Storytime...

Reading our stories 

Bath time finished smelling sweet

in pink pajamas.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Haiku Friday here!

More Pets?

A large furry friend.

Hello there, Mr Spider!

Did you come to play?

Yikes, he moves so quick!

Big eyes when he comes too close.

Will he crawl on me?

Tarantula, eek!

My little boys think he's cool!

Mommy's not so sure!

Of course, there's this guy.

Lives in our aquarium.

A big wolf spider.

What about this one?

Tarantula? Wolf spider?

I am not sure which!

I love Arizona living, except for the creepy crawlers that share our land. What's a mom to do? This is my buggy life. We found all three of these eight-legged friends in our yard this week!

I remember in graduate school, I had some little tiny bugs in my apartment in San Francisco from construction going on in the neighborhood. I called the owner several times and I was freaking out... If only I knew then what I know now, those bugs were nothing. All these spiders are probably some kind of bad karma due to me driving my landlord crazy!

I try not to analyze it too much, or think about what else might be out there...  

Haiku Friday! See more poems at A Mommy Story

More pictures PhotoStory Friday

Go ahead and click on the photos it you want a closer look at these new pets!

First Day of School!

My son is so big

First day of kindergarten

Very exciting!

I met my teacher

I will learn lots of new things

Reading and numbers!

I am a pro now

Second grade is really cool

I'm ready to learn!

Two brothers we are

We'll ride the bus together

We're growing so fast!

It's Haiku Friday. More poems here!

Monsoon Moments...

Rain, rain go away.

Come again another day.

My girl wants to play.

The summer rains are upon us. My three year old has been incessantly singing this song all week long. Thunder and lightning, cooling rain and the smell of Creosote trees in the air, all really lovely. 

I remember the first summer we lived in the house, the kids had never seen lightning before, or heard the sound of loud thunder. During a particularly booming storm, I opened the blinds wide and we all climbed into our King size bed, hiding under the covers and watching Nature's show.  The lightning was particularly glorious and gave us all a perspective on the power of an electrical storm. During a monsoon rain, we can get a different view of lightning from different parts of the house. We all run around shouting, "Look at the lightning through the office window." or "In here. Come to the breakfast room, the lightning's amazing."  It's a 360 degree performance! 

Now, my kids are old pros.  When a storm starts, I hear Storytellin' Boy running outside and yelling, "Shelter. Shelter. I need shelter." But really, the kids love to be out in the rain, it seems to energize them.  Sometimes it rains so hard that it rocks the house.

All the roads around us have dips and certain areas become flooded. A few times we have been stranded and had to wait near a wash. We sit in the car and watch the water rise. We have a "stupid motorist Law" and if you drive into a part of the road that is flooding and your car starts to float away, or fill with water, you are responsible for the cost of rescue.  I thought this was so funny when we first lived here, but every year there are local rescues on the news of cars that tried to go through deep water. 

Here's a video of how quickly the water rises:

Of course, the roads near our home are back roads and do not have the bridges to protect motorists from the rising water!!

Unlike the little song my daughter sings, I wish for the rain and lightning to stay for a few more days...

More Haiku Friday poems here and here!

Here comes Peter Cottontail...

Cottontail Rabbit 

Eating Creosote bushes

Living in our yard

Kids call you Whitetail

Watch you play through the window

Hop, hopping along.

We have a resident cottontail, just a baby, living in our front yard. The kids and the dogs have been watching the little rabbit through the window for a few weeks. 

The cottontail comes right up to the front window to nibble on flowers. My kids are always checking to see if Whitetail is around throughout the day.  They call him our pet. This is the kind of pet I like, considering we have many high maintenance pets already!

Beatrix Potter wrote the story of Peter Rabbit as a letter to a four year old boy Noel Moore in 1893. Like Whitetail, Peter goes into a garden to help himself to a snack. He gets himself into big trouble. My kids have been enjoying the story since we have our own little mischievous bunny in the yard. The story is timeless, and is just as appealing to children today. Go here

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends, they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.  ~Charles W. Eliot

Regardless of other activities, the best predictor of summer loss or summer gain is whether or not a child reads during the summer!

Haiku Friday! View more poems here and here.

My Funny Sleepyheads!

We played hard today

Crashed on Mom and Daddy's bed

Too much fun and sun

I don't need much room

Feet are dangling off the bed

Rest by my brother

Both of us so tired

Brother can you spare some room

Sleeping on the edge!

It's haiku Friday!  More Haiku's can be found at A Mommy's Story and Playgroups are No Place for Children.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

A Tale of Two Coaches

I play basketball.

I won most improved player.

I earned a medal.

Mom says a slam dunk.

I am getting stronger now.

I dribble and shoot!

Lil' Expert has just finished his first season of basketball. At the beginning of the season, he had trouble dribbling and was unable to hit the basket with the ball. He was afraid of the ball. If he got the ball in a game, he would immediately pass it to another player as fast as he could.

Fast forward to Saturday's pizza party after the last game. The coach had all the kids gathered together to give out medals and pictures.  He announced he had a special award for one player. Lil' Expert got the award for being the most improved player on the team.  The prize was 550 tickets to redeem for prizes at the pizza place's prize counter. He was so proud and excited about the prize tickets. Of course, being his Asperger's collecting self he spent the tickets mostly on prizes ranging from 5 to 15 tickets instead of any large ticket items.  This meant a long time deliberating at the prize counter, and a large bag of prizes!

Lil' Expert's coach was fabulous. He pushed and challenged him, but he was also fast with encouragement and hugs after the game. As I have mentioned before, Lil' Expert can have social problems. There were times when my son got into trouble and had to run laps. I wanted to step in and protect him. I wanted to explain it was his disability and intervene.  I kept my mouth shut, and Lil' Expert rose to the occasion. This has been the most successful sports experience he's ever had.  

My other son, Storytellin' Boy also played basketball. Well, he started to play until we pulled him from the team after the first game. His coach took the game very seriously, even though it was a bunch of five year olds running willy nilly around the basketball court. The league did not even keep score during these games. 

Storytellin' Boy has his head in the clouds most of the time, and basketball was no different. During his one and only game, he did not really follow the action and was often in the wrong place at the wrong time. My goal would be for him to learn to be on a team, learn the fundamentals of basketball, and have a positive experience during the practices and games. Hopefully, he would learn to run in the right direction when his team had the ball by the end of the season.

His coach had other plans. She spent most of the game yelling his name, and occasionally would yank his shirt in the direction she wanted him to go. I don't mind a little redirection, believe me he needs it, but this coach really screamed at him. She screamed at other kids on the team as well. He did not respond to this, and seemed paralyzed like a deer in headlights. After the game another parent on the team approached me and said, "I didn't like the way the coach was yelling at your kid during the game."

I talked to the coach in a very diplomatic way, but she was very defensive. I don't think she understood my perspective and I probably didn't understand hers. During the game, she yelled at her own daughter (also a five year old), "Your playing like a girl." It's a coed team and her daughter is a girl! 

In many circumstances, I believe in sticking it out. I know my kids will eventually have to learn to tolerate difficult people. In this instance, I really felt the negativity outweighed the positives.  My son is five. I hope that playing sports will build his confidence and self-esteem. We decided quitting the basketball team would be best for Storytellin' Boy. 

Two different teams, two different coaches, and two totally different experiences. I am sure there will be many more sports and coaches to contend with in the years to come.

It's Haiku Friday! More poems at A mommy's place and Playgroups are No Place for Children   

           

Summer Swim Days are Here!

School's out for summer

You will find me at the pool

Swimming, water, fun!

The water is warm

Mommy says I am a fish

I'll stay in all day

Desert heat on me

But I know how to stay cool

Big splash, cannon ball 

I'm ready to jump

Daddy says I am so fast

Summer is a blast!

It's Haiku Friday!  Check out more poems at Playgroups are No Place for Children

and A Mommy's Story.

Life on the Spectrum

Asperger's Syndrome

Does not define my living

I'm a unique boy

Lil' Expert is our chess pro, math wizard, information gatherer, computer genius, dog loving, first born son. 

Lil' Expert has all of these terrific qualities and he also has Asperger's Syndrome, which is part of the Autism Spectrum. He is in good company.  It's likely Albert Einstein had Asperger's, and so did Thomas Jefferson. Bill Gates is also said to have it.

Lil' Expert was diagnosed when he was four years old, but he has always been a special boy. At age one he collected balls of every shape and size and spent most of his time lining them up, ordering them, and organizing them. Later, he moved on to hangers and then toothbrushes. As he has grown his collections have become more typical like Star Wars toys and Pokemon cards.

Lil' Expert is known to tell it like it is! On a recent shuttle ride to the county fair the driver was smoking and Lil' Expert immediately told him the hard facts and consequences of smoking. Last year, on his T- ball baseball team, he played catcher and his coach had to get after him for "trash talking"  the kindergartners on the other team during batting. A couple of previous posts "Don't Ask"  and "Collections" reflect Lil' Expert at his finest! We are continually working on his social skills.     

Asperger's is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects early brain development. Often causing communication difficulties and problems with social interactions. In preschool, Lil' Expert preferred to do his own thing and it was challenging for him to interact with others 

Characteristics include:

• Deficiencies in social skills
• Difficulties with transitions or changes, preference for sameness
• Obsessive routines
• Repetitive motions
• Restricted interests
• Difficulty reading nonverbal cues
• Sensory issues
• Difficulty with space and boundaries    
  

Lil' Expert has made tremendous gains. He is at the top of his class in first grade. He has an awesome memory and excels in math. He amazes me with the words he uses and his ability to hold onto facts. He continues to get speech therapy and occupational therapy, but he has made great improvement in social development and has many friends.

  

This last month, Lil' Expert qualified and attended the Arizona State Chess Championships. Here is what his coach had to say about him in a flier to the school:

"Congratulations to Lil' Expert, 1st grader, as he represented the school in the K-1st grade section at the Arizona State chess championships. He was able to win two games plus a drawn (tie) game out of seven games he played against the best players throughout the state. Super Job!"  

Lil' Expert we are so proud of you. You are a unique gift to us. We love you!

"You don't raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they'll turn out to be heroes even if it's just in your own eyes."  - Walter M. Schirra, Sr.

CNN recently featured a day of stories all related to Autism and recent developments about Spectrum Disorders. They also have links listed to Autism information websites. Check it out here:

CNN Autism Stories 

It's Haiku friday!  Check out other Haiku poems at Playgroups Are No Place For Children and 

A Mommy's Story 

Spring in the Sonoran Desert II

Rattlesnake on road

Photographer in danger

Camera strikes first

Sonoran Desert

Waterless, barren, and brown

But now Spring is here

The desert continues to be teaming with wildlife and cactus blooms.  These photos my husband took in Saguaro National Park East last week.  Visit him at William Cockrell Photography. 

To celebrate Spring's continued brilliance I'm posting for Haiku Friday.  Check out all the fabulous poems hosted by Playgroups Are No Place For Children and A Mommy Story. 

Green Paint

After four kids, we gave up baby proofing long ago...

 We should be experts, but we have had an inverse reaction and with each new child the quality and quantity of baby proofing has deteriorated.

This brings me to: 

What not to leave out on the counters available to small children.

Perfume, lotion, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, make up, nail polish, baby powder and the winner is Green Paint.

My children, especially my five year old son and three year old daughter love to mix and stir and dump any viable substance they can get their hands on.

I wrote a little poem that explains it better:

Green Paint

Michael poured the green paint

and Madeline rubbed it on her arms

and rubbed it on the dog

and rubbed it on the walls

and they laughed and laughed together

at the green world. 

  By Laura

Don't follow my example!  I would hate to have to admit how many messes I have cleaned up due to being lazy on the baby proofing front.

Today is WFMW and Rocks in My Dryer has some great tips for what doesn't work in raising kids and families!

    

Sunday Mornings

Kids hanging out!

On Sundays, I often feel a little blue...  

A day with so many possibilities.  I want to play with the kids and be lazy.  Sometimes we go to church, or we go hiking in a beautiful place, or we go out to breakfast.  I know I should catch up on the laundry and do housework.  I'm always aware that tomorrow is the start of a busy week and that can cast a shadow over enjoying the day.  

The following poem sums up the nostalgia I feel and helps me fight the Sunday Blues:

It's Sunday Morning in Early November

and there are a lot of leaves already

I could rake and get a head start.

The boys' summer toys need to be put

in the basement.  I could clean it out 

or fix the broken storm window.

When Eli gets home from Sunday school,

I could take him fishing.  I don't fish 

but I could learn to.  I could show him 

how much fun it is.  We don't do as much

as we used to do.  And my wife, there's

so much I haven't told her lately,

about how quickly my soul is aging, 

how it feels like a basement I keep filling

with everything I'm tired of surviving.

I could take a walk with my wife and try

to explain the ghosts I can't stop speaking to.

Or I could read all those books piling up

about the beginning of the end of understanding...

Meanwhile, it's such a beautiful morning,

the changing colors, the hypnotic light.

I could sit by the window watching the leaves,

which seem to know exactly how to fall

from one moment to the next.  Or I could lose

everything and have to begin over again.

 

  Philip Schultz

*Philip Schultz won the Pulitzer Prize a few weeks ago for his new book Failure.  

Spring in the Sonoran Desert

Palo Verde trees

Children play beneath splendor

Yellow blossoms  fall

By Laura

We live in the Sonoran desert among the coyotes, javelinas, roadrunners and jackrabbits.  My kids love to run and play in the backyard.  Their play structure is nestled under two beautiful Palo Verde trees. 

It is Spring in Tucson!  I'm celebrating by posting a poem for Haiku Friday hosted by Playgroups Are No Place For Children and A Mommy Story

The Road Not Taken

 Click for larger image

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost 1915

My dream is to inspire my sons to take their own path, find their own way, and be their own men.  I hope that when they look down the road of life, they will see me up ahead encouraging them to continue on their journey.

Five Minutes for Mom 

 is sponsoring a Mother's Day Contest 

"Your Picture is Worth a Thousand Dollars."  

Many beautiful pictures have already been posted!

*Picture courtesy of my husband William Cockrell