Apparently I shocked the world the day I deleted not only my facebook, but my ridiculously time-consuming Zynga Farm. Initially the "cold turkey" (excuse the Thanksgiving pun) way of quitting was an adjustment. I never realized how much time I wasted on either/both of those activities until I counted how many times I sat down during the day expecting to log onto....nothing. I quickly assessed that I would have to fill the "wasted" time with this bizarre concept other people call "productivity". I have compiled a small list of things I now do instead of turning my brain into a rotting pile of mush:
* I CLEAN- Yes, I actually took some of my "free time" and cleaned some areas of the house I would hauntingly look at and think "I will just look at facebook/check my farm and THEN clean that clutter". Instead I just get off my lazy ass and clean it.
* I RUN- I signed up to run a 5k at my kids' school. Training for this gave me something to do and discipline to stick with a schedule for keeping myself healthy. Sunday November 13th I ran my first 5k and made my best time yet.
* I DO THINGS WITH MY KIDS- I actually sit down and eat meals with them. I play board games and walk to the park with them. I grab stale bread and get on my bike to feed geese with them. I paint my daughter's nails. I play xbox with them. I watch movies with them. I ENGAGE WITH THEM.
* I AVOID DRAMA- I have stifled at least a half a dozen of them with the simple phrase " I don't have a facebook anymore!"
* I SPEND TIME WITH FRIENDS- I go shopping, or out to lunch, or just hang out without fear of missing a harvest time and having my strawberries wither.
* I SPEND TIME WITH MY HUSBAND- I shit you not, the words "I just have to harvest these ______" has left my mouth at 10pm before I could hang and watch a movie with my spouse. Unacceptable.
* I LIVE MY LIFE FOR MYSELF- instead of pretending to live an interesting one just so my facebook followers won't be bored.
* I CAN GO A WHOLE DAY WITHOUT TURNING ON MY COMPUTER- The mere thought of this pre-facebook deletion would have sent me into seizing panic attacks. Now if my power goes out my reaction is "meh".
* I SPEND TIME ON A GAME I PURCHASED- instead of wasting time on a supposedly "free" game that is designed to get you to spend actual money.
* I ENJOY LIFE- this one is self explanatory.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Rantings of an axiety-ridden over-protective parent
Today was the first day in three years that my oldest son stepped foot in a "brick and mortar" school. In order to understand the aforementioned "anxiety" aspect of this post one must first understand my oldest son.
My son was reading before preschool. Yes, you read that correctly. Not "Kinder" but "PRE-school", as in BEFORE school. If you've ever had the pleasure of venturing into a Pre-K classroom it is lovingly and thoughtfully labeled with the word for each object. Imagine the kind of stimulation this would provide to a youngin' who is newly exploring the written world around him. As other children were singing "Old MacDonald" at circle time, my child was standing up in a swirling vortex of vocabulary shouting out "CHAIR! WINDOW! CALENDER!!"
Kindergarten was an amazing but productive struggle. His teacher was amazing and had the patience of Job. She worked tirelessly with me to come up with a system that would set my son up for success. We used a combination of progress charts, weighted pillows and redirection that had him functioning very well in the classroom by year's end. Fast forward to Grade 1: His Kinder teacher put EXTENSIVE notes regarding our communication and system that was established. None of this was looked at by his new teacher. In all honestly, I doubt this woman read anything that didn't involve bright colors and talking dogs. She was a complete space cadet who gave the students no accountability. I visited the classroom early in the year asking what her discipline policy was and was told "The school year just started, I don't know" YOU DON'T KNOW??!! When asked about a pile of incomplete work inside my son's desk the reply was "oh they just finish whatever they can, they don't HAVE to complete it" WTF?? >:(
SO I made the decision to start teaching him at home. By the 2nd grade I was having existential conversations regarding the meaning of life, creation, afterlife and the size of the cosmos. My struggle has always been to provide the best possible answers while still using the appropriate terms a 5/6/7 yr old would comprehend. For example: Rob asked me what radiation is. *I* know what radiation is, *you* know what radiation is, but how does one explain this to a 6 year old in a manner that A) he will grasp and B) won't have him with "my face melted" nightmares I now have to soothe at 3am?
By the end of his 3rd grade year, having watched his sister go to and from school each day, I was being asked "Mom, when do *I* get to go to school?" I had reached the end of my teaching-patience rope by that point (he can be difficult to motivate) and understood that I was fast approaching the point where my knowledge would be exceeded. He already understood concepts of basic algebraic equations and negative numbers. I can't be far off from "OMG HE IS DOING CALCULUS AND MY HEAD EXPLODED ALL OVER THE DESK".
Socially I wanted him to have some of the same experiences I had growing up: Playing and falling on the playground, understand social cues from his peers, getting in trouble, learning how to deal with someone not liking you, etc. I know these can be supplemented with an at-home learning environment, but honestly, I think we were BOTH ready for him to go to school.
I would like to apologize to Mr. Wood in advance for all present and future neurotic behavior. He was VERY gracious today to listen to my concerns and communicate with me about Rob's needs. He said no apologize are necessary but I promise he will take that back by the end of the year. (LOL ok, fine I'm not THAT heinous) I have a really good feeling about this school and specifically this teacher. It might be a bit premature but I really hope that I'm over reacting with my anxiety over the transition of my precious package into the hands of someone else. It's more about ME letting go than Rob. *crosses fingers, toes and cries a little*
My son was reading before preschool. Yes, you read that correctly. Not "Kinder" but "PRE-school", as in BEFORE school. If you've ever had the pleasure of venturing into a Pre-K classroom it is lovingly and thoughtfully labeled with the word for each object. Imagine the kind of stimulation this would provide to a youngin' who is newly exploring the written world around him. As other children were singing "Old MacDonald" at circle time, my child was standing up in a swirling vortex of vocabulary shouting out "CHAIR! WINDOW! CALENDER!!"
Kindergarten was an amazing but productive struggle. His teacher was amazing and had the patience of Job. She worked tirelessly with me to come up with a system that would set my son up for success. We used a combination of progress charts, weighted pillows and redirection that had him functioning very well in the classroom by year's end. Fast forward to Grade 1: His Kinder teacher put EXTENSIVE notes regarding our communication and system that was established. None of this was looked at by his new teacher. In all honestly, I doubt this woman read anything that didn't involve bright colors and talking dogs. She was a complete space cadet who gave the students no accountability. I visited the classroom early in the year asking what her discipline policy was and was told "The school year just started, I don't know" YOU DON'T KNOW??!! When asked about a pile of incomplete work inside my son's desk the reply was "oh they just finish whatever they can, they don't HAVE to complete it" WTF?? >:(
SO I made the decision to start teaching him at home. By the 2nd grade I was having existential conversations regarding the meaning of life, creation, afterlife and the size of the cosmos. My struggle has always been to provide the best possible answers while still using the appropriate terms a 5/6/7 yr old would comprehend. For example: Rob asked me what radiation is. *I* know what radiation is, *you* know what radiation is, but how does one explain this to a 6 year old in a manner that A) he will grasp and B) won't have him with "my face melted" nightmares I now have to soothe at 3am?
By the end of his 3rd grade year, having watched his sister go to and from school each day, I was being asked "Mom, when do *I* get to go to school?" I had reached the end of my teaching-patience rope by that point (he can be difficult to motivate) and understood that I was fast approaching the point where my knowledge would be exceeded. He already understood concepts of basic algebraic equations and negative numbers. I can't be far off from "OMG HE IS DOING CALCULUS AND MY HEAD EXPLODED ALL OVER THE DESK".
Socially I wanted him to have some of the same experiences I had growing up: Playing and falling on the playground, understand social cues from his peers, getting in trouble, learning how to deal with someone not liking you, etc. I know these can be supplemented with an at-home learning environment, but honestly, I think we were BOTH ready for him to go to school.
I would like to apologize to Mr. Wood in advance for all present and future neurotic behavior. He was VERY gracious today to listen to my concerns and communicate with me about Rob's needs. He said no apologize are necessary but I promise he will take that back by the end of the year. (LOL ok, fine I'm not THAT heinous) I have a really good feeling about this school and specifically this teacher. It might be a bit premature but I really hope that I'm over reacting with my anxiety over the transition of my precious package into the hands of someone else. It's more about ME letting go than Rob. *crosses fingers, toes and cries a little*
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