Our Family Chronicle

We will be talking about this decision for a long time.  We have decided it was time to go to another school. The school our kids have been going to their whole lives does not seem to be taking them in the direction we were hoping for.   Pattie is working on some more paper work as I write this.  They ask why are we leaving the school we are at?  There is not enough room to write the numerous reasons.  We most likely should have done this a year ago. We kept hearing that it didn’t matter what school but than we find a number of parents that have changed schools with great results.  Our son seems to be falling behind more and more and it is time we tried something new.  We are going to be trying a charter school next year and I am going to be working with my kids this summer to see if I can get them caught up before school starts.  I will be posting our progress.  Wish us luck. Both Pattie and I will post some past experiences that lead us to this decision.

Tags: Kid's and animals, Public education RANT, parenting by Randall
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My wife went out with grandma to some kind of ladies night out so I was home alone with the kids.  My daughter took this opportunity to challenge me to a two square contest.  I excepted the challenge - she said she won but I don’t believe she explained the rules very well.   However she left no room for argument. She takes after her mother.

Tags: Kid's and animals, Melinda by Randall
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Alex has become a great finder and capturer of garter snakes.   He caught his first by himself when he was about 6 years old.  He has had several different ones ever since.   He caught one for his teacher this past month and then a couple of days ago he found this little one.   Today,  the last day of school he comes home, goes to his room,  comes back out and asks: did you let the snake out?  NO!!!!  Great that little thing can get just about any place.  Well this is a good excuse to clean out your room.  Lets try to find the snake before your mother gets home.  Too late!!  Mom takes it in stride as we search the house to no avail.   I like snakes but I suddenly had a vision of this snake stuck in our heat vent, dying and filling the house with a stench and us not being able to find it.  I make one last look in the coat closet and find it hiding behind some shoes.  Good thing it wasn’t in them.  Wow- was Pattie happy to hear we caught and contained the thing once again.  She thought it would end up in Melinda’s bed – sure to make Melinda hate snakes instead of liking them.

Tags: Alex, Animals by Randall
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Has my 11 year old son become some sort of Mafia hit man in training.  Why is this thumb in my freezer?  I knew when I had kids that as they got older I would be asked questions that I would not know how to answer. I also knew that I would ask them questions about what they are into.  I could not have known this question would be one of them.  

Who’s thumb is in my freezer?  

It’s mine dad, it’s from my magic set.  I filled it with water for an experiment. I decided not to pursue this line of questioning.  I was just happy it wasn’t real. As a father you learn a new perspective as to what is important and what I need to know.  Hence it still sits upright in the freezer – every time startling Pattie and I as we reach for the ice trays.

Tags: Alex, Kid's and animals by Randall
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I have been with Panayota a long time but it wasn’t until a couple of days ago that I heard any one refer to her disappearance as the Panayota shuffle.  Here is how it goes for me.  She will start dinner – put water on to boil,  rolls in the oven and then leave.  I will come in from the other room to find dinner burning or boiling over and I have no idea where my lovely wife has gone.  Normally she has disappeared to one of the neighbors and has lost track of time.   Tonight I went for a quick bike ride she said very nicely that she would cook diner while I was gone.  When I came home Panayota was where?  At the neighbors but outside so I at least knew where she was.   I came inside and yes the water was boiling over but the noodles were in it and not yet burnt to the bottom of the pan.   So we had a good spaghetti dinner and I get to make fun of her and the Panayota Shuffle.  This does not always have to do with dinner -frequently her mother will call and when I tell her that her daughter has disappeared – she was here a minute ago but now she is gone. I do not think her mother always believes me. 

Disclaimer:  Pattie (Panayota) does most of the house work including the cooking.   Yes we sleep in the same bed and I will be more at ease with this disclaimer added in. 

Tags: smart ass by Randall
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