Ben's riding too!

Just a quick update.. after a week of struggling, and me finally taking apart an old, and smaller two wheeler that we had (took off the chain and petals) so that Ben could practice just the balance part of riding, Ben is now riding his two wheeler! I just got the idea of a seated scooter off the internet two days ago, and as soon as Ben had some time to just glide, it clicked! Tonight, as I drove up to the house from taking Oscar to the dog park, John let go of Ben's bike, and off he went. I was so happy to be able to see this, and to give the very well deserved high five!

There are still things to learn like braking, turning, starting on our own, watching out for cars, not hitting our father in the groin when we fall. These are lessons that we will work on in the next few weeks at the neighborhood school parking lot, so that we don't have to worry so much about the through traffic.

My floor is still not mopped. I got the sweeping done, so that's good enough for now.

New Skills

Last night we high-tailed it off to Target and bought the boys two wheelers. This may seem odd to you all, knowing that I have a 12 year old and a not quite 9 year old, but with their Asperger's, one of the issues that they both have is balance (there are fancier, medical terms for this.. I will not subject you to them.. I'd have to look up the spelling anyway..) Sam took off like a soaring hawk this morning. No help, just started to ride. I cannot tell you what a joy it is to see this milestone. There are times when you start to despair that "normal" milestones will ever come to pass, and frankly some never do, and you just have to deal with it. Today however, Sam has grabbed some of his first independence. He and I rode to the local school grounds on our bikes, while dad and Ben took the car with Ben's bike, as he is still trying to learn the balance thing. Ben is really heart broken that he is not flying next to his brother right away. We have to keep explaining to him that he will get it soon, and that he is much younger that Sam is.

He really hates hearing that. Really.

So we road bikes, went swimming, then road bikes again. WOW! It is 6:43 pm and both of my boys have not touched a video game.. right now Sam is reading a book while I make Mac and Cheese... dinner of Champions.

I will pay with my shoulder tomorrow, I know, because I'm paying now.. and not a stitch of my house work got done this weekend, I still need to take the dog to the dog park. But this is a dawning of a new age at the Kafooster house hold, and the mopping of the floor will wait. Amen!

Graduation for Spock

Today was 6Th grade graduation. This is really tough for parents, only 6 more years until graduation from High School. ACK!

Today however, is a celebration, a celebration of Sam's 1st year with some main stream classes since 2ND grade, and with his success with said mainstreaming. Also quite the celebration of who Sam is becoming, a very intelligent young man with a sophisticated sense of humor. Case in point, when Sam was given his certificate of graduation today this is how he stopped in front of the auditorium.


Yep.. that is the international Vulcan symbol for "Live long and prosper" he definitely got some laughs. He said he did it for me. I love my kids. I love that Sam embraces his own inner-geek, and that his inner-geek reflects much of his fathers and my own.

See..

I do want to take this opportunity to give out huge props to his teachers. Unfortunately I do not have a shot of Mr. McCoy, his math teacher extraordinaire, but I have a picture of Sam with his favorite reading teacher. Mrs. L.

But mostly a huge thank you to Mr. Gorans, one of the best teachers that Sam has worked with. Mr. Gorans is his special Ed teacher and is really very good, and seriously overworked, and under paid. But then aren't all teachers?

Mr. Gorans came to us from Minnesota, and Oregon is really lucky to have him. There is a great deal of time and dedication that goes into working with special ed kids, it can be a thankless job with the kids, and frankly with their parents. Even I get defensive with the school staff, and I know how hard their job really is. I know that Sam loves his teachers, but I hope Sam's teachers know how much I love them too. Live long, and Prosper!

Fob cover- the second

So back in November of last year, I made a key fob cover (the brown one) because my key chain part of the fob broke.. and here is where I would add a fancy link to that post if I knew how. I'm a master knitter folks, but I claim no expertise on this confounded machine. (However, any of you experts want to let me know how to do this.. please, please leave me a message)

Anyway, as you can see, my old covers' I-cord connection gave way, and when I went to replace it, I realized that the fading on the yarn was too much for me, so I cut the fob out of the old shell, and knitted another around it.

I started to write up a pattern, as it is really very easy, and significantly less expensive (scrap sock yarn) than the $75.00 they want to replace the fob, (which works fine other than the key chain connection thingy) but I'm not sure that it would be all that wanted..

Because there are so many different shapes to key fobs, the instructions would be general, very Zimmerman-esque.

So I'm thinking of sending the pattern off to Knitty to share with the knitting world. What do you think?

Summer Time Count Down

The game continues...

We are on a 3 day count down to summer time... We officially have no homework this next week, but we do have "graduation" from 6Th grade. I consider this a very good reason to take a Tuesday off. This was my first week back to work on a full time basis. On Monday I was completely wiped out... Heavens, I was so tired. Mind you, I had PHYSICAL THERAPY right after my first full day back, (yes, I know that I screamed it..) Oddly enough, by the end of the week (today, I had to work this Saturday) I'm feeling pretty good. Isn't it amazing how quickly we can get used to something we've done before?
Now some news and some socks.. Firstly, I had to take my wonder dog Oscar to the vet this
week, he has been panting, panting, panting, panting... poor guy. Oscar is overweight, and needs to be on a serious diet.. Also, Oscar has allergies and a staph infection in his skin due to the scratching brought on by said allergies. SO antibiotics for Oscar, 1 cup of food a day for Oscar, and daily walks for Oscar. Oscar looks like a stereo-typical portly English butler.. Or Hercule Poirot, chalk that up to the left over PB and J that is left around, along with gold fish crackers off the floor.



Secondly, these are the newest pair of finished socks.. I like them, but will not wear them until fall, because, oh boy are they warm! I'm starting a pair now that is a wool/bamboo blend.. very soft and light.









And here, I shamelessly used Cloud, the very relaxed, sleeping cat as a prop for the turquoise and gold pair that I had neglected to show you before (bad girl)

Now, I know that it is in bad form, but I will be posted another post right after this one, because I need to download more pictures.. and it is just not catch up stuff.. So see you in a minute.

Pictures, pictures, pictures... and gnomes

We are reaching the home stretch to summer vacation, and frankly, I am tired, sick and tired of homework... et al. For those of you on summer vacation now, fooey on you... no really, I don't mean it, I hope you are having a well deserved break... I still, deep down, resent you.

Moving on, I have promised pictures of socks, and I am coming through, with most of them anyway, because I have been a sock making machine! Here goes.

Now, I have finished that turquoise and gold pair long ago, I just realized while down loading pictures that I never took a finished shot of those. I have counted, I have completed four new pairs of socks, and just have the leg of my fifth to finish. I really want my sock drawer full of my own socks come winter time.. all wool, all mine! Some people want millions of dollars, I'm happy with warm socks.




On to the gnomes. I was at Joann's, (shocker, I know) anyhoo, I found these little miniature hanging gnomes in the 50% off section and thought, well of course, why not?

I decided that I was going to make up a game for the summertime. Random gnome sightings. This is how it works. See a gnome somewhere, get it, put it somewhere else. Don't tell. Let someone else find it and put the gnome in another place. Repeat.

This has already become one of the most amusing things that we have ever done as a family. Honestly. It takes imagination, but very little time and can be absolutely hilarious... Here is one of my personal favorites, this last Saturday morning when I went for the fat free 1/2 and 1/2 for my coffee...




yep, that's the sun tea jug, Sam put it there the night before.. brilliant













Then there is the gnome who wants back in the garden and is willing to ride on my hat..

The gnome on the mantle... just a little closer to the back door, and therefore, the garden..

And just today.. I laughed out loud.. with malicious glee, I might add (well, frankly, I will add) as I found a very particular place for a poor gnome to be... we humans rarely look up, so he may be safe.

Really, I can't tell if he looks trapped, or just as mischievous as I feel.. bless him.