Friday, February 15, 2008

Don't miss the Ultimate Blog Party

I just discovered this great new site: 5 Minutes for Mom Be sure to stop by and check out the information about the upcoming Ultimate Blog Party. It’s a great way to meet some new bloggy friends and to hopefully gain some new readers at your blog. It is being held the week of March 7-14, so you still have time to decide if you want to participate and what you want to do if you do participate. As you can see, I'm participating. I'm always up to meeting new friends, promoting, and visiting new blogs. As a mom who also runs my own business from home (writing romance books) and who needs to promote, I think this is brilliant. According to 5 Minutes for Mom "Mr. Linky will go live at Friday March 7th, 12:01 am Eastern Time and participating bloggers who have their party post up can add their link any time during the week of the party. (The Linky will stay permanently in the post, so you can come back later and catch up on any blogs you may have missed.)" Okay, now I have to figure out where to find Mr. Linky. "Mr. Linky" - that makes me chuckle. Now onto a mom-type post. (Even though I've done the control I-thing, the italics won't disappear, so please ignore them if you can) I have five children - three boys, two girls. The order is: boy, boy, girl, girl, boy. The oldest three are now bona fide adults although two still live at home, eat my groceries, and hike up my phone bill. The youngest two are 17 and 13. Today, I'm focusing on the 13 year old. My youngest constantly tells me he's too sick to go to school. He did this so much, the school began protesting his many absences. After consulting with my son's teachers', we decided he can only stay home if he has a bona fide fever. Well, I couldn't find the thermometer this morning and lo and behold, he said he was too ill to go to school. He didn't have that "I'm telling the truth tone" and he didn't feel hot so I told him to go to school anyway and if he got ill later in the day, to call me. So, he went to school. Right before my lunch hour, he called "I'm sick mom. Come get me." According to him, his initial stomach ache had gone away but now he had a headache. I still didn't really believe him plus it would have been very awkward for me to leave today as my boss wanted to speak to me about something very important concerning my customer service/day job career. Thus I told him to eat lunch and then see how he felt. He didn't call back and we're both at home and he seems fine. I bought a new digital thermometer tonight which I think I'll keep in my purse as my boys have a habit of breaking and losing "accidentally" important items like thermometers, and lawn mowers. (We've had to buy so many lawn mowers as "mysteriously", they break soon after we purchase them - believe me, I'm fuming!) In fact, if the child misses a day of school and I don't call him in sick - they're going to send the truant officer to get him - with my blessings. In fact, I've threatened to call the truant officer myself to scare him to start behaving and attend school. Has anybody else had a problem child who tries everything to get out of school? He used to do this with karate, too. He was sick almost every single afternoon right before time to go to karate. Also, his just-washed uniform came up mysteriously missing, if we didn't buy the sick thing. I thought my oldest was an extremely hard child to deal with. The youngest one makes the oldest seem like a total angel (of course, I've not begun to scratch the surface on the 13 year old's exploits). Or maybe it's just that I'm 15 years older and tireder than when the oldest was this age. Suggestions anyone?

12 comments:

Unknown said...

The Ulitmate blog party sounds good but I don't think I would fit the criteria.

DJ Kirkby said...

I'm coming to the party! Sounds as if N3S has serious issues about school. There has got to be a reason for this and he needs to be supported, it could be that he is being bullied, it could be that he is socially awkward, it could be so many things but no kid will act like that without a good reason, be it pathological or social! I speak as someone who struggled through school, found it soul destroying, was unable to figure out why, drove my mom nuts and then was diagnosed with Aspergers at 40 years old.

Unknown said...

N3S says the kids tease him about his voice. It hasn't changed yet and they call him "Helium Boy". He's also on the chubby side and, at least with his sisters, he can be a bully. He's ADHD and worse ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder). He thinks everybody is picking on him all the time. At home it's self-perpetuating as I see him usually start the rows with his older sisters and then they retaliate. He's under a psychiatrist's care and until recently, had a counselor at the school that came out to our house 2 and sometimes 3 times a week. I also put him in taekwondo to learn more discipline, confidence, and for physical health benefits. It only seemed to give him a sword which he used to use to terrorize his sisters. I'll ask the psychiatrist if it could also be something like Aspergers. I got a checklist for autism from my doctor so I could evaluate my older son but he doesn't seem to fit it. Let me see how it fits to N3S. I left the list at work so will check Monday. My oldest son and d-i-l think my grandson has Aspergers so it is in the family. Thanks for the sharing.

Caffey said...

Oh the blog party sounds huge! I might go and visit! I can't imagine how to keep up with the post there!

Hey, you're a great caring mom!

Molly Daniels said...

I have the same problem with my 7th grade daughter. She's now used up all of her absent days and if she misses any more (due to high fever, being on deathbed, or highly contagious disease, lol), we have to have 'permission' of the local agency or face my child being put in the 'system'. Hopefully, this has scared her enough to get out of bed every morning. And the problem has cleared up since her dad's been home for the winter months...I really don't want this to start up again in April!

In November, I actually went to the principal's office to see if they could help with the situation. He gave me the number of the truant officer who would be willing to come get my child every morning she refused to cooperate. I haven't had to call yet, as my daughter behaved herself in December. And I think the sight of her mom finally 'losing it' scared her.

You have my sympathies!

AS for the party...sounds fun! I'll have to investigate further:)

Aisha said...

This is a good place to learn about kids' behavior. I know I'll be having my own kids someday.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...not sure I am the party animal type, but it sounds like fun!

Thanks for stopping by J. Kaye's Book Blog. Hope to see you again!

Anonymous said...

My youngest is the MASTER of trying to get out of school. I'm torn between frustrated and sorrow that she hates it so much . . .

Anonymous said...

P.S. Thanks for visiting my blog, I love having the company there!

Robin Bielman said...

Hi Ashley! I thought I'd come over and visit from Jill S.'s blog. Your blog is great and thanks for the info on the ultimate blog party. I just started blogging myself so am going to check that out. I'm not all that tech savvy, so hopefully it won't be too difficult.

My youngest used to try and stay home from school too. Finally we told him if he didn't have a fever or was throwing up, he had to go to school. Things got better after that. I hope things get better for you! Take care and good luck.

Brynn Paulin said...

I have a similar problem with my son -- you know, the one who's always trying to get voted off the island.

Unknown said...

Aren't kids fun? The school told me that if Steve doesn't have a bona fide fever, I should send him to school. It doesn't stop him from calling me from school to ask me to come and take him home. I need to tell the school to take his temperature and make sure he has a bona fide fever before they let him call me in future. It's hard for me to leave work so much - especially now. I'll announce tomorrow night what I've been so secretive about, what I've not been allowed to say and have to keep under wraps until approximately 2 pm EST tomorrow.

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