and we're back. [Walt, Wizards, and....Woolungasaurus?]

[bumbershoot]

Will my JCPenney order arrive before we leave? There's no ETA on the UPS tracking page. It left Spokane on the 24th (same day we left Pendleton LOL). Augh.

After I have lunch, I have a good hour to get things into the staging zone, which I also have to set up. After that I have to get to the grocery store and then on for E's ballet etc and hopefully a workout for me. Thinking about the Y made me realize that two Fridays ago I felt fine, had a treadmill workout with a mom of two of the kids in Aikido, she mentioned that they'd been sick and coughed nastily a few times, and it was the next week that we got so sick. So that's the timeframe of this cold or whatever. And I'm happy to say that we're pretty much done with it, woo!


OK keep your fingers crossed that E's tooth stays put! It's the other front upper tooth, and it's loose, very loose. But he does take his time with teeth, so there's a good chance it can stay in place until we get to WDW. How cool would it be for that to happen?


Robert says he'll pack for himself, so that's nice. It's a Very Good Thing to come out of his work trips, because he was SO bad about it before. But now, apart from things like laptop chargers LOL, he can pack for himself.


Lunch is coming to a close. Whimper. You know what's really stopping me? I had REALLY wanted to get a big huge massive rolling spinner bag for this trip. So instead of slogging through the airport with tons of bags, we could just make it easy on ourselves. But that didn't happen (unless I felt like going out to the mall today or something insane like that), and we have our surprisingly roomy soft-sided officially full carry-on sized bags, which means more bags and it just gets...annoying.

But that's a pathetic excuse! I should get on with it! Just a wee bit of lunch left.

 

[QueenDoOver]

Hi Tracey! So have the boys had school? Has hubby had to go to work?



I keep saying I need to keep a "sick journal", because a few days into one of us being sick it feels like years and I get all confused about it all. I've really got to be better about it.

Hello! We had two extra no school days with the weather. Boys were elated, but it did put a wrench in my spokes. Actually it was the terrible cold that slowed me down. I did not want to leave the house! Hubby made it in to work, but he only has to go a few miles and has 4 wheel drive, so did just fine. My philosophy is to stay home until the ice melts, so that's what I did.

Glad you are feeling better! I love to get packed. Makes everything feel real. I usually start like two weeks before the trip

 

[bumbershoot]

A staging area exists. And there are some things in the staging area. So this is progress!

 

[kaoden39]

Yay!! A staging area is definitely a step in the right direction.

 

[bumbershoot]

My kid's reading.

4th BOB book, reading just flat out. Right now it's about "Mac had a dog" etc etc. Just happened!

 

[kaoden39]

It's funny like that, it just clicks. Kacy could barely read leaving kindergarten and by the time first grade started she had a second grade reading level. It was once explained to me that physical ability goes hand and hand with reading. If a child can jump rope they can read. I am not sure how it works but, as music helps math physical activity helps reading.

 

[bumbershoot]

That's very interesting! And he recently has been trying to jump rope with just about anything he can find.

Robert and Eamon were watching a long movie. At the end he wanted to watch another, and R said "read 3 Bob books, watch the first disc, then read another 3, and you can finish the movie". So he did! Wouldn't have known it if we hadn't been having a relatively lazy day (R did bring a bunch of stuff to Goodwill in between).

 

[kaoden39]

That is just one of the reasons I so believe in PE in schools. The kids had a principal that if she could have would have dropped PE. I fought her tooth and nail. A big part of hers was that she just didn't like the PE teacher. It was a bit of not being tolerant of someone with a different lifestyle. I was so glad when she left the school.

I am so glad that E is obviously enjoying reading. When Loren was his age he loved Biscuit books. They are such cute little books I loved to have Loren read them to me and I loved to read them to him.

 

[bumbershoot]

OK, I've lost the Buzz themed pen for cousin-E's Buzz themed autograph book and bag. I saw it earlier when I went back to the Disney Trip Drawer, pulled it out, and...put it somewhere. Somewhere clever. I might have made it invisible. Sure seems that way.



PE is good, but I find public showers to be a horrible thing (still won't partake in them, I use the stall showers with the curtains at the Y) and it gets hot in San Jose (as I'm sure y'all are somewhat aware LOL) so I was always very unhappy with it.



Where the heck is that pen?

 

[QueenDoOver]

That's very interesting! And he recently has been trying to jump rope with just about anything he can find.

Robert and Eamon were watching a long movie. At the end he wanted to watch another, and R said "read 3 Bob books, watch the first disc, then read another 3, and you can finish the movie". So he did! Wouldn't have known it if we hadn't been having a relatively lazy day (R did bring a bunch of stuff to Goodwill in between).

Yeah for E! Never could get Nathan interested in those Bob books. And interstingly enough he struggles with reading. Wants to memorize every word. Seems phonics is too much work. But he is very musical and rather talented with Math. Making progress, but not at grade level for reading, but loves to be read to.

Anyhoo, congratulations on the staging area. That is great progress.

 

[bumbershoot]

As a kid I didn't really do the phonics thing. In fact when they started teaching all the stuff related to that, it confused me more than helped. But I had already started reading on my own before school, so it didn't hinder my reading. I got really lucky. Though I have really started looking at how I read in this last year, and it's in "chunks". I know Michele has talked about chunking, but it's not what I mean...I just sort of look at a few sentences in the middle, altogether, and kind of get the gist, and move on. It's not an optimal way of doing things, that's for sure.

Robert had problems learning to read, he didn't read until he was 8. He was made to feel really stupid for it. And he still reads slowly. BUT he retains EVERYTHING he's seen in written form. I mean, not to the "savant" level, but it's still impressive. And in this last year he has started reading a bit faster. He's not sure what has clicked this year, so very late, but he's happy about it.

It'll come for Nathan!



I'm currently working on "what do I NEED to have with me on the plane" vs "what can go below". I'm talking "stuff" here, not clothes. I have Robert's carry-on sized hard-sided roller bag, and I'm using that for the things I don't want lost, don't want smashed, or want with me THAT day. There are things that fall in those categories that will have to go in checked luggage, b/c they aren't allowed through (or I just don't want that extra scrutiny), like E's light spinners, and if he insists on bringing a sword etc, or the glowsticks. Some take glowsticks in carryon, but since they have liquid and the ounces aren't marked, I'm not comfy with ticking off the TSA like that LOL.

Clothes are clothes. Shoes will be a little bit tricky, but that's just b/c I want athletic shoe options and flipflops and my watershoes. E has ffs and athletic shoes. Robert just wants his one pair of athletic shoes, NO water sandals, and his pool flipflops.

I mean, with all this *thought*, I'm practically packed already, right? Right? Hey, is this thing on?

 

[DLR29]

Woo! I'm back and definitely gonna be reading your TR! How exciting that your trip is so soon!

 

[bumbershoot]

Welcome back! You're in college now, right? How's everything going? Don't even try to catch up, just wait for the good stuff.

 

[Brady's Mom]

WEeeeee....just read your ticker and it says 2 days! How is the packing going? Did you find the pen??

 

[Hedy]

Holy cow, two days!

 

[bumbershoot]

The packing stalled. I seem to be waiting until the very last moment (which is actually a day early, since we're staying at an airport hotel tomorrow). Not what I'd planned for!

No pen! I'm concerned that it ended up in a box of clothes that was donated to Goodwill yesterday. But I haven't gone through absolutely everything entirely thoroughly yet (could I have used MORE adverbs there?). (and, by the way, "entirely thoroughly"? seriously Molly?)

ETA, found the pen! Was in the place I was thinking of when I said I hadn't gone through absolutely everything entirely thoroughly yet.



Should share....I'm terrified! I'm going into paralysis here. What if the trip sucks? What if we argue the whole time? What if my family hates me? What if we run out of money? AUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH.


I might have to go hide in the closet. Would probably be better to do some actual packing, though. Maybe I'll do that.

 

[DLR29]

College has been SO much fun! I just got back from home cause I went home for Thanksgiving weekend. It was fun seeing all of my old friends, but I really missed it here at school. It's been such a good transition.

Anyway, enough about me, HAVE FUN ON YOUR TRIP!

 

[bumbershoot]

Checked us in for our flight!

 

[Sherry E]

Checked us in for our flight!

Woo hoo!!! My PC is acting crazy right this second so I won't say much. But woo hoo! Have a great time, Molly!

 

[Brady's Mom]

RELAX!!

You'll have a great time, your family will love you, you won't fight all the time, everything will go smoothly (you've planned it thoroughly) and you won't run out of money! It will be a great trip. Just remember to eat (even small amounts at regular intervals), stay hydrated and try to get some good sleep when you can - everything else will fall into place.

Glad you found the pen! And packing is good, very good.