Chit Chat and Thursday Giveaways

We have been hit with a cold front! As I type this it is FIFTY DEGREES, at least according to my Weather Channel Desktop. I have the free version which only allows you to receive weather for two locations but that is enough for me!

Frog is in a vicious mood today. She has a sinus infection and very swollen tonsils so is on antibiotics. I hate using them but she has been sick over a month now and she is only allowed like 9 unexcused absences a year and her school does extended year. Her weird cough is finally breaking up.
One of Monkey's teachers called again because she is not doing work in class. Reading books? Drawing?..pretty much the usual.

In other news, my grandma is in town this week. She flew in from Seattle last Thursday.
We went to the Oppelo Flea Market. It is kind of in the middle of nowhere but is full of booths and has all kinds of neat old stuff.

Anyway, enough about me. On to the giveaways!

• Quaker breakfast products at This Mama Cooks the Quaker Oatmeal Living Proof Kit includes Two tubes of Old Fashioned Quaker Oats,Two boxes of Quaker Oatmeal To Go Bars,Two boxes of Quaker Oatmeal Squares,Two boxes of Quaker Instant Oatmeal-ends midnight MT on October 30, 2008

Just about enough!

I have had just about enough of sickness around here. First Frog had a raging fever (see "Why Is the Room Getting Bigger" for more on that!). I took her to the ped Monday to get a school excuse. She was able to go back Wednesday.

Thursday: I went into Monkey's room to make sure her alarm clock had gone off and was startled to see that she had turned into a Pumpkinhead .
Her lymph nodes were swollen underneath her chin and her face was swollen from sinus probs. She stayed home due to mortification potential (well that and the mild fever and cold but in middle school potential mortification comes first). Of course the swelling went down as the day went on.

Frog took the opportunity to get on my last frazzled nerve last night. (Monkey escaped this opportunity, she was on her best behavior yesterday..no middle-schooler drama). Frog watched Annie and apparently now wants to live in an orphanage. She moved out over the summer. To the shed/clubhouse in the yard. Because she "didn't like rules". That lasted...oh about 20 minutes. Frog is my dramatic "spirited" child. She has always been this way. From birth. I am wondering how 8 is going to be. She turns 8 on Oct. 12. Hopefully she will become more agreeable. I have had just about enough of this argumentative 7yr old stage!

Of course I couldn't help kissing and tucking her in again after she was sleeping. She is lucky she is cute and has a lot of redeeming qualities.

School

Monkey's Spanish teacher called yesterday. Yes, my kids are in school already. A new charter school that was just built. Monkey is in middle school this year (6th) and Frog is in 2nd.
Anyway, the teacher was calling about some problems that Monkey has been having in class. Not bringing her dictionary, composition book, etc., and not doing homework.

The reason the kids are in this new extended day school is that they have time to finish homework at the end of the day. If they have good grades they can go home earlier w/parental permission. If they stay for the last part of the day they are supposed to be doing homework, tutoring, or after school clubs.

Theoretically homework in public school is only supposed to be about 30min-1 hr MAX.
Well Monkey would take hours on homework despite testing really well at school and on classwork. She would not get done until well after dinnertime.

I suspect that she is either talking or drawing again instead of doing her homework.
Plus she is an organizational nightmare. She has come by it honestly though. Look at her parents!

The phone rang a little while ago I hope it wasn't her teacher calling again!
Does anyone have any suggestions to keep her on track?

Monkey Drama

Well it happened the other day. Monkey who as yet hadn't exhibited quite as much angst as say her younger sister Frog (that is another story...the force is strong with that one) had her first real argument with me. Not so much an argument as a unexpected freakout .

It was over something small, I don't even remember what now. I know it was about something I asked her to do and she had put it off long enough. She snotted saying I nag too much and grandma would never have been as naggy to me as I was to her (ha little does she know!).

I said I only have to nag because she doesn't do what I ask the first time. In the blink of an eye it had escalated to "I hate you, you are not fair, and always mean!" or something to that effect. Before I knew it Monkey had flown out of the room and down the hall to her room. As the house echoed with the sound of her door slamming I was sitting on the couch looking a little bewildered.

Monkey is not as old as some of the other kids in her grade, only almost 11 (these are old pics she sudden;y looks much older!) , but I suppose this new snottiness is to be expected. I have seen it with my troop and I have seen it with other kids that age. Asserting their independence etc. etc. People have been guessing her age at 12 a lot lately. She is in middle school after all. *sigh*. I guess I wasn't expecting her to start growing up so suddenly.


Later she apologized. Dh made her the first time but then when we were alone she apologized for real. I am sure this is not the last time.