parent teacher conference report

she reads at a 4th grade reading level but it is her least favorite subject AND she bemoans the accelerated curriculum

she loves the thrill of timed math tests
she is 'an example' and a 'sweetheart' and 'reserved'
writing is her favorite subject
her teacher (who hosts jack in homeroom) mentioned she cant imagine jack and kindin together because they are so 'opposite'.

he always compliments his teacher (who he has a major crush on)  'your shirt is pretty' or ' you look nice'
his people drawings have improved dramatically and he now cares about his artwork
he is beginning to read and isn't behind like his mother fretted
he 'loves mondays' now!

a punishment that fits the crime

after having been caught in another little and white lie,  mom and dad were sure it was time for a punishment other than just another strong admonition about truth telling!  she'd really not done anything terrible or unordinary- after all, ditching a half eaten dinner when mom and dad aren't looking and lying about it when confronted has gotta be in every textbook on parenting.  but, this little cutie is getting close to her baptism and we were 100% unified in our decision to find a punishment that made her think more about honesty.  and if we do say so ourselves, it was a perfectly dreadful but fitting punishment.  forced to eat her soggy turkey sandwich, she reacted and over reacted for a good half hour with cries ringing through the neighborhood.  feeling perfectly unified in our decision (which, truth be told, can be a rare moment between a somewhat stern mother and a very fun loving father), we couldn't help but giggle and sneak a picture...

  

c-r-y-b-a-b-y

I've learned how to spell c-r-y-b-a-b-y efficiently and discretely in answer to the question: 'how is jack doing in school?'  the first two months of kindergarten has turned jack into a c-r-y-b-a-b-y.  every day when I walked to pick him up, he was already in tears or bursting into tears about the littlest of things- a forgotten waterbottle, tripping on the stairs, it was hot outside, etc...  CRYING every single day!  having held it together all day long at school, he lost it at the sight of me.  at home, he was exhausted, he couldn't handle playdates well because of his irritability, he dreaded the next day of school, and every morning he anxiously checked and re-checked his short list of to-dos.  that is, until this past week.  it has stopped.  he's been confident.  he's playful again after school.  and he has even expressed excitement for school!  it's so nice to have him back.

 

accessing my inner mary poppins

there is a park nearby that's situated in a perpetually gusty spot.  it is, essentially, the perfect spot for flying kites.  truly, one can fly a kite there on any given day.  sounds kinda magical doesn't it?  almost has you breaking into song- 'let's go fly a kite and send it soaring.  up to the atmosphere, up where the air is clear.'  despite numerous attempts, I have yet to access my inner mary poppins.  in fact, I am utterly afraid of flying kites.  this last trip, david and grandpa were again unsuccessful in swaying me from my fear- even using my adorable two year old as bait.
  

 

love it or hate it

overheard at dalia's most recent playdate from her two yr old friend: "dolly, will you put my shoes on?"  also overheard at a recent playdate from another two yr old friend:  "dalia, stop! stop!  no!" 

concerning dalia's repetitive obsession with putting on and taking off shoes for others- you either love it or hate it!

the 'polkadot baby' adoption

Claire first came to our home as the baby kindin picked out with her grandmother at the store.  as one of many dolls kindin liked to caretake, Claire was THE favorite baby- even earning status in kindin's bed at night.  dalia watched jealously from afar and often snuck Claire when the opportunity presented itself.  if kindin was not looking, Claire was in dalia's clutches which would upset kindin and necessitate parent intervention.  dalia soon came up with a smarter game plan and began seizing 'kindin's baby' only when kindin wasn't around (ie. during the school day).  but, every night there was an argument as a frustrated and tired kindin searched the house for where claire had gone.  this angry cycle repeated itself and grandma pleaded to step in with a second baby claire but even she could agree that that wasn't an effective solution.  the anger continued to build and dad stepped in with a very clever reframe.  dad began applauding kindin for getting such a great 'babysitter' while she was gone.  because kindin could hardly argue with that,  she soon began thanking dalia for babysitting every day.  they had inherited a very happy arrangement- dalia babysitting days and kindin had her beloved baby in bed every night.  time passed and kindin soon forgot about claire but dalia did not forget about 'kindin's baby'.  in spite of at least 8 other babies in her possession, dalia always preferred 'kindin's baby'.  she even boldly renamed her 'polkadot baby' when she sensed kindin's lack of care and concern!  claire has essentially been adopted to dalia as polkadot baby and dalia couldn't be happier.  she coos to her and cuddles with her.  she tries to help her walk.  she reads to her and she even reprimands her.  when dalia's upset, the easiest way to redirect her is to ask about polkadot baby.

   
 but she never asks to sleep with polkadot baby- it appears some happy arrangements die hard!

the great niobium experiment

Nb: I really enjoyed the periodic table in middle school but, in all of my memorizing, I have no recollection of niobium.  once unknown to me, niobium is now a hot commodity (or should I say element?) in the parry household.  it all started with a few unsuccessful trials with a variety of different earrings (we'll call them 'variables').   kindin's ears never truly accepted her white gold starter set and reacted more severely to her second, third, and fourth sets of varying compositions.  after hours of wiki/ yahoo/ google fact-checking and consultations with the experts at claire's  (I know- extremely calculated deduction methods), it sounds like kindin is not only allergic to nickel and some metals but alloys in general.  and although the obvious, immediate answer is purchasing high karat gold earrings- have you ever price checked that?  and have you ever tried to find a pair congruent with 7 yr. old tastes?  there had to be another answer to kindin's ear sensitivities.  so, I 'researched' (translated loosely) and nobium emerged as a fairly easy answer to her troubles.  (aside from being able to step into target and just buy earrings at a reasonable price like any normal person! note: scientific sarcasm)  i will say my bibliography heavily sources a miss Maggie from an unknown town in florida but she seemed to know what she was talking about.  so, a hopeful mother (ahem scientist) wanting to increase her sad little girl's chance of success with earrings, sent $53 to an unknown niobium artist.  kindin squealed for joy when Maggie's creations appeared in the mailbox; her 'wear earrings again' claim was tested immediately.  and within days, the oozing, discomfort, and itching stopped!  In fact, the subject reports that she doesn't even feel like she has earrings in.  the great niobium experiment appears to have really worked!