RUDENESS (5 1/2 YRS)

S has taken to demanding for things instead of asking for it nicely. Daddy has started to implement a waiting period before S can ask nicely for anything and momma has started putting S in time-outs again. S needs to learn the difference between asking for things versus demanding.

READING (5 1/2 YRS OLD)

After eleven week of school, S is reading. Momma and daddy started seeing S read around six weeks, but she was still struggling to find the fun in it.

Now, she loves reading simple Dr. Seuss books to herself, like Hop on Pop, and she loves Mo Willem's Elephant and Piggie books. She's still a level one reader. S rely on memory a lot for reading and with long words, she still needs help breaking them down. Momma and daddy can imagine her progresses to simple chapter books by the end of her first year.

EAR TUBES & ADENOIDS (5 1/2 YRS)

S went into surgery yesterday morning to get ear tubes and adenoids removed. Momma hoped the surgery would help S drain better and remove her hearing problems. The procedure took 30 minutes. The nurse got momma and daddy and described her as a little hurricane. Laughing, Momma asked if that was a good or bad thing.

S arrived out surgery groggy, disoriented, and crying. After calming her down a little, the nurse, Vance, wanted to have her take some pain medicine orally, but she refused and later spit it out. She was still unhappy, especially about the IV running in her left hand. The nurse bargained with her -- if she took the medicine than he would take IV out. After a nod and an addition of a popsicle in hand, she took the pain killer.

Finally, S was checked out of day surgery and headed home. She was complaining of dizziness and a sore throat. The dizziness came from her ear getting use to being drained and fluid-less again. Daddy stopped by Sonic and ordered a slushy for her, probably the only slushy ordered at 9 o'clock in the morning with the temperature at 50 F.

When S came home she was tired and starting to cry, momma took her to bed and the two of them slept till noon. S woke up happy and her usual self, full of energy.

Value of a Liberal Education (5 1/2 years old)

Mommy and daddy were talking in the car about the advantages and disadvantages of belonging to a liberal church while S was in the backseat counting by 2, 3, 5, 10, etc.

At one point S declared she was going to count by 9s. She started with 9 and followed with 19, 29, 39... Momma interrupted and said that's not counting by 9s. That's starting with the number 9 and then adding 10s. S started getting defensive and then retorted, "it's not important that I get it right it's important that I tried."

Daddy laughed and responded that's the problem of a liberal education.

PIANO (almost 5)

S started piano lessons at the beginning of April. When asked what she wanted to do over the summer, she responded with -- piano lessons.

S teacher, Miss Robyn feels with S attention span is good enough for school age lessons and often praises S ability.

S loves getting on and making her own music and her own lyrics. Despite S love for the piano, momma is finding it hard to get S to practice.