Katelyn is --this-- close to reading

We have a bunch of magnetic letters that decorate the front of our refrigerator. The girls have only casually played with them, but I have refused to put them away for the fear that they’ll miss them or someday become excited about putting letters together to form words. Well, that day has come for Katelyn. She and I were standing in the kitchen and I put three letters together “c-a-t”. She looked at it and read “cat” out loud. So for the next several minutes, she and I played together with the letters. I would make three letter words and she would sound each letter out and then form the word. She read about a dozen words before she got bored. WOW! She has always loved books, but has never been interested in reading them herself. I’ve tried to have her sound out words before, but there has been very little interest. So I back off and figure that she’ll read – or at least have interest in learning to read – when she is ready. It’s like forcing your child to be potty trained when they just are not ready. But then something clicks one day and they are eager to use the big potty. For Katelyn, something has clicked and she is excited now about letters, the sounds that they make and the words that she can read when she puts those sounds together.

Costco is to me like oil is to vinegar

Does anyone else feel this way? Or am I the lone soldier out there that does not have an unconditional love for this store? I am completely perplexed by the world’s infatuation with this “shopping wonderland”. Really, can you use that entire four-pound jar of mayo before it expires? And only if you are serving hot dogs to 1000 people can you use up all three bottles of ketchup you are forced to buy.

A shopping trip should be relaxing, rather than stress-field, as you try to avoid those huge carts as they come straight at you or stop suddenly in front of you. Yes, those big carts, the ones that are so big they could hold a SMART car. And what happens if they move an item? Oh, now you’re screwed. Now, they’ve got you for an extra thirty minutes trapped in their “wonderland” as you search up and down every aisle trying to locate your item. Is there anyone you can quickly turn to for some exceptional customer service? Nope. Inevitably though, as you are standing in a checkout line of ten people deep, you see a gentleman unloading that specific item you searched unsuccessfully for, only to run up to him, beg him to tell you where he found it. Dilemma hits – do you run back and find that obscurely hidden item, losing your place in line; or do you forgot about it knowing that you’ll look for it on your next shopping trip, only to discover that the helpful customer service personal have moved it again.

But you know, they have us wrapped around their golden little finger. They know we’ll wait in line or spend two hours searching for the items on our list, always buying more than the actual number of items you came in the store for. Those impulse buys – “this is the best deal of the century” or “look at how this works – it’s amazing” or “we could really use this” -- those “super buys” – always make you drop more change than you saved.

Who really wants to spend their Saturday working-out? After all, pushing a cart that weighs the equivalent of three football players and loading and unloading and loading and unloading pounds is going to build some body muscle. For me, I like to go when I want to go, but since this store closes before the sun sets, they force you to go when it is probably the most inconvenient. I like to have the option to shop when the moon is up if I want or before it’s time for lunch.

I know you can save some money and it is convenient to purchase milk by the truck load and cases of diapers, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I’ll probably be visiting Costco next week and for the weeks to come until we are empty-nesters. On second-thought, perhaps it’s a good thing that I can purchase alcohol there in bulk. :-)

We'll be eating them for the next week

It was Katelyn’s turn to bring snack to share with her class. And along with the responsibility of bringing snack, the child gets to be “soap monitor” when it is hand washing time before they eat. For those without a four-year old, this is a HUGE privilege; one that makes her feel special, like she is the center of the universe, even if only for a few hours while at school. And when everyone sits down to eat, the class says “Thank You Katelyn” all together, adding to her already exploding pride.

When she woke up, she reminded me that this was “her” day for snack. She promptly informed me that she wanted to bring heart-shaped PB&J sandwiches, carrots and dip and water. Sure, no problem…the sandwiches might take awhile to make, but since she had her heart set on bring this meal, I decided that we could do this. We were not informed that any of these items were off limits, so assumed we were a “go”.

When I picked her up from school, I asked for my serving tray. I was informed that it was in the office, along with all fifty-thousand heart-shaped sandwiches. They decided not to serve them to the children because there is one little girl who is allergic. And because she is, the entire class only had carrots and water.

OK, so here is my issue…why should the entire class have to suffer because one child cannot eat the snack? If we were informed beforehand of items we could not bring, I would have never brought all of these sandwiches, nor spent the time making them. The school has a list of allergies in each class – they have had this information for almost three weeks now – so they cannot say they didn’t have the proper information to inform the parents before the snack schedule got underway. And what would be the difference if my child had an allergy to water…should none of the children be allowed to drink water throughout the day? Please don’t take me wrong, I am not against a child who has some special needs – whether food or physical or mental - heck, I have a child of needs myself. But, my frustration comes making the entire class suffer because of one. Perhaps this child could bring her own snack so she always has something to eat. Or perhaps a list of “do not bring” food items should have been sent out weeks ago.

What I am most saddened by is how this entire incident made Katelyn feel. She felt as if she had done something wrong, and that is why they didn’t serve her entire meal. They did tell her the true reason, but does that really make sense to a young child? Can they comprehend the entire class’ suffering because of one person? It goes back to the “It’s not fair” scenario, where one sibling doesn’t get to have that extra treat because their sibling didn’t follow the rules. They feel just as punished as their sibling, even though he/she was not at fault. Katelyn told me she had a not-so-good day when I picked her up, and subsequently found out why. What a way to stomp on the parade and let out all the excitement of this four-year-old.

Next snack opportunity, we’ll be bringing water…only.

Another cheerful rendition of “It’s the first day of school, HOORAY!” rang through our home this morning

This was Katelyn’s day! She is in a Pre-K class at the same school she has attended the previous two years. She loves school – everything from the social aspect (she is my social butterfly), the art jobs (particularly painting – you should see some of the masterpieces she comes home with), to the academic jobs (she has a love of learning). She has always looked forward to going to school; has never been afraid or nervous to go, ever since day one. And since she is so familiar with the school and teachers, this was like second-nature for her.
Last night she picked out her special first day outfit, although this morning it was very cold here so we had to adjust it a little. We took a picnic lunch to the school’s playground before class started, which was a nice and relaxing way of working her back into the classroom. Daddy left before the sun was up this morning, but surprised Katelyn at school so he could wish her luck on her first day. As she walked into her class, she was grinning ear-to-ear.
When I picked her up, all she could tell me about her first day was that she painted and made a new friend, Bella. I think the excitement of getting back into school and making new friends was a bit overwhelming – not in a bad way, but just a lot to process. We celebrated tonight over sushi, probably her favorite food. Yes, a four year old eating sushi…with chop-sticks. She is almost as good as her dad with the chop-sticks and since he could live off of sushi (and pizza), he’s pretty good (at least for a non-Asian person). She is excited to learn new things and make new relationships. I’m excited to see her thrive and blossom into the remarkable girl she is becoming.

All morning, we sang "It's the first day of school, HOORAY!"

Summer is over for us now, as school starts back up this week. It’s time to get back into a routine, which can be comforting. This is an exciting week, especially since Vanessa starts preschool. She will be at the same school Katelyn had previously attended, so is familiar with the school grounds, especially the playground. Since I don’t work outside of the home, it is not necessary that I have her enrolled in a class, however building her social cognitive skills are extremely important for her and what a better way than with other children her own age in a typical preschool setting. The next several months will bring a lot of transition for Vanessa and being involved in a classroom setting will provide us with a lot of information. She currently is in a small group at the clinic, but there are 5 children with 3 adults, and with a lot of visual support. Her school doesn’t have a terrible ratio of teacher-to-student; in fact, it is one of the best in the area. But school is different; there are more rules, more structure, and more time needed to pay attention. So in many ways, attending school is a test on how well she can transition into the classroom, information that will hopefully be beneficial in the upcoming months. Yesterday morning, the girls’ school was having a meet-n-greet, where you can come see your child’s classroom and meet the teachers. Katelyn and I took Vanessa and she was interested and seemed happy. She moved among the classroom, even leaving my side. But once we arrived back at home, she just couldn’t control her emotions anymore and had a full melt-down on the porch. She had reached her limit. I began to second-guess my decision about enrolling her and wondered if we’ll have this type of melt-down after school often. It is nothing that I am not familiar with, she would have these melt-down when a new speech or OT session was added or the therapist would change. So I am use to picking up the pieces. We started talking to Vanessa about attending school a few weeks back. I took her shoe shopping, bought a few new outfits, built up the excitement of going to school. Before bed, she picked out her outfit – a cute new denim dress with daisies and white sandals. She seemed to have recovered from the stress of the morning, so I was feeling hopeful (although still nervous) about today’s activity.
Class today was shortened to only one hour, Vanessa’s thresh hold anyways, so that was perfect. She was a little hesitant going in through the gate, but I reassured her that I was staying with her and we were going to have fun. We sat together during story time and then I moved to the side so she could get involved without me. She checked a few times to make sure I had not left, but otherwise, played very well by herself. I am relieved that today went smoothly and hopefully we can transition her staying there longer by herself and me staying less. We went to lunch – her choice, McDonald’s – and she conked out on the way home. This is going to be an adventure, one that is influenced by so many factors, and one that we’ll have to take day-by-day. I can only pray that she enjoys it and that there are more smiles and less tears.

Making smores over an outdoor firepit adds to the memories

Our doorbell has rung a lot this summer. It’s always the group of kids from the block asking if Katelyn and Vanessa can play outside. YES, of course they can! So the girls would join in on the fun, usually a game of tag or hind-n-seek or riding bikes. They would play until they were exhausted and dirty, just in time for dinner, bath and bed.

You see, this is a big deal to me. Our street is made up of all boys, ranging in ages 5-12. Actually, there are two families with girls just around my children’s ages and a few years older, but they never come outside to play. I’m not sure what is up with that – maybe it’s the personality of the family, perhaps their children just don’t like hind-n-seek as much as mine do.

So the boys on the block play like…well, um, boys. And it’s usually very different than how girls play. However, we have been spending a lot of time outside this summer and the boys have gotten to know Katelyn and Vanessa better and know that these girls enjoy digging for worms as much as they do.

I am always nervous when the girls are outside playing, especially since all of the other children ride their bikes without helmets up and down the center of the street. That may be fine for their family, but it is not acceptable in ours – helmets must be on and you must be on the sidewalk (at least when you are as young as my children are). I am so mean, I know. Anyways, I am always more nervous than I probably ever need to be, but I always wonder how a group of boys is going to play with two younger girls. But amazingly, every time this group gets together, it is as if each one of these boys (the older ones particularly) come from a home with younger sisters and are familiar with “girl” play. But that is not true; each one comes from a family of all boys. In many ways, they’ve adopted Katelyn and Vanessa as their younger sisters and are always watching out for them. They know that playing “cops and robbers” with toy guns is not acceptable in our family, so they’ll switch the game just so Katelyn and Vanessa can be included.

I grew up on a cul-de-sac with approximately 30 children. We were always outside playing together and it did not matter if you were the oldest in the group or the youngest, a boy or a girl…everyone played together. Watching my girls play outside reminds me of many summer days as a child myself. And I know the memories that I have from my childhood and couldn’t be happier that my children get to experience similar, and make their own, fond memories.

My husband will thank me

In case you haven’t noticed, I added a new feature to the site recently. You can now receive postings via e-mail. It’s actually a rather cool gadget, because you won’t have to remember to visit One Family’s Journey only to realize that you haven’t visited in a few weeks and now have a bunch of reading to catch up on (that is assuming that I am current and regular on postings!). By receiving these updates, every time there is a new post to the site, you will receive an e-mail advising you of the new addition, including the actual post and a direct link to One Family’s Journey and previous postings. It’s very convenient, and extremely simple, to use. To active this features, enter your e-mail address in the box located in the right-hand side-bar. All e-mails will come from FeedBlitz, listing the subject of One Family’s Journey (so you don’t begin to wonder – Who’s FeedBlitz and why are they in my inbox?). I hope I just made your day a little bit easier.

Powerful

I was watching Akeelah and the Bee the other day and was pleasantly surprised when one of my favorite quotes by Marianne Williamson appeared in the movie. A special friend shared this quote with me many months ago and I have it saved on my laptop so that I can refer back to it often, as well as it posted on my refrigerator. For a little while, I had it posted here on this site, but took it down. Not sure why I did that, perhaps I was cleaning "house". But I think it deserves to be posted here, so you will notice that I have found a home again for it here.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world..."

Novels worth of memories we've made

It was seven years ago tonight that Bill and I stood before our family and friends and committed our lives together. Since that day, we have been on a non-stop roller-coaster, with lots of ups and lots of downs. But isn’t that what life is about? After all, it’s about the journey that we are on as a couple and the family that we have made together. If that is not true, then I better change my Blog’s title! And it’s about the commitment we made to stay on this journey together. It would be nearly impossible to sum up our adventures in one short paragraph, and what I could say would not do justice for the memories that we each have stored.

I was explaining to Katelyn why today was special in Mommy and Daddy’s life. She is familiar with the concept of weddings, after all, Cinderella gets married and everyone lives like Cinderella, don’t they? Ok, maybe not. But they, Katelyn and Vanessa, were in my sister’s wedding a few months back and when Laura told Katelyn that she was getting married, Katelyn’s first response was, “Like Cinderella!” I told Katelyn that I would show her our wedding pictures. That didn’t happen today as we were busy re-caulking the shower, switching out our homes’ door hardware, catching up on loads of laundry, attending a reenactment of the circus (the girls pretended to be in the circus and put on a show for Bill and I, complete with risky trapeze moves off of the swing in the family room and several somersaults), playing with the boys on the block, and taking a much-needed nap for all. Nice romantic day. We were married before the era of digital photography and its commonplace at weddings, or in everyday life for that matter. Instead of my wedding pictures sitting inside my computer, they sit inside of an album in my china cabinet. I cannot even post them for you to see, as I would have to scan them first, which I will probably do someday, but just haven’t gotten around to it. Just picture us seven years younger, filled with the excitement of life, a few pounds thinner, a few less wrinkles, and without the sleep-deprived bags under our eyes.