Friday, January 30, 2015

A Big, HUGE Day and Some Other Non-Numbered Things, Ten Things of Thankful Week 85

I am not a mother who enjoys packing lunches for my offspring. I very much encourage them to buy their lunches.  It would be one thing if lunch consisted of tater tots and hot dogs, but our school has good, mostly healthy food.

Turken is not a fan of buying lunch. And by "not a fan" I mean he would rather go up against a rabid dog who wants to do nothing but tear him to shreds than buy his lunch. In kindergarten, there were four days in which the half day kids stayed all day. He lost his ever-lovin' mind when it came to buying just a  carton of milk. He started crying before school even started in the morning. He cried on Buttercup's shoulder so badly that the preschool teacher stopped to make sure everything was OK. When she heard about the problem, she told him she would come down at his lunch time and walk him through the line. She had to do it more than once.

Fast forward to first grade. I have packed a lunch for him every single school day. At conferences 10 weeks ago, I told his teacher about the situation, and she agreed to help me out. Whenever hot lunch was something he would like (I gave her a list.) she would ask him if he would like to buy that day. I made sure she knew I was perfectly fine if he brought a still-full lunch box home if it meant he would buy his lunch.

The teacher and I have not spoken of it again since that day 10 weeks ago.

On Wednesday, I told Turken to get his lunch box out of his backpack. He replied, "It's full. I'll just take the food back and eat it tomorrow.'"

My first reaction was worry. "You didn't eat lunch?"
He answered, "I ate a cheeseburger."

Ya'll, you cannot imagine my joy.

I asked how it all came about, and eventually I got the story. His teacher has been asking him for TEN WEEKS if he wants to buy his lunch. For TEN WEEKS he answered no. Until today. School day one hundred three. She walked him to lunch, through the line, and helped him check out at the cashier.

When I heard this, I immediately called the rest of the kids down. They had also been working on him, letting him know how good the lunches are. They came down to see me doing one serious happy dance. They joined me in the dancing and the praising, shocked that he had actually been brave enough to try it.

This week, I am delighted that my kids have fantastic teachers who really do care about the entire child and not just how well he does on a math test.

Sure, I'll still be packing his lunch every day, but he said he would buy again on the next hamburger day.

Be still my heart. Progress, People. Even when the progress is taken in minuscule snail-like steps, progress is a happenin'

That's worth a few thankfuls right there.

UPDATE: Turken didn't even have me pack a lunch today (Friday). He wanted to try the stuffed-crust pizza at school.

Soccer practices have started up again this week, and the scheduling gurus were good to us. Each team gets two practices each week, plus Star's keeper training. Star and Buttercup have practice at the same time on Tueaday, and Giant and Buttercup have the same practice time on Wednesday.  I don't know if you can understand how huge this is. It is an indoor field where only two teams can practice at a time.  And there are 18 teams that practice there. What are the chances?!?! (Rhetorical question.)

I am writing this post on my iPad while in my car in the parking lot of the high school at 8:00 Wednesday night. It was supposed to be Bryan's turn to take Phoenix to practice, but work came up. I was a bit perturbed at first, but thankfully, the school has wifi in the parking lot. I can actually be productive without going to a Starbucks or Dairy Queen for their wifi and an unnecessary treat.

Why am I writing on Wednesday night, you ask?  Good question.

It's another thankful.

We have no games or practices or camps or anything scheduled for this weekend. That means I can head to Ohio and help my grandma pack her things and get them situated at the independent living facility. The moving truck moves the furniture on Monday, so there is a lot to be done. I will always be grateful that I not only have the time to go, but a family that encourages me to go.

Ok, that sounded more saintly on there part than it really is. When my family found out I wouldn't be back in time to watch the Super Bowl, as is our tradition, they all, including Bryan, cheered. Loudly. Apparently they prefer Dad's frozen pizza bites and spray cheese and all other nasty food to my healthier versions. Bryan and Cuckoo have even talked about having a spray cheese cake. We'll see who's cheering when they are all vomiting from ingesting too much disgusting non-food,

What it means for the blog, though, is that I won't be hopping around much, if at all, this weekend. I'll be packing and unloading and playing cards and laughing and probably crying a bit with my grandma and dad and aunt. Pretty sure I'll be doing most of the heavy lifting, seeing as how the next youngest person to me is 65 years old.

Thank you for reading even when I can't reciprocate.

And thank you, Lizzi, for getting the code written early for me.

Your turn. Link up your ten thankfuls or tell me in the comments.

Have a lovely day!




Ten Things of Thankful


 Your hosts

Join the Ten Things of Thankful Facebook Group

37 comments:

  1. You are saintly. Anyone who ever helps anyone else move, no matter how near and dear, is saintly. Yay, Turken!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't really do all that much. There is lots more to do, but my job was just to get the stuff she was taking to the facility over there and put where she wanted it.

      Delete
  2. Wow! Thats awesome that you get to go move gram! That must help the angst at least a bit?! I hope!

    Ten weeks is some serious staying power on the side of that teacher. Amazing!

    Congrats Turken!

    Lets hope the super bowl stomach issues have passed by the time you get home!Hahaha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It certainly helped me to be there. I got to see first-hand how she was handling it all.

      No joke! I didn't realize she was still asking him. Dedication, I tell ya!

      Thanks to the impending blizzard, I left earlier than planned and made it home just before kickoff. Since spray cheese wasn't found on the store shelves, illness was kept to a minimum. :)

      Delete
  3. (your Turken be a clark*)

    * and there is nothing wrong with that!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I wish our school had healthy lunches. They consider it healthy but Ivolunteered for a bit...the least amount of processed sugar I found in breakfast alone was 22grams...Which is already double the rda for kids. I really lost faith after that. I am lucky that mostly the kid picks one thing to eat for the week obsessively so I can pack ahead. This past week she was on spinach salads with egg,ham, cheese and carrots. A few times I threw in clemintines and fried noodles.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's not all healthy, but there are definitely healthy options. There are always fruits and veggies and yogurt for them to take with the hot lunch, and the ingredients they use for hot lunches are as healthy as possible.
      Turken has had the same lunch every single day. Sandwich, fruit, fruit leather, cheese stick. Every day.

      Delete
  5. Way to go Turken. All it takes is once and then he's ready for the pizza. Excellent indeed.

    All the non-food is right and you'll have no sympathy when they all feel horrible. Nope, not one bit.

    Have a fabulous weekend helping your wonderful grandmother. ☺

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most excellent.

      I do not have much sympathy for people who make poor food choices. Mostly because I've done it myself and learned my lesson. :)

      Thank you!

      Delete
  6. Spray cheese! *shudder*
    Glad to hear your little dude took a chance on the lunch. Mine have pretty good choices and it's so much easier to feed them there.
    Good luck with the moving. Hope you get it done without any strain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't stand the stuff. Fortunately, Bryan never steps foot in the store and didn't know where to find the spray cheese. No one got it last night.

      I am thrilled with the purchased school lunch. It is so much easier.

      Thank you. It went way better than I anticipated.

      Delete
  7. YEA TURKEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And yes...I can definitely imagine your joy and happy dance! ;)

    Spray cheese cake eh.....YIKES!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YIPPEE!!

      I vomit a bit just thinking about it. Fortunately, there was no spray cheese cake. There was a gigantic snake-shaped cake, but it was chocolate with chocolate icing.

      Delete
  8. I am cheering and dancing with Turken, too. Good luck helping with your Grandma's move. I know it will be emotional for you. My last year's effort at healthy Super Bowl food, was in fact, an epic fail. I liked the cous-cous in lettuce wraps, but no one else did.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. I kept busy enough that I didn't get too emotional. Plus, there was a blizzard bearing down on us. I was more worried that I would get stuck in Ohio!
      I hate it when that happens. I usually just make the things they like healthier, like chicken nuggets. I make them with chicken breast in the oven, unlike Bryan who buys the frozen, nasty ones.

      Delete
  9. I'm so glad to hear you are going to be able to get your Grandma moved and settled in her new place. I think it will be good for both of you. Aren't teachers wonderful? For the most part, my daughter has also had teachers that truly care about the kid and I appreciate that so much. Hope you are having a very nice weekend with Grandma, even if you are doing all the heavy lifting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me, too! I was so glad to be able to go. I think the relatives appreciated it, too.
      Our principal is the best at hiring teachers. She has found some of the best teachers I have ever seen. Love our school!

      I had a great weekend, thank you!

      Delete
  10. My first time at TToT and it was a pleasure to read your list. Those little parenting victories are the best, aren't they?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome to the TToT!

      They are wonderful, to be sure.

      Delete
  11. I agree on the school lunches. I always encouraged mine to buy. I have one left who is my hold out. Middle school is usually when they change their mind. Two more years. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Woo hoo, Turken! :-)

    Congrats on the coordinating schedules, too.

    I hope you have a wonderful time with your grandma and other family members--and may you stay there long enough to miss the Super Bowl sickness. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Woo hoo!

      I couldn't be happier with it.

      I am very glad I went to Ohio. It was good for me, and it seems I did help out more than I thought I did.

      Bryan couldn't find the spray cheese, so no one threw up. Good thing, because I made it back in time for the game.

      Delete
  13. Spray. Cheese. Cake. Ohhhhhhh *gags* I thought it couldn't get worse than just spray cheese. I still haven't gotten over the horror of THAT one!

    Thank goodness you'll be far, far away in Ohio!

    HUZZAH FOR TURKEN! What a complete STAR he is, and the teachers, and all the rest of your brood for encouraging him. And you for doing his lunches so nicely. WAY TO GO ALL OF YOU! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No joke. How horribly nasty does that sound!?!?!?

      Apparently, it really does take a village. :)

      Delete
  14. My high school best friend and I used to eat hard pretzels with spray cheese on them. We called it "sleazy cheez." Nuff said. That stuff is nasty.
    Hooray and huzzah for Turken! That's real big kid stuff there. And YES to the teacher who really cares and doesn't give up.
    Good luck with the move. I hope you have wonderful card games and laughs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is hope then, if you used to eat it but now you cook delicious, real meals. :)

      He is moving into the big leagues, for sure.

      Thank you. We did have fun in the middle of such a hard task.

      Delete
  15. I had to pack a lunch for Kyle about 4 out of 5 days a week from kindergarten through fifth grade. And he wouldn't eat sandwiches, so I had to MAKE him something and put it in a thermos. Hot dog. Soup. Refried beans. It got old. In middle school, he could get a hamburger every day, and that was the end of me having to make lunches for him. It was a joyous day. Hang in there!
    When is Phoenix going to get that driver's license? Four more days at our house.
    Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and Super Bowl Sunday, we feast on appetizers found in our grocer's freezer and reheated. Taquitos. Pizza rolls. Potato skins. No squeezy cheese, but as a side note, my vet keeps it in the exam rooms and gives it to her patients to calm them down or get them to take a pill. Fletcher is a fan.
    Good luck this weekend. I know it will be bittersweet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, that would be a pain. I sent leftovers with some kids back in the early days when I only had two children in school and wouldn't let them buy lunch. Fortunately, Turken just likes sandwiches.

      Indiana law says 16 and a half, so March. Or as soon as he gets 50 hours of driving with us. He has to turn in a log. Considering he only gets a couple hours a week, it could be a while. We really need to buckle down and get him behind the wheel. If only Bryan would be brave and do it...
      Our vet uses peanut butter. :)
      Thank you. It really was.

      Delete
  16. I’ve just read your games post as well as this one, and that sounded great fun. As for packing lunches - my girls are both vegetarian and the choices at school were not what I’d call healthy so I’ve been packing lunches for 11 and half years! I keep thinking it’s time they did their own, but it happens rarely. Well done to Turken.
    Hope you have nice weekend with your grandma.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My daughter basically ate a vegetarian diet at school. We have a baked potato/salad bar every day, which is what Buttercup ate off of.
      Wow. That's a long time to pack for the kids! I remember my dad packing my lunch for me every day the first year I lived with him. I was in my third year of high school. I still appreciate it, and I'm sure your girls will, too.
      Thank you!

      Delete
  17. Turken has an amazing teacher!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our principal is wonderful at hiring the best teachers, which is not an easy job. Catholic schools pay up to 20 percent less than public schools. We are very fortunate.

      Delete
  18. Those little victories. Loved imagining all the kids celebrating with you. What a great team spirit!

    Mutant fed the kids spray cheese once. They begged me to NEVER make them eat it again. I'm glad your kids love it! What a great moment with Dad.

    I hope you have a great time with your Grandma. Glad you can enjoy that together.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love how they encourage the little boys. Not each other as much, but at least the little ones. :)

      Blah! It is gross. The tradition is for Dad to spray it into each of the kids' mouths whenever one of the teams scores. I can't watch. But, it is something that they will certainly remember and talk about when they are older!

      Thank you!

      Delete
  19. hope you had a wonderful weekend with your family ...LOL spray cheese and junk food - Mutiny lives everywhere - LOL!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to tell me what you're thinking!