I'm a contender.

Last Sunday I was driving around to pick everything up for our boat trip and Honey apparently got tired of waiting on me and drove the boat to the river with my beach bag in it. I had my van to drive there and meet everyone anyway....

This was not a problem until I had to go through a license check...to which my brother (thinks he is very experienced with the cops) told me to just tell the officer my license number and I will be fine. Wrong. The officer wrote me a ticket for $250.00. And by the time he walked up to the van I had found my license, WITH me. The cop crumpled up the ticket and said he would void it, but to just call the clerk of court to "make sure it is voided"

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Luke started Swim Team. TMO started too. TMO is the fastest swimmer at our pool so far. I am convinced that boy is part fish and Luke is leaning towards having a little guppy in him too. I have been apprehensive to say the least to start swim team. Last year was very hard with the diagnosis of epilepsy hanging over our heads and Luke having to adjust to so many different and awful medications. When I think back about last summer I am honestly surprised I made it through and was able to stay employed and the boys were still able to handle their summer camps. How in the world did we do it? God must have truly carried us through it.

Luke and I got to the pool about an hour early so he could have a chance to play around in the water. There were a lot of kids there from last year and he had a blast splashing around with them in the water.

I developed my strategy for surviving practice.

1. I picked a chair on the end of the row

2. I surrounded the chair with my shoes, Luke's shoes, my beach bag, my cooler

3. In the chair beside me I placed Luke's beach towel, my beach towel & Luke's shirt

4. I packed 2 raspberry beers (95 calories each) & skipped dinner

5. I packed my hot pink coozie for the beer.

6. Sunglasses and cowboy hat, check

7. Do not make eye contact.

8. Breathe.

On the first day of swim team last year, I swear it looked like someone my die. There were 40 kids, 1 swim instructor and the kids spent the majority of the time OUTSIDE the water waiting in line.

This year they were organized. 2 swim instructors, About 6 teenage "helpers" all the kids and instructors were in the water.

And get this, Luke did not cry.

I had laid down the law about crying before we left the house, but this may or may not work on any given day. But it worked this time. And Luke tried really really hard :-) He definitely has some motor control issues. He cannot fully rotate his right arm backwards and he has a hard time coordinating his left and right arm. I noticed this when he swam in the winter league, but it seems to be more pronounced now. The swim coach is one of Honey's graduate students, so I mentioned it to him and ask him to say something to her. He seems to think Luke's growth spurt might be the cause and he will catch up eventually with his peers in doing this movement and the swimming itself will be good for him. I hope so.

I avoided any conversations/chatting/drama while watching the swimming.

I did have a realization last night while sitting and watching and I am SURE you are just dying to hear what it is. The realization started with a t-shirt another mother at swim practice was wearing. It was a pink tshirt with some sorority name on it...and the back of the shirt said, "Yes, I like competition, I just can't find any."
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I must be 10 years old than most of the mothers.

I am a veteran.

I am seasoned.

I no longer have a "bullshit" factor.

I know that my children and not "gifted". I know they will not be an olympic swimmer. I pray for them to just be in the norm. I have watched my family suffer through hard times and we have came out on the other side enough to be very thankful to even be part of the swim team. I know parents of babies that would give both limbs for kids healthy enough to even swim across the pool. I am not going to try to out talk the other parents there. And I do not want the heartache of having these people judge me or my kids.

I am a contender.

con·tend (kn-tnd)
v. con·tend·ed, con·tend·ing, con·tends
v.intr.
1. To strive in opposition or against difficulties; struggle: armies contending for control of strategic territory; had to contend with long lines at the airport.
2. To compete, as in a race; vie.
3. To strive in controversy or debate; dispute.

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I called the Clerk of Superior Court today to check and make sure the traffic ticket had been voided and guess what?

It hasn't.

My court date is June 28th at 8:00 am.

I have to go to court or pay a $250.oo fine and I actually was carrying the license.

Breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe.

And just be thankful that I have kids healthy enough to go to baseball practice tonight with.

Thankful
Thankful
Thankful

Once again

A message is delivered...

In all fairness....

After my WONDERFUL lovely post yesterday, I feel like it is only fair to say I just watched the suckiest game of baseball ever.

& I left Honey there with Luke & I picked up a bottle of pinot on the way home & plan on drinking it.

The whole bottle.

So if your life is a little sucky at the moment & you need to "share the misery" - I'm here for you.

Right here, baby.

Suckin' it up.

Hello, my name is Luke

Today we went to a cookout filled with about 20 families. People we knew and people we didn't know. Most of the rooms were crowded & noisy. For a lot of kids this would not be a big issue. But for a kid with some sensory issues, this can be a BIG deal and can lead to A LOT OF ruckus.

I am not a fan of ruckus.

And how does one deal with this? Well, if you do it like me, you try it and see what happens.

Now trying this method might in fact mean that you carry a screaming child out the door at some point. I have did it. I don't like it. But I am not afraid to do it.

This weekend has been good for Luke. We have had a lot of activities and he even went a whole day on Saturday without crying. I think this is the first time this has EVER happened for him.

He has played at the pool very nicely all weekend.

He has made new friends.

This year I have noticed that he will stand in line at the slide and at the diving board. He is talking and interacting with the other children in the shallow end, even when there are several people in the water with him.

And tonight, he stood in line and did this at the cookout, with all 20 families there, all mingling around....Luke did this by himself.

*Tears of Joy*

Wow. We have came a long way.

I'm looking forward to this summer. I am gonna ROCK IT OUT!!!!

Swim Team Mom Email - Revisited :-)

As we are signing our kids up for sports this summer…thought I would remind you of last year’s fiasco with “Swim Team Mom”. By the way I just got an email that she is no longer handling the communication (ie emails) for the team this year :-)





I get in trouble sometimes. Some people just push me and then I get all hot headed and chaos ensues. And then I giggle, cause its just silly.

Here's some reading for you while you are drinking my coconut rum cocktail :-)

*This 1st email from *Swim Team Mom* is actually the 3rd in a series that she massed emailed out to the entire swim team. And to preface THIS....

I had took Luke to the dentist this particular afternoon and he had had 30+ seizures in the dentist chair while trying to get his check-up. His sweet (& gorgeous) dentist actually has epilepsy herself and was very patient with Luke, we never got out of the dentist until 6:30 (our appt was at 3:00) The swim meet that I was supposed to have TMO & Luke at started at 5:00, it was a 20 minute drive from the dentist to home & then another 20 minutes to the swim meet. "Swim Team Mom" called me at 6:35 on my way home and the conversation went down something like this:

Swim team Mom (STM): Are you coming to swim meet?

Me: No, I am just now on my way home

STM: Do you know how you have inconvenienced me? I now have to re-arrange 5 relays because you did not call!!!!

Me: STM, you are not real high on my list right now, sweetie. (hang up)

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Then she sends 3 mass emails to all 82+ swim team members about me, I am including her last one. And yes, I may have over-reacted but you know what, if felt freaking great, & not a lot has recently, so there :-)

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Because of all the absences and scratched relays we had today, we are asking you to sign up for meets by 5:00 the Friday before the following week's meet if your child is swimming. If we don't hear from you we will assume they are unable to attend. If plans change before then, please email or call my cell phone at 123-1234 or my hubby at 123-2345 Sign up through email to Coach or me.

Swim Team Mom
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Reply to all
Reply |Aerobic Mom
7:30 AM (1 hour ago)


Really Swim Team Mom?


I remember when swim team at cherry oaks used to be fun. Perhaps you can go form a team/league with all the other "competitive moms".


Stop mass emailing. Get off your high horse!!!!!!! Stop harassing people. This is ridiculous.


If anyone on this mass email list would like to know WHY we missed the swim meet last night (this is obviously directed to us) please ask me. STM was very busy on the phone telling me how I had "inconvenienced" her last night and did not ask.


(I will await on the "reply to all" from your husband, STM, for later today. I am sure there will be one coming).


This is a "recreational league" that I paid $200 to be a part of, right? RECREATIONAL. FUN. Remember? The competition and stress can take place one another league, not this one.


Aerobic Mom


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Ok, I might need to go on some medication or drink another cocktail, but you giggled a little, right? :-)

Letter I WANT to send....

I got a little fired up today over ADHD and teachers who act like drug pushers and I typed up this letter....

You know my history with shooting off emails....I want to send this letter....should I do it? :-)

May 24, 2012

Name
Address
City, State Zip

Dear

Hello, my name is Jennifer. I am sending you this follow up letter about my son Luke because at some point last year I contacted you concerning issues Luke was having. As reminder, Luke attended Wintergreen Primary during the 2010-2011 school year. He was in Ms. McGregor’s class, with Ms. Bryant as a teacher’s assistant and Mr. Coffenberry was the administrator that most often dealt with Luke. Luke spent most of year in trouble during his stay at Wintergreen. I received phone calls routinely (3 or more times a week) on his unacceptable behavior, such as talking, not standing in line, swinging his lunch box, spitting on the ground outside. During the process of correcting Luke and getting him used to kindergarten Luke was suspended from school, he missed almost 20 days. He was ridiculed, outcast, he had no friends, he hated school. I removed him from Wintergreen the second week of May, he did not finish his kindergarten year.

Luke’s teacher beat the ADHD drum as much as possible. Within 11 days of the first day of school she and the music teacher, Ms. Ulfers (Teacher of the Year this year in Pitt County) filled out a “Vanderbilt Report”, without me asking, to take to Luke’s pediatrician. The school counselor joined in. There were committees formed, notes took. The overall feeling was LUKE HAS ADHD. LUKE NEEDS MEDS.

I did take Luke to the pediatrician, more than 5 times for this diagnosis alone. Greenville Pediatrics DID NOT think Luke had ADHD. But what did they know, right? So then I took Luke to see a psychiatrist. Did you know that the co-payment for state employee insurance to see a psychiatrist is $70.00 a pop? But we went with Luke, because “Something is wrong with him” according to Wintergreen. The psychiatrist DID NOT DIAGNOSE Luke with ADHD. She did tell us that normally ADHD is not diagnosed in children until age 7 or older. She said that 5.4 million children have been diagnosed with ADHD and that number is up 22% from 2003, according to the CDC. Some teachers tend to be pushers of these medications.

We fought with Wintergreen and we lost. We pulled Luke out of school. I prayed about Luke last summer. I prayed about where Luke would be in school, and who would be able to teach Luke, and I even prayed over the fact if Luke even had the capability to learn.

I petitioned the school board the change Luke’s school to a smaller sized one, which was suggested by the psychiatrist. She even wrote a letter. I was denied the change even though they refused to even read, open, or accept the letter wrote by the psychiatrist in my hearing with them.

I was - Denied Change. And then I found out Wintergreen had not met their testing standards by a neighbor walking through our neighborhood and this neighbor told me she had received a letter stating they could transfer to Elmhurst through the Bush Law “No Child Left Behind, School of Choice.” We did not receive this letter from Wintergreen. I went the next day to pick it up from the office at Wintergreen.

Luke got into Elmhurst when we applied under this new reason. I am not sure if the school board members knew this was coming and denied me because I could get in through 5th grade instead of 1 year only or if my reasoning were not strong enough to them for a school transfer.

I was happy for a change for him, but worried and scared for him also.

I will not say that Luke has had NO ISSUES this year, but I will tell you that this experience has been 1000 times different than Wintergreen. Luke has learned. He has flourished. He has friends. I am convinced he has the BEST teachers in Pitt County! Mrs. Williams and Ms. Dudley have taught Luke so much this year. The expectations and the overall feel of the school are so much different than what we experienced last year. Ms. Gillam, the principal has managed to truly create a community environment at Elmhurst. All the kids know each other. All the kids help each other. I am allowed to help with the school without making an appointment with the principal. I can contact Mrs. Williams with any concerns I have and expect her to listen to me and to Luke. These teachers love Luke. And he knows it. And if you can’t start off in Kindergarten with some love from your teacher, how can you expect to succeed in school?

I love Elmhurst for Luke. I love the teachers, administrators, everything.

Wintergreen has problems. My older children (now 19 & 15 years old) attended Wintergreen under the leadership of Pat Clark and it was different school. Yes, we had a couple rough years, but there was never anything even remotely compared to what happened to Luke in Kindergarten.

I have graduated one child from Pitt County Schools and know the challenges that come with providing a safe and effective environment for learning. Wintergreen Primary and their staff that we encountered are the worst I have ever dealt with.

If in the future you have to deal with an issue in this school, remember Luke. Remember what a hard time he had and how he overcame it. It was not Luke’s fault. Luke was 5 years old. Luke was the child that was there to be taught. The school failed Luke, Luke did not fail the school.

Thank you for reading this letter.

Hope you have a happy and healthy summer!

Sincerely,



Jennifer

Summer Bucket List

The summer is fast approaching. We have about 3 more weeks of school left & then the boys will have more relaxing days & there will be NO MORE HOMEWORK!!!

Dude, that is some good news!!!!

Here is some of my Summer Bucket list:

1. Light sparklers in the driveway on a hot summer night.

2. Make s'mores.

3. Evening Bike rides & atleast 1 SUNRISE bike ride.

4. Find a turtle.

5. Watch the sunset on the beach.

6. Watch the sunset in the mountains.

7. Pick blueberries.

8. Make a dinner from my garden, alone.

9. Learn to make fancy cupcakes.

10. Breath and enjoy the summer of 2012, I only get to do it once!

HAPPY SOON TO BE SUMMER

A League with Luke

Luke has started baseball! It has been a fun fun fun experience.

I won't lie to you and sugar coat it too much because honestly, there has been some crying & laying on the ground & throwing off the glove. But we are working on it!!! And you know what? A lot of other kids have been doing that stuff & I have watched a couple Major League players have some big 'ole tantrums too!

Luke is the best hitter on the team. In fact, he is the best hitter I have saw in the whole league so far! I am not joking when I say this, we have saw a kid BIGGER than Luke in this league. Seriously, a bigger kid. I tried to scope out the kid's parents to see if they were Amazon's like us, but I couldn't spot them, lol!

Luke is 79.2 lbs. Luke is 4'9". Luke is a big ole boy!

This is Luke playing with baseball with his face painted from the school carnival.

.....its hard to see him, he is camouflaged....

Guess what? The neighborhood pool is open!

3 more weeks of school...& then summer will be here!!! What more could we ask for? :-)