risk. In America, where measles immunization is compulsory, measles like smallpox, has been virtually wiped out. Here in Britain, because so many parents refuse, either out of obstinacy or ignorance or fear, to allow their children to be immunized, we still have a hundred thousand cases of measles every year. Out of those, more than 10,000 will suffer side effects of one kind or another. At least 10,000 will develop ear or chest infections. About 20 will die. LET THAT SINK IN.Every year around 20 children will die in Britain from measles. So what about the risks that your children will run from being immunized? They are almost non-existent. Listen to this. In a district of around 300,000 people, there will be only one child every 250 years who will develop serious side effects from measles immunization! That is about a million to one chance. I should think there would be more chance of your child choking to death on a chocolate bar than of becoming seriously ill from a measles immunization. So what on earth are you worrying about? It really is almost a crime to allow your child to go immunized. The ideal time to have it done is at 13 months, but it is never too late. All school-children who have not yet had a measles immunization should beg their parents to arrange for them to have one as soon as possible. Incidentally, I dedicated two of my books to Olivia, the first was James and the Giant Peach’. That was when she was still alive. The second was ‘The BFG’, dedicated to her memory after she had died from measles. You will see her name at the beginning of each of these books. And I know how happy she would be if only she could know that her death had helped to save a good deal of illness and death among other children. PLEASE NOTE: this article was written some 23 years ago and as a result, the numbers are significantly different to today, thanks to people taking his advice. Death from measles is now uncommon in UK and the number of cases are down to around 1500 per year. It is extremely important to ensure that people are encouraged to vaccinate to get these numbers even lower. The number of measles has been rising in the last few years - we need more people to continue to take Roald's advice.

Prenatal Ultrasound and the alarming increase in Autism

Hat tip to a blog I regularly read, If I were in your shoes..., who made this link available a few days back.

I just couldn't stop thinking about it.

Could the increase in Autism have something to do with the mainstreaming and increase of Prenatal Ultrasound use?

Interesting article.

From Midwifery Today:

In May 2006, figures from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed what too many parents and educators already knew: The incidence of autism is high, making it an "urgent public health issue," according to Dr. Jose Cordero, director of the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. Only 12 years ago autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was so rare that it occurred in just one in 10,000 births.(1) Today ASD, which is characterized by a range of learning and social impairments, now occurs in one in 166 children (2)—with no sign of leveling off.

The steep increase in autism goes beyond the US: It is a global phenomenon, occurring in industrialized nations around the world. In the UK, teachers report one in 86 primary school children has special needs related to ASD.(3)

The cause of autism has been pinned on everything from "emotionally remote" mothers (since discredited) to vaccines, genetics, immunological disorders, environmental toxins and maternal infections. Today most researchers theorize that autism is caused by a complex interplay of genetics and environmental triggers. A far simpler possibility worthy of investigation is the pervasive use of prenatal ultrasound, which can cause potentially dangerous thermal effects.

Health practitioners involved in prenatal care have reason to be concerned about the use of ultrasound. Although proponents point out that ultrasound has been used in obstetrics for 50 years and early studies indicated it was safe for both mother and child, enough research has implicated it in neurodevelopmental disorders to warrant serious attention.

At a 1982 World Health Organization (WHO) meeting sponsored by the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) and other organizations, an international group of experts reported that "[t]here are several frequently quoted studies that claim to show that exposure to ultrasound in utero does not cause any significant abnormalities in the offspring. …However, these studies can be criticized on several grounds, including the lack of a control population and/or inadequate sample size, and exposure after the period of major organogenesis; this invalidates their conclusions…."(4)

Early studies showed that subtle effects of neurological damage linked to ultrasound were implicated by an increased incidence in left-handedness in boys (a marker for brain problems when not hereditary) and speech delays.(5) Then in August 2006, Pasko Rakic, chair of Yale School of Medicine's Department of Neurobiology, announced the results of a study in which pregnant mice underwent various durations of ultrasound.(6) The brains of the offspring showed damage consistent with that found in the brains of people with autism. The research, funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, also implicated ultrasound in neurodevelopmental problems in children, such as dyslexia, epilepsy, mental retardation and schizophrenia, and showed that damage to brain cells increased with longer exposures.(7)

Dr. Rakic's study, which expanded on prior research with similar results in 2004 (8), is just one of many animal experiments and human studies conducted over the years indicating that prenatal ultrasound can be harmful to babies. While some questions remain unanswered, based on available information, health practitioners must seriously consider the possible consequences of both routine and diagnostic use of ultrasound, as well as electronic fetal heart monitors, which may be neither non-invasive nor safe. If pregnant women knew all the facts, would they choose to expose their unborn children to a technology that—despite its increasingly entrenched position in modern obstetrics—has little or no proven benefit?

The Vashon Sunset: summer cocktail extraordinaire

Since it is summer and all, I need to share with you a very special hot weather refreshing beverage.

This one is guaranteed to cool you down during those dusty dry hot summer days.


The Vashon Sunset - my very own creation

Over ice, pour:

Healthy jigger of good quality Tacquila
large splash of Orange Juice
medium splash of Paul Newman's Lemon aid, Pink Lemon-aid or Lime aid
small splash Pomegranate juice
sprig of mint if handy

Add a straw, give it a stir:

Oh, baby!

Potty update: the penny has dropped

In the last 4 days, Shea has gone from 0 to about 35 MPH on the potty training front.

He had some huge successes over the weekend and he is very proud of himself.

For example: he is going into the bathroom and sitting and peeing on the little potty chair WITHOUT being prompted. I will go into the bathroom and there is a little bit of bizness that needs to be poured into the big potty. Evidence that he went in by himself!

When we say, "Now Shea. Don't pee all over the couch, ok?" He doesn't, or at least, so far.

He is still flummoxed by the pulling down the pants part and that can get a little messy although adorable as he sits there with sopping pants.

But basically I feel like we are really on our way.

It got me thinking. I have always been so low key and mellow with him about the continued diaper use and I really tried not to get crabby about it. Maybe I should've been a little crabbier sooner!

When I started getting a little crabby with him about him not cooperating and saying something like, "Ok fine. You can put the diaper on yourself then." And, then walking away. He started getting the idea that I would be happy if he did this potty business and I wouldn't be as happy if he continued with the diapers.

Shea needed to see the down side of the continued diaper use, perhaps waiting to see what the direct consequence was going to be before he was going to try.

When we had that final major melt down recently and I just basically MADE him do it, screaming and crying all the way, afterward it was like the penny dropped. He finally got it. This wasn't so bad and mommy really, really wants me to do it. OK!

Interesting.

Happy 50th Birthday, Jake!

I always hated all the "Over the hill" stuff for 50th Birthdays. I always thought it was cruel and not very funny.

Does it become funny when you are past 50 and then do it to your younger friends? Is it just plain old not funny?

We have been trying to spoil Jake over the past weekend and today, the actual day. But, I did not get him a cake. We had chocolate ice cream with a candle stuck in it.

I asked him if he wanted a cake but he was ambiguous. And, it is not as much fun to have birthday cake when Shea can't even eat it. Why should we get a big old cake if it is just going to torment Shea and he won't be able to eat any? That isn't fun.

He seemed a little sad about it.

Maybe I should have gotten one anyway.

A good start?

Potato Mountain: getting taller by the day

This year is my first attempt at potatoes. I have enviously heard tales from last years crop when GGF tried them for the first time. Something about how different they tasted, flavor and texture, how fun it was to just shove your hand under a plant and be able harvest just a few perfect baby potatoes for dinner.

"What the heck have I been doing all the years!? How come I have never done potatoes before?" my inner voice hollered at me.

So, I am on the potato bandwagon now; GGF shared lots of her 4 fancy variety seed potatoes with me. We cut them up with 1 or 2 eye on each piece, making sure to let them cure a day or so and heal that cut edge. The planted them 6-10 inches apart in a trench. I planted about 40 or so.

And, that was the easy part.

Now, as they grow, I have to berm up and continue to berm up dirt around the stem. I guess the potatoes sort of come out the sides of the plant and by berming up more dirt around each plant it makes more potato growing area and more potatoes. The actual plants are thriving and seem to be growing inches a day with no end in sight.

I have been piling barrow after barrow of dirt an these things. I mix normal top soil with some wood shavings (not cedar) to make a little lighter and fluffier. But, it is still heavy work and lord knows how much more I still need to do.

Currently it is a small mountain of lovingly mounded soil around these plants.

Do I resent all this work? Yes. Am I annoyed at my beautiful Potato plants? No, but they better be pretty darn yummy! Will I do potatoes next year? Jury is still out. Let's see how yummy these homegrown spuds are then I will say!

Seattle therapy network

This seems like happy news for Special Families in the South Seattle Area. Wanted to pass it on to you. OX

Welcome to Seattle Therapy Network, a pediatric therapy center created by Sherryl DeVries and Carey Goldenberg. We provide a family-centered and collaborative therapeutic community to address the holistic needs of your family. Our pediatric occupational and physical therapy services are offered in a unique, urban community space designed to elicit child-directed activity and family-centered practice. We are conveniently located in the heart of the Georgetown neighborhood, just a few miles south of downtown Seattle, and are easily accessed from I-405/I-5 interchange, routes 99, and 509. (5021 Colorado Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98134) )

Seattle Therapy Network provides services in a newly designed 2200 square foot space. We offer one large therapy gym with specialized equipment to engage your child in all sensory-based movement. We have installed specialized ceiling hooks to utilize a variety of unique suspended equipment such as lycra hammocks, swings, and trapezes. Additionally, three small therapy spaces provide a quiet and private environment for your child to work and play. These small spaces are perfect for myofascial release, craniosacral work, fine motor and self-help work, or just a smaller environment for a child who needs a less stimulating space.

Seattle Therapy Network assures that your family is treated with respect as your child with special needs is engaged and motivated in fun, functional, and therapeutic activities. We also strive to connect you with community resources and coordinate our care with the other professionals in your child’s life.

We specialize in sensory integration, yoga for for children with special needs, myofascial release and cranialsacral technique, and interventions for children with autism. While focusing primarily on infants, children and adolescents with special needs, Seattle Therapy Network also offers services to adult caregivers to optimize their health and ability to nurture.

Constraint Induced Therapy (CIT) Helper Hands Camp starting July 13-31, 2009 and August 10-28, 2009

Helper Hands Camp is an evidenced-based constraint induced therapy program offering motor therapy for children with limited motor function of one side of their body (hemiplegia). Helper Hands Camp will provide 21 days of intensive training of the arm with limited motor function while the non-affected arm is constrained in a long arm cast. Each child will be evaluated by occupational and physical therapist prior to camp. We are dedicated to measuring outcomes and will reassess with follow-up visits. Helper Hands Camp offers one-on-one Occupational Therapy, one-on-one Physical Therapy and direct therapeutic group activities which include: art; cooking, music/movement; and community based activities. This camp is designed for 2-4 children per session and organized in age groups to include preschool, school-age, and teens.

Sherryl DeVries, MSPT Carey Goldenberg, OTR/L
Re.lax Ther.a.py Giant Steps Children’s Therapy
206.850.7508 206.393.8546

Every little bit helps

Molly and I spent 2 hours outside the grocery store with a card table, some flyers, donation envelopes, a sign that said "Save our Teachers", cookies and two custom designed Donation Cans.

This was a direct result of my suggesting we should try something new during this budget crisis when a school board member called to ask me to make 25 phone calls about making a donation. I hate cold calling people. They resent it so. I mentioned we need some bake sales and I don't think anyone really took me seriously. People guffaw when I mention it, like I am joking. But I must have said it enough times because the school board member took me up on it and set it up for me. And, Molly of course. Couldn't have done it without her.

Don't get me wrong. One bake sale is not going to save us. But, maybe a whole bunch of bake sales could make a difference. And, then someone might even say, "Hey! Maybe we should have a comprehensive fund raising plan." And, someone else will say, "Yeah, you know we really should be raising money all year round. Every little bit adds up!" Hopefully those two will get heralded like geniuses because they are, quite obviously.

I commissioned 10 friendship bracelets from Molly as added inducements for larger donations. And, we had a plate of cookies; offering a cookie for a donation of any size.

I am probably just a little bit more than normally twisted because I actually like doing stuff like this. I have sold more than my share of spaghetti dinner tickets when I was a kid. I sold Camp Fire candy. I did retail. I have vended crafts at weekend markets. I helped my kid sell Camp Fire candy quite recently. Today was a snap.

People were, of course, very generous and supportive. In fact, we were able to take in $318.27 in two hours. I consider that worth doing.

One person said, "This is the most depressing thing I have ever seen." I assume meaning public schools having to resort to bake sales for support. There were much shaking of heads at the idiocy of our public education funding while they shoved $5, $10, $20 bills in our can. Some comments about needing a few less politicians. I was able to agree emphatically with each and every comment.

It is depressing. All the more reason we need to do something we haven't tried for a while. I guess my point was; we shouldn't all just give up.

There was a time in this country when a bake sale might have been the difference between having new math books or not. Why is it suddenly too embarrassing or humiliating or depressing to raise money like that now?

I have a fantasy; our local PTSA makes a genuine island wide plea to cookie bakers; each church, organization and group on the island is mined. I would hope we could get a core of 10 or 15 excellent cookie baking grandmas to answer the call and make a batch of cookies or two this summer. The teachers and the kids could spend time at the Fund raising booth at the Saturday Market every weekend through out the summer; selling and building practical math and customer service skills.

It is a PR and goodwill goldmine!

Who doesn't love my idea?

The editor of the local paper, The Beachcomber, came over and took some pictures and interviewed Molly. We may be in next week's paper. I will post a link when and if it becomes available.

Uh oh...my neighbor got a trampoline!

I don't know about this. Why do I expect her to come in with a broken arm?

Are trampolines and safety an oxymoron?

Maybe it was that Simpson's episode. You know the one...

65th Anniversary of D-Day: June 6, 2009

Canadian Normandy campaign veteran Okill Stuart (top, 3rd L) and an unidentified U.S. veteran (top R) gesture to U.S. President Barack Obama after he finished his speech during a D-Day commemoration at the U.S. military cemetery in Collville-sur-Mer June 6

The greatest generation.

TMI - Potty training - chapter 42

I think there was some sort of break through today on the potty training front. Dare I say that?

Forgive me the excessive detail. Now would be the time to click away if you don't want to read way too much about #1 and #2 and the mishaps there of.

Bye! Come on back now, ya here?

Ok. So, Shea has always been sort of constipated and I swear he poops perfectly spherical "rabbit pellet" type little offerings. It isn't always but quite often.

Well, today I had him running around in "Cars" big boy pants and while I was on the phone he ran up and said, "I poop, mommy." I got off the phone immediately because O MY GOD, MY KID IS TELLING ME HE HAS TO GO POOP!!!!!

He heads over to our standard "diaper changing area" but I steer him to the bathroom instead. Reluctance, wouldn't sit down, didn't want the pants pulled down, didn't want me to just get them out. Tears. Real tears. Full blown horror-of-horror crying jag.

I just persevered and steered him next to the toilet and had him get up on the little step stool facing away from the pot, all the while screaming his head off, not struggling and fighting but definitely expressing his displeasure.

I literally rolled his rabbit poop pellets directly from him pants right into the toilet and it was over. Took 4 seconds. I kept repeating stuff like, "See, that wasn't so bad. That was really fast. It's all done now." And, we flushed it away.

We washed his hands and I put a little cool water on his face and just got him to calm down.

I wasn't really sure what had just happened.

But, later I noticed him hunkered and asked him if would like to go poop again and he said yes and trotted to the bathroom where a slightly larger, more impressive rabbit poop rolled in the pot.

He said, "That wasn't so bad. That didn't take very long." Proud high fives.

Then, as we were sitting there I noticed how I sure needed to clean that toilet, so I did. Shea sat down on the little potty seat with his underwear on and read a book while I was cleaning. Yes, you guessed it, inevitably he peed. He peed in the potty seat! Sure, his pants were sopping but he did it!

Quite a roll today. Just have to keep it going.

Brainy math-head girls rock!

Isn't it great when the studies catch up to what we already sort of knew?

Check out this happy brainy math-head girl who got to hug Michelle Obama (FLOTUS) when she graduated from her super brainy math-head high school!

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama hugs a graduating student as she attends the graduation ceremony for the Washington Mathematics Science Technology Public Charter High School in Washington June 3, 2009.

From Boston.com:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Girls can do just as well at math as boys -- even at the genius level -- if they are given the same opportunities and encouragement, researchers reported on Monday.

Their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, contradicts studies showing girls can do as well as boys on average in math -- but cannot excel in the way males can.

"We conclude that gender inequality, not lack of innate ability or 'intrinsic aptitude', is the primary reason fewer females than males are identified as excelling in mathematics performance in most countries, including the United States," Janet Hyde and Janet Mertz of the University of Wisconsin in Madison wrote in their report.

Busy days

There is a literal tidal wave of activity this time of year. The weather is awesome so dinner and bedtimes has a dangerous tendency to be later and later. Where do the days go?

School activities and end of year parties, 2 pool parties, busking, field trips, skate park party, violin party all within the next week or two!

Add that to it being my seasonal busy time for my job.

In other words, I need about 4 more hours to my day.

I guess, that is my surreptitious apology for not posting for a few days but I will share a few tidbits.

Shea is a talking machine. He is no introvert. He talks all the time now. Articulation is still challenging but he is in there "holding his own" with all the other kids at pre-school. We had delightful Sophia over for a play date on Monday. Once we got over the fact that Shea didn't have any babies to play with and Sophia wasn't particularly interested in trucks and cars, they settled on horses and had a lovely time.

Not sure who I adore more, Sophia or her mom. So, I call that a success!

Just got back from a Special Education Advisory Committee meeting tonight. Some good news on that front. Through the stimulus money coming down but tied to IDEA, there is money next year for a training day for all staff to focus on Special Education issues only; inclusion, curriculum, parental input. We have the summer to develop our plan and can implement in the fall.

In fact, we are developing and implementing a parental survey and feedback form that will be able to go along with that as well.

These are the kinds of things are so helpful and useful. The parents always need more options for healthy input in a positive way. I consider this a win for everyone!

I also found out they are offering something different next year for Kindergarten. A hybrid pre-school/Kindergarten year. Apparently, there is a bubble of kids (Shea included) who isn't quite ready for Kindergarten. They are opening up another class that would be a group of kids who had Pre-school in the AM and then moved to Kindergarten in the afternoon. It is assumed that these kids would do this for next year then have would all have all day Kindergarten the next year.

So, I am really happy. I think that is great for Shea and encouraged that they are open and flexible to adjusting placement offerings for a bubble of kids.

It is one of the things that make me thankful for a small school district. They are able to make micro-adjustments. They don't have the macro infastructure and resources that larger districts have but they are able to really fine tune and devote quality time.

Notice all those are happy, up things!

Maybe my next post will be all the crabby things that are happening lately?