Progress Reports

I know I am not a lunatic. I don't think I over-react too, too often. I am always concerned when it comes to my little ones and how they are doing in school.

This year has been tough for Jax. I wrote about it before. All his friends went to new schools and it has been an adjustment for him. He is doing fine with friends now. He finally caved and decided to play the dreaded, "SOCCER," at school, and decided he still loves it. He has even gotten in on a few games of four square (I have no idea how to play that.) I am pleased things are finally getting better for him socially now.

It was his homework that was bothering me, more or less. I knew it was not too hard for him. He really seemed bored but took forever doing it. in comparison, it was taking him 3 hours this year as opposed to his 13 minutes last year. I know not to assume too much, but still, I was worried.

He is very smart. I know this. He has a perfect mixture of both Tommy and I. I am not bragging at all. He is just a gifted child that got my reading and writing abilities and his dad's math wizardry. Now, I am worried about that.

I think he is bored with school...period. I waited anxiously for their progress reports. Tommy does not even bother to look at them. He makes the snippity comment..."I have perfect children when it comes to school. Why bother?" We all know he is joking. All parents think their children are the best!

I watch to make sure the kids are keeping up with their assigned Advanced Reading and where they are on their tests each week etc. I am kinda a freak about how they do in class and how they act period. (The running joke in our house is that they will wish they were dead if they ever get into any kind of trouble in school.) I think I am pretty much up to speed.

I have noticed Jax really taking a serious interest in reading so I was worried about his math possibly dropping or something else lacking. I don't know why I just felt that he was out of balance.

Then Friday came. And the reports came. Brinkley always shocks me. I don't know why I think she is having a hard time. It might be because homework is constant battle with her. She is done with school when the bell rings and just becomes hell on wheels. She came home with 100% in reading and math and 98% on her phonograms and spelling. I was overjoyed. She has been pushing herself in her class and a lot has to do with her amazing teacher.

Jax, on the other hand, has complained about how strict his teacher is, but likes that she dishes out punishment to the individual students, rather than the class, like last year.

Jax, no surprise, did reamarkable on his progress report. He is supposed to be at 58% of his reading goal for the quarter. He is at 138%+. He had 100% straight across the board. EVERYTHING! Now it makes sense why he stated to his daddy, "I am sick of homework. I work all day long at school. Why should I have to work this hard at home too?"

Point well taken big man. You and your spitfire little sister are working your little tails off!!

And we are so proud!!

Note to self...

Do not allow hubby to watch HGTV with me. It bites me everytime. In the past two days I have made two mistakes.

1. I fell asleep watching HGTV ~ Tommy did not. He watched too many shows

2. I talked of an upcoming party, while watching HGTV redo's

Needless to say...I have been to Lowe's twice and Home Depot once in less than 24 hours. Tommy has hated the junk light fixtures our builder put in from day one.... and for the life of me, I can't even remember if they offered bathroom light fixture upgrades. If they did, we must not have liked them. Whatever the case. 3 down, 3 to go!

Then, while putting up the new bathroom light in our downstairs bath, Tommy made his mistake. He asked if I was planning on putting my favorite color on the fixture wall.

WHAT?????

Did he think it needed it?

It must, if he mentioned the paint..............

So, I only added the stripe! An entire wall would have been too much for that tiny room!

(In Behr's chocolate sparkle, of course)

I love our new master bathroom lights. They have a purple glass accent that matches my custom made purple color on one of our walls.

I love it all baby! Annnnd... am already considering more changes with paint, frames and mosaic tiles!!!.....

Befores and Afters......

ALMOST DONE!!

New lessons

I am a horrible forgiver. I can say the words until I am blue in the face, but in the deep darks depths of my mind, I never forget. It is a bad, bad habit. Maybe a bad curse. I acknowledge it. That is a step in the right direction.

For years I have said I forgive for this or that, but in reality, the grudge-master in me let it eat at me. It came in handy when I needed something to start a fire under me at the gym or to do something that required brute force strength. I would just think of something that lingered in awful ways, let the anger start, push forward, get past it and move on to the next task. I always had a snide remark in mind or something not so nice to discuss behind closed doors. Little things would eat at me. Stupid little things. I know I can't change how people are raised. I can't change if people are just out for themselves even if they portray another image and I can't make people do things to help others. I know I still love to do things for people even when I know I am being taken advantage of. Maybe that was why I loved being a cop. You never really get recognition in that job. Well, at least not usually the good kind. You just know you did well and you move on.

Holding on to the bad is really just exhausting.

Whatever has been happening lately, I kinda like it. I moved many steps forward today and felt such a huge weight of relief to really forgive today and to put bad thoughts to rest.

I know a lot of how things have changed has to do with Tommy. Don't get me wrong, he can hold grudges, but he chooses not to. He has learned that time passes quickly and in the blink of an eye, you can nearly lose your wife or your baby sister can lose her life without ever being able to say goodbye to her.

Grudges get you nowhere in life. I know this for a fact. Years can pass and what seems like "no big deal" is really a baby taking their first steps, an older sister rebuilding a life into something amazing and fantastic, a young grandson scoring nearly impossibly scores on standardized tests or a baby girl that misses family desperately.

Tommy made a comment to me the other night that will forever, stick in the dark places. It will consume any bad grudges and eat away at any anger that I dare to hold onto. He said,

"I don't want our kids to grow up angry. I want them to understand forgivness and be happy. Life is hard enough. Holding grudges eats at a persons soul and I don't want that for Jax and Binky and Pudgie."

Me neither babe! Me neither!