Teeth and School

No these are not related in any way.

After being in Md for 2 years one would think I would have found the perfect Doctors and Dentists. I went a dentist I was referred to, but the hygienist would torture my mouth. I can't tell you how many times she stuck her fingernail into my gum. I decided after the 2nd visit I was done with that. I didn't really like the dentist that much to stay there.

I tried a new dentist that my friend referred me to. I made an appointment which was about almost 2 months over my 6 month check up. I got to the appointment and the hygienist took an hour looking in my mouth and making notes. Ok, I know I have lots of issues and work in there but honestly move along. I was shocked when at the end she told me that she wouldn't be cleaning my teeth. I would have to come back for that. I was a bit upset because A) my teeth really needed to be cleaned and B) I paid a sitter to watch Tee so that I could be there. My husband had also made an appointment at the same place but couldn't keep it due to a meeting. Somehow I ended up getting it to work out with the sitter and I was able to take his place. Wow my teeth still hurt from the cleaning.

Today I spent 2 hours at the orthodontist with Jay. He has a cross bite (his upper teeth sit inside of his lower jaw) that needs to be corrected. He will have an expander put into his upper jaw plus will need braces on his four front teeth. This will straighten out his very crooked teeth and allow for his permanent teeth to have space to come in. This will be a year long process. Luckily, I will not have to do anything to the expander. This is not cheap!

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Yesterday, I ended up attending the meeting put on by the board of education (BOE) regarding redistricting. There were groups of people there to argue the few transfers that will take place next year. The neighborhoods are so divided. I was not aware nor do I fully understand what will take place. It doesn't affect us so I am ok not knowing.

The planner at the BOE was respectful and open to hearing from the people. He explained that the trend of children along the east side of the county continue to increase which is causing schools to be over crowded. In addition, neighborhoods will continue to be built along the east making the problem worse. And this is when redistricting is considered.

Our neighborhood had about 10 people show up. Our point was that our neighborhood was being moved in 2011 and then again in 2015, which violates the board policy to not move the same group of children more frequently than every 5 years. I think he heard our point.

Next summer they will update the report and take the ideas to the committee for review and comments. They will then refine the redistricting which would be voted on next November. So we will have to wait until this time next year to determine if any changes have been made on the plan.

Preschool

Our first day of preschool was last Thursday. It was only for 1 1/2 hours to give the kids an opportunity transition away from Mom. Tee was very reluctant and told me repeatedly he did not want to go.


We got ready to go. Tee with his bag.

Tee was fairly quiet on the ride to preschool. There is a process for both drop off and pick up. In the mornings the kids can play on the playground equipment until the doors for the classroom open. Once the doors open you can walk your child in. I took him into his room and he was attached to my leg. With a really tight grip I might add. The teacher kindly peeled him off of me and I was able to leave. But I was able to take a few pictures before I left.


Tee was very unsure about being in class. He was reluctant to sit down at the table to play with play doh.

Eventually the teacher got him to sit down and he gave me that look. You know the one that says you really aren't going to leave me are you.

I did. And I went back 1 1/2 hours later to pick him up. For pick up, you stand outside the gated playground. The teachers walk kids out of the classroom 2 at a time. Tee was so happy to see me. On the ride home, he was all smiles telling me what he did that day.

Tee missed his second day of preschool. He had a bit of a runny nose and a cough. I thought it would be best to keep him home. I did start his nebulizer treatments again. I heard a little wheezing and I wanted to be safe.

I did send him on Thursday. He told me he did not want to go all morning long. We got there a little early for him to play on the playground. He would go play but then he would come back to me and hold on for a minute or two.

As soon as the doors opened I grabbed him and took him inside. Again the teacher was so kind to pull him off my leg. He was fine, meaning he was not crying when I left.

I went to pick up and one of the Moms that I knew from My Gym was there. She is having a hard time with her child not crying. She checked on hers during the day and said a lot of the kids were crying and Tee was one of the few who was not.

He was happy to see me when I picked him up. He didn't tell me what he did or sang but he said he had fun.

I get a paper each day that tells me the songs he sung, his snack and whether he went to the bathroom. They have not marked anything on the bathroom part. So I guess they get him to go during the day.

I am sure we will have the same conversation in the morning on Tuesday about not wanting to go to preschool, but I know he will have fun.

My time

It seems like laundry has been never ending in this household for the last few weeks. Every time I turn around I have another load staring me in the face. The bad part is that I still have stuff sitting on the bench in my bedroom that I have yet to put away.

My parents left today. It was a very nice visit. I am not sure the next time we will see them. My husband's father is coming in town this Friday. They are playing in a golf tournament on Saturday. That would be 36 holes of golf. Boring if you ask me.

Yes, that means I will be doing more laundry and getting beds ready. Maybe this time I will actually get to put some laundry away.

We still haven't finalized our petition for the school redistricting. I am hoping we will have it done tonight. We need to make sure it says what we want it to say. But we also need to get it out there to get signatures. We are thinking about ordering t-shirts but I think we are running out of time.

I am still in the middle of the school PTA membership campaign. We are in the process of recruiting members. Then I will have to get the cards ready to be issued. I am trying to figure out how I can print them on the computer vs. hand writing almost 400 cards.

The husband is out of town until Friday. I like how he goes out of town before his father comes in town. I have procrastinated on cleaning the house so tomorrow I will be working hard to get it all done.

Tomorrow evening will be fun as I am hosting the girls for the season premiere of Grey's anatomy.

Where did last week go!

This week has flown by and we have been non-stop. So much has gone on this week and I will update as I have time this week with pictures and stories. But here is a quick run down.

My parents arrived in town on Tuesday and will stay through Wednesday of this week. A little embarrassed that my house was a mess when they got here. I usually can tidy up and give the appearance of clean but not this time. They specifically came up for my cousins wedding this past weekend, but also planned some extra time to visit with us. My sister also came in town for the wedding but she only stayed the weekend.

The wedding was held on Friday night and a cocktail party on Saturday night. It was so nice. We saw family that we have not seen in such a long time. I don't have the time to go into details right now but I am sure good stories will follow.

Tee started preschool on Thursday. He was reluctant when I dropped him off, meaning the teacher had to pull him off of my leg. When I picked him up he had a huge smile when talking about what he did that morning.

We have still been working on organizing our petition on the school redistricting. I am trying to be positive but hard for me to deal with the change. The positive is that the school we would be transferred to is a really good school. I heard today that a neighborhood is being moved from the school we are moving to, to another school that does not have a great reputation. They all must be going crazy. Not sure if any good will come out of our pleas but we will at least be able to say we tried.

Fall ball has started. Our first game was today. Our boys did so well. Together they had a great play that got the batter out at first. Jay got the ball when he was playing third and threw it to EE playing first. Got him by a step. Tee did not have such a good report from the field. He almost fell off the play set at the playground.....luckily I caught him. He also almost fell off the bleachers. At that point I determined it was time for us to leave.

My Mission

When my husband got this job opportunity in Maryland, we really spent a lot of time researching and thinking about the move. What we found out was that there was a particular county that we wanted to reside in because of the school system. The school system we would moved out of in NC had many issues. It was a win win, a great opportunity for my husband plus a great FREE public education for our children.

As we were looking for houses, the most important aspect was the school district. My husband would call me and I would do a quick search and tell him whether it was worth his time or not. We ended up in our neighborhood because of the school we wanted to attend, plus the fact that we are close to my husband's job.

Last year I heard rumblings of a possible redistricting plan. As fast as it came up....it went away. Well, it has reared its ugly head in a big way.

What it means for us. My boys will do 3rd grade at our school now, then move to a different school for 4th and 5th. They will then move to middle school for 6th and 7th but have to do their last year of middle school at a different school. So in a span of 6 years 4 different schools. After looking at the document a little more, it is 76 pages, I determined we are being moved because another school is overcrowded. These changes will be needed until a new school can be opened in 2013.

I sent out a note on Friday and was overwhelmed by the responses. There are a few of us who will meet to devise a game plan on how we will fight this plan. We will not sit by while they make these changes without considering what is best for the children.

This has been consuming my thoughts for the last 3 days. We will meet today. I can't wait to get started. There is a meeting set for tomorrow evening which one of the husbands will attend. This is a listen only meeting. Then on the 29 and 30 a meeting will be held for public comments. Our neighborhood will be represented by as many people as I can get together. We have a lot of work to do between now and then.

Just in case you were wondering

It is never a good idea to wash a pull-up in the washing machine. Most would put them in the trash after wearing then for a night. Tee feels like they should go in his laundry basket along with his clothes. Most mornings I pull it out and explain once again that they go in the trash. Not only did I miss it in his basket, I didn't realize I put it in the wash. When I opened the washing machine I saw this gel like substance everywhere. Once I took all the clothes out I realized what it was. No need for you to try it at home. It creates more work and running the same load over.

It is tacky to have business cards of your plastic surgeon and landscape company placed in your home for guest to have. My neighbor down the street got a pool in her backyard, well more like an oasis. There is a covered sitting area with a t.v over a fire place, the pool area complete with hot tub and diving rock and the out door kitchen. The furniture all matches. My description does not give it justice. It is absolutely beautiful. Last week, she invited the ladies in the neighborhood over to hang out. I could not make it as I had the funeral stuff going on. My friend so informed me of the business cards. I had a hard time believing it until she told me the names.

An ice cream sandwich doesn't seem like a good choice for a breakfast item. When we were driving a few weeks ago, we saw a lady eating an ice cream sandwich in her car while driving. I like ice cream....but I could imagine it at 8 in the morning.

Maybe I need to learn the word no

I like to be involved in the boys' school. I am trying to pace myself a little. When the boys are in 5th grade, Tee will just be starting Kindergarten. It will be the only year that they will be at the same school. Then I will have another 6 years there with Tee. So that is about another 9 years.

I wanted to take a role on the PTA this year so I volunteered for the membership committee. I thought this would be somewhat simple. Most of the membership work is at the beginning of the school year. Of course, there is always more involved than you think there is.

I was then asked by the President to help out on the family involvement committee. I agreed, I have a hard time saying no sometimes. One event has already come and gone and right now we only have one other event planned.

I can't stop there, I have signed up to be the room parent for both boys. I feel like if I do it for one then I should do it for the other. I am not sure if I will get "picked" to be the room parent for either class though.

I am helping out another committee by checking the push up books for the 2nd grade. No one stepped up to be the point person, so I am coordinating.

It is really not that bad but I am just very busy right now. So writing will be scarce and short for the time being.

Tooth Tales

The tooth fairy has been a frequent visitor in our house for the last year plus. The new teeth coming in our so big and crooked that they are pushing the baby teeth out. After conversations with friends, it seems that our tooth fairy has been hit by the recession and only leaves $1 per tooth.

About a month ago, EE wrote a letter to the tooth fairy asking if she could please leave a $5 bill. When he woke up the next morning there was a $5 bill under his pillow. I wondered what would happen next time either he or his brother lost a tooth.

EE has had a loose tooth in his mouth and it finally came out on Monday. They were home with my niece at the time. When we got home he proudly showed us that his tooth came out. It wasn't until later in the day I found out he had written a letter to the tooth fairy that went like this (exactly as he wrote it):

"bear tooth fairy could you please give me a 20 dollar Bill and 15 pennies"

He did not tell me about the letter. My niece clued me in. I always ask to see where the boys put their tooth under their pillow at night. This night was no different. I saw the note and asked EE if I could read it.

The tooth fair responded:
"EE, Thank you for your note. I am sorry I could not bring you $20. I have so many children to see every night so I have to be fair to all of them. Keep up the good work and continue to work on your writing and spelling. TF"

The tooth fairy left a $1 bill and scattered 15 pennies on the floor from his bed to his door.

EE thought it was funny and was very excited to receive the letter back from the tooth fairy.

Today at breakfast, Jay tells EE that the TF know his name.

Catholic memories

I went to a Catholic parochial school for my K-12 years of school. We were the typical Catholic family. We went to church every Sunday. We also attended mass at school on holy days. I was able to get all of my Catholic education at school in Religion class. In our area, the public school system did not have a good reputation. I am sure my parents struggled to give us a private education.

During my many years, Religion class always took a different form. Some years it was a joke. I had a teacher that made us do Religious crossword puzzles all of the time. I am fairly certain I did not learn much in her class. Then I had a teacher who made us watch Star Wars and somehow made a connection with Religion. My memory has blocked the movie as well as anything I may have been taught in her class. I had a few nuns teach me in elementary school and there were several nuns in high school. I remember Sister Susan chasing me around the halls because my skirt was too short. Those were the days.

I remember going to church every Sunday but not always willingly. I found the homilies to be boring and often times no connection to me as a child. So I basically sat and waited the hour for the mass to be done. I did not want to have my children go through this as well. The Methodist church we have been attending offers Sunday school for the kids during service. So they get to learn in a somewhat fun manner and we don't have ancy children that we have to tend to during service.

We did give a lot of thought on how to raise our children. I never thought that a public education would be for my children. Our ultimate decision was that we could not raise our children in the Catholic church. I do not believe in all of the Catholic teachings and would not ask my children to.
The school issue for us was solved when we moved into one of the best school districts in Maryland. They will get a good education. We still are not sold 100% on the church we have been attending. I hope we can figure this one out soon.

Why does this come up? We went to a Catholic church on Thursday for the funeral of our neighbor's mother. The church was beautiful. The service was lovely. It is funny how it has been so long since I have been to a mass but still remembered all of the responses. It was communion time when the priest made it clear that you are not invited to participate unless you are Catholic and have the same beliefs regarding the Eucharist. And that is when I remembered why we would not raise our children Catholic.

Change is not always easy

Change is definitely necessary but not always easy. We change seasons, hairstyles and sometimes friends. It is not always a smooth transition but it all usually works out in the end. I tend to have a hard time with change so I guess my boys should not be any different.

Now that school has started we are all trying to get used to our new routines. I never realized how much time EE and Jay spent with Tee. I think he misses his brothers when they are at school. He has all of the sudden become scared of everything. He is not wanting to go to the gym child watch area. He used to love playing there and would sometime ask me first thing in the morning if we were going to the gym. Today we took a walk with a friend in the park that neighbors our street. He held my hand the entire time we were walking. It was like he was afraid to be away from me. I do hope this is just a phase.

The boys have gotten a new bus driver. The neighborhood has had the same bus driver for many years. It came as a surprise to all of us when a different number came driving down the hill. The bus driver is an older very petite lady. All of the parents keep getting stories from their kids (all at different times) about how she drives in the grass or how she almost hit a car. Everyone says that she is mean....aren't all bus drivers supposed to be mean? It is a wild bunch that she has to drive. Luckily, the school is less than 10 minutes away. None the less, the parents are worried about the stories. I followed the bus driver half way to school this morning. She did fine, stayed in her lane and went slow. But we are still going to periodically follow her to see if she is consistent. It is possible that she will need to drive all our children home in rain, snow or sleet.

The boys have adjusted well to school. We have a 4 day week this week and next. This should help with the transition back to school. EE was very clingy (on me) the two weeks prior to school starting. He tends to have the hardest time with new things. We are fortunate that he got a really good teacher this year. I think it will also help that there are only 17 kids in his class.

The next transition for us will be Tee starting preschool. He will go 2 days a week for 2 1/2 hours. I am hoping he will do ok.

My change will come when I have to re-work my workout schedule. I won't be able to get him to preschool and make my class on T/Th. The preschool is in the opposite direction from any of the places I visit. I am sad about my class but I guess I will have to try another class.

I am sure just as we get settled into our routine something will pop up to ruffle our feathers. And once again we will adapt.