The blog in which I share radKids.

“National bullying prevention month” doesn’t just have to be a meaningless awareness week.

Many years ago, I was told by someone that my parenting style would cause my children to be bullies. (Pause for the cause here peeps- No.  I do not have contact with this individual, as I won't allow anyone in my life to stay there if they choose to be more hurtful than helpful.)   More importantly, we have two sweet, kind, well-mannered children that understand the difference between bullying and discipline.  That's a lot more than I can say for the adult that made the comment.   Cat. Kettle. Black.  Just sayin'.

I recently viewed the viral clip of the news anchor that received an email from a viewer that verbally "bullied" her into speaking up.  Not for the issue he called her out on, but the way in which he felt justified to do it.  We, as a society, need to take a strong stand on how we should expect to be treated.  About ten years ago, I learned that no matter how difficult the decision would be, I would never allow myself or my family to be hurt by ignorance.  Bullying comes in many ways, and I want each of us to remember that it is not to be tolerated. Ever. 

We enrolled our children into this program that came to our community last February.  I was grateful for the education, for my children and for myself.  It told my children that they are special and will never have to accept being bullied.  They are given tools in which to draw from if ever faced with a situation that is emotionally or physically dangerous to them.   Actually, the part that hit me was that the program explained how to know that it isn't their fault. I thought about that a long time.  My daughter regularly comes home to tell me how someone mistreated someone, and what she did to diffuse the situation.  She is in kindergarten, and yet her biggest issue is not her grades, but her concern for the emotional well-being of her fellow classmates.   

This program covered everything from the more serious dangers like abductions, fire, drug, and animal attacks, to car and bike safety.  It allowed my children, and Geoff and I an opportunity to have on-going dialogue with both kids about important issues, at their level.  Each of us knows that talking about heinous crimes like rape and incest are never easy, but knowing "how" to talk about it is is even more difficult.  This program taught us how to do it.  

The way my kids talk about radKids, you would think they are paid advertisers.  They are not.  They loved the experience, since the class is taught in a way that even the adults that volunteer have a great time.  There is movement, class participation, silly demonstrations with eggs that my kids still talk about each time we eat one, etc.  I am privileged to have the opportunity to go a watch the the graduation day simulations.  There is nothing more powerful for a parent than to see your child go in to the class and five sessions later, your child is confident enough to protect them self.  

radKids classes for the 8-12 year old group are being held again, December 11-15, with the graduation on that Saturday.  It is the most invaluable program that you can offer your family.  Always out for a deal?  You pay the initial fee, about the cost of dining out for a family of four, and each year your child is encouraged to retake the class at no charge. Your tuition covers the cost of your supplies, but the instructors are volunteers.  This is not your typical "stranger danger" lesson.  This is a lesson on teaching our children that they are special, they deserve to be treated with respect,  they can speak up for themselves, and they can use physical force, if necessary, in order to escape a dangerous situation. 

My radKids graduated from the first class at 5 and 6 yrs. old.  

I hope you share this information with your friends, family, and school.  This program is being taught as part of the physical education program in our surrounding counties.  It meets all the standards in the state of Georgia, and while we are debating how our money is being spent or not spent on charter schools, why not consider that no school decisions need to be made for a child who is not here because they were taken too soon by peer pressure of bullies, or by predators that have ruined our safety net of "small town USA" in the past year.  Our local YMCA is registering children now for this dynamic program.  Space is always limited.

1. Great info for parents in radKIDS, Inc. newsletter, Teachable Moments, linkhttp://myemail.constantcontact.com/Teachable-Moments---October-2012.html?soid=1105372834635&aid=FzcTrD1EMdM

2. THE RADKIDS MINDSET

A radKIDS attitude,  when empowered with some realistic and instinctive skills to escape violence or harm is:

"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME!"

rather than the child who is told what to do and in danger yells,

"HELP ME, HELP ME."

Which mindset do we want our children to have?

Finally, the skills taught are valuable life skills that protect children beyond their childhood. radKIDS grow into adults who know core principals like, “No one has the right to hurt me because I’m special” combined with the physical skills to STOP anyone from hurting them.

The blog in which I brag about my kid. I don't have one of those car decals- yet.

I had been given the opportunity to sign up for a parent teacher conference for my daughter, the kindergartner.  I saw the sign up was for a fifteen minute time slot, and honestly, while I am desperate to be overly involved in every minute detail of my children's lives, I felt like this might not really be necessary since I feel like she is doing fine, and I have no concerns.  So, I signed up for a time slot, and then emailed the teacher asking if we might just do it over the phone, if at all, if she has anything she wanted to share with me, however, I was cool on my end.  And here is what I got from the teacher-

"Shayna is doing an amazing job.  I have no concerns regarding her academics.  I think that she is doing well.  She goes to the highest reading group and from what I hear that is the perfect place for her.  If you don’t have any concerns I think we can consider this our conference and save you an afternoon."

I am in love with this teacher.  And my child.  

You all know that I have a son, a mere 14 months older than this girl child.  And no.  Nothing like this EVER happens in regards to him and his academics.  Everyone assumes that since he's on the autism spectrum, that school is a breeze for him.  Complete. Total. Opposite.  However, he is overly sweet and affectionate and never has melt downs like some other children on the spectrum.  He loves transition, meeting new people, and pleasing those around him.  Not the typical autistic seven year old, and for that, I love him.  But man, those IEP meetings just about kill me each time we have to discuss his educational needs.  Thanks for the girl migit for "saving me the afternoon." ;o)   

The blog in which I go for a walk- away from a potential dangerous situation.

So, I got out of my volunteer position at school, a half hour early, giving me plenty of time to walk Brody before the migits get off the bus.  So, after lunch with both migits, I was homeward bound with a healthy plan to grab Brody for some exercise. This paragraph can end here, but technically, there needs to be more than two sentences in the paragraph.  So, this is all filler.

We made it to Walgreens, and I normally walk to the light, just beyond where we turned around, but darn it is ridiculously hot here for the end of October, and that IS the steepest part.  Look--- you don't get into AND stay in this shape by overexerting ones' self.  So, we turned around, and walked toward our subdivision, and right about the point where it is least trafficked, a regular, silver, four door car stops next to me.  I notice that there appears to be like that police car grate in between the front of the car and the back seats.  It really freaked me out, and I know that Brody is super sweet, and would bark the ear off someone to "warn/alert" them, but he wouldn't bite if my life depended on it.  And that was my thought.  This psycho is stopped to kidnap me and have his way with me!  My husband would be jealous, seeing as even he doesn't  "have his way with me-" most of the time.

It might have been dramatic to jump to that conclusion, however, I am a little skittish, and I believe you have all seen the traumatic incident video from last week, right?  I will stop there.  So, I was actually on the phone with a girlfriend, and told her what was happening.  Then, in a split second decision, I was running.  OH. My. Gosh.  Wow.  At which point, my lungs chose to carry on a small conversation with my brain.

Lungs-  What the hell are you doing?

Brain- Running.  Flight or fight?  We are a "flightier."

Lungs- Good to know.  However, this isn't working for me.  We will die if this continues.  You must stop now.  This is clearly NOT the way you want to die.

Brain- But what if the kidnapper kills us?  Wouldn't you like to try to get away from him?

Lungs- No.  Have you read her blog?  Clearly, she is not mentally stable, and we need to try to work around her without her knowing that we know how messed up she is.  Please trust me.  I think this is a harmless situation, and perhaps, we need to calm the "F" down before this becomes an episode of Survivor, and the two of us are the only ones playing this.  At this point, her fun bags have flung themselves into her face enough to need to be iced and she has given herself one, if not two, black eyes.  Her left knee is begging her to stop, and both her ankles are yelling, "Hey CRAZY LADY!  Remember us?   There is a weight limit on us, and we don't mean to add insult to injury here, however, we believe you have exceeded it."  Her feet are just confused, seeing as they are technically wearing running shoes, but they have never moved so swiftly before. They didn't sign up for this nonsense.  I say we stop this now, and see what happens.

Brain- But we have only been running for 8 seconds.

Lungs-  That's enough  Let's chance it.

Brain- Okay.

Well, by the grace of G-d, I made it home.  We can all breathe a sigh of relief.  But my lungs are refusing to cooperate with me on this one, so you guys can do all the breathing you want. I will sit here until I catch my breathe again.

The blog in which I share my experience in the elementary school today.

Yes, today was Duck for a Buck, and no, nothing spectacularly funny happened today, but of course, I did enjoy my time there.  I began the holiday sales push, suggesting that moms, aunts, sisters, etc. would probably love a duck for the holidays.  What a steal.  A dollar, and it can be anything from a table decoration, if it is one of the appropriately themed ducks, to a secret keeper.  Yes, you can tell it your secrets, and it is guaranteed to keep it.  There was the girl who had a buck, but had been given liberties to either spend it on my feathered friends, or on an ice cream.  I had to share the phrase, "A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips."  I don't think this child even had hips, and if she did, she probably wanted them fuller, as girls that age are forever unhappy with their bodies.  So...  after careful consideration, she threw the dollar bill at me and walked away with her table piece for Thanksgiving.  Her mom will be delighted, I am sure.  

Then, it was onto Charlie's classroom to do Accelerating Reader testing.  It was interesting, as I am able to see what other children are reading, and learning a little about the story through the questions.  It was not long into the testing that I was disturbed.  Among the many books, one was a young reader version of some tale of how wonderful the Pilgrims were to the Indians.  We all know how that story ended.  How generous of us to GIVE them some of their own land.  There were the numerous animal stories.  Look, there is a series of dog and cat stories that are always being checked out for testing.  After Charlie had brought home his EIGHTH one in the past so many days, I caught on.  The one about the Collie breed made sense.  Yes, we have a collie, therefore our interests are vested.  I get it.  Then, the Dalmatian, Beagle, German Shepherd, Mutt, etc., all came out of his book bag.  After reading them, I began to see a pattern.  Yes, these tests must be incredibly easy.  First, ALL dogs need food and water each day.  And yes, they all need plenty of exercise and regular grooming.  And shocker, turns out all dogs are great with kids and other pets.  (NOT TRUE)  However, this series has only one difference when you are turning the pages-  The pictures.  Whatever.  If the kids like looking at the different dogs, and show an interest in reading, I guess I should not squelch that at this point.  

Then, this one sweet child came to me with a book to test on that was so gory, disturbing, and apparently, a classic, that I was appalled that our school would carry such filth.  I am sure if I could just get the word out there to the other parents... If they were only made aware of this literature that our school is allowing small children to delve into...  There are countless other options for young minds...  And I am not even making up this question.  And the truth is, the child answered it correctly- without blinking an eye!  What have we done to our children that this answer is so numbing?   

Child got all the questions correct- including this one.  Tsk, tsk.

I am officially done with fairy tales.  The lies are endless. From a pair of shoes that can change our lives, to becoming intimate with an amphibian and it's transformation into a prince.  The only thing I know that can happen is that it can go from a fish like state to a land, hopping animal.  Lies.   All lies.   As for that old lady- I am not letting my children out of my sight near the widows this coming Halloween night.  Just saying'.  

(VIDEO)The blog in which Charlie gets his first acting job with VIDEO this time.

So.... I was texting a conversation with a lady friend about the woes in her life, and it really sounded like a country song in my head.  I told her so.  Then, I decided to ask questions that I could use the responses in the form of a song for her to make her smile.  It was then that I remembered- I don't care for country. I do like Jimmy Buffet, and for some reason, I heard her words through the song, "Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw."  As the conversation continued, she would add too many explanation points, and that made me sing out of tune.  I told her I was done with the conversation, since I really couldn't use this for a funny blog I was formulating in my head. Well, that's not all true.  Actually, it is all true, except for one part.  Sadly, the most unbelievable parts to that story are true, and the the part that makes the most sense didn't happen.  (No, I didn't end the conversation.  She did.  I think it's hard to pour out your heart to someone who is working hard to find the humor in your difficult situation.  It sucks to be my friend.)

Charlie was blessed with yet another amazing teacher this school year. While she is fantastic, I still have to work very hard at home with Charlie so that he is successful in school.  However, this weekend was a mom fail.  We have taken some time to share our challenges from his leveled reader.  For those of you who do not know that term, a leveled reader is a book that is meant for your child's abilities.  It is supposed to be "their" level.  Well, this was not even my level, therefore, I could do nothing more than make a little video about it.   I asked him if he wanted to be a part of a video for my blog.  He said "yes."  I offered to pay him.  I asked him to name his price.  He wanted ten cents.  Done.  But I made him wear clothes.  He ended up with a shirt with chocolate on it.  I might dock his pay.

This is take number 17 I think.  The blooper reel is actually more comical than you might imagine for such a simple acting job.  I love this kid.  I wish learning was easier for him.  I wish talking was easier for him.  I wish I was better at being his mom sometimes.  But right now, I wish to remember take number 11 every time he drives me crazy.  That will always make me smile, even when he is not.  ;o)

The blog in which I video'ed a traumatic experience.

It was so nasty.  I have always had a real aversion to them.  I don't even like to call them by their names.  I have a nickname for them- "hard crunchies."  Anyway, one was in my house yesterday, and I was alone.  Well, technically, not alone, seeing as I had the hard crunchy AND my faithful dog, yet in this mission, I was, alone.  I HAD to take care of this- ALONE.  Oh man, I was so upset, and luckily for me, remembered one of my old tricks- a bowl.  However, one time, I placed a bowl or a cup over one of these things when I lived at home as a teenager, and I remember it literally was across the room come morning time when my dad frustratingly questioned me about it.  I promised him it was the size of his foot, and he was annoyed at my exaggeration.  By the time he had to deal with it, he understood that I had only slightly exaggerated, seeing as he doesn't have a particularly large foot.

When I watched the video, I was hysterical.  I didn't know I could scream like that.  However, it explained why my throat hurt all afternoon.  I understand that at 36 years old, I should have slightly more control of myself.  Some.  Some control might be more appropriate.  As for the talking to the hard crunchy and myself- yes, I am aware that talking to ones' self is a sign of mental instability, however, if you met my family, you would clearly see that I am not the worst in the group.  Shout out to the fam.!  Love you all-- and your many people you talk to.

I swear, not one bit of this was staged or dramatic for the camera.  I'm not that good an actress.  I knew the experience would be noteworthy, as I wanted Geoff to see what I do with myself while the family is gone during the day.  (Besides doing the daily laundry, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming, dishes, and organizing closets and rooms.)  Yes, I even play the part of "Protector of the House from snakes, rats, and hard crunchies."  I am a very busy chicky.  Which reminds me... We might want to look into a good exterminator.

Luckily, my mom came over in the afternoon, so she was able to dispose of it for me.  I cut her hair, and she does dead insect removal.  It's a fair trade.  And without further ado, I bring you the "event," in its' entirety.  I hope you appreciate the trauma it caused me.

The blog in which I share our Friday Family Fun Night in photos.

After eating ham pizza, celery and tomatoes, fruit parfaits and decorating and eating our sugar cookies and hot chocolate, Shay got started on this painting project while Charlie and everyone else headed to the tree to start hanging ornaments. 

When she finished painting, he came over to look at all the ornaments and hang them.  All our ornaments are picture ornaments we have made one the years.   

Oh look.  the village people ducks came to see the blessed event.  

Looking back at all the ornaments is the best part of decorating our tree.  

Working with the children wasn't the problem.  Getting the dog and ALL of Geoff's head into the picture seemed to pose more of a challenge for our resident photographer tonight.  I was in the process of crying down my leg.  I laughed 'till I peed.  

Take number 37.

Photo bomb.