Friday, May 29, 2009

Oh yeah! Proud Mommy Bragging ...


My oldest, Chase, is a whiz kid. Always has been. Spells awesome, is a wonderful writer, reads like there's no tomorrow, is so inquisitive and just an amazing learner. His state test scores this year were phenomenal, scoring 99% in language and 98% in math.

So we decide that we should have him TAG tested. Try to request it and get such a run-around from the school. His teacher told me that he "wasn't gifted, he's just a quick learner". I felt in my heart that he was truly a gifted child but no one would stick up for him. They had to have a whole meeting to "decide" whether he was worthy enough to test. I literally stood on the TAG coordinators doorstep once a week for over a month to finally get the testing done.

Well, today was the day. He finally got his TAG test. And you know what, he soared right through it! He didn't just pass it, he creamed it! A score over 116 is considered gifted. You have to have an IQ of over 126 to get the 97% you need in Oregon to be designated TAG. He well overshot that.

So after all that hard work to convince the school to test him, to keep on their arses so they didn't just let it slip through the cracks, we come out on the other side with victory. YEAH!!!

Now the fight begins to actually have him receive those services that he qualifies for ...

Monday, May 25, 2009

No news...

... is not necessarily good news here. I haven't posted lately for a lot of reasons - Carissa's softball, Tristan's taekwondo and Chase's scouts are keeping me busy, the school year is ending and I'm working on all those final details for the year, Brian has been away at training and that leaves me doing most of the works, it's been beautiful weather and I've been spending my free time outside, the list could go on. But it all came to a halt this week when we learned that a boy in Chase's class had died. 12 years old. "Accidental hanging" is what it's been called and we're just all a bit in shock. This was a decent kid, one who sat with Chase at lunch, one who was energetic and loved science. And now he's just gone. It's been a bit surreal. I know unexpected deaths happen, but this one really brought it home. So take a few minutes to be thankful for those kids around you, thankful that they are healthy and alive.

Monday, May 18, 2009

What Makes Me Happy...

Today is one of those days when I need a little pick-me-up. So I'm going to focus on what makes me happy. Here they are:
  • The sunshine and beautiful weather!
  • "Sadie Hawkins Dance" by Reliant K. That song just makes me smile. (Click one of the videos on the left to hear it).
  • Tristan laughing at the park while spinning uncontrollably on the playground equipment.
  • Carissa smiling again after being sad and sick the last two days.
  • Chase's state testing scores. They were amazing this year!
  • Air Conditioning. It's a marvel of engineering, I tell you. It's how I survive the summer.
  • RitterSport Milk Chocolate and whole Hazelnut candy bars. YUM!
  • A partially clean house. Hey, partial is something. Right now I'll take it.
  • An unexpected night home tonight with Brian.
  • Counting down the last month of school days. I can't wait for summer!
  • Having 2 layouts requested for publication today.
  • The new camera lens that is on it's way to me as we speak.
  • The afterglow of a girls scrapbook weekend.
  • Did I mention the sunshine?

Saturday, May 02, 2009

Science Fair

Tristan is in the midst of his science experiment for the upcoming science fair. His topic: Whose mouth has more bacteria, a cat, a dog or a human? He's worked hard on getting everything ready and watching the bacteria grow in the petri dishes. We were suprised at the results. Pretty digusting bacteria! LOL