Dancing with the Stars, Fifth Grade Edition

When Cullen came home months ago with a paper from his school announcing they were doing a "Dancing with the Stars" type of class for the fifth graders, I was eager to sign the permission slip and get Cullen started. Cullen, on the other hand, was totally against it. I had a feeling when I signed the permission slip, it wasn't going to get turned in. I even threatened him, saying I was going to check up on him and this dancing at the parent/teacher conferences, to make sure he was attending. It is during the PE hour. Well, guess what, I didn't follow through. So, months go by, and one day Cullen slips up and says something like, "That's the time all the other kids go to dance."
Wait! Hold up! Back up!
"Cullen, you didn't do the dance class like I told you to?!" It had been a couple months in at this point. Oh, did he get an ear full! He was grounded from all the glorious things he liked. I knew that permission slip was going to disappear!
Within a few days, without me telling him to, and in trying to redeem himself, he approached the coach and professional dance instructor at school and tried weaseling his way in the class. He was successful, too. That boy! He is a permanent substitute, in case any kids miss class, but he has been learning the dances and catching on quick and...HE LIKES IT! Imagine that. My whole point in wanting him to sign up was to try something new and see if he would like it. I want my kids to be well rounded and learn all sorts of new things while they are young. Cullen is a fantastic soccer player, baseball player, he's figured out football is not his thing, nor basketball, he is in Jiu Jitsu, is an awesome artist, and he is learning a second language of Spanish. He can add ballroom dancer to that list now. I want to push them to experience the most out of life. One day, they will thank me. As for now, he is giving me great memories to cherish forever.
Cullen, and his friends


Here are the video links of his new found skill...
The Salsa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii97DSTbFUk
The Waltz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQv5J8XBY1k
Swing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHXEkQwlhdM
Tango
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=549pNxMXz60
Merengue
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaAvpg8sYmU

A gift for you, a gift for me...

Cullen and Aiden's school had a Santa's Secret Workshop going on this week. That is where they bring money to school and shop for mom/dad/siblings/etc. on their own time. The gifts cost anywhere from $1-$15, or so. I gave them each $6 per family member, with five people to buy for, equals $30 each.
When I handed the boys their envelopes filled out, Aiden immediately asked if he could have some extra money so he could buy himself something. I explained Christmas is about giving, not receiving, blah, blah, blah. I asked him how he would feel if I bought myself a Christmas gift, and not him, which he answered he wouldn't like it. We had a good five minute conversation, which I thought ended with him clearly understanding what Christmas gifting is all about.
I walked to pick them up from school today and the first thing Aiden says is, "I bought myself something today. I had enough money!". "How was that possible?", I wondered. His answer, "I spent less on you all and I had money left over." I think we may need to have the whole "what Christmas is all about" discussion again! He was mighty sad when I told him it, too, was going under the tree with all the other gifts.
Cullen, on the other hand, informed me he brought his own birthday money he had left over from last month so he could spend MORE on us than what he was given. Awww, my baby! Goes to show you what a few years difference will do to a child's maturity level. Makes a momma proud!

Happy 11th birthday, Cullen!

The day I found out I was pregnant with Cullen, my life changed almost instantly. The year was 1999 and I was days away from turning twenty one. Looking back, I was definitely at the worst stage of my entire life, though I didn't realize it then. I was wild, carefree, irresponsible, partying, and had no true path in front of me. I met a boy in a bar in New Orleans and within months, we were in love, expecting, and married. I almost got whiplash from how fast things changed. From that point on, I knew I wanted to be the best mommy I could be, even if it meant being a single mother to provide a better atmosphere and household for him. Cullen and I have been through so much together. When I look back at his eleven years, I not only see how much he has matured, but I see how much I have, too. From the day I met Jude, my life only got better. We were an official couple on Cullen's third birthday, got engaged on his fourth birthday, and married by his fifth birthday. Jude and I, together, with God as our leader, are raising him the way I envisioned life should and would be. Today, Cullen has four loving parents, four sets of families that adore him, and though life isn't the perfect cookie cutter scenario, I can't imagine it any better with all the love and support he has.
Cullen always throws me the curve balls. By the time you have a second child, you kind of know what to expect with each age and stage of that next child. By the fourth child (in our case, fourth boy) I feel very sure of myself. But Cullen, he is almost like my experimental child. I am going through life trying to raise him with no experience, without knowing what to expect next and questioning myself all along the way. When I look at him and see that sweet, loving, sensitive, smart, artistic, well mannered, handsome child, I am reassured we are ALL on the right path...together. I can't ask for much more in life.
His little brothers have some big shoes to fill!
Happy birthday to my baby!

Cullen, his friend Christian, and Aiden

The sex talk, minus the sex

Friday night is family movie night at our house, a tradition we just recently started. Tonight we rented "Look Who's Talking" so the boys could see a newborn baby with his "daily thoughts". Anyway, as soon as the movie started, you have the sperm swimming to the egg. From that point on, Cullen tried to ask a million questions during the entire movie. I tried to fast forward through a few parts, including the opening, but that didn't stop him. I told him to hold all his questions until the movie was over, and for when his brothers weren't around. Then Aiden chimes in, "We're ALWAYS going to be around!". So sorry we picked this movie! When it was over, it was late, almost eleven, and I told Jude to have a seat because I was not doing this sex talk alone. I already knew the questions to expect for the most part, but I was SURE he was going to ask about the birds and the bees. We haven't had that talk yet. He's ten.
So, Cullen starts the conversation off asking if those were sperm. "Yes, they were."
C: "What were they doing?"
Me: "Swimming to the egg."
C: "The woman has the egg?" "Yes."
C: "How do they know to come out?"
Me: Thinking logically, I said "Gravity". I was thinking the wrong way.
Jude: "When a man and woman are married, the sperm just know that it is time to come out."
C: "Then how come people who aren't married have babies?"
Me: "Because you can do anything you want to do with your life, but there will be CONSEQUENCES! Some people make the wrong decisions before marriage."
C: Starts going through a list of young people he knows that are single parents.
Me: "Do any of those people have wonderful family lives or do they struggle taking care of their child alone?"
C: "Struggle." I gave him a few examples.
Me: "You can do anything you want, in the end, it is your decision, your life, and you are the one who will suffer the consequences." I then brought God into the conversation and also informed him that just because the girl has the baby doesn't mean she will raise it. He could end up raising the child, and I told him to look at his little brothers as examples of how demanding children can be. You don't get a break. They are permanent.
The conversation continued with questions about sperm donors, enemas, and lesbians; not in that order.
Jude tried to answer the sperm donation question and it started off with "A man puts his sperm in a jar...". I almost fell out my chair to stop him. I told Cullen it is a very technical medical procedure and is something he can wait to learn about later on in life. There is a such thing as TMI.
The entire talk was an awkward conversation to say the least, but he did not once ask about the actual act of "sex", and it was too late in the night for me to dive into it. My brain was half off. I am a little worried he may already know things I don't want him to know from his peers.
My parents didn't have the birds and the bees talk with me until it was too late. I don't want that for him, but I am also clueless in this area on what to say. I think I need a book of some kind. Any suggestions?

(Let me just end this post with, as an adult, I am aware of many healthy, wonderful, families who are headed by single parents, but I am not about to fill my young child's head with stuff I do not want for him. I only pray he does not knock up some teenage girl, which could make me a grandparent in the next three to nine years.)

Summer is done!

Another non-blogging month long hiatus and I am ready for story time again.

Cullen started school last week. He is an "old and wise" fifth grader now. (At least that is what he would like to believe.)
Aiden's first day of school was today, my big kindergartner.

They were drawing pictures of themselves. Notice the yellow hair Aiden has drawn. First thing. That is how he identifies himself in every self portrait. I love it!


Time just flies on by, and this time next year, Roman will be entering into the Spanish Immersion program his brother is in. They will be talking about me in Spanish in no time, I just know it.
The good news is I survived the summer, and no one was harmed. Bonus! Having just Roman home today was nice. Very nice. We even took a nap together in my bed. Jude has been on vacation all week and home from work. He has cleaned the house from top to bottom and taken care of majority of the household duties, while I have sat and watched television, leaving nothing left on the TiVo to watch. The last couple weeks of being pregnant has caused me quite a few issues and Jude doesn't want me to do ANYTHING, though I think bed rest would drive me absolutely nuts. It is HARD to sit and do nothing all day. Jude is the greatest husband a girl could ever ask for! I hope my boys are learning from him:)

A ten year old boy, and his laundry

A few weeks ago Cullen was at his dad's house and I was home doing laundry. I went in his room and his laundry was all over the floor. Total mess! It seems I am always getting on to him about picking up his clothes after himself, for five years at least. So, I closed the door and decided he can pick them up and he can wash them himself. When he came home last week, I informed him of my plan, told him to bring his clothes into the laundry room and then waited for him to take the initiative. When he ran out of shorts yesterday, he was ready. I made him sort colors, turn the washer on, load it, unload it, load the dryer and operate that, listen for the buzzer, take his clothes out, hang them, and fold them. He had three loads. He did it three times. After folding the first load, he turned to me and asked "You have to do this times five? Why do you want more kids?". It was great to see the understanding on his face. I told him as long as he picks up his clothes and just puts them in his hamper, I will continue to wash his clothes. The point is...DON'T BE LAZY!! I am praying he got it. It took me twice as long to teach him everything, compared to just doing it myself.

Taste and See

Cullen and Aiden have been attending vacation bible school together this week at the church we attend and the theme is Taste and See. It has like a Candyland theme. Every day they give a fun report of what they did. Here are a few photos from my phone...

I'm not the only one gaining weight around here

Cullen, who's ten, has been off his ADD medicine for almost three weeks now and is steady gaining weight. I am so happy! He has also calmed down from that first week of getting off of the them. Although he still has problems processing stuff like directions, he is not all over the place like he was that first week. Here is a side by side of the past three weeks. The first picture is from the end of May and the second one is today, mid June. His cheeks are chubbier and his shoulders are a little broader. It amazes me. I want to take him back to the doctor to weigh him again on their scale and see what the difference is.

May 2010

June 2010

Two thirds of a break

This morning I woke hoping to send all three boys to their Aunt Dawn's house. She wanted to take them to see a movie today. Well things do not always go as planned and Aiden woke up with 103 fever. I had a baby doctor appointment to go to, also. I dropped Aiden off at my m-i-l's and then the other two at Aunt Dawn's so I could go sit in the doctor's office waiting room for two hours. (Oh, it was busy there.) So my free day didn't turn out the way I had hoped. We did get to do another ultrasound and see our handsome little man,

whom I say looks like Roman after today's viewing. He is an active little child, moving way more than I ever remember his brothers moving. We have a VHS tape of today's show, but no VCR in the house to play it on. Hmmmm. After the doctors visit, I picked Aiden up and I was going to take him to McDonald's for some mommy and son alone time lunch. I felt bad that his brothers were out enjoying a movie while he was not. We pulled in the parking lot and the skies opened up, loud thunder, and lightning you could see in the car. Scared me half to death. I kindly asked him (looking all petrified) if we could get our lunch to go and hang out at home. He was supportive and agreed. We got home, ate, and have hung out all day on the recliner. He still has a high fever of 103 this afternoon.

This is day five of his illness and the highest the fever has been this week. (He even let mommy take a picture for the blog. What a sport!) What could have been a day all about me turned into a day all about him. Isn't that the way it always goes though? But, I wouldn't trade him/them for the world!
A break from two out of three ain't bad:)
Thank you Aunt Dawn and Megan!

My summer sucks! (Complaining ahead...)

Aiden has been sick since Sunday night. He has had a fever at night (and in the mornings) for four nights now. He was been chewing on his shirts until the entire front of them are soaking wet and Jude and I really thought he may be breaking in teeth. During the day, he acts fine. Well, last night Jude was about to give him some Oragel and I got a flashlight to look at his teeth. It's not his teeth, it's his throat. Puss filled, red, yucky throat. Now, Aiden and Roman get this about twice a year. It is just a sore throat with fever, and they usually pass it to each other. We take them to the doctor, they test for Strept, it comes back negative, and we go home with no medication. Today, that is exactly what happened, again. I'm drained staying home, basically locked inside, with all three little children. I want to do stuff every day! This week it is Aiden, and next week it will be Roman. Cullen is eating me out of house and home, and the not listening is making me yell. I do not know how parents do it with children that have ADHD and do not have them on some sort of medication for it. I have to tell him to stop doing things five times, in a row, all day long. Annoying his two little brothers until they scream is his top priority this summer. Then, he will turn and ask why am I fussing at him more than them. OMG!!! I may just run away before the summer is over, forget medicating myself as I have said previously.
Me: "Cullen, leave your little brother alone!" x5
Me: "Cullen, go brush your teeth." x5
Me: "Cullen, stop doing that." "Cullen, stop doing that." "Cullen, stop doing that!"...
Me: "Cullen, do not talk to me like that." x5
Me: "Cullen, who is the parent here?! I've got this!" x20
As far as eating (since med-free), he wants TWO breakfasts, TWO lunches, and TWO dinners, with snacks every hour. He has gained TWO pounds in the past week, no kidding. (What am I going to do when all four boys are in the teenage years?) He gained two pounds total all year while taking his ADHD medication. I feel like I am losing brain cells this week cooped up in the house, repeating myself over and over and over. I need a place to escape to so they can burn energy on a daily basis because this "petite" house isn't doing it.

Let me out the house!

This morning Aiden woke up fever free and all three boys were home. I tried my best to stay home, worried that he could relapse, but around noon I said screw it. I was going nuts. Each child was sent to their room at least once this morning. Cullen has been quite the handful, too.
**About a month ago, I went to Cullen's pediatrician to ask about his ADHD medication. He has only gained two pounds over the past year and the doctor said five to ten pounds is the norm. I informed him that I am concerned about Cullen's slow growth rate and was worried his medication could be affecting him. My goal was to ask for the patch, as I have heard it is better than pill form for eating habits. Well, goal-schmole. The doctor said that his current medication was the best one and if I was worried about his eating habits, I should take him off his medication during the summer to fatten him up. Not what I wanted to hear, but he is the doctor and Cullen does eat like a horse on days he forgets to take it. So, once summer started, oh, a few days ago, Cullen was ready to heed the doctor's advice. (He hates the fact that he has to take medication.) Friday morning he stopped his ADHD meds and my old wild Cullen is back. I think by the end of this summer, pregnant and all, I will need medication! My next option is to put him on a lower dosage, so he eats a little more and still has a little help from his meds. I am trying med free first, for Cullen's growth and for his preference.**
Getting back to today, I called Amy by twelve and asked if she had any plans. She didn't and was happy to get out of the house as well, so we headed over to a bounce house and let the kids run free. The boys played so well together, it was refreshing. An hour and a half later, it was nap time. Nice! Cullen rode his bike and I enjoyed the quiet. It is going to be one extremely long summer.

Just ONE date, please

Jude was off Thursday and Friday this week, which is different. Thursday we had a ton of to do's and didn't get to spend a lot of time together. But today (Friday) we made up for it.
We woke up late and went to the gym with two of the little monkeys. When we got home, I was sitting here thinking it has been forever since we have had a date. So, Jude called his parents and they agreed to babysit for a few hours. We dropped all three boys off and went to lunch at Copeland's. We had tickets to go see Sex and the City 2

and were enjoying our nice relaxing adult (child free) time when Cullen's dad called me and asked if we could bring Cullen to a baseball tournament game on the WB at 8:00pm. Ughh, children! Of course, I said yes. We went to the movies and I loved it. Our only issue was there were these obnoxious women at the very top we were sitting near who were so loud and ridiculous, that we actually moved many seats down (after people behind us cursing them out). Odd, adults don't know how to act. We were running very short on time; we rushed to Jude's parents to get Cullen, rushed to our house to get his glove, rushed to Eddie's mom's house to get his uniform and bat and then rushed to the field, only to arrive just minutes before the game started. We missed warm up. It was sweet to watch Cullen pitching, as his dad has pretty much taken over the sport of baseball with him, near his home.

Jude tried to take a few pics, but the lights and camera didn't mix well together.
After, we brought Cullen to sleep at his Maw Maws' and had a very late dinner of McDonald's, then went to bed. It was a long day, with just a touch of relaxation in it, that must get me through the next few weeks of summer until we can sneak away again.

School is out for summer

Today was Cullen's last official day at school and ALL three children will now be home ALL day on a some what regular basis till the middle of August. (Please pray for my sanity!) When I picked Cullen up from school, he and I went to the store to pick him up a new bike for having all A's and B's all year in academics (not conduct). He did so good on his LEAP tests, too. He really tried this year, you could see his efforts, and it was a brand new school that he had to adjust to on top of it all. He has made us proud and I felt he needed a little reward to encourage him for the next school year. He is now entering the fifth grade. Wow! I told Jude that it really makes me feel old because I can remember the fifth grade like it was yesterday. Now, I am the mother of a fifth grader. *Looking in the mirror for wrinkles.*
Also, I picked up Aiden's report card today from school and he had all 3's (equals proficient) for his final grades, which is the highest you can get. My little Pre-K'er did so well! He also got all green smiley faces in conduct ALL year long except ONE yellow face ONE DAY (for looking under a bathroom door, lol). That is a big change from what I experienced with Cullen in his younger days. I was the parent always in the parent/teacher conferences, trying to explain his behaviors with reasons and trying to find solutions. That boy put me through some sh*t. Aiden's conduct IN SCHOOL is very refreshing!
After, Jude and I took the three boys to see Shrek 4 and it was cute. Cullen thanked us over and over, telling us he had such a great day today, and you know what, I did too:)

Leap Test

Cullen changed schools this year from Catholic to Public and has been doing really good academically, socially, and even in physical education. They actually play sports at this school during P.E. and his little football team even won an award, competing against other classmates. He is playing there instead of just hanging out like at his old school, which is helping him is his after school sports tremendously.
So anyway, he took the LA Leap Test a few weeks ago and his results came in today.
The results fall into these categories on Leap Tests:
advanced, mastery, basic, approaching basic and unsatisfactory.
Cullen's results were as follows=
English Language Arts-Mastery
Mathematics-Advanced
Science-Mastery
Social Studies-Advanced
He was so excited to get in the car from school and tell me the results and I am so very proud of him.

Dear Cullen,
You are a very smart young man and you never cease to amaze me. At times, you have no faith in yourself, but mommy has enough for the both of us. You make me very proud and one day I hope you see your own potential, grab it, and run with it.
I love you with all my heart.
Mom
Now, if we could just get him to stop talking in class...

Baseball player #2

Aiden started playing "baseball" at the local YMCA recently, and he loves it. He is following in his big brother's foot steps.


Cullen is playing baseball again this year by his dad's local park and he is the pitcher for the team. He's a terrific player!

My little athlete(s)

Cullen dressed in his official soccer uniform...


I can't stand how much he is growing up! Makes me sad.
Also, Aiden has signed up for T-Ball at the local YMCA and will be improving his skills over the next eight weeks. Photos coming soon!
Roman wondering when it will be his turn to run out on the field

All Star Soccer Team

Cullen's soccer team won first place in their playoffs! I was so happy for him and his team. He received a trophy on Friday

after their final game. Well, I thought it was his final game of the season until I received a phone call asking if he could play on the All Star Team these next few weeks. It's the first year he was eligible to play on it and he got picked as one of the few. Now, I'm not a big sports fan, but I do know that this is an honor. I really hope his team does well and they move up to the next level. My little boy is growing up. He is having a lot of big "moments" this year. I am one proud mommy!

Note: He definitely doesn't have his mother's athletic abilities.

Highway workers

Cullen, my artsy ten year old, decided to opt in on a project that was parish wide in schools and draw a sign to promote caution while driving during road construction. This is the beautiful picture he has drawn...

Student of the Month x2 with a lil' ADHD

Last month, I was very proud to hear that Aiden was January's Student of the Month for his Pre-K class. Each month (in nine months of school) they pick one student from each class to be the Student of the Month. It was a proud mommy moment for me. My first child to get recognized for something like this at a school. Cullen was saddened by this news, and really gave himself a hard time, saying to us "Well at least you have one smart/good kid". Cullen has had a hard time in school since he started preschool with keeping his mouth closed and staying seated during class. It has been a long journey trying to control his mild case of ADHD, with many years sitting in doctor's offices talking it all out, trying to come up with a plan not involving medication. When a child has ADHD, they can show symptoms very early on. As they grow, and get older, you start to expect more out of them (in the behaviour department with listening, etc) that they just can't provide. I am fine with a child who doesn't "listen" to mommy and daddy, as honestly, none of my children really do. lol It's when it starts affecting his quality of life that I really started to consider giving him medication, around the middle of third grade. He was constantly in trouble, being fussed, and not a favorite among the teachers when it came to conduct. Don't get me wrong, he is polite, respectful, and sweet as can be. It's the listening and following directions that he struggles with. His conduct has kept him off the honor roll, not his good grades. It's sad to see him struggle in school and I have had more parent/teacher conferences concerning his talkativeness then I would like to admit. So we started him on medication last year and there were a few instant minor improvements, but nothing miraculous. We were still trying to figure out the right dosage recently, as I am always very hesitant to increase it. This last dosage adjustment last month seems to be the magical number. It has taken a year of trying to find the right formula, but I think we've got it. I can see big improvements in him, like a little miracle, yet he is still my same Cullen.
Well, a few days ago, Cullen came home and stated he was Student of the Month this month for his fourth grade class. I couldn't believe it. I was so excited, and yet a tad hesitant to get worked up without the paperwork in front of me. That sounds terrible, I know, but I was in disbelief. Like, it was too good to be true. Today, the school had an award ceremony for the January/February students (thank you God for combining them) and Cullen sure enough got the certificate as PROOF. He has really shaped up this past month and has even improved some of his grades (not that they weren't perfect to mommy already). I am so super duper proud of my little man! Both of them!
Maybe I'm not that bad of a parent after all...
Aiden receiving his award


Cullen receiving his award


Roman learning from his two big bro's

Where do babies come from?

This past week we told the boys we were having another baby. There have been a lot of questions coming in ever since then. They want to know if it will be a boy or a girl. They like to discuss names. They all seem very involved and it is precious. So, I was bathing Aiden Sunday and he asked me where do babies come from. I snickered and yelled the question to Jude so he could get a giggle. As I was deciding the best answer in my head, Jude yells back, "From a flower". (Flower=girl part here) When I heard that, I quickly told him they come from the belly. Aiden says "Nu-uhh, I know where babies come from", smirking. I asked where and he replied, "From a flower." I could have died. I think he knew I was BS'ing at that point because Daddy spoke the truth. He's four and he now knows where babies come from. Cullen is ten and still doesn't know this interesting fact!
Which brings me to this. My four year old schooled my ten year old on where babies come from. Cullen came home Monday morning from his dads and we were on our way to Jude's Maw Maw's funeral. We're in the car and I hear Aiden say so proudly, "I know where babies come from!". Cullen replies, "Me too! They come from the stomach." Aiden says "Nu-uhhh, no they don't. They come from *insert motions pointing to himself down below*". Cullen says, "No they don't!" Aiden, "Yes they do! They come from a flower!". At this point, Jude and I are cracking up laughing. Cullen tries to tattle on Aiden and the truth comes out. Both boys now know where babies come from THANKS TO DAD. I did add that technically, babies come from both areas, it just depends on your delivery.
_____________________________________________________
The other day Aiden and I were playing around rough and I told Aiden "I made you. I brought you into this world and I can take you out." Without skipping a beat, Aiden replied "You didn't make me, GOD DID!". He is too smart (mouthed).