Justy's Random Ramblings

In the Blink of an Eye - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:22:00 +0000

It's been a while since I've blogged. A lot has been going on that has kept me away from the the computer for the most part and from blogging in particular.

On August 30, 2011 my life changed. It was about 4:30pm, I was working when I received a phone call from my husband, I couldn't answer because I had a patient on the phone booking an appointment and another in front of me waiting to pay. I continued with my day not too worried since he had already told me he was on the way home on his motorbike and would be picking up our son soon. I thought he just wanted to talk about patio furniture some more and it would be fine if I called him back later. I checked his voice mail and it was all road noise so I sent him a quick text asking what was up and kept working. Not long after this I received a phone call from a nurse at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) saying that my boss's husband had been in an accident and she had to come to the phone. My boss to the call and then came out looking pale saying it was a motorbike accident, not her husband but mine. The nurse told me that my husband was in Emergency and I should come right away. I took about 10 minutes to calm down and say goodbye to my boss and then left. Son was at a friends house so I didn't have to worry about him, I knew he would be taken care of while I looked after Hubby.
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Reiki News

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 23:03:00 +0000

If you know of anyone who needs or wants to try Reiki in the Burnaby, BC area, please pass this information along. The linked post has all the needed details! http://bit.ly/BurnabyReikiNews

Chinese Steamed Buns (Bao)

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:03:00 +0000

Well I did it. With all my Dutch heritage and genetic baking inheritance from my Grandfather (Opa) I mastered (well... sorta) the art of Chinese Steamed Buns.
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Reiki Renewal

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:55:00 +0000

I just spent a wonderful 3 days with Mari of Jikiden Reiki with Mari. I felt it was time to re-take the Shoden and Okuden levels of Reiki, to make sure what I thought I knew was actually what was being taught. There is always some new aspect to learn, and new questions asked by the other students.

I repeated the Shoden (first level) training in Chilliwack and saw the lovely set up she has in her Reiki room. It was great being able to review my training and meet new Reiki people who were just learning about Reiki and how powerful it can be. Taking the training again brought more depth to my knowledge and reminded me of some of the nuances that I had missed or forgotten from my first training 3 years ago. The entire experience was definitely worth the 3 hr a day travel time! If I decide to repeat my training in Chilliwack again I will be spending the night there instead of driving home each night. I was much more tired than I expected on the 2nd day and actually fell asleep during the 1 hr Reiki session I received while another student practised his new skills. It was a good healing nap though.

The Okuden (second level) training was offered in Vancouver so a much shorter drive for me. Two of us were reviewing and one was new to the Okuden teaching. It is always interesting to see how the same words mean different things to different people. There were some good discussions about distance healing and how we can use it to help those in need.

It was an excellent experience going through the training again with smaller groups. I feel connected to the Reiki world once again and ready to grow my practice.

Review - Pocketbook 360 Plus

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Tue, 24 May 2011 00:38:00 +0000

Near the end of April when the screen cracked on my original Pocketbook 360 (Christmas present from hubby) the only thing that kept me from being devastated was the fact that I had a backup eBook reader and that the Pocketbook 360 Plus was due to come out soon. The videos of Doom II running on the eBook reader seemed to be a good indication of the increased processor speed. I couldn't wait, I pre-ordered my very own as soon as I could: April 29, 2011 I placed my order, May 3, 2011 it shipped, and May 18, 2011 it arrived!!!

Don't be concerned about the fact that the screen on my original 360 cracked, I have owned both versions of the Cybook Gen3, a BeBook One, a BeBook Mini, the 360 Original, and now the 360+, that's 6 eInk devices since 2007 and all but 1 of them are still going strong. Yes there is a glass substrate, yes we need to treat these devices with care and no we don't have to wrap them in bubble wrap and read them in a padded room. The only time I ever wrapped one of them in bubble wrap was while I was waiting for the cover to come in for my BeBook Mini. I really wanted to take it with me but refused to transport it without some kind of protective covering. I have taken them camping, read in the bath (don't fall asleep!), read in the car, read on an airplane, and on the ferry. I take them with me everywhere I would take a paperback. I'm just a bit more aware of how I pack it in my bag. The only reason the screen cracked is because I got careless and left the 360 on the coffee table with the cover off. This is a dangerous thing to do when there is an active 7 yr old in the house! I didn't see the 360 get landed on, but some things you don't need to see to believe.

The Review

Read an E-Book Week: March 6-12, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:22:00 +0000

Did you know that it's the 40th anniversary of the E-Book? That's right, they've been around for a long time!

Head over to the Read an E-Book Week website and take advantage of the great deals and give-aways that are going on. There are some great partners this year and I know that there will be something for everyone. If you haven't tried reading an E-Book yet, now is the time to find great Free E-Books to test the waters with.

Most Smart Phones have apps that will read a variety of E-Book formats along with dedicated Readers like Sony, Cybook, Kindle, and Kobo. Of course you could always read an E-Book on your iPad or Computer/Laptop as well. :)

Winter is still here

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 19:21:00 +0000

Weird white stuff falling from the sky seems to be happening more often lately. First we had a Hail Storm on Thursday which lasted for almost an hour and accumulated enough that in the picture I took it looks looks like snow. I really should have taken a closeup so that you could see the tiny, and not so tiny, balls of ice that make up those snow drifts. Was quite odd driving through a blizzard of hail, and then later that night hearing thunder followed by the ping and thud of hail instead of the steady rhythm of rain.

Now there is actual fluffy snow falling, if it sticks I'll take another picture. I knew it was cold this morning when I bundled Son into his winter jacket, but I really wasn't expecting to see snow. The weather man so rarely gets the predictions right that I really didn't believe him today, I thought it would warm up and we would have rain instead. Oh well, the kids will enjoy it during their breaks from class today. :)

BookCloseOuts.com - 7 DAY SALE EVENT

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 05:41:00 +0000

Black Friday sale is now over.

Snow Warnings

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 06:05:00 +0000

I always find it a little funny when we get snow warnings on the coast. We are expecting a massive 5cm-10cm of snow, or just over 4 inches. That shouldn't be enough for a snow warning, but since it will be "widespread snowfall of the season" we are warned about it.

There was some snow in my rain on the way to work today, but none on the way home. We shall see what tomorrow brings. I'm not worried though, it's the weekend so most drivers will be more patient and I already have my snow tires on so I don't have to line up with the rest of vancouver to have them installed.

I plan to have a quiet relaxing weekend no matter what the weather is like. Snow will just result in more hot chocolate and perhaps the first fire of the season.

Goodbye and hello

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 05:41:00 +0000

We said goodbye to a longtime friend last week. Spooky, the cat I'd had for 12 yrs, passed away on Thursday. He went quietly at the vets office. I have to think that he is in a better place now. He had CRF and had been failing slowly over the past few years. The past months the changes were happening faster, he was slowing down a lot, wasn't coming to meet us at the door anymore (he use to be waiting for us before we got up the stairs), and seemed to forget where the litter box was more and more often. His overall behaviour was degrading as well, he had always had sooo much patience for Son, lately Spooky had been nipping at him almost before Son could say hello. It was very sad. He was not a happy kitty. We would sometimes let him outside to explore with supervision, but more and more he was going into the bushes and hiding instead of exploring. It freaked Son out when he couldn't find Spooky right away, he hated the thought of him going missing.

We spent a lot of time over the last year warning Son that Spooky was very very sick and might not get worse for a while, but that he would never get completely better. He knew that eventually the illness would win. This isn't to say that he was completely ready to say goodbye, neither was I. I still look over to side of the living room where Spooky's cat tree was expecting to see him curled up there. I still look for him on my bed to warm my feet. It is a very odd thing to put a pile of clean laundry down on the bed and know that when I come back there won't be a cat curled up on it.

We will miss you Spooky.

One of the things that helped Son cope with the idea of loosing a friend he had known for his entire life was the idea of getting a new pet. He knew it wouldn't be a dog or a cat, but a fish might be OK. He had seen his cousin's betta fish and thought that might be something we would get him. I was thinking a small 1 or 2 gallon tank with a couple of plants and a single fish. After reading more about Betta fish I realized that it would need about 5 gallons, still a fairly small tank, not a problem I thought just more room for plants or decorations. That was before Hubby started looking into Betta fish and tanks. Those of you who know Hubby know that he doesn't just do something, he researches and reads and falls in love with the process. This is what happened in regards to the fish. We now have a lovely "Nano Cube 12 Gallon Deluxe" fish tank, lots of plants, and some wood for interest. The one thing we do not have is any fish.

We have been researching and learning and following instructions from the fish store.... then following new instructions from actual keepers of fish. The result of following the new instructions is an almost crystal clear tank with actual oxygen bubbles coming from the plants instead of a cloudy tank with sad looking plants. For some reason they didn't like the salt we put in the first batch of water, who knew? The addition of bio-and-fertilizer-infused gravel couldn't have hurt either. According to all we have read, we might actually be able to add in a fish or two in 3 weeks. Son is very very sad, he keeps asking when we are going to get a fish, any fish. I hate to make him wait, but really I'd rather not kill any fish... not this soon after loosing the first pet we had.

Treat for Myself :)

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:03:00 +0000

I spoiled myself today. I took a trip into Vancouver to a lovely little penshop on Cambie, Perks. I have been interested in Fountain pens for ages and since I've decided to improve my penmanship I figure I deserve to have a nice pen. I've been lurking on The Fountain Pen Network for a while now and had a very clear idea of what I wanted for my first pen and what colour I wanted for ink. I had decided ages ago that I wanted to buy ink in a bottle rather than using cartridges, it's more cost effective and soooo many more choices!

My first choice in ink colours, Midnight Blue by Noodler's, wasn't available so I got a lovely very dark purple called Purple Martin again by Noodler's. I took a picture of the ink but the sample doesn't show the purple shading that I can see in person.

I had a good time in the shop looking at all the lovely pens well out of my price range and am very pleased with my purchase of a Lamy Safari pen the colour of which is "Al-Star Purple." I'm sensing a theme with these colours. *Grin* I also got a couple of Clairefontaine notebooks. I've read a lot of rave reviews about these notebooks and didn't really understand why until I saw them in person. The paper is so smooth and so soft feeling, the pen just glides over the page with no resistance from the paper. I know I'm going to enjoy practicing my printing and cursive in these notebooks.

Time to Improve My Handwriting

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:37:00 +0000

I've decided that I just can't live with my handwriting anymore. My new job involves printing patient names on the daily schedule and on the treatment pages of their charts. I also have to create legible notes for the other Receptionist and record any messages for the chiropractors.

I know my printing is legible, but it's not pretty at all. I have decided that I will leave 'looped-cursive' alone for now and try out the new/old style of writing called Italic. It's been around for hundreds of years so it can't be all bad. :) I find it to be a very clear easy to read script and hopefully I can re-train my hand to write it. Anything has to be better than my current mix between printing and cursive (some letters joined some not, some cursive some printed).

The book I chose to help me change my handwriting, Write Now, suggested I create a sample of my writing 'now' to look back on. I've printed the sample. I don't dare show my script, I don't think it has changed at all since I learned it when I was 9. There is something sad about being my age and writing like a 9 yr old. That is something I hope to change.

Summer is Almost Over

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:54:00 +0000

I can't believe the summer has gone by so fast. Actually the last several months have gone by pretty quickly.

I really enjoyed being able to be home with Son before and after school. I know he was happier home with me than at daycare. It was important to me to be able to work with Son on his printing and reading for more than 1/2 hr a day crammed in between dinner and bed. I think he learned a lot, hopefully he hasn't forgotten all of it over the summer! We still have a Math tutor coming in every week so I know that he has gained some ground there and I know his reading hasn't degraded, but I'm still not sure if it's up to 'grade level' whatever that is suppose to be. I'm hoping that he gets a good teacher that will expect good things from him and not just accept the least he is willing to offer. He tends to 'test' new teachers to see how little he can do and have them accept it. This lead to a huge difference in his printing and reading at home vs. school last year, with him doing better work at home. His teacher said that it was because he had 1-on-1 instruction at home, but the Resource teacher had no idea that he was capable of so much until we told her... in March!!! At least they all know what he can/could do now, and this information should be passed on to his new teacher.

I took a huge step this month, I got a job! I am now working 2.5 days a week at my Chiropractors office. This type of work is very new to me, I've not had to deal with the public so much since my retail days back when I was working my way through BCIT. After almost 2 years of working from home this alone was a culture shock. Then add in medical files and patient payments and Gait Scans and you get an idea of all the little things that I have to learn in order to get through the day. My first full day alone kinda fell apart in the afternoon: I forgot to write in new patients on the Chiropractors schedule; I didn't schedule enough time to pull the next days files; I kept forgetting small steps that would have made the afternoon go faster; oh ya, and a patient called at 3:30pm to make an appointment for that day and wouldn't believe me when I said we were booked and closed at 5pm. All in all, it took me about an hour longer to close up than it should have. The next full day alone went much smoother, I was only 10 minutes behind. I have hope that I'll survive this and continue to get better at expecting the unexpected.

I know I said I wanted to work from home at least part of the time, but this is a good compromise.I will be able to walk Son to school 3 days a week and pick him up 2 days a week. Another Mom will take him home with her on the 3 days I work later and Hubby will pick him up from there. It should work out just fine for all of us. Not to say that if I had a chance to work only from home and walk him to and from school everyday that I wouldn't be tempted, but I'm not holding my breath waiting for the 'dream job' to show up.

This week will be all about learning to wake up early again. It figures that my Son, who would normally wake up at 7am no matter what time he went to bed, would pick this summer to learn how to sleep in. He usually wakes up between 8:30am and 9am now, which just won't work in a couple of weeks when school starts at 9am and he has to be fed, dressed and walked over there before that. I am planning to wake him up a little earlier each morning this week so that by the end of the week he's at least waking up before 8am. That is the goal anyway, wish me luck. :)

BookCloseouts - Sports and Recreation Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:30:00 +0000

Swing into summer with our 80% off Sports & Recreation sale!

They have selected a fantastic amount of Sports & Recreation titles and discounted them all by 80%. Take advantage of this hot offer to entertain and educate yourself about all types of sports and recreational activities locally and from around the world.

All titles with the are discounted by 80% To avoid disappointment, please do not delay in ordering, as many titles sell out quickly.

Fictionwise Anniversary Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Wed, 26 May 2010 04:21:00 +0000

ANNIVERSARY SALE -- STILL GOING!

The Fictionwise Anniversary Sale is still going!

For a limited time, every MultiFormat eBook is discounted 40% (Samhain Excluded) while every Secure eBook receives a 40% Micropay rebate when paying with a credit card or PayPal! This great offer can't last forever, so now's the time to restock your virtual library.

Shop Now

No work, still busy

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:29:00 +0000

Well I've been 'laid off' for a month now and the time has flown by. I took a week to decompress and get use to the idea of not having to start work at 8:30 every morning. This was a great thing, I caught up on sleep and spent time with my family. Then I got a throat infection and was sick for over a week, not the most fun way to spend the time, but at least I wasn't missing work and feeling guilty while I recovered. Then came Spring Break for my Son's school, I had already planned to take that time off to spend with him. It was a good week :).

Last week I went to day 1 of Career Transition training to learn about how best to start my Job Search journey. The course is put on by Knightsbridge and is part of my severance package from work. I made some good contacts while I was there and while I knew that I would have to 'clean up' and add information to my resume before, now I know that I will have to completely rework my resume to make it more effective. So much work to do as part of looking for work! It's a good thing I have some breathing room and can afford to find a job which is a good fit for me rather than just getting the first job that comes along.
Transition training - Day 1:
- Understanding Career Transition
- Trends and Opportunities in the Marketplace
- Reviewing Your Career
- Developing your Target and Focus
- Understanding how Employers Find People
- Communication Strategies - Resumes and Cover Letters

I'm rather enjoying being home and avaivable for my son, I will miss that when I go to work. My ideal job would be as an Administrative Assistant or Software/Hardware help-desk type Support person either work from home, part-time in the office (10am-2pm), or flexible where I could work from home part of the time and work in the office part of the time. That would allow me to pick up my son from school and set him up with homework while I finish off my work for the day. He is very good at entertaining himself as long as he knows I am available if things go really wrong. I think I have been spoiled by working from home for so long. I have no troubles starting to answer emails at 7am and checking for issues and finishing spreadsheets/documents up to 6pm, or later, since that usually comes along with a bit of flexibility which allows me to drop off and pick up my son from school.

I have no illusions though, likely I will end up with a "9-5" go to the office job, but as long as I enjoy the work and the people I work with this will be fine. I have made sure to keep Son's spot saved for him at Daycare so that I can just slide him back into the system when my new job, whatever it turns out to be, starts up.

Fictionwise Sale - eSlick Reader Only $259 with $100 for eBooks

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:45:00 +0000

With a crisp, paper-like E-Ink display and capacity for thousands of eBooks, the slim, easy-to-carry eSlick Reader is a great eBook device! In this LIMITED TIME OFFER, you can buy the eSlick reader for just $259.99 and get $100 in Micropay Rebates to spend on eBooks! Hurry, grey units are sold out, but white or black are still available. Don't wait, shop now!

Fictionwise - 25% off until December 15, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:40:00 +0000

Fictionwise is offering a special deal for Windows Phone Thoughts readers.

Simply use the code "thoughts25" during the checkout process and receive 25% off your purchase. Now you can go grab some ebooks for your Windows Mobile device and have some reading material for the holidays. The coupon expires Tuesday, December 15th so hurry up and go get some books. Happy reading!

This code works with the 40-60% discount for even more savings!

Fictionwise: End of Year Storewide Blowout!

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:53:00 +0000

From now until December 31, EVERY MultiFormat eBook is discounted 40% to 60% and EVERY Secure eBook receives a 40% to 60% Micropay Rebate when paying with a credit card or PayPal! Start Shopping Now!

Diesel eBooks - Black Friday - Cyber Monday Sale on eBooks.

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:42:00 +0000

Check out Diesel eBooks for Black Friday - Cyber Monday Savings on eBooks. 15% off your entire order, use coupon code: BLACKCYBER.
Valid Nov 27-30, 2009.

Fictionwise: Black Friday Starts Now - 45/45 Storewide Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:34:00 +0000

Most everyone loves this week of the year. Work for a couple days, then have a great meal with the conclusion of THE biggest shopping day of the year...Black Friday. At Fictionwise.com, you don't have to wait all week to get those amazing Black Friday deals. Starting TODAY, every MultiFormat eBook is discounted 45% while every secure eBook receives a 45% Micropay rebate when paying with a credit card or PayPal! Show Now.

Teacher Meeting accomplished

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:11:00 +0000

Well, we had our meeting with the teacher last week. It went well, I think. She did admit that because Son is so quiet she often won't notice that he isn't doing his desk work until the time is up and she sees his empty or doodled worksheet. She said she will be making an effort to check in on him sooner and not let herself be distracted so much by the louder rowdy kids. She now realizes that Son is just as frustrated as they are, just showing it in a different way. We talked about different ways that Son shows his frustration and how we deal with it at home, hopefully she will remember to look for those signs. His situation will be mentioned at the next meeting she has with the teacher resources to get more ideas on how to help him succeed.

She admitted that he had gone into the cloakroom that day a few times and she hadn't noticed until one of the other kids told her. She seemed embarrassed about that, and she should be. We told her that he uses 'hiding' as a way to avoid things he doesn't want to do. She will keep an eye on that and use similar language as what we are using at home when talking him out of the cloakroom. The good thing is that the kids in the class aren't making fun of him, they were concerned as to why he was in there and tried to help him themselves before going to get the teacher. This seems like a very supportive group of 6 & 7 year olds.

I really hope something comes out of all of this. I don't want him to be left behind or forgotten because he is quiet and well behaved. I won't accept 'he so young' as a reason for him not doing the work in class. I won't let him be left behind.

Something a little concerning that I discovered during the meeting is that he tested into the lowest possible levels in both reading areas that he was assessed for. This is the kid who can read 'early reader' books from the library and is sounding out words so wonderfully when working on the Set 3 "Word Families" Bob Books. It just goes to show how different things are in the classroom vs home. I think the more confident he gets at school the better he will do. In theory he should 'progress' very quickly once he learns what they want to hear. :)

I got some good news today around these issues. While talking to the teacher, after taking Son to school, she mentioned that since our meeting he has been listening more and not resisting going for 'floor time' or other activities as much. He isn't asking "why" he has to leave his current activity right then; he's getting into the routine of the class. He seems to be more aware that we talk and all want him to participate in the class work so that he can learn. This makes me very happy.

I'm still planning to sign him up for Time4Learning, it will give him some extra reading and math practice. He enjoys doing educational games on the computer so I think this will be a good compromise for those days when he wants to watch a movie instead of playing with his toys. Considering they have a special on until November 30th where you get full access for $20 over 2 months instead of $20/month, this is a good time to try it out. We will be able to see how he deals with it over the Christmas break too.

"Fun" with School

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:50:00 +0000

Son has been in school for 2 months now and I feel like I've failed him already.

He is reading phonetically really well, he can sound out most words he sees if I break them down into syllables for him. But he doesn't have a huge vocabulary of words he can read quickly. He also has extreme issues with printing, namely he doesn't want to do it. (He seems to feel that if he can't do something perfectly that he shouldn't do it at all.) These 2 things make it hard for him to complete the worksheets in class. He can't read the instructions so by the time he gets to his desk he's forgotten which answers go where on the sheet based on the class discussions. I'm also wondering why he is being given worksheets that ask him to pick the correct spelling for irregular words when he is just learning to read. An example would be:

Circle the word that is spelled correctly
1. da dae day dai
2. bok book buk bouk

Since Son reads phonetically most of these words would 'sound' the same when sounded out. The task assumes he has had enough exposure to the correct spelling to be able to pick the correct spelling out; "day" and "book" don't follow "standard" phonetic rules. *sigh* I feel like these questions would be better suited for a Grade 1 student who came from full day Kindergarten and learned to read and print well in that class. The 1/2 day Kindergarten he had didn't really prepare him for reading instructions on a worksheet.

I feel like I have let him down, or kindergarten did. Last year they were focusing on letter sounds and just starting to write letters, not words. This year by the first Parent/Teacher meeting the Teacher showed us a page of printing copy work she had the class do. He managed to do 1/2 a page and finished 16/20 in the class. Since he wasn't writing sentences last year I thought he had done well until she told me about the other kids doing so much more. Some of the students were able to get to the 2nd side of the page. His teacher last year kept telling us not to worry that he was "very young" and would get it. But now it seems like he is already behind and it's only 2 months into the year.

I started him on the BOB books in the summer and he is already in Set 3 "word families" and doing well. I began doing printing practice with him 5 days a week after the meeting and continued with reading every night. I feel like I now have to start doing the "Language Review" worksheets as well so that he knows what to expect when he sees them in class. I guess that will be extra reading and writing practice. Why does it seem like I'm Homeschooling my son who goes to Public School? The only things I'm not doing at home are Math and Science, I hope he's doing well in those because I just don't have time to do more after school and on weekends. The last 2 weeks he hasn't done his optional homework sheet for class because I've felt that it was more important to learn how to correctly print the numbers and letters than to fill in the blanks for 1-100. There is only so much time I can get him to do work at home before he starts to hate school work and rebel against my help. As it is Hubby and I take turns helping him with printing so that I'm not always the "homework" person.

The teacher seems encouraging, says that he is in a class where he can excel because the students are so caring and helpful. She says that he is happy and fun to have in the class. Then she mentions that she has to take his supplies box away sometimes so that he can focus on his work, or that he needs 1-on-1 attention to do the work that other students are doing by themselves, and that he sometimes draws random marks on his worksheet instead of filling it in.

I have to wonder how prepared he is for Gr 1 and if maybe I should have held him back, do they even let you do that in BC anymore? I know they do a "social pass" for kids that are behind so that they stay with their classmates instead of having to do a grade over again with younger students. I don't think I agree with that. Son was born in August, so he is one of the youngest kids in the class, I hope that doesn't mean he will always be 'behind' his classmates and start feeling like he's no good at school.

I guess all I can do is offer support at home and hope that he picks up the skills he needs to do well in class. Hopefully this happens before he decides that school is where he goes to play with his friends and that class time is a waste of time. He's only in Gr. 1, he shouldn't have that attitude for years yet. ;)

@BeBook Mini Arrived Today!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:05:00 +0000

As part of my advertising for the Get your FREE BeBook I managed to accumulate 20 referrals which means I qualify to receive 2 BeBooks. As you know I already received my first BeBook in March 2009 and love it. I decided I would see if BeBook would be willing to send me the new BeBook Mini instead of BeBook 'One' for my second BeBook. They agreed! This meant a slight delay in shipping as it hadn't been released yet, but I was willing to wait in order to try out this new bit of technology.

Today it arrived! I'm soo happy about it. It's very cute and seems very usable, will be fun putting it though it's paces. I will do a full review of it later. So far the only thing that concerns me is the lack of a case, I'm not sure what I will use to protect it during transport.

For now here are a few pictures I took after receiving it. Click on the images to see the full size versions.

In the box next to it's "Big Brother"

Everything that comes in the box

Next to "Big Brother"

1st Grade and Cast Free Arm

noreply@blogger.com (Justy) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:44:00 +0000

Son has spent a few weeks in 1st Grade now. As far as he is concerned the first week doesn't count, he thinks he was in Kindergarten for that week. He wasn't really but he was in last years classroom with last years teacher, so you can see where the confusion comes in. After 1.5 weeks in his new class with his new Grade 1 teacher he feels like he has finally arrived. He is getting use to the routine of the class and managed to bring home his 'homework bag' 6 out of 7 days. I'm not sure if he's remembering to pass on all our messages to the teacher but at least we are getting the notices from the school. Sooo many notices! I feel like I'm the one back in school with all the forms I have had to fill out and organizing at home to keep him on track. Hopefully that will settle down over time, I'm not ready for Grade 1 plus my regular work!

Son's teacher has started a Parent Reading time 3 days a week. From 9:00am-9:15am each Mon/Wed/Fri the parents can go into the classroom and read stories to their child and any other children who want to listen in. This is a Wonderful Idea and I love it. Too bad my work day starts at 8:30am. *sigh* I made an effort and did go into his class today for the first reading day, it seemed very important to him that one of us be there. Thankfully we live a 5 min walk from the school so it really only takes 1/2 hr out of my day. I don't know how often I will be able to participate though, a lot of my meetings start at 8am and run for an hour or so. He will just have to listen to other parents read. He won't be the only one listening in, I can't be the only one who has to work during the week.

Son's cast finally came off on Thursday Sept 17th after being on for about 3 weeks. I booked a 7:30am appointment so that he wouldn't miss much school. This went well, hubby took him to the Cast Clinic at our local hospital and was back home by 9am to pick up Son's stuff for school. The only piece of information I didn't have when making the appointment was the fact that after removing a full arm cast the individual could be prone to dizzy spells and might even faint. It was suggested that Son stay home for the rest of the day. Had I known that I would have booked a 2pm or 3pm appointment for him so that he could spend the morning and at least part of the afternoon in class instead of missing the entire day. Best laid plans, 20/20 hindsight and all that.

Hubby dropped Son off at school the next day and had a nice chat with his teacher. He passed on the Doctors orders that Son not play on the climbing equipment or swings and the suggestion that he stay inside during recess and lunch so that he wouldn't be tempted. As I'm sure you've guessed, Son reported that he did go out with the rest of his class and played with his friends. At least he survived and didn't re-break his arm in a fall from the equipment. When I picked Son up from daycare I let his After school Care teachers know that he wasn't allowed to climb as well; they aren't set up to keep him inside if the rest of the group goes out. I think they listened as I made sure to mention that the Doctor was worried about the arm re-breaking. No daycare wants to have a child break an arm while under their watch.

It's been almost a week since the cast came off and he is now able to fully extend his arm and no longer complains if we touch it or pull on it a bit. This is great news and I feel like I can stop worrying about him while he is at school and daycare. He will have his first Karate class without his cast tonight. I'm looking forward to hearing how that goes. I made him go to Karate last week even with his cast because he was doing everything he would normally do and had so much energy. He was a little embarrassed because he couldn't extend the arm with the cast but otherwise did well. I'm sure everything will go well now that he can extend his arm and fully participate again.