Jeffrey's first potty story

If you don't think poop stories are funny don't read this.

Tonight when we got home from having an anniversary dinner with the boys, Jeffrey said "poo." We thought he was telling us he had already went in his diaper, so Seth was going to change him. However, there was no poo. Seth asked Jeffrey if he needed to go poo, and Jeffrey said "uh hu." Jeffrey ran to the bathroom with no pants on. He was so happy and excited that he was going to be a big boy and go poo in the potty. Seth followed Jeffrey to the bathroom. As soon as Jeffrey was about to sit on the potty he had second thoughts and ran back out to the livingroom where Jacob and I were. Jeffrey had the look on his face that he was going to go at any moment. All the time he was saying "poo, poo..." I said "Seth he is going to go on the floor, take him back to the bathroom. Seth walked slowly in saying "He doesn't want to go. He is sacred of the toilet." Jeffrey's face said otherwise. As Seth made it into the livingroom Jeffrey started to run away and just couldn't hold it any longer. He pooed right on the floor. I wasn't sure that Seth had even seen it because Jeffrey was facing him. I said "pick him up he is going right now. Seth picked him up, but just had a look on his face like he didn't know what I wanted him to do with Jeffrey. I said "GO!" Seth started walking toward the bathroom as Jeffrey kept going. Jacob and I were laughing and gagging. It was so funny and so gross. Jacob kept saying "why did he poop on the floor.?" I couldn't answer him because I couldn't stop laughing. I was so tickled by the whole incident.
As I was cleaning up the mess I heard Jeffrey worrying about what had just happened. Jeffrey was tellign Seth in a very distressed tone "Poo. Floor." Jeffrey was pretty embarrased by the whole thing. we let him know that it wasn;t his fault. accidents happen. We told him we were proud of him telling daddy that he had to go poop. We also made sure he knew it wasn't his fault that he went on the floor it was daddy's.
After we got the boy's pj's on Seth and I went to the kitchen to chuckle. We listened to the boys talk. Jeffrey was filling Jacob in on what had just happened and Jacob was giving Jeffrey encouraging words like "you shouldn't poo on the floor, it's gross. It wasn't your fault though Jeffrey, it was daddy's. It's ok, but next time you need to go on the potty." They are so cute.

9 years

I can't believe how quickly the last few years have passed. On Tuesday, Seth and I will have been married for 9 years. We have experienced so much together. We have built a great life. It hasn't always been easy, but it has been worth it. We have two wonderful kids who wouldn't exist without the two of us meeting by chance about 11 years ago at the University farm.

Seth says we never do anything the easy way. We have had to work very hard for everything in our lives. I guess that is supposed to make you appreciate what you have. I do appreciate having a wonderful friend and partner. I love being married to him and I am glad I ran over him with the hay trailer so many years ago.

Small Schools Aren't Bad

I am really sick and tired of people from KC thinking that big schools are so much better than small ones! Kansas City and St. Louis have the worst schools in the state, they also have the largest districts. I think that once a school district gets so big, there is lack of control, management and oversight. It is also more difficult to provide individualized attention to each student.

There is no way that "local control" of schools was intended to mean a 7 member board and one superintendent control 100's of schools just because they are in the same city limits. I also do not believe that education is best served by being locally funded. I think schools would be in better shape if there were a statewide property tax and that tax was given to schools based on the cost to educate the kids in their district. It would be better if school district boundaries were drawn based on geography, rather than political boundaries. Where one can afford to live should not impact the quality of the education ones children receive.

I am not saying that every school should be k-12 and only 300 students. I am saying that once there are more than 3 high schools in a district there really isn't any local control. In a city large enough to support more than 3 high schools there will be distinct neighborhoods. Unless it is required that at least one board member be from each neighborhood, someone who lives in that city has lost their local control.

I attended and am teaching in a small school. I wish that those in huge districts would look at the good things we are able to do, and how well our kids do after graduation before they just assume that all small schools are bad. The money issue is difficult, but more money doesn't always mean a better education is being provided.

Reflection

This past week has not been quite as busy as usual. I didn't have class on Monday so that was a nice break. (I usually have class at UMKC at 7 pm on Monday and 4:30 on Thursday.) Jacob was sick last weekend, so that was not fun. The poor little guy just laid on the couch Sunday morning and couldn't keep his eyes open. He threw up a couple of times and was fine on Monday. It has been nice here yesterday and today. I finally used a gift certificate yesterday that I got for my birthday (in September) for a pedicure. It was nice and relaxing.

At school it is pretty crazy. We are in the middle of MAP testing. We test for about two hours a day in the mornings. It has gone pretty smoothly so far. It is pretty frustrating for some of my students though.

Tomorrow is a half day of school and then no school on Friday. It will be a nice little break. I am kinda glad they split up Spring Break and Easter break. It ends up being the same number of days, but it feels like more this way, I think.