A sad tail

Your heart may break for poor Henri.

Henri

And we wonder???

Look at the following – and then tell me

WHY do people wonder why dogs pee on the carpet???

I mean — if you did some of this stuff to me I’d for sure destroy your house.

Another year gone

What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were … you have the whoel summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts …

Albus Dumbledore (actually J. K. Rowling) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Tomorrow is the last day of school. Hopefully the kids won’t kill each other over the break.

New blog title proposition

No – I didn’t get rid of the minivan. I’m just thinking I should change the title to Life in Lake Wobegon because all of the children are above average.

Or at least one of them is, as observed by Kingore (or as recommended by teachers using characteristics identified in the Kingore Observation Inventory — which might mean something to some of the teachers that read this).

I received a letter from school today that needs to be signed and sent back. Actually, technically it wasn’t from “school” but from the school DISTRICT. Seems Chip has been “recommended for placement” in Project IDEA Plus, the district’s gifted magnet program. An excerpt from the district website …

District 203 Gifted Magnet Program (Project IDEA +) Grade 4-8 The gifted magnet program is designed for the top two percent of the population in grades four through eight. The fourth and fifth grade students participating in this multiage program attend either _________ Elementary or ___________ Elementary. The program for students in grades six through eight is located at _______ Junior High School. Students participate in enriched and accelerated self-contained classes in a humanities strand, which includes the literacy strands integrated with District ___ social science content. The mathematics and science strand includes high school algebra at the seventh-grade level, honors geometry at the eighth-grade level, and freshman level conceptual physics.

EXCUSE ME???? “Freshman level conceptual physics” DANG I hope he’s planning on asking dad for help with the homework.

I’ve had my fingers crossed for this since he did some testing back in April. On the one hand it’s a great program geared toward students “having talents and or gifts which may be best met in a unique classroom setting.” Which, basically means that it will be challenging and educational for him.

On the other hand (and this is petty, I admit) my “pseudo” niece (which is the G-ddaughter of my BIL) got accepted into this program midway through last year. I have NO IDEA why, but my SIL has been somewhat insufferable about it. You should hear her going on about how brilliant this child is (blah blah blah PI+ blah blah blah top 2% blah blah blah — she sounds just like the adults on a Peanuts cartoon), and it’s not her child, it’s not a child that’s related to her …. so I can’t figure out why SIL seems to take a personal joy out of this. (It’s kinda weird — just last week Gpa told her to drop it — you know someone has gone too far when Gpa speaks up – cause he doesn’t say much.) Anyway — this might shut her up some since then Kaylee won’t be such an oddity in the “extended family” anymore.

And now, for my theme song starting next fall when Chip asks for someone to help with his homework.

Music Monday meets Memorial day — When WILL they ever learn?

Marlene Dietrich – Where Have All The Flowers Gone?

How I spent my holiday weekend

Saturday I got to see all my neighbors. I got to spend quite a bit of time doing the same as everyone else is suburbia.

In my town, we have brush pickup twice a year. For some reason my subdivision lucks out into having brush pickup follow the 3 days weekend. We’ve gotten to see an awful lot of our neighbors the past two days. And, thus comes today’s quote

Gardens and flowers have a way of bringing people together, drawing them from their homes.
Clare Ansberry, The Women of Troy Hill

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Movie Line Friday – Today’s quote – and my house

To infinity and beyond
Buzz Lightyear

Cause that’s how long it’s going to take to clean my house.

Hmmm on the housecleaning part I can take another tip from the first movie

GREAT!!! Cause we really needed that.

Disney is coming out with yet another cute animal movie.  This time it’s about Chihuahuas.

Remember the Dalmations (discussed here in a CNN article)

“A lot of people would like to hold Disney responsible,” said Channer. “But the SPCA-LA thinks the burden of responsibility belongs to parents. Just because your kid screams, ‘Oh, I want one! I want one!’ when they see these cute puppies in a movie, doesn’t mean you have to go and indulge that wish. The parent needs to be responsible enough to say, ‘You know what? You can get a stuffed one now, and in six months we’ll see about getting a real one.’”

Cause, you know, every time one of MY kids says “I want it I want it” I always give in tell them they can do whatever they want when they are the adult and paying the bills.

I love the closing statement from the article:

“People are like that with all kinds of animals; they make impulse buys,” said Schneider. “They want to buy a certain bird because it will look pretty in the cage. They want Chihuahuas because of the Chihuahua in the Taco Bell commercial. And they expect the dog they get to be trained like the one on TV.”

“It sometimes makes you wonder: Which one is the dumb animal?”

WHY oh WHY can’t Disney do a movie about cute, wonderful, brave, intelligent, MUTTS AND SHELTER PETS!!!!! I’m just saying.  Now, in all likelihood I’ll probably take my kids to see the movie.  And then, at Christmas when (especially the Princess) the begging for a Chihuahua starts …

But really, all that said you have GOT to watch the video.  (And I”ll stop later and look for the WEbkinz Chihuahua — is that retired??)

Ever feel a tightening in your chest??

Today’s quote goes out to all those women of a certain age that haven’t been in over a year.

“Mammograms are really sort of a gift. You can either catch something early or count your lucky stars because nothing was discovered. Either way, you’re ahead of the game.”

Charlotte Ross

And then — just something for male readers to think about …