I have to say, Yahtzee is like a bad boyfriend for me. I LOVE to play Yahtzee, and I really shouldn't. It's loud - I don't like loud, in general. And, the biggest reason for me NOT to play is that I NEVER, and I mean NEVER get the 3rd of ANYTHING I need. I can get a Yahtzee occasionally, but do I win that game? NO... because I couldn't get the bonus on the top half, because I got a 43, not a 63.
If the children (either one, but Yordanos especially) has a 1,2, and 4 and they need a 3 and5 to make their Large Straight, they will get it... every time. I don't even try, when I can't get three stinkin' 1's to save my life. Today Habtamu rolled a Yahtzee... in ONE roll. Yesterday he rolled, literally, 10 Full Houses. Today I rolled a 1,2,5,4,4. I needed three 3's. Oh, yeah.
And YET... tomorrow, when the kids want to play, I will totally play because I keep thinking, "This time will be different, right? I have to win sometime, right? Those dice totally didn't MEAN it when they didn't give me what I needed, right?"
Maybe I need a Yahtzee intervention.
You can ask my children... I am not exagerating about my "bad luck" at dice. They noticed it before I said anything, and now we just laugh when Mommy has to cross yet another item out. If anyone gets a bad roll, they say "Oh. Just like Mommy's rolls!"
Ha ha ha... Ho ho ho... heh heh... um, yeah...
1.21.2009
Finally!
Well, Habtamu finally dropped the "You're not my mother" bomb today. It was at the end of a grueling morning of the grumps, in which I ended up yelling (ok, screaming) and called Lee crying and angry and frustrated. Sigh.
I have never met people who push my buttons so quickly. I've never lost it so many times as with my children. Gah.
When he said the YNMM line, I answered back, "Ah, yes. I've been waiting to hear that one." I wasn't too upset about it. He was also saying he was going back to Ethiopia. I had to refrain myself several times from saying "OK. See ya." I know that sounds bad, and it's not a thought I'm proud of, but there it is. Instead I said, "I would miss you, and this is your home now. I am your Mommy and Daddy is your Daddy, and we love you." I know that's true, regardless of what my head was urging me to say out of spite and anger and frustration.
Thanks to Katherine for taking Yordanos to play for the afternoon... and getting her out of the fray. Now Habtamu is asking that we go get her. Hmmm... missing your little sister?
I have never met people who push my buttons so quickly. I've never lost it so many times as with my children. Gah.
When he said the YNMM line, I answered back, "Ah, yes. I've been waiting to hear that one." I wasn't too upset about it. He was also saying he was going back to Ethiopia. I had to refrain myself several times from saying "OK. See ya." I know that sounds bad, and it's not a thought I'm proud of, but there it is. Instead I said, "I would miss you, and this is your home now. I am your Mommy and Daddy is your Daddy, and we love you." I know that's true, regardless of what my head was urging me to say out of spite and anger and frustration.
Thanks to Katherine for taking Yordanos to play for the afternoon... and getting her out of the fray. Now Habtamu is asking that we go get her. Hmmm... missing your little sister?
1.20.2009
Marital Relations
No, no, not THAT kind... although that could be a post for a different time...
We've had trouble explaining how people are related by marriage. (I should explain that Yordanos has a way of running their two names together, mushing them into one entity... it usually comes out "Yordahabtamu".)
Me: Aunt Carrie is Daddy's sister, and my sister-in-law.
Y: Everybody's sister?
Me: No, Daddy's sister, my sister-in-law.
Y: ?
Y: So, you Daddy, brother sister? Like Yordahabtamu?
Me: Uh, no. You don't marry your brother. Daddy is my husband.
Y: Yordahabtamu no husband?
Me: Right. Daddy is my husband. I am Daddy's wife.
Y: Yordahabtamu no wife?
Me: Right.
Y: Uncle Paul?
Me: Uncle Paul is married to Aunt Carrie (Lee's sister), so he is Mommy and Daddy's brother-in law.
Y: Yordahabtamu no brother?
Me: No, he is your Uncle.
Y: Yordanos no brother?
Me: Uncle Paul is your Uncle.
Y: NO-uh. I said something different. Habtamu Yordanos brother sister?
Me: Yes. You and Habtamu are brother and sister.
Y: Me marry Habtamu?
Me: No.
This is about the time my head explodes. It's like sparring with an opponent with no reasoning skills or logic. It's like they're CHILDREN or something. :)
We've had trouble explaining how people are related by marriage. (I should explain that Yordanos has a way of running their two names together, mushing them into one entity... it usually comes out "Yordahabtamu".)
Me: Aunt Carrie is Daddy's sister, and my sister-in-law.
Y: Everybody's sister?
Me: No, Daddy's sister, my sister-in-law.
Y: ?
Y: So, you Daddy, brother sister? Like Yordahabtamu?
Me: Uh, no. You don't marry your brother. Daddy is my husband.
Y: Yordahabtamu no husband?
Me: Right. Daddy is my husband. I am Daddy's wife.
Y: Yordahabtamu no wife?
Me: Right.
Y: Uncle Paul?
Me: Uncle Paul is married to Aunt Carrie (Lee's sister), so he is Mommy and Daddy's brother-in law.
Y: Yordahabtamu no brother?
Me: No, he is your Uncle.
Y: Yordanos no brother?
Me: Uncle Paul is your Uncle.
Y: NO-uh. I said something different. Habtamu Yordanos brother sister?
Me: Yes. You and Habtamu are brother and sister.
Y: Me marry Habtamu?
Me: No.
This is about the time my head explodes. It's like sparring with an opponent with no reasoning skills or logic. It's like they're CHILDREN or something. :)
1.19.2009
The Awesome Part
The awesome part about home schooling is this:
Just when I think I cannot possibly do this long term, cool stuff like this happens, and I realized how much they have learned. And I get proud, of them, of me. I taught them how to do this... pretty heady stuff.
Just when I think I cannot possibly do this long term, cool stuff like this happens, and I realized how much they have learned. And I get proud, of them, of me. I taught them how to do this... pretty heady stuff.
1.15.2009
Yordi's ESB Review
***SPOILER ALERT***
If you haven't seen The Empire Strikes Back yet, you might not want to play the following audio clip. Then again, it probably wouldn't that hurt much either...
One of the things that masochistically enjoy about my children is hearing them talk about movies. It's just really interesting what 4 seconds of plot either of them will pick up on from a 2 hour movie. The problem is, they're only excited to talk about it once then the magic is over, so it's really hard to catch it. This following is an audio clip of Yordanos revealing to me the highlights of Empire Strikes Back. I'm sure many of you have seen it multiple times, but you probably missed one of the most critical plot points. Don't worry, Yordanos has it all figured out.
Enjoy!
If you haven't seen The Empire Strikes Back yet, you might not want to play the following audio clip. Then again, it probably wouldn't that hurt much either...
One of the things that masochistically enjoy about my children is hearing them talk about movies. It's just really interesting what 4 seconds of plot either of them will pick up on from a 2 hour movie. The problem is, they're only excited to talk about it once then the magic is over, so it's really hard to catch it. This following is an audio clip of Yordanos revealing to me the highlights of Empire Strikes Back. I'm sure many of you have seen it multiple times, but you probably missed one of the most critical plot points. Don't worry, Yordanos has it all figured out.
Enjoy!
Christmas Day CatchUp
Christmas day we piled into my car, which normally fits four people just fine, and headed out to White Pines to meet up with the rest of my family. This was our first full family overnighter, so we hoped the kids would be fine, but you just never know. The thing we had going for us though, was that in general, the kids actually do better in close quarters with a bunch of people around.
Long story short (because if I give you the long version it'll neh-hever get posted) the kids did great. They received a cubic ton of stuff from their grandparents and their Aunt Carrie and Uncle Paul, and it was enough to keep them occupied for 4 days. Uncle Paul brought their wii but between the puzzles, the erector set, the pretty princess tea party, the food, and the StarWars marathon, it wasn't even missed.
The Haul
Habtamu carefully chooses his first victim.
Don't get too comfortable in that Tiara there, sunshine.
Umm, never mind. Put the tiara back on.
Habtamu gets Old School'ed by Activision's Pitfall2, and loves every minute of it.
Who you callin' Old Maid?
The High Court has spoken, this Christmas royally rules.
Long story short (because if I give you the long version it'll neh-hever get posted) the kids did great. They received a cubic ton of stuff from their grandparents and their Aunt Carrie and Uncle Paul, and it was enough to keep them occupied for 4 days. Uncle Paul brought their wii but between the puzzles, the erector set, the pretty princess tea party, the food, and the StarWars marathon, it wasn't even missed.
The Haul
Habtamu carefully chooses his first victim.
Don't get too comfortable in that Tiara there, sunshine.
Umm, never mind. Put the tiara back on.
Habtamu gets Old School'ed by Activision's Pitfall2, and loves every minute of it.
Who you callin' Old Maid?
The High Court has spoken, this Christmas royally rules.Just a little lockerroom talk
So before all this fever business (which is getting better by the minute, btw. We can tell because H is starting to enjoy the crackers and TV of his sick day...) I took the kids swimming at the Y for the evening. H and I were getting out of the showers when we passed a large naked man heading in. I had already pulled my towel out of the locker and was drying off when I looked back and saw H standing at the shower entrance shivering (at this point we didn't know about fever.) He asked me to get his towel for him and my gut reaction was to tell him to walk the 6 feet and get it himself. But I didn't. I chose not to fight that battle, and as I'm turning, I hear the large naked voice say from the shower, "If you forgot your towel, I have a spare." I replied that he did indeed have a towel but thanks for the totally naked offer. I mean offer.
As H and I were getting dressed, I noticed that the guy's spare towel was personalized and after his name it had the letters 'SMSGT' which sounded military to me.
"Hey Habti, I think that man that said you could use his towel is a soldier," I noted.
"Soldier what mean? Like Police?" He replied.
"Um... not really. Soldier is a man who fights for America," I stammered, but I thought it was a decent description.
"Fight for America," He repeated, trying to processes what heck his Dad was talking about. "Did he win?"
"Win? Him? Uh... Yeah. I guess. He's home now so that's a good sign." Habtamu accepted that answer, as lame as it was, for which I was grateful. Sometime after that it did occur to me that maybe this guy wasn't a frontline grunt or squid or whatever, so I tried to explain to H about how some men actually do the fighting while many others help those men to fight by keeping them fed and getting them in the right place with the right tools. For all I knew, this guy could have been anything from Admiral to chef. H politely ignored me.
Eventually as we were leaving, this guy came back to the locker area. I told H to thank the man for offering his extra towel. H said thank you and looked me square in the eye and whispered, "Ask him." "Ask him what?" I said. "Win," he whispered. I smiled and explained the situation to the man, including my son's question about whether he has 'won the fight for America or not.' The guy smiled and even though I totally put him on the spot, he diplomatically answered that everyday we get a little closer to Freedom. This was not an acceptable answer for Habtamu who then looked to me for clarification. "Not yet win," I said, "Still trying." H was ok with that. "Good guy?" He asked. "Yes," I said. The man smiled. I thanked him for his time and we left.
Them's a lot of stripes!
I googled SMSGT when I got home and turns out, he was far more polite than his rank required. On behalf of myself and two of America's newest permanent residents (soon to be citizens) thank you, Sir, for continuing to serve our country even when you're off duty and caught in your birthday suit.
As H and I were getting dressed, I noticed that the guy's spare towel was personalized and after his name it had the letters 'SMSGT' which sounded military to me.
"Hey Habti, I think that man that said you could use his towel is a soldier," I noted.
"Soldier what mean? Like Police?" He replied.
"Um... not really. Soldier is a man who fights for America," I stammered, but I thought it was a decent description.
"Fight for America," He repeated, trying to processes what heck his Dad was talking about. "Did he win?"
"Win? Him? Uh... Yeah. I guess. He's home now so that's a good sign." Habtamu accepted that answer, as lame as it was, for which I was grateful. Sometime after that it did occur to me that maybe this guy wasn't a frontline grunt or squid or whatever, so I tried to explain to H about how some men actually do the fighting while many others help those men to fight by keeping them fed and getting them in the right place with the right tools. For all I knew, this guy could have been anything from Admiral to chef. H politely ignored me.
Eventually as we were leaving, this guy came back to the locker area. I told H to thank the man for offering his extra towel. H said thank you and looked me square in the eye and whispered, "Ask him." "Ask him what?" I said. "Win," he whispered. I smiled and explained the situation to the man, including my son's question about whether he has 'won the fight for America or not.' The guy smiled and even though I totally put him on the spot, he diplomatically answered that everyday we get a little closer to Freedom. This was not an acceptable answer for Habtamu who then looked to me for clarification. "Not yet win," I said, "Still trying." H was ok with that. "Good guy?" He asked. "Yes," I said. The man smiled. I thanked him for his time and we left.
Them's a lot of stripes!Q and A: Will the fun ever start?
Q: Does this mean than many months from now we are still going to have regressive behavior, with no clear explanation and no clear resolution?
-Kate (recently adopted 2 Ethiopian children)
A:
I'm afraid so, BUT they come less frequently. Also, once the language fills in, some explanations come. Not always, but sometimes. :) We do the best we can with what we've got!
Chris
Other A:
If your current misery needs some company, read our posts from July and August. We didn't have scabies, but we did get the cops called on us... oh, the Glory Days...
You know what though... It's been 6 months and Habtamu's last meltdown was so half-hearted it was almost amusing. He tried really hard to steady himself first because he knows the discipline routine, and at the last minute decided to commit to being disobedient. But really, you could tell that his head was telling him it was a bad idea, he just couldn't stop the train. He didn't yell as long, he didn't cry as loud, and (relatively speaking) it was over quickly. And basically it was a routine that he KNEW wasn't working but some wayward emotion told him to give it a try it anyway. The outcome was predictable and he received the same set of consequences he always does.
I guess what I'm saying is that it gets better. Another reader who had adopted a 10 yr old boy commented on our blog early on and said that basically, the demons will come out less and less and after a year you'll have the son you fell in love with "full-time." There were days that that comment alone is all I could hang onto.
After 6 months I can totally see that coming down the track. I can joke with both children and more importantly, they can tell me when I'm not funny. Anyway, in general, they both would now rather put effort into communicating their feelings than screaming themselves into exhaustion while Daddy 'helps them help themselves' pinned in a full-nelson. They don't like losing TV for days at a time. They have a love/hate relationship with apologies. They move on and hold grudges less than I do.
We take those as good signs.
It kind of disturbs me though to think that our blog could someday possibly turn into one of those happy/sappy/crappy life-is-like-our-Christmas-card-everyday ones. What would I write about? "Dear world, our kids were simply awesome today... Again! That makes 682 straight days of awesomeness. Can you believe it? Please comment."
Gag me.
Anyway, in my oh so wonderful world, I've been awake since H upchucked at 3:30 and should probably stop writing before I type something that I really regret. The good news is, I was up for the Snow Day call at 4:45am (one of the big advantages of working for a school system.) The bad news is it's -13 with a windchill of -30. Fan-freekin-tastic.
Ok, time to step away from the keyboard!
Lee
-Kate (recently adopted 2 Ethiopian children)
A:
I'm afraid so, BUT they come less frequently. Also, once the language fills in, some explanations come. Not always, but sometimes. :) We do the best we can with what we've got!
Chris
Other A:
If your current misery needs some company, read our posts from July and August. We didn't have scabies, but we did get the cops called on us... oh, the Glory Days...
You know what though... It's been 6 months and Habtamu's last meltdown was so half-hearted it was almost amusing. He tried really hard to steady himself first because he knows the discipline routine, and at the last minute decided to commit to being disobedient. But really, you could tell that his head was telling him it was a bad idea, he just couldn't stop the train. He didn't yell as long, he didn't cry as loud, and (relatively speaking) it was over quickly. And basically it was a routine that he KNEW wasn't working but some wayward emotion told him to give it a try it anyway. The outcome was predictable and he received the same set of consequences he always does.
I guess what I'm saying is that it gets better. Another reader who had adopted a 10 yr old boy commented on our blog early on and said that basically, the demons will come out less and less and after a year you'll have the son you fell in love with "full-time." There were days that that comment alone is all I could hang onto.
After 6 months I can totally see that coming down the track. I can joke with both children and more importantly, they can tell me when I'm not funny. Anyway, in general, they both would now rather put effort into communicating their feelings than screaming themselves into exhaustion while Daddy 'helps them help themselves' pinned in a full-nelson. They don't like losing TV for days at a time. They have a love/hate relationship with apologies. They move on and hold grudges less than I do.
We take those as good signs.
It kind of disturbs me though to think that our blog could someday possibly turn into one of those happy/sappy/crappy life-is-like-our-Christmas-card-everyday ones. What would I write about? "Dear world, our kids were simply awesome today... Again! That makes 682 straight days of awesomeness. Can you believe it? Please comment."
Gag me.
Anyway, in my oh so wonderful world, I've been awake since H upchucked at 3:30 and should probably stop writing before I type something that I really regret. The good news is, I was up for the Snow Day call at 4:45am (one of the big advantages of working for a school system.) The bad news is it's -13 with a windchill of -30. Fan-freekin-tastic.
Ok, time to step away from the keyboard!
Lee
1.14.2009
It was bound to happen.
Our kids have been SO healthy this whole time. Seriously, aside from Habtamu's eye sties, there's been sniffles and that's it.
Finally, the other shoe has dropped. Habtamu has a fever of 102.9. He said his head hurt and he was shivering, so I took his temp. Yikes! I was hoping the maternal instinct would kick in and I'd know what to do, but I had a few "run around in a circle like a chicken with it's head cut off" moments before figuring it out.
I gave him acetaminophen and put him on the couch. I'm settling in for a long night of no sleep... Lee's going out for saltines, 7-up, and chicken noodle soup, and possibly a Coke for me.
Yordanos woke up with all the moaning, and moving him downstairs, so she's down on the other couch... afraid to sleep alone upstairs... rightfully so.
Habtamu is sleeping finally... I think. Whew. Pray for us, people. Thanks.
Finally, the other shoe has dropped. Habtamu has a fever of 102.9. He said his head hurt and he was shivering, so I took his temp. Yikes! I was hoping the maternal instinct would kick in and I'd know what to do, but I had a few "run around in a circle like a chicken with it's head cut off" moments before figuring it out.
I gave him acetaminophen and put him on the couch. I'm settling in for a long night of no sleep... Lee's going out for saltines, 7-up, and chicken noodle soup, and possibly a Coke for me.
Yordanos woke up with all the moaning, and moving him downstairs, so she's down on the other couch... afraid to sleep alone upstairs... rightfully so.
Habtamu is sleeping finally... I think. Whew. Pray for us, people. Thanks.
1.13.2009
Follow Up Questions
Oh, you people with younger children should laugh it up while you can... your children will start with the questions soon enough. :)
You missed Habtamu's follow up question to yesterday's conversations. "Um, Mom, how do the egg and the sperm come together?"
I wimped out a little, and talked about how the sperm works it's way into the egg and then a baby starts to grow. I'll have to get a book.
You missed Habtamu's follow up question to yesterday's conversations. "Um, Mom, how do the egg and the sperm come together?"
I wimped out a little, and talked about how the sperm works it's way into the egg and then a baby starts to grow. I'll have to get a book.
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