Mommy pride for my empathetic daughter...m

Princess Imagination has been a very, very good friend to Orange, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s last spring. Princess Imagination helps Orange in social situations and includes Orange in everything. Princess Imagination really “gets” Orange, especially O’s (many!!) sensory issues, and helps her through them.


Yesterday we gave Orange a ride to a birthday party. Orange’s mom insisted on brushing Orange’s hair right before we left. Orange totally freaked out (running, screaming, arms flapping). Princess Imagination was able to calm her down.

Momma Bear lost her temper this morning...m

Each week, the fifth graders are required to read at least 75 minutes, log the time, write a long summary, and have their parents sign it.

I saw one of Princess Imagination’s reading logs from two weeks ago. She read 90 minutes. Her summary was very long. She forgot to have me sign it, but she handed it in on time. Her grade was only 90%, which is only a B.

I signed it this morning and sent it back with a BIG note right under the 90%: “Is this because it was not signed? Please explain this. Thank you, Mom.”

She certainly read beyond the required 75 minutes, and she wrote an excellent summary. Hello? This is 5th grade, and this is a just a simple homework, not a quiz or test on knowledge. It should have been an easy 100. Yet her grade is only a B because she forgot to have her parents sign it and there were a few spelling mistakes.


Since then, I have found a few more of Princess Imagination’s reading logs. All of the logs have at least 90 minutes, and long summaries. One has 95 minutes, a long summary, and 5 spelling mistakes. That one is graded 88%. Another had 165 minutes, a very long summary (half Princess wrote, and half she dictated to me (and I wroted "scribed by Mom, per 504)), and no spelling mistakes. That one is graded just 95%. So I wonder, what must she do to get 100%??

But it’s not just reading logs. It seems to be every homework, project, quiz or test. Princess Imagination is getting marked off for being messy, for forgetting things, for every little thing. In short, for having ADHD.

I have a meeting with her team of teachers next Wednesday. I will bring these reading logs and other work in as examples of how her ADHD is hurting her grades.

The Mominator becomes a Momma Bear when her cubs are threatened or hurt in any way.

And Momma Bear is NOT happy.

For the first time in 16 years, 8 months, there are no car seats in my car...m

When Princess Imagination was born, Bumblebee was 6 and Pink Ballerina was 3 1/2. I had 3 car seats across the second row of my Honda CRV. Princess Imagination's infant carrier just barely fit in the middle; fortunately, the baby seat fit best when it was turned backwards.

After Princess Imagination was 1 year and 20 pounds, her infant seat was turned around, and I needed to get a mini-van to fit all the car seats. Bumblebee and Pink Ballerina were still in car seats. In NJ, car seats are mandatory until 8 years or 80 pounds. I kept all three in their seats until they out-grew the shoulder height.

Princess Imagination, at age 10 years, 7 months, finally outgrew the shoulder height.

I must say, she still looks mighty tiny in a regular seat.

Mominator

Two more reasons why my Parish drives me crazy...m

We received two letters from my Parish this week. Both of these are form letters (very ancient form letters with fill-in-the-blanks, which someone printed years ago and now are copied from copies) with hand-written explanations in the margins.

#1
3/5/12
 Pink Ballerina 7D has been absent from
Religious Education classes on 10/11; 10/18; 11/8; 11/15; 2/7; 2/28
Please call the Religious Education office to discuss the
Situation or to let us know the reason for the absence.
Sincerely,
(scribble)
Justa Cogg
Assistant - Rel. Ed
Ext 310
Note: Pink Ballerina has missed (6) classes
+ is required to do "make up".
I will notify her teacher. Please
follow up.
Thanx
(scribble)

#2
3/19/12
The Diocese requires us to maintain complete files for all children
in our Religious Education Program. While reviewing our files we
found the following document/documents missing for your child. (Princess Imagination)
Please complete and return to the Religious Education Office as
soon as possible.

*Certificate of Baptism
Sincerely,
(scribble)
Justa Cogg
Assistant - Rel. Ed
*copy required even
if baptized at
Our Parish

===============================
Pink Ballerina has missed several classes this year because of her dizziness issues. She also had a terrible teacher and we requested a transfer to another teacher. While the Office of Religious Education, the Associate Pastor, and the teacher worked that out, Pink Ballerina missed 3 more classes.

Unlike many of her CCD classmates, Pink Ballerina actually attends Mass every week. She has been attending Children's Liturgy Mass since she was 4, and has been helping there since she was about 10. She knows all the Sacraments, the liturgical seasons of the year and what they mean (and even the color of vestments), and can list most of the Ten Commandments. Even more importantly, she understands what the Ten Commandments mean.

As for Princess Imagination, I have to go to the Parish Office, get a copy of her Baptismal record, and then walk 1 block down the street, and give it to the Religious Education Office at the school.

At least these two problems are minor annoyances caused by simply bureaucratic ineptitude, quite unlike the petty politics that runs, and ruins, everything else at our Parish.

Mominator

Quietly wispering another progress report...m

I'm down 3.5 pounds for the last 3 weeks, down a total of 6.6 since January 1st.

I had such a great start, losing 4.7 pounds in the first 2 weeks.

Next, in a mere two days I went back up 2.2 pounds.

Then, I spent three frustrating weeks dancing around the same 2.2 pounds: watching what I eat, lots and lots of walking, doing the elliptical, and not making any progress at all. Oh and Aunt Flo visited and she was horrible.

Thus, in 9.5 weeks I have lost 6.6 pounds.
My average rate of loss (so far) is a mere .69 pounds/week.

So what have I learned? Losing weight is hard. Duh.
But I'm not giving up. I'm just going to work harder at it.