All Tricked Out For Getting Some Treats

The Dread Pirate Andrew and his class

When it was in the 30's and "snowing" earlier this week, I was a little worried about what the weather would be like for the Big Night. But today was truly the perfect fall day. It was sunny and clear, in the mid-60's, and it was Friday. So instead of pizza-and-movie-night, it was pizza-and-trick-or-treat night.As per tradition, the dads took the kids around the neighborhood and the moms stayed home to pass out candy and enjoy some quiet. The gang made it longer than we thought they would, bringing back bags full of candy.As soon as we got home, all candy was dumped on the floor, sorted, and traded. The negotiations were intense, and sometimes confusing (a jawbreaker for a Reese's Cup?) but everyone seemed happy with the end results. Then came the gut-wrenching decision of which piece of candy to eat tonight.

Now, the teeth are brushed, the costumes are in the laundry, the candy bags are stashed on top of the fridge. Time to see if we can get these jacked-up kids settled into bed. Wish us luck.

Go. Have Fun.

These are the words that I found coming out of my mouth as we arrived at the Stake Halloween Party on Saturday. I stayed in the gym the whole time, while the kids walked around from room to room, game to game. On their own. How pleasant for me to sit and visit and watch the costumed children walk by. And then, when it was over, my children reappeared with powdery faces from the donut-on-a-string game, cupcakes from the cake walk, and a bag of treats.
Happy, Happy Halloween.

"If you were a hot dog, and you were starving, would you eat yourself?"

He is the pirate who doesn't do anything...except sports.

C'mon, let me see you shake your tailfeathers!

The costume parade...which no one wanted to participate in, yet somehow everybody did.
Except that pirate.

Project Runway, Halloween Edition

Our designer's challenge this week is Halloween costumes. The kids had their design aesthetic in mind and I have been busy trying to make it work. There has been a flurry of pompoms, pipe cleaners, glue, hot glue, fleece, felt, and feathers. We have made a couple trips to Mood Joann's, WalMart, and Pat Catan's for supplies. The big runway show this year is the Parkside Halloween party tomorrow night, and I am sure Emma and Leah will not be hearing "Auf Weidersehen." In fact, I can see them winning an award for best group costume...there is a theme going with them and a friend. I won't spoil the surprise here...but here are some clues:
Stay tuned for the biggest costume show of the season!

Busy as a man can be...

...he's Modesto 4th Ward's newest bishop!
Congratulations, Dad--and 4th Ward. You have a great man serving you.

Leaves are fallin', baby...

A quick trip to the MetroParks for some seasonal snapshots...

We Are The Champions, My Friend

We ended the flag football season on a very high note...as the team with the best record! We arrived to the field Saturday to find that the Browns, the team with which we were tied, had just lost to the Giants. So first place was ours to win or lose. It was a little dicey for most of the game, but Jets failed to make a conversion after one of their touchdowns, so we ended up on top--thanks in part to Andrew sucessfully making a conversion point:

OK, OK, I know I am not the greatest cinematographer. I am still trying to get the hang of recording and watching and figuring out what's going on!

Some more shots from the game....

And here they are...the Cardinals, first place flag football team!Really, there was not a big deal made out of who had the best record, or even wins or losses. I should get a penalty for excessive celebration!

Football Fever

Andrew had a great game on Saturday. It was so much fun to watch. He played many positions:

center...

offensive line (love the look of determination on his face!)...

rushing...

...and one chance to play quarterback.

He carried the ball seven yards! That's half-way to a first down--in this league you have to go 15 yards for a first down. Way to go, Andrew!

Comfy Day!

Yesterday Brooke took her Ohio State Achievement Test in reading. Now I remember taking proficiency tests in school, no biggie, but let me tell you--these days, the whole world revolves around them. Teachers have to basically teach specifically to these tests, so that "no child is left behind."

And so, since such great emphasis is placed on the test, and children are getting worked up and worried because they are told to not worry, and the school counselor is brought in to review test taking skills with 3rd graders, and notes are going home reminding parents that kids should be in bed early and have a good breakfast that day, the day after is Comfy Day. The children get to wear pj's to school, bring in popcorn, slippers and a stuffed animal, and watch a movie. Brooke was ready so early today (no extra time needed to change) that we had time to braid her hair and of course, snap a picture for the blog.

How fun to stay in pj's and goof off all day. I seem to be making up for my lack of elementary school comfy days.

When "special" really is...

All four of my kids went to preschool in North Olmsted, at a school that is part of the city's school district. We happened upon it by accident. I had been asking around about where other moms had sent their kids, and one friend told me "somewhere on Dover Center." And so I called Successful Starts Preschool. It turns out that this "accident" has greatly affected my life in so many ways.

In all reality, this preschool is not unusual. Many school districts have similar programs, where there are a certain number of "special needs" kids, and a certain number of "typically developing" kids, or "peers." What makes this particular school unique, at least for me, is the teachers. My children were safe, and loved, and cared for. They learned compassion, and kindness, right along with their numbers and letters. They thrived in this environment. As I visited the classroom, I saw amazing changes in children throughout the school year. Children who may have fallen through the cracks. But every child was important, and these teachers worked miracles.

And of course, a personal relationship started to develop. I count these three teachers as dear friends. I have gotten Melissa involved as well, as Macey was a part of the program for two years. We've shared pizza and movie nights, backyard dips in the pool, lunch dates, and visits to the hospital when babies were born. I truly love these women.

So why am I writing about preschool now? Because the last couple weeks I have been back. This time, as a substitute teacher for the morning class, filling in here and there as my schedule allows. This time, I am the one giving these children the love and compassion that was shown to my own.

Not all preschoolers are easy to love. They come from all different backgrounds and family situations and have varying degrees of behavioral issues. But somehow, in the four days I have worked, I have gotten a little attached. I love how one little boy talks a lot, about all sorts of things. I love how so many of the kids want to hold my hand when we walk to the bathroom. I love when one nonverbal little girl responds to me, basically a stranger, when I help her follow directions. I love how one little boy is constantly reminding us of the schedule. I love how three of the kids gathered around a wheelchair-bound girl to play Little People.

I was not subbing for a particular teacher. The previous aide left for the high school. The position is open. And I know I would have a permanent job in a heartbeat. But I am torn. I can't go through my whole Harvard/Yale list (think Gilmore Girls) here, but after the past couple days I have thought more seriously about turning in my application.

Yesterday may well be the last time I see those kids. But whether I was holding a healthy hand down the hall or a crippled hand during center time, whether I was on the floor playing with blocks or in one of those tiny little chairs doing puzzles, I talked to them with respect and tried to make school fun. And if these children collectively have made me think twice about staying home and "enjoying my freedom," they really are special.

Our Mark Wood Experience

I had not intended to blog about what I'm about to blog about. Neither I nor my children were directly involved. But as the night went on, I realized it needed to be recorded for posterity. It deserves to be remembered.

My niece, Becca, plays the viola. My sister-in-law asked if we wanted to attend her orchestra concert, so I got tickets for Emma, Leah, and myself. This was to be no ordinary school concert. It was held at the Allen Theater downtown, and featured Mark Wood at the helm.

Who is this Mark Wood, you ask. I asked myself the same thing. Turns out Mr. Wood is an electric violinist who plays with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He has won an Emmy for something, and has played with some famous people on tour. He has invented different types of electric string instruments. He has a band. He has a wife (more on her later) and a son who plays the drums. His son's name is Elijah Wood. (No, not Frodo.) He has created a program for school orchestras which involves teaching the students through rock music. The children learn these songs, and then they have a major concert together.

And let me tell you, this concert rocked. I have not been to many concerts, let alone one where "Enter Sandman" and "Stairway to Heaven" were part of the playlist. The first song was "We Will Rock You," for heaven's sake. We had great seats (4th row!) for experiencing Mark Wood (tight lace up jeans and all), but not quite so good for seeing Becca. She and her fellow 5th and 6th graders were lined up in the aisles while the older kids were on stage. The younger kids did have their turn on stage, however, and rocked the house with "Yellow Submarine."This is how violists cheer...bows held high!

The children learning about proper (and current) concert behavior

And now, a note about Laura Kaye, a wannabe rocker, Mark's wife, and our vocalist for the evening. (Did you realize Beethoven needed a vocalist? Yeah, I didn't either. Apparently there are shrieks and screams involved.) Really, there isn't much to say. I think her chunk of pink hair, purple feathery mike stand, and pants say it all.

Oh, to be able to wear pants (are they really even pants?) like these as I approach the mid-century mark...

It's just like taking an ocean cruise, only there's no boat and you don't actually go anywhere.

The kids had Wednesday off, so we decided to head to the islands. Maui, to be exact. Ok, ok, it was actually Maui Sands Indoor Water Park in Sandusky. Just a mere 45 minutes down the road. But it sure was a getaway.

I was perusing the school website one day and saw they were having a fundraiser which just happened to also be an incredible offer for the water park, good for the day the kids had off. Now there's a cause I can get behind. What's even better is that the offer was good for a family of six. Yeah, baby. How can I pass that up? I made reservations faster than you can say "multiply and replenish."

We kept the whole plan under wraps, not breathing a word to the kids. They came home from school on Tuesday and we told them to grab some reading material and hop in the car. Some children were a little stressed by the lack of knowledge, some were keen enough to figure it out (with the help of one "chatty" cousin), some were smooth enough to go along for the ride. So to speak. As we got on the freeway, we let them ask a couple yes-or-no questions. Leah's was astute: "Are we staying overnight?" She had seen the packed bags in the back of the car. Andrew's were a bit more scattered: "Are we going to the Ryan's? Are we going to Tennessee?" To which Leah exclaimed: "Andrew, you're wasting your questions!"

After grabbing some fast food, we checked in to the hotel. Which was, according to general consensus, "the best hotel EVER." There was a king sized bed, and a slightly-bigger-than-a-closet room with two sets of bunkbeds and its own flat screen TV. Between the two "rooms" were sliding doors, which the kids were all too happy to close as they sat down to kids' meals and the Disney Channel.Soon after dinner we donned our suits and hit the slides. Brooke, of course, resisted the idea of water slides as a whole, but with some convincing, she went down with me. As we flew down the first steep drop, I was sure that would be her first and last time down. But she turned in to a water-sliding fiend. She could not be stopped. In fact, all three girls were maniacs on the slides!

Down the slides
Sorry for the poor quality, it was dark back in there.

Heading back for more
Andrew did his fair share as well. Tuesday night the laid back I-don't-really-want-to-be-here kid who was manning the top of the slides let Andrew go down the slide with the 48" height requirement, as long as he was riding with an adult. And I have to say, this was the "funner" of the two main slides. But Wednesday the water slide Nazi was on duty, so Andrew was out of luck. Andrew still got his money's worth out of the other slide.As did Glenn and I. In fact, I kind of felt like a kid again, back at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, one of the best places on earth. (Because at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, everybody has a good time.) One time we rode the Giant Dipper over and over and over again, it's amazing our stomachs made it out alive. I kind of did that this time, only not quite as much. You see, to ride the Giant Dipper you don't have to climb 84 steps dragging an innertube behind you.Somewhere among those 84 steps...

Some other Maui Sands attractions...

Lazy River...
lounge area for me to read my book...(Did you really think you'd see me in my swim suit?)

hot tub (great for warming up cold little bodies!)...and kiddie water slides and play area, including basketball!

I have to say I loved this little trip. This is not my typical "vacation," but I am proud of it for a number of reasons. I am proud of the kids and how well they behaved. I am proud of the gratitude they expressed over and over. I am proud that it was not as good as Disneyland (cuz let me tell you, that trip took a lot more planning and preparation--it better not be as good!) I am proud that we stayed right up until the park closed at 3:00pm. And I am proud that we did not spend one single penny more than the initial hotel reservation. Alo-ha!