The Angry Family

No we are not "The Angry Family" from Everybody Loves Raymond but I now have sympathy for the fictional family with what happened in this particular episode.

The synopsis is as follows (courtesy of locatetv.com): All the family members attend an open day at the twins' school, during which first-grader Michael shocks and embarrasses them by reading out a story obviously based on their constant bickering.

Now, think of "Everybody Loves the Harpoles" where the family is seen as a sweet as pie suburban family totally centered around the children and all things are gumdrops and lollipops. (Surely this is the thought that comes to mind, right? HA! In TV land maybe.)

The first scene opens at home after school with the mom looking through her first grader's backpack for anything that needs to be signed (usually this happens frantically 5 minutes before he is supposed to leave the next morning. shhh..don't tell Mrs. H.) The mom sees a very pretty family picture obviously drawn by her first grader along with a description of his family. The mom, with much pride, decides the picture is going to be framed. Then she turns to the "story" entitled "This is my family" and this is what she reads:

This is my family. Every Friday is when my family has movie night, but my mom and dad don't watch TV with us. They watch movies in their room. My brother always has to tell them it is movie night. My brother always fights for the remote. My sisters always tattle to mom and dad. Then my brother has to give it to my sister. They make up and they give back the remote. My family likes to dance when the music is on. I love my family.

The scene ends with a tear in the mom's eye and her emailing Mrs. H for a conference just to make sure Mrs. H knows our family is not as bad as this description makes it sound.

The next scene is the mom giving her speech to Mrs. H (as Debra did on the show). The mom tells Mrs. H that "family movie night" might not be on a
Friday because most of the time there is not a good movie on for all of us. The kids will spread out to different TV's watching their respected favorite shows/movies on Disney or Nick while we are in our room watching the Discovery or History channel. Sometimes the "family movie" is Saturday afternoon or night and sometimes its the whole family on our bed watching it. Sometimes it might be Wednesday night eating dinner late and in the living room while we all watch, scream, laugh and cheer on the players on Wipeout. So until you have lived in the circus I live in with little to no family friendly movies/shows to watch in a world of smut, don't judge me.

LOL Poor Mrs. H. What is it like with a bunch of little first graders? I am sure it is never boring and I am sure she is one person who has the scoop on what American families are really like.

So now our golden image as the poster family for the "Family Night" campaign has been tarnished. Oh well. We are a family who is at home together on a Friday night. We might not be in the same room every second of the evening but I can almost guarantee that at every commercial break someone is tickling, wrestling, hiding from, trying to scare or laughing with someone, parents included.

In case you want to watch the episode I am referring to, check out the box below.

They learn so young

When I went back into the workforce after being out of the workforce for about 8 years, I had no clue about Excel, PowerPoint or any thing else other than Word and even that was limited. The last time I had used a computer at a job, it was on a mainframe and the computer looked like this:



Actually, I should correct myself. This was not a computer but a "terminal" used for mainframes. I believe this model came out in the mid-1970's. So basically, the terminal and I were the same age. I was using it in the early 1990's.

Fast forward to 2009:

Even though I have been working part time for the last three years, I still didn't learn PowerPoint until this past year and was a little scared too. But my 4th graders know how to make PowerPoint's and have done so in class as part of a "how to" presentation in class.

Both girls have made PowerPoints at home for fun. I am not sure if they are doing this to show off to me or if they now know something and just want to do it. Probally it's a little of both :)

Here is the most recent "how to" PowerPoine #3 did at home for fun.

Publish at Scribd or explore others: How-to-Guides & Manu Books Fiction science war

This is #1's most recent PowerPoint.

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

I am impressed. I will totally let them do my PowerPoints from now on.

Arbor Day School Program

Today the triplets' class sang an Arbor Day song for the Arbor Day program at school. As always, they requested that I video it. To think they think I only video or take pictures upon demand. I would do it anyway!

Award Time!!!

#4 has now joined the ranks of the triplets and has been awarded "Colt of the Month" at school. His teacher nominated him for his polite behavior and his improvement on reading out loud. He and the other colts enjoyed an ice cream sandwich and a coupon for a free kid's meal at a local restaurant. Way to go #4!!!

We are so crafty!

The girls have been taking sewing classes at Joann's Etc. and have made some pillow cases. Tomorrow they will be making sleep pants from a pattern. (pictures to come later) But at school, their art class has been learning how to weave. #1 was told hers was the best and she requested it be posted on the web. It looks really neat. She did a great job.

Picture Day

For several generations, there has been school picture day. I remember most of my picture days and there just a few I really didn't care for. Once I got my braces, I tended to like my pictures, except for the year my lip got caught in my braces. I really liked my fifth or sixth grade picture, even though I did not have braces and my teeth were, well, needed braces on them. My freshman year was good picture year along with my senior picture but the two years in between, yikes, not so good. But all in all, they were ok.

I don't have much if any pictures of Jason in school. Just a few. But with my son being a carbon copy, I would say I pretty much know what my husband looked like as a kid. Did I ever mention that when it came to creation of our first son (#2), I truly believe my contribution was merely a stem cell and warm environment for prenatal growth?

I mention school pictures, because today was school picture day for the triplets + one. The first couple of years, I had a say in what they wore and how their hair was done. This year, as the forth graders got ready for bed, they had picked out their "picture day clothes" and took the liberty of picking out their little brother's outfit and laying it all on the couch, ready for the morning. The girls did their own hair with little input from me and my sons came to me insisting that I spike their hair in the front. #4 basically told me to use any amount of hair gel needed so his hair would look good all day.

As they proudly left for school, I wondered if the boys' hair would hold up, did the triplets have PE before their picture (you can tell #3 played hard before her picture last year), would any part of their lunch be apart of the picture (whether in between teeth or on a shirt) or how many straggly strands of hair would be dangling from the girls' heads or if they would smile big. It is always a fun surprise to see how the pictures turn out. It is always fun to see a snap shot of time in the life of the kids. With a simple school picture, you can tell so much.

I will look fowarded to seeing the pictures in a few weeks.

When I was your age I had to ride my bike uphill both ways!

Last Friday, the kids wanted to ride their bikes to school even though we live far enough from school to ride the bus. They have been begging to do this since they were in first grade. So, on Friday #1, #3 and #4 suited up and headed up the hill behind our house. #2's bike had a flat tire so he had to be carted to school. Plus, I don't think he was feeling all that great. I was still dressed in my pajamas with my hair sticking up wearing flip flops but headed out in the car to follow. (Yes I am a crazy paranoid mom.)

Well #4 could not make it up the hill and was dragging the girls down. So I put his bike in the hatchback and carted him up to the top of the hill. Then I let him try it again. I then had to put his bike back in the van a few blocks away and take him up the next hill. I dropped off #4 at the corner and had #2 stand with him because I had to go back down the hill to tote #3 up to the top. #1 just kept peddling away and made it up by herself, during the time I was making circles with the other two.

Once I got all of them to the top of the second hill, I pointed out another way which would not be as uphill, but would be safer, as it utilized the crossing guard.

Well in the end, all three missed breakfast at school, #4 was cursing his bike and crying about his legs, #3 was swearing off bike riding all together and #1 parked her bike and skipped to her class' line. Come to find out, she had breakfast at home. #2 was mad because the other three made him late for breakfast.

I was almost in tears because my head was hurting and I wanted to go back to bed. Which I did, once I got back home.

Needless to say, I felt the need to make sure they were going to be ok riding back home. As a family, we all had rode our bikes to the house from the school. But with them going a another way home, I had follow. Well, there was some crying and I had to put a bike in the van again but #1 and #3 did very well and made it all the way home. #4 did inform me that it was not down hill all the way from school to home.

It was very taxing for me both ways and we all agreed we wouldn't try it again for awhile.

Then last night, they all decided to make another go for this morning. #2's bike was fixed and he was gong-ho. Well, to make a long story short, #4 decided to be carted to school with his bike in tow and the triplets headed out. #4 and I met them at the bike rack and again there were tears. #2 was crying, cursing and swearing off bike riding for ever. For the trip back home, only two out of the four made the entire trip while the other two rode in the van. Though, in #3's defense, she did have a flat and it was over a hundred degrees and two miles to home.

In the very end, I made the decision that it will be a very long while before they could try to ride bikes to school and home again.

The night ended in early bedtimes and Advil for sore all the sore legs.

What else do you know that you are not telling me?

This post is a result of reading my monkey bread friend's blog about her oldest daughter going to preschool next week. I remember when the triplets went to kindergarten, it was a mix of emotions for me fun, neat, sad and so on. This was one of the cute stories that I have always remembered. Actually, one of many fun things about school that I smile about it.

When the triplets went to kindergarten, their little world opened up! They came home telling me all about the letters and numbers and colors and gossip on the playground. Then after winter break it seemed they delved into serious subjects or at least it was when it all started coming together.

Anyway...#3 was scratching my back after school one day as she told me a story she had heard in school that week. She told me about a king who many people didn't like but he tried to be nice to all the people. Then someone got mad because they did not like the king being nice to everyone. I kept trying to figure out which fairy tale ended with the king getting killed, even a book, but couldn't think of one. Then I remembered it was Black History Month and asked if she was talking about Martin Luther King Jr. Oh my goodness, this little girl stopped mid-scratch, jerked her head around at me and asked in a very questionable manner "you mean you know about him?" She honestly was mad that I had known something and had not told her about it. She wanted to know who else knew about him. Did Meme? Pappy? Daddy? Aunt Shelley? It was a little sad to see her face when she realized she didn't know a really neat new piece of information.

She asked what else did I know that I wasn't telling her. I believe this was when the seed of love for school, reading and learning in general was firmly rooted because now she had a glimpse of how much knowledge was out there waiting for her to grab it. I took that moment and put it in my pocket with a smile. The triplets are getting so close to the age where I won't know much. Even now, they wonder how I was able to drive around town with out them giving me directions.

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

No, not really but it is exciting. Monday, the triplets headed off to fourth grade and my baby waved as he went off into the sunrise in first grade. Fourth grade was my second favorite grade ever in school (second only to sixth) and it seems like only yesterday, 20 years ago. Oh, I am sorry, that is a Kenny Rogers song I veered off too and fourth grade was a little more than 20 years ago. I had Mr. Patterson. I think of him often and really need to send him a letter telling him how positive his class was for me. I remember how exciting it was to pass the three minute times table test for 12's and getting a Twix bar.

I am posting this year's first day picture and will have to look for the previous years' first day pictures to give you a comparison. How time flies!

I will hopefully post more of the trip pictures this weekend.