Character Day at RBES

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Well, now that you have looked at my precious boys in their fantastic costumes, let me tell you a little story.

It all started a couple of weeks ago when I got the paper home in the boys backpacks explaining the Red Ribbon Week spirit days. Friday was book character day. So I started talking to my boys about what book character they wanted to be. They both immediately said they wanted to be Clone Troopers. I then had to go into this enormous monologue explaining to them why they could NOT go to school as Clone Troopers or Spiderman or Anakin Skywalker...I know you want to wear that, but you cannot carry a light saber into the school, they'll turn momma in.

So Caleb finally decided on being a dinosaur. I don't know what book it was from, but I'm sure there is a dinosaur in some book, somewhere in the world...so I told Caleb he could be a dinosaur.

Yessss! One down.

Jacob was still struggling with his decision and we were still struggling with the understanding that superheroes, no matter how good, were not acceptable "book characters"!

He finally shows me a website that they use at school with some audio books on it and he tells me he LOVES the Ace Lacewing Bug Dectective books. Awesome. Soooo, what exactly does Ace Lacewing look like? Well basically...he's a bug...detective...
I know...I know...

So I make some wings with some pantyhose and hangers...a wonderful trick my grandmother taught me...I get a hat from the dress-up clothes and attach some pipe cleaner antenae...and ta! da! Ace Lacewing Bug Dectective.

Meanwhile, Caleb is searching and searching for the Dinosaur costume that I KNOW we have SOMEWHERE! and he can't find it. So we go into a major meltdown because it's Thursday night and we can't find the dinosaur.

Ugh.

So I start going through all the books we have on the shelf that I have corresponding costumes for in the playroom...of course I'm thinking to myself, "Dang it! Why can't he just be Spiderman or Anakin Skywalker, or a Clone Trooper!" I did NOT, however, voice that opinion out loud. I am beginning to get really frustrated because Caleb cannot make up his mind and he keeps whining about wanting to be a dinosaur..."SON...I don't know where it is!!!" ...then...more calmly..."you have to pick something else."

I finally narrowed his choices for him to 3 books that I knew I could make costumes for in record time...it was afterall almost 8pm the NIGHT BEFORE IT WAS DUE! Nothing like waiting til the last minute....don't worry, my Mom already spoke to me about this...so keep your comments to yourself. Thank you.

FINALLY...he picked the mouse and I was secretly, EXTREMELY happy, because I knew I could whip out some mouse ears and a tail.

And I did.

The next morning the kids put their costumes on, I took the pics up above, Paul took them to school, I went to get coffee, I got to the school, saw the boys...NO COSTUMES. Yep they basically wore them to school and took them off as soon as they got to their classrooms.

Not. Awesome.

None the less...they WERE cute.

My Day According to Facebook

So I had this idea for a blog this morning. I thought I would blog my day today the same way I would update my Facebook if I updated all day long. So here goes.

Tanya Brand got to sleep in today because my husband woke up and got the kids dressed and then took them to school...AND brought me my favorite kolache Honey Creek Bakery.

Tanya Brand got up and got dressed and got to school a little early because I had lots to do before the kiddos came.

Tanya Brand stapled fire hats together for my preschoolers to wear.

Tanya Brand dressed up like a fireman...in complete gear...to prove to the preschoolers that it was not a scary alien in the suit, it's a regular person who wants to help you...and by the way, that gear is HEAVY...good thing I work out.

Tanya Brand sweat ALOT in the firefighter gear...like "gross" alot.

Tanya Brand was excited when my husband took all three kids to Wal-Mart so I could be alone for a few short minutes...and instead I filed paperwork at school...boo.

Tanya Brand came home and sat on my boo-tay for one hour and 13 minutes before my hair appointment.

Tanya Brand went to Sonic to get a burger before my hair appt. and got a coupon for a free Rt.44 drink for tomorrow! Yay!

Tanya Brand got my hair did! It's been way to long...I was starting to look skunk-esque...and that's not hot.

Tanya Brand is going home with wet hair because it's cheaper than going home with dry hair.

Tanya Brand came home to my daughter playing outside and when I got out of the car I hear this..."Oh no I pooped in my pants!"

Tanya Brand found out from my husband that Abby was having a little poop situation this afternoon...good to know.

Tanya Brand cleaned up Abby's poop situation.

Tanya Brand told the boys to clean their room.

Tanya Brand is getting angry at the amount of crap-ola that can be stored underneath a 5 year old boy's bed.

Tanya Brand is cleaning up old, moldy cat throw up that has just been discovered because it was under the afore mentioned 5 year old boy's bed.

Tanya Brand has also discovered that the boys carpet is wet and is looking for the hubs to diagnose the problem...quickly.

Tanya Brand's hubs discovers that the water situation is from the AC condensation thingy that was clogged...but is now unclogged...because I have a regular "Handy Manny."

Tanya Brand is ready to sit down but I am vaccuming up roly poly's from the boys room.

Tanya Brand is now sitting down watching Survivor and eating popcorn and drinking a tasty blended smoothie that the hubs has made.

Tanya Brand is blogging about her day according to facebook.

The End.

Things that only happen when Paul is gone...

Every time Paul goes out of town, the world spins in a different direction, all you-know-what breaks loose and I have never understood it, but have slowly come to accept it. "Whatever do you mean, Tanya?"

I'm glad you asked.

*On a NUMBER of occasions Paul has left to go to youth camp and I was VERY sick. I'm not just talking about a little head cold or a sore throat. I'm talking about full on throwing up, bed ridden...sick. On one particular occasion I vaguely remember telling Jacob, who was 4 yrs old at the time, to just bring me the milk and a cup and I would pour it for him...from the couch! I also remember on that particular occasion telling Jacob to watch his brother(2 1/2yrs) and his sister (18mos)and just make sure they didn't hurt themselves. That was also the time they ate four bags of fruit snacks for dinner, because that's what Jacob could reach.

*The behavior of my children also changes when Paul is gone...and NOT for the better. Apparently when Paul leaves out of town...my children lose all ability to hear me. I have to continually raise my voice until I break through the "daddy's not here so I don't have to listen to mommy" barrier. It drives me insane.

*I also lose my God-given ability to fall asleep instantly. That's right, you can ask anyone who has ever seen me go to sleep. I have an uncanny ability to literally fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow....except...when Paul's gone. I am also a rock-solid sleeper...not even throwing up children wakes me up! When he's not home...I cannot sleep! It takes hours for me to fall asleep and the slightest thing wakes me up. This also drives me insane.

*When Paul is gone things like this happen: the cat pooped in the bathtub and I scared it when I walked in to the bathroom and it jumped straight up into the air and then landed right back into the poop that just came out of it's butt and then ran all over my house. Yep. That only happens when Paul is not home.

*When Paul is not home the trash is always full...even if he took it out just before he left...the next thing I know...it's full. And I HATE taking out the trash. Same thing goes for the litter box.

*When Paul is not home, I clean. That's right people. I can do it. I just choose not to when Paul is home and does it so much better. However, I don't clean exactly like Paul does. I skip the normal sweeping, vaccuuming, dishes business and go straight to cleaning the tile grout with a toothbrush and some vinegar and water. No, I'm not kidding. The dishes are in the sink...he's coming home tomorrow!

I am sure there are hundreds of other things that happen when Paul is not here. If I come up with a good one I'll update, but for now. I'll NOT be going to sleep, no matter how hard I try...

Monkey See. Monkey Do.

Apparently....



she watches....



what we do.

The first of "hundreds" of REAL grades

Jacob, as you well know, is in second grade. There are many new things about second grade and one of the most interesting things is REAL grades. Our school district only gives E's,S's and U's through first grade so you can imagine my surprise when I opened Jacob's folder the other day and pulled out all of the graded papers you see above.

Some are awesome, some are fine, and then there is one 70. Not really something I was expecting! Of course the 100 was in math. Praise the Lord he loves math and he "gets it!"

The 70 was on a Language Arts paper...because it was incomplete! Not something that set well with me. When I asked him why he didn't finish it...He said, "I just didn't want to."

Great.

That's what I need.

A SECOND grader that is bored of work already.

Well, here's to "hundreds" of more REAL grades and hopefully hundreds more "100's!"

The Special Talking Spot

School started this year, somewhat uneventfully. Everyone went into their classroom on their respective first days of school excited about the future school year.

...Until the second day...

We have now been in school for two weeks and I am just now getting to blog about this for various sundry reasons that would take the entire blog-o-sphere to explain, so I will save your eyes the trouble.

Jacob and Abby are having no problems going to school each day. They are excited and have no separation anxiety what-so-ever. And then there's Caleb.

Caleb is my tender hearted child. The one who is always concerned with other people's feelings. He is also the eternal peacemaker.

He cried going to school on the second day, and the third day, and the fourth day, and so on and so on. So on the second day of school I took him over to a corner of the hallway just down from his classroom and there was started the "special talk spot." This particular part of the hallway has a clock in it and every day we talk about how long it will be until I come to pick him up. He asks me if I am going to be ok without him. I tell him how excited I am that he gets to go to Kindergarten. etc...etc...

The whole time we talk his little lips quiver and his eyes water and he tries to hold it all back, but the tears slowly creep down his cheeks. It has gotten a little better with each passing day and he does eventually...and reluctantly go into his classroom for the day and I walk away praying that God will comfort him and that he will have the best day.

We have done this every day since the beginning of school...You see, Caleb is also a creature of routine. Paul even offered to take the boys to school one day and Caleb overheard him. Immediately Caleb ran to me crying saying, "Please Mommy, don't let Daddy take us to school, he doesn't even know where our special talk spot is!" (I, of course, took them to school.)

I also know that he has awesome days at school. I hear from his teacher, he is happy when he gets in the car at the end of the day...etc. It's just the initial separation in the morning. He told me one day after school that he had a "legendary" day at school. The next day he told me his day was "heroic, and that was one step down from legendary, but it was still good." Another day his teacher told me that Caleb was smiling at the end of the day and she asked Caleb if she could see him smile in the morning. He replied with, "Nope. I can't smile in the mornings because my mommy needs to see me cry."

On Friday I got to be in Caleb's class with him and help with a project and he is super happy and extremely polite and helpful to the teacher. I guess if I have to keep going to the special talk spot for the rest of the year, I will. The truth is, I secretly cherish this extremely special one-on-one time with my middle child...and at the same time I would love for him to learn to jump out of the car say "bye mom" and be off in a flash. Basically I want my cake and to eat it too.

The First Days of School

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