Testing, Testing

Not much to blog about. Christmas was fun and I got a total charge out of The Little One opening all her cool gifts. Other than that, not too much to blog about.

Last night I completed the first phase of my running program. Technically, I'm supposed to run a 5k race, but since its winter and I'm not where I need to be I timed myself on the treadmill.

First, my time sucked. 29:26. Not at all good but then I need to remember that I didn't get out of shape in 5 weeks, so I certainly won't get back in shape in 5 weeks.

So, instead I will focus on the positives. First, I ran quite pain-free. Minor, minor aches of the knees, but that's all. No calf issues that have plagued me in the past. Second, the run wasn't pure torture either. I pushed myself but it didn't feel like hell. So I'm encouraged if not a bit excited to move forward.

The program actually backs off a bit now. My mileage will be down and progressing slightly week-by-week with a "long day" on Sunday that actually starts as walking.

Its nowhere near hard. The hardest part is getting off the couch and into some shorts. That WILL change. But now I'm happy that I've stayed healthy and on track.

Merry Christmas!

What's that Smell?

8 am this morning:

6 -year-old-from the bathroom: Daddy! Daddy!

Me: What? What honey? As I walked down the hall to the bathroom to see what was the matter.

6-year-old: How come it always smells so good in here after you've been in here.

I smiled. It's just deodorant and a very light cologne. Doesn't matter if it was $200 bottle anyway. To her it means "daddy". To me it means the world.

Bonus Baby

I got my Christmas bonus today. Its a bit lower than its been in the past. These times I guess. But I'm still appreciative. Plenty of people get none, right? The casino even gave me $100 that I never expected.

Remember when you were a kid and that month between Thanksgiving and Christmas seemed like 5 years? Yet as an adult it seems like you wake up with turkey-breath and realize you forgot to stuff the stocking? Dayam!

To top it off, next year I begin to get paid bi-weekly. I don't like that. I don't like it one bit. I know its the way of the world, but I still haven't adjusted to them changing our payday from Wednesday to Thursday a couple years ago.

Manfred Mann Revisited

I'm in the middle of week 4 of my running program. So far so good. However, I'm not complaining about how easy it is. Its gotten much tougher. I still feel like I'm barely moving but am proud I've stayed on regiment and that I've remained healthy. Injury has been mainly responsible for derailing my training in recent years. I hope I'm over the hurdle.

I googled my name too to find race results since they're available online since about 2001. I found:

11/12/00 - 8k -- 38:31 (7:46 pace)
5/21/00 - 5k -- 21:45 (7 minute pace)
4/8/01 - 5k -- 22:58
5/22/03 - 5mi -- 40:17 (8:04 pace) I remember that race had a HUGE hill and was killer.

Those are recent results. I have run a sub 20 minute 5k that I remember and I've run decent 10ks when I was much younger.

One thing I know. If I do finish the marathon in October, it will be a personal best. I've never gone that far.

Soccer Can Be Exciting

My wife says the soccer game kept her up most of the night. Not the one on TV, but the one in the attic. We have critters.

From time to time we've had mice which I've gotten rid of only to have them return within a year or two. But the soccer match in the attic? These mice are taking performance enhancing drugs. Or. Not. Mice? Perhaps they're bowling. If I hear cheering, pins falling and beer glasses clinking, then I'll be really upset. They should invite their host, right? Either way, they will need to take their extra-curricular activities elsewhere.

When mama's not happy, the house isn't happy.

So I manned up. The job calls for a guy (so I"m told) Went to Lowe's and bought the Havahart traps (I can't snap things necks - doesn't sit well with me - man point deduction I suppose) and am embarking on our little biological experiment. I tediously set the larger-than-necessary trap in case its a squirrel, oppossum, badger, bear or Yeti.

If only Steve Irwin was still with us to help. Anyone have Bindi's number?

PPT

We had our first parent-parent-teacher conference last week to review the status of our Little One's first 3 months of school.

Our bright, precocious, hilarious, beautiful, clever, loving, stubborn, independent and fun little girl was not "all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips" to her teacher. We were rather taken aback. Her teacher admitted at the onset that TLO had a difficult week and was even a little sassy. Sassyness is something we see, of course, but never before heard expressed by someone of authority. Plus, her marks were all "at level" on most counts and "below level" on a couple. I, for one, was a bit surprised. I always envisioned any child of mine to be at the upper levels of anything she does being that the Mrs. and I are intelligient as well as diligent with our daughter's progress. I'm not majorly concerned but it is pause for thought at this particular time.

We didn't send her to the town's kindergarten, instead electing to send her to private kindergarten that touts accreditation and through-the-roof praise from all we encountered. There were signs last year (noticed by Mrs. Nouveau) that things weren't pushed as hard as we would have liked. Unfortunately, that left our Little One a bit behind. She entered first grade below the other kids and while making remarkable progress to catch up, isn't quite up to speed yet.

In addition, The Little One struggles to focus. Frequently, easy tasks that should take her mere minutes find her mind wandering off or her eyes and hands being drawn to something else often resulting in mild discipline to get her back on track or at the least a war of will. At school it creates unfinished work which we help her finish at home later on since her teacher will not "babysit" TLO to get the work done, instead electing to have the children independently finish their work. I agree with that method, especially given the fact she has 18 other students at various levels to tend to although it makes for some lengthy nights at the homework table (its actually a bar - is that bad?).

While her lack of focus its not necessarily a disability, it is very frustrating for all concerned and sadly results in so much less time for her to do kid things as she spends over an hour finishing up school based "work stations" before tackling her normally assigned homework as well as her extra reading program work. She's in first grade for crying out loud! I don't remember doing that much work.

Attention Deficit Disorder has been mentioned and her pediatrician feels any and all testing for any services she may require are best handled immediately. Her teacher, however, feels that its still too early and that we simply need a bit more time. My wife agrees with the Pediatrician so we are progressing with the tests (which the teacher needs to assist with) and I feel the teacher feels a bit offended. Perhaps because we're not taking her advice. TLO doesn't exhibit clear-cut signs of ADD though and I think if medication is mentioned we will have to think long and hard about that option. Medicating kids, to me, seems a modern way of being a lazy parent in certain cases. I would just assume handle things without any type of medication unless absolutely necessary. But I'm jumping way ahead at this point. We'll see.

At the beginning of the conference, I asked a few relatively simple questions, or so I thought. The teacher really didn't understand what I was getting at and chose to take a route wherein she interpreted my questions as questioning her. Nothing was further from the truth and in actuality I was seeking ways we could better assist the teacher and my child. She didn't hear me, so again, she came across as mildly offended and offered up a 10 minute, convoluted answer that didn't clearly answer my concerns. TLO has workstations and she brings home unfinished ones. I only wanted to know how often they did the stations. I basically got my answer, so I let it go.

The teacher is a nice lady. I sincerely believe she is doing all she can for our child with her best interests at heart. The mere fact that we don't take her advice 100% of the time in no way impugns her or reflects on our confidence of her as a teacher. It just means we differ on how to proceed. My wife is an administrator in a huge, city-wide day-care system and has also had extensive time in the classroom and I feel that makes her opinions every bit as viable as the first grade teacher's. Furthermore, my wife is one who will always, always, err on the side of caution.

As parents, we are very attentive to TLO's studies and place a premium on her being the best student she can be. At the same time, kids should have time to be kids and by the time we get settled in from school, have a snack, do homework and eat dinner, in addition to her hockey and gymnastics nights her time gets quite pinched during the week.

We are also not "not my kid" type parents. We don't blame others for her issues. If she's acted out, its not her peers fault and if she isn't already up to speed in school its not her teacher's fault. TLO is held accountable for her actions and we, as a family, will all work together to see she can be the best she can be.

Please note: my child has made utterly remarkable strides in three months of school in terms of her reading, writing and math skills. Remarkable strides. She's closing the gap on her peers and I think her teacher is seeing that as am I. But we want to have the some tests done anyway. Hell we pay plenty of taxes. If there's a program out there that will benefit her in the long term, we wish to take advantage of it as soon as possible. Any and all learning disabilities are best solved when tackled early. If there are no issues whatsover (which I think will be the case, actually) then there's no harm, no foul. Right?

Anyway, after the conference and before we got TLO from her after-school program Mrs. N and I talked in the hallway for a good long time and Mrs. N had tears in her eyes. She says all the focus issues TLO has my wife had as a child and she still has them. She says she frequently felt confused and "out of the loop" as a child due to it and hates the thought of our Little One growing up and feeling the same way she did all the time. That said, TLO has an incredible ability to seemingly not pay attention to something then know all the particular details of it afterwards even if it appeared she was up to something else. Its an uncanny multi-taskability.

My thoughts? It could be a LOT worse. My wife is 2 courses short of her Master's in Early Childhood Education. She's a respected administrator and loved by all that know her. She's smart and funny and pretty and the MOST empathetic and compassionate person I've ever known.

If my daughter grows up to be the woman her mother is, then we did one hell of a job. And I told my wife that too.