All posts by ihatehardware.

The Principal’s Office

On Thursday I brought the kids to school late after a dentist appointment, and (eek!) the principal saw me and asked if I would come into her office.  Unfortunately I knew exactly what she wanted to talk to me about.  (The principal, Minerva Gonzalez, is pictured at right with our governor, Deval Patrick.)

Last weekend Adlani handed Ben $40 in cash, and when Ben asked him where he had gotten it Adlani said that he had taken it from Ben the day before.  Ben didn’t have $40 the day before, so he thought Adlani took it from me.  When I used my *special* interrogation techniques on Adlani, he told me that he had gotten the money from his friend Dante* on the bus.  When the full story was finally revealed, it looks like Dante took the money from his mother’s purse and put it in his coat pocket, and Adlani took it from Dante’s coat pocket on the bus.  Ugh.

I don’t know Dante, but Adlani told me that he lives in the apartment complex behind Burger King.  I wasn’t sure how to handle it since I couldn’t exactly go over and start ringing doorbells, so I wrote a note to the bus driver, enclosed the money, and asked Aliya to give it to her.  The bus driver apparently gave it to a teacher who gave it to the principal.  The principal questioned Adlani on Wednesday, and was planning to talk to Dante about stealing from his mom on Thursday.

Two good things came out of my visit to Sra. Gonzalez’ office though. 
1) She assured me that this is a common issue in the development of kindergarten boys, and that I don’t have to worry about whether Adlani will ever get to 1st grade. 
2) I had Norah with me and I mentioned that her teacher was worried that she was too advanced to wait until 2012 to start kindergarten.  Sra. Gonzalez didn’t make any suggestions about how to squeeze her in early, but at least she met her and interacted with her a bit.  I’m going to talk to Norah’s principal soon to see what our action plan should be.

I just hope I can keep Adlani out of jail long enough to learn how to read.  Watch your wallets, people.

*Dante is not the kid’s real name.
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Rescue Remedy

I LOVE Whole Foods’ “Whole Body” department.  And because I love it so much, I have to stay away.  The last time I went in to buy an herbal remedy to ward off a cold, I left $60 poorer.  But I so enjoyed my time wandering through the aisles of little bottles full of promises to cure everything that ails me.  I bought an aromatherapy inhaler about half the size of my pinky.  It smells so great I could just stand around sniffing it all day long.  I also bought some natural bug spray for my upcoming trip, some coconut lip balm, the herbal remedy I originally went in for (it worked!), and a few other goodies.

While I was browsing around I noticed the display of Bach Rescue Remedy.  I remember buying some when I was pregnant, because I read that midwives gave it to their patients to decrease anxiety during labor.  It contains 5 flower essences: Rock Rose for terror and panic, Impatiens for irritation and impatience, Clematis for inattentiveness, Star of Bethlehem for shock, and Cherry Plum for irrational thoughts.  That sounds like EXACTLY what I need to get through our morning mayhem.

Does it work?  A lot of people swear by it.  For me, it’s kind of like the Behavior Modification Device (spray bottle).  Spraying bad kids with water makes me smile, which automatically lifts my mood.  The Rescue Remedy Spray is 27% alcohol and comes in a little bottle that you spray in your mouth like Binaca.  When I take a couple of hits, it’s like shooting a teeny tiny little shot of vodka.  Thinking about spraying a mist of vodka into my mouth to calm me down makes me smile, which lifts my mood.

Whatever works!

Rescue Remedy Official Site

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