Toot-toot-tootoring

I have a second student to tutor! The cards I passed out at the local schools have paid off. My second student is also in geometry and just has trouble understanding the teacher. So far both students are fairly motivated and bright, so they ask questions and want to do well. I was a little worried I would get students who were forced to go to a tutor by their parents and didn't actually care.

Last night, in an effort to further expand my palate, we had brussel sprouts. I bought a bag of frozen sprouts that I could just through in the microwave to steam. Yeah, I can see why they have a bad rap, even Chris didn't like them. They were surprisingly juicy which I didn't like. I'd give them a 3 on the Hugs-o-meter.

But it was made better because I made Fantasy Fudge(but without the nuts). Oh sweet bliss.

Holland

I've had this post in mind for a while, so here it is.

While I was pregnant, and even before, Chris and I would discuss the possibility of our baby having a disability. Be it mental, physical or even something as temporary as colic. The thought really, really scared me.

Let me add that Xander is in perfect health. This isn't to scare anyone, this is just a blog about something that had gone through my mind.

One thing that calmed me was a friend saying that a special needs child would be lucky to have me for a mom because she knows how well I'd take care of that child. I never thought of it that way, that it wasn't about me but about the child.

The other thing to calm me was this:

WELCOME TO HOLLAND
by
Emily Perl Kingsley.
c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

New Food

For Xander's baptism I decided to try to make barbecue to share. I found a recipe in the slow cooker cookbook. It involved buying beef round steak, cubed. I'm not sure if the cubed refered to how I should buy it or if I should cut it into cubes after I buy it. I went with the store bought steak cubed. The other ingredients included onion, chili pepper, tomato paste, ketchup, cider vinegar and a beer. Let's just say the predominant ingredient besides the steak was beer.

So everything was slow cooked overnight and shredded in the morning. Some of the sauce was removed. And barbecue was made! Except I didn't think it tasted very barbecue-y. It tasted like sweet beer. Don't get me wrong, it still tasted good and it was all eaten, it just seemed like false advertising on the name of the dish.

I also made cupcakes. They tasted good, not my best. They did LOOK great. I really need to stop using strawberry cake mix though, it's getting boring.

I am nuts

This morning I got up at 6 am. Yeah, Xander needed fed but I was planning on getting up then anyway. That is when Chris gets up to work out in the basement (he is nuts too). I have been stuck at ten pounds overweight for a month now and I'm sick of it. On Monday I went shopping with my mom and sister and I spent more time being sad about not fitting into the clothes I'm used to than enjoying shopping. I'm not working out on my own so at least twice a week I'm dragging myself out of bed to get some exercise in. Chris at least is excited to have the company.

But I did find a pair of pants while shopping. They fit great, were originally $40, were on the $15 dollar rack but rang up at $10! I never get that lucky at clearance sales! And they are desperately needed since I only have one pair of jeans that fit (and by fit I mean cause a muffin top).

In other news I did buy the Disney edition of Scene It. My rationale was that everyone has seen some Disney and some day Xander can play. After Game Night on Saturday I'll never get anyone to play it with me again. I didn't think I knew that much Disney, really!

I had my first student over for tutoring. The tutoring itself went well, but the girl is allergic to cats so of course Ainsley and Min were trying to rub all over her. And Xander was all out of sorts (probably from the eight hour mall trip the day before) and kept crying. She's scheduled to come back next week, so I'll try to get the cats in the basement.

Yesterday was an awesome day out (just in case you were busy working or not being in Ohio). I took Xander to the library and we decided to take a jaunt to the local park. The trees were still gorgeous colors and the temperature was just right for a great fall day. I sat and read for a while and Xander continued his nap. Then when I got home I decided a walk was in order and broke out the stroller for the first time in a week. I'm glad I did because it is twenty degrees colder today. But I did see snowflakes!

That pretty much catches you up on my life :)

Boy are my arms tired!

I've been dallying with an idea for a while that I finally put into motion today. I am going to try to tutor. My supportive husband has ok'd the idea and approved me doing it at home so that there is no need to hire a babysitter or for him to rush home (especially since he has a big project he is working on).

I can't continue at my previous tutoring job because it is a 20+ minute drive. If Chris gets off at 5 (which he won't), gets home at 5:30 and I leave immediately I could make it to work from 6 to 8. But that is unlikely, which makes it only the 7 to 8 shift. That would barely cover the cost of gas to get there. So I'm branching out on my own here. I'm also hoping that my previous employment doesn't find out because I did sign a no-compete agreement. My argument is I'm not competing since they don't go to the level of math I plan to tutor at.

Today I made up little business cards and handed them out at five local schools. It was more difficult than it sounds because at each school I'd have to get Xander out of the car and bring him with me. I kept him in his baby carrier so it just got to be heavy after a while. But he did help me win over the receptionists and they were all 'good for you for staying home to raise him.' Hopefully that will get me some bonus points.

Last spring I had told my high school I would do tutoring and I have gotten calls from there, but most of the calls came while I was still pregnant and parents didn't want to deal with me taking a month off after birth. I did get a call today from a woman who is willing to drive all the way to my place from the school, so I may already have my first student!

Now I need to root through my school boxes and find the binder and papers I'd set aside to help keep the tutoring organized.

I got my sticker!

Current Pet Peeve: Christmas commercials before Halloween. Actually even before Thanksgiving, but if I hold that grudge I'll go nuts.

Current Irony: 'separation of church and state' yet I vote for government officials in a church building. There is probably a good explanation for it.

I was very proud of myself for voting yesterday, I even looked up the candidates in the paper! I found it odd that two of the six candidates for city council owned bed and breakfasts downtown. This morning when I turned on the news they had election results I felt more like I had made bets than I had voted for someone. And I usually lose those bets! Ah well.

By the way, pomegranate arils taste good on Rice Krispies.

It's been a while, so here is a screen cap for you. Actually, it's not directly from the movie, but just a picture of some of the characters. Very easy this time!