If Simon Cowell watched this, I’m pretty sure he’d say it was “indulgent” and “absolutely horrible.”
Oh well.
Don’t worry, I didn’t sing or anything. And I got cut off somehow right as I said the punchline of my story, but you’ll get the drift.
Try to have a good day anyway.
Diapers and Divinity 
punch away! That was hysterical.
You are a brave woman!
Thanks for sharing “Stephanie unplugged” with the world – and a great laugh! [OK. I admit, when I was 7 I wanted to sing like S.W. and be rescued from a tower like Sleeping B. Thankfully I expanded my horizons beyond the Iron Curtain of Disneyism]
🙂
Regarding the school situation… Could he skip a grade and move forward?
But I have to say, with Lilly starting Kindergarten this year, having Utah be so far behind really worries me.
Awesome post! Pride–who needs it?!?!?! BTW–showering before 11 am is over-rated!
Have a great day–and–you will find a solution for your 2nd grader (i would have to agree–home schooling is NOT an option).
Snow White never saw it coming! LOL
P.S. Might I suggest you start by having your son tested for The Gifted and Talented program through your school district, which is funded by the public school system and is the saving grace for children and parents to avoid the mediocrity of the normal UT classrooms.
You crack me up!! What a cute post. I am reading this in my pj’s as well and I looked at the clock, yup, it reads 12:05. Got to go get my shower!!!
Awesome – that vlog was keeping it real and I loved it! Also – Natalie now has a soft place in my heart. That was hilarious.
I feel for you with your son. MoSop suggested G&T testing, and I’d do that pronto; hopefully it’s available. As a former 1st grade teacher, I was generally against kids skipping grades for most any reason, BUT based on what you said about the academics – this full year will be a repeat of his entire last year of school – I might have him tested to skip a grade (depending heavily on his maturity and social capabilities, of course – with boys this is even trickier, but I hate thinking of your cutie losing a full year of education!). Homeschooling could totally work, but with you he’d likely stay the full year ahead of his peers – and possibly get even further ahead, and it doesn’t sound like something you’re excited about, especially when there is no end point in sight. I hope you get some firm answers to your concerns quickly.
Hilarious! Thanks for sharing your morning with us all.
My adoration of you has only increased by seeing your video…you are just as witty and smart as you are in writing. 🙂
BTW, tell Natalie that I feel the same way about the “Snow Whites” I have met. 😉
I agree–have him tested for the G/T program, but even that may not be enough for him. Don’t back down; you are his best advocate.
Natalie cracks me up. And hoorah for no more Guinea Pigs!!!
!!!!
Okay, I loved this on so many levels. I loved your book recommendations. I share your daughter’s violent sentiments. I loved seeing you and your facial expressions – your gorgeous, geniune smile – your 1980s shirt (that I’m pretty sure I have, but in a different color) – your library in the background and your fidgeting to not look “so wide.”
*Grunt*
Girl, if I looked like you do unshowered, I’d never practice personal hygiene.
We need to hang out.
As a mom who pulled her kids out of the public school system for a similar reason I can understand your dilemma. Good luck with your decision. Your children’s education is a huge deal.
I LOVED your vlog. Half the time I feel like punching a lot of those disney princess stories where everything is always sunshine and roses right in the open eye, too. And showering is definitely over-rated.
I have basically wanted to punch every Disney princess to invade my home since my kids were old enough to twirl around and sing, “Part of your World”. I know they invented a few tougher nuts after my kids graduated to better role models like Miley Cyrus and the entire cast of “Glee”, but by then it was just too late.
Open eye, what a smart girl!
Nice post! I’m with That Girl. I am certain I would shower even LESS if I looked that good unshowered.
My favourite part: “I Win”.
I’ve got to agree with the others – if I looked as good as you unshowered, I’d never do it!
Loved your post, and loved the punch line.
Good luck with the school stuff.
So I skimmed through the comments, wondering if everyone else enjoyed that as much as I did, and I pretty much want to copy That Girl’s comment word for word.
I totally want to hang out.
And Natalie’s reaction cracked me up SO bad! Love it!
Well I for one am disappointed that you didn’t sing for us, but thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the vlog. Hooray for Beta fish, and goodbye stinky guinea pigs. (I’m not a fan either, though I did finally relent and let my triplets have two little hamsters when they–the triplets, not the hamsters–were 9.) As far as the school situation goes, I feel your pain. When we moved from Idaho to North Carolina we had a similar situation. We ended up pulling her out halfway through 2nd grade and homeschooling her, which has been a great experience for our family. But I do understand that it’s not for everyone. 😉
I think the pet store discussion was the best. 🙂
“What’s that smell?”
“My house for the next 5 years.”
love this! love you vlogging! feels like we’re actually talking. glad you got rid of pets you don’t like and have raised a little girl with some sass. :o)
Love the vlog! All I can say is Go Natalie!!!! Love the rest too!!!!
WAAAAA! I can’t get my video to work! This will be Zeke’s job tonight… can’t wait to see it 🙂
SOOOOOOO glad your rodents are gone. Congratulations. And I totally identify with stressing over kid school dilemmas. It’s amazing how much sleep we moms lose over those little kiddos. I really hope things work out ok. Skipping a grade was pretty common when I was growing up, and it didn’t seem to have any negative consequences for the kids. Homeschool, though…. yeah, no.
Pray for answers and for sleep. 🙂
Loved the part where you said that it is so important to teach our children to pray cause we might get what we want more! LOL!!! That’s the best! and yes, go ahead and punch the princess, they are so annoying nowdays! Thanks for sharing!
Loved this video! SOrry about the school situation- we haven’t had a stellar situation since my girls started school. I tried homeschooling, but it turns out I have the soul of a homeschooler without the discipline and patience to carry it out. Good luck in whatever you decide.
I felt the same way when we moved to Utah from Arizona. But my daughter was only starting first grade, and so I figured that they were reviewing for the year. I wish I had done something more because last year when we moved to Michigan she was really behind and it’s been quite the trial. Sad how Utah is so far behind. I don’t get it.
And I would have wanted to punch Snow White, too, after that book. Too funny!
Love Natalies line.
Loved the Pig Victory!
And one quick thought on schooling: I know there are mixed feelings on Charter schools but it may be something to look into. Our little guy is 3 but quite the smarty pants so we’ve already been looking at our options. Many of the charter schools allow children to move up to their level in reading, math, etc. So he could be with a 2nd grade class and then leave and go to a 4th grade for reading. You get the gist. Just a thought.
I thoroughly enjoyed your video log.
The two bettas are in separate bowls, right? Otherwise they will tear each other apart. Bettas are fun pets but extremely agressive. (I read once that a nature channel did a show on nature’s most agressive animals and they put bettas in the #2 spot.) (We used to have a betta, and we loved him, and then he died and it was sad.)
It’s true, as Becoming LDS said, that there are many choices of charter schools. I don’t know if that would solve the curriculum problem, but it might.
I tend to think that by high school things will somewhat even out, so I guess the trick is to find a way that he won’t lose interest in school in the meantime. (I even tend to think that kids can miss the first several grades with no detriment, but I’m also a borderline Unschooler.)
I’ll tell you what I know of the G/T program. They have a program called “A.L.L.” (advanced learning lab–they called it that instead of gifted and talented to try to avoid elitism, but I think that gets a little silly because everyone figures out it’s the class for smart kids–you can’t fool kids just by renaming things). A.L.L. used to be just for 5th and 6th grade, but recently has been extended to 3rd and 4th. I don’t know if there’s anything else available for the younger grades. The program is done at magnet schools and you have to provide your own transportation. Isaac (my now-13-year-old) did A.L.L. for 5th and 6th grade and arranging carpools was always a pain (the school doesn’t help you arrange them, and can’t even legally give you the contact information for the other families. So you’re asking around in your ward and stake and trying to figure out who to carpool with and if everyone’s already gotten into a carpool you can get left high and dry). My one other complaint about the program is that it asks for heavy parental involvement, sometimes in ways that seemed to be busywork that didn’t have much academic value. (Keep in mind that I’m a borderline Unschooler, AND that I have five young kids.) One week they need a bunch of grilled cheese sandwiches for the Medieval Fair, the next your kid needs a Pythagoras costume (these are both true examples) and it feels there’s some big thing every week. Frankly I feel like the kids can get as much educational value without the costumes and I’d rather the school not ask things of the kids that the kids can’t do on their own without parental help. But anyway, Isaac, my oldest, did A.L.L. for 5th & 6th and really loved it. They do very interesting projects (mummifying chickens when they study ancient Egypt–another real example) and he was rarely bored (although he WAS sometimes frustrated with the workload.) They also memorize poetry and famous speeches, learn how to solve logic puzzles, etc. Last year, although Mabel qualified for the new 4th grade A.L.L. class, we opted to keep her at our neighborhood school because there was a fabulous 4th grade teacher there. But this year she’s in A.L.L., and although finding a carpool was a HUGE frustration, I do finally have a decent one in place, and she likes her teacher and is starting to settle in. I think she’s going to be happier than she would have at our neighborhood school. (I’m very sad, though, that she can’t walk home with my 1st-grader who’s still at the neighborhood school because I don’t want to send such a young child across town when we have a great 1st grade teacher here.)
Anyway, I’m not sure which parts of the school district have access to an A.L.L. magnet program, but it might be worth looking into as he gets a little older.
A few years ago I started counting the elementary schools the kids in my Orem ward attended. At the time our Primary only had about 45 kids. Our ward straddled a school boundary, so there were two public schools, then about three different charter schools, a private school, and a couple of families in homeschool. So our 40-some kids were in seven different schooling situations. I guess it’s good that people have a lot of options, but a little sad that the public schools weren’t meeting people’s needs so the kids in one neighborhood weren’t getting to go to school together.
Um, I just took an hour to write a blog comment. A five-minute video log would have been a GREAT idea. Although I haven’t showered . . . and I have my pride. 🙂
Thanks, though, Zina. I appreciate it.
Awesome video! You should homeschool. You know you want to! 😉
Just absolutely had to laugh at the punch (no pun intended) line of your little video…Out of the mouth of babes….It was good to see you again. I just picked your blog from a comment you left on Moments (jen-Lee).
You know I raised 7 and was a nanny for a few more…yes diapers never seem to end (wish there was a diploma for that I would be on the Honnor Roll)and yes I actually had to use a child restraint with a leashe for my middle child who would run away from us ALL the time as a toddler…..got a few nasty comments but we do what we have to to keep them alive and safe…..For the school thing we had run into the same situation when we moved from Colorado to Georgia. If I knew then what I know now I would have Homeschooled….but advice is always cheap….You’ll know what to do……
I tried to watch this video the other day, but my computer was being retarded, so… I finally got it to work today. LOVE it! You are just as funny “in real virtual life” as in “written virtual life.” (Does that even make sense?) Congratulations on becoming fish owners. 🙂 I have a deep testimony of prayer.
As for the school thing, I (VERY) unexpectedly found myself homeschooling all my kids this year. Not because of any negative school experience or anything, but just because the Lord clearly directed our path that way over the course of the summer. I’m talking flashing runway lights. Believe me, I am the last person on the face of the earth who EVER thought she would homeschool.
Obviously that isn’t the answer for everyone, but I have to say, it is the best decision my husband and I have ever made (next to bearing the children in the first place.) 🙂 We are so thrilled with it!
Anyway, I hope you are enjoying Utah. Watching this video made me wish I could hear you speak at EFY sometime!
My kids go to the charter school by Micron and absolutely love it. The teachers really didn’t do anything about my kids being ahead of grade level, but they do make learning really fun. They’re really into “hands-on experiential learning” and do a fantastic job integrating all aspects of learning into their science and social studies programs. I especially love their Wonder Day activities. Just as a few examples:
– Instead of simply teaching about ones, tens, and hundreds with the blocks and cubes we all know so well, my kids’ first grade teacher taught the children how to tie knots, gave them each a makeshift quipu, and taught them how the Incan number keepers would keep track of livestock by tying knots in a decimal system. Then the kids wandered the halls (with parental supervision, of course) to count various objects and tie their knots accordingly.
– The art teacher once built a cave in her room with butcher paper. The kids could crawl in and paint their stories by lantern light. Fire probably would have been a no-go 😉
– After the 2008 earthquake in China, the Chinese teacher built a makeshift rice paddy on one side of the school and let the kids spend some time planting rice and learning what life is like for the farmers there. Then they came in, cleaned up, and assembled hygiene kits for a relief effort.
– My daughter’s class got to “mummify” a classmate with toilet paper, jewels, and spices 😀
Well, I could go on, but yeah. Fantastic school. And there are lots of other charter schools you could try, too, all with their own philosophies. They can be hard to get into, but I -think- if you’re able to find one with an opening, you can still get in if it’s before the 1st of October. Or at least those were the rules when I was trying to transfer my kids.
Good luck!