Bribery, Therapy and Other Fun Things

So Tate has been working on his reading lately. He has been able to sound out letters and words for a while now, and we keep working on getting better. He reads us a book each night before he goes to bed and does a great job. Sounds wonderful, right? Well the hard part is that almost every time I ask him to do this, he flips and flops and groans and whines and. . .well just about anything to get out of doing it. I don't understand this, he is good at it, I always try to make it a positive and fun activity, and he gets regular encouragement. Nothing seems to change. It is so frustrating on many levels, but mostly that I'm a teacher, for crying out loud, can't I teach my own child?

So the other day, after he's started his little song and dance, we had the following conversation:

Me: "Tate, do you want to be able to drive a car?"

Tate (who immediately straightens up and listens intently to what I am saying): "Yes!"

Me: "Well if you don't learn how to read, and practice your reading and get very good at it, you will not be able to drive. You need to read to be able to know where you are going by reading signs and maps."

Tate (very thoughtful now): "Oh! When I learn how to read I can drive a car?"

Me: "Yes!" (so happy that we may now have a break through)

We then go on to him helping me read a story he had brought down. That night before bed I asked him to read me a story. He read the story (Here I am, patting myself on the back, thinking this is great! No whining!). He gets done with the story, looks up at me and says, "Can I drive the car now?"

Now that is the question that I get after every story he reads. At least the bribery worked.

I'll admit the whole whining/complaining about the reading/homework situation (it's not like the homework is that serious! I don't even sit him down anywhere unless he has to write and I try to make it fun. Anyway. . .) has gotten me depressed. I have come to the realization that I am not a great teacher. An ok one, maybe even a good one, but a great one? No. This made me down, even more than I even realized probably. Then on top of that we never had dinner with the Stellers. I mean, we do that every week and have for probably two years now? The point being there seemed nothing to look forward to and on any normal week this wouldn't have affected me as much but this week, already being depressed, this missing element to the week did not help. So on Thursday, to help bring my spirits up, I baked oooey, gooey, cinnamon rolls. They had so much yummy butter, sugar and cinnamon it was oozing out the sides. They were delicious. That made me feel much better. Then that night Valerie had a Pampered Chef party and I so enjoyed that, but as I was driving Holley home from the party she said I still wasn't myself. (I really thought I was better, not normal, but better) And then Holley made me cry. You heard me. She is mean and made me cry!!!

I told her repeatedly that I do NOT want to cry. I hate crying. I reserve crying for sad movies, pregnancy and late at night when everyone else is asleep and no one can see me. I did not want to cry! But she kept going on and on about how she thinks I need to cry, and that it would be good for me, and that she wanted me back to normal, etc. Pffffffft!!! Whatever! The heart of it is, she made me cry. Nothing like a good therapy Thursday.

Now onto the other fun stuff. What is it, you may ask? I don't even really know. This past week has not been the best, but not the worst either. On that same therapy Thursday I had to take Ayden into the doctor to find out she had ear infections in both ears. That was fun.

My kids are extremely tired from not getting enough sleep, as am I. I stay awake until at some unreasonable hour and then I fall asleep, so that I'm nice and tired when the kids wake up.

Then the other day my husband said the oddest thing. (well to me it was odd anyway) My mother-in-law was telling me how she thought it was great that I take time for myself, and I was thinking 'Yeah, I do take time for myself. Probably too much'. Then I look over at Andy and he is telling his mom, "Amber doesn't take much time for herself at all." Then he looks at me and says the same thing.

What? Sometimes all I feel like I do anymore is run around to go to little things for myself. Swimming, spin class, little get togethers here and there, etc. I thought Andy was going to see it the same way I did, but interestingly enough, he didn't. I had no idea.

On the positive side, Andy and I did get to go out for the day on Friday while Holley and James took our kids. We had a great time shopping. We tried to go to a movie but it was sold out, so we had this wonderful meal at the Old Town Grainery. Oh yum. I had filet mignon filled canneloni with a tomato cream sauce. It was melt in your mouth good. Then on Sunday, my mother-in-law came up to watch the kids so that we could go to that movie we missed. It was great. I am so thankful to Holley and James and my MIL!

On Saturday we took Grant with us down to my uncle's birthday party. I think I counted around 18 kids running around, while we talked to family. My kids (this includes Grant. In fact my family just started calling him our third child) started learning which aunts and uncles would give them more punch or extra hershey kisses when we weren't looking.

Thankfully I found the upside to this week! I was getting worried there that it was going to be all doom and gloom. So here is to a better week, and getting all my tax preparation done and to the accountant!! Woohoo!