School Starts!

The girls start preschool tomorrow and Parker starts preK too. I'm not sure how the girls will do. Sometimes I think they will be pros and other times I think they will be too overwhelmed and fall apart. It's a short day tomorrow, so hopefully they will get through it ok.

I met with Parker's teachers today with Parker. They just wanted to get to know him better and let him ask any questions (of which he had none.) They asked if there was anything I wanted to tell them, so I mentioned the math thing. I explained that he was really into numbers a lot and tried to give examples. I also said that he does enjoy them at any level, but it is possible he could give "wrong" answers to number questions to be silly even if he knows the right answer. I said I hoped that he didn't cause any problems with that. They assured me that regardless of how much he liked numbers, a child in last years class liked them more. As an example, they said they had to take away his watch because he would talk about the time all the time and correct the teachers if they weren't on time. I nodded and said, Parker has done that. They said they could deal with that and would challenge him in other ways at his level. As an example of that, they said that they would discuss the number line (that they create by documenting every day of school along the top of the wall) and talk about which numbers were greater than others. Based on that example, it seemed like they weren't getting it. So I told them...Parker can do 2nd and some 3rd grade math, knew his money, dates, time, fractions, his mutliplication tables, etc. They just smiled and nodded. I was getting frustrated and just gave up. It is what it is.

Then Parker said something about Oct 20th. The teacher asked him what happened on that date (Lion's birthday) and how many days it was till then.

Teacher: How many days until Oct 20th?
Parker: I don't know.
Teacher: Well..how many days until the end of September?
Parker: I don't know.
Teacher: Well, there are 30 days and today is the 9th so what is 30-9?
Parker: I don't know.
Teacher: 21. So if there are 21 days and then 20 days in October, what is 21+20?
Parker: I don't know.

Lovely.

After we left, I said to Parker, "Do you know what 21+20 is?" Parker said "41" without skipping a beat. I said "what about 30-9." He said, "21." I said, "How come you didn't say those answers when the teacher asked you?" Parker said, "I don't know."

Perhaps PreK is the right thing for him.

Trader Joes

After a nice visit to Cull Canyon today we went to Trader Joes to find something for dinner. I hate shopping with all three kids. They fight over the cart, they want to buy everything they see, they don't stay with me, and they demand certain color balloons at the end of it.

So I was very pleased when everyone behaved very well and accepted the three white balloons given to them despite the fact that they wanted red.

I was even more pleased that I got them all to hold hands while I pushed the shopping cart with the other one back to the car, each of them with their balloon tied to their arm. I was feeling like the super mom that can handle anything.

I wasn't super pleased when Parker's balloon came off and flew away in the middle of the parking lot and he started screaming bloody murder which set off Elizabeth and Miranda. I'm standing there with the cart, three screaming kids who are, obviously, not holding hands, in the middle of the parking lot. People are staring. People are wondering who was just critically injured. I'm trying to tell Parker to chill out, but chill, he would not. I'm about to throw them all in the cart when a lady runs out with another balloon and says: "Don't worry, little boy, your balloon flew off to be with another child. Here is a new one for you," and tied it on his hand.

Everyone was immediately silent and happy and held hands and walked to the car where Miranda gave Parker a lesson on how to hold the balloon so it wouldn't fly away.

San Jose Weekend

Last Thursday, I took the kids to the San Jose Children's Museum with Susan. They loved it, but we weren't able to stay very long and didn't get a chance to even see half of the exhibits. While we were leaving I looked around and saw big lawns, a Hilton hotel and a light rail. Quickly, my brain hatched a plan to return over the weekend for an overnight adventure. Before I could even tell Michael my plan, he knew what I was thinking and agreed to the craziness.

We drove down Saturday morning, spend a few hours at the museum doing everything and some things twice. The big hits were Box City (a giant room filled with cardboard boxes), the water play area (where balls were shot in the air and down whirlpools), the pretend pizza restaurant, and the 4 and under area which had everything and more including multiple marble run type things, a giant fine sand table with scoopers, vials and funnels, and a tree house with puppet animals that Miranda could have stayed in all day. Parker got to go in the big kid art area and made a delightful clay bicycle that almost immediately fell apart when we left.















After the museum, which included a not so lovely outdoor lunch where Parker was stung by a bee on the hand (something I didn't realize for a good 3 minutes of screaming), we checked into the Hilton.


We got two adjoining rooms which worked out perfectly. The kids ran around pulling pillows off the beds, making nests and generally being god damn adorable. After a while, we went off to the pool, which turned out to be tiny and a bit cold. Luckily, the jacuzzi was not too hot and with no one around turned into a lovely pool for us. Miranda surprised us both by leaping off the ledges (supported by floaty) vest over and over again. Every had a super time there.
















That evening, we went to the nearby Spaghetti factory. The walk of 5 blocks was a bit too long for the kids, but we made it, had a perfect kid dinner, walked back, played a while and then put the kids down for bed. After a day of non stop fun, they were all asleep by the second song. Michael and I watched some t.v. and then fell asleep ourselves.

The next morning, I had the crazy idea of finding the nearest IHOP and taking the light rail there for breakfast. At first, it seemed as though it was a big mistake, but then everything worked out as it should and we had a pancake adventure. On the way back to the hotel, Parker and Elizabeth had a great game of "run down the block freaking mom and dad out, then fall on the ground in hysterical laughter while rolling around on each other." Miranda wanted nothing to do with it. Smart girl.








The big hit of the entire weekend was not the museum, not the pools, not the hotel room, not the pancakes, but the elevators where the kids fought every time about who was going to push the inside and outside buttons. Drove us crazy.






All in all, I was very happy how it all turned out. Sure the kids fought, had tantrums, woke up in the middle of the night, didn't want to eat their lunches, and scared the crap out of us on multiple occasions, but everything pretty much worked out as I had envisioned that Thursday afternoon and for that, I am grateful and pleased.

Crazy People

Here are a few of us that went for a swim/run today. We were all nervous about the cold, the lake, and everything else, but it actually was quite nice. I couldn't do all 8 lengths without stopping, but then again neither could most of them.

Elizabeth

Milestone

Parker and I played our first round of actual golf today. He went to a sports-themed birthday party recently, and played some kind of toy golf game, and he's spent the past couple of weeks in the side yard, hitting wiffle balls with a plastic bat into the ash-bin in the back of our chimney. When he referred to this "playing sports" I knew that I'd been negligent in my fathering duties, and resolved to teach him both golf and baseball forthwith.

So today he got his first set of clubs, and we headed up to Montclair Golf Course, a hilly little 3-par five minutes from our house. I wasn't sure whether to play the course or go to the driving range, but after consulting with Parker in the car we decided on the course. I was expecting that we'd get through two or three holes before he lost interest, but we played the whole course, and would have played more if it hadn't been dinnertime. He needs a little work on his form, but he gets the idea, and he enjoyed the hell out of it. Me, too.

Aunt Kack-leen

For a while now, the kids have been pretend calling Aunt Kathleen or Kack-leen as they call her. They get on their toy phones and have deep conversations with her about their babies or birthdays or anything else. So I asked Kathleen if we could call her one day so they could talk to her for real. Kathleen said sure. So we called. She wasn't there and I left a message. When I started to hang up, the girls started crying, " I didn't talk to Kackleen!!!!"

Luckily, she called back very quickly and each kid had a long, complex conversation with her. From our side, they each said something that made sense. Something about their day or what they did or what they were looking at. From Kathleen's side, it must have been total nonsense. But she was a sport about it, asking the kids questions about this and that.

I thought the phone call would put an end to all the Kathleen talk, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. They just call her on their toy phones more often and now they want her to come visit. Miranda has said about 4-5 times since the call, "I want Kathleen to come to our house sometime." And Elizabeth said, "Will Aunt Kathleen be here for our birthday?" I guess K and K will have to come visit soon to shut them all up.

2 things about me

Thing 1

Somehow I've found myself in the "cool" kids group in Boot Camp. I'm not sure how I ended up there and I'm definitely not comfortable there, but there I am none the less. The other cool women all run fast, are incredibly fit, and like to work out more than most people I know. It started with the early morning spin class before boot camp. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, five or six of us meet at 5am to do 25 minutes of spinning before class. I actually find it helps me get warmed up. And since I can never get to another spin class, the timing is good (except for the getting up 4:30am).

Then, I did the half marathon with some of them. And when I say "with" them, I mean about 30-45 minutes behind them. But we call got the shirts so it was easy to see who was in the this group. Then when our instructor took 2 months off, I took over leading these spin classes in the morning. Not because I'm the best spinner, but because I have experience leading a group and don't have insecurities about that. (In fact, I'm probably going to get certified again). Since then, I've even gone out for drinks with them. And when I say going out to drinks, I mean having a lemonade while they have cocktails.

The latest clique-y thing we are doing is a triathalon. It's "Tri for Fun" which means it's not suppose to be very hard. Which is good news for me since I can't really swim and I'm damn slow still at running.

Tomorrow morning, we are meeting at Lake Anza to swim in the lake and then run 3-5 miles. Help. Me. God.

Thing 2

Man, I hate people that put MBA after their name like it means anything more than "I paid large sums of money to some school and did some projects with other lame-ass business school students." I've seen this more than a few times and every time it makes me ill. Hi, I'm Rachel Long, MBA. WTF? The latest one I saw was on a Life Coach. I'm not saying I could be a life coach and I'm sure the requirements and certification are tough, but seriously? Sally Jose, Life Coach, MBA? Please.

Don't all 4 3/4 year olds ask this?

Parker: Mom, One isn't the smallest number, is it?

Me: No, it is not.

Parker: It's negative infinity, right?

Doctor/Dentist

I took the kids to the doctor yesterday. Everyone was fine there until the nurse tried to weigh a naked miranda on the baby scale and she freaked out. The big scale was broken. It all went down hill from there.

Amazingly, they were all fine for the Hep A shot.

Today, we went to the dentist. Miranda, who had been a champ the last time we went to the dentist, was a total mess today. Elizabeth and Parker had their teeth cleaned without me in the room, but Miranda almost passed out from crying so much. Such a difference from the last time. It was pathetic. Somehow she pulled it together to accept the free toothbrush and tooth paste that was handed out afterwards. I think the dentist that I was a monster because he kept saying (as she was screaming out of control).. "Your mom is so proud of her big girl. Your mom loves you and thinks you are doing great. Your mom is so proud."

Yeah, right. Proud.

Parker's math continues...

Today Parker said something was really, really small. He added: "It's like negative google!"

And to show he isn't all that, he later asked me if half of 11 was 5 1/4.

Jeez...it's like he is four or something.

Things Elizabeth screamed tonight when she should have been sleeping

I have a owie on my hand!
I have a problem!
I need help with the covers!
I have a hair in the mouth!
Help me stop Miranda from screaming. I need to sleep!

This has been going on for 2 plus hours now. Miranda has joined her almost the whole time. It is total and complete bullshit.

Amazingly, Parker slept through the entire thing.

Camping

We went camping this weekend at New Brighton State Beach in Santa Cruz with some friends and family. We arrived Friday around 2 and set up camp. We were in a group campsite so it was super big. It was nicely secluded and shady and had lots of climbing things for the kids. Leslie and her boys arrived next. Then Amy and Eran and the cousins and then Ebba with her crew. Leslie did dinner Friday night and it was delicious.












(Notice the Miranda/Peter lovefest in this last picture. It was like this all weekend with those two.)

On Saturday, after a yummy breakfast by Ebba, we walked down to the beach.

It was a short walk down a steep cliff. It was perfect weather at the beach and everyone had fun playing in the waves, building castles or generally hanging out. There was a little stress at the end when Lincoln walked back with Michael and Ebba didn't know where we went. He was safe the whole time, but Ebba and Francis didn't know that.











Amy and I did dinner the second night. Hamburgers, hot dogs, corn, etc. All damn tasty. The kids had a hard time sleeping the second night and Michael almost had to flee the campground with a screaming Miranda, but luckily some time in the car alone at 11:30pm did the trick.









Ebba left on Sunday morning but Leslie joined us for a train ride in the redwoods. Actually Leslie did it first (we waited for Amy's crew and missed the first trip). It worked our well, as we were able to hang out and see all the old time-y train things, have lunch and then do the train trip. We all agreed it would have been incredible had we never seen a redwood before. Ah well. The boys then went to the boardwalk and the girls went to a park and then back to the campsite. I picked up a thoroughly disappointing dinner at Safeway and everyone went to bed early. The next morning, we all packed up and left. A good camping trip with some bad moments sprinkled in.