Starburst

Starburst is the only candy I know of that comes in different flavors/colors that always has the exact same number of each color/flavor in each package (obv..  I'm talking about the regular cash register/vending machine size.)

 

It is an engineer's dream.

Monthly Newsletter #43

Dear Landon,

You’re a nut. I don’t know if I’m supposed to tell you that or not, because I’m your mother, but you are a nut! And I love it. When you find out something new, you shake your head very quickly side to side with wide eyes and say “Can you even bleeve it?” Most days I can get you to do anything I want you to by making a race out of it. I race you to the bathroom, I race you to the front door of the school, and I race you to the classroom. It’s kind of exhausting, but I’m glad I at least found something that helps.

You are really very helpful around the house. You drive me around on your plasma car in the house; you will take me from the bedroom to the kitchen and tell me you will pick me up again in 5 minutes. It’s kind of like having a taxi driver/tour guide, you will take me where I want you to, but then you tell me how long I am going to stay there – as in “be back at the bus in 2 hours!”

I’m not sure where you’re getting your ideas, but I like them so far. Your first idea was to go to New York. It came after a week of studying skyscrapers in school. You said you wanted to go to New York and go up in an elevator in a really tall building. Your next idea was to sleep in a tent. So I took you to my parents’ lake house to sleep in a tent! When we went out to get in the tent that night you decided that you did NOT want to sleep in the tent, I decided to set up the tent in the living room when we got home and see if we could accomplish tent sleeping in there. We could not. But we did finally break out the portable DVD player you were given shortly after birth so you could watch a movie in the tent and you have been watching it ever since. In fact, you’d rather sit on the bed with that thing and watch a DVD than watch it on the real TV – which I find just plain odd. But it does allow me to watch my own show or read, so I’m not all that bothered by it.

I recently got a note home from the teacher in the form of what you can do, what you can almost do and what you can’t do. You are doing everything the listed except something about geographic thinking (um, I’m not sure what that means, but you got an “almost”) and writing (can I just mention that you’re 3 – and who cares? – but you did get an “almost” on that one too.) Anyway, apparently you are very smart, but you like to do things “Landon’s way.” And that you realize that it’s school and you have to follow the school and class rules. To which I responded “Yes, I’m teaching him to think through and solve his own problems or ways to do any given activity, so he comes up with his own way of doing things in order to do that. And we have spoken with him a lot about following rules and doing what you’re told and not questioning everything, because the teachers don’t have time to explain it to everyone.” So, I’m sorry that I’ve been a portion of your problems in school, but I think the problem solving skills you’re getting from my system are going to help you more later in life. It kind of all stems from my philosophy that I got from a woman who has two super genius children, perfect SAT scores, top of their class, etc. When asked about her children, one thing that stuck with me was that she said she tried not to ask yes or no questions. She tried to mostly ask open ended questions so they had to think and give more of a response. I am trying that approach with you – not that I feel like you need to be a super perfect scoring genius or anything, but because I think it will give you better skills for learning in the long run.

I discovered a link this month to your bad behavior at school and illnesses. I think you also discovered that if you tell me your tummy hurts or your mouth hurts that you get to spend the day with Grandma. I’m just going to let you know right now…I’m on to you. I indulge you in a lot of things. Want to go to New York? Sure, we’ll go to New York. Want to ride me around on the back of your plasma car? Sure, I’ll get on there and we’ll see if it works. Want to set up a tent in the living room? Sure, let me just move the furniture out of the way. Want to paint some rocks to put in our potted plants? Sure, let me get the paint. But school? School is non-negotiable – you have to go and you can’t weasel your way out with fake illnesses and you better behave while your there. Got it?

Love,
Mama

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I cannot believe that today is the 3rd.  Did someone press fast forward?

 

GAH.

 

So, yeah - I owe you a newsletter, which I will try to get written today - but I can't post it with the pictures all in place until I get home anyway.

 

In the meantime, enjoy this shot of Landon's first glance into the cooler holding the live crawfish awaiting their tasty demise.

Why I maybe shouldn't be left alone for very long.

So this morning I woke up, backwashed the pool, got my eyebrows done, started a fire in the oven causing enough smoke to actually test one of the smoke detectors in the house. Yes, it works - although I'm kind of alarmed by just how much smoke had to accumulate before it did go off.

You know, there's a reason I don't store stuff in the oven. And what possessed me to put the pizza boxes in there last night is beyond me. This is not the first time I have started a fire in the oven - last time was several years ago and a birthday cake with plastic wrap on it. Maybe this lesson will last me 5 or so years too.

My house looks pretty smoke free at the moment, but still smells like a burnt marshmallow.