Interview your Kids

crappypictures.com sent out this idea and I think its awesome

FINN 3.5yrs:

• What is the meaning of life?

What? What is the meaning of life? (mimic)

• What do you want to be when you grow up?

Ten, like Poppa.

• What brings you the most happiness?

Um funny things.

• When do you feel the most loved?

Uh Children

• What are you afraid of?

I don't know what I'm afraid of. I'm afraid of this one (episode of futurama) but I want to see it.

• If you had one wish, what would you wish for?

Um Tranformers

• What is the funniest word?

Blah blah blah blah bleh

• What is the hardest/easiest thing to do?

food/hide

• What is the best/worst thing in the world?

The whole wide world of games/ the whole wide world of mommy (hey wait a second!)

• What makes you mad?

Some people that is mad at me

• What is the meaning of love?

Cheating

 

• If you had all the money in the world, what would you do with it?

I don't know.

Jack 5.5yrs: 

• What is the meaning of life?

TV

 

• What do you want to be when you grow up?

I want to work

• What brings you the most happiness?

angry birds

• When do you feel the most loved?

Saturday

• What are you afraid of?

Someone scares me

• If you had one wish, what would you wish for?

Being giant angry birds stuffed animals 

• What is the funniest word?

fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa (that one)

• What is the hardest/easiest thing to do?

Cleaning up/ Putting pillows back

• What is the best/worst thing in the world?

Angry birds/Grown up stuff

• What makes you mad?

If someone steps on my toes and then I get very mad like this.

• What is the meaning of love?

Angry Birds

• If you had all the money in the world, what would you do with it?

buy Angry birds.

Abby 9.5yrs:

• What is the meaning of life?

It means - the meaning of life is that we're sinners and have fun.

• What do you want to be when you grow up?

An author/illustrator of a book

• What brings you the most happiness?

My daydreams

• When do you feel the most loved?

When I'm altogether with my family

• What are you afraid of?

Hypnotizing

• If you had one wish, what would you wish for?

No type to learn

• What is the funniest word?

Thingeemajigger

• What is the hardest/easiest thing to do?

Type to learn/walk

• What is the best/worst thing in the world?

Swimming/sickness

• What makes you mad?

When my brothers tease me and don't stop

• What is the meaning of love?

To treat someone as your brother or sister

• If you had all the money in the world, what would you do with it?

Go to places- alot of places.

Swim Lessons... A Lesson in Patience

We've got all the cousins over for swim lessons in our pool this summer.  So far it's going great, though there is a good measure of forlorn watching from those not actively involved (and apparently Finn looks like he may be trying to storm the castle).

It's only been a couple weeks and they've all progressed a huge way.  I am still impatient when their fears keep them from going the next step (well, impatient with my own kids - not invested in the cousins' fear-conquering, though certainly proud).

I find it all an interesting psychological game - how the kids try to bargain or distract away from being challenged to that next level.  How the boys seem to trade off weeks of panic.  How they will do things with Steve that they won't for me.  How hyper they get when they get further than they have before.

I know they will be fishes soon enough, I'm just anxious for them to be 'safe' and able to have as much fun as they can in the pool.

Making Videos

The boys watching their homemade movies on the computer.

They were both enamored by "product reviews" on youtube.  Basically, their fantasy life is either pretending they are transformers and cars etc.  (pretty normal) OR creating commercials (odd).

ANS 2012-2013

Well, another year with Altadena Nursery School.  And a graduation to top it off.

I don't want this to sound like ANS is the only place I learn and grow.  But I have to say ANS is much more of a school for both child and parent than Elementary school has been for me thus far.  Abby's years seem to fly by and I just hope I am helping her as she races through youth.  In contrast ANS feels like quite a journey for me and the kids that go through the year.

I started this year feeling completely confident with Finn in Milly's room for the second year in a row and... interested to see what would happen with Jack's last year at the school.

Oh heck- actually - that's not true - I started this year as a total and complete mess.  We were and had been living with David & MarySue.  I did have emotional room left to be very worried about Jack though.  Something tells me I'll always have energy to worry about my kids.

Janet was Abby's only teacher at ANS so there were no doubts about Janet's capability.  Yet the pressure that this was his "last" year was on.  Because he was a bit old to automatically do a bonus year.

There was a freedom about being in the homeless space at the beginning of the school year.  I wasn't "together" - not even close - but then again, I wasn't really nearly as expected to be as people that have homes are.  I had a ton of co-op work days since I had two full time boys in the school.  But, as I'm sure I said at the time, there was an odd freedom from responsibility because we didn't have a home.  We tried to be good "houseguests" which was highly stressful, but still.

Finn had no trouble that I remember immersing himself back in his classroom.  Jack had no obvious problems, but Janet wanted to talk and helped me start a new regime for him.  We simply had to put his tendency to stall out on the front burner of our priorities.  One lesson I've learned from ANS - when the teachers suggest something - unless it involves illegal gambling - you should always try it.  It may not solve the exact issue you wanted, but it will lead you down an important road.

He got tested for Kindergarten readiness at PCS and he was so cute - so proud of the time he had with the instructors afterwards.  And they suggested getting an OT eval, which you'll remember from 2010 as a big ole waste of time because in order to be evaluated you have to do their tests.  If you won't do the tests they just make assumptions based on the fact that you wouldn't do the tests.  Not exactly a confidence builder for a parent trying to figure out what they need to do/ not to over do testing etc.

Instead we had just moved so we had glorious space for him to run and bike in and something had changed and he made such incredible progress in just two weeks.   So we decided to have him re-tested for Kindergarten. This time, in just a few weeks - he passed Kindergarten readiness with a caveat:  They still wanted him to get evaluated.

We didn't really get any diagnosable thing from that eval - we are now just encouraging his writing (once he decided to do it - there was no problem) and encouraging him to try new things.

February turned out to be a pivotal month for Jack.  I really cannot express how proud I am of him.

In the meantime Finn kept up his social kingdom in the 2 year old classroom with Milly pushing him to the next level whenever she felt he was a resting a bit too easy.

His milestones are quieter, but just as wonderful.  He broke my heart at Jack's graduation because he knew...  I'm not sure what he knew - but possibly that Jack was leaving.  But Jack & Finn are best friends.  I don't think of them that way - I'm always so focused on one thing or the other with each of them separately, but yes, they are best friends and this is the last year they would be together at ANS.

Last workday with both boys

Last few times the boys could play together at ANS

Miss Janet's 3rd annual Poetry Slam

I was SO proud

Finn at graduation with Miss Milly's lipstick kiss on his forehead.  I personally feel he knew he was losing Jack.  At least at school, at least for a little while.

Jack was so proud 

What a crazy difference between this little young man and the baby that started off here.

Scrapbooking and Life...

There is an oxymoron in my emotional life I have discovered thru scrapbooking.

I scrapbook basically once every 6 months and I scrapbook about 6 months at a time with the goal always to be caught up but usually I end up about 3 months behind.  Anyway, that's not important right now (Airplane movie anyone?).

Every so often there will be a major gap in my family documenting.  There are only so many reasons this can occur considering that I basically take pictures in substitute for emoting.  Here are the reasons.

1. It is an event I feel it is unsafe or unwieldy or generally uncouth to bring the big camera to.  Pool party - friend's house where it's not REALLY quite a big enough event to warrant the camera...  Or actually quite a few big events - Christmas, Thanksgiving - it is too distracting and too much of a barrier between you and real people to bring the big camera to.  This is the theme - oxymorons.  So first reason I don't have good photos?  The event is either too big or too small.

2. I'm unhappy. Even though I take photos for myself more than any other reason - it still takes a bit from me to do it.  So if I have nothing to give, I don't bother.  This is when even the iphone is used sparingly and artistically only.  How does that work into my oxymoron theme?  Because sometimes I am unhappy and I use the camera as a barrier so I don't have to interact with people.  Oddly enough, I connect with people sometimes better this way than traditionally - look at that - two oxymorons in one point.

3. I'm happy.  If I'm truly content... Okay this just isn't true.  I was going to say there are times - events even in which I don't miss the camera.  I do miss the pictures afterwards, but I don't want to be taking pictures because I'm enjoying whatever is going on.  But really.. .if I know nothing is being documented the way I want it documented I'm never truly content.  I'm okay.  But it's not like I'm happy about it.

4. I love someone AND I'm unhappy.  Jack didn't want pictures at his birthday last year.  Not even a little bit.  He wanted, sweetly enough, me to be participating, to be present and to love him not thru the lens.  Yes, I will do this.  And, believe it or not, I often do.  WITH a little cheating.  I know that even if he and Steve never appreciate it - his wife or kids or grandkids will someday appreciate it.  However, this last year, in the midst of house escrow stress I was also unhappy.  So there you have it.  Second of Jack's four birthdays undocumented.

Anyway, while I was doing my six month scrapbooking catchup this weekend I noticed just how many big huge events I barely covered.  Or covered subpar 2012 holiday season.  And all the reasons above apply as to why.  But the gist of it was - I was depressed and depleted.   Which often happens during the holidays I suppose but this time it was the house situation and the Sandy Hook shooting that took it out of me.

But no matter what, because I do still care about my little family and documenting our little family I'll try to keep in mind the idea that I want to take iphone pics if nothing else of just... at least one distinctive picture for an important event.  And in the hunt for that I will probably get more.  That's my story (and I'm sticking to it).