Boo's New Bike

182/365:  Look at that excitement!

I'm not sure who was more excited about today, Boo, Klucker or me.  (It definitely was not Bella!)  For about the last eight months I have been telling Boo that once he learns how to ride without training wheels, I will get him a new bike.  In the midst of his decision to tackle this challenge, my job craziness began.  So the second piece of that has been that as soon as I signed a contract with a different district, Boo could pick out the bike that he wanted.  The contract was signed on Monday and today we went to buy the bike.  And where else we go but Big Shark? 

I rode hills with the girls this morning and Klucker brought the kids to meet me for lunch.  Ms. Stephanie decided to come along and be a part of our day.  Boo had no idea what we were doing until we pulled into the lot at the shop.  He was so excited.  He looked at a few different bikes before he decided on this one.  Now he just has to practice getting faster.  His goal is to win the kids' races at Tour de Grove this year.

176/365: An Unusual Point of View

This is an unusual point of view for my life.  On great days, this is my post supper point of view.  If I get to enjoy this it means that my workout is done.  Supper is over and the kitchen is cleaned.  Homework is done.  Kids are showered and in pajamas, and so am I!  This doesn't happen very often.  Most nights the kids go straight from showers to bed because we've gotten home late or supper has taken longer than expected.  It's very rare that the three of us get to cuddle on the couch and together.  It's so rare, that they'll usually give in and let me watch what I want on TV.  You'll notice that there are only three pairs of feet in this photo.  I think that's because both monkeys are leary of Klucker's cuddability.  That probably comes from the fact that he yells at them when they try to climb into bed in the morning.  It's obvious he doesn't know what he's missing.

163/365: Outdoor Fun

We've been spending a lot of time outside lately.  Boo has decided that it's time to learn to ride his bike without training wheels.  Last year we entered the kids in all the kid races in the area.  They both did great at the Midtown Alley race, but there were very few kids entered.  By the time we got to Gateway Cup, Boo couldn't keep up with the kids who were riding without training wheels.  That, coupled with the fact that I told him he couldn't race anymore with training wheels, may have spurred this interest.  Plus, my deal to him as been that he can get a brand new bike when he can ride on his own.  So every night we come home, he wants to practice.  He's getting better and better.

On the other hand, Bella still has no interest in her bike.  She plays on the swingset or draws on the driveway.  Tonight she followed Daisy dog around the yard.

Race Report: The 2001 Great Forest Park Bike Race

I had a little help corner marshalling.

Today was warm (55), sunny and windy.  I got to the park with good time for warm up, but I let myself get caught up in watching the finish of the Women's 4 race so I didn't get as long as warm up as I would have liked.  That being said, I did get to warm up with my teammates (Yeah!  I finally have teammates) and talk about what to expect from the race. 

There were eleven women in the race--all local so I knew what to expect from them.  We got the whistle and were off.  Forest Park is a pretty simple four corner course with only one "real" corner.  The rest are more sweeping turns.  Between turns three and four there is a false flat that starts to wear on you later in the race, and the sprint always starts early for the race, right out of turn four (about 330 meters). 

The attacks started early, within the first two laps.  The theme of the race was attack, reel it in, then knit.  The attacks primarily came from Chris, Carrie, and Emily, although Teresa and Cindi.  I also launched one about 12 minutes into the race.  I wasn't planning on it sticking, but I felt good and wanted to see if I could shake anyone off of our field.  I stayed away about 3/4 of a lap, Carrie and Emily chased me down.  I sat on with them until the rest of the field caught on.  The first prime came a couple of laps later.  I decided to go for it when we hit turn four.  Carrie passed me at the line to take it.  When I saw her wheel to wheel with me, I sat up.  That's a bad habit I don't need to have.  The second prime came late in the race and I got pinched in the corner and was not in good position.

With two laps to go, the pace picked up quite a bit.  Cindi was on the front with one lap to go, and I was sitting second wheel.  She kept amping up the pace.  We turned the corner, the field fanned out, and the sprint was on.  I did what I could, but simply could not go that hard that long.  Carrie won the race.  Teresa took fourth, I was sixth. 

Physically I felt good throughout the race.  There was only one point that my legs were screaming at me.  Chris attacked, we caught her and Emily immediately countered.  I talked myself through it knowing that once we caught Emily it would slow down a bit and it did.

158/365: Ah, how good it feels!

The hand of an old friend.  In terms of old, my little guy and I have only been acquainted a little over six years, but there is something so powerful about taking hold of his hand.  Boo's life is changing so quickly now.  It's amazing to watch him grow and develop.  His mind is constantly working, making new connections, developing inferences.  You can actually watch him take in a situation and try to make sense of it all.  It's incredible. 

With all that going on in his little head, and his body continually growing and developing, he struggles some days to know who he is and what he should be doing.  It's in those moments he quickly reverts to being a little boy.  He'll crawl up in my lap and want a snuggle.  He'll try to get me to sleep in his bed.  He'll grab my hand to show me something that excites him.  I drink in those moments.  Snuggling him tonight, holding his hand while we watch cartoons, are priceless pieces of his childhood.  I dread the soon-to-come day when he discovers that Mommy is not cool and I'm only out to ruin his life.  I don't look forward to the time when a 16 year old cheerleader becomes the most important woman in his life.  So I hold on to him when I can.  I take advantage of his cuddling nature and savor his hugs.

153/365: The Role of Technology in My Life

Today's assignment was to take a photo of the role technology plays in my life.  Wow!  That's a big assignment.  I never set out to be a techy geek, and by my standards, I'm not.  I do however, love my technology. 

I think I first interacted with a computer in junior high.  We had an Apple lab; they weren't Macs just quite yet.  And we learned to "program".  That meant I could write code well enough to make pictures appear on the green and black screen.  In high school I learned how to add motion and sound to those pictures.  It was in college that I got a little more advanced--I learned how to word process.  I spent a lot of time with the boys of Sigma Phi Delta.  I would guess almost every guy in the house had a computer, a mix of Macs and PCs.  I learned to work on both platforms based on who was around and had a free machine.  The guys always told me not be afraid to break it because there was nothing I could do that they couldn't fix.  I took that attitude with me as technology advanced.  I've never been afraid to play around and see what happens. 

I think I've passed that spirit on to my kids, or maybe they've come by it naturally because technology has been since a part of their lives since birth.  Nightly it's a race to see who gets to the iPad first.  Whomever doesn't get the iPad goes for my phone.  Mind you it doesn't matter that Boo has my old desktop set up downstairs . . . it's not as cool as the iPad.  It's seemingly intuitive for them and try and try until they figure it out.  I like that.  I value their sense of exploration and lack of concern for making a mistake.  I think we lose that as we grow older.

137/365: I Was Bored, Mom

What else would possess a six year old boy to crawl under his desk and cut his hair?  Instead of a sticker on his chart today, his teacher taped pieces of his hair.  I just shook my head.  I love this boy, but he's going to make sure I get more and more grey in my hair. 

125/365: The Reward

Superbowl Sunday

Boo:  Mommy, how come we never order pizza?

Me:  We have pizza every Friday night.

Boo:  Yeah, but you make it or it's frozen.  We never order it.

Me:  That's because we're poor.

Boo:  The TV says it's only $10 at Pizza Hut.  I have that much allowance.  If I pay for it, will you order pizza?

Me:  How about this?  If you get a sticker everyday this week at school, we'll order Pizza Hut and you can even choose what kind we have.

Boo:  Sissy, we're having pizza from Pizza Hut Friday!  It's gonna have cheese on bottom, pepperoni, hamburger, cheese on top and cheese it the crust.  You'll like it.

That's how the conversation went last Sunday.  And sure enough, even with kissing OR on the bus, my scammer of a son was able to pull off a perfect week of school.  Since I was going to be out last night, he agreed to put off having Pizza Hut until today.  We even decide to eat there instead of having it delivered.  And he got the pizza he described to his sister and even managed to eat three pieces.  Now, if only he's that good at school next week!

116/365: A Hard Day of Play

Snow Day 3 for the school goers in the Klucker family.  Today we changed it up a little though.  The kids were stir crazy and wanting to see friends.  Their pre-school was open, so we decided they should go.  Obviously it was a big day for Boo.  I came home from a haircut to find him on the couch like this at 7PM.  He wanted to watch the History Channel to see if the alien show was on . . . Klucker looked up a few minutes later and he was out cold.  We woke him up for supper, but it was obvious his heart wasn't into eating.  It didn't take him long to go back to dreamland once I got him snuggly in bed a little later.

110/365: Rainbow Cupcakes



My assisants



Start with the purple.



Next is blue, then green.

Bella likes the blue batter.

The orange is added.

Today we baked.  The kids have been after me to make cupcakes so today was the day.  And it wasn't just any kind of cupcakes, they wanted "rainbow cupcakes like Nellie's".  Of course I had to oblige.  Boo and Bella lined the muffin pans for me.  (Mom, why are the cupcake wrappers for a birthday?  Because that's all they had at Market Place unless you wanted plain.)  I mixed up the cake batter and divided it into six small glasses.  Then the fun began.  I added food coloring to each of the glasses, blending it well.  Next I divided each glass' content among the muffin tins.  The mix said it would make 24.  It lied; we only got 18.  Each color in then layered in on top of the next.  These go in the oven for the alloted time and voila! rainbow cupcakes.  I used my Pampered Chef decorated to pipe on the icing and Boo and Bella added the sprinkles.  (three for the cupcakes, three for Bella)  Klucker says his mind is tricking him and they taste like Fruity Pebbles.  I think he's a little Fruity Pebbles in the head.



The finished product.





The rainbow on the inside.









109/365: The Last Minute Phone Call

Boo is chatting with Klucker.  We were in the private waiting room prior to his surgery this morning.  This was the second time he's had outpatient surgery in his short life.  Both times it's been for tubes in his ears.  And I think each time was more traumatic for mama than it was for him.  Today was easier in that I knew what to expect.  I knew how disoriented he would be as he woke up.  I also knew he'd sleep like a rock once I got him to lay down this afternoon.  This time the ENT is going to monitor him more post surgery.  We'll be going for a check up every four to six months to make sure the ear drums aren't being sucked out of shape.  He'll also have to have a complete allergy panel to see if there is some outside cause for the fluid.  These tubes will also have to be removed in a few years instead of falling out on their own.  I have to say in spite of how much it stressed me out for him to have these procedures, I'm thankful for them.  Boo's only ear infection since August 2009 came after that set of tubes became dislodged.  Before that it was four to six infections a year.  But by tomorrow the little man will be back to normal, bear hugging his sister, sassing his dad and loving on his mama. 

96/365: It's Genetic

Have you ever wondered at what point men think they own the remote?  Well, obviously by age six if you count this as evidence. 

Boo is such a funny, little guy.  He told the pedetrician in November that he can't read but he certainly can look at a program guide and figure out if Ben Ten, Bakugans or Phineas and Ferb are on.  He was also able to figure out how to stream Netflix to our tv downstairs after sitting there while I set up the account.  He amazes me with how quickly he picks up on things.  The good news is, while he's intuitive, observant and perceptive, he's not sneaky.  It's the only thing that'll save us.  My brother predicts the current over/under for our house is six...that's how many times the police and/or fire department will be there before Boo is 18.

93/365: Walking Home From School

With the amount of time I spent on the couch yesterday, I didn't manage to squeeze my workouts in my day.  And being the rule follower I am, I felt like I needed to get do them.  Thankfully today was a snow day!  I needed to make up yesterday's 45 minute run with six striders and a 60 minute spin with neuromuscular and muscular endurance work.  Today is a recovery day, so my workout was a 40 minute walk with the dogs.  I managed to do my spin and run indoors, but how do you walk the dog indoors?  Plus, the kids gave me grief about picking them up early today.  (Boo did not have a snow day.)  So I had an idea.  Diesel and I could walk over to Boo's school and get him and the three of us would walk home.  Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?

Having kids has taught me to plan for contingencies.  I knew Boo left the house wearing a hoodie and jeans with his Nikes.  He had on his winter coat and gloves.  He was dressed appropriately for the weather.  But after being his mother for six years, I know he doesn't always return home in the same condition in which he leaves.  So I packed my messenger bag with his snow boots, another hoodie, gloves, a scarf, and a hat.  I snuck Diesel out of the house because I knew Daisy would want to go, but her old legs and fat belly wouldn't be game for the two hills we'd have to walk.  Off we went.

In my mind, school was a lot farther than it actually is.  I gave us 35 minutes to walk there.  It took us 12.  It was 22F and the wind was blustery, so Diesel and I kept walking.  I was afraid we'd get cold if we stood too long.  So we headed over to the school with about 15 minutes to wait.  We stood behind a wall to block the wind and watched the parents drive up and stay in their running cars to stay warm.  The Dieselnator began to shiver, so I had to kneel down and cuddle him.  Finally the buses pulled out and we moved to the red pick up line.  Boo comes out holding his teacher's hand.  (Of course he does, where else does the teacher put the class clown?)  Wait for it, wait for it.  Yep, there it is!  He sees Diesel, beams, and comes running.  That's what I was wanting! 

My first question is about his gloves.  They're in daddy's truck.  Next, what does he have on under the hoody. A thermal t-shirt--that'll work.  I reach in my bag to pull out the boots and other items to find there is only one boot.  You've got to be kidding me!  Where did I drop it?  I can't do much about it at that exact moment, so I just set about adding the appropriate cold weather accessories to my son's person.  Scarf around the neck, hat on the head, and finally gloves on the hands.

"Mommy, what are you doing?"

"I'm getting you ready to walk home."

"Why Mommy?  Where's the Audi?"

"At home."

"How'd you get here?"

"I walked."

Sometimes the brightest ones can still be a little slow on the uptake.  I really don't want to have to buy him a new pair of snow boots, so I decide we'd retrace the long path Diesel and I took on the way to get him.  I held my hand out and we set to walking.  The first thing I realized was that his little legs need three steps to keep up with my long strides.  I know I asked him at least seven times if I needed to slow down.  I would and then, without realizing it, I would speed up again.  I think he ran tempo most of the way home.  We finished the add-on section of the walk and still no boot.  Boo was convinced it would be on the big hill . . . and it was.  He sprinted up the hill as fast as his legs would take him.  We stopped at the boot so he could put it on before we continued home.

I have to say this adventure was one of the best "mommy" times I've ever had.  Boo and I talked our entire walk.  He openly talked about his day at school without me feeling like I was prying.  I think he repeated, verbatim, the entire lesson on penguins.  He tried to convince me we should walk to pick Bella up from CP.  Everytime I would give him a reason we couldn't, he found a way around it.  And he's already looking foward to the next time Mommy can walk him home from school.

90/365: When Papa Says No

Boo is Papa's boy.  I think I've written before that my father-in-law takes his role as sole grandpa to my son very seriously.  He often indulges both of my kids, spoiling them rotten, as a grandparent should.  At our house, the kids get extremely excited when they go to Grandma and Papa's.  Saturday morning, Klucker had to work so he took the kids to his parents' house for a few hours so that I could get my training done.  (yes, I'm spoiled too.)  When he got there to retrieve them, Boo could be heard outside yelling that he wanted to go home.  That's never happened. Klucker got them packed up and brought them home.  Our plans for the evening were to go back to my inlaws for a Klucker family dinner . . . all the Kluckers.  It was a pretty big deal.  Boo did not want to go.  He was adament about it.  So much so when we got there, he wouldn't get out of the car.    We went inside and shared this with Big Klucker who went out to retrieve him.  Within minutes, Papa was carrying Boo in the house with the boy being all smiles. 
 
So what was the problem, you ask?  Because I certainly did.  It seems as lunch time, Papa made PBJ for Bella and offered ham and cheese to the boy.  The favorites for each of them.  Enter the problem.  Papa couldn't find the cheese.  Well, in Boo's world, you can't have ham without cheese.  He crossed his arms and refused to eat.  He gave Papa a pretty serious look as well.  Impressively, Papa didn't cave to the pressure.  He told Boo that's what he was getting, nothing else.  He didn't give into the terroristic demands of my playboy six year old.  He also mad him remain at the table.  And so began the screaming. 
 
I have to say that Big Klucker couldn't have made me happier.  He drew a line for my boy and stuck to it.  More than that, he did it with love and compassion. 

88/365: I Assume February Will Bring a Heart

This is Boo's latest "family" homework project.  Decorate the attached snowman so we can hang him in the hall for January.  November was a turkey and December was the Christmas tree.  This one was more a family project than the last two, primarily because we used hot glue and I was afraid of burns and a trip to SLU.  Klucker attached the twig arms and the holly badge.  I did the embossing powder on the hat and hot glued the eyes and nose.  Boo did pick out all the buttons we used. 
 
We should be getting Boo's report card soon.  The semester ended in December and I'm sure teachers had to have grades ready this week.  I'm in a little angst over it.  Boo is very smart--not sure whether to say gifted or just well-prepared and supported.  Regardless, so far he's got this kindergarten curriculum whipped.  You'd assume that's a good thing.  It would be if Boo were a pleaser like Bella.  Little man is not; he is a clown--an active, hyper, sarcastic clown.  He doesn't sit still well, he's in constant motion, and he's usually two steps ahead of the game.  That doesn't bode well in a traditional classroom setting.  During conferences in October I heard how he had mastered all of first and second quarter, as well as part of third quarter objectives.  Then the other shoe fell about him talking out and not sitting still.  I was expecting this and I actually prayed that his teacher didn't mention ADHD or medication; that would not have ended well for her.
 
I will admit it, as an educator, I was bothered that my son was not the best (i.e. smartest and most well behaved) kid in class.  It took me a few days to process and come to the decision that I really don't give a damn about him getting in trouble for talking and being loud as long as he's not being mean and is doing the assigned work.  I've seen too many bright kids turned off by our education system . . . they get in trouble at school, and then at home, and then begin hating school.  They are disengaged by middle school and either struggle or drop out of high school.  NOT MY SON.  I won't allow it.  We talk about his day each evening.  I ask him what he learned and if he had fun.  When he tells me he got in trouble, I encourage him to be calm and quiet.  Then I hug him and tell him I love him.  In the morning I tell him to have a great day and tell him I love him again.  I know eventually I will be back at the school advocating for my son.  I will not be as accomodating to his teacher as I was in October.  I will asked her reflective questions as I would with a teacher whom I had just evaluated.  If she doesn't seem responsive, I will move to a more directive roll.  I will be relentless on the quest for an outstanding, challenging education for him.  He deserves nothing less. 

85/365: Ready for School

Back to school for all of us today.  The kids were both home for ten days.  For me it was 16 days away from work.  I enjoyed it, but I recognize that we all need structure in this house. 

Boo is not a morning kid, he is a sleeper.  Most days we have to wake him to go to school.  Getting him to get dressed is usually a chore, so I don't even bother with his hair.  The funny thing is, at some point today, he realized how he looked.  He came home this evening with his hair down and neat.  When I asked him about it, he said he wet it down in the bathroom and make it look nice.  What a player!

81/365: An Observant Eye

Can you tell I'm off work, spending lots of time with my kids?  And that I have too much time to think about food?
 
On Monday the kids and I went out and about.  Like usual, I set the stage for what we would be doing:  going to Target (no you cannot get a toy), Costco is next, and then McDonald's drive thru for Mom to get a diet coke (you will not get a happy meal, don't ask).  Typically when I pre-correct, our trips are with incident.  And this one was pretty good.  But when we went to McDonald's as I was pulling to the window, the Bakugan symbol caught the boy's eye and he knew what it meant.  Bakugan toys in happy meals. 
 
"Mommy, can we have happy meals this week?  Not today because you already said not today, but sometime this week?"
 
Now I try not to eat McDonalds.  I actually did have it last week . . . I gave in to the allure of the McRib.  That was my quota for the year.  No way my body could handle another McDonald's meal.  But how can you say no to a question posed so well?  So today the kids had McDonald's.  Poor sissy ended up with a Bakugan toy too because they messed up the order.  As for me, carry out Chinese--I'm trying to satisfy all my cravings at once so it's done and over.

80/365: Isn't He Pitiful

One of the hardest things about being a mom is not being able to fix everything.  I came home tonight to a tail of my little man being sick.  He wouldn't eat dinner for his dad and chose to go to bed instead.  Within minutes, Klucker heard him in the bathroom, gagging and then vomiting.  Chocolate ice cream.  I have to say, at least this time he made it to the bathroom.  Last time I was changing sheets and doing laundry at midnight. 
 
Boo spent the day with Grandma.  My mom does not do a good job of saying no or being firm with her grandkids.  She gives them whatever they want.  I think, in her mind, she's afraid if she says no, they won't want to see her.  Instead what happens is I get the kids home and it's a miserable evening.  If they haven't napped because she lets them get up the first time they ask, they are cranky and snotty with me.  And I don't deal lightly with cranky or snotty.  Or, she gives them food their little tummies won't handle, like large amounts of chocolate ice cream to a kid who prefers strawberries or cookies.  And up it comes. 
 
When I got home, Boo was asleep.  I put his covers over him and closed the door.  Less then 10 minutes later he was back in the bathroom.  We cleaned him up and gave him a little water and a Tums and put him back to bed.  In less than an hour we had another repeat.  This time I let him bring blankie and Woobie and cuddle with me on the couch.  Sometimes a mommy cuddle makes everything all better. 

77/365: Things Are Back to Normal

Yesterday's photo was of my children sitting together, arms around each other, looking so loving.  Today shows what like is typically like in my house.  We had our Christmas with my family this morning.  We had a nice breakfast, followed by the kids opening presents.  Now you have to know, we are strong believers that Christmas presents should be toys.  (That's because Christmas and birthdays are the only time my kids get toys.)  So Grandma Jean got Boo a new DS game and Bella got a pack of Barbie clothes.  Uncle Mike got Bella the Easy Bake and Boo a Nerf machine gun.  Well what fun is Nerf machine gun if you can't shoot your sister?  I have to hand it to the princess though, she's a strategic thinker.  She quickly surveyed her surroundings and took cover using the packing from her Barbie clothes. 

64/365: Gingerbread 101

I'll probably catch grief for telling this story, but here it goes.

A couple of weeks ago, Boo brought home a sheet requesting parent volunteers to help build gingerbread houses. (Again, Christmas and public schools, but I'm not going there this year.) I would normally be all over this, but the two days they needed help I was booked at work so I mentioned it to Klucker. He checked his schedule and emailed Mrs. S via the school website to volunteer to help. He got no response and several days later sent an email directly from his email account. After receiving no response, he wrote a note and put it in Boo's folder. He finally got an email response, but alas, Mrs. S had all her volunteer spots filled. Klucker called me at work to tell me he didn't get to help. I was shocked at the disappointment in his voice. It was very sweet and heartbreaking all at the same time.

Klucker being Klucker did not let that stop though. Since I was going to be out of town, he decided he and the wee ones would build their own gingerbread house, to heck with the school one. And buying a gingerbread house kit from Target or Costco just wouldn't do for Klucker. No, they were baking their own house from scratch. So throughout the day on Saturday, I was able to keep up with the progress through his Facebook posts and pictures. Here they are if you missed him or aren't friends:

• In an attempt to keep the kids happy while mom is in Dallas this weekend we will begin construction of a gingerbread house today, dough mixing has begun!
• Phase 1 complete ginger slabs in the oven with no loss time accidents!
• Architectural approval has just come back, first issue is a revise and resubmit with use of candy canes! Due to high demand in China no candy canes were figured into the original design due to supply issues!! Am checking the local past Christmas supply scrap yards for an left overs . . . .
• Just finished the first jobsite precon meeting. Had to bribe the architects with apple juice to go along with the idea of making ginger canes, since all the local supply of candy canes are out.
• All the panels in the lay down area prior to assembly.
• First set of panels has just arrived from the precast yard . . . and the leftovers are yummy!
• Ginger canes just arrived from precast.
• Waiting for the roof.
• Roofers just finished.
• Who would have thought, icing porn . . . the harder and faster you beat it the stiffer it gets.
• Build complete
• Does candy that fell on the the floor prior to install count as pre consumer recycled content for my LEED application?

I'm secretly glad I wasn't home to witness the chaos and ensuing mess. Clean up was complete by the time I saw the finished project above. I also think it's probably a good thing the volunteer spots were full. With status updates like that, I can only imagine what phrases Boo's classmates would have carried home.