A very sad post

A friend of mine lost her son in a horrible accident this weekend, on May 29, 2010. Her name is Tamika, and her son's name was Gabriel. He was only 4 years old. It was her baby's first birthday, and they had a few friends over for a bbq. The kids were in a friends SUV watching a movie, when the battery drained. Tamika was inside with the baby, and her husband was outside with the kids and a couple of adult friends. The husband and one of the friends went in search of some jumper cables, leaving the kids with the other adult friend.

The woman who was left watching them walked away, and one of the older kids bumped the car into neutral. The SUV rolled backwards into Gabriel and the lit BBQ, pinning him and it against the house. Tamika was the first one to get to him. She tried to move the car, but she wasn't strong enough. She tried to administer CPR, but she wasn't able to.

He suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns, as well as head trauma and cardiac arrest. He died in the hospital.

Her friends have set up a paypal account to accept contributions for his final expenses. If you can give, please give. If you can't give, please pass this story along. Any help we can get to her is needed.

The address to the paypal account is gabrielhinton@yahoo.com A link to the news article is here.

The little things

Sometimes I stop to think about the little things that Connor does, and it makes me sad to think that, in time, I will probably forget most of them.

Like how he's been a little parrot with his talking skills for a couple of months now, but he still won't say "I love you" no matter how hard we try.

Or how he's already trying to call me "mom" instead of "mommy."

Or the cute little way his bottom lip sticks out when he puckers up for a kiss.

Or that his first big owie was on his left foot, when he stepped on the screw outside.

Or how he will suck air in through his nose and squish up his face when he points at me, and how he knows that this is the fastest way to make me laugh when I'm getting frustrated.

Or that he loves riding in the car so much, he's learned how to buckle himself in, and so far, he's never tried to get out of his car seat while we're driving.

Or how he wants nothing more than to sit with me all day long. Knowing that this will be gone someday helps me get through the frustration of being attached to him from morning to night.

Or how often I forget to watch him when he has a drink and a bowl of food at the same time, because no matter what the meal is, he will pour the drink over his food like cereal and milk every time.

I never want to forget these things, but I know there are a thousand little things like it that I've already forgotten.

Glitter!

This was a learning day for us. Connor learned all about green glitter, and I learned a cool trick for getting it out of laundry. You have to saturate the glitter with hair spray, then let it dry completely and it will come out in the washing machine. DO NOT shake it until after the hairspray has dried, or you'll have to spray a much larger area.

Oh, and don't leave glitter where toddlers can get to us. That was the big lesson of the day.

Story time with Connor

We just finished our bedtime story. Here's a rundown.

I asked Connor if he was ready for bed. He screeched "NO!" and ran to Daddy. I asked him if he was ready for a book, and he just about tripped over himself to turn around and head for bed.

We grabbed his basket next to his bed and put all of them away, then we picked out new ones.

He got in bed, sitting down facing me while I was on a chair next to him, and picked a book for me to read. Tonight he didn't want his own, which is cool with me but it's a first. We had a lift-the-flap little people zoo book. He lifted all of the flaps on the first page about 5 times while I struggled to keep up and tell him what they animals were. We were halfway through the second page when he closed the book and put it away.

Then he grabbed a truck book. We got through about half of them, with me telling him the names of the different trucks (dump truck, fire truck, bulldozer, etc) and him trying to repeat them. Half way through, he closed it and put it away.

Then on to a dinosaur pop-up book. That was cool until we got to a stegosaurus eating some grass. It scared him and he wouldn't come out from behind his pillow until I put it away.

Then to a fairy tale book, until he realized that there were actual sentences in it. We didn't get through a paragraph.

We did the lift-the-flap zoo book again, then the truck book again, and he was ready to be done. I turned the lights off, we listened to his glow-worm a few times, and I kissed him goodnight.

It's not a very restful storytime, but it works! lol

This picture has nothing to do with storytime, but it's just too good not to share.

Thoughts on school

Chris and I have already been putting some thought into Connors education, and we're both really leaning toward homeschool. The public school in our area is very substandard. The entire district is stretched too thin, and even the best teachers are showing wear lately. It's true, of course, that we still have several years before Connor starts kindergarten in the 2013-2014 school year, but I have serious doubts that things will change drastically enough for me to be comfortable in 3 1/2 short years.

Besides that, the more I learn, the more I'm just not crazy about the institution as a whole. Of course public and private schools have kicked out millions of incredibly intelligent and well rounded adults, but I really question if it's the best way. Every child, every person, has their strengths and weaknesses, so is it really beneficial to make an entire class work at the same pace? It works, but is it best?

We're not decided yet, but I've been doing research anyway. Yes, I know that I think too much and plan too far into the future, but you should all know that about me by now. I have a need to feel prepared for whatever I can predict. It makes me feel sane to think ahead.

The idea of unschooling (not to be confused with the radical unschooling that has been in the media lately) is really catching my attention. I'm not convinced that it's a great idea for an entire schooling career, but for at least primary grades it really seems to make sense. If I had to make a decision right now, I think we would start with unschooling, and gradually work in a flexible curriculum.

And in case anyone is wondering, it is all very legal in California. Our laws are actually very easy going when it comes to homeschooling. I have to submit a letter of intent once a year, and keep attendance records. If investigated, I need to show that he is being taught in English, and that we are introducing all major subjects. All of this is to qualify our home as a private school, with Chris and I as teachers, administrators, and staff.

Anyway, it's all just thoughts right now, nothing solid. It's a very easy idea to get used to though. Plus with all of the extra curricular activities present in the area, he won't have any trouble at all finding friends and socializing with his peers.

Connors first black eye

Poor little guy. Daddy was chasing him around the house, and he tripped and landed right into a stool. And yes, that's mustard on his nose. :)

Connor is talking up a storm lately. He says so many words I can't even list them any more. No sentences yet, but he's getting close. Well, unless adding "please" onto the end of a word counts as a sentence. I don't think that counts though. Right now he wants me to open the front door, so every time I'm not looking, he knocks on the wall so I'll think that someone is there. He's a genius, I'm telling you!

Connors new bed

Thanks to Grandpa Bill and Grandma Lori (LorLor), Connor got the racecar bed that I've been longing for ever since before he was born! It's called a Step2 Stock Car bed, and it converts from a toddler to a twin mattress. We couldn't have dreamed of an easier conversion to a big boy bed. He absolutely adores it, and everyone who comes over is instantly dragged into his bedroom to adore it, even if they've already seen it. He spends almost half of his time playing and climbing on it, and has slept through the night with no issues at all.