REAL MAN TRUCKWORKS & SURVIVAL
GENERAL TOPICS => Parenting => Topic started by: EL TATE on September 09, 2015, 01:06:21 PM
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Some parenting updates and what I think will become more of a bragging corner at some point, but here goes anyway.
Sam headed off for his first day of his senior year at a new high school. Pre-calculus, quantum physics, advanced body sciences, computer programming and another that escapes me, I think it's a fluff senior class like weight training. (Not a bad idea though). As we prepare to guide him through his final year of high school and prepare him for his future college classes we were surprised yesterday by a phone call from his former school district office, but not for him, for our 4 year old Sophie.
Sophie missed the kindergarten cutoff in our district by 14 days, as she turns 5 next Monday. She's super smart, (I know all parents think this, but follow me here), so we paid $100 to have her evaluated for early kindergarten. She landed high 90th percentile in all subjects but failed on fine motor skills. basically she couldn't draw the shapes they wanted the way they wanted, but then an hour later at home she molded an art eraser into fairly anatomically correct cat's face. Come to find out only 1 child in 7 years had been accepted and it dawned on me that with class sizes the way they are and funding the way it is, this "early learning test" is really just a fund raiser, with no intention of passing anyone.
So I'm irritated, but ok with it as I'm not ready for my little girl to grow up yet anyway. My final jab at the district was that if Sophie were 15 days older, would she be considered special ed. due to her "lack of fine motor skills"? "Oh, absolutely not sir, she's very intelligent..." my point exactly. This is last Wed.
Last night the phone rings and it's the school district looking to place Sophie in a peer role model program. She'll attend half days, get the same kindergarten curriculum, and assist more challenged students with learning problems by really just being herself. Her vocabulary and comprehension is highly advanced so mostly she'll be used to help kids w/ speech problems, but she's getting the social exposure, the early learning that she's just not getting at preschool, and a serious leg up when she starts actual kindergarten next year.
Now I have a wife who works from home that will be there when both kids get home from school, but has some time to herself for the first time in 5 years, because before this day, she was with either one of them at some point, and with me working a second job, much more time recently. Sam is getting ready to finish High School and Sophie is just starting out. By the time Sam's done, the compounding effect of paying off debts and rolling those payments into other debts and so on will not only have us paid off by that time, but paid up towards his first year's tuition. With that same model moving forward, we should have Sophie's entire secondary education paid for by the time she graduates.
It's an amazing time and we're starting to see the fruits of our labors. God has truly blessed us.
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That's awesome Tate! :)
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That's awesome. Well done sir
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Great news. She is starting school as the teacher.
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That's great Tate
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Very cool news Tate! It ain't bragging if ya can back it up! :)
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I'm almost giddy with excitement for what this year brings for both of them. Just confirmed the other elective is Environmental science, which I used to teach the merit badge for. (granted I'm sure his class will be much more advanced, but at least I can help right?)
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That is really cool! Good for you guys! I hope the year goes well for everyone! :)
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Tate, good option for her. This way she is exposed to the school program but will be in the older group in her class next year and as she moves ahead. It isn't how smart they are it is more important that they fit in maturity wise. Darn hard on some kids to be the youngest age group in their class especially in the 6+ grades.
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Remember that public education is geared to the lowest common denominator. I've had to challenge my kids outside of school even though they are both in the Vanguard program. Started teaching them excel and powerpoint last year at 8 and 10. In hopes that they get to the reality of education and not just by the book to the lowest common denominator.
Congrats Tate, nicely done and thanks for sharing with us.
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No sence in pushing a child into kindergarten too soon. I have a boy in preschool his second year. They said he was not ready but we could move him into kindergarten anyway. No not worth it. He will just be on of the oldest in his class. My oldest boy that graduated last year was in a peer program like yours starting at age 3. There is a place in town that works with special needs kids. He loved it.
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Tate, good option for her. This way she is exposed to the school program but will be in the older group in her class next year and as she moves ahead. It isn't how smart they are it is more important that they fit in maturity wise. Darn hard on some kids to be the youngest age group in their class especially in the 6+ grades.
Agreed. I was tentatively hoping she wouldn't pass, as my stepmother has been an educator for 30+ years and agrees that the oldest in the class is by far better, but when she was so close I got tunnel vision. I'm much happier with the actual outcome than my far reaching ideas.
Remember that public education is geared to the lowest common denominator. I've had to challenge my kids outside of school even though they are both in the Vanguard program. Started teaching them excel and powerpoint last year at 8 and 10. In hopes that they get to the reality of education and not just by the book to the lowest common denominator.
Congrats Tate, nicely done and thanks for sharing with us.
Ironically it's Sam that is teaching us the ins and outs of excel and powerpoint, lol. But we did get Sophie a small, inexpensive laptop which she is pretty good at navigating so far.
Tate, good option for her. This way she is exposed to the school program but will be in the older group in her class next year and as she moves ahead. It isn't how smart they are it is more important that they fit in maturity wise. Darn hard on some kids to be the youngest age group in their class especially in the 6+ grades.
My thoughts exactly. In my rural area, grade school kids ride with the middle school kids, and I'm very leery of this. I don't want her intrigued by foul mouthed 6-8th graders just yet.
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Well last week was the 1st week, but I got to stay home late to see her off today. "Daddy's" 1st day of kindergarten/peer role model group.
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Cute Tate...
Nice job on the diff info thread and thanks. I didn't wanna put a clutter post on it just to say that.
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Thanks. Got her dressed and did her hair myself, lol.
Been shooting these videos for two months now, but it's amazing how 1.5 hrs of shooting turns into 3, 45 sec videos after editing.
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Thanks. Got her dressed and did her hair myself, lol.
WOW Tate- women pay big bucks for curls like that; you could be dealing with better smelling fluids than Trans and Gear oil and work standing up! Tate n' Nate's Clip, Curl & Q - you styling and Nate "Q-in"
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^^ Now that's funny, right there!
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Um no
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Bacon grease might be good for split ends and you could leave the strips on the counter for ladies on a diet, "cause they never were on the counter" now were they?
Besides, how much more could they whine than a Army Recruit under our current POTUS?
(Insert popcorn guy for Nate's reply) (add link to comments he'll make in 60+ days)
"Lord, I apologize for offending our muslim in chief, and please rain bacon on Mecca 'til the end of the month" ;)
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Thanks. Got her dressed and did her hair myself, lol.
WOW Tate- women pay big bucks for curls like that; you could be dealing with better smelling fluids than Trans and Gear oil and work standing up! Tate n' Nate's Clip, Curl & Q - you styling and Nate "Q-in"
Can't claim too much responsibility for them; that's how they are out of the bath. My hair was blond and curly when I was younger. My wife's half Egyptian, (Coptic Christian side, not muslim side) so she's got some curls in there too. This is what we created. Now my sister in law, she's a hair stylist, downtown seattle, super fancy type. maybe we could uptown the Q and downtown the hair and come up with something. I like the name, lol.
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Had a little fun with Sam's applied physics class. Catapult building time! He took 4th in the room with a ping pong ball launching distance of 7.5m. The uprights were adjustable front to back of the frame and the stop bar adjustable top to bottom of the uprights. The bungee was adjustable as well and we fabbed up a hose clamp and paint can key with nylon chord for a trigger. Cut a little notch in the back of the launching arm with a Dremel and hooked the curved tip of the can key into said notch. we launched chocolate holloween balls much further!
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Now you that have the model, time to scale it up!
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Time for a trebuchet
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Time for a trebuchet
We just built those in cub scouts!!
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Time for a trebuchet
That's what I said!
Time for a trebuchet
We just built those in cub scouts!!
So what you're saying is we're at the 8-11 year old level? Lol.
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Cute daughter Tate! My Eliza has the super tight curls too. Fresh out of the shower her hair is halfway down her back, by the time it dries it's not much longer than her shoulders. The daily morning routine of de-tangling is a pain though!! She was a dead ringer for Shirley Temple when she was about 3.
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Now you that have the model, time to scale it up!
I'm thinking when Sophie is done with her cedar swingset... 8)
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Sam was nominated for the Presidential Award for Academic Achievement by one of his teachers, and he was awarded the certificate on Wed. He'll be graduating on the 15th at the Comcast Arena in Everett and we couldn't be more proud of him. He had some rough patches, and overcame his severe ADHD, weaned off of Adderall completely and is managing on his own. So far he's planning on a couple years at the community college level/technical school, (cheaper ;D) and then applying to universities in CA. Little miss Sophie graduated pre-k, (didn't know that was a thing) and will be starting up kindergarten next fall. one down, one to go.
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How Cool!
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That is great! Awesome update
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Great news. My oldest (13) got an award for have a better than 3.9 for all of 7-8th.
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Graduation was Wednesday. He had 20 people in his corner! xfinity arena in Everett was a pretty cool spot to hold it too.
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Congrats. Nicely done
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Congrats!
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Congratulations to our new graduate!
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Congrats! looks just like his papa.
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Congrats!!!!!
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Congrats
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That's great congrats!
I heard this from an old Tom Lehrer song- a comment to new graduates "Soon you'll be sliding down the razor blade of life...." ;D
That's really cool good for him! :)
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Congrats! looks just like his papa.
It's funny you say that, because a lot of people do too, but we're not blood related. I've been Dad since he was in kindergarten, and maybe we just take on each others appearance over time?? But he's a good lookin' kid so I'll take the compliment when I can!
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I remember you mentioning that now. lol
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Sophie turned 6 on the 14th. (Also our wedding anniversary. Ironically I think God did that on purpose so I can never forget either). Sophie requested toad in the hole with bacon, orange chicken with rice and chocolate cake for her birthday dinner. Her Nana made pear, upside down chocolate cake with salted caramel. We couldn't find a "big 6" candle, so Sophie said "5+1 is 6, we can just use a 5 candle and a 1 candle". Looked like 51, but hey, there's cake covered in caramel so who cares.
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More pics
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She sure looks like you. Did I ever tell you how cute you are???
I have no idea where my daughter got her looks from,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,plus the $7000 smiles!!
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Awe shucks Jr. :-[ She's got some of me there for sure, and my hair used to be blond and curly as a child, but not like that! she'll be getting a smile upgrade as well, probably somewhere around your numbers. We're just lucky they have half the genes of someone we find attractive aren't we?
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Awe, we sure are. She is 5-8 right now and the older boy looks just like my brother who he is named after. (passed away)
That was the first day of school for them this year so its not a total DOT post.
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Good lookin bunch there JR. I'm nervous about Sophie getting older!
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Thx, she is the band, cross county and has the homecoming dance this weekend. No boys yet, but I know they are looking!
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Yeah, just cause she's not lookin doesn't mean they aren't for sure. Keep her busy like that; my youngest sister that had the least problems growing up was the most active in sports, choir, church, etc.
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...And, what a cool breakfast idea!
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...And, what a cool breakfast idea!
Have to agree,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
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I've always made toad in the hole for the kids, (and for me). They get to play a little with their food, dunking the toast in the yolk, and I get them to eat a decent meal. She started the heart shaped cutouts.