children who won't do homework

don't get birthday parties!

let me tell you the saga of #2 son. i got a phone call from his teacher yesterday. she asked if i was aware that he didn't have his homework to turn in nearly every day. i said, but he does it! we've gone to extreme measures to help him stop "forgetting" to bring it home. every night i look at his assignments, sign the page, and he does work on his homework.apparently, that doesn't mean he finishes it. he picks and chooses what he wants to do. when i ask if he is 100% finished and ready for school the next day, he always says yes. but apparently, he isn't. he does what he wants to, and then quits. doesn't turn the work in.

the problem is the child is so damn smart. i was the same way, and stubborn like him to boot. he's bored out of his mind doing the busywork that homework means when you've already learned what you are supposed to learn.

however. he's been lying to me every day, and his teacher is about to pull her hair out. he's IN the "AG" program for academically gifted kids. today i told him if he would just DO the damn homework, they'd have put him up in the HAG program (highly academically gifted), where he would go to a special school and could fly if he wanted. the program is there in the public schools!

i took away his computer privileges for a month, his gameboy indefinitely, and his tv privileges for a WEEK. and i told him his birthday party was suspended, would only be reinstated IF he got 100% homework for two weeks (his birthday is 12/21).

what do you do with a child who is bored with the program but can't qualify for the better program (to fit him) without doing the busywork? pull your hair out, i guess! i'm going to get his teacher a NICE gift for all she does!

dreams again

so, i keep having this dream that Brad Pitt is leaving Angelina Jolie for me... i know, crazy! i mean, crazy that i should be dreaming about them in the first place; i'm clearly the superior physical specimen.

couldn't even type that without ROFLMAO!

so, last night, i dreamed i was married to Tom Cruise (nothing sexual in that, trust me), and he moved Penelope Cruz in as his other girlfriend. this does not seem strange behavior for TC, let me add. she had a debit card on our account, which was no larger than it is now. and right after i got paid, she went out and spent $1100 on this card. (nobody had any money in this dream.) i was paralyzed in the dream, couldn't think what to do. i finally confronted her, and she was what's the big deal? i was yelling how our mortgage was going to bounce, the house would be repossessed, didn't she care about ANYTHING?

and finally i started having rational thought in the dream, like, WHAT AM I DOING HERE? there is no way i'm putting up with this shit!

then the house burned down.

me vs DH

Who eats more? me, but i'm cutting back
Who said "I love you" first? definitely me
Who weighs more? sadly, me again
Who sings better? me again!
Who’s older? finally, DH!
Who’s smarter? toss-up - we've always felt about equal
Whose temper is worse? i think DH, but he'd probably say me. when i get pissed off, i do a good job of it. but it takes a lot these days to push me there.
Who does the laundry? mostly me, some DH; i actually just started some.
Who does the dishes? kids do the dishwasher, mostly DH does the pots and pans; i do a little bit
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? me again!
Who plays golf better? oh, that would be DH; i haven't the patience. i enjoy a par-3 course/chip & putt type deal, only takes a couple of hours.
Who’s better with the computer? neither of us is VERY techie, but i developed my skills earlier, so i guess i win!
Who pays the bills? me, when they get paid...
Who cooks dinner? mostly me, since his commute grew to 3 hours daily. but i let him help on the weekends.
Who drives when you are together? mostly me; we both love to drive, and he gets plenty in with that commute!
Who pays when you go out to dinner? it's a joint account, but whoever has their wallet ready to hand; usually me.
Who is the most stubborn? tie game!
Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong? well, neither of us is ever wrong. it's very hard to resolve a conflict this way!
Whose parents do you see more? i'd call this a tie, too, it's all infrequent. only DH's dad passed many years ago, so if you count two sightings for my two parents, and only one for his, i would win.
Who named your pet? #1 son!
Who kissed who first? DH - i could never make the "first move."
Who asked who out? DH asked for my number, was very slow in asking/calling. after the first date, i had to steal a magazine from him to get him to call again (i was at his house with his sister). but that got things rolling.
Who’s more sensitive? we might each claim title to this...
Who’s taller? DH
Who has more friends? our current friends are equal/joint, and we've left a lot behind in our many moves that we would each still consider friends. so probably another tie.
Who has more siblings? DH - he has SEVEN, i only have FIVE.
Who wears the pants in the relationship? oh, me. b/c i always get what i want - eventually. i let DH think he does, and i let him think he wants the same things i do. :D

christmas survey!

Alana had some hilarious grumpy replies to these... her answers will be in WHITE after mine when i couldn't resist copying them.

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?
Hot chocolate.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
wrapped. Santa doesn't wrap the presents. He outsourced it to India.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
colored on the tree (it's pre-lit), white on the house.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No.
Yeah because I like lovelry poisonous berries all over my house for the kidlets to eat.

5. When do you put your decorations up?
Whenever DH gets around to it...

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
um... (tries to think) ... guess i don't have one.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?
wrapping presents; the smell of Scotch tape will always mean Christmas to me!
Listening to Dad cuss through the ducts at toys he was trying to assemble on xmas eve.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
i honestly don't remember, but it's been a big deal #1 son finding out...

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
yes, to appease those who insist they need to. and it's jammies.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
i claim i need to work and let the family do it.

11. Snow, love it or hate it?
i have moved to NC twice, and it ain't for love of snow.

12. Can you ice skate?
i can stay up on them.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
no. i remember what i DIDN'T get that i wanted. ain't i a stinker?
OK, fave from DH is tickies to Phantom of the Opera. as a child, it was the big tin mom gave me with all kinds of fun office supply type jazz to play with. really.

14. What's the most important thing about the Christmas time for you?
if i gotta pick, it's cookies. and kiddies.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Fudge. only mine is MAKING fudge. and cookies.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
being with the big family and opening presents for hours. nobody else wants to do this anymore, but i love it. *snif*

17. What tops your tree?
we're talking about sticking our LaLa up there this year...

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
giving. receiving has been particularly disappointing in recent years. if you really wanna hear me bitch, i'll tell you about last christmas, when DH gave me a movie i'd told him i DID NOT WANT IN THE HOUSE, and a book that he had given me the previous year also. my giving tends to be much less problematic.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Silent Night.
Elf's Lament. And if you don't know it you suck reindeer balls.

20. Candy canes?
mmhmm. in my pockets all season.

21. Favorite Christmas movie?
Nightmare Before Christmas.

22. What do you leave for Santa?
nuthin. i eats up all the cookies!

23. Have you ever caught mommy kissing Santa Claus?
stupid question, i refuse to answer.

you won't believe this

it's the story of Dog and his Sweet Potato, link courtesy dooce (http://www.dooce.com/) last week. such a descriptive story deserves many links.

http://littera-abactor.livejournal.com/7748.html#comments

i only wish i knew how to edit those links to have cute little words that made you go where the codes do...

i am SOCCER MOM!

ok, hopefully not really.

in an effort to keep kids' homework current AND get a little exercise, i have commenced this week picking them up from school instead of riding the bus. thus, they can DOUBLE-check their homework is coming home BEFORE leaving school. i'm parking across the street at the square/park, and walking; we're hoping to get to play at the park before going home most days. i'm actually feeling the effects from that little bit of walking, too; weird!

that's the theory, anyway. Monday they were out for Veterans' Day. Tuesday went well, but it was starting to rain, and we went to get flu shots instead of playing at the park and keeping moving. due to special activities, #2 son did not have homework, and his is the problem that has reached crisis state, and made me initate this change.

Wednesday, i arrived on time. #1 son was waiting for me. #2 son was nowhere to be found. checked the office, checked with his teacher, she thought he probably had gotten on the bus in error, though SHE knew he was to be a "car rider." when i got home, he was at the neighbor's (default when i'm not there when he's a bus rider). when asked when he did not go to the car line, he said, "I didn't have a note today."

you can 'splain and 'splain things, and still your children will make you want to beat your head against a brick wall.

so, not much homework this week or next. let's hope #2 son understands what being a car rider FROM NOW ON means before i start pounding those bricks to dust. and i'm getting moving, which is a baby step to being more fit!

weather changes

seems like we had hot and steamy FOREVER; that being the nature of the South, i didn't complain. much. finally it broke, and has been cool for a week or two.

#1 son has decided this is soup weather. every time i ask him what we should have for a meal, he says SOUP. stocked up on progresso and chunky campbell's, and he loves those.

this week, we have made soup twice. steak and two-potato soup from a southern living cookbook, hearty and comforting; and a chili recipe my mom found in a mystery novel, simple but filling. what will it be next week? possibly WHITE chili, with chicken and cannelini beans. another southern living find, another mmm-mmm delish!

today we're up to 70 again, but the highs are below 60 for the most part, so it's soup weather!

--- was this a good break from my rhapsodizing about baby? hope you're happy, b/c i'm sure that's going to occupy my mind for the most part for some time to come! ---

The Gnome

He makes shrieky sounds and babbles at you when you squeeze his belly. It's not too irritating, makes me laugh!

It also makes the baby laugh. This is what distracts LaLa when she's screaming, calms her down, and is the FIRST item she has reached for.

Go figure.