You have been here and I… well… have been somewhere else

Published on by harrigantales2 Comments

Okay so maybe some of you have been wondering what is going on.  Things have been pretty hectic in the Harrigan Household to say the least.  My husband and I plan a party for neighbors and friends once a year.  As many summer picnics and outings are planned for the entire family we plan ours for just the adults.  We even get a babysitter for our kids.  I love my kids but we all need adult time.  Planning this party takes alot of time and preparation. 


So needless to say we took vacation time to try and get some of the projects completed.  Imagine this a week of rain, two little ones inside all week.  The kids were driving each other crazy as well as us.  We didn’t get through all our projects because most of them consisted of painting something inside or out. 


Before my vacation Walker had a situation at camp that even today gets me so upset that it is difficult to discuss.  That was the start of the vacation so you know it wasn’t starting very well.


We got through (and actually survived) vacation.  Rich and I haven’t been on an actual vacation since our honeymoon almost ten years ago.  There always seems to be something that needs to be done around the house not to mention the money it takes to go somewhere these days.


So if I haven’t blogged in awhile it is due to lack of time and when there is time … there is no energy. 


 

It Does a Mother Proud

Published on by harrigantales5 Comments

Walker has just finished kindergarten this year.  Whew!  He passed and will not have to deal with his kindergarten teacher again.  During his end of the year assessment all the teachers said he was doing well and would be excused from special services.  This is great news for a parent.  He is now doing the work to the level he should based on his age and grade.

When it came to his primary teacher to give her assessment she felt the need to say at the end that he still has behavior issues and impulses.  I took it with a grain of salt and didn’t put too much thought into it because it was not validated by any of the other six teachers in the room.  Makes you think doesn’t it?  Believe me if he has a behavior issue I would be the first to address it.  I will not tolerate such behavior.  My kids aren’t perfect and would be the first to admit it.

Walker came home a few weeks ago and says that one of his best friends wasn’t being nice to him and teasing him and taking off Walkers shoes.  There are the three boys that are in the same kindergarten class and also go to the after school program.  So I asked him what was going on and asked him if he was doing the same.  Walker was talked to on how to handle the situation.  I discussed with the afternoon teacher to find out what was going on.  All three boys were doing the same thing.  I discussed this with Walker and said this is not appropriate behavior and I don’t want you doing these things anymore.  He promised me he wouldn’t.  I followed up his teacher and she said it was still happening.  She explained that she talked to the boys and asked them to come to her and explain why there were feeling that way.  That’s a bunch of hogwash.  She is young – chalk it up to inexperience and lack of wisdom that comes from repeatedly reprimanding your kids.  She was probably around 20 years old.  I asked the boys to come to me (including Walker) with the teacher.  I explained that this behavior wasn’t going to be tolerated any further and if they wanted to continue being friends than they needed to treat each other better.  This type of behavior was going to stop immediately.  I then told them if it continued that I had the names and phone numbers of their moms and would call them.  They happen to be friends.  I also know that they are the type of mothers that would do the same.  If Walker was doing something he shouldn’t and I wasn’t there to see it I would trust that they would step in and do the same thing.  Well needless to say for the next several weeks it didn’t happen. 

Walker has now started with the recreational department summer program and is loving it.  The second day the counselor comes up to Rich and says, “You know… you have a great kid there.”   There is nothing a parent would rather hear from others.  He may not be the most intelligent or the fastest but he is well behaved and is compassionate among others.

Recap

Knowing your 1st child has passed kindergarten… relieved

Knowing the 2nd child may end up with the same teacher… frightening

Hearing that your child is a good kid from an almost stranger… satisfying

I believe…

Published on by harrigantales3 Comments

I recieved an e-mail that I thought was worth publishing.  Author unknown.

A birth certificate shows that we were born; a death certificate shows that we died; pictures show that we lived!  Have a seat . . . Relax. And read this slowly.

I believe…That just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other. And just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.

I believe…That we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe…That no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe…That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe…That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe…That it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe…That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe…That you can keep going long after you think you can’t.

I believe…That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe…That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe…That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe…That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe…That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe…That sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

I believe…That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I believe…That it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe…That no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

I believe…That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe…Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe…That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don’t even know you.

I believe…That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I believe…That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe…That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I believe…The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.