Leopard Spots

Christmas is Fancy and Other Musings From Kitten.

My work schedule has settled down slightly this week and Kitten and I have been spending the mornings together again. This is truly my most favorite time of the day. That and the precious moments I get to spend with Cub, but she's five going on forty so they are increasingly intellectual rather than sweet. 

Somehow, Kitten has gotten word that it is the Christmas season. This scares for two reasons.

1) I did not tell her it was Christmas. Where is this child getting her information and who is this person who will paying for all her presents she is asking for now that she knows what season it is? This. Is. Scandalous!

2) It is not quite Thanksgiving yet and she is already telling me it is Christmas. She is clearly on a retail schedule. Oh, dear I am concerned for her future vocation. Not that there is anything wrong with being in retail management, I just didn't realize she settled on her vocation at such a young age! 

Aside from being scared of my daughter's extensive knowledge of Christmas we having been musing about this wonderful time of year. 

We already have our advent calender hung on the fireplace. We have never done one before, but my aunt sent this wonderful calendar our way and the girls just can not wait to start using it! 

Christmas means Holiday movies. I don't know if any of you have caught wind of it, but Kitten likes her movies. And she loves her holiday movies. Especially Polar Express, she didn't stop watching that one until February of last year!

Christmas means winter, and winter means lazy days with Momma. We love us our lazy days. Cuddling and running only a couple errands. We don't even care about our field trips to the zoo anymore, mostly cause there aren't any dolphins. 

Winter means, school breaks and adding Cub to our lazy days. Just the three of us leopards, hanging out, being our silly selves! 

And lastly, 

Winter means hot chocolate and on our lazy days we make hot chocolate for lunch with marshmallows AND whipped cream. We hate to play favorites in this house and so we use both generously!

Just so you all know, that's fancy, as in marshmallows are fancy, which means winter is fancy, which means Christmas is fancy...

Just so you all are aware! 

Back to Reality

Today is going to be a busy day. 

As in I have a lot to catch up on, but absolutely no motivation to do so. 

There is a mountain of laundry to fold and a ton left to wash still.

I really need to run to the post office and mail some stuff and buy some stamps.

But I've already been out once this morning and there was frost on the ground...and it was cold (well, duh) and I don't like the cold and neither does the baby. I thought maybe this year she would start to get over it but on the first really cold morning of the season she was wandering around crying about how cold it was outside.

I'm not sure how to explain to her that crying and being outside in freezing temperatures is NOT a good combination!

Most upsetting this morning was that the battery in my remote start key fob died over the summer so we had to get in a cold car this morning. That was beyond uncool. And I'm still cold just thinking about it.

So I'll stay in the house today and I know I'll have a huge mess to clean up as the day goes by. 

The baby lost my camera just over two weeks ago. I've have not seen it since. It's somewhere in this house, at least I'm pretty sure. But I have looked high and low and cleaned and gutted. But have not found it.

I my last desperate attempt to find this thing, I am going to unleash the baby and let her make the mess of her dreams, hoping that the camera will magically unearth itself in the wake of her terror. 

That last sentence should be evidence that I have completely lost my mind. 

Did I mention it was cold out? And that I'm sure I'm entering the first stages of "brain freeze?" 

Tale of the Backpack...

Cub has backpack issues. 

But I think all kindergartners have backpack issues. 

At least that is what her teacher tells me and I hold that knowledge very near and dear to my heart. 

She will often leave items in her backpack for days at a time. Often times my drop off routine at school includes stern words to remind her to hand in her homework/folder or whatever in to her teacher and then a cheery, "I love you! Have a great day at school!" 

That child must be so confused. 

As one of the weekly folder stuffing moms I also know exactly what goes into Cub's folder every week. I have, along with the other mom that volunteers have read through it all and discussed it as well. 

In short, I am very educated about what Cub is taking home from school and what she needs to bring back. 

Imagine my shock last Friday after school when I got a lecture from Cub about what I had LEFT in her backpack! I hadn't emptied it the night before, (although I somehow think I have discussed this as being her responsibility) and she just wanted to let me know! Her concern, ironically enough is that she wouldn't be able to give her teacher back what she needed to.

Never fear child, I know better than you!

Oh my, this is going to be a long school year! 

Oh no! The school called.

I was at my yearbook job this morning. And my phone rang. I looked at the number.

Crap.

It was Cub's school.

And I missed that call!

Thinking to myself. Child is not sick, they haven't done their gym, PE or recess yet. Hmmm. I am supposed to volunteer there today, but that would seem kind of odd.

Yeah, I was a little freaked out.

But it turned out to be just be Cub's special ed teacher.

Sadly, I have not yet talked to her special ed teacher. I know I should have talked to her right away in the school year when Cub started with her. But I have talked in detail about her IEP (Individual Education Plan) and we have really set her up for success, taking her to literally 4-5 appointments a week this summer. So really, it was a seamless transition, and things have been going well. So I just haven't gotten around to it.

Except, that Cub has been it Occupational Therapy all summer long and we had to quit because of appointment conflicts with school and because she is working with a special ed teacher every day.

And that was what the phone call was about.

Cub is still struggling with her writing. 

As I've volunteered every week, I have noticed that it is harder for her to form some letters and she's just not getting a couple done that she needs to get down.

So she will be working with an Occupation Therapis now in addition to her regular special ed. 

And that is good. I'm really quite excited that Cub is able to participate in regular school and be a "normal" kid and all that good stuff. Especially taking on something as challenging as an immersion environment! 

It really was my biggest fear with her going into kindergarten, that she wouldn't be able to participate in normal school. And she is and she is also doing so well at it. 

Except for handwriting. 

And it's not for lack of trying! Her teacher made sure that I knew what a joy she was to work with! Her exact words, "I don't get a 'greeting of the year' every day with any other kid, but as soon as I open her classroom door, she is so excited!" 

She went on to say that she tries so hard and is so motivated, she just needs to work on her grip and hand strength.

We are also down to only two appointments a week plus dance! I am hoping by the end of the year we will be completely done with appointments and only have fun extra-curricular activities like dance class!

My baby has come so far in the past year, and I am so excited that she seems to almost near the end!  

Morning and later this morning.

Cub is a morning child. I don't pretend to understand it, because I don't. I find, however, that I cherish the early mornings with her when Kitten is still sleeping. Cub calls it our "private time." I love that Kitten is as sound as a pound when I throw whatever on her to get Cub to school! Notice today's outfit. Under the sweater is her nightgown and she's been up for an entire five minutes. Our favorite part of the morning is after Cub goes to school and we spend ALL morning long willing ourselves to get dressed!

Pirate Undies

In a fit of panic tonight I realized that not only was I down to almost no diapers, but I was also out of cat food. Both necessities.

I keep hoping that Kitten will use the potty. She refuses. Have I blogged about this already?

Yeah, I know.

It probably won't get better.

She's hot and cold with it.

I hate changing diapers. And after her. No more diapers. EVER!

I'm a little excited.

With each trip to Target boutique, I hate buying diapers a little more. So I wait until the last minute in hopes that she'll instantly potty train. I am an optimist.

The cat. Well, he eats a lot.

One time, Grandma had to do a diaper run and bought by accident store brand boy training pants. I didn't notice until I opened the package.

The only difference seemed to be the design after a package read. They had pirates on them. Kitten loved them. She aarghed and called them "pirate undies."

I feel I never need to have a boy cause she is a tomboy. A REALLY girly tomboy.

Tomboys can be obsessed with dresses, shoes and hair products, right?

At Target Boutique, the diaper aisle was empty. EMPTY!!! What?!? Were diapers taken over by the federal reserve bank?!? Have babies been taking too many poops?

Clearly.

I found a really small package of size 4 diapers, and I got the pirate undies. I'll tell her she can only wear them if she promises to use the potty.

Yep, an eternal optimist.

Oh, the cat got his kibble as well.

Another Day Smarter

I heard somewhere that you should try to learn something new everyday. Today I have learned several new and useless (well, some have use) facts! I thought I would share! •Kitten is obsessed with Nim's Island. •Cub's feet are abnormally narrow. •Caution tape is not very visible from a block away. •I don't hold a pencil with that all important "tripod" grip. •An "S" is the hardest letter of the alphabet to learn how to write. •Cub can finally focus enough to have photos taken of her. •Kitten can't. •I still procastinate. •I'm procastinating right now. •Weatherbug's radar images refresh faster than weather.com. •Adult responsibilities often get in the way of having fun (but I already knew that). •It's raining out right now :( •Cub does not like trying on shoes. I'm off to let my mind wander more and let all these new things clink around in my head.

iPhone Blogging

Since I am inacapable of blogging on a regular basis, but completely
in love with my new phone. I'm going to try "moblogging," this being
the first entry I will be sending from my iPhone. Hopefully this will
work out well and I will be able to update on a more regular basis.
There are some days in which I don't even turn on my computer! Yet,
entries are always popping into my head! So this is my first entry
sent from my phone while I sit in bed watching a movie staring at my
turned off computer!

Sent from my iPhone