Our New Kitty!

As you know, we recently lost Doodle H., our cat of 17 years. My neighbor recently took in a stray mother cat, and tonight we got one of her kittens! Isn't he adorable?

In Which Mammarino Gets a Teeny Bit Political

My mother-in-love just called to thank me for the lovely Christmas card she received from us today - which was postmarked Dec. 13, 2008! Gotta love the trusty ol' US Postal Service. Doesn't it just make you want MORE of what our government has to offer? Just think of the possibilities! Health care! More control over education! Ahhh, my heart flutters with anticipation . . .

I Ain't Got No Vee-Hicle

This has been the condition of our yard for the past week. All we need is a tattered, threadbare couch on the front porch and we'll be bona fide, certified rednecks!

I might ask mah cuzzin Billy Joe Jim Bob tuh brang me sum chickens and a coon dawg.

(In my poor Hubby's defense, it rained ALL WEEK, and the parts for my van had to be ordered!)

WFMW: Pete the Perfectionist

This week's WFMW is a backwards edition; this week, I get to hear your tips! Here's my dilemma:

Persnickety Pete, my 1st grader, is painfully perfectionistic. (Try saying that 10 times fast!) He is very bright but feels that everything is "too hard", and he often refuses to do his work for fear of messing something up. For the record, I am extremely patient and try my best to make school fun and laid back. I never, ever criticize; I try to stay really positive. Here are some examples from our homeschool:

One day, he had a complete meltdown because his work was "too hard". His assignment? No, it wasn't to calculate pi; all he had to do was draw four small circles and cut them out! He either forgot or didn't hear me say to draw them first, and he was left with a paper that made Swiss cheese look solid!

Today, he was to think of words that begin with the letter "n" in order to finish a simple project. (Keep in mind, he is reading very well at this point.) I showed him lists in dictionaries, on the web, etc. and nothing satisfied him. He never did do it.

Sometimes he cries and refuses to continue if he's drawing or writing something and it doesn't look good enough in his eyes.

I really want him to have a good school experience and feel good about himself. This is driving me NUTS! Any ideas?

Here are my previous WFMW posts:

Checkout Line Pastime
Cheap Capris
Save a Life! (Not WFMW, but an important post!)
Cooling Oatmeal
Backseat Entertainment
Gifts to Spark Your Child's Imagination
Reading Motivation
Finding a Babysitter
Charging a Cell Phone
Swim/Shower with a Cast
Free Tech Support
Calming Injured Children
Choosing a Phone Number
What NOT to Soak Contacts In
Broken Glass Cleanup
Cheap Rolling Cart for Conventions
Chocolate Recipes
Tooth-Tugging Tip for Terrified Tots
Handy Earache Relief
Uses for Leftover Bread
Leaky Diaper/Pull-up Fix
Snack Mix Recipe (at the end of the post)
Awesome Stain Recipe (at the end of the post)
"Fun"damentals of Family Life
Removing Wite-Out from Everything
When NOT to Save Money
Public Service Announcement

For more WFMW, stop by We Are THAT Family!

She's Just as Unpredictable

Introducing . . .
"Hippie" Longstocking (as she calls herself!)


I love this age!!!

Happy $%&@#*$ Day!

(If you have little ones looking over your shoulder who know how to read, you may want to shoo them away or read this later!)

March 26 is Create Your Own Holiday Day. Pete declared that it was Stay Up All Day and Night Day, which I promptly nixed. (Aren't I a meanie?) He decided to join Drama Queen in her celebration of Backwards Day.

When Screech inquired as to why Drama Queen's clothes were on backward, her sister patiently explained that it was Backwards Day. Screech "corrected" her, saying, "No! It's B*st*rds Day!"

Alright then. Let me be the first to wish you a very happy B*st*rds Day!

It's right up there with Festivus.

Mess of the Day #29: Secret Stash

Apparently, Screech has been stuffing miscellaneous items into a hole in a speaker for several months now. Contents:

- 9 snowman and Santa figurines
- 1 Hot Wheels truck
- several large wads of stuffing
- various lengths and styles of yarn
- 1 pencil
- 4 other miscellaneous toys