January JOY

Well, the holidays are over. Hmmm - that sure went fast. I've been feeling a bit blue - perhaps over that? Perhaps because it's JANUARY????? It's COLD????? Spring is at least THREE if not FOUR months away???? There is no doubt, I need something...

I stripped the house of it's Christmas finery today and that sure didn't help. First of all, it was a harsh reminder that it's JANUARY! And secondly, it was a LOT of work!!!! I think I put it all out. a bit at a time, as the spirit moved me. But putting it away does not work that way. Plus, how is it that all the "stuff" came out of 3 of those huge Rubbermaid tubs and went back into 5? Needless to say, the barren landscape is of no help. Somehow the house looks like Cinderella before she met her fairy godmother. Drab, bare, cold, dark...

But for every yin there is a yang. 3:40 rolled around and the little ones disembarked from the big yellow monster and my Dennis the Menace 9 year old skipped to the van, climbed in and started telling me that he had a really good day - second in a row. Hmmmm - how come that behavior doesn't make it's way home???? "That's good, sweetie." "And Mom! I can read!" Okkkkkkk - well, I'm not really buyin' this one.

You see, we've spent countless years advocating for services, specifically because our son has not been successful learning to read or write. A neuropsych exam essentially told us that he may never read. That we need to advocate for other means of educating our child that includes computer programs that read to him, dictation programs that he can access for writing - essentially a whole different means to the end, i.e. getting Dennis into the college of our his choice. (I know he is only 9, but I tend to shoot high!)

But, I played along. Afterall, maybe he learned a few more sight words. What's a sight word, you ask? Yes - there is a whole other language when it comes to PPTs and IEPs and Learning Centers and...am I losing you? Anyway - sight words are words recognized immediately by the reader without his having to go through the process of breaking them into constituent parts.

For example, YOU see "happy", HE sees "h"-"ap"-"p"-"eeee". ( That is, he is supposed to see that. But even that is a struggle.) It's called de-coding.

Obviously, this is a re-enactment, 5 minutes later, but check this out.

"O" "M" "G"

Now THAT is "J" "O" "Y" !!!!!

PS - The two running around in the background? Those are my comedians who felt the need to sneak into the video. You probably can't see this in the video, but my daughter has this on.

"ROLL" "MY" "EYES"... SIGH.