A Fun Video To Share.....

For anybody who's ever even remotely liked _The Sound of Music_ here's a YouTube clip you simply MUST see.

A Bit of Frauline Maria

Simply being there would probably have me smiling for weeks, whenever it was remembered.

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Let's see, what's happened this week???

Tay's best friend broke her arm on Thursday. Was tripped by a fellow classmate in gym class (though the gym teacher didn't see it, and therefore the kid wasn't punished) and fell and fractured the smaller of the two main bones in her arm. Now has her arm in a sling. And today is her 12th birthday. Poor girl. *wry smile* Tay's headed over there now to help clean up for the party this afternoon.

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The Psych Eval. results came back normal. As in, Tay is not/does not have ADD. *sigh* I was really hoping that this was the answer. It appears it is not. Which puts us back to having no answers as to what may be going on with her. *big sigh* That totally sucks.

In more detail, though....

Scale **************** IQ/Index ******** Percentile ************ 95% Confidence
Verbal comprehension **** 96 ************** 39 ******************** 89-103
Perceptual Reasoning **** 90 ************** 25 ******************** 83-98
Working Memory ********** 91 ************** 27 ******************** 84-99
Processing Speed ******** 80 *************** 9 ******************** 73-91
Full IQ Scale (Total combined)* 87 ********* 19 ******************** 82-92

In each of these 4 aspects, she had to have scored at a 74 or lower in the IQ/Index portion in order to qualify as having a learning disability. The only section she comes even close in is the Processing Speed. Thus, she's NOT got an actualized learning disability, and therefore does not qualify for Special Needs programs. The Special Ed. teacher DID suggest that her Processing Speed indicates that we need to take more time to explain more complex ideas such as history and science lessons. To give her MORE time and MORE instruction in these areas where she shows a definite struggle at home. *sigh* I guess.......

It just bums me out that we didn't get a definitive answer that would really help. As it is, the definite answer is that she DOESN'T have a learning disability, but then WHY is she struggling so much?

So, as I said, we're back at the beginning again, just about.

And, to be quite honest, it makes me somewhat sad for Tay to see those results. I've never thought of Tay as stupid or retarded or any such thing. But to see that she's at the low edge of the average portion of the IQ scale, to see that she's in the 19th percentile over all..... That makes me sad. AND it DOES make me wonder, AM I expecting too much of her? I want to expect a lot of her, because I DO truly believe she's a smart, inquisitive child. But, thanks to this IQ test I'm left wondering if maybe she really ISN'T capable of comprehending more than she does. Maybe there isn't a learning disability persay, but that it simply comes out to that her brain isn't built to comprehend to the level that I find normal based on my experience.

And, considering how much of himself Scott says he sees in Tay, maybe this lessened propensity for problem solving and puzzling things out is why HE has such a problem grasping the ecological and economic issues I see and worry about. Maybe their brains just aren't capable of grasping these things. Again, that makes me sad for them. Will that make me feel better that I'm not being understood or believed when I say something? Does it mean I should cut them both a lot of slack and just not bother with trying to get them to understand? I don't know. But these results definitely have me asking all these questions of myself.

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This week, Stephanie came over every day to hang out with Tay for a while. Stephanie helped out with the school work, and they took the dogs out for walks, and baked cookies one day. It sounds like Stephanie will stop coming over on Fridays, though, as I've got the day off and it's obvious that Tay and I cannot be in the house together without both of us getting frustrated. But, at least Stephanie had a chance to see this on Friday, even if she only caught a glimpse of how aggrivating (and aggrivated!) Tay can get when she and I try to sit down and do schoolwork together, or anything else that requires me to tell Tay to do something. (IE: not just schoolwork, but to do dishes, or laundry, or feed the dogs..... If it requires me to give Tay instruction, it ticks her off that I must do so, and she argues with me, which ticks ME off. *wry smile*)

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The newest on Scott's job is that some of the 401k "insurance" that was promised by his company has been withheld. The financial and HR promised these guys they'd protect the 401k monies that my hubby and his coworkers have been socking away for the last year, even if it required a financial hit for the company over all. In exchange, the employees were expected to take their 2-weeks-unpaid-leave without complaint. Well, the company financial "wizards" screwed the hubby and his coworkers over on their 401k and the promises that were made to them, therefore Scott and his co-workers are refusing to take that 2 weeks leave without pay. *sigh* I don't see how they're going to really manage that, though...... I mean, they could be screwed by going in for work, and working their shifts, only to have pay docked to avoid paying them for that 10 days leave they're supposed to take. I don't know. I know it all sounds screwy, though.

In the mean-time, though.... I've decided to take the first week of June off work. That'll hopefully (providing the weather cooperates) focus for a week on planting over at the inlaws and here at home. I really hope it works out that way. And my Boss was ok with me wanting to do that. I think it helps that I asked her NOW, instead of waiting till half-way through May. *wink*

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Although it's not unusual in the current economic environment, my baby sis lost her job last week. (Or, was it a little longer ago now?) Anyway, she apparently went in to work one morning to find out that her employer was pulling up stakes. The office she was working in was a brand-new branch of a Canadian outfit that trains mining employees. This branch that Kori was working for was the FIRST branch on American soil. In the 3 months since they opened up and Kori started, the company had shelled out $30-grand in start-up monies and advert. and employee pay (Kori and her boss being the only 2 local employees) for this branch. With NO returns. No business had come in for this local branch at all. I'm guessing that if it weren't for the recession we're all in, maybe the office would have had more business, or maybe they could have held open for a couple months longer to try to drum up some business. As it is, the concensus apparently was that it was pointless to keep this new branch open, so it was closed down and Kori is now out of a job. *sigh* Wishing K. much luck in finding a new job, and fast!

In some good news for K. and my niece, though..... My niece is top of her class in first grade. Apparently Kiara is doing fantastically in school and is loving it! I'm glad that thus-far this is the case. I hope school continues to be something little K. enjoys throughout her school career, and that it's something she does as well at as her Aunt Shelli. (Shelli is our middle sis, 2 years younger than I am, 2 years older than Kori. Shelli's the one going for her PhD in philosophy down in Arizona.)

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Mom's leaving on a cruise this coming week. Apparently she'll be flying to New Zealand where she'll have a day or so of wait-time before the cruise starts. She's hoping to get to do some touring of New Zealand while she's there. Then she'll cruise through the South Pacific back to Honolulu. I hope she has a blast with that! And I have NO doubt she'll take a TON of pictures to share. *grin* Mom's great at taking pictures. You can check out some of her pics of her life in Hawaii here.

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Last he said, Dad's planning on leaving Spokane in the couple of days after Easter. Of course, he told me that BEFORE Kori lost her job. I don't know if that is STILL his plan, or if he plans to hang around and help her out until she finds a new job. Anyway, I know he's been looking forward to getting on the road again with his new trailer. Though apparently, there's been a semi-serious issue with his trailer and he's got to tow it BACK to Kansas for some repair work. It's repair work that should be covered under the warranty. Then his plan was/is? to head to Ohio to do some spring Turkey hunting with a friend he's got down there.

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Weather wise, it appears that Spring IS here! The weather has been getting up in the high 30's, to low 40's during the warmest parts of the day and the snow is melting nicely off the back deck. The nights still get down to about Zero, but that's to be expected. While it's clear, this time of year, it still gets rather chilly at night. But the clear skies during the DAY mean beautiful, warm weather during daylight hours. And we're starting to get sunlight till 9 pm and later. LOVING THAT!

But, the front yard and all else (except that back deck, and patches of road-way) are still covered in snow. THICK snow. LOTS of it. *grin* So, no green, grassy Easter for us this year.

And there is still, ALWAYS the realization that we're not safe from more snow till at LEAST the second week of May.

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Ok, I think that pretty well covers it all for now. I'll try to get by and visit everybody over the next couple of days.

Have a Blessed Week!