tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48793955904084751382024-03-05T11:45:33.147-08:00Lucky Number Two<a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/">
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src="http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/2;10722;96/st/20080111/n/Maria/k/1141/age.png"></a>Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.comBlogger1000125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-15806284981251899182018-12-03T10:12:00.001-08:002018-12-03T10:22:29.657-08:00Ear InfectionMaria had a rare ear infection last week, she had to stay home on Thursday, which was a bummer because I am home on Tuesday and Wednesday but it's super hard/impossible for me to get a sub on short notice so I had to go to work and even though it was month-end, wonderful Mike stayed home with her. I suppose if he had to go and I had to go, she could have stayed home on her own for a few hours and I could have made a short day of it but I'd rather not do that quiet yet with her.<br />
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It wasn't until she was fell by the fever part that she even said she was sick. She told me after we went to the clinic that she started feeling bad, actually, 'on Monday'. Monday! She didn't want to miss gymnastics, or school, so she just waited until she absolutely had to go to the doctor. I told her, you know, if you told me when you started feeling bad, we could have maybe not missed school, not gotten to the point where you had a fever. She doesn't care, it's hard for her to slow down.<br />
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She made High Honor Roll her first quarter, we had a 'fun time' on Fall Break, we had a nice Thanksgiving, all is well with Maria. She plays a lot with our neighbors, she has a lot of girls her age to be friends with, she is lucky and they all seem to get along well which is just great.<br />
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She wants - well I am trying, as ever to do: Something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read for Christmas. So she wants a hamster or a fish or an iPad. She needs to wear Vans, sweat pants, hoodies, pajamas. She wants to read any graphic novel, any DRAMA, and she also wants an Xbox. Luckily they all do so maybe they'll get one and they'll each get a game of choice, or a remote or whatever.<br />
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I learned the other day that she is 4 feet, almost 7 inches which means she's grown an inch and a half since ... many years ago, it seems. I wonder if she'll ever be a tall or even a medium tall person, because right now she is the shortest in her class.<br />
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Here's some cute pictures, the one with the hat was from her Fifth Grade Explorer Wax Museum, where she portrayed Jean-Baptiste de Sable, the founder of Chicago. Her teacher has them do super varied explorers, beyond the normal/problematic (Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo, Vasco de Gama). He has them do many women (Amelia Earhart, Sacajawa, as well as many African ones, like Maria's).<br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-90265561657836072142018-10-04T11:25:00.000-07:002018-10-04T11:25:15.325-07:00Fifth Grade StudentMaria is doing just fine. I have been going into her Fifth Grade classroom on Tuesdays to help her teacher, who is great and Maria's first male teacher, and it's so nice to see her. She is really turning into a great student, and she seems to be a good friend, or at least she has a lot of friends who seem to like her. She is still kind of a slob and she refuses to ever shut her lights, as we say in Brooklyn, but overall she is doing just great. <br />
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How lucky we are, I think all the time, that she is so wonderful. She gets herself up most mornings and if we wake her, she pops right out of bed. She gets dressed in her whacky outfits and leaves for the bus stop 25 minutes early so she can spend time with her neighbor and friend, who also likes to get to the bus stop super early! She is always on the go, she usually gets home and races right back out to play with friends, but I mean, in so many ways what her pediatrician used to tell me about her, that her tenacity would serve her well some day, seems to be true. She is a great girl. <br />
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I am taking the three girls to Brown County State Park next week, they are on Fall Break and I am not, so I am taking them from Monday Afternoon, after I get off work, until Wednesday, before I go back to work on Thursday. Mike will stay home with them Thursday and Friday. <br />
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Lately I've been thinking I should have her do her own laundry, and Veronica and Felicity can follow. Maria will be in Middle School next year, and while it's true I didn't go to Middle School until seventh grade, I was FOR SURE doing housework more than my kids do. I think I am a little bit behind on it but I'm going to start. It's too much, I am the only one who cleans the house and that is just too uneven. It makes me deeply, deeply, deeply DEEPLY resentful of the mess makers. <br />
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Well here are a few pictures of our own sweet Maria Kathleen. Speaking of Kathleen, Kathleen Ann Murray, my childhood friend for whom Maria was middle named, is dead thirteen years this month. THIRTEEN YEARS that we have been without her. I think of her all the time, she was so funny and such a true blue friend. ::claps hands briskly:: okay! back to it!<br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-42634270851970312492018-01-24T11:03:00.000-08:002018-01-24T11:03:24.835-08:00Ten Years OldMaria is ten years old, so I imagine she'll be off to college soon! Ha! Kidding! She is still very much a little kid, with all little kid fun and problems, too. Last night she was SUPREMELY sad about how she had no friends at school, no one liked her, etc. etc. On Sunday at her Cheer party she won the Miss Spirit Stick award! Same girl! Same girl but one no one likes but also has the most spirit on the Cheer squad. <br />
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Oh it's awful to be ten, right? Even if you're Maria. She puts a lot of her self worth into what other people think of her, which is a TERRIBLE idea, which I've told her over and over. She wants to be friends with this popular girl in her class, because a friend of hers is also friends with this popular girl. I think she feels like she is going to lose her friend to this popular girl and she is panicking and acting panicky, and freaking out every second of the day. Last night I told her, look - you are going to school to GO TO SCHOOL and LEARN, not to freak out over this girl who I don't actually think is all that nice! Maria said, she's not! I said well then why would you want to be friends with her? I mean, they are in a pretty small Catholic school. What is the point?, I wonder 90 times a day. What is the point of sending her to Catholic school if it's going to be so nasty and backbiting? Is there any benefit once they head toward middle school? I'm beginning to think the answer is no. <br />
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She is doing so well in school, she had straight A's for two quarters this year. And it's really hard to get an A in their school, Veronica got a 93 in something and it was a B! We have the same scale at my school where I teach, so I'm familiar with it but man, it's still harsh, right? But Maria is doing so well, she narrated the Nativity Play at Christmas and did such a good job, she loves all the books they are reading, one was about a girl in WWII who hid and saved another girl and now they are reading Sarah, Plain and Tall. She got a instamatic camera for her birthday and she loves it. She is also in her own room, which she is really enjoying. <br />
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So I mean, except for the fact that no one likes her, she is doing great. Just kidding, I really hope she is feeling happier about things today. On to the next decade!<br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-33666664071967728022017-08-23T10:08:00.001-07:002018-01-06T14:13:00.987-08:00Grade FourMaria has started fourth grade, next year, as long as we are still at her school, she will start Middle School, how exciting! She is doing very well. We had kind of a big mess at her school in the beginning. Toward the end of July, most students at her school get a postcard or letter from their new teacher, this is how they know who will be teaching them. We know some kids whose parents teach/work at our school and they all told Maria and the others who they had, so everyone was going nuts and I was happy once the cards started rolling in. <br />
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Felicity got her letter and Veronica got her letter and Maria got - no letter. So I emailed the school and asked and I was told who her teacher was. I told Maria and then when we went to Back to School night, Maria was listed, ALPHABETICALLY, as last on the other teachers list of students. Maria being Maria, she was kind of freaking out about it and Mike and I were trying to get a ton of supplies dropped off and tend to Veronica and Felicity, especially Felicity, as it was KINDERGARTEN that she was starting. Anyway, when Maria got to school two days later on Day 1, she was back with the original teacher. EDITED//<br />
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She is doing so well, though. She is happy and seems to like her teachers (there are two) and it's who she originally wanted so everything is fine for her, which is what matters, right? RIGHT. She is doing well in school, she takes tests at the beginning of the year for reading and math to see where she is and she is just fine, although she is doing better in Math than Reading, which is a surprise to me. I mean, she is in the ninety something percent for Math and seventy something for reading so it's all good but I just - I'm always surprised when they are not exactly the same as I am, ha!<br />
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She is playing kickball and doing gymnastics and doing fine in both. I really don't like gymnastics, I don't think it's necessarily good for her, but she really wants to do it so for right now we are doing it. Volleyball starts in the spring and I'd love for her to do that, too, we will see. They all went to the Fair with Mike this year, as I was already at work. Maria is good and happy and as loud as ever, but I suppose we wouldn't have her any other way! Here are some cute pictures. <br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-9862591545247573432017-05-18T11:52:00.000-07:002017-05-18T12:01:11.692-07:00SpringSpring and headed for summer! It's been so hot. The other night at Maria's game it was BURNING hot, she was horrified that she had to wear her baseball pants. Can't I wear SHORTS!?, she asked. The answer was no. She has been doing well, at first she was not batting that well but boy, she really turned it around on Monday at her game. They also won in the bottom of the sixth, (their last inning), it was great. I take Veronica and Felicity to Maria's games so I can't exactly what the whole thing, but from what I saw it was good. <br />
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Maria is almost in fourth grade! Next year she gets to wear a uniform skirt instead of a jumper. She wore her jumper the other night to a program and it looked so cute on her, she has been in pants/shorts forever, it was nice to see it again. She has some eczema on her one shin, it drives us all crazy. We are trying to remember to put lotion on it every night but it's a pain. Our nights are getting so short, we barely get home from whatever we were doing and then it's right to bed. I will be glad when school ends next week, for the first time ever! </div>
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She has had a very successful third grade year, she really makes us proud every day. I try to remember to tell her that because she also drives us crazy every day and I for sure tell her that. </div>
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Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-62923147457493440132017-04-20T06:45:00.000-07:002017-04-20T06:45:10.853-07:00AprilMaria in April. Pretty much like Maria any other month. Maria is what I would call UNFULFILLED. There is very little that makes Maria happy for longer than five minutes in a row. Is this a good quality? Can I turn it into one, even if just in my mind? <br />
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Lately, I've been working on Thursday nights because I am busy with kids stuff Monday Tuesday and Wednesdays. I need to work so I have money to do all this damned stuff with them, but they all get mad when I work. I think they'd like it best if I worked midnights, that way I could be available to them all the time, and still make money so they could do everything they want. Of course, I would never sleep, but this isn't something that bothers them. Anyway, if I work on Thursday nights, Mike has to take all four kids to Anthony's swim lesson. To make this happen, I have to get ready for work before I go get Anthony, and then meet Mike at the girls' school so I can switch kids and race to work. Mike then takes them all, they all have iPads to entertain them, and then he takes them to TWO different places for dinner. <br />
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Everybody hates it. This morning the first thing I heard when Mike went in to get Maria up was her crying and moaning. I asked her when she came out, what's wrong? She said she didn't want to go to swimming because she didn't want to take the car, she didn't want to be SQUOOSHED in the CAR! I said, Daddy said you can take the van, and she dried up immediately and said OKAY!, and swooshed downstairs. And I think, do other people's kids complain this much? Sometimes I feel like I have to put my head down on the nearest table, just to rest from all the complains that are thrown at me all day. They are the most unsatisfied people I've ever met. <br />
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But, there are good things to being Maria too. She is as smart as ever, she has friends and is friendly. She is very good in church, one year after her first communion. She has moments of being kind to Felicity and Anthony. She is doing VERY well in baseball, here's a picture of her at her first game, scoring the first run. <br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-26276632432785577492017-02-15T11:04:00.002-08:002017-02-15T11:04:55.580-08:00FebruarySheesh! October and then February! I know it's boring to start every post by saying how long it's been but man, I am terrible at this. <br />
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Maria is having a good February. She is getting ready at school to take her iStep (our standardized tests in IN) for the first time. I had kind of a run in with a teacher at her school. Her teacher, the other third grade teacher, sent an email saying that they were getting ready for iStep and they were going to be SUPER busy, with every minute accounted for. She said they were trying to make it a fun and challenging time and not get them too nervous about it. This all seemed good to me until I got to the part where if they misbehaved, they would get a warning and then they would get extra homework. (Screech like when the record stops playing). I said what? We are supposed to support all this extra work they are doing and make it seem fun and challenging but if they step out of line they get ... more work? It seemed backwards to me and I said it. I got a lot of supportive emails from a lot of parents in our class and one back from the teacher, not answering my question about how it made sense to give more homework at a time when they have more homework than ever, because of course there is no answer for that foolishness, but just reiterating her position. And you should have seen the homework! One hundred multiplication tables which Maria could do it her sleep, by the way, on a bright gold color paper! Why not just put a big B for BAD on their chest? Anyway I said that whatever her reasons were, I disagreed and Maria would not be doing any extra homework and we wouldn't be signing it. I said that I am always supportive of my kids' teachers but I have to be supportive of them first and foremost. It hasn't come up again, I don't know if they're doing it anymore or not but whatevs! It's taken care of. <br />
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Here's Maria at her Valentine's Day party, so cute. <br />
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January</div>
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In January, Maria turned nine. She feels older and younger than that to me, time being what it is. I feel like I remember her babyhood the best, because it was just the two of them and Anthony was 2.5. When I had Veronica, Anthony was older and it was a loonier time and Maria was only 16 months old and by the time I had Felicity I think we can just safely blame old age. Ha! Anyway, her birthdays are always so crazy, she had 16 or 17 girls over, including my three, and they had a fun time, eating pizza and cupcakes. She is a good life of the party. Here she is on MLK day, we went out to breakfast because Mike was sick and we were trying to get out of the house. </div>
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and here she is at her party, with the cutout of her that our friend Joe made. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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December</div>
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Who can remember? This is why I should update more often! Maria got a tablet for Christmas, and a Hatchimal. We had a fun break, I only had one week in common with them and then Mike stayed home the second week. I took the three girls downtown again and we stayed overnight. It was fun, they love swimming in that hotel pool. Here's something I'd like to say after staying in the Hilton Garden Inn downtown two years in a row: both years I have used Miles from my Chase credit card associated with United airlines and two years in a row the people who work at the hotel have been really crappy to me, as if I am somehow taking money out of their pockets. But otherwise it was fun, we saw Moana (which we liked a lot, although Maria kept saying, THIS IS INTENSE!), had dinner with Laura, went to the circle and the big Christmas "tree", and to a fun candy store called Rocket Fizz. </div>
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Here's a cute picture of the three girls at the mall, <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-61614600867904898022016-10-24T09:38:00.002-07:002016-10-24T09:38:57.846-07:00OctoberTime is just flying away. Mike is home with the girls today on their Fall Break while I'm at work so he might feel differently, ha! I had Maria's conference and she's doing just fine, she has her lowest grade of 93 in Science, which I think is mostly a talking problem. She is super bright and she is really doing better this year with the talking thing, so things are good. She is still driving us crazy at home. On Saturday, she and Veronica got this idea that they wanted to have their friends over for a Sleepunder, where they don't sleep over but they hang out and play and do everything they would do at a sleepover. But I didn't want them to have anyone over, I had to work two shifts on Sunday, Maria was going to go to Mass with Mike early on Sunday, I had to go to Mass Saturday night, I was tired and I have shingles and - I just wanted to have a night where no one came over! I feel entitled to this! So Maria kept ignoring me, just making her invitation and when I finally said LOOK! We are not having anyone over tonight, sorry!, they both were crying and sobbing like they were being sent to their death and I am not exaggerating. What would they ever do if they had real problems? It ended up to be fun, we rearranged the furniture in their room and we had root beer floats, it was fine. It always ends up fine. I saw a thing this week about teenage girls, post its to remind the mom that "her emotions are not your emotions" and "I should be the calm in the storm" and I thought, yeah! That is all true! It's hard to remember though, when you are tired and sick and stressed out, which I always am! Anyway, here's some cute pictures.<br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-21537278939350745792016-09-12T12:43:00.000-07:002016-09-12T12:43:21.226-07:00Third GradeMaria is doing very well in third grade. She is playing kickball and while they have NEVER won a game, and in fact sometimes have the crap pounded out of them and have to rely on the mercy rule of scoring, she herself is pretty good and she seems to be having fun. She loves to make musically videos and she loves to sing and do gymnastics. She is the most persistent, dogged person I have ever met. She is unbelievably dramatic and she literally cannot stop once she is on a roll, screaming about the unfairness of LIFE! We are working on it. She is good at math and that's her favorite subject this year, so far. <br />
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I don't know, because she is our oldest neuro-typical child, I don't know what kind of 8 year old she is, comparatively. Sometimes people on facebook say like, that their child is so caring and giving, kind and sweet, a real St. Mother Teresa! And I think, really? Really they are kind and good and so selfless and so ADULT, at eight? Maybe it's true but not for me. I try not to feel bad about it. I do think she is mostly perfect, I wish she would be better in church, take Communion more seriously but what can I do but keep taking her? My sister Laura said she saw Maria and Mike in church last night - I had to work during the day so I went early and they went late. She said Maria was good and never went to the bathroom once. Is it just me? Are they just super bad with me? Because that makes me kind of mad! Whatever, I should be grateful she does so well and be patient with the rest. Here are some cute pictures. <br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-38897652815837294122016-07-19T08:56:00.001-07:002016-07-19T08:56:11.611-07:00CampSunday afternoon I took Maria and Veronica to camp, today I'm going to pick them up at 2:00, so that's not very long, is it? Since Anthony and Felicity are here too, it doesn't seem too strange, Felicity has been whipped into some kind of Incredibly Needy mode, so I don't feel like I have any more freedom or anything. But it's been nice, they were both very good when I dropped them off. <br />
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One of the things I find with all things school-related and now camp-related is that when you are new, when it is your first year, you are on your own in a way that I never imagined I would be. There are all those people around who have done it before! It seems like there would be a HUMAN understanding that you'd want to help people who may not know what they are doing. It has been disappointing to me to find that when you need the most guidance is when people seem to be the least willing to give it. We signed up the girls and made requests in our registration for them to be with friends from school and they ended up in a cabin together, but with no other girls that they knew. All the other girls from their school who requested to be together WERE together and they were with a bunch of girls who all seemed to know each other! Why do it that way? Why leave just my girls, who are seven and eight years old, the youngest you can be and go to this camp, alone and put all these other girls together, including ones who were FOUR years older? I don't understand it. I feel this will make us stronger and will make me be nicer to people who are in the same boat as I am. Anyway. <br />
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I have missed them and yesterday I was making myself sick, every time my phone rang with a strange number I was worried it was the camp, saying something horrible. I'll be glad to pick them up today and I'm sure, I'll be super sick of them by tomorrow this time, and that's parenthood for you, ha! <br />
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Here's Maria, the way I left her on her bunk, writing in her journal. She's probably writing, Dear Diary, my mother said she'd hook me up with friends from school but she has left me completely on my own! Ha!<br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-62080654778736655522016-06-08T19:30:00.002-07:002016-06-08T19:30:48.937-07:00First Holy CommunionHere are some pictures from Maria's first communion. I WISH she hadn't run around like a lunatic before her actual communion because her hair is messy but whatever, I'm not worried about it, really. She really is a good girl and was a good first communicant. <br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-91720413557712402912016-06-08T15:41:00.000-07:002016-06-08T15:41:08.297-07:00Eight years, four monthsI just noticed the ticker at the top of the page said she is 8 years, 4 months old. How funny that we used to count days and then weeks and months and now she is 8, is all I ever think. She is doing just fine, she is driving me crazy but less often. I mean, she is as relentless as ever for bugging me about things but she also has good qualities which are becoming more obvious. She has been a real help to me lately, which I appreciate. She is a great swimmer, I don't have to worry about her at all at the pool. They still freak out every time I tell them to do anything, like clean their room or the living/toy room but it's less and less. We are onward and upward, as usual. <br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-59426178587254430062016-02-26T08:05:00.000-08:002016-02-26T08:05:30.870-08:00Friday UpdateMaria is doing just great. She got her ears pierced the day before her birthday and counted down six weeks until she could switch earrings. She has now worn two different pair and I told her she should stay in them for a while. <br />
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She is getting ready to make her first communion in April. This weekend she has to go to church early to make a blessing cup, which, whatever. She also has to decorate a banner, so, the Religion teacher said, we can decorate the church and it looks nice. If you want it to look nice, I want to say, don't have a bunch of eight year olds make banners, ha! Also, I think the church already looks pretty nice, because of the presence of GOD and all, but whatever, I am not in charge. <br />
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She is doing very well in school, she is still kind of freaking out about every damned thing but I think maybe she is getting better about that. We are reading Harry Potter (the first one) to her and Veronica before bed and that's been really fun. We are flying right along in it, and I can tell they like it. It's nice how they fall asleep with me reading to them, well, Maria sometimes pretends to fall asleep but it does make her really sleepy, unlike those damned electronics, which just jack her up. <br />
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Here's some cute pictures. <br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-63354896250605790162016-02-01T10:36:00.001-08:002016-02-01T10:36:17.860-08:00Eight plusNow Maria has turned eight but that doesn't stop her from dropping to the floor and crying and yelling if her shoe fits funny and guess what? Her shoe always fits funny! She is doing well in school, so great in math, she is a girl scout, she started gymnastics after a long break this past Saturday. She wants to have a friend over or sleep over their house or have them sleep over our house or in some way do something else besides what she is doing all the time. Oh and she got her ears pierced! It's going really well.<br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-74209824690228056872016-01-07T10:13:00.000-08:002016-01-07T10:13:57.242-08:00Almost EightIt's hard/easy to believe that Maria is almost eight. She is doing just fine, we are having what is turning into a big party this weekend, on Saturday. What can I do, she wants to invite a few friends from school, then we have friends from our neighborhood and some of those friends have siblings who we are friends with too and then poof! we have over 20 kids there for the party. It really is a more the merrier situation, though, because it's just for two hours and Maria really loves having a lot of people around. Anyway, we are getting her ears pierced for her birthday. I personally had to be ten years old to get my ears pierced, but that was almost FORTY years ago, good Lord, so I think she'll be okay. I told her it's going to hurt and everything but she doesn't care. <br />
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Here are some pictures, I took the three girls downtown one night last week. I used frequent flier miles to book a hotel right downtown and we went to the mall, to the movies, met my sister Laura for dinner, went to Monument Circle to see the lights on the 'tree' and then went to the pool at the hotel the next morning. It was a very good trip, they had a lot of fun. Maria is at a good age for stuff like that, she has some level of appreciation of it and she won't, like, run into the street. <br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-46097017409447819302015-12-18T09:38:00.001-08:002015-12-18T09:38:41.337-08:00Christmas ProgramMaria has her Christmas program at school today, she's so cute. My friend Marta gave me this gorgeous dress and Maria liked it, so off she went. I curled her hair this morning, and she is a picky thing, she kept pointing out hair that wasn't curled, ha! Here's her picture. <br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-59589882356336557732015-12-02T08:08:00.002-08:002015-12-02T08:08:36.539-08:00DecemberNext Sunday she makes her first Confession and in April she'll make her First Communion. It's a super exciting time to be Maria Beck. <br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-19058116377915114072015-11-26T20:04:00.000-08:002015-11-26T20:04:32.242-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Isn't she so funny? She is also impossible and I don't know why people can't just be quiet and why they have to be so loud about all the time but whatever. She is so cute and funny and she cracks me up. Today she said Happy birthday! I said, it's not my birthday. She said yes it is, Thanksgiving is every turkey's birthday! My teacher told me that! Ha! I am grateful indeed, for old Maria, even if she does drive me nuts. She is perfect with Anthony, she was trying to teach him the JOY of just petting Maggie and not pulling her dang tail. She is - well, she is not perfect with the littler girls, she is a typical 7 or 8 year old, whatever. She is one of the loves of my life. Happy Thanksgiving!Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-86248662365711748422015-11-12T18:40:00.000-08:002015-11-12T18:40:34.884-08:00Pictures and CatchupThings are fine, moving right along. Maria finished soccer, she is in Girl Scouts, she was St. Veronica for the All Saints Day Mass. She wants an iPod touch for Christmas and I told her Mike and I were thinking about it and then she verified that fact every hour for two days until I told her she had to stop. Situation normal. Here's some pictures:<br />
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She got an excellent report card and I told her she could have whatever she wanted at the Ice Cream Shop, which was three scoops of cookies and cream. Will I never learn?<br />
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They were going to church with Mike, so they were looking forward to it, ha! My schedule changed at work so I don't have to be there until 6:00 on Saturday so I've been going to 5:00 Mass so Mike can go to 10:30 on Sunday. <br />
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School Picture, second grade. She told me she wanted me to curl her hair so I bought a curling iron and it came out great! She has really perfected her smile.<br />
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Maria and Maggie, our dog. Maria is probably the best with her. Veronica and Felicity are always all up in her grill but Maria is really sweet and gentle with her. <br />
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Halloween, 2015. Maria was a vampire. She and Veronica really ran ahead of Laura and Felicity and me so I texted my neighbor, who was nice enough to keep an eye on them. Every year I think maybe we'll all be on the same page but it wasn't this year!<br />
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With Anthony, before bed. <br />
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Saint Veronica. Those little second grade kids all dressed up as their studied saint almost killed me, so cute. <br />
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So you're caught up!<br />
<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-11102591875912111252015-09-13T14:56:00.003-07:002015-09-13T14:56:50.825-07:00BetterDon't things always get better? They do. Yesterday we went to the French Market at our church and Maria ran off with her friends, and ended up sleeping at one friend's house who lives super close to church. So I picked her up this morning before Mass and I said that I had tried to find her the night before because I brought a bag with a toothbrush, a nightgown and clothes and Maria said, don't worry I didn't brush my teeth and I slept in my clothes! Ha! She had her first soccer game ever today, she did very well. I am, as usual, bullish for the future. <br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-21158320210778637262015-09-11T13:44:00.001-07:002015-09-11T13:44:06.877-07:00Update Maria is still as bad as ever, and maybe worse. Mike took off work today because the girls' school has their festival tomorrow and they need to set up today and I had to work so anyway, he spent the day with them. And they were just terrible. I talked to him after I was finished teaching EIGHT CLASSES and he sounded more tired and wiped out than I was. It's so, so so so so SOOOOO depressing and disheartening to take care of them and just get - I mean, it's not that you get nothing in return, it's that they are openly hostile and badly behaved for your trouble. <br />
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I got home and Maria asked if she could go to our neighbor's house. Mike had JUST told her no because she WENT to the neighbor's house and she had to do her homework. So I reiterated that, I said no, because she is doing homework and Maria started screaming, on and on, SHE IS DONE WITH HER HOMEWORK SHE IS DONE WHY CAN'T I GO WHY WHY WHY AHHHHHH YOU ARE RUINING MY LIFE! This is all done with her writhing around the floor, screaming and yelling and - when we are really lucky - pulling the collar of her shirt. I am unimpressed and I tell her so, go to your room, I tell her and she screams MORE - SHE IS SCARED OF HER ROOM, AHHHHH THE LIGHT IS OFF (MEANWHILE - IT'S DAYTIME!) SHE CAN'T GO AHHHHHH SCREAM SCREAM SCREAM WRITHE WRITHE. So I tell her listen - if you keep it up, you are not going to go to soccer practice tonight. She screams and screams, I go and email her coach and say she is not going to soccer. I feel awful about it because she is on a team, blah blah blah but TOO BAD. I tell her I emailed him and she screams MORE. She IS going to practice, she has a GAME on Sunday, she is going to email him back and say she is going! I said good for you, good luck getting there, dummy. I told her that she wasn't going to practice and that was a fact. I said the next thing I'm going to do is say you can't go to the birthday party you are supposed to tomorrow. The next thing is that I'm going to say you can't go to the French Market at school tomorrow. Then I'm going to say you can't go to Chess on Wednesday and then NYO on Thursday. Go ahead and test me, I said. She has been quiet since but my GOD. <br />
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It's too hard, she is too bad. Mike said half the time what she was screaming about was that Felicity was upset and screaming about something. How is it fair to have a three year old being a jerk and so her seven year old sister joins in? What the hell? <br />
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I wish things were different. I wish she were - better? Nicer? Not a screaming lunatic? I'm sure she is a monster I've created. My brother Larry told me that I was not a good disciplinarian, and since he's never here to see whether I am or not, I assume my parents told him that. It's disheartening, too, because I feel like I am doing the best I can. But I am dealing with a lot of people, and Anthony has his own issues and that changes the way I discipline (or don't). I think sometimes people who think I am not a good disciplinarian are using code for "she should spank them". I don't know. My point is Maria is making my life HORRIBLE. She is good at school and ... that's it! And she's not even THAT GOOD in school. Morale is at an all time low, is what I am saying. <br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-52010657770944694702015-08-22T08:17:00.001-07:002015-08-22T08:17:15.999-07:00Second GradeMaria started second grade last week, she is doing really well. She got the teacher that I hoped she'd get, although that's kind of based on nothing except I used to work in the library across the hall from her classroom and I liked the sound of her. She's great, so excited to see her friends, doing well in school, getting in a little trouble for talking but not too much. She is going to go to Aftercare one day a week and she is more excited about that than anything. I have been having some personal drama with getting them set up for Aftercare but I hope it's straightened out now. I love their school but there is a real feeling that if you don't know about it, you are never going to find out. This is our third year there and I've never used the aftercare before this year but man, it's nearly impossible to find out anything about it. I finally gave up and just emailed the principal and said that they were starting this Thursday and that's that. <br />
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She is a real pain, getting back to Maria. Every time we leave anywhere she screams and cries and throws herself to the floor. If I pick her up at school and tell her no, we are not stopping for ice cream, she screams and cries. If she is not ready to leave yet but I have to go because I have to get Anthony, she screams and cries. Yesterday at Target I wouldn't buy her candy even though it was "only" 79 cents, she screams and cries. I hate it, it's embarrassing and I can't make it stop. I never do what she wants me to do when she screams and cries about it but I can't take everything away. Shouldn't this be getting better and not worse? She is worse than Felicity and she's so, so, SO loud. <br />
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Oh well, we will keep plugging away I guess, it's not like there are options. Onward and upward!<br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-22967882814031718502015-07-26T13:57:00.003-07:002015-07-26T13:57:39.777-07:00Funny StorySo I never have any pictures of Maria because whenever we go to the pool or whatever, she immediately leaves me and then only appears when she needs money or is mad because I suggest leaving after four or five hours and who wants to see pictures of that? <br />
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But the other night I took Maria and Veronica to see Mary Poppins, a local production of a high school theater summer stock company, and I went with my friend Jill and two kids she was babysitting, who are Anthony and Maria's ages. I was sitting far away from Maria so I couldn't shush her during Act 1 like I wanted to. So at intermission, I said to Maria, listen - NO TALKING during Act 2. She said, quick as a whip, "So what if someone says, hey cutie, you look really cute!, I can't even say thank you?" Where does she get this? Does she just keep this stuff in her head ready for me? I do not even know. <br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-38272341850768024272015-06-21T20:37:00.001-07:002015-06-22T17:15:26.925-07:00The PoolWe recently joined the Knights of Columbus pool, although we all call it the K of C, but Maria thought it was KFC, but she told me today that Abby told her that it's K OF C, and that KFC stands for Confessional Fresh Chicken. She kills me. I corrected her, but really what does she know of Kentucky? Or Fried Chicken, really? <br />
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Anyway, Maria loves the pool. She is getting so grown up but she's also still a little kid. She was on the diving board today and she drew my eye to her. I could TELL that she didn't want to jump in (it's 11 feet deep by the diving board). So I called her over and she cried and cried and said "I don't want to DO this!". I said well, don't! You are starting swimming lessons tomorrow and you will get more confidence and it will be fine. I said Veronica is whooping it up there in the 3 and 4 feet deep area, play with her! Kids are impossible, all I hear all day at the pool is "can you do this?" and "I can do this!". Shut up, I think, none of you can even drive or vote and just a few years ago you were pooping in your drawers like everyone else. Sheesh. <br />
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Anyway, it was prohibitively expensive to join the pool but it was worth it. Maria is really having the best time and she's so cute, all freckled and tan. She's sleeping well and being generally cute and fun. I wish I had a good pool picture of her but she is always away from the me at the pool. I have instead like 100 pictures a day of Felicity, who is right by my side, ha! <br />
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<br />Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4879395590408475138.post-46618030044263919742015-05-21T18:27:00.000-07:002015-05-21T18:27:40.774-07:00End of First GradeOh, Maria. She is always so gone I don't even have pictures to post! She loves to go out and be out and do stuff. She is a genius, she is doing great at first grade, I have zero reasons to worry about her in second grade. That's good, right? She said two funny things tonight, let's see if I can remember them. We were on our way to Pat Flynn's, the restaurant where I used to work, so she could troll for donations for her walkathon which is tomorrow, and we were on our way there and she said to me "maybe if no one donates, we can just rob them. KIDDING!. Ha! She is kidding. Then she said another funny thing but I can't remember. She is a joy and a terror to me. Today Felicity was sick and I said I'd take her for a cookie after we picked up Maria and Veronica. So we picked up the cookies and we were getting back in the afterward and I asked Maria to strap up Felicity and she moaned, ughhhhhh, and I said nevermind I will do it! And she said no! I will do it and I said no! You have to just DO IT you can't complain! It's hard. Sometimes she will say something mean and then say "just kidding" to Veronica or something and I tell her, you can't do that. It's just as mean as if you *weren't kidding*. She is trying. Sometimes I think she has the weight of the world on her shoulders, my poor first neuro-typical baby nd sometimes I think oh the HELL with that. She is fine. Her teachers love her, she has one million friends, we are crazy about her, she is fine. She is more than fine! She is a genius almost second grade girl!Joannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00585179358306590340noreply@blogger.com0