"Crazy, hot fun" the trip report About This Page:

[Cam22]

Your family has been very busy and had quite a few milestones this past week. to everyone in their new school year.

[Colexis Mom]

[mfirst]

Originally Posted by lauriep

Well, nothing like reading one of your home updates to make me feel like a slacker and my life an absolute picnic! I don't know how you keep it all straight and get them all where they need to be, never mind working yourself. The IEP situation is so tough-- the services should be in place by day one of school. And really, the nearest bathroom for a pre-school class is one floor down?? The boys seem like they're thriving, though. , sweet Cullen!! I think the dino cupcakes are adorable.

I do it because I have to...I also keep an old-fashioned paper planner which is color coded to help me remember who has to be where for what. Going back to work is going to be a big adjustment for this family - luckily, Coach is very supportive and because I will be subbing during the day, I can be flexible if I need to stay home with a sick kid, or attend a school function for one of them. The IEP? More on that in a minute

Originally Posted by chezp

I'm with Laurie. I read your update and wondered where on earth you find the ability to keep on top of everything.

Don't talk to me about Photobucket - I've had my own battle with them recently too.

I've had to learn to be really organized...and I've had to learn how to ask friends for help when I need it.

Originally Posted by Cam22

Your family has been very busy and had quite a few milestones this past week. to everyone in their new school year.

Yes, and I know own stock in kleenex because I'm grateful for each and every milestone, but they still make me bawl.

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

Thank you!

[OhToodles!]

So I'm guessing you just love back to school right now? Sorry things are so stressful but I'm sure once you've got a routine in place it will be easier.
Since Dylan is in all day kindergarten they do have the specials of gym, music, art & library time, which they rotate A,B,C days and library day is like ever 3 days? He seems to enjoy everything though. I asked him last night what is favorite part was - gym, then recess. Figures! I think he told me art after that though.
I hope your first night teaching was a success!

[mfirst]

After reading back through yesterday's installment, I can see my high stress level coming through the report - especially at the end where I vented about the IEP. Today is looking a bit brighter. I had a meeting with the Superintendent to interview for a long term sub assignment (March - May). At the end of the interview (he's recommending me to the Principal and Teacher to interview. It's between me and one other teacher), I asked if I could speak to him as a concerned parent about the preschool move and situation.

He let me know he'd fielded "20" angry phone calls yesterday about the facilities. The classes were supposed to be all on the first floor near the office, in an area of the building that would be accessible to preschool parents. Best laid plans, right? Well two of the six teachers refused to relocate to the third floor. The building principal decided it was better not to anger those teachers (it's his first year as an administrator there), so he moved the preschool classes to random empty rooms spread throughout the building. I'm still not happy, but not much I can do about the room placement. I did launch into the noncompliance with the IEP and failure to start services prior to September 21st. This was news to him - he was under the assumption services were ready to begin on the first day of school. As I left his office, he was calling the preschool director and her psychologists to his office for an emergency meeting. Hopefully, I will get some resolution for Cullen by the end of the week.

I had my first class at Edison last night and getting to teach again! I have quite a wide variety of ability levels in the writing class, so it's going to be a fun challenge

And...back to NY now
We left the Glasserie very, very full! Matt suggested we take a short walk down the street because the building ended up near a great view of the city.


This is the same river that Nat & Sara's restaurant backed up against. Anyway, I took some random pictures of the view:










Then we waited for a garbage barge to clear the river (boy did that stink) and now I understand why Matt commented that "nobody with brains" would willingly swim in the rivers around New York

That was churned up by the boat coming down the river

After a few more pictures, we headed back to Matt's. When I was packing, Cullen brought out this really soft cloud blanket that had always been tucked into his crib with him from the day of his birth. He's never formed an attachment to a lovey like the other two (does my hair count? He's always twirling my hair). He asked me to take it to "Gab-E" as he calls his new cousin. Mom made sure I got a picture of Gabe using the blanket


Matt & Jill are such clowns
The real picture (not that you can see much of little Gabe)


We played a couple of games of Mad libs (one of my favorite games). Around 10 (yep, that is 10 p.m.) Jill reminded Matt that they needed to cook the fresh clams we'd purchased the day before. So, Matt (aka Emeril) "whipped" up a white wine and garlic sauce and steamed the clams in it. He served them family style with fresh sliced Sourdough bread and some of the basil jelly I'd brought for them. Even though we weren't really hungry, we managed to polish off our fifth meal of the day. All too soon, it was time to say goodbye and head back to our brownstone for our final night. We wanted to be up and out of the city early, so we simply gave our hugs and kisses, and told Matt we'd call him when we arrived back in Cleveland. I couldn't believe this portion of the trip was ending!

Before I end, I'm going to add a few pictures of the brownstone - I just realized I never put them in

Here I am, standing at the kitchen block/table. The bathroom is behind me, and I'm looking at the living room area where there were two foton couches. I slept on one.

Mom and Dad (AKA Lala and Papa to my kiddos) are in the living room area


A sliding glass art deco french door led to a small bedroom where my parents stayed


The view from the kitchen window - the brownstone behind had an in ground swimming pool!


The bathroom - you had to step into the shower which was right next to the tub. The boys thought this was a cool picture


The outside

[mfirst]

Originally Posted by OhToodles!

So I'm guessing you just love back to school right now? Sorry things are so stressful but I'm sure once you've got a routine in place it will be easier.
Since Dylan is in all day kindergarten they do have the specials of gym, music, art & library time, which they rotate A,B,C days and library day is like ever 3 days? He seems to enjoy everything though. I asked him last night what is favorite part was - gym, then recess. Figures! I think he told me art after that though.
I hope your first night teaching was a success!

My first night of teaching was great, thank you You are so right - once everyone gets into a routine, things will be much easier. It is a bit weird right now because I'm at home in the mornings, alone...for the first time in 8 years. That's awesome about Dylan's specials The schools around here with full day kindergarten are very similar to his, but I think they add in a 30 minute rest period. Nolan's favorite parts of school? Always recess, lunch and riding the bus, in that order. My guys don't tell me anything - I have to pry details out casually during the rest of the day. Today, I learned Patrick too a math test...on Friday

[chezp]

Glad today's looking brighter.

Another great update from NYC!

[mcc0313]

I so love your report, hearing about your time in the city and also hearing about the "boys" back home.

I have heard of Glasserie, haven't made it over there yet but after hearing about your time there think I need to take a trip to the other side of Brooklyn. Love the idea of what they did with the building, years and years ago when growing up one of my friends started dating a guy in Greenpoint so we used to take the train there and I remember that area was nothing but factories, many of them deserted, kind of creepy thinking about it now but then as a kid...I don't think I was even phased.

What a great time with your brother, SIL and Gabe, he is so cute. Your story of you and your SIL heading into Manahattan brings back such memories, I remember when the girls were little nad I used to go up to my SILs in Manhattan from my house in Brooklyn and carrying the stroller by myself up and down those steps (of course every once in a while you would get a someone who would offer to help) but more times than not I would just lift and climb....lol, called it my exercise of the day.

[Cam22]

Glad today was brighter! with the IEP services. Your final evening and meal at NYC sound great. Cute brownstone.

[lauriep]

I'm glad things are looking up and that your teaching is going well. Loved seeing the photos of Brooklyn (except for that icky water!) and the brownstone. You get so much more space in Brooklyn than in Manhattan and these days just as good restaurants and shopping.

[OhToodles!]

What a wonderful last evening! That picture of the outside of the brownstone reminded me of Sex and the City.
Dylan does get a rest period during the day - I think it's 25 minutes.
I hope things with the IEP get straightened out soon!

[Colexis Mom]

Great night in NYC! Hopefully you'll see some resolution on the IEPs!

[mfirst]

Originally Posted by chezp

Glad today's looking brighter.

Another great update from NYC!

Thank you!

Originally Posted by mcc0313

I so love your report, hearing about your time in the city and also hearing about the "boys" back home.

I have heard of Glasserie, haven't made it over there yet but after hearing about your time there think I need to take a trip to the other side of Brooklyn. Love the idea of what they did with the building, years and years ago when growing up one of my friends started dating a guy in Greenpoint so we used to take the train there and I remember that area was nothing but factories, many of them deserted, kind of creepy thinking about it now but then as a kid...I don't think I was even phased.

What a great time with your brother, SIL and Gabe, he is so cute. Your story of you and your SIL heading into Manahattan brings back such memories, I remember when the girls were little nad I used to go up to my SILs in Manhattan from my house in Brooklyn and carrying the stroller by myself up and down those steps (of course every once in a while you would get a someone who would offer to help) but more times than not I would just lift and climb....lol, called it my exercise of the day.

Wow - I don't know that I'd want to walk around Greenpoint after dark now - there are still plenty of empty buildings around, but then again, I've grown used to a quieter "country" life. Matt said it's a pretty safe part of town, now the portion where the old Navy base is...that's a bit of a different story.

Originally Posted by Cam22

Glad today was brighter! with the IEP services. Your final evening and meal at NYC sound great. Cute brownstone.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by lauriep

I'm glad things are looking up and that your teaching is going well. Loved seeing the photos of Brooklyn (except for that icky water!) and the brownstone. You get so much more space in Brooklyn than in Manhattan and these days just as good restaurants and shopping.

The water was icky! Brooklyn does have a lot more space than Manhattan and you're right about the restaurants and shopping. Matt said he rarely travels into Manhattan anymore because things are "just as good if not better" in Brooklyn

Originally Posted by OhToodles!

What a wonderful last evening! That picture of the outside of the brownstone reminded me of Sex and the City.
Dylan does get a rest period during the day - I think it's 25 minutes.
I hope things with the IEP get straightened out soon!

Now that you mention it, it reminds me of Sex and the City too

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

Great night in NYC! Hopefully you'll see some resolution on the IEPs!

Thanks! It's going to be a work in progress

[mfirst]

This is going to be a quick update for the trip report. I'd started working on it earlier in the week, planning on posting it but we've had an alteration in our weekend plans (I'll cover that in a minute).

Mom and I woke up early that Sunday, and after everyone showered, Dad hiked to get the car because we'd had to park on the street next to ours the night before. We quickly moved the luggage down, made sure the flat was cleaned up, and left the key in the door for the owner (he lived on the first two floors). We were on the road and heading out of the city by 6:45 am. We noticed quite a bit of police walking around the night before as we'd returned to our apartment, but because we didn't have TV we had no clue that the Travyon Martin case had returned a verdict. Either way, we saw plenty of NYPD out and about throughout the city the night before and on our way out of the Brooklyn & Manhattan that morning.


We hit a bit of traffic trying to cross the Manhattan Bridge because the Brooklyn bridge was cordoned off for a tria-athalon.


I snapped a quick picture of a New York playground because my older two were POSITIVE that they would look a ton different than our playgrounds at home.

They were a little dissapointed to discover New York playgrounds look quite similar to Ohio playgrounds. I wasn't sure what they were expecting, but Patrick informed me that there should have been a Statue of Liberty for kids to climb all over.

Once we were safely back into New Jersey, I figured Coach would be up so I gave him a call. When I'd talked to them the night before (after meal #4 and before #5) he said the boys were starting to really melt down. He told me that morning that Nolan had cried himself to sleep and Cullen had thrown a fit at dinner. Our house rules at dinner have always been that the boys have to try each food on their plate - at least for one bite. I always try to provide at least one food that they like - even if it's something small like apple slices. Cullen tends to be very regimented (same plate, same certain foods, etc.) so dinner can be difficult, to say the least. Anyway, on that night, my mother-in-law served Corned beef - which Cullen absolutely hates, with green beans (he won't eat any green food), oranges (won't eat citrus fruits) and bread. He wanted the bread, but couldn't have it because Coach's Mom forgot, and put melted butter on the rolls before baking them. Anyway, it'd been a long day, he was over tired because he didn't nap and quite frankly, he was way out of his normal routine. He looked at his plate and threw it at Marty

Here's where the issue came in that really upset me. Coach's parents stepped in and took control, and sent Cullen up to the bedroom and ordered Coach to spank Cullen. I'm not looking to start a huge debate over spanking, but I was pretty upset because Cullen has a developmental delay and while he may LOOK like a four year old, he doesn't behave like a typical 4 year old - it's part of his disability. So, he can't be parented the way a typical kiddo can. I'm not excusing his behavior, it definitely was unacceptable, and I would have removed him from the table too, I just wouldn't have spanked him. Coach agreed with me, and let me know that he didn't spank Cullen, but did calm him down.

Coach said that he intended to have a "quiet" day with the kids, but was going to stay at his mom's one more night before heading to my parents. This upset me because I was missing my kiddos, and was worried about Cullen.

Sorry for the short update but we learned this afternoon that there was a major water main break near the boys' school, and school has been cancelled tomorrow because of it. I was MORE than ready for this because today was "off the charts"
stressful. Troy is hosting the Gentlemen of the Road stopover tour with Mumford & Sons headlining Saturday's concert. We're one of only 4 cities picked to host this event in the US so it's a HUGE deal for our city. I'm really in favor of it, but the traffic and set-up, coupled with a couple of other unforseen forces made today really, really hectic.

First, we left the house at 7:55 to get the older two to their bus stop (bus pick up at 8:04, ten minute drive). Only...it was wall to wall traffic turning out of our development onto Rt 55. Thankfully, I only needed to be on 55 for a short jog to Rt 202 when I hit the 2nd road hitch of the morning. Wall to wall drivers who were trying to avoid I-75 because it was shut down in both directions because of a really bad accident (two semis, 4 cars, massive explosion). One of the clueless drivers was going 35 on 202 which is 55. I was stuck behind the slow driver with no chance to pass her because of the steady stream of traffic heading into Troy. We made it to the bus stop at....8:10 I was frantically dialing Coach to see if the older two could hang out in his classroom until the elementary start time, thinking I'd missed the bus. Thankfully, the bus pulled up at 8:12 with a lot of apologies from Mr. Bill. His route started late because the bus is used to run high schoolers to the local tech school and had gotten stuck on I-75

It was 8:15 and that left me exactly 15 minutes to make the 20 minute drive to get Cullen to his school. The stress meter was really high - almost to boiling point. I googled a couple of maps and determined the "best route" I headed the car north on 202 after I texted another mom to ask her to let the teacher know I'd be late. I headed back into Troy and...hit another roadblock. They'd already closed off the block leading to the downtown area. I made a quick right, then a quick left only to hit...another roadblock

(You'll notice - no detour or alternate route signs posted. I was so frustrated at this point I snapped a picture but the car was NOT moving)

I retraced me route, and went south two blocks then cut back west. This is a narrow street, with parking permitted on both sides, and lots of people like me trying to get around the downtown madness...and BIG semi trucks transporting things to the festival areas. To say my stress meter was on overload is an understatement. I made a few more turns and got onto 55 which unfortunately was pretty congested from people trying to get off 75 south, as well as people arriving for the festival

I finally made it across town to Cullen's school and pulled into the parking lot at...8:50. I wasn't the only tardy parent (thankfully), and two school buses were stuck back in the impromptu traffic detours around the festival set-up. I was turning to get back in the car to repeat the process to get BACK to the elementary where the boys go to school because I had to go in and test the kindergartners (and who turns down a paid assignment?) but before I could get into the car, the speech teacher stopped me and told me that Cullen was being "un qualified" for therapy and she'd send me his assessment results next week. Um? How can a 4 year old who ISN'T verbal be "un qualified" for speech services they've failed to provide yet? Upset, I quickly called Coach and let him know of the conversation - he found it to be interesting that it happened on the heals of my meeting with the Superintendent about the noncompliance of services. Frankly, at that point it was just more than I could handle.

I managed to get back to Patrick's school (on time) and really enjoyed working with the kindergartners! I also learned that Patrick's been bumped up to 1st grade level math. At 10:45, I left the building to make the trek to pick Cullen up, and was pretty well prepared for the madness (I knew I-75 was still closed, I knew the downtown area of Troy was closed off) and I was in good shape to arrive on time to pick Cullen up when I got stopped because a car turned in front of a school bus which was thankfully empty and got smushed. I was ten minutes late getting to Cullen, but another mom was hanging out with him and her little boy, while waiting for her twins to be released from Kindergarten. Cullen safely in the car, we made our way to Patrick's bus stop and got him without incident.

I was exhausted - mentally and physically by then and was rude to the "guard" stationed at the Road Closed sign by 55 who tried to tell me I needed to turn around and go 5 miles out of my way to follow a detour to get to my street. I snapped, pulled my driver's license out and showed him my address and he let me go through the roadblock.
Line-Up - Troy - Gentlemen of the Road 2013

The above link is an idea of some of the events happening at the stadium, but there are many, many other activities planned for the four block span of area in Downtown Troy. 30,000 tickets were sold for the "passport" venue which includes the main stadium for both Friday and Saturday. Day passes for downtown are at a cost of $5 per person and conservative estimates indicate roughly 10,000 people based on pre-sales.
Events & Aftershows - Troy Stopover - Gentlemen of the Road 2013
This link talks about the downtown events - so I totally get why things are so hectic around here and so far Troy's done a GREAT job with hiring extra police and using police and fire from neighboring cities. The concert organizers are also footing the bill for the overtime for police, fire and ems this weekend. I don't mean to be so whinny, it was just a really, really, stressful day

Like I said - the concert is a good thing for Troy, but it just caused me way, way too many headaches today Now that school has been cancelled for tomorrow, I have decided to head up to my parents' house with the kids after breakfast rather than the pre-planned time of departure of 4:00. Coach has decided to hang out back here at home because he's worried about all the added people milling about the city.

[dutchdisneyfamily]

I'm getting caught up again. I'm completely exhausted tonight and I don't have the right words, but just know I'm enjoying your real life updates and your TR. Hope everything works out.