Dear Tooth Fairy...

Dear Tooth Fairy

Cami lost another tooth the other night. Its one of her pre-molars. You know, the ones before the bigger molars. It was loose for a while and she kept playing with it. It drove me crazy watching her do it. Her face would contort and crunch up while she twisted her tongue to be able to wiggle it. She did this unconsciously and it was amusing.

Well I think it was time to get it out and I had her sit there in front of the tv with a wet cloth and pull on it. Didnt work. This thing wasnt going to budge. I didnt want to do the ole tie a string to a doorknob because this would probably cause her nightmares. Its bad enough she is up in the middle of the night now. I dont need her crying in my bed.

Then comes the magical moment. At about 330am, she comes running into my room, scared the shit out of the cat, the dog jumps up and leaps over me to get to the cat and Im now wondering if the house is on fire. "MOM!!! My tooth came out!!!" Oh joy. Couldnt this wait for morning? And she shows me. Seems that the new tooth is already halfway in.

Somehow I managed to get her an envelope to put it in and I told her to leave it on my desk and that the tooth fairy would come tomorrow night. I think this upset her a little but I only had one eye partially open and wasnt about to go tiptoeing through the night and sneak in her room. It wasnt happening. My luck is that I step on something or trip. More than likely it would be the dog or the cat.

All the next day, she fretted about the tooth. Fearing that since she didnt put it under her pillow that very moment that the fairy wasnt going to come. Im not sure what she is more upset about, the tooth fairy or the money. Im guessing the latter.

Well the next night comes and Im debating on when to do this. Shes known to get up in the middle of the night and raid the fridge or sneak into my room. I decided to wait til morning before I woke her for school. At 630am, the alarm went off and I planned my attack. I sneak into her room and shes sitting there on her bed. Apparently she got up an hour earlier and was upset that the tooth fairy didnt come.

Damnit. Now what do I do? I tossed her in the shower and moved in for the kill. I left the tooth where it was but slipped the money into her pillowcase. Three crisp dollar bills to be exact. Damn inflation. I went into the bathroom to help her finish up her shower and I then explained to her that the tooth fairy was probably scared when she woke up but was in the process of wandering about her room. Then I pulled the ole... Hey did you see that fly past? Of course she jumps and says OMG a bee in the house. *slaps forehead*

I let it all slide by and continued to get her ready. I then jumped in the shower. Suddenly I hear a squeal and her rushing in. Of course there is that cold draft that followed and Im now freezing. Shes good for that too. Well apparently she decided to crawl back into bed. Sneaky huh. Well when she put her head down, low and behold, the crunching of paper alerted her to something in her bed. Im sure she paniced and thought it was a bug at first.

So I stepped out of the shower and saw her standing there with money in one hand and her tooth in the other. Shes a little upset at first that the tooth fairy didnt take her tooth. She was upset that some baby now wont have a tooth. Yeah she thinks thats what the tooth fairy does with them. Recycles. Hey, it was a good idea at the time.

Then her eyes light up and tells me that she will leave it under her pillow again so maybe the tooth fairy will forget and leave her more money. Greedy. I explained to her that was not going to be the case because the tooth fairy doesnt forget these things. Of course that rained on her parade.

We both finish getting ready and I see her at the table writing something. I look over her shoulder and shes writing the tooth fairy a thank you letter. This is what it says.

Dear Tooth Fairy,

Thank you for the money but you forgot the tooth. Thats ok though. Please write me back.

Love Cami

How sweet. Now what do I do? Does the tooth fairy write back? I told her that she is probably really busy and that the only time she will come is if there is a new tooth for her. She tells me that she will leave the tooth for her. I said that there are no promises. Its now 1am and Im still not sure what to do. She knows my handwriting and I cant type it out. This is alot harder than a Dear Santa letter.

Maybe I should just take the tooth and leave a cookie.

A Hero Becomes An Angel

A Hero Becomes An Angel

I know I should have done this post a few days ago but I just couldnt find the right words. It pains me to type this out but I have to do it. Not that its a chore but its an honor to do so. A man that I truely cherished has left us. It saddens me deeply.

His name was Raymond Wormuth. I usually dont give real names in my posts but this one deserves to be remembered. He once served in the Navy during World War 2. He was a man of honor and love. He loved his friends and family and he especially loved a little girl that called him Uncle Ray. Although he wasnt a blood relative, he was still Uncle Ray to us. He told us stories and we always had alot of fun. He was quick with a joke and made everyone smile and laugh.

Ray was someone that loved nature and the outdoors. His gardens were wonderful. Not only fruits and vegetables, but he had all sorts of flowers, trees and bushes that he cared for with a gentle hand. He had a home in NY as well as one in Florida. The one in Florida was absolutely amazing with all the plants he had around it. He tended to the wildlife as well. Always filling feeders and hand feeding what ever animal or bird roamed to his yard.

At the camp, he would visit with friends and always chatted for hours. He would stop by every morning for coffee and if you needed something, he always shared what he had. The only time he was inside was to watch the car races on tv. He always had something special for Cami and when it was her birthday, he went all out for her. Not so much in gifts, but with love.

Every year he came up with his wife from Florida a couple of weeks after my mom. They prefered it to be a little warmer when they arrived. In the past couple of years, his health started to fail. He had diabeties but he cared for it well. As strange as it sounds, I never knew his true age. He didnt look or act like an old man. He really wasnt an old man. He was active and healthy. But things started to catch up with him.

Cami always looked forward to when he would arrive. We would go there that weekend and she would spend her whole time there helping him unpack or plant something. They went on rides in his cart and sat by the lake. He would tell her stories and silly jokes. He would teach her things about what is happening around them. He would tell stories about the shuttles going up in Florida and about the fish in the ocean there. Up until a couple of years ago, he had a little dog named Rocky that followed him everywhere. So the three of them would take walks.

This year was a little different. With his failing health, the house in Florida was sold. They were going to sell the camper this summer and set up a small home nearby.

They came up on a Monday. On Tuesday he went to the bathroom and passed out. Apparently he died there on the floor. His neice is an EMS and she was in the park that day and was able to revive him. He was rushed to the hospital where he was put on life support. On Wed night, he passed away.

I found out about this that night. Im thinking to myself, how do I tell Cam? I was going to wait until Sat when we went and that way we would be there with my mom and that would help me out alot. Didnt quite happen that way. On Friday we went on a field trip and on the way home, she mentioned about going to see Ray the next day. I couldnt lie to her. I explainedit as gently as I could and she cried a little. She waited til the day was over and we talked more about it after we got home.

I would have liked to have taken her to the main funeral though. He received full military honors. It would have been nice to let her see for herself what a true hero he was to everyone. But the real hero lives in her heart.

Never Trust a Raisin

Never Trust a Raisin.

I really need to start updating more. I write things down but then I forget where I wrote them. Things have been such a blur the past few weeks though. Im dreading my review at work. Ive been going toe to toe with my boss alot lately. Its not so much my job but the lack of her doing hers. Can you believe that she got on my case for being in the gym during the spring concert because I should have been in the classroom with the kids? Im just the para. The teacher was in the class with them and part of the time that I was in the gym was during my break time. But she expected me to miss out on seeing my own child on stage. As she puts it.... "The children are more important. And once you step in the door, your child becomes one of the schools children." I see her point but she doesnt see mine. Its sad that I had to wait til she was in a really super good mood to ask her for permission for the day off to go with my child on one of her field trips. I dont get paid to go so I dont see her reason to bitch about it.

My mom is settled in at the camp now. Its still a bit chilly there at night so the plastic is still up around the deck to keep it a little warmer there. Its so nice to just go down there now and hang out for the day. I wont be spending the nights there until after school ends. Mothers Day was nice. We relaxed and had a nice dinner. I brought her a huge hanging basket of flowers to hang outside.

Oh, going along with the title to this post, my father has a problem. He is amused at scaring the living shit out of me. Like this is anything new. I was over to his house one day and he wanted me to clean. I was all ready to do so when I noticed something on the kitchen floor. He said he dropped a raisin. So stupid me bent down to pick it up. Then I saw it move. Geezes creepers it was Godzillas brother. Or sister. Doesnt matter. I must have startled it because it was stretching out its legs and started to walk. I jumped back and told him to clean his own damn house. He stood there laughing at me. Glad he got some fun out of it because I was shaking. I heard a scream in the back of my mind. Oh wait, that was me outloud.

So he gets out the can of Raid and shoots it. Its still moving. He shoots it again. Its still moving. I told him to step on it. I dont think I said it too nicely to him though. He laughs some more. Im glad I can be such a help to his amusement. So I decided to get brave and walk back into the room to step on it myself. It started to walk again and I thought twice about it. It would leave a hell of a smear on my shoe. Yeah thats the reason. I will stick with that. Regardless, I told him that I would be back the next day and he better not have any raisins on the floor.

Things have been picking up on business too. Ive been getting alot of orders. Id rather start selling the stuff on the site though. Word of mouth seems to be working wonders for me though. I have made a few more items for gifts and stuff. One necklace set went to Australia. Im excited that I have that sort of 'word of mouth' spread out. The item went to a fellow Scaper for his wife's birthday. She loved it and that made me feel great. I like it when I can create something that blends with someones personality. It makes me feel good that there are people out there that enjoy my work and that they wear it with pleasure.

The other thing about this is that my father has taken an interest in it. Its hard to explain but he has never taken an active interest in anything I have ever done. I never went to college like he wanted me to. So in a way, I have always sort of felt like a failure in his eyes. I know he doesnt feel that way towards me but sometimes it seems that way. Sort of like when I was growing up. He wasnt there from the time I was 9 til I was 19. So he never saw my achievements in music or school. Hes not one that likes to talk much and he can be a bit gruff when he does. Hes the sort that complains alot about nothing. Most of the time he does it out loud. Like when a waitress isnt fast enough with the food even though its only been five minutes since she took the order. So if hes not complaining, I know something is wrong.

But anyways, he has been sneaking behind my back on this one. When I see him, I always wear my latest creation so he can see what I do. At first I think he thought I was buying the stuff and claiming it to be mine. I dont think he was taking me seriously enough. I think he figured it all out on Easter Sunday when he walked in my house and I was working on a bracelet at the table. He watched me make it and was impressed. He didnt say so but he kept picking it up and looking it over. It was a very intricate piece where I was making beads out of beads. They are really cool but they arent easy to do. I have been taking classes on stitching lately and that was one of my first projects that I learned. But I could see it on his face that he liked it.

Then I showed him another one that I was working on. This is called a byzantine link and although its amazing to look at, some think its extremely difficult to do. It really isnt. Just looks that way. He really liked this one and wanted the gold one I had already done. This link can be worn by men and women. I didnt know what he wanted it for though because I havent seen him wear it.

So one day, I was out and ran into my cousin. She mentioned to me that hes been at my uncles house (he goes there daily for coffee and visiting) and he was talking about my stuff. He showed my aunt the bracelet. Apparently he was praising me and my work. Now he would never admit it to my face but for him to tell this particular aunt was the cream in the coffee. I felt really good about it. I never mentioned to him that I knew this though.

So one day, while siting at the table with him, I mentioned that alot of this stuff was costing me and that I thought it would be easier to make my own jump rings. He asked me the cost factors of making compared to buying. Its not cheap to buy but I can get a spool of wire for less than a quarter of the cost and cut my own. I would get 10 times the amount of rings that way. But that was the end of the topic and he started to talk about something else.

A couple of days later, I showed up as usual and he had two blue mats there for me. He said that they would be nice to display the pieces on and take pictures. Also previously he purchased two tripod spotlights for using with my light tent. All this is random. He doesnt ask if I want them before he buys them. Also after he gave me the mats, he handed me a box. I opened it and inside was a couple of small wood clamps and a small table vice. He then asks what size rods I would need. Also in the box was a small hack saw. This all meant that he did some research on the tools I would need to make my own rings. I didnt tell him what I needed. He did this on his own. I guess in a way, I can finally feel some sort of greatness for myself. He has taken an interest in something I like to do.

I know this all sounds sort of like self pity though. But this really does mean alot to me. That small little achievement that I finally shine a little in his eyes. Sheesh, it only took 38 years to do this. The only other time he does do this is when he sees something that Cami does. He knows that I teach her outside of school as well and he has taken an interest in the things that she does. The only thing he doesnt do is come to the school to see it. He doesnt like the neighborhood. But he gave me the money to get her a new violin. He also buys her the books that she needs for her specific favorite topics. I guess it all counts for something.

Speaking of my father. He is in the hospital again. He called me this morning to tell me that he was taken to the ER because his lungs and chest hurt. Apparently his lungs filled up and they kept him there. Hes not too pleased with that. But they also want to run tests on his heart. This could be a good thing because Im sick of the VA doing shit for him. I hate that place. He said he will call when he gets home. I told him to stay out there til he is better. Its a two hour drive home from where he is.

I had planned on going to the bead show tomorrow but a few friends that went today told me that it was the same as last year. Expensive and just a tease to me. I cant afford the stuff they have. I actually can get stuff cheaper somewhere else. Even the classes are outragious. Not worth my time to go get teased. I have money set aside for this week. I dont get paid til Friday. Cami has guitar lessons and also Tony Vacca is back in town and I want to get a couple more of his CDs. If you havent seen any of his shows, you need to find one locally and go. He really puts on a hell of a performance.

Also this past week, Cami had two field trips. One to a local nature center and the other to teh Baseball Hall Of Fame. I didnt go with her to the nature center but she was well behaved there and had a great time. Her teacher even told me that she was one of the best students there. I went with her to the Hall though. I wasnt missing out on that. She loved every minute of it. My moms boyfriend is a major Dodgers fan and she went all out to look for everything Dodgers and Jackie Robinson. I took tons of pictures too. It was a great time. There was a moment on the way back that wasnt a happy moment but I will talk about that in a different post that I have planned. So all in all, thats the past week or so in a nutshell.

Oh!!! I forgot to tell you. We had a special guest at the school too. I know my posts are long but I seem to have a lot to say. Bear with me on this one. The special guest was this guy.

http://www.firstflight.org/shrine/mccandless.cfm

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/mccandless-b.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_McCandless_II

What an honor it was to meet this man. I was in awe. I bow to him. Well the thing was that the school hyped the kids up for a "space week" before he came. So when it was time for the assembly, I went down with my 6th grade class. I noticed that half the school wasnt in the gym. I was informed that at the last minute, it was decided that only the older kids would attend and the rest of the school would have the assembly broadcasted live in the classrooms. So in the gym were only the 4th, 5th and 6th grades. I was pissed. Yep. Pissed like no tomorrow. Cami is in 3rd grade and wasnt allowed to be a part of this. So I sat there and watched the assembly thinking of how Im going to work this out. I waited til the very end when everything was said and done and all the kids went back to class. Cami's class went outside for an afternoon recess. I asked my boss, whome was crowding the poor man, if I could grab Cami for a couple of minutes so she could meet him. She looked me in the eye and told me "why would I allow this?" WTF?!?! This set me off. So I went outside, grabbed her and had her wait in the doorway. I then called the school and asked for the principal. Of course I disguised my voice. When she left the gym, I called Cami in, had her meet the man, took a photo and ran her back outside. In the mean time, I hung up the phone and ran for the hall. My boss went back to the gym just as I ducked out the other doors.

Dont... And I do mean DONT tell me that my child is going to miss out on a once in a lifetime experience when its available to her.

Touche' pussycat.

A Star Is Born...

A Star Is Born....

I know Im writing this a little late but Ive been a little busy lately. A little stressful. A little crazy. This medication altering thing is really exhausting. I feel so bad for her. Nothing really I can do about it though. Consequences mean nothing to a child with ADD/ADHD. Its getting to the point where I dont know where else to go. Her dad doesnt help much either. Its frustrating.

Anywho, its Thursday and today is a very stressful day for everyone. Im praying that the medications work today. She is both excited and nervous of the upcoming event. And yes this is a major event in her little life. She had a rehearsal at the highschool and she thought that stage was amazing. Ive been there many times and yes it is a huge stage to perform on. She is so nervous that she wont know what to do. I told her that there will be hundreds of others there that can help her out.

Her teacher got a little break for the morning today with her being out at another rehearsal. This time though, its at Proctors Theater. This place is absolutely stunning. It is one of those opulent opera houses. I couldnt wait for her reaction when she got back to school. She has been there before but that was a couple of years ago. She really didnt remember the place that well. But this time is a whole new experience for her. This time she will be on the stage looking out. I envy her.

I talked to her at lunch time when she returned and she was absolutely thrilled about everything. She had a much better afternoon. Im hoping that this is working for her. We left school at about 330 and I got her in the shower right away. I got her ready and got myself ready. Mom and Mouse showed up a little early and we were so happy to see them. We exchanged some gifts and goodies. :D

At 530 we headed to Proctors. I took Cami and ran in with her to get her settled with all the other kids. She went to the backstage door and knew where she needed to go. Soon the kids started to come out on to the stage. I could see her in the middle jumping up and down. I waved back to her and she saw me. The show was amazing. I was stunned at how well it went. The music was perfect. Of course I was in tears the whole time. Im so proud of her.

The elementary schools were on first. They played 6 songs and then left. The middle school was next for 3 songs. Then the high school was on for 3 songs. Then while the highschool kids were still playing, all the others came back out on the stage for a finale. They all played a song together. It was amazing. It was beautiful. My mom was amazed. She expected alot of screeching and cat killing sounds. Ha. Wrong. These kids really are good.

Later that night, it was hell to get Cami to go to sleep. She was so wired up. She was still so very excited. What a wonderful day. As she lay there in bed, I could still see the lights in her eyes. My little star.

The long road home

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080423/ap_on_hi_te/techbit_i_can_has_cheezburger

Here it is folks, the best job ever.

Just thought I would through that one in. Id do it but my day job is more exciting. Really. Ok ok.... So I lied about that. Its not so much that its exciting but more entertaining. Never a dull moment. Plus I cant just sit there all day long looking at pictures of cats. I suck at spelling though.

So on to bigger and better things. Im in a really good mood tonight. Why? I'll tell you why. Oh wait, I need to post up that blog I was working on yesterday. Hold on for a few. Ok. I finished that one and posted it. You can read it if you want.

I ended up losing my train of thoughts though. Good thing I took notes of a certain phone call I received. Which is really what this post is about.

During the past few weeks I have been chatting with my mom about when she will be coming home from Florida for the summer. I know I do this every year. I miss my mommy. I dont get to spend any of the Fall or Winter holidays with her. Not even Easter. It really sucks without her. So anyways, she said that Mousie had to receive knee surgery before they came up. I really felt bad for him because I knew the pain he has been in for a few years.

The surgery ended up as just some laser scraping and all that. Still painful though. So they opted for a couple more weeks to heal. Then I got the call about them leaving on the 24th. They would spend a night in North Carolina and then a night or two in Maryland at his cousins place. They do this every time they make this trip. Both ways. But they want to be able to be back in time for May 1st. Thats the night of Cami's concert at Proctors Theater. This is a big deal for her so we are letting it be a surprise. Them showing up. She already knows about the concert.

So anyways, I get a phone call on the 23rd at about 730pm. Its Mousie letting me know that they are in North Carolina. Whoohoo!! They started the trek early. Now I should also mention that mom got a new car. She traded her minivan in for a Prius. Its an ugly car but it gets 50mpg. Not too bad when you do alot of traveling. But my concern was where they would put all their stuff. They usually do the fleamarket thing and then sell the goodies up here. Guess they didnt so it this time.

They told me to expect them in NY somewhere around Monday. So I kept calling them to see where they were at the moment. Im excited for them to be home. So one night when I called, they happened to be at his cousins in Maryland already. Damn that was fast. But he had a little tale to tell me. The information that they entered into their computer got them a little lost. A little? He said that while he was driving, he saw alot of cop cars aroundhim. Why doesnt this surprise me? LOL

This turned out a little amusing because when he looked around, they were in front of the Whitehouse. I asked if they brought a camera but he said that it was packed in the back. Good place for it. But he also said that as they were trying to get out of there, they ended up in the middle of the Univ of Maryland for an icecream party. A what? And where? How does he get into these things? As he said.... Hell, at least I got to see the Whitehouse.

So now that brings us to Monday. They have arrived at the camp and its cold and rainy. Not a good thing. It was such nice weather til they came up. I think they brought it with them. Of course they deny it though. Im hoping to be able to get to see them soon. The concert is Thursday night.

Cami has been a little witch. She got in alot of trouble on Monday with KAPL. I was called to the office and she was sent to the Time Out room for a while. Tuesday seemed to not be any better. She was kicked out of class this time and her Dad was called in to deal with it. I talked to her teacher later on and told him that I thought it was something to do with her medications. We had to alter them but maybe it seems that its too much to handle.

Wednesday I went back to the original times and doses but she had an incident in the cafeteria and was sent to the office again. But I did talk to her teacher later on and we both agreed that outside that one problem, shes getting back towards normal. I hope it works for her on Thursday because this is a major thing for her. Keeping my fingers crossed.