Mad About Jaguar

While the kids enjoyed early afternoon naps yesterday, I enjoyed this week's episode of Mad Men.  I was sad that there wasn't a Betty Draper Diet Moment.  I really enjoy seeing her as a full figured gal who has turned to weight watchers! 

School's Out for Summer!

Wow, this year has flown right on by and we are at the end of the school year!  Can you believe it?  All I can say is HOORAY!  The kiddos aren't as excited as I am.  I guess it'll take a few years before the hysteria kicks in for them.  We don't have a super busy summer planned, no big vacays on our horizon.  The kids enjoyed spending time at Pennyrile last summer and I know Casey is looking forward to that again this year.  I want to start some kind of Summer Home School routine and have been searching the web far and wide for great, interesting ideas.  I've been grabbing art supplies at the Dollar Tree, too.  Nothing says fun like a messy art project!  But, for now, get caught up with us during the past couple weeks!

Are Those Turtles?

A couple Sundays ago, Casey and the kids headed off to Rural King, I can't remember for what.  And they came home with turtles!  No, they didn't find them at the store.  They found them on the road somewhere along the way.  (I'm just glad it wasn't snakes!)  And just how did they get them home?  They put them in the cat carrier in the back of the car!  Bet those poor turtles were extra traumatized after that car ride!  And who knew turtles enjoyed a wagon ride?  It's safe to say that as soon as those turtles could get away, they were GONE!

Teacher Appreciation, Preschool Graduation, and Legos

Did you thank your teachers the week of May 7th?  I know I missed the "specials" teachers, sorry guys, but I think I got all of the regular teachers. 

The Best Dollar I Ever Spent, and a DIY Red Hat

JT and I headed down to Fort Campbell and Clarksville the other day on a mission to get to Books a Million.  We had to kill some time and found our selves in the Dollar Tree.  I picked up those super cute explorer hats.  Those hats are a hard plastic, not like the flimsy ones I usually find for a buck.  We got them out at home and Patty promptly colored hers red with a dry erase marker.  She also added some artwork to the bedroom door.  Gotta remember to put those markers away. 

She's an Elephant, Taking his Temper-er, and She Lost a Tooth

So, you know how your kids can get into the biggest messes when you have your attention on something else?  Well, that's just what happened on night last week when Casey was working late.  We were actually having a good evening.  Supper was over, baths were over, and I think I was doing laundry.  Then, here comes Patty with black stuff all over her face!  JT had colored her face like an elephant, he explained.  He even polka dotted her legs!  All I can say is, thank goodness for eye makeup remover....and washable markers!

Partners in Advocacy: A Guide to the IDEA Process

A mother with a hearing impaired, six-year-old left a comment on my post Does My Child Need an Interpreter and I've had it on my mind since.  I wanted to make a reply immediately, but I also wanted to take time to think it over.  So, after a very long day and a mostly sleepless night, I am ready to write.

We're not just another ordinary family

We are the Cottons.  We are a family of four.  We are a military family.  We are a family with a son and a daughter.  We are a family with healthy, happy children.  We are a family affected by Special Education. 

Sometimes, You Just Have to Ruffle a Few Feathers

Oh, wow, it seems I have ruffled a few feathers with my blog post about the school board meeting.  I'm happy to see that two individuals took the time to comment on my ill-informed rant.  I'm really just happy two people read it!  If you were one of the two anonymous commenters, please head back to that post to read my replies.  If you hadn't cared enough to comment, I wouldn't have been told that the Licensed Educational Interpreter is for hearing impaired students.  Thank you for sharing that with me.  I wouldn't have known that the Special Ed CIAs who have been pink slipped, will be rehired later in the summer.  Do you know how scary it was, as a parent of a special needs student, to hear that the CIAs in the department designed to help my child were getting cut?  Thank you for giving me the hope that an appropriate number of staff will be provided to meet the needs of not just my child, but all of the students in special education next year.

What is a Perkins Grant?

I have been told, via a comment left by an anonymous source, that the MNHHS Greenhouse was funded by a Perkins Grant and that it was not financed by my "tax dollars".  My tax dollars were never a concern for me, by the way.  But, in the effort of being better informed, I did a little research into the Perkins Grant Program. 

Does my child need an Interpreter at school?

I couldn't stop thinking about the parent who left the comment telling me that the Licensed Educational Interpreter is for hearing impaired students.  If you read my original post, you can see that I never said our school system didn't need that person.  I simply said I wanted to know what that interpreter was for.  So, thank you, parent who commented telling me more about it.  But, it's the other things in your comment that have stuck with me this morning. 

The Board of Ed spent how much?

Oh my, if you haven't read it, you need to head over to SurfKY and read the summary of last night's Hopkins County Schools Board Meeting. 

Congratulations to Ms. Anita!

I was super happy to hear that my son's preschool teacher was honored by the Board of Ed on Monday night!  Ms. Anita was awarded the "Classroom of Excellence" distinction by the Kentucky Department of Education earlier this year.  In addition to a lovely certificate, she was awarded an iPad for her Classroom of Excellence!  You can read about it on the Board of Ed's website! 

Culinary Crafts, 4 new posts!

If you followed my couponing blog you already know that I have a friend, Leigh, who writes a column for SurfKY News called Culinary Crafts.  She also shares her column on her own blog by the same name!  I'm happy to see she has four new posts for our reading and drooling pleasure.  I should know by now not to read her blog on an empty stomach!  Be sure to head over and check out The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports, The Unsinkable, Would You Like Fries with That?, and PB&J Day.  I'm never sorry I stop by her website.  And I try to leave comments, because bloggers love comments!  Enjoy!

Mad for Mad Men

Any other Mad Men fans out there?  I just got around to watching Sunday night's episode and was tickled pink to spot Alexis Bleddel (aka. Rory Gilmore).  Not so crazy to see her getting frisky with Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser), though.  Gotta say he's not my favorite character on the show.  I'm pretty sure it's his hair, just don't like the hair.  But, I did make a startling discovery.  Vincent bears a remarkable resemblance to a Disney actor named Tommy Kirk.  You might have seen Tommy in Old Yeller or The Absent Minded Professor, or a ton of other Disney movies.  And to add to the interesting factor, I found out that Tommy was born in Louisville!  Yep, it's the little things that amuse me! 

Modified Recess

I happily received a call from Patty's doc at Vandy this afternoon and she had a really great idea for helping Patty navigate her recess time.  It was really quite simple.  Make a schedule to help Patty focus her playtime attention on the different areas of the playground.  A kind of to-do list for her time at recess.  Those folks at Vandy are so smart. 

Weekend Update

Hooray!  We got the living room sanded, primed, and painted all before bedtime last night!  Whew!  What a relief.  Casey even got the yard mowed!  We were able to cross almost everything off our weekend to-do list, and I am amazed! 

Weekend To-Do List

Seems do-able, doesn't it?

That Helpless Place

If you're a Facebook Friend, you may have read my status yesterday afternoon: 

Do u ever have days when u just feel so helpless u dont know what to do w/ yourself?

I'm having one of those days today.

Tune into the blog tomorrow for a full recap of my journey into the helpless place.

I wont be here for long, though.

I'm going to grab this situation with both hands & figure out how address it.

OUCH! That hurt!

Splashin' through the Mud and the Muck

You Need to Pick Up Your Toys!

I like to say our house looks like the toy bins have thrown up all over the place.  I mean, the toy baskets often go unused while the toys just spill out all over the floor.  And as the kids get bigger, the toys get smaller.  Is anyone else having the lego nightmare like we are?

In an effort to try and get my kids to be more cooperative in the cleaning up department, I tried giving them an ultimatum:  if I have to pick up your toys, I'm going to throw them away.  It sends Patty into a tear filled frenzy as she tries to pick up her beloved toys.  It makes me feel like a big 'ol meany.  To redeem myself, I help her pick everything up.  JT is a whole 'nother ball game, he will sit on the couch and proclaim, "Just throw them away, mom".  Did I mention he's four?  Not to be outsmarted, I get the trash bag and start to pickup, he joins me quickly not willing to try my bluff!

I'm pretty sure this is not what the doctor had in mind when she told us to practice "positive parenting".  My take on positive parenting is pretty simple.  Don't use words like don't, stop, quit, and no!  I'll be the first to admit, I don't get through the day without saying those words, usually I say them several times before bedtime.  But, I have been trying to add more positive things: "I like how you put your toys/shoes/backpack away."  Something else that I found works pretty well is "it makes me really happy when you put your toys/shoes/backpack away."

I got tickled the other day when JT said, "Daddy needs to pick up his tools before you get a trash bag and throw them away."  ;-}  We're redoing the drywall in our living room and things are a mess right now.  I guess it just goes to show that your kids do listen to you, even when they use what they've heard against you!

The Power of a Good Blog

As I mentioned before, I follow a lot of blogs.  I'm a self proclaimed blog-aholic.  I love them.  I can't get enough of them.  Blogland is a great place to visit if you've ever wondered how to make something or needed a gift idea for someone special.  I personally like to follow by email because it requires the least amount of effort on my part!  I just wake up every morning to an inbox full of messages from the blogs I love.  To help me keep up with just how many blogs I'm stalking, I decided to create a "tab" and list them all!  Well, two tabs, really.  The first is the DIY Blogs tab where you can find the creative blogs I follow.  The second is for the School Blogs.  Enjoy!

Why Teaching Blogs?

Why do I follow blogs created by teachers? I mean, I'm not a college trained teacher and have never really been interested in that career. But, I am a Kindergarten Mom and I have felt terribly out of the loop as I've tried to help my daughter navigate the school system this year. I'm 34, so simply saying that school has changed since I was a kid is an understatement!  Can anyone say "core standards"?
You want to know my first impression when I started reading teaching blogs? It had to be a mixture of awe and confusion. Teaching blogs are written ideally for fellow teachers. So the bloggers speak in teacher-esse which is a foreign language to me.  Being the determined and passionate person I am, I couldn't let a little confusion stop me from gaining a great appreciation for the blogging efforts of teachers from all around the country, around the world really. One of my favorites comes from Canada.