September 08, 2004

Update on missing girl.

She has been found.
They didn't say much on the noon news, said they will do more on the 5pm news.
Apparently, she was hiding out at a friends house that her mom didn't know about somewhere over here near my hood.
Doing stupid teen stuff.
They did not issue an Amber alert because they weren't sure she was abducted or ran away.
It looks like she was pissed at her mom and didn't feel like going home.

September 08, 2004

Missing 13 year old Sarasota girl.

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office is requesting assistance in locating Casandra Pellegrini, DOB 9-30-90, 5'3", 115 lbs., with brown hair and brown eyes.

Casandra was last seen on Wednesday, September 1st, at approximately 3:30 p.m., by a family member, leaving her residence in the 2100 block of Worrington Street in Sarasota.

Casandra last spoke with her mother at approximately 7:15 p.m. the same day requesting to spend the night at a friend's house. Casandra's mother told her she could not spend the night and to return home. Casandra did not return home and her mother reported her missing to the Sheriff's office on September 2nd. Casandra is a Brookside Middle School student.

Investigators have been attempting to locate Casandra and are attempting to locate anyone who may have recently seen or heard from her.

A backpack belonging to Casandra was recovered on September 6th, from a small storage shed in the 2100 block of Hansen Street.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office at 941-861-4260 or Detective Toby Davis at 941-861-4922, or Crime Stoppers at 366-TIPS. Callers to the Crime Stoppers Tips Line will remain anonymous.

August 29, 2004

The kids and my sister went to

Adventure Island yesterday and had a blast.
I stayed at her house and took care of a few things.
While they were there, Mark somehow managed to get elbowed in the eye by someone on one of the slides and now has a huge shiner. It even got cut a little.
He is ok but it looks awful.
So I told him to tell his friends that that's the best shot the other guy got in..lol
They played all day and came home and were dead tired.

Everyone here is asleep now but me and I just can't sleep yet.
Too many things that I need to do tomorrow making it difficult to fall asleep tonight.
Don't you hate that?

August 29, 2004

Get ready for your close up.

The kids helped me clean the house and are now making action figure movies with my sisters camcorder.
Mark loves to make movies and direct and write scripts etc.
It's so funny how one day, he is a complete turd about doing his paid job and the next day, he's playing with his action figures and singing some operatic death song.
I'm not kidding either.
I caught him the other night.
I went in to tell him I was going outside for a few minutes and then it would be time for bed. Sebastian was already asleep and Heidi was coughing herself silly in her room.
I walked into his bedroom and was just about to tell him when I heard the singing. At first I thought it was the radio but then I realized it was him.
I turned to leave without laughing and getting caught and he turned around and caught me so he laughed all embarrassed and came charging at me.
We went outside and had a good laugh about it and he told me that he either wants to be a lawyer or a director like Tarantino.
Cool I said.
He has these great story lines and ideas and he writes them all down when I remind him too but for the most part, it's a huge elaborate storyline in his head with tea and singing and fighting and death and heroes and villains and just great stuff.
So they are in there today filming a great movie that will be sent off to grandparents and aunts and maybe a studio or two.

*note*
Googles bots should love all these words I used. It's not like I don't already get google search hits for moms and movies.

August 28, 2004

Mom stuff.

Apparently, the middle school is not interested in Box Tops for Education.
I have a huge bag full of box tops and campbell soup labels that I have been collecting since school let out last May. I'm debating what to do with them.
If you are a mom with kids younger than mine whose school still collects box tops, let me know in the comments. I'd be happy to divide my clippings every couple of months between 3 regular reading moms who wouldn't oppose giving out their snail mail address. Leave your name and interest in the clippings in the comments and I'll email you for your address.

Also, have you heard about Upromise? The way to save for college?
If not, go check it out and get started while your kids are still young. It takes the things you buy everyday and gives you a small percentage toward your kids future.
I found out about it so late but I still do it every time I shop and the money does add up. (especially with 2 boys eating me out of house and home)
You can get your family and friends to sign up under you as well and save even more.

*UPDATE* I have takers on the boxtops. Thank you.
I'll be posting later on from my sisters house. I have some stuff to do over there today.
Later days.

August 27, 2004

Don't talk about the money.

Sporty was talking about those new Old Navy commercials where the clothes have feel good molecules and the mowing the lawn is blowing the kids mind. Well, I wish we had clothes that did that because Mark is starting to need them.
He took on a lawn-mowing job that pays him $10 a cut and he enjoyed the money all summer and he still likes the money but man, is it a hassle to get him to go do it.
He argues, slams doors, stomps, pitches a fit and I told him if he wants to quit, then he needs to give the guy at least 2 weeks notice so he can hire someone else and he's all I don't want to quit and I'm all so go do it it's getting late.
And he starts complaining about how hard it is and I tell him well if you think I can or will pay for your Runescape membership, you're crazy.
He's all don't talk about the money and I'm all I will talk about the money cuz you sure do like having it and that is why you took this job so either go do it or tell the guy you quit. He pitched a fit for a few more minutes and then stomped off to mow the lawn.
If those Old Navy feel good molecule clothes exist and will make his mind blow to go give the lawn a haircut, then where do I buy him 20 pairs?

August 26, 2004

The cold strikes again.

The sneezing sniffling cold variety.
Sebastian had it and now Heidi and Mark came home sick with it too.
As sick as Mark is feeling, he helped Sebastian with his homework and is playing with him.
It's something to take note of because Mark loathes his brother most of the time now due to age, hormones and well, more hormones.
He has gotten about 5 inches taller in the last week I'd say.
They just grow up so quickly.
I still can't believe that he's 13.
I look back 13 years ago and can barely recall where I was living and what I was doing but I do know the best days back then were the days after I had him.
No mowing the lawn for him today. He needs his rest.
Lots of juice and some game playing from the couch.

August 17, 2004

Tired.

Crap am I tired.
I had a little trouble falling asleep last night so I went outside for a little bit and then Heidi came home with one of her friends and the 3 of us sat in the driveway talking until like 2am.
Shit. The time just zipped by I swear.
So that gave me 3 1/2 hours to sleep before I had to get the boys up.
Not good.
I was like dead waking them up. Thank the stars Mark just hears my alarm and gets up and takes care of his stuff.
Had the funniest talk with him last night but I can't share cuz he'll kill me but I will say that boys need something for pms too.
Like teen girls get midol or something right to help with cramps and bloat and bad moods.
Well, some scientist needs to invent a multi-vitamin for boys with mood enhancers, hair growth serum and just a touch of birth control thrown in there just for the hell of it.
The way some of these teen girls are dressing and behaving in regards to sex, I'd rather slip my son some birth control every morning in his corn flakes or Flintstones vitamins just to be on the safe side.
The hair growth serum so that the ones who haven't developed pit hair yet don't get made fun of in the locker room and the mood enhancers because boys can get just as fucking cranky and nasty as girls let me tell ya.
I have been shot the look of death more times than I thought my sweet baby boy was capable of. Doors have been slammed and fights broken out every 30 seconds between brothers.
And it's usually all over nothing or something as non-threatening as do your cats litter box.
I never said scrub the house from the rafters to the cement slab the house sits on. Oh no. I said scoop the poop of your big fat stubby fatty cat and you'd think that was like the end of the world. Doors slammed. Feet were stomped. Looks given.
So, any scientists reading this blog, if you haven't already thought of this and I can't for the life of me figure out why the hell you haven't, please invent a multi-vitamin for boys that has the things I mentioned or maybe slip it in some soda as an 'additive'.

August 15, 2004

Thirteen.

Mark turned 13 this morning at an ungodly hour. When he goes off to college my plan is to wake him up by phone at that hour. Today I let him sleep.
His plans for today include going to see Alien vs. Predator with his brother and his best friend Mikey and his big /best friend George. Having some wings and weenies of the nuclear variety and then coming home to eat the LOTR cake that it took me 6 different Publixs' to convince to make cuz they no longer 'offer' that cake.
My mom and dad already called to sing to him. I love it when they do that. Just when you think no one remembers your birthday, they call and start singing.
I had already given him his presents of a video game that he wanted and a Green Arrow action figure I found for a steal at the comic book store.

It's hard to believe that he was once this small and even smaller.

I swear he grew another 4 inches this week. He's almost as tall as me now.
He's such a great kid.
He's kind, caring, helpful, compassionate, smart, witty, snarky. I just love him to pieces.
Happy birthday to the kid who laughs with me, helps me, talks with me about anything. Throws fits when he thinks I'm gonna get mad and then it turns out to be something I can fix with a simple phone call to his best friends mom about his birthday plans and Charley trying to ruin it. When you're a kid going through emotional changes, it's all about you and I don't fault him for that. He really thought his birthday was gonna get ruined by the hurricane but even if it had hit us, he would have still had his birthday. We would have just done something different.
He's a wonderful kid.
Happy birthday Mark.
It's been great so far watching you grow up.

July 28, 2004

Just a week and a half to go.

The kids go back to school on August 9th and it isn't soon enough for me.
They have been pretty good over all this summer but the older they get, the more playing becomes rough housing.
It's a boy thing I'm told. Testosterone flowing, testing their muscles.
It's enough to drive a mom nuts.
Sis and I are going to go out this weekend and pick up their school supplies before the tax free week is over Sunday night.
I can get some free supplies so we are going to do that first and then go get the rest of it all.
Shoes, pants, shorts, notebooks, pens, pencils. Gah! It's so much stuff.
I nearly passed out when i saw Sebastian's list of things he needed.
Yay that he is in AOT but damn people, that list is like for a kid in college.
I am excited though that they will be going back.
No more mom I'm bored, mom he hit me, mom he touched me, mom he won't give back my *insert name of whatever oh so important object here*.
No, it will be peaceful again.
It will be quiet and I will be able to get things done without having to re-do it 10 minutes later.
I'll actually get to watch the noon news without someone telling me how boring it is or changing the channel because I was in the bathroom and they didn't think I'd notice.
I love school.

July 14, 2004

Sometimes, what I want to say

I don't say because there are people out there who think they are better parents than me and know what's best for my own kids than me.
Sometimes, my kids and I talk openly and frankly and laugh and make jokes and you would crack up too if you could be privy to any of these fun times but you can't because some people are asswipes who think they can raise my kids better.
I get emails telling me how wrong it is to let my 11 and almost 13 year old watch horror flicks while I'm in the room watching it with them. Sometimes I get emails telling me I let them stay up too late.
Sometimes I tell people to go fuck themselves.
Only sometimes.
I don't think I'm traumatizing my kids and I don't think I'm over-protecting them either.
I think they know more than kids their age but that's because I want them to have knowledge and not be afraid of the world around them and to be able to protect themselves in a battle of wits or how to save their own lives.
I allow free speech and for many parents, that is a hard thing to do.
I don't stifle their little voices which when allowed to express freely, are loud and booming and intelligent and witty and sarcastic and funny and thought provoking.
I allow them to be and treat them as the individuals they are.
But people have a problem with that.
It's really a shame too because Mark was hysterically funny last night and had Heidi and I in tears laughing until we couldn't breathe.
And yes, the subject matter was a bit rough and I'm sure my parents would have a heart attack hearing their cute little 13 year old grandson make up a new band name and a whole song using a referral hit from my stats.
It was classic and I so wanted to audblog it but I refrained and restrained and felt like a doormat for caving in to people who would have me raise my kids up in a church listening to fairy-tales and condemning me for being a single mother with the f-word on the tip of her tongue all the time.
I felt ashamed of myself this morning for not posting what I wanted to. For being fearful of hate mails and individuals with agendas.
I felt silenced this morning and it was only me who silenced it but deep down I knew that there are people who just sit and watch this blog and can't wait for me to say something that is un-motherly, un-american and not up to their parental standards.
I've met them before. I've had the hate mails and the trash talk on other blogs about my parenting skills.
Sometimes I tell them to go fuck themselves and what I really want to tell them is this, go fuck yourself. Get your nose out of my parenting and shove it up into your own.

What I want to say is that my kids get good grades and treat people as they want to be treated and they are helpful and kind and compassionate and loving and intelligent and funny and witty and sarcastic and terrific.
Yes. They are terrific. I love them to pieces and I'm thankful they can say to me whatever they want and they aren't afraid to be themselves and they don't hold back and they have opinions which differ from mine but they aren't afraid to say them.
I wish I was more open and free like them but I have learned my lesson with some people who think they are better than everyone else and I will keep the fun that we had last night all to myself.
Some of you don't deserve that much fun anyway.

July 04, 2004

Graduation pics. Finally.

Here they are.
Click to make them bigger.
It's just the good ones.

June 22, 2004

Gack.

The boys had this friend over all day and no, it isn't Mikey, some other kid and they were playing video games all day.
No big deal.
Good manners, polite.
But man oh man, did he smell.
I just kicked them out using the excuse that I want to watch the news, time to leave.
I swear, it was like the worst BO on the fucking planet.
He's about 12 and lives with his dad and his grandmother.
I think it's time they have the talk about hygiene with him.
I have the biggest headache from the smell.
gah.

June 16, 2004

Back in April I said that Sebastian

may be attending AOT, academy of technology.
In todays mail, his approval came.
He is going to AOT!!
We are so excited and proud.
Way to go little dude.

June 10, 2004

Pictures of you.

Took some pics of the kids yesterday.
They can be found here.

June 08, 2004

I need a digital with flash.

My kids are the coolest and crack me the fuck up all the damn time...lol
I'm going through these Cd's right, and I see the Hustle so I play it, pull out the earphone jack from the speakers and Sebastian and Mark get up and start doing the hustle. Perfectly.
bwahhahahaha! It was too cool.
I tried to snap a pic but no flash, no lights in the living-room cuz I like a dark house so no pic.
Oh well.

June 05, 2004

Marks report card just came in the mail.

He passed his FCATS with flying colors got an A, a B and 3 cs.
He got the A in reading but a C in language arts.
Hmmm.
That teacher who claims she brought him up a whole grade level and was so proud of herself for doing that, gave him a C.
Maybe it's cuz I bitched her out.
But I told her I really didn't care if she failed him because she failed to teach him the subject anyway.
Mikey said he got a C in her class too.
She didn't teach them the subject so I guess it was Cs for everyone!

June 02, 2004

The feel like dead people.

The boys have like this weird thing that they like me to do to their toes.
Pull 'em.
I pull their toes and they crack.
Sebastian's are the loudest and Marks, well, as cool as they are all cracking and popping like that, his feet are always cold and clammy.
Like they are the feet of dead people.

June 01, 2004

Cheebugar.

The boys and I have had a good day so far. We are not doing the cake thing until this weekend when his friend Bryan can sleep over.
We will be going to see HP3 and having pizza, cake and ice cream.
Sebastian got the books from my sister, a cool toy car that can be changed and stuff from Mark and I got him a gameboy link cable that he wanted and a new video game. I will also be the one dealing with 4 boys at the theater this weekend. Mikey is going with us.
Time to start charging that kid rent.
He got money from both sets of grands and his Aunty Heather and he will be going to Toys R Us at some point to buy something with it.
The boys are so different.
Give Mark money and he knows exactly what he wants, how much it costs and figures in the tax and everything.
Sebastian hems, haws, thinks, rethinks, questions, and thinks some more until you finally just tell him, that's it dude, 5 minutes to make up your mind and we are outta here whether you picked something or not.
He usually makes up his mind at that point but there was a time that he left without anything and pouted about it later.
They had been in there for over an hour and he still couldn't decide.
Smart, artistic, funny and cute, but as indecisive as a dog looking for a good spot to take a leak in a park with 20 fire hydrants.
Time to make his usual birthday dinner.
Cheeseburgers, tater tots and chips with french onion dip.
He's so easy to please.

June 01, 2004

Eleven!

It's a lovely eleven morning
I heard eleven worms yawning (yawn)
I saw eleven cows sleeping 'midst the buttercups
I said, How's the cottage cheese?
And they said, Oh, dry up!
Oh!

Eleven little birdies in the trees
Bright yellow beaks and pinky knees
Eleven chicks hatching
Eleven cats scratching
Eleven's the number for me

Eleven ducklings quacking
(quack-quack-quack)
Eleven pigs, lips smacking
One two three four five six
Seven eight nine ten eleven
Eleven's the number for me
Don't you see?
Eleven's the number for me!

Click for ultra cuteness size

Happy birthday Sebastian!

P.S. Rabbit rabbit!

May 26, 2004

Sebastian has updated his blog

and is feeling a bit scared about next year. Maybe you could go by and let him know it's going to be alright. Sebastians stuff.

I updated his look because he is so excited for the new Harry Potter. Have I told you that I love Blogskins for Blogger blogs? I do. I have done Marks, Sebastians and Heidis with their skins and they are so easy to do. He loves his new look.

May 25, 2004

Graduation was great!

It went really well. The kids were just great. I got pictures of his best friend and his teacher and his whole class.
It was really cool.
The principal was also retiring and her commencement speech was pretty cool even though she said it to a bunch of 5th graders.
Pay attention to what's going on in the world around you. Watch the news, learn your history because what is happening today is a reflection of what we did in our past.
When the kids were entering the cafeteria where it was going to be held, all the lower classes stood in the hallways with flags and banners and cheered them on as they entered. It was uplifting.
At first, I was seated with a bunch of cheering moms. How that happened I don't know but all they talked about was getting their Brittney's and Ashley's into cheering in middle school. Did I miss sign up? Have they been fitted for uniforms yet? Mam, is your daughter going into cheering?
I don't have a daughter and if I did, she wouldn't be going into cheering and her name wouldn't be Brittney.
I then went and sat with his class and took pictures for Mrs. Compton and a few other kids who had disposable cameras.
The twins who were in that goofy pic the other day, they were in suits today. They looked like little lawyers. These lawyers to be exact.
There was a little girl in his class named Bianca who I swear was a boy. Looks like a boy, dresses like a boy, has hair like a boy. Sebastian says no mom, that's Bianca. I told him to quit pulling my leg. So what does he do? He yells to her, "Hey Bianca, my mom thinks you're a boy!"
She laughed and said she just hates girly stuff and hears that all the time.
I still say it's a boy. Or maybe one of those girls that wants to be a boy like they talked about on Oprah a week ago.
They got their diplomas and sang a song and then it was time to leave.
I dropped Jo's camera off at her house because it is super expensive and I didn't want to hold onto it any longer than I needed to. I can't afford to replace it if it breaks. Eeek.
It said the memory card was full so I only got 10 pictures. Darn it.
Jo will know more when she gets home from work and then she can upload them and burn them for me. It may take day or 2 to get them from her and then I will post them.
We slowly walked home and Sebastian almost cried because this was it, it was over and he is going to miss his school so much.
Anyway, my bones hurt and I'm hungry.
I'll answer emails and stuff later on.
Later days.

May 25, 2004

Mark is off to his last day

and Sebastian and I are off to his graduation this morning.
He said he doesn't want to graduate.
Doesn't want to leave this teacher behind.
Doesn't want to grow up because when you grow up you have bills to pay.
When you're a kid, you get people to love you and take care of you and all you have to do is a few chores.
He was complaining last night about having to do the cat boxes.
Oh you should have heard him.
I stood in the doorway just listening and he didn't know I was there.
I hate doing the cat boxes. This sucks. Mom doesn't ever do the cat boxes. Just me and Mark. Mark doesn't do them nearly as much as I do them. Mark gets treated like a princess. Someone should arrest my mom.
He is so my child isn't he mom?
I need to finish getting ready.
Jo is lending me her camera for the day so I will get lots of pictures and post them after she uploads them for me.
He looks handsome today.
All grown up much to his disgust.

May 23, 2004

Some more pictures.

Here are just a few pictures from the other night at school and an updated really nice digital shot of Sebastians art.
Click for larger on all of them.
Sebastians painting has splotches on it but it is still amazing to me.

May 23, 2004

Two pictures.

The boys before we went into Sebastians media showcase the other night. It was about 90 degrees at 6:30. They were like hurry it up mom!
As always, click for bigger

And this was taken this morning.
A boy and his fat cat watching a movie together.
They lay like this all the time.

May 22, 2004

Last nights class show was good and sad.

It was sad because this teacher has taught this same group for 2 years, 4th and 5th grade and she is an excellent teacher.
The show was all the things they have done for the last 2 years. The field trips, the projects, their own power point presentations that they made. They sang, they did a few skits and made jokes.
It was cool. The last song was very sad and most of them were on the verge of tears.
They head into middle school next year and some of them won't be going to the same school.
Sebastian wants Mrs. Compton to come teach 6th grade. He is going to miss her so much.
I will upload pictures later on after we get them off my sisters camera.
Some great photos.
Right now, Sebastian is gone out with my sister and Mark and I are watching a movie.
Later days.

May 21, 2004

Wanna see his Harry Potter wand?

Sebastian made an HP wand. He found the stick and peeled it and then has been sanding it down. It is baby smooth. Now we just need to varnish it and stuff. He is very proud of his work.
To you it's just a stick.
To him it is a wand that he made and a lot of work. His little hands are all red from sanding. Got a few splinters too.

May 21, 2004

She's a crackpot and I told them that.

Every single issue I presented to her, all the things she has said and done, she answered me with a "That was not my intention. I love my students. I am a master educator."
And in front of the principal and vice principal, I told her that the road to hell is paved with the best intentions and she needs to see a shrink.
I listened to that nutball tell me that the students bring up all the issues and so I asked her if it is her practice of letting the students run the class and choose the lesson plan.
She said no but she answered their questions.
I asked her if she thought it was appropriate that she tell her students she tried to kill herself.
She said she told them about it so they could make good choices. Best intentions, yada yada.
I asked her if she felt qualified to be the sole support for a kid who is thinking about it and did she feel again, that it was appropriate to tell 12-13 year olds she tried to kill herself.
She didn't answer me.
I asked why she thought it was ok to tell 12-13 year olds that abortion is murder. That she told them her personal views on a controversial and heated subject.
She said she felt like she needed to tell them that so that maybe they would wait to have sex. (?)
I asked her if she had any medical training at all that would make her think it's alright to tell kids about some small green packet of some herbal supplement.
No.
So why are you giving out health and medical advice to 12-13 year olds without a license to practice medicine or a parents permission to "treat" their children.
I am a master educator.
Keep telling yourself that sweetie.
I then turned to the principal and the vice principal and told them that it is my opinion that over the summer, this teacher receive psychological help and also re-training on what subject she actually teaches.
I then told them that neither of my sons will ever have her for a teacher again and if she has any contact with my kids, I will ask for her removal.
I took notes the whole time. I showed her the photocopied page out of Marks agenda book where he wrote down her number after she told them to in the event they want to kill themselves. None of it phased her. It was like she felt everything she had said was perfectly valid.
I am a master educator.

May 19, 2004

My child is a Picasso.

This is a work of brilliance by Sebastian. I love this!
He says it is satan picasso style...lol
I just adore it. I need a frame for this. It's poster board size.
I just love it.

May 19, 2004

Let the excuses begin.

I was trying to get back to sleep when the phone rang.
It was the school calling to ask to reschedule tomorrows meeting because the teacher has a prior engagement.
With what? Her attorney?
The meeting was cleared yesterday at 5:30 pm.
The teacher and the principal agreed on this time and now, a prior engagement.
Makes me wonder.
I now have to go friday morning at 10 am instead.
Gives me more time to read through all these papers I guess but it also leaves me with the weekend to not be able to contact the ACLU should the need arise.

May 18, 2004

The school saga continues.

The principal called me around 5:30 and we now have a meeting set up between myself, Mrs. Todd and the principal for thursday morning at 10am.
This should be interesting.
My sister seems to think that I should call the ACLU and that I have a case against the teacher and the school.
I'll let you all decide.
I have compiled my notes from this year and am printing it up to take with me for the meeting.
They are in the extended entry.
Please keep in mind as you read this list, that this teacher is supposed to teach language arts which is poetry, english, reading, writing, the english language etc.

May 18, 2004

I said fuck it.

And called the superintendents office and spoke to the head of the middle schools and gave them all the necessary information and they have assured me that this will be dealt with.
I just can't sit by and hope that something gets done about her.
I know my kids won't have to deal with her again, I can request that but this woman, in my opinion, has a mental problem.
I know times have changed and kids have so much to deal with like suicide and dieting but I don't think it's her job.
They had health class and sex ed.
I had a teacher in high school, Mr. Lachance who was by far the best teacher anyone could have ever asked for.
I only had him for study hall but just hang with me a moment.
Mr. Lachance had interesting study halls.
For those who wanted to participate in discussions, they could and those who didn't could just work on whatever without making disruptions.
Everyday he would open the floor to a topic of our choosing and he would moderate it. He would never offer his opinion on anything but simply keep us from arguing or yelling and occasionally, he would ask a question of both opposing sides.
We would talk about religion, sex, drugs, whatever. He would allow us the freedom to talk freely in an environment where we would not get in trouble for our opinions. The school frowned heavily on some subjects but he never told on us.
He would simply listen and ask questions and like I said, keep us from getting too heated.
I asked him at the end of the year what he thought about god because that was always a subject our group would come back to time and time again and he never once shared what he thought.
He said it wasn't his place to discuss his beliefs with me and that I should find myself.
In my yearbook, he signed it, "I hope you find yourself. Keep looking. Mr. L."
He encouraged free thinking.
I have always remembered that and appreciated him for not pushing his own thoughts onto us.
I admired him for being free and allowing us to be free.
A good teacher does just that.
Allows the student to be a free thinker and find themselves and not be forced to follow any one set of rules but to find their own life path and follow it where ever it may lead.
I did have other teachers who were pushy and obnoxious and never allowed for open discussions but they sucked.
They never allowed questions to be raised or for talks on any subject.
This teacher is one of those. Constantly oppressing her students with her ideologies and not allowing room for anything other than what matters to her.
A good teacher allows for freedom of choice and decision making.
Teach the subject but allow for students to be themselves.
This wasn't even her subject and I guess that's why it irritated me so much.
She had no business bringing any of these things to the table to begin with.
Mr. Lachance let us bring them to the table and he simply listened and allowed us to think for ourselves.

May 17, 2004

Email just sent to the school.

Hello Mrs. Rector,

My name is Kathleen Cooper. I have contacted the school several times about Mrs. Todds conversations with her students. The year is almost over, thank goodness because her personal opinions on subjects which she has no business discussing with students has crossed a new line today.

Today, she told my sons 7th grade class that "abortion is wrong to take a human life. It would be like me murdering you right now. You should not have pre-marital sex. You should wait until you are married".

This and other subjects she has talked about are not for her to talk to children about at such a young age. They are very impressionable and her opinions do not match what values families may have in their homes.

Mrs. Rector, I implore you and the principal to do something about Mrs. Todds behavior and sharing her personal opinions with her students.

She has discussed suicide giving out her home number to her students, my own personal health problems and giving my son her home number to give to me because laughter and positive thinking can heal my scoliosis, diets such as eating soy and drinking cod liver oil but not apples or bananas because they contain too much sugar. When Mark started school, I was under the impression that she taught language arts, not health or sex education.

I told you on the phone the day we spoke, May 4th 2004, all of the things I wrote about above but the abortion subject is new. I also told you that next year I would have both my sons at Brookside middle school and this behavior will not be tolerated next year at all.

If either of my sons has her for a teacher in the coming year/s and she discusses her personal religious or health or abortion opinions again, I will go to the school board and ask for her removal. I have documented everything Mark has told me this year and also asked a few of his friends if the things she discusses are true and they have said yes. This is unacceptable.

Please take care of this matter and please contact me at xxx-xxxx or email me and let me know what steps if any the school will be taking to rectify this.

Thank you.

Kathleen Cooper

*Update in extended entry*

May 14, 2004

The sound of silence.

Neither of my boys are home.
Mark has been going to Mikey's almost every afternoon because he is growing up and wanting to be away from me and Sebastian loves to stay afterschool with his teacher and do more work.
Ms. Compton is the most dedicated teacher on the frigging planet.
She goes in early and stays late every single day to help kids with their work.
Having trouble with fractions? Come see me afterschool.
Every day.
I need to think of something nice to do for her for the end of the year as a thank you.
She goes above and beyond in my opinion and has helped Sebastian so much.
He is achieving his academic goals because of her.
He has a speech problem in case you didn't know.
He has always had a problem with s's and r's and has been in speech therapy since kindergarten.
Every year the school sends me a letter letting me know he can get a scholarship to a special needs school in town because his speech labels him disabled.
Every year I turn it down.
He is not disabled.
He just needs to slow down when he talks and then the words form perfect. He just likes to talk a lot and fast.
He gets A's and B's because of this teacher and next year he won't have her anymore. That's going to be tough on him. All her extra attention on her students is not what they get in middle school.
I don't have money to buy her a gift so I was thinking of baking something.
Any suggestions?
School gets out on the 25th.

May 13, 2004

Sebastian used to be a screamer.

Imagine that?
He was the only kid on the planet who would scream when you took him to McDonald's.
I'm not kidding.
You'd drive past it and he would freak out.
Gram and aunty Heather would take the boys for a weekend and take them to Mcds on the long ride home and Mark would love it, be happy as a clam in mud but not Sebastian.
Oh hell no.
That boy would kick and scream and holler like you were murdering him.
Heather would have to take him out to the car and sit with him while Gram and Mark finished eating.
Mark still calls him a brat over that.
'You brat!' He would scream at Sebastian. 'Just shut up!'
He would scream if we went for ice cream too.

May 12, 2004

There was this one time

when I had to go grocery shopping. Mark was around 3-4 I guess.
Sebastian was in my moms cart with her.
Mark kept asking for stuff like toys and I kept saying no.
Well, the little bugger finally had had enough of me saying no and started yelling to the whole store at full lung capacity, that I was not his mommy.
Help help! She's not my mommy.
People were looking and store clerks were getting managers.
I had to explain that he was just angry. I had to go through my wallet and get pictures and IDs and tell them my mother was in the store with my other child.
I thought I was going to get arrested.
It was horrifying at the time but hysterical now.
Just reminiscing.

May 08, 2004

Sebastian asked me what the flower was I have on my desk.

I told him it's the flower pen Mark made me for mothers day tomorrow.
He said he didn't get me anything.
I said don't worry about it.
It's not about getting things.
He started to look a little sad and said again that he didn't get me anything so I told him to just be extra good.
He said he couldn't do that.

I love him.

May 07, 2004

Someone told me today

that someone should write a book on how to make life with kids easier.
They have.
It's called Simplify your life with kids.
This book was given to me by my sister and I hemmed and hawed because no one was gonna tell me how to be a mom and how to do anything.
I hate authority!
I hate being told what to do!
But you know what?
This book laid it all out.
I didn't have to do it all.
I could take time for myself and I could set rules and I could ask for help.
And no, it isn't always rosy but after reading this book, I didn't have those days where I wanted to give up anymore.
In the beginning of my single momdom, it was brutally hard.
Sucky hard.
But this book just made it clear and easy and I had one of those aha moments you hear about.
Aha, it was all too easy to get in a groove.
"anyone who has never had a day where they say "I just don't feel like it today" is either not being honest with themselves or really and truly should write a parenting book so the rest of us can know how to feel that way and never be overwhelmed or think it was hard."

I used to have those days where I didn't feel like it and there is a book.
Here it is.
I don't have those days anymore.
Things run smoothly for the most part.
I don't want to throw my hands up.
I don't want to quit or take a day off.
And I'm always honest with myself.
And you.

May 06, 2004

So Mark didn't come home from school today.

No, he didn't run away.
He went to Mikeys house afterschool and called me from there to say where he was.
Then he called me a few minutes ago and asked to sleep over there tonight and he will go to school with Mikey in the morning.
As much as I wanted to say no, I said yes because I just feel like I have to loosen the rope a little bit and start letting him hang out more with his friends.
I don't want to.
I want to keep them home and safe with me always but I have to let them grow up and live and be their own persons.
I know it's a school night but his parents are home and they are going to take them to school in the morning.
I have to trust.
I have to let him go just a little bit.
Why do they have to grow up at all?
I know some moms have recently said that as much as they love their kids, they sometimes hate the job.
They say it's ok to admit that they hate the job.
I love the job.
I love being a mom.
I always have.
Not once have I ever uttered to anyone that I regret them or being their mom or hating the job of being a mom.
Not for even one day.
I haven't liked being puked on or peed on but I've never hated it.
We all need breaks from time to time to just be a woman and hang with other adults but never have I hated the job.
Never.
I want them to stay with me always.

Why so mushy Kat?
I'll explain later.

May 04, 2004

Thank god the school year is almost over.

Or a certain teacher would be getting her ass kicked.
Mark has a teacher who is supposed to teach language arts.
She doesn't.
Instead she tells kids her words of wisdom.

April 30, 2004

We went, we got meds, we bought tuna.

I bought about 6 cans of tuna because I'm out of cat food and cash.
Then my sis went and bought me cat food.
Now I have too much tuna.
Rainy day sandwich filling.
I took a pic of the boys on our way to the store.
I don't get many pics of Mark because he is uh, well, teen-ish and hates the camera.
You can even see it in this pic.
Click for larger

The whole way to and from the store he kept asking if the camera was out.
I guess Mikey is coming over tonight.
Whatever falling out they had, it appears to be over.
So that's it.
That's my day.
Exciting isn't it?

April 29, 2004

Leaving for the docs soon.

Thank goodness too because he is starting to drive me crazy with wanting to itch it.
I have to keep yelling, don't touch it!
So it's definitely something.
Will let you know when we get back.
Later days.

April 27, 2004

Crapity crap.

Sebastians school just called.
They think he has pink eye or an allergy but it doesn't really matter which one as long as he sees a doctor ASAP.
Great.
Do you know how long it takes to get an appointment with a doctor on healthease?
Wait. If you have been reading here long enough you know it takes fucking forever!
I called the office for the kids doctor and the answering machine is on. Call back after 3.
They are at lunch.
Until 3?
So anyway, I didn't see anything wrong with his eye last night or this morning so whatever this is, it came on suddenly at school.
Shit.

April 21, 2004

Well at least the comic moms

have consequences for their kids.

Click for bigger or click the link.

April 20, 2004

What I've learned in the 5 years since Columbine.

I just found this interesting information. There have been more school related deaths this year than any other year previous.

Click for bigger view.

I have learned that not a whole lot has changed.
The schools have adopted zero tolerance policies.
They say they have a zero tolerance policy and have even adopted strict dress codes to keep everyone equal.
Is it working?
I will be using my own sons middle school for example.

April 16, 2004

I had to go up to Sebastian's school.

Well, not really.
He lied to get me to come up there.
Called me 6 times and said they needed volunteers for the Tiger Trot. Some jogging competition.
I walk the mile up there in complete agony and find out that I wasn't really needed.
I wanted to choke him to death.
He said some of the kids think that I am just too lazy to come to the class functions but I always go to the important ones like his DARE graduation, class plays and musicals and awards and the class breakfasts. Jogging in a circle was not something I thought was important to witness after all, it's jogging. In a circle. For an hour and 45 minutes. A who can run the most laps kind of thing.
I asked Sebastian why he cares what the other kids think of me if he knows the truth about my back and how hard it is to walk up there. He said he wanted to prove it to them.
Prove to them his mother is in pain.
How nice.
So now I have spent the rest of the day recuperating from that walk up and back just so the other kids could see my back.
I am the class freak show.

April 14, 2004

The teachers don't help.

So Mark got in trouble today for saying hell.
Some kid was saying all kinds of shit and cursing like a sailor in class and Mark said what the hell and the teacher caught him so mark got lonely lunch.
It's like time out for older kids.
You sit at a table by yourself near the teachers.
Everyone knows you're in lonely lunch.
I told him to just spend the time having a nice peaceful meal and thinking about stuff.
He said like what and I said, like more pictures that you drew the other day that pissed the teacher off.
A teacher got upset because Mark drew 2 matching pictures or themed pictures, during his free time near the end of class.
One is of the devil and it says come to hell and the other is a godish figure that says come to heaven.
There is nothing wrong with these images.
see for yourself.

Clickable for biggie size.

Now, was or is there anything wrong with these 2 pictures?
I don't see a problem but she told him he had to draw happy things.
Happy things?
Like rainbows and bunnies?
Does anyone honestly think that if a kid just draws rainbows and bunnies that they will grow up to be a happy, normal, well adjusted individual?
What about creativity? What about art and vision?
He got a lonely lunch for these 2 pictures.
A girl in his class was sent to the school psychologist today after turning in her poem on the broad subject of life.
That was the assignment, write a poem about life so this girl wrote a poem about suicide and it's effects.
They sent her to the school shrink.
She now has to spend time with a counselor every week to explore these feelings.
Did the teacher stop and actually read the poem or just assume the girl was going to off herself?
Maybe it was just a general poem. Maybe she knew someone who had.
I doubt any of us will really know because it's highly unlikely that girl is going to write anything serious for school again.
Write something that makes the teacher uncomfy, get sent to the shrink.
Draw something, get sent to lonely lunch for being offensive.

April 12, 2004

Sebastian may be attending AOT.

His teacher has put in a letter of recommendation for Sebastian to attend AOT (Academy of Technology) at middle school next school year.
She said that he is one of the brightest students in her class and is a fast learner and has even developed some new ways of getting things done on the computers at school.
What that means I don't know exactly but his teacher is very excited about it all and has written a glowing letter and sent it off to the middle school people so he has a better shot at getting in.
I know how smart he is with computers because he is always doing stuff at home on mine and the one they have all their games and stuff on.
He has written some power point stuff at school too from what she told me.
He writes stories and draws beautiful pictures (with the mouse!) on his comp.
I'm so proud of him for 'getting it' and hope he gets into AOT.
It is a highly detail oriented and advanced study classroom at the middle school here.
Keep your fingers crossed for him.
I hope they don't make us wait too long to find out of the students make it in.

March 23, 2004

A boy and his cat.

Click for bigger

That's Nova, the stubby tailed lucky to be alive kitty. It is his kitty. She is doing very well. The tail has healed and is growing fur again.
We did have to help it heal by removing the dead skin that was just flapping around all gross but once we did that, it healed up pronto.
She is still being a good kitty and hasn't peed anywhere but the box since.

March 23, 2004

Mark wore a dress shirt today.

I'm not saying anything at all.
He looked nice.
I just wondered what was up.
Sebastian has a field trip to of all places, the courthouse today.
I know lots of kids have never seen a judge in action and it will be a great learning experience but Sebastian already knows the ins and outs of how a case goes.
He could probably tell the teacher a few things about making a statement, doing a deposition, being sworn in, testifying and how long the actual process takes.
What are they going for there today?
Just what cases will they be witness to?
Juvenile criminals.
That means the JV justice guy won't be in his office today for me to call. I'll leave him a message and hopefully he can tell me what is up with the teen.
I'm going to try and call the DA who handled our case as well and see what, if any, preventive measures we can take to insure Sebastians safety now that asshole is out.

March 22, 2004

I forgot tell you all something.

The Teen™ who threw Sebastian last January and broke his arm, served his almost year.
He was supposed to serve a full year and then be on probation for 3 years.
He is out.
Back living at his moms.
Right around the fucking corner.

We have already had a kid or 2 tell us how pissed off he is at us for making him go to jail.
Excuse me?
Asshole teen, it was not us who put your ass in jail. It was YOU.
He (17) threw my son and broke his arm and Sebastian will be needing surgery later in life to correct the rotation problems from where it was broken.

I swear on my life that if that shithead who is now 18 and a half, touches my son or sons, I will break his fucking arm.
And his leg.
And his face.
Little fuck does not want to come near my property or my kids.
I don't care how well behaved he was in jail and got out early.
His mom is still being a bitch and gives us the look of death whenever she sees us.
The younger brother goes to school with Mark and practically rubbed it in Marks face that his brother was out.
I'll be rubbing faces in the pavement if that shithead touches my kids.

Original entry from 1-13-03 in the extended entry.