Challenges from Atticus

I helped the twins with their spelling words this morning: bumpy, puppy, funny, penny, sandy, bunny, sleepy, chilly, my, night, or, because, behavior, group, plead.  Adrienne got them all correct except for behavior and plead.  I told her the correct way to spell them and she corrected her work.

Atticus had problems with because so I helped him out by spelling it for him.  When we went back over the work he had spelled it becaus.  When I told him that he had spelled it incorrectly he started crying and complaining that I had told him to spell it that way.  He also missed behavior, group and plead spelling them behavor, graep and pled.  He kept saying that his mother told him that group had an "e" in it and that it wasn't his fault.

So he wanted to practice the words again so we did it again.  Once again he misspelled because (becaus), behavior (behavoior) and group (gruap) and when I corrected them he just broke down crying and went upstairs.

He wants to be so confident and he thinks he already knows everything and when someone calls him on it he just can't handle it.

Ahh the challenges of being a parent.  Hopefully this will be one of the largest challenges with him......

RIGHT!!!!

Snow Skiing for the kids

I took our three ankle-biters snowskiing on Monday.  We took them out of school when the slopes are not so crowded.  We went to Appalachian Ski Mountain outside of Blowing Rock, NC.

My brother brought his two kids with him and his doctor also came with his youngest daughter.

Well, Mondays are "Home School" days so there were a boatload of kids there and we had to sign the kids up for a group lesson- I hope it did them well.

It took forever to get the skies rented and fitted and to handle all the gloves, hats, helmets, boots and skis and the locker and the payment, etc.. We arrived at the lodge about 9:15 and didn't hit the slopes until after 10:15.

Atticus learned pretty quickly but he refused to turn.  He kept pointing his skis straight downhill and just bombed down the slope in a straight line.  This is fine for the bunny slope as he came to a slow stop at the bottom.  But he wanted to go to the steeper slopes where he did the same technique.

Of course this is absolutely dangerous and on the steeper slopes he fell.  When he got to the top of the lift and went to the slope and I was behind Atticus watching him.  As he pointed his skis straight downhill and started picking up speed to about 20 mpg, I started yelling "TURN, TURN, TURN" and of course he did not.  About half way down the slope, he just fell down in a cloud of snow with skis flying everywhere.  He started crying and screaming at me that him not turning was my fault.

After I got his up and his skis on and promising me that he would turn going down the mountain.  He stood up, I pointed his skis to the side of the side of the slope on a line that was not as steep.  Immediately after he began to go, he pointed his skis straight downhill and took off like a rocket.  Fortunately the bottom of the slope was flat enough and long enough that he slowed down without falling or hitting anyone.

I took him to the top of the bunny slope again and worked with him to try to initiate turns.  He watched his cousin Lucas do nice S turns and eventually did some himself.  So we went back to the top of the intermediate slope and he did the same thing- point the skis straight downhill.

Adrienne took to skiing pretty well.  She spent the entire time on the two bunny slopes and skiied a lot by herslef without me or her uncle around.  I got pulled in three different directions and thank goodness she didn't mind being by herself some.  I was surprised that she skiied pretty much all day with only one break for lunch.

London did well just like her brother.  She went down the intermediate slopes too but did turn.  Although she did fall and cry and got really frustrated trying to get her skis on and kept saying that she couldn't do it.  She eventually got her attitude adjusted and got her skis on and kept on going.

All three of the kids skied from about 10:30 to 6:15 and they had a great time.  Even with the cousins who they normally complain about being with, they really enjoyed it.  Atticus skied mostly with Lucas.

Overall it was a very successful trip and I have a deep sense of satisfaction that the kids had such a great time.

Microsoft continues to annoy

I just built a Home Theater PC and installed Windows 7 Home Premium.  I had intended to use the built in Remote Desktop access to control the PC but alas I find out that Microsoft left support for the Remote Desktop server out of the Home PREMIUM edition of Windows 7.

Of course all the switches are there and you can fully configure it and nowhere when you are doing this does it tell you that it will not work in the edition you have.

Thanks a lot Microsoft.

Dining out

I am with the the kids at the Mellow Mushroom in Hickory.  Just me and the kids.  The wife didn't feel like joining us.  We are sitting on the enclosed patio work the heaters blasting but it is still too damn cold.  I am drinking a Rogue Dead Guy Ale trying to stay warm.  The good is taking forever.  It is a Saturday night do WTF did I expect.

Can't Switch It Off

This is the second night in a row that I have woken up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep.

I just can't seem to be able to switch off my brain.  I have my procrastination to thank for this.  I have a person who will hold me accountable for my lack of progress on Strategic Planning coming tomorrow and i think that is why I can't sleep.

I was tired all day today and now I will be even more tired tomorrow.  Sucks but I have no one to blame but myself.

Sleeping Problems

Atticus can't sleep with his feet under the covers because he says they get too hot.  Last night he had his feet out of the covers but was whining because they were still too hot.  So I got a washcloth for him and wet it and put it on his feet.

Adrienne for some reason has suddenly not wanted to sleep in her room by herself- she says she is scared.  London doesn't want her to sleep in her bed with her and neither does Atticus want her to sleep in his bed with him.  Last night eventually after a lot of whining and crying from both her and Atticus we got Adrienne to sleep in her room.  The night before she slept in bed with Atticus.

Low White Blood Cell confusion

So I went back to my family doctor for my annual physical and the digital exam went fine - my prostate is good.  I had the blood test done and my cholestorol is over 200 - no so good but worst of all my white blood cell count is still low- just below normal.  It has been a year now with a low white blood cell count.

As a result I went to my Oncologist on December 4 where my white blood cell count was tested again and still found to be low and he suggested that I have another bone marrow biopsy like the one I had a year ago.

I have been in Honduras the past three days and this morning I noticed a bump right below my right ear lob where my jaw and neck come together.  I don't know if this is a begnin nothing to be worried about bump or not but considering the unexplained low white blood cell count, this will make me think a few more times than I normally would.