This Week

This past week seemed endless at times. But next week is spring break!!

I baby sat the puppies Monday. They are a handful!

Remember when they looked like this?

We worked on the pinata more.

Deja, Adam's girlfriend, braided Kayla's hair. Normally I do their hair, but Deja is really good at it and can corn row short hair.

hanging out with Adam

Adam helping bead!

Kaleb had his first baseball game. Jasmine got a sno cone since we had to have Kaleb there a half hour early. And the game started 15 minutes late. So we had 45 minutes to wait.

Ready for the game. This is the first time he's ever played, but most of the boys have played since they were 4.

Adam came to watch.

They opposing pitcher walked almost player, so Kaleb got to score a point his first game. A few of the kids wanted to hit and were able to hit balls that were barely off the ground or way high.

home!

This week has been good and bad. Good in that Kaleb has had consistently good behavior at school the last few weeks. Might be the adhd meds he's on. He's able to stay in his seat now. But he's also decided that he wants to make better choices, and he has!!

The bad is that another child has had consistent notes in her planner about rudeness, bad language, bullying etc. The teacher doesn't do a write up on each incident, but I think she should since the child told kids to f-off three different times! We do not swear in our house. Yeah, you'll hear an occasional "crap," but that's as bad as it gets.

 I also found a letter in her folder she'd written venting in very ugly ways about several other kids at school and making accusations. I sent that letter in to her teacher to have her teacher look into what was said.

 Then Friday she took something from a much younger child. When the older sister of the child asked for the item back, the child slammed her head into a bench injuring her. That one got written up. The child was called to the office later in the day, and I was called. I already knew about it from an e-mail from the teacher. Unfortunately, there is a new guy who is a grandfather who tends to not want to do much discipline. He had not read her planner and hadn't looked at her past history--multiple detentions, in school suspensions etc. But since it was physical violence resulting in injury, he had to give her out of school suspension for the Monday after spring break. But he made it sound like a treat. "You'll get to have another day home." The teacher wasn't very happy with this either and is going to bring it up with the admin. who is on the 8th grade trip right now. Jasmine chose not to go in favor of doing our own trip.

The disappointing thing about the behaviors is that we talk about positive character traits each night in circle. We talk about how we can use them at home and school. She gives all the right answers. We talk about good choices and right behavior in our morning devotion time too. Obviously, it's not getting through.

The bad thing is that it is coming back at Jasmine because people realize they are sisters. Jasmine will come home practically in tears some days because the other kids tell her to control her sister. That's not her job. That's the school's job or the bus driver's job.

My kids know that if they are in the right, I will have their back. I will fight for them. I will not give up. But if they are in the wrong, I will turn them in myself. I have done both in the past few weeks.

We are on spring break now. We'll just be staying at home again this year due to money--or actually a lack of it! Jasmine and I have been saving for four years to do a trip for her 8th grade graduation, but that is still three months away, and that money cannot be accessed before then. She chose not to go on the 8th grade school trip or summer choir tour to Boston in favor of this trip. But for spring break we will find ways to stay busy around town. We have two days left on our Disney passes, but I want to wait until Ty David is here to use them.

 Today I was walking at the park and got hungry. So I called my hero and asked him to come grill a hot dog for me. And he did!

 The kids ran three miles and then played.

 I went across the street to the gas station and got potato wedges to go with the hot dogs.

Some of us are going to the new Cinderella movie on Monday. Has anyone seen it yet?

Check out Easter basket ideas and book crafts HERE. I am going to be giving away books on that blog soon, so keep checking back.