Toilet Paper Math

What has me whipping my phone calculator out in the grocery store?  Answer - toilet paper.  Since Brian's days at P&G, we've been a Charmin family and I don't really consider other brands.  Which is good...... since Charmin does a fair job giving me choices all by itself.

First - extra strong or extra soft?  (I exclude 'basic' from the get-go).  Ok - is there some rule about toilet paper not being both strong and soft??  Also, if it's not basic - is it deluxe?  We choose strong - it is moderately soft and who wants toilet paper that might fall apart?  (actually, I can't tell a lick of different between soft and strong - so I defer to the former paper engineer.)

Second - do I want 12 mega rolls or 8 super rolls?  Or 16 giant rolls?  16 giant rolls might be $14, while the 12 mega rolls are $9 and the 8 super rolls are $4.  But the math is not that simple people - because 16 giant rolls is not twice as much toilet paper as 8 super rolls.  Each super roll is 2 regular roll but 16 giant rolls is 4 regular rolls; and a mega roll is 3 regular rolls! 

To determine the best deal on toilet paper I have to compare the prices per number of regular rolls.  (what's the MOST funny is that toilet paper is the ONLY product in the store that I am consistantly worried about getting the best value for - there may be twice as much cereal for only $1 more and I think - "yeah, but I don't want that much").

P&G is nice enough to provide the regular roll conversion for you on the front of the package.  None-the-less, I have to divide the prices by large numbers ($14/36 versus $9.52/24).  I try to do the 24 is 2/3 of 36 so what is 2/3 of $14 and is that more than or less than $9?  $9 + $4.5 is $13.50 which is a little less than $14, but when I factor in the $0.52 fudge factor it's too close!!

So yeah - I got out my calculator to ENSURE that I got the best deal on Charmin extra strong.

Strawberries galore!

We joined a new CSA this summer.  We ordered not only a veggie, but a fruit share.  Holy yumminess!  Although I was super excited about the first flat of strawberries in week 1; I was a little less sure of what to do with the flat of strawberries in week 2.  So far, we've made four batches of strawberry balsamic jam (they are pretty small batches), strawberry syrup, strawberry/watermelon lemonade, strawberry/raspberry/watermelon lemonade, strawberry shortcake, strawberry/rhubarb soda, strawberry/rhubarb compote, strawberry pie, and homemade strawberry pop tarts. 

We were also fortunate to have a friend drop off a big box of tart cherries, especially since 95% of the Door County cherry crop was wiped out due to a warm March and cold April.  Those cherries have been cleaned, pitted, and frozen and are awaiting their futures in pie.  Perhaps also a few will make it into cherry pop tarts.

So this week, I'm really kindof hoping for raspberries, as I'm running out of strawberry recipes.  Also, I seem to clean the kitchen only to make another mess in it shortly thereafter.  I guess there could be worse things.....

Less than fully formed

Sometimes blog posts marinate a while.  It may be that I’m trying to decide if I really want to write about a specific topic, or I can’t quite form the ideas into a coherent story, or I have a great idea that will likely offend someone and I keep it to myself.  This one has been brewing for a couple weeks, may not be a coherent story, and totally could offend someone.  But this morning’s paper pushed me to complete it.  Why this morning’s paper?  Well, there’s a column written by our neighbor.  And this morning she wrote about how blessed they were.

The neighbor’s daughter had a terrible accident two weeks ago.  She fell off the side of a high dive and landed stomach first on the edge of the pool.  Five days in the hospital in Madison and a lacerated liver later and she’s been back at home in good spirits since.  She was actually over playing with Allison today.  So the story has a happy ending and that’s important.  Above all else, I’m really, really glad that it was not more serious because it easily could have been and that’s always you fear as your kids venture further from you.  SOMETHING might happen.  That SOMETHING might be tragic.

So, we’re happy she’s well.  Very happy.  But that relief was followed by two pretty (for lack of a better term) un-Christian thoughts.  #1 – “gee, those kids get manage to get injured easily enough under the watch of their own parents.”  This, as you may or may not know, stems from an incident two years ago when Allison hit Lucas with an apple-picker and the neighbors declared that their children could not play around Allison unless they were supervised (presumably by me).  All the details were sketchy because Allison and Lucas were the only ones outside and the two of them are like oil and water – but the details are less important than the outcome- which is that they felt that Allison was a threat to the wellbeing of their children.  This is not something easily forgotten.  However, since then Lucas fell and broke his arm (while at the park with their dad); Ben got several stitches playing football at school; and Grace lacerated a liver (while at the pool with her mom).  Injuries acquired while at our house – one apple picker incident which did not even require a band aid.  (insert me knocking on wood here).  To the neighbors, WE are that house that your kids like to play at that makes you wonder whether there are liquor bottles lining the kitchen and nudie calendars posted in the workshop; which - by the way - is full of power saws with no safety locks and a gun cabinet in full view.  (Oh, wait, that was my friend Lisa’s house growing up).  Whatever – Brian and I are THOSE PEOPLE.

Thought  #2 – jealousy.  Well, not so much as thought as a feeling.  Yeah, not particularly proud of this one, and it took me a little while to put my finger on it exactly.  In the age of Facebook, you get to spread news near and far in an instant and have a community of support right away.  This is one of the great advantages of social media.  That we can reach out and support one another in times of need is awesome.  But as the conversation thankfully turned to “keep her in your thoughts” to “it’s all going to be OK” there was a slightly insidious message that started to take hold and one that was reiterated on Facebook, in messages, and in face-to-face conversations.  It went something like this: “we were so lucky.  It could have been so much worse. She won’t be able to do this or that activity for a while, but in the grand-scheme of things – one summer without soccer is not so bad.  Even the doctors were surprised that was her only injury.  We’re so blessed, she must really have Someone looking out for her because it could have been terrible.”

And here is where the bug got me – because it IS going to be OK.  There aren’t any long term effects.  She’ll weather this storm as a blip in the road and go right on back to being totally “normal.”  And “wow – was that scary, but thankfully NOTHING’S WRONG.”  Because clearly, the counter point is that if there is something WRONG you are not blessed.  You are not lucky.  Someone is not looking out for you.  So, yeah, I’m glad that nothing has marred the perfect future you envision for your child.  I’m glad that you feel blessed to have no LONG-TERM effects.  No sneaky demons that creep up when you least expect.  And you get to pat yourself on the back and think that all that clean living is really paying off.  Way to go – here’s your gold star!

So for your daughter, who I wish no ill will upon what-so-ever, I’m really happy that things are OK.  But a small part of me wishes that you could experience some of what it’s like to have problems that don’t go away so easily; that carry some long-term uncertainty; because then you might have a little more understanding and empathy.  Understanding that sometimes not being ‘OK’ is also a blessing; and those who sometimes seem “wrong” are lucky and have Someone looking out for them too.

Answer Key

Follow-up

Long day in Madison, but not due to Allison's doctor's appointment.  I squeezed in a meeting with the online program director, we swung by Toy's R Us to pick up a birthday present, and ate lunch at McDonald's (ugh). 

But - good news for Allison - on her higher calorie diet she's gained 3 pounds and 2 cm in the last 5 months.  That means she's now moving parallel to the growth curve rather than askew to the growth curve.  Also, it's a pretty normal growth rate for her age (5cm/yr).  This means, we keep pushing calories and watch and wait another 6 months.  The doctor felt (based on her bone age scans) that she was going to hit puberty later than average, and there may likely come a time when we might use a low dose of hormone to stimulate growth.  Growth flattens out slightly right before puberty/at the very beginning of puberty (and the growth system "weakens") - and we might try to keep her growing more during that period, which will likely be extended for her and late.  Meanwhile her peers will be shooting up massively in height so that the differential height gets more pronounced.

But, my thinking is that even 5cm/yr for the next 6 years is going to add a foot of height.  It's not WNBA tall - but it's not Snooki short either.

News, news, more news

Summer is many things for the kids - relaxing, playing, camping - but it's also time to get in all the appointments that we never get around to during the year.  Doctors and dentists and haircuts - oh my!

Thus far, Jacob has had his 7-yr check up.  He grew three inches and gained 7 pounds this year - keeping pace with the 75%-line.  There wasn't much else to say, and I've found myself sometimes at a loss in the doctor's office when I don't have more to discuss.  The doctor's like "looks good - any questions?" and I have this moment of panic like: OMG I have no questions.

Allison has thus far been focusing on her teeth - but eyes and hormones are coming up soon.  The check-up at the dentist yielded no new cavities (there are two spots they are *watching*) and she's finally got her 6-yr molars coming in.  Good news.  Bad news - the molars have something called an enamel defect, which is that they are brittle and didn't form enough of the tough outer coating to protect them.  There are several things that can cause this - including a high fever or illness as an infant when the tooth buds begin - or it could be something generally related to overall developmental issues.  We'll never know.  They want to put fillings in/over (I was unclear) after her next appointment in 6 months and they said crowns are not out of the question for kids with this problem.  Great.  Luckily, there is no expectation that other teeth will have this problem, as teeth develop at different times and whatever stress that cause this was likely short-lived.  More bad news - Allison now has special high fluoride toothpaste and she hates the taste (which is helpful in getting her to spit it out).

Today was the 6-month visit to / check-in with the orthodontist, who has also been waiting for the 6-yr molars to come in so that he can start the expanders.  Unfortunately for Allison, this means more bad tooth news.  We've been waiting for molars to make space and provide anchors for the orthodontia, but the molars are slow going.  The molars are slow going because the next set of molars is forming against the current molars.  Like plants - molars grow roots down and "sprout" upwards.  If the molar does not move upwards, the root grows laterally and then the molar gets "stuck" because the root growth is not pushing upwards anymore.  Her 6-yr molars have OK roots, the next set of molars is partially under the 6-yr molars and very close to the jaw bone - in essence - we've run out of waiting time.  There are also 2 teeth in the top front and 2 teeth in the bottom front that have begun to grow at a goofy angle.  Must make space ASAP.  The orthodontist wanted a little time to make a plan, but basically said he'd probably go ahead and either make expanders that were removable, or anchor them to the baby teeth.  Anyway, those brittle, slow, 6-yr molars aren't going to be the best candidates for a while anyway.  We go back in 2 weeks to hear the plan, the cost (gulp), and set up a time table.

Tomorrow we go back to Madison to follow-up with the endocrinologist.  I think she's gained about 3-4 pounds this spring, but height.... I'm not so sure.  We'll have to see tomorrow.  Hopefully, it's all better news than the tooth business.

Used School Supplies Anyone?

Now that school has been out for a week, I find myself cleaning and sorting all the "treasures" that the kids have brought back from their desks.  I place usable things in a large rubbermaid tub (along with former usable things from past years) to be gotten out when we are in need of them.  Which is.... never.

The kids are not necessarily "colorers."  They never really have been that interested in sitting down for a stretch of time with markers and a picture to fill in.  Those workbooky things - sure, they love those - but you can do a whole workbook or word search with about two pencil sharpenings.

And pencils - holy crap do we have a lot of pencils.  Pencils are the new candy when it comes to birthday treats, holiday give-aways, or good behavior prizes.  They could stop manufacturing pencils TODAY, and we'd still have enough for a lifetime.

We also have tons of glue.  Allison got out 5 bottles of glue yesterday to use as pretend "ingredients" in her cooking.  I just found 4 more in their backpacks from this year.  Glue sticks, on the other hand, we can always use more of.  The kids prefer glue sticks to glue bottles in approximately the same ratio that dentists recommend using toothpaste.

But what bugs me most about unpacking the end-of-year used supplies is the waste.  Jacob had two notebooks that were about 90% unused (I set aside for doodling this summer).  He has 4 folders in perfectly good shape, save the permanent marker that has been used to designate the owner, classroom, teacher, and subject (thus making it difficult to justify their reuse next year).  Allison's crayons, calculator, and one marker set came back home in October because they were "too distracting" for her in her desk.  So, she didn't need them?  If she didn't need them, why were they on the page-long list of school supplies typed in 6 point font that we received at the beginning of the year?

I get that it's easier for kids to bring everything at the beginning and then it's "done."  But the growing pile of useable stuff that returns each year leads me to believe that I send way more than they need.  What if markers one year were donated to the class the next year?  Could we maybe buy one three-subject notebook rather than three single subject notebooks?  And please, loosen your stranglehold on the Ticonderoga pencils.  I know - they probably ARE the best, but I have this backlog of lonely Happy Halloween pencils that are just waiting to be used! 

9 going on 3

During the writing of the below blog post - the following events were occurring downstairs:

A girl was dousing her hair and her doll's hair in detangler spray, "refilling" the windex bottle with Cascade dishwasher cleaner (like Jet-Dry; same color), proceeding to wash the back door glass with "Windex/Cascade", and doodling/smudging hearts all over the neighbor's Get Well card.  I think I made it calmly through the first 4 - but released an exasperated "Allison!" by the time I got to #5.  Mainly because it involves having to get/make a new card.

This much "getting into" at home is a little unusual and hopefully due to the new summer schedule changes and perhaps the need for a little more sleep.  Or, she's honestly trying to be more proactive in getting stuff done (hey - I'll wash the windows!) but still needs some work in the judgement area (cascade not equal to windex).  See all that smeary stuff? - not the correct look.

A boy turns 7

 Jacob turned 7! It's been what - a week?  Yeah, can't really remember what we did that day - but it was busy.  Jacob truly lucked out because it was school field trip day - when all the classes leave and let the kindergarteners "run" the school.  Jacob's field trip - Chuck-E-Cheese and the park.  Well, now he can't complain that he's never been to Chuck-E-Cheese on his birthday!

After school he went to play at his friend's house, then we picked him up to go out to dinner at the new-ish pizza buffet in town.  It's name is Salt-N-Grease.... oh wait, no, it's SteviB's.  They have an arcade, and I actually had some left-over tokens and a coupon - so rock on!

We got home LATE and then Jacob insisted on decorating his own cake with chocolate chips and M&M's.  Here it is:

I'll take guesses now and post an answer key later.  By the time we had cake, both kids were in their pj's and it was after 9pm.  For pjs for Jacob - that means underwear.  So, I finally get a good cake-picture and he's half naked.  Figures.  I'll let Jacob introduce you to the newest member of the Douglas family and Jacob's birthday present on the kids blog next week (hint - his name is Quickie; mom and dad could not persuade them to choose another name, 'Fastie' was already taken by the caterpillar).  He's really looking forward to making his rockets this summer and will be saving his birthday money for an ipad - or a trampoline - whichever is cheaper.  Since he saves about $80 a year, I think by the time he can afford an ipad, I'll be OK with him having one.  PS - no one tell him what a Kindle Fire is, ok?

Last Day of School

 Last Friday was the last day of school.  It's hard to believe that the kids are now 4th and 2nd graders.  Yikes!!  Report cards came home too.  I always find it slightly difficult to interpret the x,check,dot,plus system.  Both kids are either proficient or commendable on most things.  We never learned why Jacob needs to improve "following classroom rules" in art.  (Jacob: I do, most of the time).  Allison was given an art award for her "creativity, and outgoing personality" (or something similar to that). 

MAP test results came home too (which is the district-wide testing).  Allison's scores rebounded from her poor winter performance (bad test day?) back to 50th percentile in both math and reading.  She's plugging along where she's supposed to be, but honestly I question a test where kids can go from 60th to 20th to 50th percentiles over the course of a year.  Jacob scored very high in math and high average in reading.  I'm hoping that he'll score high enough in 2nd grade to qualify for the 'TAG' programming because I think that's the only way to get a more challenging math program for him. 

Jacob refused to take a solo picture - but was willing to pose with Keaton, Sam, and Lucas for Keaton's mom (so I snapped a quick one too).

Let it be

Sometimes you have to celebrate the less-exciting aspects of raising kids.  For example, I was esctatic when the kids got old enough to vomit in the toilet.  Who knew this would bring so much joy?  "You feel ill?  Are you going to throw up?  Ok - go time!"

I've gotten equally excited about their ability to fasten their own seat belts and read their own restaurant menus.  This week, I've been excited about not having to wake Allison up to go to the bathroom at 10:30pm.  She has been pretty slow with the toilet business.  I can't remember exactly, but I think it was between 4-5 when she was potty trained, and then at night it was still a problem.  We went from pull-ups to a mid-night wake-up perhaps in first grade.  And that's been the story of the past two years.  It works - 95% of the time. 

But then I noticed that she really didn't have to go that much when we were waking her up, and then one night we were exhausted and just skipped it.  And there was no problem.  So, we did it again.  It's been a week now, and I'm cautiously optimistic.  As with anything - I expect some backsliding at some point - and I wouldn't be lining up sleep-overs quite yet.  But it's nice. 

I know that there are things I think will 'never' happen (like being dry all night or riding a 2-wheeled bike.)  But Allison does things in her own time, and while I "know" this, I don't always KNOW this.  Life will periodically bring me subtile reminders.

Sweet Pictures

 Cute pictures of Allison - one with a dragonfly which kept her company during one of Jacob's batting practices, and the other warming up after running through the sprinkler yesterday

Also, Allison rocked her Japan presentation.  She scored excellent in all categories, including an excellent + in organization.  Comments: "Allison's system of presentation worked perfectly for her.  Excellent idea for  project.  Well rehearsed.  Allison was very poised during her presentation."

A new link

There is a new link to the right, and it goes to Allison and Jacob's Summer Blog.  I thought an appropriate title might be "My Mom is Making Us Blog This Summer," but then decided the humor might be lost on the kids.  There are actually not any posts yet - since it's not summer and the kids are still blissfully unaware that this is part of Mom's master plan to make summer "educational" too.

The original plan had been for this to be Allison's project.  One of her therapy goals has been developing "story-telling" skills.  These range from being able to tell us a story about what happened earlier in the day with sufficient detail to being able to infer meaning from the stories of others.  She's made lots of progress in this area.  In kindergarten and first grade, she couldn't even seem to keep the activities of her day straight to tell us about them later.  As in - we often had no idea what would happen at school.  "Did you do music today or gym?"  "I dunno."  It's not that she was clueless at the time things were happening - but the filing, sorting, and retrieving parts of her brain needed more.....development(?).  Those things have gotten better with practice and maturity, and we've graduated now to improving the narrative - filling in details and generally taking the parts of the stories and creating a whole "followable" thing.  Also, reading comprehension is replacing simply reading as the skill focus in school.  What happens next, what were they feeling, what is the theme here?  While Allison does fine with the reading words aspects - she still struggles with themes and tone and all that other softer stuff.

So I thought that writing about her days in the summer and posting pictures from her camera would be a great way to work on those skills.  But then, we also learned that Jacob has a fear of writing.  See post on his suspension from school.  So why not add him to the mix!  Misery loves company - or something like that.  My goal for him is to learn to take the copious thoughts that seem to ramble around in that noggin of his and put them in print.  (Today: "Mom, would you like it if all the concrete was squishy instead of hard?")  He has SO MANY ideas, but seems reluctant to write about any of them.

I think it might be fun.  My idea of fun may clearly diverge from their idea of fun.  But check back for postings soon, and please comment if you read their page.  Part of the fun for them will be that someone is actually reading it.