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September 16 Privacy, schmivacy...Ben's world is now bigger than me, Steve, and our two cats. Last year when I was updating this blog, it didn't seem that obvious, but this year, starting up again, so many of our stories involve his friends.
It's one thing to risk my kid's privacy by blogging about all his stories and posting his pictures. It's a whole nother thing to risk his friends.
So.... I will be investigating other options for this blog: password protecting, creating a new network, or moving it to another site. I'll keep you posted and send e-mails to my known readers. Until then, no pictures. I'll try to have something decided by the weekend. Good things come in pairs...As in friends.
Ben and JJ at the library. They spent time individually looking for books. Then, JJ wanted a book called Barfing in the Backseat, so Ben wanted a copy of it too. (Seriously, wouldn't you if you were a seven or eight year old boy?) JJ's dad searched the library and found not one, but TWO copies. He gave them to our boys then wandered off to help his daughter. Ben and JJ took their books to the children's section of our local library (which, really, is about half the entire library), found a cubicle with a table and a soft half-moon bench, then climbed over the bench and under the table to hide out in the little cave. There, they took turns reading pages from Barfing in the Backseat to each other.
And before you ask, yes, I took pictures. On my phone. Now I just have to figure out how to get those pics off my phone and on to my blog.
Ben and Elena at the house. The kids rode bikes outside while I did laundry inside. I kept peeking out the playroom window to check up on them. At one point, they asked if they could have a piece of candy. They ran inside, poked around the candy jar, then ran outside. I followed a few minutes later to check on them. Couldn't find 'em anywhere even tho their bikes were in the driveway. Just as I was about to yell, I heard giggling. From above me. The two kids had climbed the maple tree in our front yard and were just hanging, leaning against the branches, spying on folks and sucking on lollipops.
And, yes, I took pictures of that too. But not until after my neighbor Teresa drove by and pointed out what a Kodak moment that was!
September 15 How much do babies cost?Seriously. what do you do when your kid asks you something like that while walking to school?
Well. If you're me, you pause for a LOOOOOOONNNNNGG time while you try to figure out just what exactly your kid is asking. Then you say heck with it and just answer.
BEN: How much do babies cost?
MAMA: What? (wondering whether Ben wants us to buy a little brother or sister)
BEN: How much does it cost to have a baby?
MAMA: Uh...
MAMA: It can cost about $6000 to $10,000 to have a baby in the hospital. You have to pay for all the doctors and nurses who help you have a baby. You, of course, cost way more!
BEN: What if you don't have any money?
MAMA: Well, most people have something called insurance that helps pay for health costs. (Yes, I did spend some steps trying to decide whether this was a good time to discuss exactly what insurance is and whether I should go into the current debates. Then I passed. Not enough coffee in the world to take that topic on while walking to school.)
BEN: How much did you have to pay for me?
MAMA: Well, the 2nd time I was in the hospital, when you were born, it cost about $12,000. (It really did. The first time was another $10 or $12. Expensive little bugger.)
BEN: Bet it cost a lot to have Lakshmi.
MAMA: [Brain racheting racheting racheting... what is he talking about?] Who?
BEN: The girl who was born with four arms.
MAMA: Oh.
Seriously, that was like a full year ago! And it's not like we watch the news on TV. He probably just saw a picture on my screen when I was reading the news. And it stayed with him! That kid has the most amazing memory.
Until, of course, when I tell him to do something. Then he forgets it all in the time it takes me to turn my back.
September 12 First Soccer Game!Ben played his first soccer game of the season today. He did sooooo great!
The teams are four on four this year. 1 goalie and 3 players. Halves are 25 minutes long. Parents take turns acting as refs. Coaches are all volunteer.
Because of Ben's size (70 lbs, 4'5" tall, 97+% for his age), Coach has him playing defensively. Hang in the back, be the guy to get the ball when the forward players are bogged down. And he seems pretty good at it! This year we got to see him really getting into the game (including body checking two other players to get the ball. Unfortunately, one of them was on his own team...). He ran fast and hard and did a really good job watching the ball.
One of the boys made a goal and then followed the ball with his face. He hit HARD. New state law requires any player who gets a head injury to be pulled immediately from the game. That player is not allowed to play or practice again until he receives a doctor's note clearing him from any injury, including concussion.
This led to some interesting discussion in the car.
BEN: I'm really glad I didn't hit my head.
MAMA: Me, too.
BEN: I'm really glad I never had to have surgery either.
MAMA: Me, too.
BEN: At least, if I have to have surgery, I'm really glad it won't be on my wee-wee.
MAMA: ?? I'm glad you won't have surgery on your penis either.
(As a side note, we think Ben said this because he had a friend who did have to have surgery on his penis last year because of a botched circumcision. Otherwise, we're completely clueless!)
Steve took some pics. He may even be downstairs right now downloading them while Ben is taking a shower (it's HOT today. 95 degrees according to the car. Those boys were sweaty!). Will post them later once he's gotten them off his camera. He's using a crazy full-featured format that takes HUGE pictures and are just painfully slow to deal with on my WiFi connection.
September 11 Curriculum Night!Steve and I went to Curriculum Night last night. This is an opportunity for the principal to talk to us about his three-legged stool partnership: we all must work together to educate and raise our children. For school to be successful, children need us, their teachers and staff, and themselves, all working together to uphold the Peace Builder values of the school.
Many people skipped that part.
The way more interesting part was going to Ben's classroom and listening to his teacher, Mrs. McPerren, showing us what the kids will be learning this year. From memory:
Oh, and one other interesting thing: no one knows what to do about handwriting. How valuable is it? Both in neatness and cursive writing. Most adults go to a computer when they have to write anything much longer than a paragraph. The school and district will be doing some research to come up with something. I'm sure there was more and if I discover anything really interesting, I'll post it here. In the meantime, a Ben moment. Our playground ends at a big tall hill. The kids run up the hill and play up on the top of it. Just barely out of earshot and out of sight if they go in the woods, which they are not supposed to do. Ben and his friend Alex came running down from the hill covered in reddish streaks: on their faces, their hands and arms, everywhere. Turns out the kids found some blackberry brambles (I know, you can't throw a stick out here without it getting tangled in blackberry brambles). They had snack, and then wrote on themselves with the juice and then painted sticks so that it would look like blood. I just shake my head and say, "Boys." September 10 Ben needs me.That's right. Ben needs his Mama.
Yesterday, I dropped him off at school at 9:00. Didn't see him again until 6:15. His friend, Mrs. M, picked him up from school, took him home with her son and daughter. She gave them snack. She drove three boys and her daughter to a birthday party. Then took four boys (or half the team) and her daughter from the birthday party to soccer practice. She made sure all four of those boys changed into shorts, put on their shinguards, socks, and cleats, and had fresh water. Then she brought three boys (and her daughter) home.
I say, God bless friends like Mrs. M.
Ben says, "I never spent any time with you today and I didn't like it."
Then he sat on me. For an hour. OK, OK, maybe only 10 minutes but when a boy who weighs 70 pounds sits on your thigh with his bony butt, it feels like an hour.
And I'm not even exaggerating about the 70 pounds part. One Sad Languishing Blog Needs AttentionAnyone want to take over?
About a month ago, Grandmd and Grandpa visited. They left, as they must, but not before Ben broke down and cried like a... well... like a baby because he was afraid it would be a whole nother year before he saw his grandparents again. I don't know how that happened but we clearly must make sure it doesn't happen again. G-parents must be in Ben's life much more often.
That same month I heard from MANY people who all missed this blog and Ben's stories. I heard from 2 babysitters, 2 aunties, 2 grandparents, and 1 husband. Yeah, that's right, even Ben's dad, who lives with him, pointed out a few incidents in our lives that were "blog-worthy."
So, take two (or three or four) on providing stories of silliness, sarcasm, and survival.
Stay tuned.... |
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