generalparenting

I love Christmas music. I have a lot of CD’s with Christmas music on them but I just don’t have one that I love all of the music. Sometimes I’m in the mood for country Christmas music sometimes I’m in the mood for classic Christmas music. I’ve decided to not go on the hunt again for new Christmas CD’s to try to find the perfect CD that has all of the musicians I want or style of music that fits all moods. I figure what is the point. I am going to end up wanting a different kind of Christmas music eventually being to versatile to listen to just one kind of genere. I have found instead an internet site that has all the catagories of Christmas music and a huge variety in each catagory. AOL Radio powered by CBS RADIO. It even has a section for humorous Christmas songs. It has a kids section, a country section, even the most loved classic section. Check it out for all of your Christmas music needs. If you have a surround sound for your computer this is perfect!!! To find it I went to Yahoo search, typed in local radio station listening, and typed in Christmas music. The AOL site is there. There are even stations that play Christmas musi all year around.

I wanted something different this year for Chrismas. Every year we have ham and turkey. Every year. I thought we could still have the ham and a small turkey or turkey breast but I wanted something different. I thought, “Let us have a classic Christmas dinner with goose, just like in the movies” well I have never had goose so what the heck, why not try it? It would be a new experience for Christmas. Something I’m sure the kids would love… the trying something new, not sure if they would love the goose. Any way I went on a wild goose chase.. ha ha. I went to store after store looking for a goose for our Christmas dinner. They are NOT easy to find in my area. I finally found a store that had goose. Great. So I start looking at them and realized they weren’t very big. Happy that I would be having turkey and ham as well. Then I started looking around to find the biggest one. I found it. The perfect one, the goose that I would be cooking for Christmas dinner. I looked at the price and couldn’t drop that bird fast enough. OUCH!!!! I reluctantly picked up a duck that was next to it and looked at the price to see how bad that was. After seeing the $50.01 price tag on the goose seeing the $11 price tag on the duck was much more appealing. I have had duck, it tastes wonderful and I know that my children love it. It’s not something I would normally buy because the price is still a little rich for my blood but for Christmas it is just perfect. So this year after playing duck duck goose with food and prices I will skip the goose and stick with the duck.

Ok more fudge because this is a wonderful desert as well as a wonderful gift for almost everyone on your list. Jiff has some excellent recipes and this is just another one.

Ingredients:

Crisco butter no stick cooking spray

1 (12 oz) package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 (16 oz) container of Pillsbury Fudge Icing

2 c mini marshmallows

1 c chopped nuts ( your choice)

Directions:

Line an 8×8 inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with non stick cooking spray.

Melt chocolate chips in large pot until smooth. Remove from heat and add the marshmallows nuts and frosting. Spread in prepared baking dish and refridgerate until firm.. approximately 2 hrs.

Remove fudge from pan by lifting out and off of the foil. Cut into squares and you are ready to eat your fudge. If giving it as a present it’s always a nice touch to get that colored plastic wrap and ribbon to tie it with.

Again, this is an easy enough recipe that the kids can help as long as they stay away from the pan while it’s hot. They will love being a part of making this for the family and your friends.

Individualized Education Plan. If you are not positive and I mean %100 positive that your child will need this for the long haul consider this option carefully!

My son has been homeschooled for three years and returned to public school not to long ago. When he was in public school before he was tested for special education services and received an IEP ( Individual Education Plan). He received assistance in reading and writing. He was reading less than 1/3 of his grade level and needed a lot of help.

Now that my son is exiting homeschooling things have changed. My son started out as a child who struggled over Dick and Jane books and is now reading full chapter books like Maximum Ride, Vampire Kisses, Charlie Bone, and several.. I do mean SEVERAL other ones. He zips right through them. When he gets a book that catches his interest he can finish it in a matter of days. Homeschooling greatly improved his reading skills.

He is almost at grade level for his writing and his math. I admit his spelling could use a little work but it’s no worse than my daughters and she isn’t in special education. I went to the school about his IEP hoping she would tell me that he no longer needed services. That was NOT what I got.

I walked into the tiny classroom and the Special Ed teacher greeted me. She started right away saying that my son needed Special Education for his reading. I strongly disagreed, pointing out when he was tested at the other school he was only a few words a minute behind grade average. She insisted. I would not let up. I know my son doesn’t need these services and do NOT want him taking a step back just to appease a teachers ego.

Finally it took his regular teacher to interupt the battle saying she has seen no problem with my son reading books of grade level and above. She also noted that he is easily comprehending the books he is reading. I knew that! I tried to explain that to this ridiculous Special Ed teacher. And she wouldn’t listen.

The teacher was standing behind me. Not nearly as boldly as I was but she agreed with me all the same. Even with that this teacher, who was infuriating me, stood there trying to convince me that he needs these services. I’m coming to find it isn’t easy to get out of the system once he is in.

I finally told her that he would NOT be in Special Education this year for reading. If she wants to test him for Math or Writing that would be fine with me but he is NOT to be in Special Ed for reading. I don’t think she expected me to stand strong. My guess is that not many people challange her suggestion. She seemed shocked that I would not give into her. I have been teaching my child for three years, THREE YEARS, I think I know his capabilities! This school has no idea what they are dealing with when it comes to what kind of education my child is going to get. I’m afraid for them, this is going to be a rude awakening the remainder of the time he is there.

Because of the holiday my posts have actually been written a few days before the actual day and have obviously skipped things because I had already written ahead but, this I had to share with you. My son started school a few days ago and on his first day home he told me that he had made friends. My mom asked him if they were kids in his class he said “with the whole school”. I thought that was funny because he just won everyone over in a single day. It’s kind of cool. So the second day of school he came home and when I asked him how his day was he turned bright red and said these girls keep asking him out. I asked who and he said all of the girls in his class. I thought that was funny too. He is my little stud muffin I guess. He has a girlfriend, which I wrote about around Halloween, that he adores and is as serious as he can handle at his age. The hand holding is more than enough for the two of them which is FINE by me. So day one and two he is already full of friends and girls that want to be his girlfriend. I don’t know what he is thinking about all of this. I am excited for him because he has never had this kind of popularity, he has always been the kid that’s been teased and left out. He is older now, bigger now, and I think more secure in his own skin now. I really think homeschooling did him good.  

Ok so today is the big day for most of us. The day we have been waiting for all month, preparing for and looking forward to. The day where family and friends come together to enjoy food and laughter at one big happy table sharing everything they are thankful for. What are your favorite Thanksgiving memories. I have always had a house full for Thanksgiving. My mom and I were just talking about this yesterday. Since my very first boyfriend I have always had someone at my house and I have always done the cooking. At least most of the cooking. Some years we have a turkey as well as a ham. On those years I only cook one of them while my mother cooks the other. I have always had friends and family around for this holiday and have always had a houseful. This year there won’t be as many people because I live in a different state from some of my family and most of my friends. It’s a small gathering of my mom, my three kids, and my best friend. It is still a wonderful time. One thing I’ve noticed with less people is you have more time to really talk, I don’t mean the day to day how is work going, anything new kinds of things, but the real talking where you are sharing with the ones you love. I love that. It’s hard to do that when you have a house full of guests that you have to entertain. There are of course people who pop in to say hi but didn’t stay because they had places to go and other people to see but it’s nice seeing them any way. Any way the celebrations are over for now and I can’t wait until Christmas to do it all over again.

Yes we are doing it a day early. I am actually writing this early so that I have time with the family. I said in my other blog I am cheating this year and I bought a pre made meal. Well the only thing I have to do is make a relish tray. For those of you who don’t know what that is it is things like deviled eggs, celery and cream cheese, radish roses, black and green olives, pickles, cheese and crackers, quiche’, etc. Now this stuff is easy to get ready. The only real time consumer here is waiting for the eggs to boil and carving the radishes into roses. Everything else is a breeze and I’m making the kids get involved. They complain at first but end up acting like little kids helping in the kitchen and end up having fun any way. It’s easy enough to get them to help because they like having all of the little things to snack on so I simply tell them that if they don’t do it they won’t get it.. Lol. That always motivates them.

I am sooooo anxious right now. I dropped my son off at the bus stop at 7:14 this morning. We waited until the bus was actually there before I left him. He looked so scared as he drove away on the bus with his face at the window waving good bye. I really hope he does ok today. I want to call the school so bad to check on him but I know I am being to over protective. Ugh. I hope he is ok. I hope he like this school and is making friends. I hope the kids on the bus were nice to him. The kid that was homeschooled until this year rides his bus. I hope they get together. He was so nervous last night he kept asking what time it was because he wanted to go to bed. He said he was sick to his stomache this morning. I hope he is feeling ok now. He will just be in his first class right now. He doesn’t change rooms when he changes classes so that should be good. At least he doesn’t have to worry about getting lost from class to class and if he does have to go to different class for anything he is going with his whole class. That should ease some of his worries. I can’t wait until 2:05 when it’s time to pick him up at the bus stop.

You all know I have been trying to get my child back into public school at his request for the last couple of weeks or so and I’m still trying to do that. The counselor at the middle school finally called me and told me that the school had an IEP meeting ( Individualized Education Plan) about my son and had to wonder if maybe my son would be better suited for a different school. They want to send him to a much smaller school where he can have more one on one attention. The school runs from grades K-8 and there are 185 students total. I love this idea but.. does that mean when it’s time for high school he will still need the smaller size school? If so that is doable it just means he has to go to the alternative high school that has something like 50 students total for the entire high school. I like that idea but it worries me that he will be with a lot of kids who have been in a lot of trouble and that high school is their last chance at graduation. I know I have taught him well and I know this is still a few years away but I have to worry any way.

When do you start putting up your Christmas decorations? On December 1st? Maybe on December 20th? Or are you like me and decorate in November? My family usually pulls out the Christmas decorations immediately after Thanksgiving Dinner. This year I didn’t wait that long, no not me, we had to get them up now. My decorations started going up a week ago and are being finished up today. Yes they will be up before Thanksgiving dinner. I know for all of those Scrooge enthusiasts you will be going crazy knowing I have my decorations up already but what can I say? I gotta do what I gotta do and I gotta do my Christmas decorating now, in Novemeber… before Thanksgiving.