I Need a Clean House

You can follow Tracy at her new blog The Knit Wit Teacher




I don't know about you, but a messy house stresses me out.  I often see images like this on Pinterest or Facebook and I can completely relate. 

But as I've gotten older I can no longer handle the messiness. I'm not saying I want my house to be a museum. I get the point of this picture.

But why can't I be a good mom, have a clean house, and happy kids? My kids are 11, 9, 6, and 6. They are old enough to help. I'd like my house to stay clean enough that if a friend or family member stopped by unexpectedly I wouldn't be embarrassed by the disaster that was my house. Do my kids care about this though? No. Instead they want to watch TV or play video games/iPads all day. The screen time was becoming a serious issue so after looking through Pinterest I developed this chart. 

Each kid has a box with their name next to it. After they complete a chore to my expectations they receive their points. If they want to play a video game, iPad, or any other reward they have to spend their points. 

I debated on making outside 5 points but I felt like they should at least have their bed made before they went out. 

We've been using this a week and I've been amazed! My kids have been playing and using their imaginations instead of playing video games. We've had blanket forts in the living room and bedrooms but they are quick to clean them up. Bedrooms and bathrooms are staying clean. I'm not finding shoes in random spots. Will this point system work forever? I'm sure it won't. For the time being it's teaching responsibility, expectations, and how to earn your free time. The first day took a lot of cleaning but now it only takes a few minutes and that's what the kids are FINALLY realizing. If they clean up after themselves, they won't have huge messes all the time. 

Want to know the best part? I'm not going crazy because the house is always messy. :) 

A happy Mommy makes a happy house. 

-Tracy

Wonder Twins - Unite.

You can follow Tracy at her new blog: The Knit Wit Teacher

I am a twin. Did you know that? I have a fraternal twin sister. She has blue eyes. I have brown. She's athletic. I can't walk and drink from a cup at the same time. She's spatial. I get frustrated by Tangrams. We are night and day different. 

Growing up I always heard how twins ran in the family but it always skipped a generation. I remember thinking it would be neat for one of my children to have twins. 

While engaged my doctor told me it would be very hard for me to get pregnant. I was crushed. I'd always wanted kids. Imagine my surprise when I found out I was pregnant almost immediately after trying to start a family. In 2004 our oldest son Colin was born. In 2006 we added our daughter Leah. We tried for several months to get pregnant again and had really accepted that it may never happen. 

Then in 2009 we found out I was pregnant again. I was shocked to say the least. I had accepted I would only have 2 children and was ready to move on. I waited the acceptable time and went to the doctor where they wanted to confirm the heartbeat. My mom went with me along with Nick. Nick was leaving after the appointment to go to a textbook adoption meeting so my mom was driving me back home. 

The doctor came in to find the heartbeat and couldn't. I feared I had lost the baby. The doctor wanted to do an ultrasound to see what was going on. We moved down the hall and waited a few minutes for the doctor to begin. A few moments later the doctor found the heartbeat and I finally started to relax. The doctor kept checking things out and then said "Well that's funny, the baby just flipped. Oh, wait a minute.......the baby didn't flip. You are having twins!

I went from fearing I had lost my baby to finding out I was having 2!

My husband turned to me. Patted me on the head. Said "Good job" and left the room. To say he was in shock was an understatement. 

I remember telling the doctor I couldn't be having twins that I was a twin. She just laughed and said that doesn't matter. She was pretty sure I was having identical twins because of only 1 placenta. 

At 34 weeks my baby boys arrived. 

Owyn weighed 5 lbs 5.9 oz. Gavin weighted 4 lbs. 13 oz. They were rushed off to the NICU where they would spend the next 3 weeks. 

They were indeed identical. We left their hospital bracelets on for WEEKS! We were so worried we would mix them up. Luckily for us Owyn has always weighed about 2 lbs more. This has made it easy to tell the boys apart. 

Can you guess who is Owyn? 

Once I was comfortable enough to leave the house with 4 kids ages 5 and under the fun times began. The questions from complete strangers were ridiculous. 

When asked if they were identical I would say "Yes". This was often followed up by "So 1 boy and 1 girl." I simply shook my head and explained that no, it meant they were the same.

But really they aren't the same. They are 2 unique individuals. They may have the same DNA but they are not the same. 

They are both cute. 

They are mischievous. 

They are curious about the world around them. 

They love Mario. 

But they have different personalities. This picture captures that perfectly. 

We never refer to O&G as "The Twins". For their last birthday Owyn wanted cupcakes but Gavin wanted brownies so we had both. They get different gifts. 

We want them to have their special twin bond but we want them to be unique too. 

Why? 

Because my sister and I were always "The Twins". We were never invited to friends without the other one being asked along. We shared cakes. We shared gifts. We were Tracy and Stacy. Our teachers always compared us. I loved school. My sister didn't. 

This caused a major rift with us later on during Middle School and High School. We were always compared to each other and that really bothered us. 

When I found out I was having twins. I didn't want them to grow up being compared. 

I know that's not realistic. But I want to help them be their own person. If they grow up and want to play separate sports we will let them. If they want to pursue separate paths we will encourage them. Identical twins are the same...but they aren't the same. 

It's hard to separate them into 2 unique people for most people. Twins are becoming more common but still a novelty and people are curious about them. I understand that. 

But I know how it feels to always be compared. My sister was an amazing basketball player growing up. I just wanted to be left alone to read. My dream was to become a member of The Babysitter's Club. She wanted to be a builder. We were so different but our teachers and parents wanted us to be the same. 

It was frustrating. 

So now that I'm raising twins, I want to celebrate that they are identical. I want them to have a special bond. I also want them to grow up and know they are unique and that it's okay to have different friends, play different sports, have different likes and dislikes. 

  Owyn is an enjoy the moment kind of guy. Gavin has become a bit OCD. 

In Gavin's world everything must match and line up. Owyn is not like that at all. But some see them as identical and think they must have the same ability. That's not true. 

It's okay to be your own person and not be molded into someone that isn't you. 

Being a twin and raising twins has been a neat experience. 

I wouldn't have it any other way. I love all 4 of my children. Twins simply add a whole level of crazy. 

If you find yourself with twins in your classroom this year or even a twin, try not to compare them. Especially if they are fraternal. 

Growing up a fraternal twin I've come to believe that fraternal means siblings born at the same time. Would you treat sisters that were 3 years apart the same? Probably not. 

-Tracy

DS VS Water

You can follow Tracy at her new blog: The Knit Wit Teacher

As I was lying in bed recovering from surgery this week Gavin runs up to me to give me his DS that is dripping in water. In my medicated state I thought prayed I was imagining things. No such luck.

The following conversation ensued:

 "Why is your DS dripping?"

"Weeeeellllll, it was dirty"

"Okay, I get that it was dirty, but why is your DS dripping?"

"Cause I had ta wash it"

"And just where exactly did you wash it?'

Gavin looking at me like I'm the weird one....."In the sink"

Needless to say the DS would no longer turned on. So what did I do? Threw it in a bag of rice of course.

Two days later the DS is good as new and I'm the best mom ever.

So it's true. Dropping a wet electronic device in rice really DOES work. Who knew?

Keeping it real.
-Tracy

IEP: The Other Side of the Table

You can follow Tracy at her new blog: The Knit Wit Teacher

As teachers we sit in IEP meetings and try to advocate for our students. We gather testing data, grades, classroom observations, behavior reports, and we prepare to face parents. We sit across the table as we face Special Services Departments, Administrators, and parents. Sometimes the parents we face are on the same page as us, other times we are trying to convince parents to take a different path. It's a fine line we walk in IEP meetings. Getting what is best for our students while helping our parents understand why we think that way.

This past week I have been preparing for a different type of IEP. Because today I had an IEP meeting for my daughter.  Yes, you read that right. I have a special needs child.

Meet Leah:

She is my mini-me. She is my only daughter. She is kind, giggly, loves all things girly and has an obsession with clothes and shoes. She is also a child with Aniridia. 

Aniridia is a rare eye condition, affecting approximately 1 in 60,000 births. In most cases Aniridia is genetic. Leah's aniridia is sporadic, a genetic fluke. 

Leah was diagnosed when she was 4 days old. I will never forget that sinking feeling in my stomach when I was told my baby girl had something wrong. This gut clenching fear that something was wrong and I couldn't fix it. Being asked if blindness ran in my family and almost losing it on the doctor. How could something be wrong with my baby? I couldn't understand it and I was scared to death. 

The following months were spent with doctors trying to gauge how bad her Anirida was. Did she have WAGR syndrome or just Aniridia? Was she completely blind or not?

During the past 8 years I have learned how to be a parent of a child with Aniridia. I am still learning what this means for my daughter and her future. How do you tell your daughter she will never be able to drive? How do you prepare her for a future of declining vision? What will I tell her when her peers make fun of her because her eyes look different and they bounce due to her nystagmus? I'm still working that out. 

Today Leah has 20/200 vision and is considered legally blind. She has had two eye muscle repair surgeries to help with her nystagmus and she will face more in her future. She has been labeled with social phobia, storm phobia, and extreme anxiety. During school she has been blessed with an AMAZING vision therapist that is with her for 5 1/2 hours a day. She is learning Braille and how to use a cane. Leah is learning to be her own advocate and how to get through her anxiety. And yet....she is truly a special child. She loves reading chapter books. Has a memory that would astound you. She enjoys things just like every other little girl does. Sometimes we forget that something is wrong but then she walks into a beam or door and we are reminded. 

Today my husband Nick, (also an elementary teacher), and I sat in Leah's annual IEP meeting. We brought out doctors reports showing her Social Phobia, Storm Phobia and extreme anxiety that is tied-in with her Aniridia. Today we were the parents. We spoke for our daughter and worked out her services for next year. We worked out that Leah would be getting a re-eval to add Other Health Impairment to her record to go along with her Low Vision Label. We discussed ISTEP testing options, Braille instruction through the summer along with special equipment she would need for next year. 

At the end of our meeting my heart went out to all the children with IEP's and to the parents of those children. Sitting in on an IEP is a reminder that something is wrong with your child. I ask that every teacher remember that. It's hard being on the other side of the table. Every year I do this and it always makes me want to cry a little. I'm sure most parents of special needs children feel the same way. It's hard hearing that your baby has something wrong with them. My child will always face an uphill battle and that makes me sad. 

And yet....I am proud to say she handles it with beauty and grace. She is special, she is ours, and we are humbled by how amazing she truly is. 

- Tracy