Da Goddess

May 16, 2008

Hipster

My son is a hipster. There's no way around the fact. He simply...is.

I'm not talking about him being a pair of pants. I'm talking more about the cool, hep cat (STFU if you mock me for using that term) sort of guy who loves a certain kind of music and who charms all the women. That's my son. To a "T".

Little Dude loves everything old and somehow makes it all new and fun again. From cartoons to music to movies to cars. If we lived in the 50s, he'd be that guy who walked the line between greaser and all American boy and he'd do it well. He'd be Fonzie -- after he reclaimed his leather jacket and ditched the blue one he had in early Happy Days episodes and then after he became friends with the Cunningham elders.

LD's Brendan Fraser in Blast From The Past -- not as seen by Alicia Silverstone's Eve character, but by the other women in the nightclub, even though Eve eventually falls for him, too.

Forget the conventional definition of hipster one would find over at Wikipedia. This is MY world and I reject their definition for my own.

Anyhow, LD has redefined what cool is and I'm so proud to see him turning into this young man. Nope, no little boy to be found here anymore. Just this young man. Time flies all too quickly.

In other LD news, that little pre-casting headshot thing on Saturday? We got the call yesterday. They want him to come in for a reading on Sunday. I'll be out of town, but his dad has agreed to take him. His headshot? Probably the one with Kiwi the kitty. It's the most recent and it's rather nice, if I do say so myself.

I'm sitting here thinking how much this child has grown and how he's no longer too shy to attempt things that used to scare him and I'm thinking I should be singing "Sunrise, Sunset".

By the way, I may be a terrible mother for saying this, but I now love my three hundred times more now than I did four weeks ago. Why? Because I no longer have to hear about starwarsstarwarsstarwars. These days it's all about the hunky Indiana Jones. Hey, I did say once upon a time I regretted not having his middle name be Harrison. Aside from all presidential soundingness of it, I happen to like me some Mr. Ford. And I'm super extra grateful that we can enjoy movies together for a change. I've never been so happy. Well, okay, a couple of times, but those involved 1) a new camera and 2) a ticket to a special concert. (Notice how these are all post-talking-kid)

Posted by Da Goddess at 01:51 AM | Comments (2)

May 12, 2008

Pretty Little Distraction

Little Dude felt lots better yesterday, but remained mostly quiet and happy to lounge around, watching movies. Good thing, too, because I ended up in tons o' pain. Weather and too much walking/carrying supplies did me in. As I said though, we watched movies and giggled over general silliness, talked about how special Soldiers' Angels is and what a great job LD did for them on Saturday, and basically enjoyed hanging out together.

I'm such a lucky mom.

On Friday, I took a bunch of quick photos for a friend and the flowers above came from that set. Today they're a pretty distraction from pain and frustration.

Posted by Da Goddess at 02:40 PM | Comments (0)

May 10, 2008

Rut Roh

Someone woke up vomiting and it isn't me.

Gator's not happening for us tomorrow.

Fudgesicle. LD's very upset. He says Soldiers' Angels NEEEEEDS him. I told him they also really need not to get sick. Or have him throw up on people. Reluctantly, he went back to bed with little fuss.

We'll probably spend the day watching movies and taking it easy.

Poor little guy.

Posted by Da Goddess at 11:16 PM | Comments (4)

Soldiers' Angels and Little Dude

Today was the first day of Gator by the Bay for us. We were supposed to man two booths -- the blues society and Soldiers' Angels. We had a couple folks out sick for the blues booth so I stayed there and Little Dude made the decision to stay with Soldiers' Angels. Since Susan, the woman running the booth for SA, said it was okay with her, it was okay with me.

Turns out it was a great decision all the way around.

Little Dude was happy to be helping out a good cause and he turned out to be a fantastic salesman. They were selling beads and he would wander the crowd, gathering money like it was growing on trees. He even ended up selling to a friend of mine who doesn't spend money on these things. Ever. Yep, the eskimo bought ice from LD.

He also ended up having a head shot done by a group who were looking to cast kids in two new shows locally. Little Mr. Reluctant finally gave in and something tells me he could have a chance.

Lots of photos to upload.

Lots of rest needed. Especially if LD's going to charm everyone again.

Posted by Da Goddess at 08:07 PM | Comments (0)

May 09, 2008

Rescuer and Rescuee

Yes, this was taken today. Yes, it's May. In Southern California. It was cold enough that LD was wearing a long sleeve t-shirt and a long sleeve flannel shirt. At 4pm.

Global warming, indeed.

By the way, the rescuee pictured here wasn't in any danger, but LD felt it necessary to rescue the puddy tat anyway. Poor Kiwi.

Posted by Da Goddess at 10:56 PM | Comments (0)

May 04, 2008

Llama of Death and Orange Marmalade

No, it's not the name of a some crazy new band, but maybe it should be. I mean, we had prunes of the electric persuasion and alarm clocks of strawberry, not to mention ponies of stone and a million other things. Why not the Llama of Death and Orange Marmalade. If anyone decides to cop the name, please acknowledge my part in all of it. And make the music decent. That's all I ask.

Little Dude on Friday night. He was playing a game on the computer. Standard kit lens (18-55mm). Flash was adjusted for lower burst and more natural tones.


LD calls this his Llama of Death hand. I don't know why. It caused serious bouts of giggles though. You know, the sort that go on forever for absolutely no reason. Maybe it was the name. Just after this shot, I got chastised for causing him to mess up on his game. Silly me.



You get to decide which you like better: is it Rex au naturel or Rex after I've played with the color? Poor cat only wanted to nap, but I insisted on shooting and disturbing his sleep. He tolerates me only because he knows I'll go home eventually.

After two or three shots, Rex decided to turn his back on me, thinking I'd leave him alone. Not so much. I simply went to the other side of the chair upon which he was perched and proceeded to shoot. But only this one frame. Again, which do you prefer? The natural light or the color manipulation? This time around, the manipulated colors are reminiscent of cross-processing of the 60s. A little retro look for a little retro kitty.

Posted by Da Goddess at 01:38 PM | Comments (2)

April 25, 2008

Email Time Again

From the email inbox comes this query (edited only for length and totally irrelevant convo):

Goddess of the back boo-boo,

How you doin? I'm glad your getting off the pills this week. Does that mean your back to normal? Ha ha no pun intended.

Okay so I'm really writing to find out whatever happened to the matching funds you were getting for the camera? I know you already got it but what are you doing with the extra money?

Well, I'm glad you asked. Here's the dealio -- since all of you were so nice to me, I did get my camera ahead of schedule. I had no idea there were so many folks who believed in me. Big huge thanks to all who made this possible! As for the money that would have been "matching funds", I asked for it to be placed in a savings bond for Little Dude.

Now, it might seem a little crazy not to have taken the cash and invested in more gear (lenses, backup batteries, Photoshop CS3, etc), but after a lot of soul searching, I considered all that LD has had to do without because of my lack of regular income. Normally, I'd be socking away money for college for him, but I haven't had that option the last three years. It made more sense to me to have that money set aside for him while I try to build my portfolio and skill set and get back on my feet.

For now, I do have two people from whom I can borrow lenses, although I don't want to borrow gear for long. I can also transfer files to a friend's computer and work on images there if need be. I do have that option and it makes sense to work with what I have and gradually improve my circumstances this way. And I feel much better knowing there will always be that money for LD in the future no matter what happens with me.

No, I do not have physically have the savings bond. I've put that in the capable hands of my mom. She's been holding all his bonds so there's no temptation to cash them in when times get tough. That's what we've done for the last few years and it works. I don't even know how much has accumulated over time and I'm glad for that. Better to have too much than not enough, right?

The one thing I've come to terms with over the last couple years is that I can't do as much for LD as I'd like. When the opportunity arises, I like to think I've made good decisions. Like this time. I hope you all understand and support this decision. It's what I thought was best.

Posted by Da Goddess at 09:02 AM | Comments (5)

April 11, 2008

Little Dude at Arlington

From the photographic files of Little Dude's teacher, here are the latest from the big trip to Arlington National Cemetery.

Someone was looking very handsome. LD worried about what to wear until he found out he could be in his scout uniform. Several of the boys brought theirs and they took a group photo all decked out.

Little Dude gave a speech in honor of Jared Landaker. Just a week ago, Jared's parents spent the day with the kids, talking about the kind of man Jared was. LD took extra care in preparing this speech because he feels such a connection to the Landakers. (Yes, there's a lingering post to be finished -- with photos -- from last week.)

Even though Jared's not buried at Arlington, there is a special place set aside for those who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq. In addition to this wreath and the one placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the class placed one in honor of the cousin of one young lady.

Little Dude will be home late tonight and I likely won't see him until Tuesday. Feh. I don't know if I can wait. I want to hear all the stories and see all the photos from the trip.

I'm so grateful to LD's teacher for the nightly emails and photo uploads. It was nice to see what was going on even though I couldn't be there. All that's left is tracking down the folks with the video!

Posted by Da Goddess at 03:51 AM | Comments (5)

April 10, 2008

On His Way

Little Dude is on his way to Arlington right about now. I hope he's not nervous about his duties today or about his speech.

Wishing him luck and missing him terribly.

Posted by Da Goddess at 05:00 AM | Comments (0)

April 02, 2008

Some Days Are Diamonds, Some Days Are Dirt

Despite the fact I didn't carry the first bagful of clothes to the laundry room, I found myself having to haul a second, smaller bag over. I also made three trips to the apartment so as not to anger my already aching back. So why is it that I couldn't get comfortable after, or sleep without meds?

Today, I'm hunched over and looking like I spent the last week on my knees scrubbing floors with a toothbrush. Maybe it was a combination of that and my long, but leisurely walk on Monday. (I had a meeting and was without a car. It was a good walk, but I felt it deeply the whole way. Oh, and the meeting went very well.)

I had to bow out of picking Little Dude up from school so I could stay medicated and get myself feeling better for his big day tomorrow.

"Another big day for LD?" you ask. Why, yes. Tomorrow night, two of the 5th grade classes are performing in a fantastic play, complete with singing and dancing. They've been rehearsing for a few months. It's about music from every decade of the last century.

But, there's more. Earlier in the day, they'll have the family of a fallen Marine in class. They have a special surprise for the family and the local news crews will be there as well. We'll have a long day ahead of us. Given a choice, I'd rather miss today and be there tomorrow.

With permission from the family, I will share more details about their son and I'll post pictures. Until then, I'm doped to the gills and resting. Plus, all the laundry's done and I'm reading a very cool book written by a fellow blogger who comments here frequently.

Speaking of other bloggers, the Gardenwife has a special favor to ask and it only requires a moment of your time to vote for Sarahbou & Caribou.

Update: I was so dopey earlier, I was throwing question marks around like they belonged in statements and other random spots. Why aren't you folks proofing my posts?

Posted by Da Goddess at 02:51 PM | Comments (6)

March 30, 2008

Undeniably Mine

Posted by Da Goddess at 10:06 PM | Comments (6)

March 29, 2008

Now You Know Something, Too

Okay, I got the word that Little Dude officially knows about this, so I can spill the beans.

A group of 5th graders and some of their parents are going to D.C. on April 6. Part of the trip includes a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. While there, four children are chosen to place a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Little Dude is one of those kids.

How cool is that?

As well, the kids from school will be placing a wreath in remembrance of a fallen Marine who was a penpal for the class a year or so ago. The class has stayed in contact with the family and LD has a special relationship with them now (read the quoted text a little more than halfway down the post).

LD was also asked to give a brief speech to the other students while they're at the cemetery.

The only bad part of all this is that I won't be there with him. His teacher has promised me many photos and I'm hoping another parent will capture the entire thing on video for me.

This next week is going to be very exciting for us as I help him with his speech. Given that he's an extremely patriotic kid (he's been declared the most patriotic boy in class), and that he takes his job of placing flags on graves at Ft. Rosecrans so seriously each year, he will be totally engaged in this event. In fact, I'd hazard a guess that he'll be one of the only kids to fully comprehend the meaning of what they're doing.

Pretty awesome stuff, eh?

Posted by Da Goddess at 11:23 PM | Comments (7)

March 28, 2008

I Know Something You Don't Know

I just got word about something fabulous and exciting. BIG TIME.

It involves Little Dude. And I can't tell anyone just yet. In a week, though. In a week.

LD is going to flip his lid. I'm flipping mine!

I. can't. wait.

I need someone to hold me in my seat.

Posted by Da Goddess at 04:04 PM | Comments (4)

March 26, 2008

Stupid Logic

Do you set your child in the middle of the freeway hoping he'll develop speed and that he'll toughen up? No.

Do you stick your kid's head in the oven so he gets used to desert heat? No.

So why is it that men, in particular, consider subjecting a child to continued bullying at school preferrable to putting the same child in a new learning environment?

There are bullies at every school. That's a simple fact. But if a kid has already spent the last couple years dealing with these little turds, should it be considered running away if his parents enroll him in a school different from the one the bullies attend? I don't think it's running away at all. I think it's giving the kid a chance to learn to like school again, learn to stand up for himself for the right reasons instead of the wrong ones, and find a new group of kids who aren't so sick of each other that they turn mean just because they're bored. The new school will undoubtedly have bullies, but the new kid will be just one of many new kids and not a predetermined target.

Kids who are bullied begin to falter in class. Kids who do the bullying often find other bullies to team up with if given the opportunity and then go pick on familiar victims. Parents who do nothing because they don't want their child to look like a "chicken" are messed up, if you ask me.

A fresh start at a new school can do a lot to boost a child's confidence, don't you think? Instead of being bogged down by an established pecking order, kids can actually find opportunities to develop better strategies to avoiding conflict or build a different persona.

Obviously I'm in the middle of a disagreement with the ex over how to best approach school next year. I have serious reservations about sending Little Dude to the same school with the same kids he's seen every day for the last six years. Why not break the "boreditism" cycle these kids have developed? I'm tired of the little brats who constantly target the nicer kids -- boys and girls -- who choose to behave and who choose to avoid cliques. Little Dude isn't a nerd or a goody-two-shoes. He's just a nice boy. He likes plenty of rough and tumble action, likes to get dirty, likes to run and yell and pretend to shoot guns. He's also a convenient target because he gives people too many chances at friendship.

Also a concern about middle schools next year is the fact that one school is right next to a high school. I'd really prefer not to have those two populations mixing for a variety of reasons.

As the ex and I hash out all the issues, I keep coming back to the single most important factor: LD. What's best for him? A slightly smaller school with more teachers we know, fewer racial problems (but with a more diverse group of kids), consistent test results, and a small group of kids who know him from our neighborhood (as opposed to his dad's) and who will look out for him...that all sounds like a really good start to 6th grade, doesn't it?

I feel as though my ex-husband will fight this to the bitter end, just to be contrary. I don't think he's thought this through beyond the "running away" line of thinking. LD wants to go to a different school. I actually asked if it was more because he doesn't want to face the bullies or if it was something else. He said he wanted to prove he can make it work at a school where he's not worried about "stupid kids" and where he knows other smart kids who like to study and succeed. Yeah, he said that!

Speaking of success, Little Dude has totally turned things around in school the last couple weeks. He's gone from struggling to get through the easiest tasks to getting 100% on tests of all kinds, completing homework in a normal amount of time, and keeping his attitude positive. I have no idea what that glitch was about, but the kid we've always had in the past is suddenly back. My son was actually doing extra credit homework tonight! I want to keep this trend going any way I possibly can.

With this progress, do I really want to throw him into the middle of a busy two-school environment where he could very well languish? Where the known bullies can gang up on him? Where he could get lost in the crowd and be overlooked by teachers? I can't wrap my mind around the thinking behind sending him there when we have other options. Why throw your child into the most challenging arena on multiple levels (not necessarily academically) and expect him to succeed? Why not give him the chance to start over with a will to achieve big things and a more positive outlook because he can focus on the important business of learning?

My son is not a wuss. He prefers not to fight. And I admire this. "I'm a lover, not a fighter, Mom." Wanna guess how long I laughed when I heard that? I didn't even know he knew that phrase.

Look, we spend all a child's early years telling them not to fight, to talk through their differences. Why would we intentionally place them in a situation that guarantees failure in that regard? We shouldn't.

When my daughter went through all the same things, we had a situation that necessitated a change in scenery. She didn't "run away". Is it a guy thing? Or is it a step-parent thing? Why didn't the ex care then? What I saw happen with my daughter was a renewed interest in school, new friendships, and improved grades. She bloomed in her new garden. Why can't that happen with LD?

I don't get the twisted logic I heard from my ex: "If we move him, it's just like running away." No. If we move him, it's saying we believe he can accomplish anything given a safer environment with more friends who think like he does. That's not quitting, that's STARTING down a better path.

I'm not trying to be an overprotective parent. Really. I just want to give my child every opportunity to succeed in an environment that's less chaotic and where he'll have the advantage of at least knowing a couple of kids a grade ahead who have the same mindset and who will also look out for him.

Grumble grumble. Somehow I think this is going to be a bloody battle. Blech.

Posted by Da Goddess at 12:32 AM | Comments (12)

March 24, 2008

Easter, Greetings, and the Whole Kit 'n' Caboodle

What a week that was! Highs, lows, and in-betweens abounded. All worth it, though. From doctors' appointments to the desert and lots of stops in between, it's been an adventure.

I look like a raccoon. I'm covered in bug bites. The really itchy sort. And about 900+ photos. Yeah, I was busy with the camera this week. Got good stuff, got some clunkers, and have lots of editing.

Spent yesterday with the family. Went to my sister and brother-in-law's for supper and had a wonderful time. My folks, my daughter's best friend and her grandparents, my sister's best friend, and Little Dude were there.

My sister had a great meal all prepared. Ham, scalloped potatoes, sweet potatoes, lots of crudites, the works. Cheesecake and brownies. And Easter baskets. More than a few peeps were beheaded, let me tell you.

Brother-in-law noticed the camera and actually was very kind and helpful with it. Can you say "wow!" with me? Much nicer reaction than expected. In the past, he's not been so keen on the idea of me out shooting and possibly making money with it. But yesterday? Different attitude. Probably because there was a glint of recognition that I'm not going after his "market". Regardless, it was nice to have his input and the positive feedback.

Took the kids out to photograph them in various combinations and got shots of them with my folks, too. Haven't done that in a while.

After we finished eating, Little Dude and I had been invited to a friend of some friends' house. There was a band jamming, kids running around (little boys for LD to play with; he was thrilled), dogs, a cat, pigs. I had a nice long laugh when my friend introduced me to the singer, "she's our photographer." His eyes were fixed on my cleavage, his arm snaked around my shoulders, and in a silky smooth voice, he asked, "Have I seen any of your work?" He looked up briefly and then back down, "great boobs!" Now that's what I call a greeting! A girl needs validation like that every now and again. Especially after feeling like a Sasquatch much of the week.

Met many new people and discovered the hostess of the party is also a low back injury gal. And loves photography. The universe speaks again.

Backing up to Saturday, spent the day at the harp fest. Shot so many talented artists, I lost count. Had two very amazing conversations. One was with a harmonica legend. What a gracious man! Then there was a gentleman whose music you've all heard, whether you know it or not. Chances are if you've ever watched TV, especially Nick @ Nite, you've heard him. He was also gracious and more than a little flirty. You can't beat that! Was given a nice stack of CDs to listen to, some to send to the troops, and experienced eight hours of kick ass music. Little Dude was supposed to come with me, but his uncle (on his dad's side) wanted to take him hiking so I said he should go for it. He was a little mad to be missing out on a day of music, but he doesn't see his uncle that often and I thought it was important. This is how I got LD for Easter. I missed having him with me for the fest, but I know he had a great time hiking and we still got to share music yesterday. It worked out just fine in the end.

Earlier in the week, I shot a duo at a dark, little venue. Got to play around with my flash settings and became rather brave about it. One of my new photographer friends was shooting with me and she makes me brave. Her encouragement has done a lot for my confidence and willingness to try shooting more in situations that normally make me quite nervous. Found a new artist that night, which was a wonderful little bonus.

Even earlier in the week, I went with the friend mentioned above and another photographer to the desert for a shoot. I think that was the day that really pushed me, both physically and photographically. The physical side -- let's just say I did a lot of walking and it was a good thing. While the ladies went out further on a trail, I wisely decided I'd reached my limit and remained behind. Regrettably, I missed that part of the shoot, but I was able to find other things to photograph and felt good about the amount of walking/hiking I did. It was more than I thought I was capable of doing, probably more than I should have done, but it felt good while I was doing it and that was a major accomplishment in my book. Photographically, my other friend had shown me how to adjust the most important setting on the camera and once I had that, I was a happy camper.

In a short period of time, I've come to embrace the huge learning curve on the camera, learned a million things, and have found a confidence with it that I thought would take much longer. I don't feel like such a fumble-fingers anymore. Yes, there are more features to Charlie that I will eventually get to understand, but I really feel like I have a good handle on things and am happy. Tired, sore, itchy, and happy.

And now I have to go finish two articles and a calendar.

Photos will be posted at some point this week.

Posted by Da Goddess at 06:10 AM | Comments (0)

March 10, 2008

Babalu To The Rescue

When I blogged about my frustration with the "education" my daughter was receiving regarding Che, Cuba, and "blame America" at school, I also sent out an email to the always wonderful Val. Who else would I possibly ask for some facts to counter the fiction Mojo's been fed?

Well, he and his friends over at Babalu Blog are helping me assemble some good references to share with my daughter to further her education. She should know about the real Che and they explain what Cuba is truly like for the people who live there.

Gracias, mi amigo. Usted es un caballero verdadero.

Posted by Da Goddess at 07:08 AM | Comments (2)

March 03, 2008

Some People

Once again, I will blame Jodi for bringing this post into being.

She posted about her brother not having any contact with her when he lives relatively nearby. I can fully relate. My comment to her post was this:

My sister lives about 2 miles from me, has one of my precious offspring, and despite being the foremost authority on everything, can't even bother to call and tell me how to live my life anymore.

Some people!

Indeed.

Speaking of precious offspring, there are a couple of situations which required my time and attention.

1) My daughter has come under the influence of a particularly heinous influence at school. No, this isn't about peer pressure. It's a teacher. To be more specific, this teacher has convinced her that Che Guevera is a revolutionary angel and that the U.S. is somehow wrong in promoting democracy as a way of life.

I'd sent her an email with info to help her distinguish between the romanticized version of Che and the reality of him and his actions. The response I got didn't sound like it was written by a 15-year old, even with the carefully placed, infrequent misspelled words. I know my daughter's writing and that wasn't it. Rather, it sounded exactly like something you'd read on indymedia as written by one of those oh-so-carefree spirited activist professors.

What bothers me most is not that Mojo's ideals are skewed to the left at the moment, but that she's not thinking for herself. As I told her, critical thinking, as defined on Wikipedia and by mom, "consists of mental processes of discernment, analysis and evaluation. It includes possible processes of reflecting upon a tangible or intangible item in order to form a solid judgment that reconciles scientific evidence with common sense. It has its basis in intellectual criteria that go beyond subject-matter divisions and which include: clarity, credibility, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, logic, significance and fairness." It is also an individual process. Critical thought originates from within. It is not a group activity.

I want my daughter to think for herself, to reason for herself, to come to a conclusion or opinion formed after considering many sources, as well as her own values and ethics. To allow anyone else to put words in your mouth is the same as letting them speak for you, the same as not having your own opinion.

Personally, I often ask trusted friends for their opinions and thoughts on politics, children, cooking, whatever. I listen to them. I take in what they say. I process what I've heard. If I agree, awesome! If not, I examine the reasons why I don't agree and ruminate on that for a bit. Surely, if I trust my friends enough to discuss personal issues or subjects I take personally/seriously, I must also respect their views and consider them carefully before I take my final stance on something, cast a vote, or issue punishment to a child. I asked because there was a question or thought in my mind that wasn't necessarily fully answered or formed. Critical thinking means the ultimate decision or final thought is mine, but I have considered other possibilities, other views; I haven't merely parroted what I've hear someone else say. Mo needs to learn this.

Eventually I will need to sit down with my girl and ask her who wrote the response.

2) Little Dude, who loves analyzing and figgerin', had a major spin out at school. Not sure why it took everyone so long to bring it to our attention ("our" meaning his father and me), but we had the last week of the school trimester to help him catch up.

Doesn't matter that we're all caught up now. He's failed math for the first time. He was missing writing assignments. He took his laid back attitude and applied it in the most extreme way possible.

It took a week of intense scrutiny and assistance to get the boy back on track. This week is the start of the new term, so we have to maintain the pace and intensity.

The math was easy enough to handle once I figured out why he was having such a hard time. We're talking fractions here. I showed him a way to align his numbers so he can see the process and then work the numbers properly. When he lines everything up, he can easily do the work. And we can also see what steps he might have missed. His problem is that he often rushes the last step and then ends up with the wrong answer. Slowing down, writing things out in a linear fashion, he gets it right.

The writing assignments proved to be more of a struggle in that he prefers vague responses to actual well-reasoned and constructed ones. The irony is that he has great writing skills...when he wants to show them.

Case in point, the class was asked to write to the parents of Marine who died in Iraq. Of all the letters, LD's was singled out as the one that most moved the father. From an email to the teacher:

I've been wanting to write to you of late since I completed reading each of the letters written by your students. I enjoyed reading each and every one. Some of the letters stood out as exceptional. However, one in particular stood out as the one that caused an emotional impact upon me. That letter was written by (Little Dude's real name). You might want to single him out either in public or private and let him know that his letter had a profound effect upon me. Thank him for me. If you will. Thank you.

And then there was the week he had off from school (they had a full week for President's Day) that he spent working on his photo essay on Honeyboy Edwards. In addition to the photos, the essay portion required real thought and cohesion. Not only did this child spend a lot of time on the writing, but he was very thoughtful about the acknowledgments/dedication part and he had an interview to include. The interview itself contained some great questions, which impressed more than a few friends of mine from the San Diego Union-Trib. Sure, I nudged him to expand things a bit, but mostly he was interested in the subject and motivated to do a good job. I did need to encourage him to go the extra mile and include a glossary (it was optional), but when I explained to him that many of terms he used required explanation, he did his research and added the glossary. I also told him that one of his new BFFs (a guitarist who performed with Honeyboy at the concert) didn't get that place on stage next to a legend by doing the bare minimum; he got there because he always did his best and then some. By the end of the week, the project was done and it was actually turned in early. Whew. Wish I could say all his other writing homework went so well, but that's simply not true.

I understand why writing isn't LD's favorite thing. It requires effort and thought and care if you're going to do it well. It's also very rewarding. He had great success with the letter to the Marine's family. He had success with his photo essay. Now, we have to convince him to find something exciting and motivating about the daily writing he has.

After last week, I collapsed into an heap of mental exhaustion. This week? According to his dad, after just one day's homework, it's going to be another rough one, but possibly less so. I hope this is the case.

It may sound like I'm whinging a little over the school work. I guess I am, to an extent. More than anything, I'm concerned by how far my son got behind and how his dad and I didn't know. And get this, his dad is actually in class with him one day a week. How could this have escaped us? On one hand, LD has always had our help, but ultimately, this was his responsibility. It was a system that used to work quite well. Unfortunately, something changed and we discovered we needed to be more vigilant.

Our new routine means that we now have to actually witness LD copying his assignments from the board, checking for each book or paper he needs to bring home to complete the assignments, and then check off each item from his list as it's done. We had previously done a version of this, but now it feels more like we're Big Brother-ing him. He doesn't like it. I'm not particularly fond of it. The thing is, though, we have to do it because the old system stopped working.

Until the grades and work habits improve, this is our life. In many ways, it's up to him to earn back our trust and his free time. We're all missing out on some fun, but that's how it goes. For me, it's worth it. Same with his dad. Soon, I hope Little Dude comes around to seeing it our way. Then, and only then, will he get his act together and move back into a less restrictive space.

If I'm not blogging a lot, that's what's going on around here.

Posted by Da Goddess at 11:48 PM | Comments (0)

February 13, 2008

Blue Plate Special

Monday, as Little Dude and I were preparing for the show, he decided to make himself a quesadilla while I was doing my hair and make up. He came to ask me how long it should "go" for, making me think he was using the microwave. He said he wanted to use the toaster oven, so I explained how he should watch it on toast mode. The roomie was there to provide assistance as needed, thus I figured all was well.

Unfortunately, LD hadn't thought things out all the way. He put the plate on which he prepared the quesadilla and on which it still sat in the toaster oven too. Thankfully, it only warped a bit. Warped blue plastic. No fire. Nothing.

He brought the plate in for me to see. It was actually sort of comical. I'd never seen a blue plate special quite so "special". It reminded me of how LPs warped if left in the sun.

Good thing I'd only paid $0.19 for all eight of the plates in the set. We're keeping the warped one as a reminder of LD's cooking adventures.

P.S. The concert was fantastic and LD got to interview a legend. He's getting credit for it at school, too.

Posted by Da Goddess at 03:31 PM | Comments (0)

February 11, 2008

Super Special Events Part Deux

Tis the season for super special things for Little Dude, I guess. Tonight, he will meet a genuine GRAMMY WINNER. Yes, indeedy, folks. David Honeyboy Edwards, 92 ("and a 1/2, Mom!"), is performing here this evening and LD and I are heading down to the venue early to set up a table for the blues society.

A couple weeks ago my mom wondered if this was something LD really wanted to do. He replied, "YES YES YES YES YES YES! This guy's a LEGEND! He's the best!" I looked at my mom and said, as dryly as possible, "I think this is something he might enjoy."

Hopefully we'll have better luck getting LD's mini interview questions answered this time. We're still awaiting Tab's responses via email. Oh, and to anyone concerned about this being a school night, don't be. LD's teacher is coming with us.

Now, what to wear?

Posted by Da Goddess at 01:37 PM | Comments (0)

February 09, 2008

Good Night

It was a good night. Little Dude had a great time and he impressed lots of folks with his outstanding good manners and his interest in the blues. He's such a fun date.

P.S. LD says the heavy lids were from the flash and NOT because he was tired.

Posted by Da Goddess at 01:08 AM | Comments (2)

February 08, 2008

Can Do

There are many things I can't do anymore and many things I can't do for my son. It breaks my heart to not be able to buy him little things or take him places because current circumstances don't allow such things. However, there are things I can do and tonight I have managed to pull a very special, big deal sort of thing out of my hat.

I had help. One of the greatest blessings of my accident was that I found kindred musical spirits. Tonight, they help make one of my little boy's dreams come true.

Tab Benoit plays some damn fine Cajun blues. Not only that, he's also a Voice of the Wetlands All Star. Music and conservation...my kid eats this stuff up. Is it any wonder he considers Tab a hero?

I can't give my kid fancy things, go running around the baseball field with him, or so many other things I'm sure he wishes he could have or do. But I can give him moments he'll never forget. I can do this.

Posted by Da Goddess at 01:50 PM | Comments (2)

25

Another Little Dude entry.

LD had an assembly today. Two classes (his and another) sang for the rest of the school. Parents were invited and the timing of the event was actually conducive to a lot of them attending. Me included.

Things weren't going according to plan and the songs were put on hold temporarily. However, we had awards to be awarded, games to be gamed, etc. Did I mention it was also Wacky Friday? Wacky hair, wacky clothes, wacky wacky from the McWackersons. The kids and teachers all took part and my own dear boy's answer to wackiness was to have me spike his hair a little (no color, although I offered) and then to wear his wrist watch on his ankle. I recommended he roll up his pant leg so people could actually see it, though.

Finally the kids took the stage and sang. I tried to get a pic of my darling boy singing but he was stuck in the middle of the pack. After the two classes were done, I started to make my way toward the door to leave. However, there were a couple more awards to be handed out and I figured I'd stay...just in case. Turns out, LD got a t-shirt for having completed 25 miles of running since the beginning of the year. Some kids got dog tags for having completed 50 miles. Yikes! There was never that sort of push for running when I was in elementary school. In fact, my nightmares often featured our 1 1/2 mile runs in 6th and 7th grade. Sure sure, I went through a jogging phase, but that ended rather quickly after my mom decided it (and my eating habits) bordered on anorexic behavior.

Anyhow, LD officially hit 25 and he's aiming much higher.

Other interesting and fun things from school: they're selling tiles as a fundraiser. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate school fundraisers? I know I have. Well, this particular one will set you back $50 to paint a tile to stick on the wall of the school. You can buy a slightly larger tile for $75, but those are meant for groups, like Scouts. This is coming on the heels of the See's candy fundraiser. Yep. Like there wasn't enough of that given away at Christmas to make everyone sick. Before that was the wrapping paper and probably something else. I don't know what's next and I don't want to know. There's never anything affordable.

I realize our schools need money. I realize most families at my son's school have plenty of it. But these sales are just at this school. Our entire school district shills this stuff like there's no tomorrow. I know there are plenty of families without disposable income to throw after this stuff. Most of it's crap, too.

The best fundraiser I've ever seen was one my daughter's elementary school had with live trees and garland just before Christmas. The trees were about 5-8 inches tall and cost all of $10. They could be decorated, replanted, given as gifts. The garland was fresh and smelled heavenly. There wreaths and a few decorations. It was all reasonably priced stuff and the school made a ton of money. But I've never seen anything like it since.

Why can't schools sell things we actually need or want? Why can't they sell things that are somewhat affordable? Why can't we just get our state to fork over the money to keep our schools running?

Oh, guess that sort of took the happy fun spin away from my son's happy fun day. I'll be quiet now.

Posted by Da Goddess at 11:59 AM | Comments (0)

Cleveland

Yesterday was Little Dude's half day at school. He gets out at around 1:30. As soon as I picked him up, we ran off to the bank and then the gas station. We then stopped at my sister and brother-in-law's house to fax some paperwork over to the attorney. On our way there, LD's watch beeped and he declared it was 2:00. We'd managed to cover good territory and get a lot done in that half hour.

At my sister's, she couldn't get the fax machine hooked up properly for a while. When it was finally ready, I faxed my paperwork and had to round up the kidlet. He was sunning himself alongside one of my sister's cats.

Off we went to the store. Bread, juice, Q-tips, toilet paper (tee hee*), etc. All the basics. Since it was Price Club, er...Costco, we stopped to sample food here and there. Bacon was LD's favorite. He'd have eaten all they had if he'd been allowed. There was a woman handing out Activia samples and we decided to try some. I don't know if the yogurt had sat there too long or if this is how it actually tastes, but it had this acrid bite to it. It just wasn't right. The vanilla was better than the peach, but still nothing to write home about. In fact, I'd hazard a guess that it was the Activia that made both of us sick to our stomachs a short while later.

Once we enter the World of Warehouse, we often lose track of time. Everyone does. That's why you see so many glazed and dazed people wandering around. Still...I was surprised as we were driving home when LD's watch went off and he declared it 4PM. I looked at him and asked, "what happened to 3?"

"It went to Cleveland."

After a couple questions, he admitted it was really only 3PM. I asked him what the deal with Cleveland was and he said that's where time goes when you're having fun.

Sigh.

That's my kid. My weird, wacky kid.

Posted by Da Goddess at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)

November 29, 2007

While I'm On A Roll...

I was just emailing back and forth with a friend and he mentioned feeling more like a broken angel (after I called him one -- an angel, that is) and you know, that's exactly how I feel anymore.

I feel like I'm breaking more than I fix. For every step forward, it's at least two steps back.

I had the perfect job when I got hurt. I mean, it was THE PERFECT JOB. I'd finally found where I belonged. It challenged me like no job I'd ever had before. My passion for nursing was given a turbo charged injection of knowledge and skills that I felt completely ready to tackle. I was THERE. I was completely there for every shift. Mentally, that is. It all clicked. And then I got hurt and it was all taken away from me.

Worse than the disappointments I've faced are the ones my son has had to face for the last (almost) three years. I feel like I'm taking my kid's childhood away from him with all this. He shouldn't have to deal with a broken mom. Wondering if we'll ever be able to do all the fun things we used to do. Wondering if he'll ever know for certain, day to day, what to expect. Wondering what'll happen with our home.

While I was at my deposition last week (yes, finally had one), I told all this to the attorney for the insurance company. I told him if the insurance company had acted responsibly and provided me treatment sooner, I wouldn't be in the shape I'm in right now. (Apparently he agreed and is requesting they get me in to see a surgeon ASAP.)

Part of me wishes I could redo that night. But if I did anything differently, I'd have been doing less than my full duties as a nurse.

I wish I could have back all those days I lost with my son. Thankfully, my daughter is in a good situation and, as a teenager, she's oblivious. It hasn't bothered her at all. Yet, I see what this has done to Little Dude. I see it in his eyes. I wish I could take all that sadness. loss, and fear away for him. No child should have to struggle as he has.

If wishes were fishes, we'd never go hungry, I guess.

I'm mad. I'm sad. I just don't know what to do anymore.

Posted by Da Goddess at 09:20 AM | Comments (1)

October 25, 2007

A Reason To Smile

Reminders are good

Posted by Da Goddess at 05:44 PM | Comments (1)

October 03, 2007

11 and My Pride And Joy

Little Dude is officially 11 years old. 11 years ago right this very moment, my life was made incredibly richer as he burst into this world.

While it's a mother's perogative to mention weary loins, hours of unbearable labor pains, etc., I shall refrain. I'm saving that for when he's a little older and I need him to run errands or something.

On one hand, it's surprising how the addition of one crying infant can impact your life so immensely. On the other, you know it's going to happen. Still, I'd been through childbirth once before and thought I knew exactly how I'd feel when I finally got to meet the little person who was joining our family, but it's different every time.

He's my sunshine on a cloudy day. He's my comfort when I'm sad. He's the pea under the mattress, too, sometimes. I wouldn't trade a minute of it for anything in the world.

Other October 3rd birthdays include:

• Stevie Ray Vaughan (L.D.'s first favorite blues artist, may he R.I.P.)
  
• Alan O'Day
  
• Eddie Cochran
  
• Chubby Checker
  
• Lindsey Buckingham
  
• Keb' Mo'
  
• Greg Proops
  
• Gwen Stefani
  
• India Arie
  
• Clive Owen
  
• Tommy Lee

Is it any wonder my kid is musically inclined as well as a bit weird?

I love you, kiddo!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Posted by Da Goddess at 03:18 AM | Comments (3)

September 23, 2007

Heavy Sigh

So the daughter calls me tonight and tells me she's unearthed photos of a younger me and of my sisters. We talked about school and various things and I am stunned at how grown up she sounds.

It doesn't matter if I just saw her the day before or two weeks ago or whenever, the simple fact is, she's growing up so fast. In just over a month she'll be 15. Little Dude is going to be 11 about a week from now. Both of them are constant reminders that I'm getting older. As well, they are reminders that I've done something very good in my life, no matter how old any of us are.

I sometimes wish I could freeze time and save all the little moments and laughter. You know, so I could take them out of cold storage on the days when things aren't so great and revel in the joy. I guess that's what memories and photographs are all about. And phone calls from daughters.

Posted by Da Goddess at 09:41 PM | Comments (0)

August 30, 2007

LD on WD

Little Dude was sitting in the backseat of the car as we were attempting to get from Point A to Point B. We were listening to Willie Dixon's I Am The Blues. Now, we've only listened to it a couple of times, so I was rather surprised to hear a not-so-little someone jumping in on the chorus of more than a few songs.

"That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful," he sang. And then he started in on the main verses. "Some lie for that spoonful. Some cry for that spoonful. Some die for that spoonful..."

His favorite tunes off I Am The Blues are "Spoonful", "Seventh Son", "Little Red Rooster", "Back Door Man", and "The Same Thing". Of course, those titles only come up after you tell him he HAS to pick a favorite or two. Otherwise, he'll tell you the whole album is his favorite.

In pressing him for his thoughts on the CD, he said, "Mom, it's really amazing how Willie Dixon can be so growly and still sound so nice."

Yeah. Little Dude gets it. Maybe it seems so weird that I get excited over my kid's appreciation of music, especially the blues, but I don't care. For one thing, he REALLY LIKES it. For another, he gets a history lesson along the way. And then there's always the perk of getting to meet an occasional musical hero. That just about blows all his fuses. It's a special, rare thing that serves as reinforcement of history being a living, vibrant entity and not just some stale old concept or story.

I think I may have to just let the kid start his own music reviews. Or at least transcribing them for him. You should hear what he has to say about other artists!

"I am built for comfort, I ain't built for speed." Dixon had a way with words. Most bluesmen do. But his gift seemed to spill across the boundaries that normally hold individual wisdom hidden from the world.

If you don't think you could pick a Willie Dixon tune out of a lineup with a neon arrow lighting the way, think again. If you've ever heard "I Just Want To Make Love To You" (Bad Company, et al), "Hoochie Coochie Man" or "I Can't Quit You Baby" (Led Zeppelin and others), there ya go.

Dixon was one of the most prolific blues songwriters, and also served as a producer for Chess Records. He died in 1992.

For more info, check out his bio on Wikipedia.

Posted by Da Goddess at 12:46 AM | Comments (2)

August 25, 2007

The Ears Have It

So the ears have been tested, the ENT doc consulted, and there's good news and bad.

The good news is that Little Dude doesn't have more hearing loss than he already had. Yeah, the fact there's any at all sucks, but it's not worse than before. His pediatrician's worst fears have been put to rest.

Of course, the fact that there's a greater deficit when he's sick is a problem. And that's a whole other reason to be concerned.

We now have a standing order for an emergency screening whenever he gets sick. The reasoning is that they need to know if illness has an impact on the otic nerves. If so, that's not a good thing.

We also have to make accommodations for him at school these days. His desk has to be on the right side of the room so he doesn't miss out on anything the teacher says. Or rather, to prevent him from missing out on what she says in case he has one of these increased deficits.

LD's been alternating between calm, cool, and collected, and freaked out. He's afraid he's going to miss out on music and stories and a million and ten other things. He's afraid his hearing is going to give out on him suddenly again. He's afraid of so many things. I think it's the sudden, unexpected events that worry him most. It's very frustrating because there's nothing I can do to make it all better magically. And I have to admit, I'm at a loss anymore as to how to assuage his fears.

We're lucky that the news was as good as it was. After a year of one bad thing after another, we were due for a break and this will do just fine.

Thanks for your prayers and kind thoughts! Keep 'em coming!

Posted by Da Goddess at 06:39 AM | Comments (2)

August 20, 2007

LD and the Ears Part II

From July 30, 2003
Fly Away
My son's CT scan was yesterday.

I was so glad it was done where I work. I know the people there. I know how good they are. I KNEW my son was in great hands.

As a nurse, I know what's involved with the scan and the sedation. I've had to take kids in for the same thing. As a nurse, I can stand confidently by them, hold their hand and soothe them. As a parent, my heart started pounding as I watched my son fight the mask and the medicine. I wanted to hold him close to me and whisper in his ear that he'd be fine. But, I couldn't.

I stood next to him and held his hand. I tried to get in the "professional" mode. I was stuck in "Mom" mode 100% instead. I kept talking to him and encouraging him to let himself fall asleep, letting him know that I was there beside him as was his dad. We each stroked his little hands and said our silent prayers that this would be quick and easy for him.

He fell asleep. And then his legs started jerking. His one arm started jerking and trying to reach up to pull the mask off. Eyes rolled back in his head, he looked so vulnerable and small. None of this was unusual with sedation. It was only unusual for me to be standing there watching my son undergo these changes.

It was very surreal to stand there and see my baby going through that.

The ex and I were then told we could leave. Arrgh! But, that's how it is. We walked downstairs to the cafeteria where we sat and talked about what decisions we may face depending on the findings of the scan. Cochlear implant? Possible. If that's what it takes to restore our boy's hearing completely, that's what we'll do. We won't know for another day or so.

After talking things through we wandered back upstairs to inquire about our boy. He was already awake and out of recovery. We went in to sit with him as the sedation wore off. He was still a bit out of it and complaining of a headache. He wanted to eat. He wanted a popsicle. He wanted apple juice. He wanted us. We were there and he got his popsicle, his juice, and eventually some crackers....which he hid from his dad. Silly kid. It didn't take long at all for him to be back to his usual goofy self.

The nurse was telling us that the staff in Recovery had fallen head over heels for Little Dude. I'm not surprised. He's a sweet, smart, and funny child. I heard the same words that I've said to parents a million times myself. "They all wanted to take him home with them!" It's funny to be on the other end of it, though.

When it was time for us to leave, we headed down to McDonalds for Little Dude's promised cheeseburger. We took the food outside to one of the many beautiful and enchanting gardens. While there, we watched the butterflies flit and flutter from flower to flower and then perch upon some brightly colored wall here and there. I saw a curious looking bug flying about and went to investigate. It flew away before I could get a good look at it. And then, one butterfly came toward me. It brushed against my hair once, twice, three times. It landed on my back and sat there for no less than fifteen minutes. My son was amazed that I had a butterfly sitting on my shoulder. As was I. It was one of those moments that defies description with mere words.

I made a wish on that butterfly. I wished that all the worries about my little boy's hearing would fly away and somehow be resolved easily and without pain. I wished that he could have each and every moment of his life be as magical as this one moment was for him.

The butterfly took off. My thoughts and concerns, I imagined, went with it.

I'm praying the butterfly knows what to do with them. I'm hoping he has connections in high places.

Fly away.

August 1, 2003
Bullet - DODGED!
Thank you all for your wonderfully kind wishes and prayers.

The boy - hearing loss does not appear progressive in nature. All structures looked normal on the scan. The doc doesn't feel that we'll have any more problems.

W.H.E.W.

I'm back to breathing again.

THANK YOU!!!

We thought there was nothing to worry about after we got the results. Sure, every year his hearing screening at school would lead to a note home to see a doctor. But we were told this wasn't supposed to be progressive and that things would be okay.

Cut to a couple weeks ago as Little Dude and I were watching T.V. one night. He had a sinus infection or something. It's been a crappy summer for the kid as far as illness goes. Hell, it's been a year of "I don't feel so good" for him. Yes, I've neglected to fill you in on all the details. Sue me.

Anyhow, as we were watching T.V., LD said, "I can't hear, Mom." It was obviously quite distressing to him and he became somewhat frantic about the whole thing. I figured it was due to the sinus thing and we went to the doctor the next day. He had a hearing test. Then another. And then another. Then the doc had a look at the ears. "The weaker ear looks okay to me, but the other one has some fluid..." Hmmm, suddenly a little fluid behind the "good" ear proves a problem. This isn't the first time the kid's had an ear infection since the he was diagnosed with the hearing loss. But this was the first time he couldn't hear at all with one.

The doctor agreed that there's cause for concern and refers us to a specialist. So, this week, in addition to the start of school, we have appointments with doctors coming out our...uh...ears. There's a whole host of worries, for me and for my sweet baby boy.

The hardest part for me is to see how much this bothers him. And if you only knew what this kid has endured already over the last year, you'd know that for him to suddenly freak out a little over this makes it even more difficult for me to see him struggle. He tries to be brave and he occasionally succeeds. Sometimes he even seems to forget about it. That's how kids are. But then it dawns on him what this could mean. More than anything, he's told me he can't NOT hear because music is too important to him.

Do me a favor and say a prayer for the kid this week, if you would. And please wish me the right words to say to him to ease his fears.

P.S. Sorry for the fubar archives. I'm convinced they'll never be fixed and I'm also convinced my site will forevermore look like crap. I miss my old site.

Apologies for deleting comments. They were much appreciated. Unfortunately, in my quest to remove all the spammage, I glazed over and lost track of the keepers.

Posted by Da Goddess at 06:19 PM | Comments (0)

May 14, 2007

Little Dude and the Dream

Yes, LD got to meet Amanda. He presented her with a bouquet of flowers, a stuffed alligator, and a card he made (with his email address) just for her. She gave him a big hug...okay a few hugs. Amanda was very sweet and patient with LD. He was a little shy but he got over it soon enough. The smile didn't leave his face for hours.

First Mrs. Smash, and now Amanda Shaw. At least his crushes are getting a bit closer to his age. Maybe the next one will actually be within reach.

Posted by Da Goddess at 03:45 PM | Comments (8)

May 11, 2007

Additions to the "I Love LD" List

I've posted a million times on the things I love about my son and the list just keeps growing. Here are a couple of the latest entries:

• "I want to get a good job so I can help take care of our little family, Mom." This was the second time in two days Little Dude had expressed his wishes to help with expenses. Originally, I had mentioned a babysitting course for boys and girls at a local hospital and asked if he was interested. Hey, he loves little kids and they love him, why not? His immediate reaction was how it could benefit us since we're "really poor" (his words, not mine). I told him any money he earns is his alone, but damn if I didn't tear up over it.
• "I want to meet her and give her a card and a present of some sort...and I can I give her flowers, too? Do you think she'll be in town long enough to go out to dinner with us? I have $16 in my pocket right now for dinner, you know." On Amanda Shaw, 14-year-old violinist (who some of you may have seen in Hurricane on the Bayou)...he's crushing big time. She's performing here on Sunday and he's going to be front and center. My boy is nothing short of romantic. God help me.
• "If I had stronger muscles, I'd carry you to the car so your back wouldn't hurt anymore." Just hand me the tissues and move along, folks.
• "My favorite part of this song is the part that makes you smile." This was said about a song we both enjoy and listen to frequently.
• How he listens to music. Odd to you, but not to me. Here's the thing, this kid hears things in songs that most people miss. Phrasing, subtle touches, tone are key with L.D. He feels music deeply and seems to drink in each and every note fully.
• Singing "I'm Walkin'" to me. After hearing this tune just a couple times, he'd memorized the lyrics and sang it to me at dinner one night. Goofball. It's not just this song. He's done it with others, too. Nice voice.
  
• "Marilyn Monroe was gorgeous!" This proclamation came after I showed him photos to verify this was the woman he was asking me about. I'm still not sure why he was asking me about her, but he was.
• The smile. There are times when everything in the world absolutely sucks and all it takes is one smile from the kid to make the gray clouds part.

I know it seems silly to others for me to keep track of these things, but my baby is growing and I want to remember as much of this as I can. Plus, now I always have something happy to read when I'm feeling particularly vexed and frazzled.

Posted by Da Goddess at 10:57 PM | Comments (6)

January 25, 2007

For Little Dude

Utter silliness for Little Dude. He deserves to laugh a bit this week.

I'm the baby, gotta love me
Big purple eyes, I'm very cuddly
'Specially when I hit my daddy with a frying pan
*WHACK* (Earl: "Fran!")

I'm the baby, gotta love me
First I whack you then you shove me
Flying 'cross the room, I like it!
Again!

Mama says it's too much sugar
Daddy is all perplexed
A-B-C-D-E-F,
Gee, you never know what I'm gonna do next! (Earl: "FRAN!!!!")

Wanna see me make a rocket?
Watch me put her tail in a socket
She lights up like a Christmas tree
(Ethel: "Don't try this at home!")
Whee!
I'm the baby and you gotta love meeeeeeee

Everybody!

I'm the baby, gotta love me
Big purple eyes, I'm very cuddly
Don't you think that every home should have one of me? (or three!)

I said, jump on the bed, hit my daddy on the head
Run around the house when they tell me not to
I take every chance to make a poop in my pants
But I'm the baby, and you got to

I'm the baby, gotta love me
Don't you wish there were more of me?
Daddy, Mother, brother, sister
I'm the greatest baby in prehistor'!
I'm the baby and you gotta love
I'm the baby and you gotta love
I'm the baby and you gotta love me

Gotta love me!

Posted by Da Goddess at 09:16 AM | Comments (2)

December 09, 2006

Is There A "Grove-l" In The House?

Little Dude was having a quiet game of Scrabble with his grandmother the other evening and at the end of the game he was trying to place the very last of his tiles. I jumped in to help on the final two -- U and L -- and managed to find a place for the U. I couldn't see anything for the L, but, in an inspired moment, he said, "Is there a 'grove-l' in the house?"

I laughed myself silly. Yes, he found what we adults couldn't and it was a damn good word.

Posted by Da Goddess at 02:06 AM | Comments (1)

November 29, 2006

Cookin' With Little Dude

No, we weren't cooking.

A few weeks ago, LD and I were in Barnes & Noble. It's one of his favorite places. We'll go in and hang out for hours, just browsing and reading. He thinks it's fun!

So anyway...this particular trip led me to discover one of my dear child's secrets. He's such a strange kid.

We were walking past a display of cookbooks -- I was a bit ahead of him -- when he spied one that caused him to grab my arm and pull me back. He was doing his best wriggling puppy impression and pointing.

"Mom, I gotta have this book," he said.

"Which one?" I couldn't tell exactly where he was pointing.

"THAT one! Alton Brown's."

"Whaaaaaaat?"

"Alton Brown. You know...he's really good, Mom."

"What do you know about Alton Brown?"

"Mo-o-o-o-o-m! Alton. Brown. He does science experiments on his show while he's cooking. It's FOOD + SCIENCE. Two of my favorite things. I gotta have that book. I gotta."

Oy. vey.

Brown's probably the source of his endless mushroom facts, too.

Oh, and no. Alton Brown has nothing to do with my B≈A query.

Posted by Da Goddess at 01:09 AM | Comments (2)

October 31, 2006

Little Dude's Christmas Wishlist - Yeah, Already!

Posted by Da Goddess at 10:23 AM | Comments (4)

October 03, 2006

10

Happy Birthday, sweetie!

Little Dude is officially 10 years old now.

Posted by Da Goddess at 04:47 AM | Comments (9)

July 15, 2006

Little Dude's Big Night

A year ago, Little Dude and I saw a wonderful acoustic blues musician perform at a very unique venue. LD was fascinated by this man and they hit it off right away. Just a few hours ago, they met up again.

The highlights of the evening:

• LD's name was mentioned in a song
• His guitar was signed
• He was given a signed poster from the show
• Three personally inscribed CDs
• A blues society newsletter with an interview with this musician autographed
• An invitation to play on stage together someday (just as soon as LD is proficient enough on guitar)

Think somebody went to bed an exhausted, but happy camper? You betcha.

Posted by Da Goddess at 01:10 AM | Comments (5)

June 23, 2006

LD and PC Update

Little Dude seemed a bit better yesterday morning before his dad came to pick him up. At least, his temp was hovering around 100°. I had Pain Clinic and there's no way I could have taken him with me - not fair to him or the other patients, y'know.

It had been a sleepless night. I can't sleep when someone in my house has a temp over 102°. With the kiddo running well over that, I was afraid to close my eyes. It took many doses of children's ibuprofen to bring it down. And then, just as it seemed the fever had finally broken, he woke up and said he thought he was going to vomit. Sure nuff, he did. Then the temp started to rise again.

At his dad's, his temp seemed to stay under 101 and that was a good sign. Yes, I called a bunch of times. I couldn't help it.

This morning, on my way to Pain Clinic, I called in to check on him. His temp spiked to over 102°. His cough has become more of an issue. It's tight. Really tight. I'm afraid he has pneumonia. Not fun. But, we'll wait to see what happens tomorrow. If his temp won't come down and stay down, off to the doctor he goes.

I hate not having him here when he's sick, but it's not fair to keep shuffling him back and forth when he's already uncomfortable. And, I can't miss any Pain Clinic appointments. I only get six weeks to learn what I need to manage my pain.

And let me tell you, not sleeping? That's not good for pain or mood. I got a bit surly with one of the people today. I felt bad, but I'd told her I hadn't slept THREE TIMES and couldn't wrap my mind around what she was asking. Still she persisted.

My favorite part of Pain Clinic is pool therapy. I can't describe how wonderful it feels to have warm water soothing my limbs. It's like heaven! In the jacuzzi, we do this thing where we're slightly buoyed, and yet, we have to free float. Don't worry, I'll explain it another time. The point is, I rather imagine this is how a fetus feels - floating in the warmth of all that fluid.

Well, that's it for updates on PC and my little sweetie. Thanks for the emails inquiring. I'm sorry comments are FUBAR. I don't know what's going on with Blacklist, but I know my other, non-blacklist-installed site is getting spammed something awful. I can only think Blacklist is working overtime to kill everything. And really, some of it's pretty damn foul.

Bear with me until I can find someone to fix things. You know where to find me at gmail if you need. Just type in my first and last names (for those who know them) and add that gmail domain. For those who don't know my first and last names, if you use this domain name at the not-d-not-e-not-f-but-gmail, I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can. I'm not as good about checking that account as I should be, but I do check every few days.

Thanks again, folks! I'm off to listen to my Joe Bonamassa You & Me CD again. Good stuff! Or, I may listen to my Refugee Allstars of Sierra Leone CD, also good stuff. I take my bliss where I can find it, y'all.

Posted by Da Goddess at 03:09 PM | Comments (0)

June 21, 2006

Isn't the Last Day of School Supposed to Be the Best Day EVER?

As I picked up Little Dude from school - his last day of the school year - I noticed a long face and a very slow walk. I asked him what was wrong and, in a teeny tiny little voice, he said he didn't feel well.

I thought maybe he was overwhelmed by having to say goodbye to one of the best teachers in the world. Or maybe he was made because I was running late. It could have possibly been the heat (and humidity) of the day.

Well, as an experienced mother and nurse, I know there is often but one cure for all that ails a child: Ice cream.

I offered my son some ice cream and he weakly said, "Okay."

He didn't even get through the whole thing. I wasn't worried about that, it was only forty-nine cents. What did bother me is that he NEVER doesn't finish his ice cream. Ever.

I eschewed all other errands and brought him home. He went over to the couch and curled up, pulling a blanket over him.

"You don't need a blanket! It's freakin' hot, kiddo."

"I'm cold, Mom."

I'm sweating up a storm and he's cold? Crap! A quick check with the thermometer and I see he's at 102.1°. Out comes the Ibuprofen and the ice packs. An hour later, he's not looking much better. In fact, he seems to be "wilting". I check his temp again, 103.7°. I get out more ice packs, angle the fan at him, and pour him some Gatorade and do whatever else I can think to cool him down. I tell him he has exactly 60 minutes left on the clock to bring his temp down or we're going to the doctor.

...

...

An hour's a long fucking time when your kid has a temp that high.

...

...

DING!

Temp is finally down to 102.7°. Not great, but better. An hour after that, it's 102.2°.

He's finally cooled off enough to eat something and drink more. We're just hanging out on the couch waiting for him to fully recover.

Ugh! Wasn't the last day of school supposed to be like the best day EVER? One of these days.

I'll pretend this isn't a sign as to how the rest of the summer will play out for us. I want him to have a good two months.

Posted by Da Goddess at 07:12 PM | Comments (0)

June 18, 2006

Anger Management

Me: Little Dude, can you go brush your teeth, please?

Little Dude: ...

Me: LD, teeth.

LD: ...

Me: Hey, you! Child o' mine. Sweetie pie.

LD: ...

Me: Do you want me to take that game away from you?

LD: Wha'? What? [in a majorly an exasperated tone]

Me: I said, could you please go brush your teeth?

LD: MOOOOOOOOOM! You just made me mess up my game! Now I'm in last place!

Me: You usually are in last place. Don't blame me. Go brush your teeth.

LD: Grrrrrrrr! Aaaaarrrggghhh! Stop it!

Me: No, you stop. Right now. And go brush your teeth.

LD: Stoooooop!

Me: That's it. Game over. I don't need anyone being crabby with me.

LD: I'm sorry, Mom. But this is my anger management program. I need to play!

Me: ...

When he returned from brushing his teeth, I think I pretty much had all the tears of laughter wiped away. At least, I hope I did.

Posted by Da Goddess at 09:47 AM | Comments (0)

April 28, 2006

Eye Spy

Little Dude loves being the center of attention. To a point. When the butterfly was about to walk across his eye, it was time to remove the critter. We carefully and slowly encouraged the Blue Morpho to hang out on my finger, while LD giggled breathlessly.

"I can't believe how close he got, Mom! That was so cool!"

Shortly thereafter, another butterfly landed on him, this time on his hand. I was also the recipient of butterfly love and had several lounge away on my shirt, my pants, my head, and my finger. Obviously we'd found the sweet spot for butterfly encounters.

The most interesting aspect of the day, at least on a sociological level, was the ratio of boys to girls who were thrilled at the prospect of interacting with the butterflies. Most girls didn't have the patience to wait for the fluttering creatures to find them. On the other hand, the boys would become very still, eyes darting about, and whispering, "did one land on my head?" More often than not, the parents of the boys were overheard saying "son, can we go now?" The boys would always answer, "not yet! The butterflies haven't come to see me. I want to hold a butterfly!"

I don't believe it was a boy/bug thing that I witnessed as much as it was a bunch of young men realizing the wonder of connecting with creatures so delicate and lovely. I've seen this happen for years now and it never ceases to amaze me. Of course, the moment my daughter had a butterfly settle upon her shoulder last year, she was mesmerized. Until that point, though, she had done her best "I'm almost a teenager and I'm bored" impression. Sadly, she wasn't with us this year.

As I was editing photos over the last couple days, my son repeatedly asked to see the images of the butterflies. More than once, he proclaimed his encounter with the butterflies "the greatest time of my whole life!" Of course, that will likely be forgotten the moment he meets a Clone Trooper or some ace pilot. But for now, I'm treasuring his delight in butterflies.

Posted by Da Goddess at 01:14 AM | Comments (8)

March 17, 2006

Death Threats for Little Dude

Few things can make a parent's blood run cold like the thought of their child in harm's way. And few things can make a parent angrier than discovering that a child is being bullied.

Imagine my surprise when my 9-year old son told me that two of his classmates actually threatened him -- with death. This wasn't just some silly schoolyard joke. No, this was a menacing and very specific threat.

My son, we'll call him Little Dude (for that's who he is), and his former best friend -- whom we'll call Bobby -- and another boy -- we'll call him Steve -- have had a rather difficult few months. You see, Little Dude and Bobby had been best friends for the longest time. Bobby was the only kid in our neighborhood who attended the same school as my son. Both are Cub Scouts, like riding bikes, love swimming, and enjoy all those wonderful imaginative games that children of that age play. Enter Steve. Now, Steve isn't someone new in our world. He and Little Dude (LD) were in the same Kindergarten class and have always shared the same circle of friends. The only difference now is Bobby.

One afternoon some months ago, Steve was invited to play at Bobby's house. The two boys came over to get LD, and the three of them ran off to play football or some other game. All was fine, for most of the day. As dinnertime approached, I went to collect my son. I walked upon their game of catch and heard Steve bossing the other two around. The tone was rather angry and rough. I didn't say anything. I mean, who wants a mother stepping in and meddling, right? And so I let it go.

Fast forward a few weeks and Bobby had informed LD that they were no longer friends. My son was heartbroken. I did the best I could in reassuring him that all friendships go through phases and that Bobby would likely come around again. But, as the weeks wore on, there was no reconciliation. Bobby's mom and I spoke about this rift often. Neither of us understood it, but we were both reluctant to try to solve any friendship problems for our boys at this point. Quietly, we each counseled our sons to be kind and to remember that they were still neighbors, scouts, and classmates. What else could we do?

Forward yet again a few more weeks and step onto the playground. A large group of kids were playing a game. In that group were Steve, Bobby, and Little Dude. Previous attempts by Steve and Bobby to alienate Little Dude from the other children had come to naught and we all thought that things were settling down. Except that after this particular game, Steve and Bobby had managed to get LD off by himself. Steve told LD that he needed to die and that if LD didn't take care of it himself, Steve would. Bobby stepped up and said he'd use a pocket knife to make it happen if he had to.

Keep in mind that these are little boys in 3rd Grade. We live in a rather middle to upper-middle class area. The kids are 9. NINE! And, two of them are cornering another child and making death threats on the playground.

My son didn't say anything about this for a while. It's not like he came running to me, crying over it. No, I found out through normal conversation about recess, friends, and games. I kept my voice calm and level. I probed for more details. I asked if he had ever said anything like that to anyone else and he said he hadn't. "It's not good Scout behavior, Mom," he said. "Bobby wasn't being a very good Scout when he said that. And, you know what? You're not supposed to use your pocket knife for anything other than whittling, right?"

Bless my son for being so naive. Maybe naive isn't the word I'm looking for. I mean, he's not exactly 100% angel, but he's far from a thug or a brute. I know he was honest with his answer. How? Call it the Mom-o-meter. We've established a rapport that has proven effective and useful for many reasons. We talk a lot about many subjects, difficult and easy, simple and complex. I know when he's lying and when he's telling the truth. Really, at 9, he's not sophisticated enough to pull the wool over my eyes. I'm sure that will come later, but for now, I KNOW.

So, there I was, with a child who had been threatened. At school. What's a mother to do? I waited until he was in the shower and I called Bobby's mom. I told her what my son had said and she was as shocked as I was. We agreed that this wasn't like Bobby to be so cruel or so sinister, but she did acknowledge that Steve had definitely changed the dynamics of the relationship. She promised to talk with her son.

Other phone calls followed. I called my ex-husband and we discussed what we should do. Phone calls to our son's teacher and the school principal were next on the list. Calls to the Den and Pack leaders for Cub Scouts. We were, to say the least, determined to nip this in the bud from every angle possible. At this point, we've not included Steve's parents in the equation because we don't know them well enough to approach them. All the more reason to involve school officials, right? So that's what we did. We're only at the beginning of the complaint and what will eventually become of the two boys remains to be seen. However, our hope is that we're catching this early enough to prevent anything from actually occurring. And, with any luck, one or both of the boys will be placed in counseling and/removed from school.

What other choices are there? It seems absurd to remove our child from school. He's done nothing wrong. Placing him in another school, where he knows no one, hardly seems to be the answer. The boys in question would likely find another victim.

We can't afford to ignore the threats either. Hence the involvement of school officials.

As parents, we strive not to meddle too much in the friendships of our children. Kids have arguments and there's always a fair amount of tension in those arguments. But, when the arguments and tension become darker and more threatening, we have to do something.

I didn't think my son would have to face anything like death threats at school. Not now, now at the age of 9. Not ever, really. The fact is, it's happened. And, this parent isn't going to sit idly by and wait for the threats to be acted upon.

In the meantime, we're looking into Karate or Tae Kwon Do lessons for Little Dude. If you'd like to help out, please do.

Posted by Da Goddess at 04:35 AM | Comments (5)

October 04, 2005

9

Little Dude turned 9 yesterday. He is no longer a baby. He hasn't been for quite some time. It's just so much more apparent these days.

Sometimes I look at him and wonder where the time went. Sometimes I look at him and see the future in his eyes. And still other times I can barely hold back the tears because I know that without Little Dude and his sister, I wouldn't know what unconditional love was.

Posted by Da Goddess at 11:28 PM | Comments (8)

August 16, 2005

A Date With Little Dude

I had a date with Little Dude today. I've only seen him one other time since my surgery because I'm still not doing a lot of driving and there are days when I'm beat up with pain. So, it's been four weeks of missing my best guy, four weeks of heartache.

Strange to think that a child can get to you that way, huh?

Anyhow, other than the USS Halsey commissioning, I haven't seen my son. It was getting to him as much as it was getting to me. When I called him one day last week, he burst into tears and told me how much he missed me and how he wanted to come home. I cried, too. I explained why mommy couldn't have him home just yet and he said he understood, even though I know he was struggling with the knowing and the missing mightily. I've had the same problem and I know it's tough at times.

So, the plan was...today was the day. Damn the pain and full speed ahead. I was going to have a special date with my kid. I woke up very sore and tired (normal occurence) but I didn't care. I drove carefully over to his dad's house and off we went. We had lunch with my dad and then took a little walk in the park. Little Dude saw the sign at the park saying that the "Train Song Festival" was going to be held on October 1 this year and declared that to be the day we'd celebrate his birthday.

"We'll have a cowboy theme this year, Mom. Is that okay with you?"

I said yes. He'd had so much fun with it two years ago that I wasn't all that surprised.

"But I'm still going to be Luke Skywalker for Halloween."

Of course, dear child. Of course. He has Star Wars on the brain.

We continued our walk and marvelled at the abundance of dragonflies about. There were two large red ones that entertained us with swirling aerobatic flight, often racing past us so closely that I'm certain we could have caught them if we'd tried. But we didn't want to try, we wanted to watch. So we did.

When we'd had our fill of the park, Little Dude asked if we could go see March of the Penguins. Off to the movie theater we went. The movie didn't start for another hour but Charlie and the Chocolate Factory had just started previews and we could make it to our seats before the movie began. We didn't actually get to our seats to see the very beginning, but we didn't miss much from what I could tell.

Little Dude loved the movie! I thought it was pretty good, but missed the original Oompa Loompas. And the songs. Anyhow, we watched and laughed and just barely shared some popcorn.

By the end of the movie, I was toast. That was more activity than I'd had in a while. Now it's time for a nap.

There's the big update from my world, what's going on in yours?

Posted by Da Goddess at 05:18 PM | Comments (6)

July 25, 2005

Stitches Out

Little Dude just called to tell me his stitches came out today. He said it hurt, but he didn't cry.

He spent two hours in the pool after. Got all pruny and had fun.

Glad some things are back to normal.

God, I miss that kid.

Posted by Da Goddess at 08:16 PM | Comments (5)

July 13, 2005

Shutterbud

He's budding!

Little Dude has turned into a great photographer. On two occasions recently, I've handed him the camera and let him have at it. Not every shot is perfect, but then the same can be said of a pro.

He's always had a little digital (Kodak 3200) ever since I got the Olympus, but he complains that he's "limited" with the Kodak. Yes, my precocious child said that.

"I can't zoom and I can't take super-up-close shots with that thing. I can't do much with it at all."

I can relate. I felt the same way after a bit.

Now, I can hand the Olympus to LD and he'll adjust settings himself. Exposure - we're working on it. Framing - same thing. But he has a knack for it.

We have a serious dilemma here these days. He wants my camera. I want it too. I don't mind sharing, but I also don't want to deny him the opportunity to develop his skills.

I've been wanting a new camera, no secret there. It looks like it'll soon be more of a need than a want if Little Dude continues with this obsession. If you want to help us both out, go for it! When it comes to toys, we love that sort of thing!

Click for more LD photos...you'll see what I mean.

Posted by Da Goddess at 08:47 PM | Comments (8)

July 09, 2005

A Day Without Orange Juice Is Like A Day Without Sunshine

Little Dude surprised me today. A couple of times.

First, he slept until 10:30 this morning. Okay, maybe that was due to the fact that we got caught up in a game and it was after 1 a.m. by the time he went to bed, but still... (Yes, I'm aware that I'm a horrible parent for letting an 8 1/2 year old child stay up that late...bite me. We were having fun.)

Second, at brunch today, I asked if he wanted apple juice and he replied, "I'll have orange juice, thank you."

I sat in the booth at Denny's (work with me here, I just got my check and I didn't have the ingredients or energy to make him French Toast) with my mouth hanging open, staring at him. He was busy with his newspaper (don't ask) and didn't notice my reaction for a couple of minutes. Upon catching me in my shocked state, he tells me "relax, Mom. It's just orange juice."

"B..b...but, you never drink orange juice!"

"Hey, I've been drinking 'Sunny Delight' for a while now. I decided it was time to branch out."

Branch. out.

Someone pass me the valium, please. This kid's gonna be the death of me yet.

Posted by Da Goddess at 06:25 PM | Comments (6)

June 01, 2005

Homework

From the files of Little Dude

We're heading out for space training. Hold on to your hats because it's going to be a fast and crazy ride!

Day One
Rocketry day. You get to launch rockets.

Day Two
Astronaut training day. You get to eat freeze-dried food. (I don't like freeze-dried food. I turn all green.)

Day Three
Micro-gravity day. You can ride in a weightless chair. (I throw up in Nic's helmet after.)

Day Four
Technology day. You get to play with robots. (I got a little too close and one of the robots slugged me.)

Day Five
Mission day. You get to go in a make believe cockpit. The countdown to launch is really cool. And you know what? It wasn't make believe after all. Catch you later!

This was a storyboard exercise that he later fleshed out into a full story. It was pretty cool. Hopefully the rest of the story will come home with him so I can add it to this part.

Posted by Da Goddess at 04:59 PM | Comments (0)

May 26, 2005

Boo Boo Face

Little Dude and I have been curled up on the sofa all morning. Fever unrelieved by ibuprofen, cough, you know the drill. He has major boo boo face, smiling only at the most absurd.

To pass the time. we've been watching Animal Planet and - get this - Ernest In The Army. We're on to MacGyver now. The fun just never ends around here.

Such is the life of a goddess. All glamour, all the time.

Posted by Da Goddess at 12:26 PM | Comments (3)

April 27, 2005

Song of the Basenji

"What do you want me to sound like?" Little Dude asked.

"How about a fish," I suggested. It had been motormouth city since I'd picked him up from school. Two hours later, I was pretty much at my limit.

"Okay. Fish done. What now? What do you want me to sound like now?"

"A butterfly, please."

"Mom, you just keep picking quiet things! That's not fair."

I smiled. "Yes, it is!"

After twenty minutes of this game, he begged and pleaded for a cat or dog to imitate.

"Okay, be a Basenji."

Needless to say, the next few minutes were full of breed discription and silent glaring.

I thought it was hysterical.

By the way, what's green and sings?

Apropos of nothing, from the creator of oneword.com, comes poetc.com. It's really cool!

Posted by Da Goddess at 06:10 PM | Comments (6)

April 23, 2005

Baby Got Balls

"How big is your bladder?" my dear son asked me one night a few weeks back.

I told him it all depended on how much urine the bladder was holding. "It's like a balloon. If there's a lot of fluid in it, it gets big. If there's not a lot in there, it's smaller."

"So, if it's empty, how big?" he asked.

I made a circle with my thumb and index finger. "About this big most likely. Why?"

He looked at me with all the seriousness an 8-year old can muster. "Well, I have these two things that are like balls down here..." patting his groin.

I had to keep myself from laughing as I moved his hand up just a little higher. "This is where your bladder is. Those 'balls' are your testicles, sweetie. And, guess what? Some people do call them balls."

"They do?"

"Yes, they do."

Mr. Wide Eyes then asked what testicles are for.

"Your testicles produce sperm when you get a little older. Sperm is half of what is needed to make a baby." I figured I'd offer up a little more information because I knew he'd ask.

"How does the sperm get from your testicles to where the baby is made?" Little Dude asked.

"Inside your body are these little tiny tubes that are all coiled up. They go from your testicles, meet up just below your penis, and then there's just one tube. It takes the sperm from there to the end of your penis. It comes out there."

LD didn't believe me. He started to ask another question and stopped. Several times.

I asked him if he wanted to know more.

He looked at me and frowned. "Is this the part where girls are involved?"

"Yes."

"No, thanks. I'm done for now. I just really wanted to know if these balls were where all my pee is stored."

"Nope, not there, buddy."

"Okay, good. I don't think I want to be playing with these if that's where the urine is. I didn't want to squeeze them and end up peeing my pants because of it."

"Oh, okay." What else could I say? "Um, just make sure, if you're going to play with them that you do it at home and not out in public, okay?"

"No way, Mom! I wouldn't do that. These are mine. I don't want anyone else to see them."

Yeah, yeah. He says that now. In a couple of years it'll be a different story.

Boys are so much fun.

Posted by Da Goddess at 07:53 PM | Comments (18)

April 20, 2005

Exhibits C and D*

Ex. C:

Little Dude knows every verse, every word of "Don't Fence Me In." I did not teach him this.

Ex. D:

Tonight, he won a carwash kit in the weekly Cruise Night drawing. Someone offered to trade him for a huge box of Oreos. He said "no, thank you."

* Lost? Here's the scoop.

Posted by Da Goddess at 10:02 PM | Comments (8)