That time of the month

Do 6 year olds go through PMS? I think mine does and it is that time of the month.

Yesterday was Mother’s Day and the kids got me roses and AWESOME talking cards that I’m going to keep forever!!! For all of eternity I’ll get to hear their little voices telling me how much they love me. I can’t wait to get them back out and let them hear themselves in 10 years. Anyway, so all that was great! But Bailey was being obnoxious. I had to have a talk with her about the correct way to behave or we wouldn’t finish the celebration. She straightened up. We went to the movie (which my son wouldn’t sit by me during, kinda hurt my feelings) and then got her hair cut.

Adorable, no?

All was well on the attitude front, so I guess I should have known it was going to get rough soon. It started at supper. Due to the overwhelming amount of candy they ate at the movie, they weren’t overly hungry. But for that exact reason, I was going to make them eat most of their supper. No way I was going to let them live on junk for the night. So she was getting pissy about that but it wasn’t unbearable. Bath-time even went smoothly. She started the ‘tude when it was time to get out. At that point it wasn’t an angry ‘tude, it was an “I’m going to be obnoxious and annoy Mom” ‘tude. But after I dried her hair and she went to get pajamas on all hell broke loose. It was a melt-down of massive proportions…all because her hair was falling in her face. When Bailey goes into melt-down mode, there is not a thing anyone can do (other than giving her exactly what she demands and I’m not doing that) to make her listen.

When Bailey goes into melt-down mode, it makes me just want to curl up in a ball and cry. It makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong as a parent that she reacts to things that way. And maybe there is nothing I can do to teach her it’s not worth getting that worked up over…but it kills me that I can’t do anything. I know how it feels to be that aggravated over things. It sucks and I can’t do anything to make her feel better.

Then there is Michael. He is such a great kid. But sometimes he just doesn’t take other people’s feelings into account. And he doesn’t let others know what is going on with him. Yet again, probably a personality trait but I wish I could make him see that its ok to share and you really need to think about how your actions affect other people. *shrugs* I definitely don’t feel like I’m very good at molding young people into well-adjusted adults. It is my worst fear that I might screw them up permanently.

Babies

Bailey is obsessed with babies. She always has been. I have a 6 year old who I feel I need to have the birds & bees talk with to make sure she doesn’t run out and hook up with someone just to have a baby.

This year is the year that Michael will get told about the biology…I’m not sure that is the right way of putting it…anyway, he gets told about girl parts and boy parts and how they work together to make babies. It is our way of easing him into the sex talk in a couple of years (and yes, I watch too much Oprah). Anyway, after this morning’s conversation over breakfast I am starting to question if I should have that talk with Bailey…4 years earlier than planned.

The question of the morning was, “Mom, how did we get out of your tummy when we were babies?” Since each of them got out in their own special way, I got to explain both vaginal and cesarean section births to my 6 year old (the 10 year old was there too and listening rather intently). She was utterly entranced. Like, totally GLUED to every word I had to say. It was DISTURBING!!!

The highlight of the conversation for me was that she found it very funny that Michael had a big head. And, in turn, Michael found it very funny that Bailey was too stubborn to come out on her own.

Letters to God

I just received this email from Tony:

do you have god’s mailing address? Bailey made god a card and she want’s to make sure he gets it.

Oh, that is classic Bailey.

Excitement

Goodness, it is an exciting day!

First, my glasses came in much quicker than anticipated.

Woo woo!

After 4 days I think the children are finally well enough to be re-introduced to the outside world (they had the flu).

Then Bailey finally got her front tooth out (after a week of wiggling).

I love toothless grins.

And now I got my Google Voice invite!!!! What a day!!

Teachers

Its getting so frustrating listening to everyone tell me there is nothing wrong with Bailey, she just should have waited to go to school. I don’t think that is the problem and I will keep telling them I think there is something else going on. But it is wearing on me. I was happy at today’s SIT meeting her teacher spoke up after one of the other ladies (I don’t remember who she was) said, “It sounds like she would be doing great if she were in Kindergarten this year.” I didn’t agree with that statement but I don’t have a lot of credit as a mother. Then her teacher spoke up and said, “I think she would be struggling even if she was in Kindergarten.” I felt much better. The things Bailey has problems with just don’t fit with not being mature enough…at least not in my eyes. Then again, I’m not an expert on child development. The girl knows something one minute and not the next. She can read a word without sounding it out on one page and then not have a clue what it is on the next. She can sound a word out, read it 3 times on the same page, turn the page and have to re-sound it out again. Every time a page turns its like it wipes her memory. She does a great job sounding things out one day and the next she will struggle to come up with what any of the letters say. It’s like playing the lottery.

I just need to figure out her pattern. I need to figure out what she is looking for and then I can help. She has come a really long way in the past 6 months yet they look at me like I’m crazy for listening to they only advice I had all summer and that was from her summer school teachers who couldn’t believe she was recommended for retention. Well, if they thought she was doing wonderfully with Kindergarten summer school and couldn’t understand why she would need to be retained, I wasn’t going to argue with them. Especially since Bailey desperately didn’t want to stay in Kindergarten.

I just feel like I can’t win for losing.

Pools and Teeth

It’s been a rather productive month in Baileyland. I guess she figured she would be turning 6 soon so she better get her butt in gear. About 3 weeks ago she finally started putting her head in the water (something we have been trying to get her to do since she was 3). She claims her brother taught her how. I say whatever works. Then the next week he taught her to swim. The following is what Bailey classifies as swimming…

Then tonight she came running out of her room around 8:30 and stood in the living room doorway with this weird look on her face. She didn’t say anything. I about started to get after her to get back to her room until she showed us she was bleeding. She said she bit her blanket and her teeth started bleeding. Sure enough, after a little work, this is what she looks like now…

She lost her 2 bottom teeth within minutes of each other. She never once complained of them being loose up to losing them. It was all very sudden and not a tear was shed. She just sat and diligently worked at wiggling them out.

Summer Time

We put up the new pool (photos soon to follow) on Sunday. The kids got out of school on Tuesday. The pool got filled on Tuesday. The pool cover got ripped on Wednesday (by the kids). I’m really beginning to wonder where these kids get their manners and respect. If this is how I treat people and their property, I’m very sorry. I thought I was more respectful than that. *sighs* I honestly don’t know where I’ve went wrong. My son lies all the time. My daughter is mean most of the time. Neither of them respect their or our property or each other. But they are angels for everyone else.

They will be headed to grandma & grandpa’s house next week for Bible school. Then Bailey starts summer school on June 1st. She is very excited. I have a feeling that excitement will disappear as she realizes what summer school is. I just hope it will help her out, otherwise, I have a feeling I’m back to sending her to Kindergarten again. I’m trying to find out if we can have her tested for ADHD. I finally researched it for the differences between girls and boys who have it. No wonder I didn’t think she had it, it shows very differently in girls than it does in boys. All the little quizzes I filled out say there is a high likelihood she has it and should be checked. It does explain a lot if she does. If she doesn’t, I guess we will have to keep trying to figure out the problem, because I know there is one.

The Questionnaire

Paperwork has been filled out dealing with the holding back of Bailey in Kindergarten. I hope it doesn’t happen but if it will help then I will support it. I just know how much she wants to keep going.

More Reading

That reading trick worked so well, Bailey came in and was asking me about some words on the next few pages of the book. Score!!!

She Did It!

I tried the To-With-By method of reading with Bailey today. It worked!!! I’ll be curious to see how much she can remember tomorrow but she read a whole 3 pages (small pages) of “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell” today BY HERSELF (okay, all except 3 words)!!! I’m so excited!!!