Ethan

This week I had the boys' conferences. Both kids are doing well. Noah is smart and well behaved. I'm not that impressed with his fifth grade teacher. He seems distracted and a bit of a slacker. I think he'd be a good "on-line" professor where he doesn't have to talk to the students, or teach, but instead write the assignment and play on the computer. Ethan is smart, well behaved and a loner. I was surprised, although a part of me wasn't, to hear from Ethan's teacher than he is a bit of a loner. When he can chose to work in a group, he never does- he works alone. He often draws or writes during "free time" rather than socializing. I'm not sure why this surprises me. To Noah, friends are everything. When I was in second grade I would have defiantly leaned over to the social/I wanna work in a group side. However, in college, I was the "work by myself" because I knew even if you work in a group, one person (me) would end up doing all of the work while the rest slacked off. I actually remember one time when I was paired up with two elementary ed. guys in a group. I really drew the short straw that day. Don't get me wrong- there ARE some wonderful men elementary teachers, but the majority that "start" in Elementary ed. do it because it's 95% girls. One of the guys, "Joe" was like that. The other one, "Ben" was like me, a double major- math/El.Ed. Ben and I had a deal. He'd help me decipher my notes in trigonometry and I'd do the work. We would do this as a joint effort- he'd create a "trigonometry for dummy's diagram" while I did the project at the same time in the library. Joe didn't show up or do any of the project so when I handed it in, I only put mine and Ben's name on it. When Joe found out he totally freaked out! I remember him yelling at me so close that he was spitting on me and I was sure he was going to punch me. To make my long story longer- I learned not to work in groups if given the chance. Maybe Ethan has already learned that lesson. Ethan's been so funny lately. The other day I came home and the boys were playing basketball. I was watching them and I saw a bright pink marker on the roof. I asked, "Ethan, Why is there a pink marker on the roof?" "I had to get my back pack down SOMEHOW!"

The next day we were in the house and he asked if he could go outside. I told him to put on a sweatshirt first. He skipped down to his room. An hour later he was still in his room playing. I asked him, "I thought you were going outside?" "Oh, ya. I forgot." Last week was a short week for the kids. I told him he should ask a boy in his class if he wanted to come over during the days off. On Monday Ethan forgot, Tuesday he forgot again. I told him he had to ask on Wednesday or he can't come over because we don't know his phone number. In Wednesday I asked Ethan if he asked the little boy if he wanted to come over, "I couldn't find him! He usually wears green, but he wore gray today." I said, "Really? He's in your class right?" "Yep". I guess gray is the new camouflage.

I don't want to jinx it- but my head-aches have mostly gone away. It turns out all I needed to do was keep a log of them. Huh. Now my new problem is involuntary twitching of my good thumb. I'll be holding a book or something and unless my thumb is totally straight or bent, it twitches. It freaks me out a little bit. I've just been keeping it straight.

I've decided the Swiss are lucky. They've got the army knives, cheese, Miss...

Martha (NOT Sara) Stewart

One of my friends is a home-ecky Becky and she gets the Martha Steward magazine. Apparently when she re-newed her subscription, she could send a "free 3-month-trial" to a friend. I am that friend. I flipped through it today. There is a calendar of "to dos" that I found kind-of funny, and mirrored my own to-do list. I can't remember all of Martha's but here is the gist.

October 1- Make nice warm homemade potato soup with fresh venison (my version- Eat some warm potato soup from Bennigans)

October 2- Consider harvesting the remainder of your tomatoes. (Mine- decide tomatoes are too "tomato-y" and take them off my food list)

October 3- Pick fresh pears for canning. (Mine- laugh at people who pick their own pears to can 'cuz you can get a can of canned pears at CashWise for .89 cents)

October 4- Go apple picking, set some aside for apple sauce, apple pies, and apple crisp. Set the large ones aside for caramel apples and bobbing for apples later in the month (mine- get hungry for apples and go by some at the store)

October 5- Finish pickling your cucumbers from your garden. (Mine- Pickles come from cucumbers?)

October 6- Take your dogs to the groomer to get a fall "spruce-up" (mine- brush Abby since she's the only one who won't run away when I brush them).

October 7- Take out your Halloween decorations and add new gourds and baby pumpkins to your decor. (mine- Hee hee- Silly Martha- pumpkins don't have babies).

October 8- Choose a pattern to make a festive Halloween costume. (Mine- My kids are going to dress like Hobos- all they need is their dad's mow-the-lawn clothes.)

October 9- Winterize your garden with your hoe. (Mine- The only hoe I know would never winterize her garden)

October 10- Create a fall wreath using eucalyptus, fall flowers and crab apples. (Mine- I used all of the crab apples to throw at the neighbor kids)

October 11- Arrange for a fun family portrait take in the fall foliage. (Mine- remember that I was running late on the kids' first day of school and neglected to take their "first day" pictures. - Re-in-act their first day of school and take a picture.

October 12- Visit a pumpkin patch- remember the video recorder. (Mine- Have your aunt deliver you pumpkins from her garden.)

October 13- Enjoy some delicious Apple cider. (Mine- Enjoy some delicious SPIKED Apple cider).

October14- Get a haircut for a fresh fall look. (Mine- cut your bangs you are growing out as you tell yourself "I should never cut my own bangs")

October 15- Get your flu shot. (Mine- Take a shot at the local bar)

October 16- Make some wonderful pumpkins squares. (Mine- you can make pumpkins become a square?)

October 17- Make a delicious yam stew. (Mine- throw all the left overs in the fridge in the crock pot, turn it on and call it supper).

October 18- Sew a fun Holiday vest or smock. (Mine- really? What's a smock and who'd wear one?)

October 19- Enjoy time by the fire snuggled up with a loved one. (Mine- OK- that one isn't so bad)

October 20- Go on a hay ride. (Mine- Are you kidding? It's a school night! And- the sun goes down at 6:00 in the frozen tundra of the north).

October 21- Finalize the guest list for your Halloween party. (Mine- Halloween is on a Sunday right?)

October 22- Watch Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin (Mine- Sally's voice makes me want to stick pins in my ears and Charlie Brown is annoying and pathetic).

October 23- Make home made duck pot pie. (Mine- mmmm. pot pie)

October 24- Start getting the treats ready for trick or treaters (Mine- really? If you wait that long all of the good candy will be gone).

October 25- Make a festive garland with mini marshmallows and cranberries. (Mine- Why?)

October 26- Sew festive Halloween place mats for the ghouls and goblins. (Mine- I don't invite ghouls and goblins to my table)

October 27- Make 2 dozen caramel apples. (Mine- Get a caramel shake from the DQ)

October 28- Make popcorn balls with a dash of honey and crasins (Mine-eat popcorn, and what's with the cranberries?)

October 29- Volunteer at a child's school Halloween party (Mine- I do, but it's not voluntarily)

October 30- Put the finishing touches on your Halloween party. (Mine- collect crab apples that have fallen off the neighbors tree)

October 31- Hand out treats to all of the neighborhood children. (Mine- Get ready to throw crab apples at them when I run out of candy and they try to "trick")