Today I will be sitting around a large table with more food than we know what to do with. We know we are truly blessed and lucky. Because of our our experience at the children's hospital with Madelynn we are reminded daily how lucky we are. We also learned about the nursing staff. Nurses.....They are amazing people.
If is wasn't for the stellar nursing staff at Levine Children's Hospital I would have never learned to be empowered to care for my children. Every day they would ask me if I understood what the doctor said. When I didn't they would re-explain it. They encouraged me to care for my child in the hospital. They understood the idea of Family Centered Care. Making sure the whole family was included in the care of the patient.
Nurses have a tough job. They are required to work without emotion. They experience the miracle of life and sometimes the devastating end all in a days work. When Madelynn was in the hospital one of the heart warriors died. I walked out into the hall to see the nurse crying because it was her patient that passed. She was being consoled by her co-workers. The next day that nurse came to work and had to care for Madelynn.
How do you come to work, fight for someone to live, they die even after all your efforts, you go home and come back to work the next day to help the next patient. The emotional highs and lows are almost unfathomable. Witnessing just a peak into this world while we were in the hospital is almost unimaginable to me. All of their efforts are more than appreciated
Today I am very thankful for so many things. But I know that we would not be where we are today without some outstanding nurses. As they show up to work like it is any other day they won't be around a table stuffing their face. Please pray for all the hospital staff working today, the patients and their families in the hospital.
Happy Thanksgiving!
TTFN~
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Monday, November 10, 2014
Farewell to Fall Soccer 2014................
I am not going to lie the last three months have been INSANE. For some ridiculous reason we signed all three of my kids up for three different soccer teams. I have travelled to lots of fields and watched my children progress for the last 12 weeks. This past weekend was the finally and what an ending it was.
Our day started at 6 am. We had to be at the field by 7:30 am for an 8 am game and it was FREEZING......
Jackson's game was up first. Sadly they did not win but he gave it his best shot. After 12 weeks he was well conditioned and his leg was ready to make contact for the score.
Our day started at 6 am. We had to be at the field by 7:30 am for an 8 am game and it was FREEZING......
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| Note the frost on the field...... |
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| This face melts my heart every time. |
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| He was making laps to stay warm.
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Jackson's game was up first. Sadly they did not win but he gave it his best shot. After 12 weeks he was well conditioned and his leg was ready to make contact for the score.
I love to watch him play. Some days I am totally amazed at how much he has learned. Sometimes I would hear other parents talk about what a great player he is. It was fun to tell them, "That is my son." One day he won't let me kiss him to pieces and will roll his eyes when I tell him I love him before a game. For now he is just my boy who thinks I am still cool.
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| Love my boy..... |
As soon as Jackson's game was over we had to pack up and head to another field a few miles away, for Madelynn's last game of the season. I have truly enjoyed watching her play. Sometimes I am standing there in the moment and it takes my breath away when I remember how far we have come.
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| Yes she is my mini me. |
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| Group hug before the game. |
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| Then the group hug fell over......LOL!! |
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| She mastered the throw in. |
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| She was ready to give it all she had. |
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| Waiting on the ball.... |
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| She was never afraid to just dig in and play. |
Madelynn worked hard through the season. At the beginning of the season, the kids would just run out on the field when they were ready to play; subbing themselves. It was kind of funny. Other days the kids would get bored waiting for their turn to play. I watched Madelynn hang upside down from the bench entertaining herself until it was her turn to play again. By the end of the season, she didn't want to be taken out of the game and tried her best to score.
When Madelynn's game was over we had enough time to stop home, grab a sandwich, get Kaitlynn changed and back out to the field where Jackson played earlier in the day. This was the game I was most nervous about. Let me tell ya Kaitlynn and her teammates brought their A-game. I was so proud at how well the Lady Hurricanes had played.
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| I love to watch her play. |
This year Kaitlynn told me she wanted to play goalie. I almost fell on the floor. In my most composed voice, I told her the decision was up to her coach; she needed to talk to him. She asked, for about half the season she played goalie for part of every game. She was good. I could not believe how far her little body could punt the ball. I just watched in awe. The parents on her team were very supportive of the decision.
For me as her mom, the best moment was when one of the opposing teams head coach tracked us down after the game to tell us what an amazing job she did. We mustered out Thank You and I walked away shaking my head stunned at how well she played. This season was an amazing experience.
For the tournament this weekend, Kaitlynn played the first half as the goalie and nothing got past her it was great. She was all over the ball. In the second half she was the most aggressive I have ever seen her. Some of the parents asked me what I fed her. I told them I asked her to show me how bad she wanted to win. She showed me. It was one of her best games.
When Kaitlynn's first game was over we had enough time to stop at the store, go home and let her have a brief rest. We then left to go to basketball. Yes I said basketball. The first practice for Kaitlynn and Jackson's basketball season was in between Kaitlynn's soccer games. After both practices we headed back to the soccer field for a night game.
Sadly Kaitlynn's team lost. They put up a good fight and I was very proud of how well the girls had done. Kaitlynn's coach passed out trophy's to the girls and spoke about how proud he was of them. When that was over Kaitlynn came and buried her face in my coat and cried. She wanted to win so bad. She had poured everything she had into that game and wanted it so bad she could taste it. But the win just didn't come.
By the time all of this was done we stopped to get a quick bite and went home and all crawled in bed. I am very sad the season is over, but excited to see her play basketball as we move forward. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the kids and watched them play.
Onward we will go to KEEP MOVING FORWARD.
TTFN~
Monday, November 3, 2014
Using what I learned.........and never giving up. I love you Jack-Jack!
Two years ago our NC legislators passed a law requiring all third graders to pass an EOG (End of Grade) test to move on to the fourth grade. Basically it is a status test. It is to help prevent students that come from disadvantaged back grounds from being held back because of that background. It also prevents students from a wealthy background from being promoted based on background and not skill. It is a great idea but it was not properly thought through and brought to fruition the way it was intended. Instead legislators are putting out fires as they flare up in the process.
Sadly the students that have to put up with this ridiculous comedy of errors are the ones truly effected. For starters at the end of the school year eight, yes I said EIGHT, year old kids have to sit in a two and a half to three hour exam. They can not have a break of any kind, bathroom, drink, nothing. They are required to read passages and answer questions that are supposed to be age level appropriate. I don't even remember any final at any age taking this long let alone taking this type of exam at eight years old.
I have read posts from parents about the anxiety, tears and lack of sleep days and weeks before the test. As a parent who has experienced this first hand, the insanity that in sues because of a status test is ludicrous.
So let me tell you our story. My daughter Kaitlynn took this test and was part of the original first group. So her score did not come back until October of the next school year so educators could analyze it. Based on her grades and the fact that the results would not be back before the end of the school year Kaitlynn was promoted to the fourth grade. In October of her fourth grade year, we were told she did not pass the reading EOG and that she was at the beginning of third grade reading level at the beginning of the fourth grade. So she was a whole year behind and had she not been in this starter group she would have failed the third grade. However, she made the AB Honor roll almost every grading period in the third grade.
Since they could not go back and put her in the third grade after they promoted her to the fourth grade (one of the fires I was talking about) they had to help her reach the status quo. She worked really hard. I made her read out loud to me every night and we discussed what she read. By the end of the fourth grade she was at an end of fourth grade reading level. Which was PHENOMENAL!!! She made the AB Honor Roll and she passed the fourth grade EOG's.
Then we have Jackson in the third grade taking these tests for the first time. He also making the AB honor roll several times. He was at an end of third grade reading level at the end of third grade. He was really nervous about the test. He failed it. He was allowed to take a different form of the test a few days later (another fire I was talking about) he failed it. Then he was allowed to take the first test over again (another fire). This was all over a TEN day period. He failed it again. I can not even tell you how many tears were shed by my eight year old son over a STATUS TEST!!
Side note here, there is also a Math EOG starting in the third grade. Jackson passed it on the first try with almost a perfect score. To which I was told was ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. The Math EOG is ALL story problems. You have to have a good handle on reading comprehension to even pass the Math let alone get almost a perfect score. The school counselor also admitted no reading comprehension problem was ever recognized so he was never in any type of preventative class. Also very unusual. The only way Jackson could move on to the fourth grade was to complete an intensive reading summer school program or I pay for 30 hours of tutoring.
So Jackson gets up at 6 am on his summer vacation to ride the bus for over an hour to go to class for three hours. First day of class Jackson comes home his third grade teacher is also his summer school teacher. I called and raised cane demanding they move him out of her class. She was a nice teacher and always had great thing to say about Jackson being in her class but if she can't teach him in nine months how can she help him in 6 weeks of summer school. He was moved the next day to another class. A fresh perspective maybe she could find something to help him.
A week after this summer program started I received a letter that right before their summer recess our brilliant legislators passed another law saying the summer school was no longer mandatory(and yet another fire). He still had to take the test again at the end of the summer but he didn't have to go to the class he could just show up for the test. I am not making this up.
Throughout this whole process I have been very honest with Jackson. I discussed with him all of his options at the time (beginning of June). He chose to go to summer school. When the law changed, I didn't want him to think I lied to him, I told him the truth about the summer school no longer being mandatory did he still want to attend (another fire to be put out). He said, "Yes". So for six weeks over the summer he got up at 6 am four days a week and went to class. August 7th he took the test again and again failed it.
We were told if he completed summer school even if he failed the summer test, he would move on to fourth grade. With this fourth grade placement came promised intensive study help. I contacted the school two weeks before school started to find out the plan. I contacted the school every single week for nine weeks trying to get someone to help my son. All I was ever told was we are working on it. Finally I demanded a conference with the principal and finally received my answer. They would finally implement a program to help him the second week of October.
I received a call ten days later that Jackson would be retaking the test again October 29th. So they drug their feet to implement a program to help him and two weeks later he has to take the test again. I was so angry. I apologized to Jackson that he had to take the test again so soon. I told him I loved him, to do his best, it did not matter whether he passed or failed (He was so stressed about taking it again and failing again). Friday October 31st I received a voicemail from the principal that he passed. YES!! HE DID IT!!
But not because of any help from the North Carolina Education system.
Jackson is the youngest fourth grader in the school and will have to fight for everything. He is very smart and I was told to start him in school early. When the school system accepted him as a student they knew how young her was and agreed to the task. He did not miss an excessive amount of school days, he made all A's and B's almost every grading period, he was never a disruption in the class he fulfilled his end of the bargain as the student. I had him independently tested he does not have a reading problem.
Jackson passed that EOG because he did the required work asked of him, I worked with him daily to make sure he understood the requirements. So the only people that get to take credit for Jackson's passing of this test if HE and I. I am so very proud of him for never giving up. Even though there were many days he tried and I would not let him.
Jackson and Kaitlynn were still in preschool when Madelynn had her open heart surgery. I did not understand the empowerment a parent needed to fight for their child. I was barely getting by raising three kids under five and working a full time job. But when our whole world fell apart, I learned to fight back and fight back with a vengeance. What I learned from Madelynn's journey taught me to fight for all of my children no matter what it takes. I am very thankful for what I learned.
Most importantly I am so proud of Jackson for never giving up.
Jackson's war still isn't over to keep up with the kids in the class. He just leveled the playing field a little by winning this fight. For now we will follow our motto and, "KEEP MOVING FORWARD".
Sadly the students that have to put up with this ridiculous comedy of errors are the ones truly effected. For starters at the end of the school year eight, yes I said EIGHT, year old kids have to sit in a two and a half to three hour exam. They can not have a break of any kind, bathroom, drink, nothing. They are required to read passages and answer questions that are supposed to be age level appropriate. I don't even remember any final at any age taking this long let alone taking this type of exam at eight years old.
I have read posts from parents about the anxiety, tears and lack of sleep days and weeks before the test. As a parent who has experienced this first hand, the insanity that in sues because of a status test is ludicrous.
So let me tell you our story. My daughter Kaitlynn took this test and was part of the original first group. So her score did not come back until October of the next school year so educators could analyze it. Based on her grades and the fact that the results would not be back before the end of the school year Kaitlynn was promoted to the fourth grade. In October of her fourth grade year, we were told she did not pass the reading EOG and that she was at the beginning of third grade reading level at the beginning of the fourth grade. So she was a whole year behind and had she not been in this starter group she would have failed the third grade. However, she made the AB Honor roll almost every grading period in the third grade.
Since they could not go back and put her in the third grade after they promoted her to the fourth grade (one of the fires I was talking about) they had to help her reach the status quo. She worked really hard. I made her read out loud to me every night and we discussed what she read. By the end of the fourth grade she was at an end of fourth grade reading level. Which was PHENOMENAL!!! She made the AB Honor Roll and she passed the fourth grade EOG's.
Then we have Jackson in the third grade taking these tests for the first time. He also making the AB honor roll several times. He was at an end of third grade reading level at the end of third grade. He was really nervous about the test. He failed it. He was allowed to take a different form of the test a few days later (another fire I was talking about) he failed it. Then he was allowed to take the first test over again (another fire). This was all over a TEN day period. He failed it again. I can not even tell you how many tears were shed by my eight year old son over a STATUS TEST!!
Side note here, there is also a Math EOG starting in the third grade. Jackson passed it on the first try with almost a perfect score. To which I was told was ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. The Math EOG is ALL story problems. You have to have a good handle on reading comprehension to even pass the Math let alone get almost a perfect score. The school counselor also admitted no reading comprehension problem was ever recognized so he was never in any type of preventative class. Also very unusual. The only way Jackson could move on to the fourth grade was to complete an intensive reading summer school program or I pay for 30 hours of tutoring.
So Jackson gets up at 6 am on his summer vacation to ride the bus for over an hour to go to class for three hours. First day of class Jackson comes home his third grade teacher is also his summer school teacher. I called and raised cane demanding they move him out of her class. She was a nice teacher and always had great thing to say about Jackson being in her class but if she can't teach him in nine months how can she help him in 6 weeks of summer school. He was moved the next day to another class. A fresh perspective maybe she could find something to help him.
A week after this summer program started I received a letter that right before their summer recess our brilliant legislators passed another law saying the summer school was no longer mandatory(and yet another fire). He still had to take the test again at the end of the summer but he didn't have to go to the class he could just show up for the test. I am not making this up.
Throughout this whole process I have been very honest with Jackson. I discussed with him all of his options at the time (beginning of June). He chose to go to summer school. When the law changed, I didn't want him to think I lied to him, I told him the truth about the summer school no longer being mandatory did he still want to attend (another fire to be put out). He said, "Yes". So for six weeks over the summer he got up at 6 am four days a week and went to class. August 7th he took the test again and again failed it.
We were told if he completed summer school even if he failed the summer test, he would move on to fourth grade. With this fourth grade placement came promised intensive study help. I contacted the school two weeks before school started to find out the plan. I contacted the school every single week for nine weeks trying to get someone to help my son. All I was ever told was we are working on it. Finally I demanded a conference with the principal and finally received my answer. They would finally implement a program to help him the second week of October.
I received a call ten days later that Jackson would be retaking the test again October 29th. So they drug their feet to implement a program to help him and two weeks later he has to take the test again. I was so angry. I apologized to Jackson that he had to take the test again so soon. I told him I loved him, to do his best, it did not matter whether he passed or failed (He was so stressed about taking it again and failing again). Friday October 31st I received a voicemail from the principal that he passed. YES!! HE DID IT!!
But not because of any help from the North Carolina Education system.
Jackson is the youngest fourth grader in the school and will have to fight for everything. He is very smart and I was told to start him in school early. When the school system accepted him as a student they knew how young her was and agreed to the task. He did not miss an excessive amount of school days, he made all A's and B's almost every grading period, he was never a disruption in the class he fulfilled his end of the bargain as the student. I had him independently tested he does not have a reading problem.
Jackson passed that EOG because he did the required work asked of him, I worked with him daily to make sure he understood the requirements. So the only people that get to take credit for Jackson's passing of this test if HE and I. I am so very proud of him for never giving up. Even though there were many days he tried and I would not let him.
Jackson and Kaitlynn were still in preschool when Madelynn had her open heart surgery. I did not understand the empowerment a parent needed to fight for their child. I was barely getting by raising three kids under five and working a full time job. But when our whole world fell apart, I learned to fight back and fight back with a vengeance. What I learned from Madelynn's journey taught me to fight for all of my children no matter what it takes. I am very thankful for what I learned.
Most importantly I am so proud of Jackson for never giving up.
Jackson's war still isn't over to keep up with the kids in the class. He just leveled the playing field a little by winning this fight. For now we will follow our motto and, "KEEP MOVING FORWARD".
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