Saturday 30 April 2011

I don't know, but let's find out.

This is to honour every teacher, parent, mentor or meaningful adult who ever told a child that their questions weren't stupid.

I had such a teacher in high school, Nick. He remains a great friend of mine to this day. First teacher ever to tell me that my natural inquisitiveness was a quality rather than an annoyance.

Sometimes things pop into my head, or someone asks me a question and I can't rest until I know. The entire Encyclopedia Britanica used to be housed in my bedroom but it was much to search through.

One that bothered me for months was " There is a plane flying over when a volcano erupts & it is heard on the plane. If you are flying the speed of sound over an area where a siasmic event occurs that is heard 100 miles away, will you hear that for 100 miles?"

But, I like tapioca. So one day I asked my mother what tapioca WAS? Like seriously what IS tapioca? She said wow, well, I think it's a starch?? Look at the box.

I looked at the box and it said , Ingredients: Tapioca.

Pissed me off royally, I couldn't find one person who knew what Tapioca was...Enter the internet, stage Wisconsin, (Brand spanking new) at our brand spanking new company. Dispatcher guy bragging that " I can find out anything about anything in the world, right here just by typing in this box"

So up I piped with "Okay, what is Tapioca?" And he just froze. He was like wow?! What IS Tapioca? Then he typed it in & VOILA! 

Today the "What is Tapioca Crown 2011" goes to Hannah, for asking me "What is Iodine"

I tell my kids they are always free to ask questions and if I don't know (which I often don't) I say "I don't know, but let's find out"
I often hear parents complain that parenting is a thankless job, that it isn't rewarded. Sometimes I also get frustrated, I admit. It certainly isn't a renumerated employment if you use a monetary scale.

Parenting rewards come through our children's successes, their achievments and sometimes you get the most heart-swelling instant rewards. I got one of those today.
Was telling the kids about a friend's experience with her son which made me giggle. As it happens, this friend's son is also named Isaac and is the same age as our Isaac and also has autism.

Noah asked me about the friend, if she was also similar to me in any way?

I said " No, no clearly she is nothing like me, she's educated and is an artist, while I am not artistic."

Noah said "Well Mom. You paint with words. So ya, you are an artist."

Need I say how flattered I was by such a statement?
That and their accomplishments are all the salary I need to make any sacrifice worthwhile.

Something to call to mind when they are bickering and driving me bonkers.

Friday 22 April 2011

Now you see it, now you don't.

I feed whole peanuts to the blue jays in winter. Every morning I open the office window and put a few on the sill and within minutes they're gone. If I forget, the  jays come to the kitchen window and yell "hey, hey" at me.

So last week I figured I'll put out the last all in one shot--picked up the bag and lo & behold it was lighter than the day before..looked the bag over and found it had 2 holes chewed in it...uh-oh.

Last evening I was sitting reading in my solarium and a movement caught my eye. Sure enough, a mouse scuttled behind my philodendron. I called Hannah to come see.."look behind that plant" She moved the pot slightly and out runs Mickey. He ran under the heat register. I jumped into the kitchen, grabbed a plastic container and waited at the other end of the heater, Hannah shooed him from her end and he ran right into the container and right back out again, into the dining room and behind the china cabinet. By then we'd drawn a crowd.

Noah kneeling in front of the cabinet, Isaac standing back a few feet.
Again Hannah shooed him out and he ran again directly into my container, I slapped my clog on top quickly but it was too small and he jumped out of the only tiny space..right to the floor and right under Noah, well...HE JUMPED AND SQUEALED LIKE A GIRL !

Our furry little friend ran across the floor and behind the piano, marvelous, the only 500 lb piece of furniture in the room!

Meanwhile Noah's asking me," what are you gonna do with him Mom if you catch him?"

"I'm going to flush him down the toilet"

Well can you imagine the fuss? "Oh no you're not, there is no way i'll let you do that i'll catch him myself and put him outside, better he freeze or starve than to suffer a death by drowning, that's the worst way in the world to die"

So Mahatma goes in the basement and gets himself some work gloves.

I manage to push the piano a foot away from the wall, making a lovely scratch on the floor , grr. I say to Noah, "look, see his tail peeking out? grab him by his tail"

The movement makes Mickey turn and high tail it right straight into my container and right back out again. Then he disappears.

Hannah and I took advantage of the chance to dust and vacuum behind the piano.

This morning there is one dead mouse in the trap *insert smiley face here* but he must be disposed of before Gandhi is up. By the way afterward he claimed not to have screamed.  Isaac said "yeah you did, screamed like a girl." Noah said, well he ran over my bare foot. *shiver*

My Mom: You never have one mouse. If you have one mouse you have many.

Friday 15 April 2011

I'm innocent, I swear.

Am making Hannah's Birthday cake today and it reminds me of this great story my mom told me.

Mom belonged to the Presbyterian Women's group & every month they took turns baking a cake for everyone in that month who had a birthday. They'd have one special Sunday a month when there was a potluck lunch after church with the cake to celebrate those people born in that month.
So one year when my brother was almost 3 Mom had the responsibility to make August's cake.
Sunday morning after breakfast she got ready for church & came back into her kitchen to pick up her beautiful 3 layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and to her utter horror the entire center of the cake was missing! She could see the little- handed scoop shapes & a trail of crumbs...
She followed the trail of crumbs, out of the kitchen, up the stairs, down the hall to the boys' bedroom closet. She opened the closet door & there sat Tim. Face covered in chocolate frosting, fingers licked but still full of icing & crumbs.
She said "Tim, did you touch the cake"
And with an innocent chocolate incrusted grin he said "No, I swear I didn't"
His Birthday is in August & Presbyterians are pretty forgiving.

Wednesday 13 April 2011

Edible Pens,Headshake.

The kids are watching The Daily Planet. There was a segment on "edible pens", similar to candy necklaces..but you can write with them & as you are thinking I guess, you chew the end.
I said "oh candy necklaces rocked!" (remember, Estelle? lol)
And Noah said this: "Ya, but DUDE..."
Dude? Dude? did my son just call me Dude? Not even Dudette, but Dude.
..."these rock more than candy necklaces, you can eat the pen & the ink"...
Yes but did you just call me dude?
Noah, Dude, we don't call our mom Dude. nuff said.
Daily Planet is done, now they are back to fighting again.

Quote of the day, from my mom: They were fighting, so I threw them out into the snowbank.
 (I like her thinking)

Friday 8 April 2011

Rites of Passage.

It's all over but the crow's feet & the grandchildren now. My big lad went to his first dance tonight. His dad gave him a lift, just to be sure he was 'locked & loaded' in at the school, but I insisted he walk home by curfew, I wanted to A: allow him that feeling of freedom, while B: seeing if he'd come straight home & respect that freedom.
His dad was worried but I said "total wallflower" again I could cite A's & B's..for starters, I knew the music would not be to his taste and that he's so totally shy that he'd not ask a girl for a grinder no matter how badly he may have wanted to.
My prediction proved right. While he enjoyed himself , spending all his pocket change on pop & snacks, he said wistfully " my friend slow-danced with a girl" 
Do any of you remember Kevin? From the Wonder Years?
Well, I guess Winnie got away this time.
Still, I might begin knitting tiny booties & sweaters sooner rather than later.

Tuesday 5 April 2011

Orthodonty, Food, Math.

What do math, orthodontic treatments & food all have in common? Our day.

Orthodontics.
Noah had his impressions for retainer today & hopefully the braces come off in 6 weeks..but he's got some wicked pulling action going on in between -- just to lessen some gaps, create other gaps..extra mega strong elastics. Doubled up to boot. He rarely has complained or needed tylenol, but today he did.

Food:
 Said it was too painful to eat...O wait, Penne with Italian Sausage? That's quite soft, i'll manage that. He 'managed' 3 plates.

Math:
 $5500.00 (what I paid for his treatments)
 Multiplied  by 3 ,soon to be 5, years driving him for appointments.
 Add in physical appearance allowance + deprivation of accidental face fall resulting in breaking off all front teeth.
Add in the multitude of Big Mac's he "had to eat now cause who knows if I will be able to eat after we get home"
Add the tutoring for missed school days (go ahead & add in my mental anguish at his report card)
Add n my cleaning up of the tweensiest elastics EVER , off the floor/bathroom counter daily.
Minus he having inherited this jawline & those teeth from me.

Equals:
I'm not great at math, but I still think when he's a 'famous rock star' he owes me an island.