Man Cat Monday and Celebrating T's Birthday

You know how hard it can be to get the purrrfect picture of our feline friends? So often I catch members of the gang in really cute poses and try to snap a picture in time ... but miss by just a fraction of a few seconds! For all the pictures I've posted, I've taken about ten times as many! Here's one recent "just missed" picture:

I did get a really cute picture of Cubby which I'm sharing on a Tuesday's "Cats on Tuesday". I'm not sure just when. Every once in a while I have a couple of choices of pictures and this is one of those rare times!

So we saw T on Saturday and had a belated birthday celebration for him. He's 8 years old and I am amazed at how fast the years have gone. I remember going to the hospital and holding him and falling in love with him when he was just a few hours old. What a long strange trip it's been in terms of his mom and everything else. It's a very long story.

Anyway, when T came over he asked to go for a walk in the park first before having a cupcake and his present. TB and I marvel at how well T knows how all the roads run. He knows the route numbers for everything we drove on (and I don't know them all. I'd be terrible at giving directions because there are some where I don't know the route number or the name either) and where they go to. It's like he's got a GPS in his head.

When we go to the park, T likes to pick up a map. He doesn't need it but he enjoys making a show of opening it up from time to time as we walk along to make sure we're going the right way. I think it would be fun to go to a different park and get their map and let T figure it all out for us. I know he gets a big kick out of that. Even though we're familiar with the trails now, we always have T become "the leader" and he gets a big kick out of that too!

When we got back, TB and T mixed red and blue paint together to form purple. T's favorite colors are red and purple. He'd painted his toolbox red and wanted to paint his name purple. While the paint was drying, we had our little birthday celebration.

T looked really pleased when we sang "Happy Birthday" to him. I'd gotten some mini cupcakes because they'd be easier to handle and maybe a healthier choice for T. He's gotten to be a pretty big boy and we're worried about that. He's a very picky eater and only seems to be interested in junky food. There's a whole lot less cake in a mini cupcake.

We wanted to have another birthday gift in addition to the toolbox and Kristin had suggested Hungry Hungry Hippos. I remember how much my kids loved the game when they were younger and I could see it making a big hit with Tomas...and it did! We played so many rounds of Hungry Hungry Hippos I lost count.

The paint was dry on T's name so he and TB glued the wooden pieces to either side of the toolbox. We left it to dry and next weekend, Tomas will be able to bring it home.

Grandchildren are such a joy. TB and I have a tendency to run out of steam in the afternoons and conk out early at night. When Tomas is over, though, we can find the energy to keep up with him because it's so much fun. I'm looking forward to next Saturday!

Making a toolbox with Tomas

On Saturday, our little guy came over with his father for a few hours of fun. We had them come over earlier than usual because we wanted to start out by taking T to the flea market. The project this week was to make a tool box and we thought to pick up some tools for T. He seemed really into it.

I was surprised at how few people were at the flea market. TB said most people show up on Thursday or Sunday. Hm. I would have thought Saturday would be a big day too, but that's all right. We didn't have to fight any crowds. There weren't a lot of people selling tools but TB managed to find a good collection to start T off and it cost us only $12.

We went back home, had lunch, and then headed to TB's workshop. T wanted to paint stripes on his birdhouse so that was the first thing to do.

Next, T peeled off all the blue paper to reveal the stripes!

TB and T are using a drill press to make holes in the pieces for the toolbox. The holes will make it easier for T to hammer nails in.

T hasn't entirely gotten the hang of hammering but he's catching on fast. It just takes practice!

Once the toolbox was together, it was time for T to paint his name on it. His favorite color is red and so that is what he chose.

T decided he wanted to paint the whole tool box red and so TB is showing him how best to hold the brush. It's all painted and dry by now so when he comes over next weekend, he'll just need to paint his name again in a different color. I'm hoping it's a nice day so we can then go to the park or playground!

Tomas is such a joy for TB and me. The unconditional love strengthens us when we feel low and his energy inspires us to set aside our aches and pains. Grandchildren are very good for health and well being!

Small blessings:

1. What I just wrote above -- the energy bursts I get from being around our Little T. The rest of being with him, well, those are big blessings.

2. I think Kristin's financial aid is finally coming through. Long story.

3. Alcatraz looks like it's going to be a good series. I need something to follow as avidly as I followed Lost.

4. Jorge Garcia is in the series! He was my favorite actor from Lost.

5. Kristin gets dropped off for work and Heidi gets picked up from the bus stop at about the same time. The good thing about that is that the bus stop is just yards from the store where Kristin works. The other good thing is that I don't have to go back and forth today. That happens sometimes...but not today!

Catching Up

I "slept in" this morning to 7 a.m. because I didn't have to get up earlier and drive anywhere! There are no doctor appointments nor anyone needing to get to work. I almost don't know what to do with myself! I'd started out listing five small things that are blessings to me on a daily basis but unfortunately that's gone by the way side. Many days I didn't get a chance to get on the computer. So instead of daily, it'll be whenever I have the time to actually post something.

We got a big blessing recently. TB's mom decided she didn't want to drive anymore and gave us her car. We went down with her to DMV to transfer the title over. Now we just need to save up enough money to register and insure the car. This has been an expensive month and we don't have any extra cash.

We had Little T over on Saturday. It was too cold to go to a park or playground so TB had a couple of projects to work on in the shop. T was thrilled! Under supervision, he got to use several of the big machines and I could tell he was happy about that.

Here TB and T are using the scroll saw to cut out a picture of Sponge Bob. T is a big Sponge Bob fan!

Next, they painted the cut out. T can play with it like a wooden paper doll when the paint dries completely.

TB pre-cut the pieces of wood to build a bird house. The pieces then had to be fitted together. That's where T came in--he did a lot of the hammering. It wasn't easy but he stuck with it.

Tomas proudly showed off the bird house once he and TB painted it red. This week, it needs to dry completely so that next week T can paint purple stripes on it. Yes, purple. Purple and red are his favorite colors!

It's been a pretty mild winter so far but recently we've had some very cold days. For my birthday, Heidi got me an adorable hat with polar bear ears. I love wearing it but it especially was a blessing on these super cold days! I thought to change my avi picture on Facebook for the winter.

Here are the small little things that brighten my day everyday:

1. coffee on a timer--it's wonderful to wake up and have the coffee brewed and ready for us!

2. the local news--we watch WKYS here in the Philly area and the morning news team works so well together. They make us laugh sometimes. I really miss them on the weekends when they're not on when I'm up and I have to wake up some other way.

3. Judge Judy--so wise, so funny, and so very tough!

4. dinner when everyone is home--so rare and so enjoyable

5. reading with TB--companionable time spent together in a hobby we both love!

6. days like this when I don't have to start the day early in the morning, driving around

7. listening to the classical music Bill burned for me from the internet

8. naps--to re-energize

9. watching movies at night with the kids when they don't have to work. Last night, TB, Kristin and I watched Kung Fu Panda 2.

10. watching the cats play with the little mice Kristin got for them. It's so much fun to watch them (Amber and Mouse especially) somersault across the floor, chase and bat at the mice and carry them off in their mouths.

I'm sure there's other daily blessings that brighten my day but I can't think anymore.

I think I'm going to get my book, settle down and read to a CD of Mozart.

Our Merry Christmas

We had such a lovely Christmas and hope everyone else who celebrates enjoyed peace and joy yesterday.

All of us donned festive head wear whether we wanted to or not! ;)

The kids made merry

and TB and I made merry!

Tomas came over later in the morning. It was fun to watch him open presents!

TB made this checker board for T in his workshop. It came out beautifully!

TB explains how to play checkers

T and his daddy enjoy a moment together

Kristin took this picture of me. See the little pin on my collar? I love it! It's an angel pin for grandmas and T gave it to me! :)

Hope everyone is enjoying this day after Christmas!

The Great Santa Search by Jeff Guinn

Jeff Guin's written three books in the "Santa Claus Chronicles" and this one is my favorite. The first two dragged a lot for me but this one moved along at a nice smooth and steady pace.

Santa has his biggest challenge ever because of a proposed reality show called "The Great Santa Search". The owner of a local TV station is desperate to save it. He's been losing viewers because of reality shows so he teams up with (unbeknownst to him) an unscruplous toy manufacturer to produce a live contest between the 10 best Santas in the country. The Santas will compete in different activities and the audience will participate in voting for the best Santa. Sound like every reality show we've seen?

The winner will be the spokesperson for the toy company, which produces low quality products.

Santa's horrified. Children will be confused because Santa's the spokesman of one single company! They'll become disillusioned with him because the toys he sponsors break on contact. He must do something about this contest! But what?

There's a little bit of history thrown into this story--particularly, how we got to have a Santa in every store and how Santa's helpers turned out to be elves.

There was some mild suspense with Santa worming his way into the competition and a possible cheating scandal. That's all I'll say about that.

One of my objections is this: Santa keeps trying to insist that the holday is all about loving and giving and Jesus. He says when he gives gifts, children understand the spirit of generosity and giving to others. I guess I'm cynical about that. I don't think that's the Santa message at all. I think it's about presents, presents, presents.

Even when I was a little kid, I didn't learn that Santa Claus had anything to do with baby Jesus. They were two separate beings. On Christmas morning, Santa brought us lots of gifts and, oh, yes, by the way, we also went to church to celebrate the birth of a baby I never met. Okay, so that's probably a failing on my parents' part or maybe even that of my Sunday school teachers.

I didn't make any connection between Santa and Jesus or even what Christmas was really about until I was much older, a teenager, maybe. So I don't think little kids are getting a message that Santa's gifts mean that they should turn around and give gifts or celebrate Jesus' birth. Sorry, Jeff Guin.

On another note, we took Little T back to Smithville Park for another long walk. What's really nice is he loves going on these walks along the trail. He led us again and we went down part of a trail we hadn't been down before. We were all good and tired by the time we were done!

Thirteen Ways to Happiness & Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb

I was going to write about this study I read about the other day. Children that grow up in homes with violence end up with the same types of brain responses as soldiers in a war environment. I remember my therapist told me about that and I sort of believed it but was also skeptical. How could I compare what happened to me to that of a soldier in combat? Well...there it was, all true. The thing is, I also didn't want to write about it. It depressed me.

I liked this article much better and it fit in nicely with the Thursday Thirteen theme. See, I waver between feeling up and positive to feeling depressed and negative. It's a battle to stay upbeat but I find if I can do it a couple of days in a row, I can get a momentum going and keep at least an even keel for a while.

The article talks about what happy people do differently to stay happy. There was a list of 12 things and then I added one:

Thirteen Ways to Happiness

1. "Express Gratitude". Even if the only thing you can say is you have a roof over your head and food in your belly, this helps. I think about the things I do have when times are rough--like now, with the spending Christmas season. Things could be a lot worse.

2. "Cultivate Optimism". This is something my therapist was trying out with me. It involves saying things like, things aren't going so well but they can get better.
Or they will get better.

3. "Avoid over-thinking and social comparison". In other words, instead of worrying about the Joneses' just focus on yourself. So I'll just not concern myself with all the lights and decorations everyone else seems to have.

4. "Practice acts of kindness." This is a good one. I've done lots of these and it really is true--it gets that feel-good serotonin flowing.

5. "Nurture social relationships." This is a little harder for me to practice except on the internet. I never did make any friendships here in NJ mostly because it just seems like I have to say good bye to people I've made close friends with in the two states I lived in before, MD and NY. I try to attend to my internet friendships though. I've found some of my closest friends online.

6. "Develop strategies for coping". Ah, well, this is a skill I learned as a child when there were all sorts of crisis and chaos going on around me. I would come up with a Plan A, B, C, D, and E. If one failed, I'd turn to another.

7. "Learn to forgive". That's come with age. It's not something I could do when I was younger and filled with righteous anger. Over the years, the anger's tempered and I've learned a lot about how people behave and think.

8. "Increase flow experiences". Well, that's something I need to work on. I can get into the flow when I'm writing but haven't been able to focus recently. If I developed a hobby I enjoyed I could get into the flow too.

9. "Savor life's joys". Ah, yes, like spending the day with Little T or watching a snowstorm from the safety of my home or the sun coming up over the ocean.

10. "Commit to your goals". This is another one I need to work on. I feel adrift because I don't really have any goals other than getting through each and every day.

11. "Practice Spirituality". We do that, praying several times a day.

12. "Take Care of Your Body." I could improve in this area. I could exercise more regularly and watch what I eat. I could make sure I get to doctors for regular check-ups and preventative tests like mammograms and stuff.

13. Keep your sense of humor. This my own addition. I think if I didn't have a sense of humor (albeit a dark one sometimes) I would have lost my mind already. When I laugh, I feel those feel-good endorphins flowing around.

Last night, I finished reading a book called Wishin and Hopin by Wally Lamb, one of my favorite authors. The book was funny and sweet, focusing on 10 year old Felix Funicello, his family, friends, and school teachers. I saw it marketed in the book club as a Christmas book. I wouldn't have called it that although Christmas is in it. So are Halloween and Thanksgiving. It's more a coming of age story and Felix reminded me of Ralphie, the kid from A Christmas Story. I also got a kick out of the book because it was like a walk down memory lane--the way people dressed and talked, the TV shows they watched, and how simple everything used to be. Families ate together instead of apart. It was a fast, entertaining read and I'm glad to add it to my Wally Lamb collection!

Fun With Little T Again

This time we planned on a relaxing time with Little T. Smithville Park was having a Victorian Christmas celebration with a visit from St. Nick. We figured we'd be watching or listening to entertainment, looking at crafts, touring the mansion, and taking T to see Santa. It didn't quite work out that way. Today we are aching and tired but still had a wonderful time.

This is T in the parking lot when we got there. We overshot the entrance to the closer lot and so we ended up parking farther away. We enjoy walking so that was fine. T saw a sign for the "Blue" trail leading off into the woods and thought that's where we were going but we redirected him and he led us through the old Smithville village to the mansion.

When we got there, we found out that they weren't quite all set up for the start of the celebration. Well...we had the blue trail to fall back on, right? We'd take a lovely walk through the woods. It was close to 60 and didn't feel like December weather. Here are a couple of pictures I took along the way.

I bet this trail was beautiful during the peak season of leaves!

This was kind of wild. The smaller tree in front had grown into the larger tree behind!

As usual, T was our guide along the way. The path was steep in places, up and down, and full of tree roots. Big, thick ones!

Check out this big old tree!

We got back around the blue trail and headed back to the celebration. There were some "photo ops" set up around the grounds and TB and T took advantage of them!

Another one was near a wagon from the period laden with stuffed animals and gifts.

Unfortunately we didn't get to take the tour. I should have realized it wasn't free but it didn't cross my mind until we walked up to the mansion. Oops. We didn't have enough for the tour and lunch too...and by now our tummies were rumbling. Time to eat!

T is a very picky eater and always has been. This is associated with PDD-NOS and so we're just used to it. But hey! The vendor had chicken fingers, a close cousin to chicken nuggets. We got on line and then began to check out the prices. It was like reading a menu at a place on the turnpike. They know they got you so you can get gouged.

Except...we knew there was a McDonald's close buy. We could stay in budget and get something to eat so off we went.

When we got back, Santa was just going on break. We hung out, revisiting the booths. "A Christmas Carol" was being performed but it was too noisy and crowded for T so we just kept moving. Fifteen minutes later, Santa was back!

This time I got into the picture!

Santa asked T what he wanted. "I want," T began and froze. Maybe he was nervous, maybe he forgot what he wanted, maybe he wasn't sure how to put what he wanted into words. Maybe he would have said he wanted to hear from his mother who hasn't called in almost a year. He hasn't said anything about it but I'm sure he wonders.
Ugh. Off that. Santa said when T was ready, he could think what he wanted to Santa and he'd bring some gifts to make T happy.

Speaking of that, TB made Little T a checker board with little wooden cars as the pieces. I think T will get a kick out of that!

From there our busy day wasn't over. We went back to the house and to TB's workshop so T could sign the gifts he painted last week. We then put the gifts into boxes, taped or wrapped them, and T wrote out the gift tags. It was fun.

Now it was time to take Little T home. It was nearing dark and we'd had a wonderful day. TB and I came home and collapsed. Heh. It was worth it!

A lovely day

I have that kind of delicious soreness grandparents get from spending time with grandchildren and overextending themselves. You have so much fun at the time you don't really mind the pain that comes later.

Today was more like a day in September than late November. We'd arranged to have T come over with the idea of working in the shop painting Christmas projects. It was so lovely, though, we just had to have a walk first. We set out, TB, me, T, Bill and the dog, and walked around the lake. T led us and even though we hadn't been this way in a couple of years, he remembered all the paths.

Once we got back, we had lunch and then headed back to work on the projects TB'd cut out on the scroll saw.

These are just a few of the ornaments TB made. We thought it would be fun for T to decorate some of them for his dad, other set of grandparents, and aunt and uncle.

T chose the ones he wanted to paint and decided which colors he wanted to use. He was very curious about color combinations, i.e. yellow and green make orange.

TB painted other ornaments side by side with T.

Sometimes he acted as a consultant.

All in all, it was a lot of fun.

After T grew tired of painting, we went back outside. T wanted to go for another walk, this time down the street. Our legs were already sore but how could we say no? Off we went.

It sure was a lovely day today!

Man cat Monday & fun with Little T

Kosmo sez, Mommy Bean got a book last week by some bean named Stephen King. I yam helping her out by reading all dis other stuff dey sent with da book!

Yesterday, we spent the morning and early afternoon with Little T. We saw him for the first time in a long time last weekend. His dad has been ill and TB's had surgery and other physical problems for the last few months. So last Sunday we were all catching up and Little T became restless. He turned and looked at his dad and said, "Aren't you leaving me here?" It was so funny. We made arrangements for yesterday and T asked, "And then you'll leave me?"

When they arrived yesterday, Kennan was telling me that T had been up since five getting ready to come over and becoming more excited. I was so touched. Does anyone really understand the impact they make on a child? I know I felt sort of awed by the fact T was looking so forward to spending time with TB and me.

TB made walking sticks for all of us and had carved our names into them: Tomas, Pop-Pop, Nana. T was excited to use his walking stick for the first time.

We went to Smithville Park. There are several trails through the woods and we've been on all of them. The longest one and the favorite by far is the red trail. I think it's about 1-1/2 miles, maybe closer to 2. Throughout the trail, there's heavy wooden bridges and steps. Those steps! TB and I can't race up and down those things anymore. We have to go one at a time and T waits for us patiently at the top.

T likes to take the lead. It's fun to play a sort of follow-the-leader game. T would unexpectedly veer off the trail to have a closer look at Rancocas Creek. Once he got really close to the water and we cautioned him to be careful. He asked, "Why?" and TB explained he might slip on the leaves and get wet. The next time we veered off the path, T didn't get as close and told himself to be careful not to slip.

One thing was curious to me. There's a place along the red trail where you come out of the woods to a field. There's these huge high tension wire structures. Last year, T grabbed my hand anxiously and said, "you won't let them get me" and I assured him I wouldn't. Then I added he didn't have to worry because those things would not get him at all. So this year, as we came into this clearing, he said: "You said they won't get me." I assured him that's right, nothing will "get" him and we walked on. What makes me curious is why T would think those structures would get him? Is it something someone said to him or is it just that they look big and scary? I'll have to ask him next time.

After our invigorating walk, we decided to go a nearby McDonald's so T could play on their equipment. There's a ball pool and several slides. You have to climb up and down these convoluted paths to get to the slides. T was having a wonderful time as he had the place to himself for a few minutes.

A mother with four daughters showed up. I could see that T was interested in the children and seemed to want to interact with them but hung back shyly. When they started to enter the play equipment, I heard him explaining which path to take. He was trying to be helpful but the girls ignored him and began to play hide-and-seek. Other children showed up and I thought how much fun it would be to have one big game of hide-and-seek but they all stayed in their own groups.

Times have changed. When I was a kid, we would get up a game with whoever was available. The more the merrier, stranger or not. Oh well.

After he'd had enough play, T said he wanted to show up his new car. His dad races--although he hasn't been lately because of his responsibility as a father (not wanting to get hurt, etc.) so T has been fascinated with race cars. Well, apparently there are mini cars for kids that race--sort of like go-karts, I guess. T told his dad he'd like to race so Kennan found one of those mini cars. T has to go for training classes before he can use the car.

Meanwhile, he and his dad are going to work together to fix up the car.

When we arrived back at their house, Kennan and his dad were out working on a table. T ran to the car and proudly showed it off. I thought to take some pictures. I think Kennan was a little embarrassed because he wanted it to be all together, polished and shiny.

I see it as a work in progress. I can't wait to see it when it is all together and polished up. It'll be beautiful! We told T we were looking forward to seeing him drive the car once he's taken all his training classes!

More thoughts on mainstreaming

I had some time to think some more about mainstreaming while I was waiting for Kristin to finish her ASL class. I see many benefits for most children but I'm not a big fan of mainstreaming for Deaf children. The view is that all children should be educated with their peers in the "least restrictive environment". I just am not sure this is the least restrictive environment for Deaf children.

Why?

Most Deaf kids start out at a disadvantage. They have hearing parents that don't realize at first anything is going on with their child's hearing. These children miss out on a lot of language development. Deaf parents of Deaf children and even hearing children start out signing from the get-go. The language development is there. When the hearing parents realize something is "wrong" they go to a medical professional. These professionals view deafness as a problem that needs to be fixed. In years gone by, they'd recommend lip reading to the parents, not sign language. Nowadays it's the cochlear implant. Sign language is usually not encouraged and hearing parents are not introduced to Deaf adults.

Deaf kids used to go to state schools for the Deaf almost exclusively. That's where they learned language and sort of "caught up" where they lagged. The children learned their language and culture not so much from teachers as from peers with Deaf parents. Deaf culture is a whole other big topic I could get into another time. The biggest complaint about Deaf schools, I guess, is that the education isn't comparable to hearing schools.

Okay, so now deaf children are mainstreamed into hearing schools. Some schools have a Deaf program so at some point during the day, the child at least gets to interact with other deaf kids. Many times, though, the child is mainstreamed into a school with no other Deaf students. There's a teacher of the Deaf and an interpreter, that's it. The child usually becomes attached or dependent on one or both of the adults. The adults are the ones who teach the child sign language (if the parents will allow it) and fill in so many of the gaps the child has with everything that goes on.

This has been my experience interpreting for Deaf children in a mainstream environment over the years: it's isolating and frustrating and lonely for the kids, especially when they start out in school not knowing any sign language. That puts them at a big disadvantage because they miss so much. The best lip reader gets 30% and guesses the rest. It's exhausting to watch lips moving for hours at a time. Having a cochlear implant doesn't mean the child can hear and understand everything. Teachers and interpreters have to re-teach a lot!

Deaf kids are cut off from their hearing peers due to communication barriers. Hearing kids often don't want to repeat or explain things so deaf kids are left out. There are a few kids that are interested enough to sign and explain but there's not many. In Deaf school, the environment is different because everyone signs. Some hearing kids avoided the deaf kids as if they were afraid they were going to catch "it".

Then of course, any difference can make a kid a target for bullies and teasing. That kind of stuff happens everywhere, it's true. Still, my feeling is why put a target on a kid's back?

I believe that mainstreaming Deaf children puts them in the most restrictive environment. More than once I've shared my view with the parents of students I interpreted for. The kids were miserable and not performing well. I would tell the parents privately that I thought their children would do better in a school for the Deaf--even if it meant my job would go away. A few years later, I met several of the kids who transferred to Deaf schools from hearing schools and was gratified to see how they'd flourished.

My view would be much less popular now because of the cochlear implant--implanting children is an issue that makes me froth at the mouth and is another topic I could rant on later. Hearing parents think the implant is a miracle operation; that it restores their child's hearing and ability to understand. It doesn't. There are times when the implant has to be turned off or come out and then the child is as deaf as ever. Parents are less likely to learn to sign when the child is implanted. That's unfortunate because it leaves the child at a disadvantage at home and at school.

On the up side, I did meet a teenager who was implanted successfully you could say. She came to my Deaf Culture class and spoke to us. Her speech was very clear. When it came to Q&A, though, I noticed our instructor became an interpreter for the teenager. She was unable to understand questions from the audience but at least was able to fall back on sign language. She was about to go into her senior year and was presently at a school with a Deaf program. However, the district wanted to disband that and send everyone to their home schools. The student would be alone, without Deaf peers. She and her parents were fighting the district about that. I don't know what happened.

As for Little T, because he's hearing, I think mainstreaming would benefit him at some point. Right now, there is a program at his school for kids on the autistic spectrum so he would still see his friends from those classes. Next year, T will be in third grade and will move to a new school. I'm thinking that's the ideal time to start mainstreaming him for more classes. New school, new routine to get used to. I hope that's the way it goes.

To mainstream or not?

Our grandson is now in second grade! He's a very bright little boy; we've known that for years. One of his gifts is that he remembers how to get places after only being there one time. He also enjoys writing and spelling. He's been practicing letters since I can remember. A couple of years ago, I kept pads of paper on hand so he could write out words. He enjoys reading and being read to.

The issue of mainstreaming him for classes came up in a recent parent-teacher conference and his dad is understandably concerned. Little T is a very bright boy but he's also a sensitive little guy. Kennan was telling us that he's come home crying on the bus because his teacher gave him a hard time about having dirty fingernails. I think the teacher handled the situation very badly. If there was a problem, she should have written a note to Kennan.

Anyway, T is diagnosed with PDD-NOS. He likes a routine and is not happy when it's disrupted. A change can cause him to shut down. That's one of Kennan's concerns. We're half way through the school year and this would be a major change for T. Kennan's thinking it might be better to just wait until the next school year.

The next concern is that T also has apraxia of speech. When he's excited, it's hard to understand him at all. I understand Kennan's worry that other kids would make fun of him for his differences. I worry about that too. Kids can be so cruel!

I remember when I was an interpreter in two school districts. Many times I was the buffer between mean kids and my Deaf students. A couple of times in the hallways, I had to reprimand these mean kids. They mostly made fun of the Deaf kids because of their speech. I wasn't there on the playground or lunch room so I wasn't able to intervene at those times. I knew the Deaf students were very isolated and it was sad. They clung to me out of loneliness. T wouldn't even have that. He'd be alone in the classroom and I don't like to think about it.

What to do though? My view is that the teacher should be providing material to challenge him. Instead, he's bored. The law says he should be educated with his peers. The law does not see what happens to disabled kids in classrooms though. There's no heart, blood and feeling in the law.

My own opinion in this is to gradually introduce T to mainstreaming. He's already mainstreamed for art and music. I think he could try part of a language class--spelling, for instance. Or reading. He could go in to be read to or write a story. I'm not sure what his math skills are. As he gains success, he can get mainstreamed more.

Kennan seems to be leaning toward waiting until next year and I think that's okay. He's willing to let Little T try science, possibly this year. Kennan's talking with us about it and exploring his feelings about mainstreaming because he's worried and wants what's best for Little T. He's a good dad!

GiST 158 & Thursday Stuff

Grace in Small Things #158

1. We got a dividend check from my auto insurer. With a little of the "found money", we went to Michael's and I picked up a new counted cross stitch project to work on. Something else to do on a hot afternoon!

2. I also got a paperback copy of Diana Gabaldon's Echo in the Bone and will be reading that very soon.

3. We donated our rarely used treadmill to the senior center in town. All it's doing is gathering dust here and this way it'll bring something positive to the services the center offers. They happily picked it up this afternoon.

4. Some of the dividend check is going to having a happy visit to the Cape May Zoo tomorrow. We're taking our little guy and the girls are both going too.

5. I'm returning a bunch of movies I borrowed from the library and hopefully there will be more waiting for me to pick up. I just love the library!


Thursday Challenge

Photo Theme: Outdoors

I took this picture of TB and Little T on one of our walks at the end of June. I look at this picture and marvel at how green and pretty everything looks at this park! We haven't been in over a month because of the extreme heat and humidity. Around our house, things became very brown and dry. In the last couple of days, we got a little rain and things are green again. I am so looking forward to a time when the weather is pleasant enough for us to be able to go to the parks again!

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Random Thoughts

1. If there was one thing I could change about myself, it would be to get rid of my procrastination. Some days I can manage to overcome it; many I can't and I'm very frustrated about it!

2. My grandmother was special because she loved me unconditionally, valued me, and let me know it. She was a proper lady and taught me all about manners and place settings. We also would take tea together and watch the birds and squirrels play from her big picture window in the kitchen. When we went shopping, she'd have me choose books for the "library" at her house. She was my protector and champion and I loved her probably more than she knew.

3. If I could be any person in the world, I'd still be me because the bottom line is, I'm happy--this is stripping away the daily stresses and the financial mess and all that other stuff. I'm happy being me....except for the procrastination.

4. My hobbies are reading, walking, counted cross stitch, swimming, and simple puzzles. In general I like them because they exercise my mind. Some (walking and swimming, obviously) exercise my body. They help me to be healthy. They also help me to be whole and avoid depression because my mind is active. With reading, I learn so much from each and every book I pick up.

5. I would want to be remembered for caring about other people, especially friends and family

6. If I could have three wishes, I would want: to spend an all expenses vacation of three weeks in Hawaii, one on a cruise somewhere (maybe the Bahamas), and one on a trip to Ireland, where I could learn more about my family's roots

7. If I found a $20, I'd either go to Borders and get a couple of paperbacks or I'd go to Michael's and get another project to work on!

8. My favorite toy as a child was a stuffed cat my grandma made for me. I called her Meow and carried her everywhere with me.

9. What would happen if there was no television? People would talk to each other more often! Before there was TV, they'd gather around the radio and listen to stories and shows so I imagine there'd be something like that going on too. Maybe people would visit each other more often and play card or board games too!

10. If I could travel into outer space, I'd want to see the moon and maybe go for a walk on it. I identify most with the moon. When we look up into the sky at night, there it is. I don't wonder about other planets the way I wonder about the moon.

11. If I could play any instrument, I'd want to play the saxophone. It has such a sexy sound to it but can also be lively or even melancholy. I love the sax!

12. I'm really glad I learned how to play the guitar. It was a big deal when I was in high school and I got many hours of enjoyment out of it. It was wonderful to make any kind of music I wanted to suit whatever mood I was in!

13. I haven't had watermelon in a long time but when I was a child, it seemed to be a summer staple. Now they make seedless watermelon and for adults they're convenient but I'd think they'd be boring for kids. Half the fun was spitting the seeds out!

GiST 141, Mancat Monday & Monday Memes

Happy first day of summer! It's less humid here today but still very hot and we're supposed to have temperatures into the 90s all week! Today, I'm hiding from the sun!

Grace in Small Things #141
1. Our upstairs cat, Indigo, has been staying in our room with the door closed. Now we're slowly introducing her to the rest of the gang. We're hoping we can get her to live downstairs. So far, so good!

2. It's the first day of summer. For some reason, that's making me smile a lot today.

3. I have my radio turned to an "oldies" station that has been playing all the music I listened to as a teenager and young adult. Those were the days!

4. Although it's very hot outside, I am cool because I am indoors with the air conditioner.

5. I am doing a count down of how many more mornings I need to get up at 5:30 a.m. and then Kristin will graduate. Four more. Then I can get up on my own! High school will be done and the "baby" graduates on Friday!


Man Cat Monday 

 
Is Cubby handsome or what? It's okay that he's sitting right in front of the monitor. Who could resist that face?



Monday Movie Meme

This week's movie topic is all about Time Travel. Share on your blog movies featuring journeys through time, linking back here at The Bumbles. And don't forget to visit your fellow participants!

Oh, there's a few of them!

1. The Back to the Future trilogy
2. The Time Machine
3. Groundhog Day
4. Peggy Sue Got Married
5. Planet of the Apes

There are others but those were the first to come to mind.


Moody Monday

This week's theme is: fatherly  

 
This picture of Little T and his dad was taken by me at a class party a couple of years ago.

GiST #128 (weekend edition)

I had a pretty nice weekend all things considered and weighed out!

1. I still didn't feel well enough to go see The Winter Tale but gave my ticket to Bill so he could go and enjoy it.

2. I found out Linda and her husband Jay are moving to TN in like 10 days and stayed calm. I worked my first step which is all about powerlessness. There is nothing I can do or say to convince her otherwise although I did express my view that this isn't good for Little T and probably a really bad idea for Linda and Jay. I have learned if I do more, I'll just go mad with frustration and aggravation so this is a good thing. It's called detaching with love.

Besides, Linda moving doesn't affect how often TB and I can see Little T.

I decided to play the denial game a little and not think about how another grandchild (the baby due in July) will be out of reach for us. I won't go there. Won't won't won't.

3. I felt well enough Sunday to go with TB and Little T to the large playground that just reopened in our area. I like Ft. Medford better but this one is awesome and closer! I worked muscles I haven't gone near in years and am feeling it this morning. Pain meds are good for nanas who play like six-year-olds!

4. I totally let myself be spoiled and pampered yesterday. It felt good! I enjoyed the beautiful card and gifts from the kids and TB. What a fantastic Mother's Day!

5. TB changed the oil--desperately needed--and will work on the back brakes. This is part of our plan to get to Maryland to work with my brother to get some more stuff resolved. One day at a time!

Wordless Wednesday: Smithville Park's green trail

Wordless Wednesday

GiST #121

1. Today is chilly, damp and rainy--definitely a day to do as little as possible and to appreciate gorgeous days like yesterday!

2. I had fun putting together a slide show featuring TB. I call it "Brain 16, Body 56" for reasons that will become obvious. Heh.

3. I uploaded more pictures of our fun afternoon with Tomas here and here (beginning with page 3 on this one).

4. I was dismayed to see that "nothing" is on after The Amazing Race but I thought to look and see what When Love Is Not Enough and I'm so glad I did! It's about how Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon were founded and is definitely something I'm interested in watching!

5. I got everything productive done today that I wanted to and so now I'm just going to surf and goof off!

GiST #120

1. I was feeling so mellow yesterday I didn't GiST and didn't feel guilty about it at all. For me, that's major.

2. We had a wonderful day with our grandson. First we went for a walk in the park. Later in the afternoon, we met up with T's mom/TB's daughter Linda and went to a playground. More pictures to follow!

After we walked one of the trails, we went back to wait for Linda. I took pictures while TB and T practiced skipping stones.


We went to the playground of a school T used to attend. This time I didn't climb around much, staying on the ground to take pictures of T, TB and Linda enjoying the equipment.

3. I was able to get up and down five sets of these steps! It's a good thing, too--I would have been stuck otherwise!

4. I've decided I'm still too mellow to think of specific small graces. It was all good and all graces today! ;)

5. Now I'm going to go read my book and enjoy.

Sunday Memes

Little T says, "Cheeeeeeeeeeze!" Yes, that's what he's saying, really!

Sunday Stealing originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of memes from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent memes. You may have heard of the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we also have our rules. First, we always credit the blog that we stole it from and we will “fess up” to the blog owner where we stole the meme. We also provide a link to the victim's post. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") We do sometimes edit the original meme, usually to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, sometimes to select that meme's best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from either this new meme or recently asked questions from a prior featured meme. Let's go!

Sunday Stealing: The Pretentious Blogging Meme

1. How long have you been blogging? Since 2002

2. What made you start? I came across a website, www.diary-x.com, and felt motivated to start blogging. I'd just married TB and the kids and I had just moved to NJ. It seemed a good idea to write about our blending families and the start of a new life together.

3. Who inspired you? I think I just answered that, not sure...

4. About how many hours a week would you estimate you spend on your blog? It depends on how prolific I am that day. I've also branched out to three blogs. On the average, I guess I spend about 12-15 hours a week blogging.

5. What kind of experience or background do you have with writing? I'm a writer wanna-be. I started writing stories when I was a child. I kept a diary for over 10 years. I did some fan fiction.

6. Talk about how you come up with blog topics. Where do you get your ideas? Well, that's easy ... my everyday life. Some of my blogging is for me. Some of it is because of interests I share with others--like cat blogging and reading.

7. What or who inspires you and your blog? I'm not sure how to answer that. Is that because I don't know (not in touch with my feelings) or ...? I don't know...

8. Where and/or how do your brainstorming for your blog? No brainstorming, I just write.

9. Do you have any blogging rules or guidelines you follow? I try not to use really nasty profanity. I try to be as discreet as possible.

10. Is there anything you will not blog about? Yes.

11. Do you have any sort of a publishing schedule in terms of day of week or topic? I try to update everyday but have no real schedule.

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Furniture :: polish


2. Beauty :: and the Beast


3. Sip :: tea


4. Block :: building


5. Forehead :: face


6. Championship :: game


7. Hurl :: throw


8. Whip :: beat


9. Destruction :: Eve of


10. Leather :: lace