How much is that doggie in the window...

Have I ever mentioned that I have been looking for a Shih Tzu for Halle since January 04? I won't buy from a backyard breeder, and I can't afford one from a real breeder (it'd probably run around the equivalent of my mortgage payment), so I've been watching out for one to pop up in a shelter and it's finally happened! Last night I raced over to Animal Control like a maniac to get there before they closed at 5:30. Turns out he isn't available to adopt until 11AM today. He looked absolutely thrilled when we stopped at his cage... stood on his hind legs with his paws on the cage wagging and sniffed us and licked Halle's hand, but didn't bark, spin in circles, or jump, so I'm hoping he'll be of good temperament. He was in a cage alone and there was some doggie doo outside, and a piddle just inside the door... I figure that's a good sign that he's at least got the general idea that his mess belongs outdoors and he makes an effort to get there. Especially in a smelly place like that where he'd be tempted to mark his territory all over the place. Unfortunately, they said they can't tell me anything about him until today... so I will have to race back over there like a maniac, cuz they don't take phone inquiries, to find out if he was a stray or an owner turn in, and if he was an owner turn in, why. If he was a lost pet/stray, or the owner just couldn't manage his hair (possible, cuz he's only been there since Tuesday and is sporting a very recent 'buzz cut), he's ours. If chewing or potty training was an issue, I can probably even handle that (says the woman of a 2yo who won't use the toilet) cuz problems with that are just as often a owner not training or crating, as a problem with the dog. But if he was a turn in for biting or aggression, that we can't do.

I'm heading over there at 'lunch'... I'm afraid he won't be there by the time I get off work. These dogs just don't usually turn up in shelters.

"Never"

Daija went through a phase (she seems to be leaving it since having left the YMCA) where she constantly told me no. I can't stand that, but since the other two never told me no, I really had no idea what to do about it. Telling her not to tell me no, just resulted in her screaming NO.

One night, I think it was the third week in July cuz Tyler wasn't home yet, just after we got home, she told me no and I just wasn't in the mood to hear it. I got nose to nose with her and gave her the finger lecture about telling me no. Went on to make dinner and whatnot. Later that evening when I went back to load the dishwasher, I noticed Daija's cup still on the table. She clears her own dishes, so I asked her to bring it to me so I could put it in the dishwasher.

That child crossed her arms, lowered her head and literally glowered at me and stated, with emphasis,

"Nevewr."

My head spun and Halle stared at me open-mouthed... 'Where did she get THAT word?" The entire rest of the night, every single time I asked Daija to do something, she responded the same way.

What could I do but try desperately not to laugh? I told her not to tell me no, and she didn't.
Now it's less confrontational... she crosses her arms and usually shakes her head and says 'never, never' in a petulant, I'm about to burst into tears voice.

"Not Coming"

Before the story, I gotta explain the 'What' rule. I cannot stand it when I call a child and he or she yells back 'what' in response. My (older) children know that if I wanted to come look for you, I would have. If I call you, it's because I want to see you standing in front of me. So when I call your name, you call back that you are coming to confirm that you heard me as you begin to walk in my direction. If you do not acknowledge my summons, I can only assume that you have not heard me; therefore I will continue to call you until I see you in front of me. The longer and louder I have to call you, the more irritated I will be by the time I see you, andthe less likely that things will go well for you at that time. If you cannot immediately come to see me, you must respond with a reason and an ETA (I'm in the potty, I'll be there in a minute).

This was a few months ago, during the NBA playoffs. Ro and I were watching one of the sun's games, and the kids were playing in their rooms. Daija had wandered into our bedroom, and Ro called her.

Daija, come here.

Daija calls back. Ro doesn't quite catch it, and asks me what she said. I muttered 'I dunno' and looked at the game.

Daija, come here.

Daija calls back. Ro asks me again what she said. I muttered 'I dunno' and kept my attention on the game.

Daija, come here!

Daija walks to our bedroom door and yells back, quite clearly...

"NOT coming!"

Too Big

I have a big picnic table in my kitchen right now... I have a booster chair attached for Daija cuz she's still likely to slip off the bench and knock her jaw out of whack. Anyway, last night Daija announced "I sit by you, Mommy... I too big my chair"

It'd be nice if she decided she was too big for diapers and pull ups.

READY TO PULL MY HAIR OUT

Oh, I am so hot right now. Long story not so short, I've noticed that we miss a lot of maintenance opportunities because the log pages for the deferrals aren't always updated in a timely manner. Now technically, it is not my responsibility to go in and read these log pages - in a perfect world I get the part they ask for, and it's really what they need. Once my repair is delivered here, my job is done. We have MEL expeditors that are responsible for getting the parts through the receiving process and routed to the a/c. Unfortunately, I don't think we give our mechanics the resources (time wise) to do the follow-up paperwork. I raised the issue to a manager in Maintenance Operations a couple weeks ago, and at his request told him I'd follow up whenever I came across an example. So here's one on a fuel quantity indicating computer (FQIC) that I noticed at the tail end of the day yesterday. I called the controller on duty in MOC (Mx Ops Control) and email the manager of MOC as an FYI. I copied in the warehouse supervisor who was on duty, because at this point both the MEL guys have gone home and someone will need to change a work control package so the part in question, goes tot he right a/c. I leave work to get the kids, but figure, what needs to be done is pretty clear. Just in case... I log into my email at 9:30, and don't see any follow up from the whs supervisor (who gets off duty at 6PM) except a little note he'd tried to call me. So I call MOC, and the guy on nights doesn't know anything about it. I call production control, and the guy in charge of scheduling Phx maintenance, doesn't know anything about it. I give him the details and let him know he needs to switch this part from a/c 628, to a/c 621.

Do you know what happened last night? The FQIC was routed to a/c 628, and we robbed a/c 653 to replace the unit on a/c 621. The FQIC that was routed to a/c 628, was not used and was put back in stock this morning... and has since been issued to be installed on a/c 653. NOW WOULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN A LOT SIMPLER IF THEY'D JUST PUT THAT PART ON A/C 621 LIKE I TOLD THEM TO IN THE FIRST PLACE?!?!?!??!?!??!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!

*&$%*()&()*_^$%&*^(_*_

Recovering from the Long Weekend...

Saturday we had Halle's dance class, errands, some house cleaning and a baseball game to which I took all three of my kids and two of their friends. After we got home from the game I started painting - two more coats on the doors, another coat on the bed, and two coats on the baseboards plus touch ups to cover the fiesta pink I got on the celestial sun walls - and putting up the appliques. Got a nosebleed that I'm pretty sure was a result of breathing in all that paint, and then I fell into bed fully clothed (and covered in paint).

Sunday we did yard work and cleaned a little, napped a little, went and order the kids' cake (it was so CUTE), then back home for dinner and a video, followed by finishing the trim and touch ups in Tyler's room, and falling into bed at 2AM. Raced around like a maniac Monday to clean some more and have all four of us dressed and presentable for the 11AM arrivals. Three and a half hours of family fun entertainment, and I was just ready to die. I popped the blockbuster video in and passed out for three hours. Those beautiful angels of mine never made a peep - didn't argue once. When the movie was over, Tyler restarted it from the middle.

6-year-old becomes a hero to band of toddlers, rescuers

Tense days lead to reunion of kids and their moms
By ELLEN BARRY
Los Angeles Times

BATON ROUGE, LA. - In the chaos that was Causeway Boulevard, this group of evacuees stood out: a 6-year-old boy walking down the road, holding a 5-month-old, surrounded by five toddlers who followed him around as if he were their leader.

They were holding hands. Three of the children were about 2 years old, and one was wearing only diapers. A 3-year-old girl had her 14-month-old brother in tow. The 6-year-old spoke for all of them, and he said his name was Deamonte Love.

After their rescue Thursday, paramedics in the Baton Rouge rescue operations headquarters tried to coax their names out of them.

Transporting the children alone was "the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, knowing that their parents are either dead" or that they had been abandoned, said Pat Coveney, a Houston emergency medical technician who put them into the back of his ambulance and drove them out of New Orleans.

"It goes back to the same thing," he said. "How did a 6-year-old end up being in charge of six babies?"

Clean and healthy

So far, parents displaced by flooding have reported 220 children missing, and that number is expected to rise, said Mike Kenner of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which will help reunite families.

At the rescue headquarters, the children ate cafeteria food and fell into a deep sleep. Deamonte gave his address, his phone number and the name of his elementary school.

He said the 5-month-old was his brother, Darynael, and that two others were his cousins, Tyreek and Zoria. The other three lived in his apartment building.

The children were clean and healthy, said Joyce Miller, a nurse who examined them. It was clear, she said, that "time had been taken with those kids." The baby was "fat and happy."

False hope Thursday night, they got an encouraging report: A woman in a shelter in Thibodeaux was searching for seven children. People in the building started clapping at the news. But when they got the mother on the phone, it became clear that she was looking for a different group of seven children.

The children were transferred to a shelter operated by the Department of Social Services, rooms full of toys and cribs where mentors from the Big Buddy Program were on hand. For the next two days, the staff did detective work.

One of the 2-year-olds steadfastly refused to say her name until a worker took her picture with a digital camera and showed it to her. The little girl pointed at it and cried out, "Gabby!" One of the boys — with a halo of curly hair — had a G printed on his T-shirt when he arrived; when volunteers started calling him G, they noticed that he responded.

Deamonte began to give more details to Derrick Robertson, a 27-year-old Big Buddy mentor: How he saw his mother cry when he was loaded onto the helicopter. How he promised he'd take care of his brother.

Late Saturday night, they found Deamonte's mother, who was in a shelter in San Antonio along with the four mothers of the other five children. Catrina Williams, 26, saw her children's pictures on a Web site set up over the weekend by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. By Sunday, a private plane from Angel Flight was waiting to take the children to Texas.

In a phone interview, Williams said she is the kind of mother who doesn't let her children out of her sight. What happened on Thursday, she said, was that her family, trapped in an apartment building, began to feel desperate.

The water wasn't going down and they had been living without light, food or air conditioning for four days. The baby needed milk and the milk was gone. So she decided they would evacuate by helicopter. When a helicopter arrived to pick them up, they were told to send the children first and that the helicopter would be back in 25 minutes. She and her neighbors had to make a quick decision.

It was a wrenching moment. Williams' father, Adrian Love, told her to send the children ahead.
"I told them to go ahead and give them up because me, I would give my life for my kids. They should feel the same way," said Love, 48.

His daughter and her friends followed his advice.

"We did what we had to do for our kids because we love them," Williams said.

The helicopter didn't come back. While the children were transported to Baton Rouge, their parents wound up in San Antonio, and although Williams was reassured that they would be reunited, days passed without any contact. On Sunday, she was elated.

"All I know is, I just want to see my kids," she said. "Everything else will just fall into place."

Announcement for All Employees - Relief Efforts Thank You

In case I haven't said it lately, I am always so proud to work for this company.

September 6, 2005
Dear Fellow Employees,

More than a week
has passed since Hurricane Katrina devastated the people and city of New Orleans and other Gulf Coast communities. Even before its impact - and throughout the days since - our employees have come forward with selfless donations, both of time and money, to aid in the nation’s relief efforts.

As you probably know, America West and other airlines have been assisting with the rescue/relief efforts in New Orleans, and I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your participation, your thoughts and your prayers. Thanks to your efforts, combined with those of your fellow employees, we were able to transport survivors to a safe place.

Over the weekend, we operated two flights between New Orleans and Texas and one between New Orleans and Phoenix, carrying nearly 500 evacuees to safety. In addition, we transported approximately 4,000 pounds of food and water to the New Orleans area. We remain on standby to offer additional flights as part of the relief effort, which is continually being evaluated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Even with America West’s airlift operation on temporary hold, we continue to support victims as Do Crew volunteers and HpEART and FACT-trained employees offer their time and expertise as needed. In addition, victims continue to receive support through organizations like the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, supported by generous employee donations. The list of employees who have contributed to this tremendous effort is growing by the minute, so although I won’t be able to recognize every employee in this letter, each will be recognized individually.

This past Sunday I received a call from Department of Transportation Secretary Mineta thanking America West and our employees for our participation in the New Orleans airlift operations. As a member of the President’s Cabinet, he conveyed that his thanks can and should be construed as appreciation on behalf of the United States Presidential Administration. He also communicated that the entire operation was very successful and that the administration was very pleased with the results.

Because of the nature of our business, sometimes we are called upon to help our country in times of need. It is times like these when being part of America West is more than being part of a company. America West employees care about each other and the people in our communities, and that was demonstrated this past week. On behalf of our 14,000 employees, DOT Secretary Mineta, the Presidential Administration, and the 500 safe evacuees, thank you for your support.

Doug

U.S. jets attack bridges near Syria to halt insurgents

Associated Press
Sept. 6, 2005 07:00 AM

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. Marine jets Tuesday attacked two bridges across the Euphrates River near the Syrian border to prevent insurgents from moving foreign fighters and munitions toward Baghdad and other cities, the U.S. command said.

A Marine statement also said U.S. and Iraqi forces destroyed a "foreign fighter safe house," killed two foreigners and arrested three others during a Tuesday raid in the same area as the bridge attack.

Elsewhere, Iraqi civilians said they could see smoke rising Tuesday from the northern city of Tal Afar, where fighting has been raging for days between U.S.-Iraqi forces and insurgents said to include foreign fighters.

The U.S. command said an American soldier was killed Monday in Tal Afar. At least 1,890 members of the U.S. military have died since the war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Witnesses saw ambulances evacuating at least 10 injured civilians from the city Tuesday.
The fighting occurred after U.N. chief Kofi Annan said Iraq had become an even greater terrorist center than Afghanistan under the Taliban. Attacks attributed to al-Qaida's wing in Iraq have stepped up in the Baghdad area and western Iraq.

A Marine statement said F/A-18 jets dropped bombs shortly after midnight on two light bridges near Karabilah, about 185 miles west of Baghdad.

"The purpose of the strike was to prevent al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists from using the structures for vehicular traffic to conduct attacks," the U.S. statement said. "The munitions used in the strike were designed to crater the bridges, rendering them inoperable but not destroying them."
The clash at the safe house occurred when U.S. and Iraqi troops came under fire "by foreign fighters occupying" the building, the Marines said.

"Multinational forces personnel returned fire and assaulted the building, suffering one friendly casualty when a Multinational Force soldier was wounded," the statement said without citing the soldier's nationality.

Troops called in aircraft to destroy the building, "which was being used as an operational headquarters," the statement added.

Karabilah is one of a cluster of towns near the Syrian border, a major infiltration route for foreign fighters heading for Baghdad and other major cities. Iraqi officials say al-Qaida in Iraq, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has taken over parts of the area after residents fled fighting between tribes supporting and opposing the insurgents.

Annan told the British Broadcasting Corp. on Monday that many young Muslims are angry, and the situation has been exacerbated by what is happening in Iraq.

"They feel victimized in their own society; they feel victimized in the West. And they feel there's profiling against them," he said. "And the Iraqi situation has not helped matters."

Annan added: "One used to be worried about Afghanistan being the center of terrorist activities. My sense is that Iraq has become a major problem and in fact is worse than Afghanistan."

In statements posted on Islamic Web sites, al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for two attacks Monday - a roadside bombing that killed two British soldiers west of Basra and a daring daylight assault against the Interior Ministry in Baghdad in which two policemen died.

U.S. Marines said al-Qaida in Iraq launched multiple attacks Sunday against U.S. and Iraqi targets in Hit, 85 miles west of Baghdad. Twelve people - including 11 civilians, an Iraqi soldier and three suicide bombers - died in the Hit attacks

Elsewhere, Iraqi officials said al-Qaida-linked foreign fighters had taken control of large areas of a strategic city on the Syrian border after weeks of fighting between an Iraqi tribe that supports the insurgents and one that opposes them.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said much of Qaim, 200 miles west of Baghdad, had been abandoned.

U.S. Marines operate around Qaim but have complained privately that they do not have enough American or Iraqi forces to secure the area properly.

The attacks in the Hit area began Sunday when two suicide car bombs exploded at security barricades on the northwest side of town, a Marine statement said.

A car bomb also exploded on the Hit bridge across the Euphrates River, rendering it impassable, the Marines said.

The Marine statement said three insurgents and one Iraqi soldier died in the attacks. The government in Baghdad said eight civilians also died.

In Doha, Qatar, the U.S. Central Command said U.S. jets launched airstrikes Sunday on insurgent positions near Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad, dropping two 500-pound bombs.
The statement also said an Air Force Predator aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles against a mortar firing position near Balad.

On Monday, gunmen seized a son of the governor of insurgent-infested Anbar province, Mamoun Sami Rashid al-Alwani, officials said on condition of anonymity for fear of insurgent reprisal. The abduction occurred in the provincial capital of Ramadi, west of Baghdad.

U.S. and Iraqi officials had hoped the new constitution, which goes to the voters in an Oct. 15 referendum, would help pacify the insurgency by luring Sunni Arabs away from it.

However, Sunni negotiators rejected the constitution and vowed to defeat it in the referendum. The bitter, protracted negotiations appeared to have raised tensions among Iraq's ethnic and religious communities.

About 1,500 people, mostly Sunnis, rallied Monday near the Sunni city of Ramadi to protest the draft charter.

On Monday, President Jalal Talabani said he and the other top Kurdish leader, Massood Barzani, had agreed to changes in the draft constitution to mollify concerns in Arab countries that the wording in the charter loosened Iraqi ties to the Arab world.

The language at issue describes Iraq as an Islamic - but not Arab - country, a concession to the non-Arab Kurds who form about 15 percent of the Iraqi population.

Talabani said he and Barzani agreed "to accept some amendments deemed vital for the Islamic and Arab worlds concerning the Arab League because Iraq is a founding member in the Arab League."

Talabani did not specify what changes had been agreed to by him and Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

Some Iraqi officials said last week the changes could keep the description of Iraq as an Islamic state but add wording about Iraq having been a founding member of the Arab League. Sunni Arab negotiators said then that such language might satisfy the Arab League but not them.

The Sky is Home

"To most people, the sky is the limit. To those who love aviation, the sky is home."
- Anonymous

A Forgotten Update...

Ei just asked me how Daija was liking preschool and I totally forgot to tell y'all what happened. I pulled Daija out of preschool about four weeks ago. She'd gotten aggressive with the teachers right after Ro went on contract the first week of June (he did two weeks training in Toronto and then 6 weeks in Tucson so Daija was only seeing him weekends and she'd gotten used to him picking her up every day) and Tyler left a few days later. I'd been under the impression (because I'd asked regularly and been told) the behavior had not happened prior to him leaving, and that it lasted a few days and then stopped, which under the circumstances I would consider normal. She clearly did not understand where Ro went, and for weeks after Tyler left to see his daddy, she would ask Ro on the phone 'you got my Tyler?' Drop offs have been a nightmare ever since they went out of town, and when I picked her up at night she races out the door, and she was never that happy to see me when Frances was watching her. I was concerned that with the transitions at home the environment might not be right for her - not that the teachers weren't all really sweet - but that it was too many teachers and too many kids she didn't know. I was planning on waiting until Tyler was home and they'd started school and we were in a semi normal schedule and then re-evaluate, since I thought her day after the initial drop off was going fine. Then the lead teacher was out the first few days of August, and I was told by the assistant her aggression had never stopped on Wednesday. I was furious. Thursday she had another bad day and I was getting what I perceived as a 'what have you been doing at home to correct this'... to which my answer was, not a damn thing, because she doesn't charge at me swinging at home when I tell her to clean up her toys and I have 'my day' after my day that do not have 'had aggressive behavior' checked. She didn't go back Friday, and I went and picked up her stuff and told them she was leaving. Lead teacher was back, and said that it had stopped, but resumed while she was out sick. Reinforced what I had already decided - too much transition with Ro being gone. Thursday night I started calling daycares and three sounded really good and had openings because school was starting the next week and they had kids leaving to go to kindergarten. Turns out one of them lives at 11th St. & Southern (I'm at 10th & Southern)... she's on the other side of the beltway behind my house, in the house that I was all mad about cuz it blocked the pretty view I used to have of south mountain from my bedroom. We're talking and I'm really liking her, then she mentions having a 4mo and I remember the principal at King telling me last spring her cousin lived in my development and had a newborn so I ask, are you related to Miss Principal at MLK? Yes, she's my cousin. I called Miss Principal at MLK who gave me a glowing reference and a list of her credentials, which Chanel had glossed over (she taught for three years, ran a tutoring program, is working on her masters, etc). I made an appt for Friday afternoon and we just clicked like rice crispies. Daija started there the following week, and it's been going great. drop offs are still a challenge, but she doesn't like to leave in the evening which I consider a good sign. By the end of the first week her vocabulary (which I knew she had but rarely used) just exploded, and though she still has tantrums, she is much more responsive when you tell her to use her words.

"Stolen" Blog

Was sent this by a friend - it's too funny.

My brother had this posted on his My Space Bulletins.....thought you would
appreciate it:

This has to be the greatest blog I have ever stolen

1. A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is a solid defense policy
2. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.
3. The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business.
4. What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s and John Kerry did in the 1970s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.
5. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.
6. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.
7. Group sex and drug use are degenerate sins unless you someday run for governor of California as a Republican.
8. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.
9. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.
10. A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multinational corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.
11. Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.
12. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our longtime allies, then demand their cooperation and money.
13. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.
    

Halle's Birthday Surprise

Halle got a newly decorated room for her birthday. Saturday told Halle I needed her floor to be toy-free so I could mop (I'd pulled the carpet out the week before suspecting it was the source of the vague urine odor I couldn't pin down). That night the kids had a 'movie/slumber party' on the futon in Tyler's room and I took all the furniture and toy containers out of the room. Sunday I set up Daija's bed in what used to be Tyler's room, and told Halle that she'd sleep in Daija's room for a couple days because I needed to use some really strong smelly chemicals to clean the floor and she wouldn't be able to go in there for a few days. I wondered for a second, when Halle pointed out to me that the pee smell had been gone since I took out the carpet, if she was on to me. It wasn't exactly a lie - but those strong smelly chemicals were post painting clean up for the mess I was about to make, rather than to eliminate a non-existent pee smell ;-) Anyway, from her reaction last night I think I definitely had her fooled! I am all into this color/mood concept now, and for her room I wanted energizing colors. I swear, if there was ever a female designed for a life of leisure it's my elder daughter. She is so slow it takes her forever to get ready. Her favorite color is, of course, pink, butI wanted something sunny and light so I figured a light yellow or maybe a pale, pale peach and then using pink accents. I am so freakin' tickled with what I did in there. Took me forever, but I finally found bedding that had the colors I had in mind that was a 'little girl' design. It's easy to find pink/orange coordinates, but most of the colors are hot/fluorescent and it's more of a teen look. I want some colors that will help wake her up in the morning, but nothing so bold it would keep her up all night, kwim? So I got this quilt and the matching borders and appliqués. I used the border colors to select the paint (blue, yellow, peach, hot pink). I painted the ceiling and about two feet down the wall to the border in blue, and a light yellow called Celestial Sun (more pastel than the walls in the link) from the border to the floor. I did the closet doors and the bedroom door in Whispy Peach (actually, I'm still doing them, they'll need at least one more coat), and then the door trims and baseboards will be Fiesta Pink.' My mom came over and hung the border and painted clouds on the ceiling, and after the first few she started getting really creative and made a horse, a butterfly, and a couple other animal type shapes. Ro is getting her this toybox to go under the window. She'll have something to sit on when getting dressed, and she can keep her bigger Barbie accessories in it. I'm going to put it under her window, so if she wants to put a pillow behind herself she could lean against the wall and read or color there too. I painted her bed and the decorator table (you know those three legged ones you put skirts on? I couldn't find a skirt in the right color, but they had ones that have a criss cross stand with shelves instead, so I got that) white. It's a good thing that antiqued/distressed look is so popular... with all the drips and runs the paint definitely looks distressed! Once I'm done painting, I'm going to put a couple of the appliqués on the tabletop. I put up sheer pink curtains and I'm going to put window film with clouds on the windows too. And I have these two old white bookcases I've been holding onto - I put one in Halle's room (the other will go in Daija's). The very best, and this will probably have to wait until Ro is able to come home again and who knows how long that will be... I'm putting up a dance bar for Halle. It's really just a towel rack with mirrors above and below (saw it in one of the showcases at Ikea), but when I explained what the towel bar on her bed was for she was hopping up and down in circles.

My boy is home...

Tyler came home not last weekend, but theweekend before. The girls missed him, but it was worse for Daija because she is so little and she got all confused. In her mind, the only daddy is her daddy... so when she would ask Tyler where he was and he said he was at his dad's house... next thing you know she's asking Ro 'Do you have my Tyler?'. So we try to clarify which Daddy Tyler is with... then every time she talked to Ro, she asked him, 'You my daddy?' Anyway, it was a fun homecoming. When Tyler left, my sister's old room at the front of the house had become a catch-all storage dump. When he came home, it was painted and decorated with a galaxy theme, and furnished with a futon we'd been storing, the book case that used to store community toys in the hallway, and his rug, table, NASA posters, and other special momentos. Driving home from the airport (around 3:30AM Saturday morning, no less) I asked if he was really tired and he said 'only a little bit.' I told him I'd left his birthday present in the spare room and he could go check it out for a minute before he went to bed.The first thing he noticed was the ceiling walls and the furniture...but then he looked down at the rug from his room, and around at his posters and saw the picture of he and his dad and his Buddha... Oh, you just should have seen his little brain clicking. His eyes were just darting around and then he turns to me and breathes... 'What is this place? Is this MY new room?' I'm still touching up trim - I'll send pictures when I'm finished.

ATSB Approves Proposed AWA/US Airways Merger

PHOENIX, July 22, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- America West Holdings Corporation (NYSE: AWA) and US Airways Group, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: UAIRQ) today announced that they have received approval for their planned merger from the Air Transportation Stabilization Board (ATSB). Both America West Airlines and US Airways hold loans backed by a federal guarantee from the ATSB. The carriers have been in negotiations on the treatment of those loans under their proposed merger. Pending final bankruptcy court and US Airways board approval and upon close of the merger, the two airlines' outstanding ATSB loan guarantees will be consolidated with payments beginning September 2005 through September 2010. Final terms are still being negotiated.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050223/LAW097LOGO)
America West Chairman and CEO Doug Parker stated, "We are grateful for the Board's unanimous endorsement of our proposed merger with US Airways. Today's announcement continues the positive momentum for our planned merger and brings us one step closer to building a stable future for our airlines."
"We appreciate the ATSB working closely with us to further our efforts to restructure US Airways and preserve jobs while protecting the federal government's interests. Their action today will enable the new US Airways to become a stronger and more viable airline," said US Airways President and Chief Executive Officer Bruce R. Lakefield.
In January 2002, America West Airlines, Inc. closed a $429 million loan backed by a $380 million federal loan guarantee provided by the ATSB. The current outstanding balance on this loan is $300 million. US Airways, Inc. received a $900 million loan guarantee under the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act from the ATSB in connection with a $1 billion term loan financing that was funded on March 31, 2003. The current outstanding balance of that airline's loan is $708 million.
America West Holdings Corporation is an aviation and travel services company. Wholly owned subsidiary America West Airlines is the nation's second largest low-fare carrier with 14,000 employees serving approximately 60,000 customers a day in more than 90 destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica.
US Airways is the nation's seventh-largest airline, serving 181 communities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. US Airways, US Airways Shuttle and the US Airways Express partner carriers operate approximately 3,400 flights per day. (AWAG)

No competing bids proposed for US Airways

No other offers were submitted for US Airways before the July 1 deadline, Bloomberg News reported. The airline has agreed to merge with America West Airlines. The deal still needs approval from creditors and a bankruptcy court.

US Airways submits reorganization plan centered on merger

US Airways submitted its reorganization plan to a federal bankruptcy court Thursday. Submitting the plan is one of the last steps the airline must take toward emerging from bankruptcy protection. The plan involves the airline's proposed merger with America West Airlines, which would create a large, low-cost carrier.

AmWest-US Air merger's details revealed

SEC filing features items of note for investors
Dawn Gilbertson
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 29, 2005 12:00 AM

America West Airlines and US Airways weren't formally engaged until last month, but the pair began flirting well over a year ago.The long-distance courtship began in February 2004, according to new merger documents filed Tuesday with securities regulators. It was a case of opposites attracting: America West was strong on the West Coast, US Airways on the East. The airlines broke up last summer over money differences (US Airways' expenses were too high) but by the end of the year were talking about getting back together because US Airways was in better shape. They did, in January, and cemented the relationship with a merger announcement on May 19. The new airline will be based in Tempe but called US Airways. The background of the initially hush-hush merger talks was among a host of disclosures in a 386-page legal document the two companies filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There were no blockbuster revelations involving board dissent over the merger or competing offers or rich insider deals. One airline analyst called the document standard. Still, there were some noteworthy disclosures for shareholders to mull over as they decide whether to approve the merger later this summer:

Merger faces many risks, filing says:

Risks to the merger of US Airways and America West Airlines include the integration of corporate culture and high fuel prices, the carriers said in a regulatory filing. The merger still needs approval from a bankruptcy court and creditors.

Bad vaccine sickens 216 children

BEIJING - More than 200 Chinese children became sick and one child died after
being given an unauthorized Hepatitis A vaccine, the government said Tuesday.

Report: America West faces no serious rivals for US Airways

Just one person has publicly expressed interest in bidding this week for US Airways, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. Bids, which would rival a merger proposed by America West Airlines, are due this week. The lone bidder, Sallijo Freeman, is an Atlanta woman who says she represents an overseas investment group. The bankruptcy judge will evaluate all bids and decide on July 7; observers do not expect America West's bid to be seriously challenged.

US DOJ clears USAir/America West merger

By John Crawley
Updated: 7:41 p.m. ET June 23, 2005
WASHINGTON - U.S. anti-trust enforcers cleared the proposed merger between bankrupt US Airways and America West Airlines , saying it would be good for consumers, the Justice Department said Thursday.

America West’s CEO faces test in takeover

Doug Parker plots survival of airline in US Airways merger


The Associated Press
Updated: 4:45 p.m. ET June 17, 2005

TEMPE, Ariz. - Eleven days after taking over as chief executive of America West Airlines in September 2001, Doug Parker had to abruptly shift his focus from improving the carrier’s poor reputation among customers to fighting for its survival.

Daija wants the moon...

Last night I was reading with Daija, and after a few rounds of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom she got out another favorite... Grandfather Twilight. I read it to her once and then she flipped through a few pages. On the last page, the dog and cat pictured in the story are curled up asleep. She said to them 'Good night... I love you...' then kissed them/the book. When I read it to her again, on the first page you see the door to Grandfather Twilight's house in the trees, and she reached over and put her fist on it. I asked her if she was knocking, and then she knocked. I ask her sometimes if she can identify objects (where is the moon, where is the cat), after she pointed out to me 'him glasses' a couple months ago (there is a picture where the book he's reading at the beginning of the story is placed on a table with the glasses he was wearing on top). So anyway, instead of asking her to identify objects, I asked her on the next page, what G.T. was doing, expecting her to say something about him reading. She answered 'him sit chair' and so I asked 'What is he doing in the chair?' and she said 'him read story' babble babble 'him cat' (cat was curled up on the back of the chair). In the next two pages G.T. unlocks a chest and takes out a pearl, and she told me 'him lock' ' him keys' and 'him open.' Then the story continues without words and he walks through the forest to the beach, with this pearl growing each step. He releases it into the sky above the water. At this page, Daija reached out and pretended to snatch the big pearl from the sky and said 'gimme my moon.' I asked her if she wanted the moon, and she pretended to snatch it again and claimed it as 'her' moon. Then the story shows G.T. walking home, and when he approaches his house in the trees, Daija reaches out her fist again, and I realize that she was not knocking... she's pretending to open the door. She is developing such an imagination!

Quandary: 2005-2006 School Year

The gifted coordinator tested Halle about two weeks ago, and she scored 98+ percentile on the Ravens. Our district uses the Ravens test because it's non-verbal and less biased than most other IQ tests. The highest percentileranking is the 98th percentile, so if a child does better than that, they can't get a score of the 99th percentile... they are said to have scored 98+. Tyler took this test when he was six years, 4/5 months and in the first grade, third month? I think, and scored (pre-meds, mind you) in the 92nd percentile. Halle is 5 years, 9 months, and just finishing kinder. I had expected her to do well, but I really hadn't expected her to ceiling the test. The gifted coordinator told me she doesn't know what to do for Halle next year and suggested she and I meet with the principal. I sent the principal an email last Wednesday requesting a meeting but haven't received a response. To be honest, I don't have very high hopes of an acceptable placement. Out of the four 1st grade classes, one is a bilingual classroom (and the teacher is retiring) and one is ESL. In the two traditional classrooms, one teacher took a administrative job at another school, so there is a sub and no permanent replacement as of yet. And in August I witnessed the teacher of the other 'regular' classroom 'disciplining' two or three little boys who were being sent to lunch detention and I was really bothered by her tone and body language... as well as her volume. I didn't hear every word she said, but far more than I think I should have heard given the distance between where they were and where I was standing. I would not be comfortable working with her because that incident would always be in the back of my mind and I would always be concerned about her addressing Halle that way. And if Halle is bored now, I can't see how she'll be challenged in a bilingual or ESL classroom. Tyler was in a bilingual classroom for first grade and I felt he grew so little as a student in that environment.

Last Wednesday I also visited one of the charter schools I mentioned last month - based on what I've read at their web site it seemed to offer the most of what I would be looking for. I toured with the school's community relations person, and was really impressed with the philosophy and that the school had the student's work displayed everywhere, bio's of all the existing teachers. The staff is very diverse, which is important to our family. There are a handful of staff members who are Muslim and from the middle east (three from Turkey), one is Jewish, and another is from Venezuela... and then there is a teacher from Kansas, which from personal experience is really almost like it's own little country (or planet). They incorporate character development into their curriculum. They use Saxon Math, and let the kids go as far with it as they can. Their sixth grade students are doing calculus. No classes more than 24 students. They do math placement tests for all incoming students... with beginner/intermediate/advanced levels in each class, and offer free tutoring to get kids who are behind at grade level and to give extra attention to kids who are needing extra challenge. They have a mentor program, also free of charge.

After the visit I was thinking about it a lot more seriously. That same night, I went to the 'open house' at Julian, where Tyler is supposed to go for fourth grade. I was hoping to meet the teacher and discuss their math curriculum. I had looked at Julian's report card, and the AIMS %ile is in the teens for both 5th and 8th grade last year, and just 3 years ago was less than 10. I was further concerned to read the following, which was listed as an achievement for the 03-04 school year:

70 students in the RSD tested into Honors Algebra on the Phoenix Union School
District Math placement test. Of those, 12 were from Julian. Nine of those 12
were not enrolled in the gifted program and three of the 12 tested for placement
in Geometry.

I think this is great for the nine students from traditional classrooms, but I find it alarming that only 25% of the students were gifted. Not that there should have been fewer 'traditional' students, but that I would certainly expect for a gifted program at a school that feeds into a high school with an Aerospace Magnate, to have at least as many gifted as non gifted students achieve placement into honors math. This furthers my concern that the math curriculum for the gifted classrooms is not accelerated.

Well, the event was basically a band showcase where there was not a dedicated opportunity to meet the gifted teachers, and that it had already been performed at King Tyler had already seen the entire performance. I was even further disappointed to learn that there would not be any kind of open house for the gifted program or in general for transitioning third graders and their parents. I attempted to speak with the gifted teacher for 4th grade, and inquired about the math curriculum. She asked if I wanted to know what my child needed to know for fourth grade. I clarified that I was asking what differentiated the gifted curriculum from the traditional curriculum. I was told that there wasn't really any difference, she just usually finishes the book (I guess the other class doesn't?) I then asked what concepts she would be covering and was told that there would be a lot of review because the incoming fourth graders wouldn't be up to par in math. She assured me that this was a district wide problem and included the students coming over from King's gifted program. The other teacher (whose name I didn't catch but she may be the 'math chair') seemed to concur. Based on feedback I've gotten from multiple educators about my son's math skills, and considering that King's 3rd grade math AIMs rankings are twice that of Julian's 5th grade math rankings, I was pretty skeptical of that claim, and downright dismayed at this clear expectation/culture of mediocrity. As I pondered the futility of asking what would be done to challenge students who were not needing remediation or who excelled she invited me to visit her during her planning period at 2:15. We discussed my work schedule, she indicated she was usually on campus until five and perhaps I could come by then. I was about to suggest perhaps a conference call, when she wandered away from the conversation without excusing herself, and never returned. The other teacher remained and indicated that there would be an open house about a week before school starts. I told her very candidly that I had reservations about my son attending school there and that their math program, while the largest concern, was only one of them, and I was not comfortable waiting until school was about to begin to address them. I mentioned the excerpt I quoted above from their scorecard and expressed my concern about the complexity of the curriculum and asked why more gifted students hadn't placed into honors math. She appeared surprised, as though the disparity in the numbers hadn't occurred to her, and suggested that was a good question and one that might be good to ask the 8th grade math teacher. I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. Preparing students for an 8th grade honors placement exam is not the sole responsibility of the 8th grade math curriculum, it begins when the child enters the school, as each grade builds the foundation for the next. I don't want to hear what is being done to prepare kids in the 11th inning! I pictured posing that question to whoever teaches 8th grade and being told that the seventh graders weren't prepared... and then that the sixth graders weren't prepared, and so on until I reached Ms. Dunn to hear that the third graders are not prepared. The phrase 'passing the buck' rang through my mind. The next morning I inquired with Tyler's current teacher specifically about his math skills, and whether a) I should anticipate that he will need remediation for fourth grade math or b) that he will languish in a classroom where most of his peers need remediation. She assured me that she felt Tyler's math skills were above par and he is well prepared for fourth grade math. She says she has never gotten any feedback indicating her students were unprepared, and that she watches their test scores and that her students have done very well in math. The teacher also indicated that she keeps in touch with several students who have gone on to Julian and has specifically inquired if there was anything that they were struggling with and that none of them have indicated having trouble with the math curriculum.

I've talked to both Joel and Ro about the school situation, and they're both open to the change. I have a few more questions for the school and I should probably visit at least one of the other schools that looked like possibilities to get a comparison. But at this point it's pretty likely the kids will be going somewhere else for school next year.

A special lunch for Halle...

Here's a cute story that a friend of mine who works for the school district sent me about Halle... Halle wasn't permitted to go on a field trip (I have no idea why, and since Halle didn't seem to care I didn't even bother to ask, I know I wouldn't have liked the answer) so our friend decided to take Halle a surprise lunch...

This morning, I went to the cafeteria and asked Ms. Cafeteria if students were allowed to bring outside food to lunch. She said yes, so I told her Halle wouldn't eat the cafeteria's meal today. She said Halle'd already paid, so she's have a credit for the next day. I also told Halle I'd bring her lunch. Well, when I got to the cafeteria with the McD's, Halle had a lunch tray. Ms. Cafeteria said Halle insisted on getting a lunch. Halle said something like this, "I paid you a dollar fifty this morning for my lunch, so I'm getting a tray. I don't think my mom's is gonna bring me a lunch because if she was, she wouldn't've given me a dollar fifty for lunch." Both Ms. Cafeteria AND her classmate tried to explain it to her, but she was insistant. LOL!! See, that would've upset the average adult as Halle being impudent (sp?), when in reality Halle's reasoning is perfectly logical.

A moment of silence...

With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is
worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which almost went
unnoticed last week.

Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey," died peacefully at
age 93. The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin.
They put his left leg in.... And then the trouble started.

it's OK to laugh, you know it's funny.

AmWest, US Airways to merge

Of course this is by no means final, but it looks like we're moving ahead on this. A couple people have expressed concern for me and my job... my mama wanted to know if I'd have to move to DC. Right now I'm not worried about my job, or needing to relocate anytime soon. While the merger plan is official, the current plan doesn't have the airline fully integrating until 2008, and that's if all the powers that be approve everything that needs approving.

AmWest, US Airways to merge
Dawn Gilbertson
The Arizona
Republic
May. 19, 2005 02:20 PM

After weeks of nonstop speculation about their hush-hush marriage talks, America West Airlines and US Airways became officially engaged today, seeking to create the nation's fifth largest airline.

The two major carriers this afternoon said they plan to merge in a complex, $1.5 billion deal that will have the new airline based in Tempe but flying under the US Airways banner. America West Chairman and CEO Doug Parker will run the airline, which will have hubs on both coasts and a route map spanning the world.

No details were provided on the impact on employees or flights at either airline, but the companies said the airlines will operate separately for two to three years.

The backers of the deal many thought would never get off the ground financially include the parent of Air Canada, Boston-based investment firm PAR Capital Management, regional carrier Air Wisconsin and industry players Airbus and General Electric.

In their first public comments about the motivation for the deal, Parker and US Airways CEO Bruce Lakefield said the deal will create the first full-service nationwide low-cost, low-fare airline.

"Through this combination we are seizing the opportunity to strengthen our business rather than waiting for the industry environment to improve," said the written statement.

More details are expected in a media conference call and news conference at the Airline's Tempe headquarters. America West's stock, which was beaten up after word of the merger talks leaked, rose sharply today in expectation of announcement. The stock closed at $4.81, up 8.6 percent from Wednesday's close. After hours trading was halted pending the news.

For Phoenix, the merger would mean a national, homegrown brand falls off an
already short list of marquee names in business. But the area gains a much larger corporate headquarters, in terms of prestige, total employees and other measures. Based on last year's revenue of $9.4 billion for the combined company, the new US Airways would rank as Arizona's second-largest publicly company, after Fortune 500 electronics distributor Avnet Inc.

The deal is by no means done. There are a host of approvals to get, including the federal Air Transportation Stabilization Board, which loaned both airlines money after Sept. 11 and is still owed nearly $1 billion from the two; U.S. Airways' bankruptcy judge; federal regulators and shareholders.

There was skepticism from Wall Street, competitors and others as soon as word of the merger talks leaked last month, and the scrutiny is only expected to intensify now that some specifics are on the table. Analysts worry about the wisdom of combining two financially weak carriers during an industry crisis that is expected to produce $5 billion in losses this year.

The president of Southwest Airlines has said the CEOs of the two airlines must be on drugs to contemplate a merger in this horrible airline environment.

David Neeleman, CEO of discounter JetBlue Airways, the only other profitable airline besides Southwest, joked at an aviation conference last month in Phoenix that Parker has started drinking his own Kool-Aid. That was a reference to Parker's repeated comments over the past year that the industry was ripe for consolidation.

The merger will form the centerpice of US Airways' reorganization plan. The airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last fall, a year after it emerged from its first Chapter 11 reorganization.

The combined company has nearly 38,000 employees, though it's unlikely the count will stay that high due to duplicate headquarters staff and the plan for fewer aircraft than the 419 jets they operate now in total.

Many observers expect the thorniest issue to be integrating the carrier's union workforces. Seniority rules at unions, and US Airways workers have much more than those at significantly younger America West. At America West's annual shareholders meeting Tuesday, America West union representatives grilled Parker about whether their jobs will be safe in a merger. Parker has said only that he wouldn't do a deal that jeopardize the he hard work America West's employees.

By any measure, America West is combining with a much larger carrier. US Airways'
sales last year were triple America West's, at $7.1 billion. The two rank 7th and 8th in passenger traffic, but the gap is wide: 40.5 million revenue passenger miles versus 23.3 million. They rank sixth and eighth in passenger boardings, but US Airway's passenger count is double America West's, at 42 million.

Reach the reporter at dawn.gilbertson@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8617

AmWest deal looming

Dawn GilbertsonThe Arizona RepublicMay. 18, 2005 09:48 PM

Signals were mixed Wednesday on whether America West Airlines and US Airways will announce their merger today as planned.

But there was a clear sign an announcement could be imminent: US Airways CEO Bruce Lakefield was booked on an early morning flight to Phoenix.

Lakefield, who has led the bankrupt carrier since April 2004, is due into Sky Harbor International Airport this morning on an America West flight, sources familiar with his travel plans say. His reservation calls for a one-day stay with a departure late tonight.

The merger discussions largely have taken place in Washington, D.C., so his expected presence in Arizona today is notable. Assuming his travel plans didn't change overnight, Lakefield will arrive as America West's board of directors is meeting. The board has to approve any proposed transaction. US Airways board met on Wednesday.

New name for a new airline?

America West, US Airways may get new name: If US Airways and America West Airlines merge, officials will choose a name for the combined airline. One marketing expert suggested rebranding the combined airline because of recent customer service snafus at US Airways and limited recognition for the America West brand, the Arizona Republic reports. The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) (5/18)

America West, US Airways may announce merger today, report says

America West and US Airways have secured a vital loan from jetmaker Airbus and may announce merger plans as early as today, the Wall Street Journal reports, quoting unnamed sources. Meanwhile, the chairman of US Airways said the talks between the two carriers are not likely to collapse. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (5/19), The Charlotte Observer (N.C.) (free registration) (5/19)

Real ID

Doesn't this look fabulous and exciting and well worth all the money it's going to cost to implement...

Survival of US Airways depends on merger with America West

The survival of US Airways depends on whether it will merge with America West Airlines, the Washington Post reports. One unnamed executive said the carrier does not have many options outside of a merger. The two airlines may reach a merger agreement later this week, according to media reports.

AmWest, US Air deal likely soon

Weeks of speculation about an America West Airlines-US Airways merger should give way to straight facts this week, with a formal announcement of the deal tentatively set for Thursday.

http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0516amwest16.html

vent...

Tyler has been sneaking the sweet snacks - pudding, cookies, candy. He has permission if he gets hungry at night or at off-meal times to help himself to a cheese stick, nuts, or fruit, but I keep finding wrappers from the other stuff in his room. He had gotten better about fessing up, but the sneaking sweets happens 1-2 times per week, and he lies to cover it up 1-3 times a month. What I've found is helpful, is when I *know* he did it, is to minimize the opportunity for him to lie. I will ask him to tell me what happened with 'xyz', and if I can see he's about to open up his mouth and lie, I tell him to stop and think before he answers. I explain that I already know such n such happened, and I want him to explain it to me. Impulsive lying is really common in ADHD kids... a lot of times a lie will pop out of their mouths before they even realize it. And I've found with that approach, he will usually stop and think and candidly give me the truth. But it's these situations where I'm not sure which of the older two did something, that is a problem. I feel like I'm an interrogator at a Nazi camp or something. And I feel like the sneaking sweets is happening more often, because I'm making their lunches and have more sweet stuff in the house than I normally would. I bought a bunch of snack pack cookies, and I split them up between the kids, with each getting 1/2 cookies in their lunch as a treat. Sunday, he got a six pack of Oreo cookies and ate them all while I was in the shower. I had already given Daija 2 oreos, and had planned to let Halle & Tyler each have a couple after Halle and I were done showering. So I go to grab the cookies, and because I had just gotten some for Daija, I notice a pack is missing. I ask who did it and my ex's son came into the kitchen and looked right in my face and told me he didn't do it, because he knows what happens when he steals. Told me this again, when Halle came into the room, and didn't admit it until I said there would be no lunch until I got an answer. I was so furious that he had so boldly offered his lie up about how he knows better than to steal... he got a spanking with a belt for maybe the second time in his life. I told him I hoped he had enjoyed his lunch, and made him go without the McD's we were on our way out to get. He whined the ENTIRE afternoon about how hungry he was. Sent him to the bathroom (another vent, more on that later) while I checked out at Wal-mart and I grabbed three packages of fruit snacks, and I find him with a piece of gum he picked up OFF THE FLOOR in his mouth. I made him spit it out, lectured him on hygiene, and made him wait until after we had finished at the next store and he had behaved in an appropriate manner. Later at home, I come from the back of the house to see Tyler dump what's left of Daija's bag into his hand and shove them in his pocket. I couldn't believe it. I spanked him again, which obviously didn't solve the problem the first time but I am just at a loss as to what to do.

I was having some issues with both of the kids, just being whiny and not wanting to pick up after themselves and walking around with this air of entitlement and OMG they were fighting CONSTANTLY, till I couldn't even stand to be around them. I sat each of them down and 'splained the difference between a right and a privilege, and that privileges had to be earned. We went to a point system, based on chores, behavior, attitude, etc and they had to buy TV, Playstation, etc. I really felt like it was helping. The whining and arguing went down, they were getting their chores done and being better sports. They were also spending much less time watching TV and more time playing with each other and by themselves. Obviously, sitting down and discussing all this every night and having them give me their input on their 'score' takes up a lot time, so I want to get away from that and just have them understand that they have to take care of business first, then they can have whatever privileges they want. I am trying to think of a way to give them an allowance without it being tied directly to chores... but anyway, now I'm just really frustrated that we seem to be backsliding. They bickered all weekend, and Tyler whined incessantly, and acted like a brat a good part of the time we were in public.

America West swings to profit in first quarter

Results include gain on fuel hedging transactions


The Associated Press
Updated: 11:28 a.m. ET April 20, 2005

PHOENIX - America West Holdings Corp., whose flagship carrier is in merger talks with US Airways Group Inc., said Wednesday it swung to a profit in the latest first quarter from a year-ago loss.

"c" is for...

I am actually thinking about charter school, for both kids. I'm just not hearing great things about the gifted program past third grade/over at Julian. I'm not entirely comfortable with charter schools, there are too many that are run as bad or worse than the public schools. There is an awesome one in Ahwatukee that my friends have their older boys in, but it's the wrong way for me to be driving. But, I know that a few of the excelling and highly performing schools are charters, so I am starting the search. There are three or four that are reasonable, travel wise, that look worth checking out.

I think Halle does want a challenge/would work if it was something she found interesting or was more under her control. She (independently) was working on these sheets she got somewhere... on each line there was a letter of the alphabet, and the rest of the line was blank. She was filling in a word that started with that letter. She got to 'c' and asked me...

Mommy, how do you spell cockroach?

A normal kid would just write cat. Hell, Tyler would have just written cat. Ro said... couldn't she just write cat? I asked a coworker, what would you write? and my 30yo coworker, SAID CAT. I don't think Halle has ever so much as SEEN a cockroach. That's one of the things that frustrates me most... at home, she carries around paper and pencil and book just as often as she carries around her Barbie's. She will get a book and read independently with no instruction from me, and Tyler still doesn't even do that. He reads 'for pleasure' pretty much only when I tell him to. I think Halle is the kind of kid who would do really well in a home school setting.

First Grade....

Well, I've got myself a pickle. This quarter we are right back to Halle not wanting to do anything. She says the morning message is boring. She wants to write something else, something harder, something 'like this, see, I don't know this word' as she waves a book around. She writes at home, little notes to the rest of us and copies out of books. Mrs. BAG says she doesn't really volunteer to read aloud at school, but she reads for me at home and reads independently at home as well. .'I don't even know what one hundred plus one hundred thousand thirty six is,' she tells me. Right now she's in the 'apple group' and she has pretty tough spelling words for a kindergartener. She's had a couple doozies like cooperative and significant. She gets 100's on almost every spelling test, whether she brings the words home and studies or not. Last week was actually the first time she's had any trouble, and she had words like blanket and number where the combos are weird and the 'et' sounds to her like 'it'. So, after talking several times with Halle and with Mrs. BAG and just feeling at a loss I called Karen Eger. I explained all this to her, and she said she thought it might be a good idea to go ahead and evaluate her, and that could probably be done early May. She said there may not be much that could be done this year, but that her bigger concern would be next year, which is also my concern. I relayed this to Mrs. BAG, and that I am really worried what's going to happen if Halle gets a teacher next year that teaches to the middle or low end of the spectrum. Mrs. BAG told me that at King, her opinion is that all the current 1st grade classrooms are geared middle/low, and that she wouldn't even know who to send Halle too. I asked a friend who taught at the school until recently, and she gave the same opinion. That really freaked me out... I am ready to pull my hair out now trying to motivate Halle, and Mrs. BAG definitely teaches to the top.

The good news, is that Mrs. BAG moved Halle right up to the front of the classroom and Halle commented she can see better (so we'll be seeing the eye dr. soon), and I'm giving her a sticker for her calendar at home for every morning message she brings home where Mrs. BAG has written ok/good job/etc indicating Halle worked in a timely manner. This seems to have helped; I don't think she likes the morning message any better, but she sure likes those stickers.

However, whether Halle qualifies gifted or not, I'm still concerned about next year.

and the saga continues...

As you know, I told my sister on the 4th that I thought it would be better for her to just get a storage unit, it would be cheaper. I was surprised that she sounded upset, I expected her to be relieved to save between $100 and $150 and at the same time, get out of a 'lease agreement' for a room she obviously didn't want to live in. On the 5th, I called my mom to see how things were going. Mom tells me that Crystal is angry at her. Apparently Crystal wasn't going to call me at all, and mom told her she needed to before she got kicked out. So it was my mother's fault that she called me and was kicked out anyway. My head reeled! A) that she thought this was my mother's fault in any way, rather than a natural result of her behavior and b) she had been absent from the premesis for the majority of March and had made no effort to pay rent or make payment arrangements for the month of April. I didn't kick her out, she had left of her own accord three or four weeks prior! I just asked her to remove her abandoned property from my home. On Thursday, my sister calls to ask me if it will be OK if she comes next weekend (this coming weekend) to get her stuff. She won't have any money to get a storage unit until then, because her phone was shut off and she had to pay the bill to get it turned back on. I explained that it just didn't make sense for her to pay me rent when she could get a storage unit for far less, but that I understood and the following weekend would be fine. When I get home that night, Ro tells me that he was watching TV and heard something creaking. He muted the TV and heard it again. He got up to check it out, figuring it was the dog, and as he let the dog out, sees my sister slipping out the door with a basket of stuff. He said she didn't come back and say anything, so he didn't even attempt to address her. This of course just strengthened my resolve that she simply cannot continue to live here.

So I've been speaking with my mother regularly about my nana and I found out this Monday, that Crystal had not intended to call me to let me know she couldn't move her things last weekend, and that my mother insisted she call. Mom also tells me that Crystal, and my brother's girlfriend, are very unhappy about what they are going to be charged for room and board: $500. They say they can't afford it. This is when I found out that they are both working only part time, and neither are looking for full time jobs. And that my sister's car payment and insurance together are about $500 per month. AND, that she was suspended on the Friday BEFORE she bought the car. She had it all lined up, but hadn't signed any paperwork or put any money down. Knowing that was her third suspension for the same thing, she still went and bought the car. For some reason, she was convinced she would not be fired. Then, after she was fired, she made no effort to look for a job for weeks.

Someone 'splain this to me. She has $500 in expenses for her car (which astounds me, it's hardly bigger than a minute), she is only working part time. She told me on the 4th that she was planning on moving in the next 45 days, but was not planning at that point to live with my mother. I don't know where she thought she was going to live where her rent, utilities, and groceries would be less than what she paid living here or what she knew my mother was planning on charging our brother for living there. The mortgage at the house my mom and grandma just bought is twice mine, so even divided by more people the expenses are higher. And she knew what my mother had told my brother and his girlfriend rent would be, before the move and before she asked my mom if she could stay there 'for a little while,' which she didn't do until after I told her I wasn't interested in receiving her rent and would prefer she move. My mother told my brother, his girlfriend, and my sister that their rent was due on the 25th of each month for the following month, and presented them each with a lease agreement. She also told them that if they do not pay the rent, they have 72 hours to leave. My sister, and I think my brother's girlfriend, refused to sign the lease, citing it too expensive. My brother has no problem with it, as this was discussed and agreed on prior to them moving into this house at the first of the month.

So, I'm thinking this: If Crystal gets paid on the 15th, and is only working part time, I doubt she can afford to pay $500 to my mother by the 25th (which is before her next payday), rent a storage unit, and cover her expenses for gas and whatever may come due for her vehicle between the 15th and 29th. I start wondering, now that I know she was planning on just not showing up last weekend and now that I know her financial situation, if she is just going to no-show this weekend because she doesn't want to tell me for a second time that she doesn't have money to move. Yesterday my mother called me about my grandmother, and I asked if Crystal was there/could I speak with her. She was asleep, and I heard her tell my mother she would call me back, but I didn't hear from her. I called my mother again yesterday to see if Crystal has said anything, or made any arrangements with my mom's husband, who has a truck and agreed to transport her stuff from my place to wherever but said he's not packing or moving a thing. My mother was under the firm impression that Crystal had called me later that morning before leaving for work. I tell her I think one of two things is going to happen. My sister is going to blow me off again and blame it on the outrageous rent my mother is making her pay, or she is going to tell my mother she can't pay rent because I 'kicked her out.' None of the issues will be related to the fact that she was fired from her job after she got yet another customer complaint, her third suspension. It won't have anything to do with the fact that she financed a vehicle when she should have KNOWN her employment was in serious jeapordy, or that she made no effort to find a job for weeks afterwards, or that she has taken a part time job and made no effort at finding full time employment. It won't have anything to do with the fact that she has been blatantly disrespectful to me or that her behavior has had a negative effect on Tyler and Halle. I told my mom that I really appreciated her insisting Crystal call me last week, but please don't say anything else to her about contacting me. I wouldn't have expected her to just no show then, but I'm aware it's a possibility now. I really want to see what she is going to do when left to her own devices. I already have ample grounds to legally declare that she has abandoned the residence and will be able to declare the same in regards to her property if she doesn't show this weekend. I can't have this dragging out forever, and it's clear that she has no sense of right or wrong and will continue to take advantage for as long as I let her.

"The base of all things is love, respect."
--Vickie Downey, TEWA/Tesuque Pueblo

The greatest weapon of any Spiritual Warrior is love. Love will change minds; love will forgive; love will let go; love will cause good luck; love will heal; love will cry; love will get rid of resentments; love will overcome fear. Love loves love. Any human who is loving will be guaranteed respect. Respect loves love. We need to love and respect ourselves.

Grandmother, Grandfather, today, lead me on the path of love.

"Once you make a friend, a friend never leaves you, even to death.

So a friend is really hard to find."
--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

Once, an Elder told me he made a decision to be my friend. He said this friendship wasn't based on my behavior or how I acted; he said the friendship was based on his decision. He decided to be my friend. This friendship has happened like he said. Even if I don't see him for a long time, or if I get mad at him, he has never changed his decision. This is true friendship.

Great Spirit, I'm glad you are this kind of Friend.

The 'Crystal Saga'

I know I've mentioned to a few people that there was some drama with my sister, but that it was a long story, and it's been stretching out for two months. Here's the condensed version:

The first weekend of February is when it started - she left the house Saturday morning and comes in Sunday evening while the kids' and I are watching TV. Monday morning I leave for work and there is an unfamiliar car in the driveway. She never mentioned, either before she left or after coming home, anything about a new car.

The rest of that week, she came home later and later each night. I figured she was just enjoying her first car, plus my brother had recently moved into town and was staying with my mother, who lives about an hour away. As one week stretched into two and she wasn't coming home until between midnight and two each morning, although her shift at work starts between 6:30 and 7:00 AM, I knew something was up. I didn't ask here where she was, although I did mention to her that the kids were asking where she was. She volunteered that she was working double shifts at work. I knew it was highly unlikely her company needed telemarketers so badly that she would be putting in 80 hours a week. I was actually starting to worry that she might be partying and developing a problem there, because she was downright pissy whenever she was at the house, which wasn't much. Early in March, a concerned family member, who requested anonymity, called to tell me Crystal had been fired from her job 2/3 weeks ago. I wasn't surprised... she has been written up twice for customer complaints and the second time it happened they demoted her. This becomes a joke around the house between Ro and I... once he asked her, 'Aren't you working today?' and she replied, 'No, it's my day off.' Yeah, today and every day. It's a comedy at work too... with coworkers stopping by every few days to see if she's moved out while I was at work or something. I didn't say anything for a while, I was hoping she would come and talk to me about it. I finally confronted her about three weeks ago, and told her that I didn't care... it was her job, or lack thereof, and what she did about it was her business. But this isn't how you treat family, it's not how you would treat a friend, and it's not even how you would treat a roommate. I told her that it showed a marked lack of respect and that I didn't want to live with someone who felt that way about me, and if this is the way she was going to act, she should just move out. I clarified that I was not kicking her out, just that if this is the way you feel about being here, please go. I haven't seen her since. I know she's been here to pick up mail and other items, but she hasn't moved anything out. She paid rent for March, so as far as I was concerned, that room was still hers. I anticipated that she would move her things out by the end of the month, as she had not come 'home' since that conversation. The kids have asked several times why she hasn't been around and I'm at a loss as to what to tell them. They have each made comments though, that indicate even though their feelings are hurt that she just disappeared, they are relieved that she is gone and overall, didn't like her living here. So it's now April, and she had made no effort to contact me about staying and paying rent or moving, etc. I called and left her a message last night, and she called back this evening. OK, short verion over.

I asked what her plans were. She said something about her checking account being messed up, and that tomorrow she would give me a little more than half what she pays in rent, and if it was OK she would give me the rest and some extra out of her next paycheck since it was late. I told her that I wouldn't have charged her a late fee, and she said I know, this is my penalty to myself. It was on the tip of my tongue to say, so you give me a little guilt money and that makes the way you've acted for two months OK? But I thought that might be inflammatory so I just asked why she was even going to pay rent. She replied, because my stuff is still here (not, because I live there) so I asked, are you planning to move out? and she replied, not right away, but within the next 45 days. I asked why she hadn't just talked to me about this (because I should not have had to call and ask), and she said that she had planned to talk to me in person because it's not nice to tell someone you're moving out over the phone. I said, no, and it's probably also not nice to tell someone you want them to move out over the phone, but when the one person avoids and lies to the other person for six weeks that's kinda the way it has to happen. She says she has not avoided me or lied to me. I guess it's just coincidence that I haven't laid eyes on her in over a month. I told her, You have not been up front with me about things that could have had a negative affect on me financially (I decided not to address that the cold shoulder offended me and hurt the kids, that I figure she knew and she obviously could care less). I really don't want you to pay rent. I'd rather that you just came and got your things and if you need to put them in storage, that will be cheaper for you. I asked if she could maybe make arrangements to do that this weekend, and she said she probably could and would get in touch with me to set something up. I could tell she was pissed by her tone, but I just thanked her and said, "I really think this will be better for both of us."

The kids heard part of the conversation and asked if she was coming home. I told them that I had asked her to move out. They wanted to know why, and I explained that I didn't think Crystal enjoyed living here and that instead of talking about it she was just being unhappy and doing things that made the rest of us unhappy, like not spending any time here or being cranky when she was here. We talked for a while about it... Tyler is glad she's gone and Halle said even though she was amean auntie she thinks that I should be able to talk to her so she won't be so mean. They wanted to know if she hated us, and I told them no, it's not them, but that she might be upset with me but I'm not sure because she hasn't talked to me about anything. I told them that I've talked to Crystal several times about being considerate and kind and honest, and that there wasn't anything else I could really do about it. Halle wanted to know if I still loved her and I said yes, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea for us to live together. It seems like she wants to be a grown up and be on her own and if that's the case, she shoudl go and do that and I can't let her live with us and treat them and I the way she has been. I stressed many, many times that I am not Crystal's mom and that she is a grown up so I can't really do anything about her behavior.

But Tyler still asked me, when I was tucking him in bed, if he did something that I really hated over and over and over, if I would sell him. I told him no way... because you are my kid and we belong together and it's my job to help him and teach him the right things.

I have a feeling Halle won't miss Crystal nearly as much when she realizes she'll (eventually) be getting her own room.

Points to Ponder

"When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail."
-- Abraham Maslow

"A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour. "

"But when a young lady is to be a heroine, the perverseness of forty surrounding families cannot prevent her. Something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way."
-- Jane Austen

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."
-- Winston Churchill

"Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defense."
-- Anonymous

"I'm not overweight, I'm just nine inches too short."
-- Shelley Winters

"Normal: what the average person can accomplish with little or no effort. So why be normal?"
-- Bob Seay

"Today I feel like the meat in an idiot sandwich!"
-- Anonymous

"A person reveals his character by nothing so clearly as the joke he resents."
-- G. C. Lichtenberg

"Walking Eagle: Person who is too full of crap to fly."
-- Athabascan Tribes saying

"May you have enough happiness to make you sweet,
enough trials to make you strong,
enough sorrow to keep you human,
enough hope to make you happy."

"Show me a woman who doesn't feel guilty and I'll show you a man."
-- Erica Jong

"It is not true that life is one damn thing after another.... It's one damn thing over and over!"
-- Edna St. Vincent Millay

"Why shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense."
-- Mark Twain

"Nothing so much needs reforming as other people's habits."
-- Mark Twain

"If it weren't for STRESS I'd have no energy at all."

The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they are going to have some annoying virtues.
-- Elizabeth Taylor

Our earth is degenerate in these latter days; bribery and corruption are common; children no longer obey their parents; and the end of the world is evidently approaching.
-- Assyrian clay tablet 2800 B.C.

Devoting a little of yourself to everything means committing a great deal of yourself to nothing.
-- Michael LeBoef

The problem with the designated driver program, it's not a desirable job, but if you ever get sucked into doing it, have fun with it. At the end of the night, drop them off at the wrong house.
-- Jeff Foxworthy

A smile is the lighting system of the face, the cooling system of the head and the heating system of the heart.

Do all the good you can, ...
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.
-- John Wesley

Housework is a treadmill from futility to oblivion with stop offs at tedium and counter productivity.
-- Erma Bombeck

I planted some bird seed. A bird came up. Now I don't know what to feed it.

There are two ways of exerting one's strength; one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.
-- Booker T. Washington

Hoppy Easter!!!

We had a good weekend, even though I felt like I was running a marathon. We went to Disney on Ice Saturday, and the kids loved that. Sunday we went to church and they had a little Easter Egg hunt. I should have taken pictures, the girls were so beautiful and Tyler looked so handsome and grown up. Then we drove out to Surprise to visit my nana at the hospital. She's finally out of the intensive care unit, and is in the part of the hospital where they do physical therapy. She told me yesterday that she'd just found out that she was going to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair with a urine bag. My mom didn't know anything about that so I don't know if a doctor told my grandmother that after my mom had left, or if she's just afraid that's what's going to happen and has blown it up in her mind. I couldn't get to the store by myself this week to get the kids' Easter baskets, so my mom went and got them and left them in my nana's room for when we got there. That was really nice, my nana enjoyed watching them eating their candy and it gave the kids something to do other than mess with all the electrical equipment.

Not much in the way of updates, but...

I'm trying to get it together at work since I'm out next week. Taking the kids to SB Sunday and coming home Wednesday. My grandma went into the hospital last Saturday night because she couldn't breath again and was intubated until yesterday. I'm not sure when she'll be able to go home. Ro left Sunday night for England again. Oh, and he called last night because he is supposed to say something at the wedding, congratulating his sister and welcoming her husband to the family. He is clueless what to say and asked for my help, so I'm trying to think of something manly.

You may call me Madame President!

OK, not of the country or anything, but of my kids' PTSO (parent teacher student organization). Kinda operates like PTA, but independant from the state/national association. I kinda got it by default - I've been asking the principal about PTSO for the two years Tyler has been there, and when they held the informational meeting to form a PTSO, I was the only parent there for the first 30 minutes. So I found myself confirmed on Wednesday, and manning an information table and speaking at a literacy carnival on Thursday. You can imagine, between writing the speech and designing an informational flyer to hand out... didn't get much sleep wednesday night. Actually, I haven't gotten much sleep in the last week period.

I'm really excited about this... and nervous too. The school hasn't had an active PTSO in about five years, and IMO, it was probably because they weren't well organized. Apparently, the parents involved moved on over to the middle school and there wasn't anyone to replace them, so I'm guessing they may not have done much in the way of recruiting new members to take over. In a K-3 school that's really important, since each student is at the school only 4 years, rather than 6 to 9 years as they are in K-5 or K-8 schools. You know how I am with a new project... I've spent so much time doing research, and to have a really successful and effective PTSO you have to do a lot more than just send home flyers occasionally. Unfortunately, that seems to be the way most PTSO's operate. And on top of that, there were four principals in the last five years, and resurrecting PTSO just never happened. So I'm starting from scratch. There is some money in the PTSO account (how much TBD), but there are no bi-laws, no minutes of past meetings, no records whatsoever except the bank statements (the treasurer is an employee at the middle school across the street; she also used to work at our school and she's just continued to act in that capacity despite the PTSO being defunct).

So I'm researching how to write bi-laws and trying to figure out what committees I'll need and recruiting members and volunteers. I found some really great resources, one of them being the Three for Me Promise www.three4me.com, and I'll be using that to launch our volunteer drive. We'll be pooling for committee chairpersons from that. I've got lots of great ideas for events from my research too, and I can't wait to get those started.

Well, I should get to work, I have potential volunteers to call from the sign up sheet we put out at last week's literacy fair.

Please don't eat the airplane...

Background: Daija and I have a little war of words where I say 'you silly' and she replies 'no, YOU silly' which can often diffuse a potential temper tantrum.

So over the weekend, I am about to change her diaper and notice a foreign object in her mouth. I asked her to spit it out and it's a couple peices of her little foam AWA plane. I asked her not to eat the airplane, and tossed the peices into the trash. Daija, being two, cries... 'No, MINE!!!'

To distract her, I comment, 'Daija, you have a poopy butt'

And she shoots back, 'No, YOU have a poopy butt'.

I swear, I saw a little bit of a neck roll.

President's Day Weekend...

The kids had the day off school yesterday so I took a vacation day. Got a good bit done around the house Saturday morning, and then laid down Saturday afternoon after I put Daija down, thinking I would take a quick nap (damn Ro, damn him and his naps)... slept for four hours. Was up half the night Saturday.

Then Sunday I went and took my nana out to lunch. My deadbeat brother (the one previously AWOL) is here again, although I do have to commend that he found himself a job within a week this time. I don't know if I mentioned, but during the time frame that he was AWOL, he had an online girlfriend from AZ who was a single parent (either pregnant with her first or had just had a baby). Not 100% sure what happened with that relationship. FF to now: Well, he had another online girlfriend from AZ. (see a pattern?) He moved out here and into my nana & mom/step dad's place. So did his online girlfriend... she and her 3mo daughter (see another pattern?) moved up from Tucson. Now, my brother has been here for all of about three weeks, and he proposed to her a week or two ago. Can y'all just SEE my eyes rolling out of my head and bouncing on the floor? Apparently things aren't going that well between my nana and mom... my mom feels like my nana doesn't like her kids (my siblings). Let's see... my oldest younger sister never so much as sent a card or called to offer her condolences when my grandfather died. My brother... well... do I need to say anything? My youngest sister... well, that's a long story but she generally has attitude (and this is the sibling I know for a fact that Nana doesn't like, but I’ve never seen her be nasty about it, at least no more rude then they are to her). Crystal (younger sister #3, sibling #4, the one who lives with me) also tends to be very short with my nana. Now, my nana is getting up there and is certainly getting more and more challenging to deal with, but frankly if my siblings aren't likable my mother has no one to blame for that. My nana thinks Daniel & Connie & her baby should get their own place... apparently my brother has fines to pay off in KS (I think related to his license) and for this reason, they can't do that. And apparently my nana, mother, and her hubby have all put in a bid on a house... a 4 bedroom house. My nana says she's not sure how that happened... she never wanted more than a three bedroom house. I bit my tongue, but I know exactly how this happened... and my nana can probably expect to be living with my brother and whatever desperate for a man single pregnant/just had a baby internet relationship my brother digs up after this girl realizes what my brother is really like. Or, god forbid, she doesn't realize what he's really like or is OK with is, which means she's just as much as a loser as he is.

Oh, and on my way home from there, I got a flat tire on my new car. Go figure, my spare tire is not a donut... it's a full size spare. Now, I've changed plenty of tires, but the spare was always a donut. It is really amazing how much heaver a regular size tire full of air is, than the flat tire you just took off. I never knew air was so damn heavy, and then because I was wobbly maneuvering it, the damn screws on the rotor thing kept moving! Made me sorry I told the first two people who offered to help that I had it. Fortunately a third person stopped and he got the tire on there for me. So that meant a trip to Discount Tire, and I really didn't feel like I got a discount. I could hear my grandfather's voice in my head (always have the same kind of tire on all wheels) so since the other three wheels were Michellin... there went $172 out of my pocket.

I also checked out two more preschools - the one I like best is unbelievably cheap, but Daija has to be potty trained first. I would hate to switch Daija mid-year, but I really like this particular daycare and I really don't want to leave Daija at Francis' until she's potty trained. That child is never going to stop telling people to shut up as long as she goes there every day. My plan had been to move her after the kids' spring break mid/late March, but I've been thinking of bumping that up a bit. I'm just not sure what I'm going to do now. I'm back to a toss-up between two preschools that were really comparable as far as price, but the 2yo room in one seemed a little cluttered and the playground equipment was a little sparse, but served meals, and the one that didn't serve any meals but had better playground equipment. I guess I'm going to have to visit again.

Tyler - Specialist Update

Oh, I am so behind! I got a phone call earlier this week from Dr. Kessler's office, to schedule Tyler for an appointment. His next available for a new patient: JUNE 20!!! The school year will be over at that point and I'm not sure if Tyler will already be in VA, but if not he'd be leaving shortly after his birthday on 6/27. I figured it would be better to start the process and be able to continue it uninterrupted, so I scheduled it for the last week of July, knowing he'll be back by then since school will start either that week or the following week.

Halle Brag :)

Look at a snippet of the email I got from the tutor Halle is working with this semester! I saw that Halle had some multiplication problems the other day, and she said that her tutor gave them to her, and I was wondering what the tutor was thinking, giving my kinder-girl times tables, which are generally considered 2nd/3rd grade math! Now, I figure she gave them to her because Halle, the nosy parkette that she is, was eavesdropping on the other kid's work. I guess that multiplication rocks CD is paying off ;-)

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2005 2:06 PM
Subject: Halle's tutoring

Anyways, Halle is an absolute doll, and I am having a lot of fun tutoring her. I bought her a white board and she practices her spelling on it, and she loves it. She is a very bright girl for only being in kindergarden... she picks up on my other tutor's 3rd grade math homework easily... she overhears us talking and shouts out the answers. She is amazing. If you have any suggestions or anything on what I can do to help her more, just e-mail me back! Sorry it took so long!