Judgment at Neurenburg....


At least that's what it feels like when I go to my children's conferences. Yesterday I went home early feeling like poop. I was a little fever-ie. Every muscle and bone in my body hurt, achy and icky. So the last thing I wanted to do was sit across from the teacher teams to hear how absolutely God-awful my children are. Well some good news from the "judges";
Babygirl is getting A's and B's and is finally coming out of her shell. That's a good thing. They are lucky she even speaks to them in class.
Littleman on the other hand well, the only thing they ever say that's nice is,"he is a really smart, sweet boy." of course after that is the dreaded,"BUT..." But he's lazy, but he's inattentive, but, but, but... MY ASS! He has ADHD, I know this. He is on medication for his ADHD. He does the very best he can with what he has to work with. This is the only time in his whole life that he is doing this well (believe it or not). He is making all B's and C's. They don't have D's at their school, anything below a C is failing. I think he is doing O.K., obviously he can do better, all kids can. But if you have ever watched this boy suffer and struggle as much as he has you would know that he really is working hard. I just don't like the teachers making me feel like a bad parent because he is not like all the other kids. I know he's not, that's why he is in Special Education and has provisions in place to help him get through. He does all the same work as all the other kids, he is fully mainstreamed and the allowences he is given are more time on tests and longer times to turn in homework. Ooohhhh is that so hard for the teachers to understand that it does take him longer. His test grades are out of this world so he is obviously getting it and understanding it. Cut him some slack and I am a damn good parent!
They don't call me Big Mama for nothin you know!

Report Cards......
It's a good day today.

Obviously they can do better but here is the rundown.
Babygirl:
79, 83, 87, 88, 90, 96
Littleman:
74, 77, 81, 87, 88, 91
Between them they have:
3 "C"s
6 "B"s
3 "A"s
I am NOT complaining!!!

THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT....


Please pass this on to all your children young and old. Make your friends read this. My father sent this to me and I felt compelled to share...
The Rules of Life
1. Life is not fair-get used to it!
2. The world won't care about your self esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
3. You will NOT make $60,000.00 a year right out of high school. You WON'T be a vice-president with a cell phone until you earn it.
4. If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
5. Flipping burgers is NOT beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping, they called it opportunity.
6. If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
7. Before you were born your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
8. Your school may have done away with winners and losers but life has NOT. In some schools, the have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
9. Life is not divided in to semesters. You don't get the summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
10. Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shops and go to real jobs.
11. Be nice to nerds. Chances are you will end up working for one.

*Bill Gates*

Bill Gates listed these in a speech. It goes on to talk about how feel-good politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world. Was he spot on? I tend to think so.
*~PSA over, you may go about your daily lives now~*

HAPPY FRIDAY!


I took yesterday off just because.
Now I am here with very little work to do so I decided that blogging was far more important than these deeds that need to get to the courthouse... Yes, I am being bad, but it's A.O.K. The Hubby's birthday was very uneventful, well, that's what he gets for not making a big deal of mine last year. He went to the Dr. and has a hernia between his breast bone and his tummy button. Yes, the full length of his stomach. So he has an appointment on Monday. Wish him luck. Now let me tell ya, my hubby has the best looking abs in the world. I love it! I hope they don't scar it, it is such perfection (minus the hernia of course). He works out 6 days a week, it was bound to happen.
Anyway on a different note... My dumb dog ran away last Friday and we just got her back Wednesday. I didn't want to say anything until now because I just wanted her to be home and safe before I say anything. She is such a dork! Hopefully one day she'll figure out that being the happy wanderer is not all it's cracked up to be.
We went to the kid's parent/teacher conferences yesterday.....
We met with Babygirl's teachers first and they gave rave reviews!!! They all said they would love to have her laugh and cut up a little more. They all said she is way too serious, LOL!!! Then it was the time I dread.....every......year..... We went to meet with Littleman's teachers. The first teacher we talked to happens to be his history teacher AND his football coach. He is getting a B+ in that class. WOW! This is great. Then we talked to his math teacher who happens to be in LOVE with him and was singing his praises. I mean she was gushing about how much fun he is to have in class and how he always has his homework done....blah, blah, blah... WOW that's a switch! Then his English teacher came in, more of the same happy goodness, followed by his science teacher with more of the same!!!
OMG! Have aliens invaded my home and what have they done with my kids!???
I am so very proud of both of them, they are working really hard this year.
Oh and a side note, Littlman's team won on Wednesday 44-36 in double overtime! YAY!!!

WHEW!!!


I have had a Hellava week.
My folks are still here which is a good thing. Littleman tried out for the football team and MADE IT!!! YaY!!! He wanted this so bad he could taste it!
Babygirl tried out for volleyball and didn't make it, but she's totally good with it, soccer is her sport. She was just trying this as something new. She'll try out whatever the next sport is too... My parents and I were going to go celebrate their 47th wedding anniversary this evening at Lady & Sons restaurant, you know the Paula Dean place... Mom has been wanting to go there for a loooong time. Well at the last minute we found out that all footballer's parents have to be in the gym for a meeting @ 7:00 tonight. YaY! So I called my folks and let them know they are on their own tonight.
So please send good thoughts this way so my son stays in one piece...

WELL I FINALLY DID IT.....

I pulled out an old photo album that I knew had pictures of my nephew in it. I felt like I needed to see better times. Happy times. One of these days I will post some of my happy pics. But for now I wanted to share my most favoritest picture ever taken of Luis Fernando.

He came to visit during the summer when he was 14. He was a little pudgy (in his opinion) and just as adorable and sweet as you could ever imagine. He had his hair cut really short and my son wanted the same hairstyle because Louie was COOL! Well Luis-Fer being 1/2 Hispanic and 1/2 black had very different hair than my son who has my very Caucasian hair.... Try explaining that to a 7 year old kid! So... I cut it the very same way with very different results and he thought he was the coolest kid on the block *heehee* such good memories.

I feel the need to share the familial relationship because I'm sure you are wondering how I (a very paper white person) have a black nephew. This is my husband's family. My husband lost his father when he was about 6 months old. My husband's mother's family rallied around her and my husband's cousin Minguito (who was older) stepped up to take over as the male role model for my husband as he was growing up. Minguito was a brother/father to my husband. He got married in Panama to a very beautiful woman (who happens to be black). They moved to Canada before the invasion. After the invasion my husband moved up to Canada to live with them. (This is where I come in to all this) I moved up to Canada to be with my future husband. I fell in love with their children instantly. They were just tiny and didn't speak any English....yet. They were the first children I have ever loved. I remember all the fun we had at the parks and trying to communicate. Definitely a huge part of my young adulthood. I babysat them a lot and they were the best behaved kids ever. We moved away and always kept in touch. We moved to Europe and while we were there Minguito and his wife divorced. We moved to Georgia and Minguito followed soon after. He lived here for a few years and were were lucky and blessed enough to see the kids about once a year (sometimes more). When they were here I would steal them from their father and take them to the beach, the mall and the movies or just over to my place. Once I put them to work painting. You couldn't ask for better young people. I love my niece to death, but my nephew was my heart.

He was very special to me (if you couldn't tell).

JUST A QUICKIE...

Yes, I said quickie... As in a quick note to say hey! I received the list that I have been waiting for. Remember I said something about adopting a woman and her children from the Safe Shelter. Well I got the list yesterday and I just HAD to go to the mall. She needs basic stuff like a bath mat and towels. Her kids are 5 & 6 and they need underwear and winter coats, etc. So I went and picked up 2 little coats, 2 little shirts and a pair of jammies. I'm not done yet, but that's a start. I am at a loss as to what to get my children. They don't ask for much and are so very good. I only wish I could give them the world.

If anyone out there has any suggestions as to what to give a 13 year old boy and a 12 year old girl, please let me know.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday!

I AM SO EXCITED!!!

I just had to share. I have been wanting to volunteer this Christmas doing something worthwhile. Well, on the news last night there was a piece about the women's safe shelter. They need everything! This is the place where battered women and children go to seek help and survive. SOooooo I called today and adopted a family. They are going to get back with me to give me my family so I can have a list of what they need and want.

I am so excited!!!

I (thank God) have never been in a situation like theirs. The thought of these kids getting something/anything Christmas morning just makes me all giggly. As a mom, I know that seeing your child open a gift with a huge smile on their face is the BEST GIFT EVER. O.K. I know I am making it all about me, but it makes ME happy.

I think this will be a great experience for the kids to give instead of get this year.

(Yes, not to worry they are getting alot of stuff....)

Just so all of you know, I have been testing out the new lens that Tysgirl got for me but I have not been able to get on my computer at home. My son has a huge project due the end of this week and I don't DARE even go in to the computer room. So, as soon as I can, I will post my lame attempts at the new lens.

HAPPY BELATED HALLOWEEN!

I might have posted sooner but I was having Tysgirl withdrawl....

Can you blame me?

Trick or treating was fun. I have some pics of Babygirl, but none of Littleman (just yet).

Could she look any more mortified?

Yep, I think she can...

I have more, but I'm pooped and after a late night last night I am off to bed. Maybe I'll post Littleman and the pumpkins tomorrow. I know you are thinking to yourselves,"Oh joy!"...

Shut up, this is my blog and I can bore you if I want *heehee*!!!

TFTD....

That is "thought for the day" if you didn't know.

Why is it that people who have no clue what they are talking about do the most talking?

Please read in to this that the person sitting next to me at work is a birdbrained excessive talking moron. Yesterday I made the comment that I (being the Big Mama that I am) made my children pay the admission for the dance at the school this Friday. It was $5.00 a piece. I feel that they need to start learning that I am not made of money and for their entertainment once in a while they need to fork it over. OOooooooo big F-ing deal right? She started on a rant of,"I can't believe you are making them pay for that!!! When MY kids were that age I paid for everything.... Being social is a huge part of making them happy.... When they 're happy they do better in school....blah blah blah freaking BLAH!!!!"

O.K. so this is the same person whose 24 year old daughter (who BTW is getting married in October) is still having her mommy put money in to her account. And her 25 year old son works as a bartender and is constantly high and out of money. Maybe she should take a lesson from me and cut the kids off and make them stand on their own two feet!!!!!

RANT OVER

*Big Mama out*

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.....

So, this was yesterday morning, aren't they adorable?

Yes, his hair is too long, he says it's "in style" and that "the girls like it this way"....

*heavy sigh*

SCHOOL STARTS TOMORROW......

*heavy sigh*

I'M NOT READY!!!!

I am not ready for my little tiny Babygirl to be in middle school! I am not ready to have my son's teachers gang up on me and tell me that he has a hard time paying attention, that he daydreams and doesn't turn in his work. They always try to gloss it over with the ever present,"Oh but he is such a sweet boy and never a behavior issue..." Blah blah freakin blah... Like I haven't heard it all before. I just want him to want his grades as bad as I want them FOR him. Babygirl is excited and nervous about this new chapter in her life. She's bummed that her best bud won't be sharing any of her classes. It's O.K. she is the type of kid to make lots of friends very easily. I don't worry so much for her, she seems to float through life without ever hitting a snag. He on the other hand ALWAYS hits the snags and/or bumps in the road. He is sweet and charming but lacks the finesse that he needs to float...

Say a little prayer or send some major Karma this way so we can have a pain free first day of middle school.

BTW this will be the first time they have ever gone to the same school, fun!