Future Rockstar?

Yet another thing that Heidi Jean got from her daddy...when singing along to the radio, she hums the rhythm and just sings the words she knows. Case in point:

Lalalaalala...fish (give me back that filet-o-fish)

Lalayaaya...fish (give me that fish)

And

dadayalaalalalaladayaya...map, map, map (if there's a place you need to go, I'm the one you need to know, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map).

Perhaps they'll start a father-daughter band.

Summer in March

We got a little spoiled around here this week with record highs and sunny skies I'm a poet and I didn't even know it . And so, we resumed our favorite pasttime with the Nut: walking to the park. I am 97% certain that if I told Heidi to walk to the park she could easily navigate the 1/2 mile walk all alone. But we use the stroller, because that's faster.

We've discovered that the things that were fun last year, like swinging and climbing up and down the stairs, are equally as fun this year, if not more fun because we're much faster.

And, the things that were torturous last year, like leaving the park, continue to be torturous this year.

We also discovered a classic summertime treat.

It is possible you heard her screams as I pried the melted Push-Up from her sticky fingers.

If you see this man...

The one that is checking into a hotel with his clothing and toiletries in this:

I don't know him.

The Lovie

As parents, we tried to introduce Heidi to a "lovie." Some little thing that she could use to comfort her in new situations, help her sleep, etc. We had a bunch of those little "blanket animals." You know the ones, about a foot squared, silky on one side, and an animal head attached.

Of course, The Nut had other ideas. To Heidi Jean, nothing beats an afghan. According to Wikipedia...

An Afghan is a blanket, wrap, or shawl of colored yarn. It is knitted or crocheted in geometric shapes. It can also be referred to as an "afkin,"^[1] "throw blanket," or simply as a "throw". Afghans, throw blankets, and throw rugs, originally named because the materials used would decay and the items would be thrown away, were first made in Afghanistan and commonly included geometric designs and many holes in the pattern. The most common defining detail about afghans is that they are made from yarn and hand-stitched or knitted.^[2] In North American craft tradition, afghans are handcrafted blankets of various sizes to be draped over sofas or large chairs for decoration and are sometimes used for napping or warmth.

I'm willing to say that Heidi Jean uses hers more than "sometimes" for napping.

Afghan=Lovie

The Definition of Mom-Guilt

...going into the bathroom after putting Nutty to bed and peeking in the potty chair to find a substantial amount of little-girl-pee and realizing that no Potty Dance was done. Potty Training Fail.

You can take the girl out of the country...

It's hard to summarize my trip to Chicago for the National Association of School Psychologist's Annual National Convention in just one short post. So I will do my best with a list of things I learned while in Chicago...

• The Hyatt Regency downtown Chicago is the most massive and strangely organized hotel I've ever been to. I now know that purple is the bottom floor (but not the first floor, more like 5 floors below ground). Bronze is the floor I want to be on to get over to the West tower (where you can traipse over to the underground mall for some delish food). Gold is below bronze. And Blue is above Bronze. I think.
• Do not. I repeat do not. Take the elevator to the 14th floor in the West tower when your room is on the 14th floor in the East tower.
• Between 5 and 6 pm it's best just to ride the elevator up from the 14th floor in order to get down to the 1st floor, because that baby ain't stoppin'. Despite the fact that you can hear it whizzing up and down.
• And all the parking is valet parking. Do not attempt to park your own vehicle. It will not cut down on the $50/night parking costs at any rate.
• Three young women can get sufficiently stuffed at AVEC with 4 small plates, one large plate, one dessert, and one bottle of wine. Your wallet will no longer be sufficiently stuffed.
• At a Greek restaurant you must order Sakanaga. Or something like that. It's cheese lit on fire. It's very good. I'd get two.
• You really can just stand on the sidewalk and lift 2 fingers and the cabbie will pull right up. Just like on TV.
• Most teachers/school staff get in free to many Chicago museums (okay, I learned this before I left, but still think it's a helpful tip).
• There are restaurants that will let you bring your own booze. And when you show up with your booze, they'll even bring a bucket of ice and a corkscrew. I love this idea.
• The "L" is also exactly like on TV. And the guy who does the voice on the "L" is from Wisconsin.
• If you tell the housekeeper you don't need housekeeping she will be very disappointed.
• Weighted refrigerators, as seen in The Hangover, exist. And they are not set up for you to add your own food to the refrigerator, so don't try it.
• Toilet paper is apparently an old-people aphrodisiac.

And for all of my teacher friends *cough* and bosses *cough* I also learned...Get to your sessions early unless you want to sit on the floor in the aisleway

The RtI for SLD rubric that Misty Lay and her Kentuckian colleagues presented makes me excited about RtI again.

There is an awesome principal in Philadelphia named Salome Thomas El. He can also teach you chess.

If I can get you to set a date and time to carry out a task, the likelihood of you performing that task is much improved.

It is best to compare your progress monitoring data to schools that make ample gains. Rather than a national sample.

That kid may not just be lazy or unmotivated. But what's my excuse?

Apparently CAPD dropped the C a long time ago. It was redundant.