Thirty or forty years ago, children were routinely formula fed. Medical professionals recommended they sleep on their stomachs. Carseats did not exist. Daddies earned the money while mommies stayed at home to care for the house and children. Solids were introduced early. Honey was soothing. Bumper pads were considered essential. Bike helmets did not exist.
So we can safely say that a lot of things were different a lot of years ago.
Three years ago, children started solids at 4-6 months, and one new food was introduced every third day. Formula was generally frowned upon, and bottle feeding in general was kept to a minimum, as it was thought to cause nipple confusion.
And this year, pediatricians recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months followed by the addition of a new solid every day. Formula may be used for supplementation, though this is not generally recommended; pumped breastmilk is better, and may be given by bottle, but not in the BPA-containing plastic variety. Other forms of plastic are fine, as are glass.
Today, we have carseats. Babies sleep on their backs. Bumper pads are considered dangerous. Honey is not allowed in the first year. And a stay-at-home parent is a luxury, while dual incomes are the norm.
Also, bike helmets are mandatory.
I turned out fine. And because of, or perhaps despite, the new standards, I expect my children will also turn out fine. All we can do is what is deemed best at the time. Armed only with current knowledge, we can do no more than what we have been taught is right. And it always seems to work.
Do you let them cry it out? Is co-sleeping safe? When should potty training be complete? How should time-out be structured? Are soothers a good thing? Cloth or disposable? Daycare, dayhome, nanny, or stay-at-home?
Everyone is happy to share their opinions. Whether asked, wanted, or otherwise. Unsolicited parenting advice abounds.
"But things have changed since then", I think. And I nod, knowing that if nothing else, at least the intent is good. I wonder, since the rules change so much and so often, how much of what I am doing will be considered ludicrous in another thirty or forty years. Will my children be amazed that they survived?
And ultimately, what happens if I start you on rice pablum at 4 months instead of 6? Or slip you a bottle of formula because it's more convenient? How much harm does it do if I fail to follow certain of the current guidelines?
I don't know.
But now, you lie in my lap. You chat with me, as I play with your tiny little feet. And you are sucking your fingers again, telling me that it is still your lunchtime and that I had better feed you immediately or else you will scream. And I love you and your big brother more than I'd ever dreamed possible.
I have held you and fed you all day long, because otherwise you have screamed. But I'm no good to you if I can't get time to eat or drink something myself. So I live on granola bars and pre-sliced cheese, and worry more about your dietary requirements than my own. I am Mom. It is what I do.
I put you on the breastfeeding pillow. You begin to nurse, and it pains me. But that dissipates as you continue to feed. And I kiss your tiny hands and caress your tiny feet, and wonder if one day the experts will say that we should neither touch nor kiss a baby's hands and feet, and that breastmilk is bad for a child's growth and development.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The answer, my friend, is BRIBERY
J has been on a potty strike. He can go in the potty, but he doesn't want to. We have not found a good incentive that motivates him. We got him big-boy underwear. Some have cars on them. Others have Spiderman. He doesn't care.
We tried taking him every hour. He pees in between. Every half hour? He pees in between. Every fifteen minutes? He waits 'til he's off the potty, then pees.
We told him he can't go to the playground if he's not potty trained. He cried. Then he got over it and carried on with life.
All of his classmates at daycare got moved to the next room. We told J that he doesn't get to play with them anymore until he's potty trained. He decided not to care.
J's cousin, who is one month younger than J, has decided to go in the potty. J admires his cousin. We asked J if he wanted to be a big boy like Jakey. J said "No, I want to be a baby, like N".
Sticker charts? No. Hand stamps? No. Candy? Not really, but we got closer.
Nothing has really worked.
So now, we are using full blown bribery.
We bought a bunch of little trinkets. We wrapped them all up in small bits of wrapping paper, and put them in a bowl. Now, every time J uses the potty and is dry in between uses, he gets to pick a present out of the bowl. There's a big present wrapped up and sitting on top of the piano in plain sight. When the present bowl is empty, J gets to open the big present.
The present bowl is filled with all kinds of cool things. Superballs, Hot Wheels cars, tracing stencils, stickers, sticker books ... but J only really wants the superballs. He rifles through the bowl and picks out all of the balls. We were hoping the cars would be a bigger hit. The big present relates to the cars. But so far, J is only wanting the balls.
With this new incentive in place, J has gone back to doing well with potty training. He still has accidents, and they upset him. We'll keep making sure the bowl is full until he's completely potty trained. The hope is that, once we let the bowl empty out, J will be so used to being clean and dry that the uncomfortable sensation of being wet or dirty will be enough to keep him from regressing.
I hope this continues to work.
Filling the bowl with presents isn't particularly cheap, but it's also not going to break us. H has mentioned that we could have just wrapped up rocks we found in the street and J would have been very happy with them. Sadly, H is correct. And I kind of wish we'd thought of that before we bought presents. But I like to discourage the whole rock obsession, so this is probably better anyway.
We tried taking him every hour. He pees in between. Every half hour? He pees in between. Every fifteen minutes? He waits 'til he's off the potty, then pees.
We told him he can't go to the playground if he's not potty trained. He cried. Then he got over it and carried on with life.
All of his classmates at daycare got moved to the next room. We told J that he doesn't get to play with them anymore until he's potty trained. He decided not to care.
J's cousin, who is one month younger than J, has decided to go in the potty. J admires his cousin. We asked J if he wanted to be a big boy like Jakey. J said "No, I want to be a baby, like N".
Sticker charts? No. Hand stamps? No. Candy? Not really, but we got closer.
Nothing has really worked.
So now, we are using full blown bribery.
We bought a bunch of little trinkets. We wrapped them all up in small bits of wrapping paper, and put them in a bowl. Now, every time J uses the potty and is dry in between uses, he gets to pick a present out of the bowl. There's a big present wrapped up and sitting on top of the piano in plain sight. When the present bowl is empty, J gets to open the big present.
The present bowl is filled with all kinds of cool things. Superballs, Hot Wheels cars, tracing stencils, stickers, sticker books ... but J only really wants the superballs. He rifles through the bowl and picks out all of the balls. We were hoping the cars would be a bigger hit. The big present relates to the cars. But so far, J is only wanting the balls.
With this new incentive in place, J has gone back to doing well with potty training. He still has accidents, and they upset him. We'll keep making sure the bowl is full until he's completely potty trained. The hope is that, once we let the bowl empty out, J will be so used to being clean and dry that the uncomfortable sensation of being wet or dirty will be enough to keep him from regressing.
I hope this continues to work.
Filling the bowl with presents isn't particularly cheap, but it's also not going to break us. H has mentioned that we could have just wrapped up rocks we found in the street and J would have been very happy with them. Sadly, H is correct. And I kind of wish we'd thought of that before we bought presents. But I like to discourage the whole rock obsession, so this is probably better anyway.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Well, if they wouldn't use words that rhyme with "poo" ...
J really likes the "Mamma Mia" soundtrack. His favourite song is "Money, Money, Money". He actually thinks it's called "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy", which is especially cute when he sings along: "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy; Always funny; In a rich man's world.
J also enjoys the song "Super Trooper". But he's not too fond of my version.
'Cause you're a Super Pooper
Potty's gonna find you
With a nice clean bum.
Smiling, having fun.
Feeling like a number one.
'Cause you're a Super Pooper
Potty's gonna find you
And you won't feel blue,
Like you used to do,
'Cause somewhere in the bum, there's poo.
Potty training continues to elude J.
And if ABBA wouldn't use words that rhyme with "poo", then this kind of thing wouldn't happen!
J also enjoys the song "Super Trooper". But he's not too fond of my version.
'Cause you're a Super Pooper
Potty's gonna find you
With a nice clean bum.
Smiling, having fun.
Feeling like a number one.
'Cause you're a Super Pooper
Potty's gonna find you
And you won't feel blue,
Like you used to do,
'Cause somewhere in the bum, there's poo.
Potty training continues to elude J.
And if ABBA wouldn't use words that rhyme with "poo", then this kind of thing wouldn't happen!
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Panda vs. Garbage Head
Today, J decided that he wanted to take his new raccoon to daycare. (I must call it "Raccoon". Try as I might, I just can't bring myself to call it "Garbage Head".) Daycare frowns upon outside toys, but does make exceptions for teddy bears. So Panda has been J's constant daycare companion thus far. But today, J asked to take Raccoon instead of Panda.
Knowing our son as we do, we know that the novelty of the new toy would wear off partway through the day and that he would want Panda. Especially during naptime, when he tends to use Panda as a pillow. We were therefore hesitant to allow him to switch teddy bears for daycare.
We tried to persuade him. H explained that J would want Panda. H suggested that Raccoon could go along, but would need to wait in the car until after daycare. But J was unmoved, and insisted that he must take Raccoon to daycare. Finally, in desperation, H tried talking for Panda.
H (as Panda): Wouldn't you miss me at daycare, J?
J (as Raccoon): I can easily catch a fish with my feet, Panda!
Once again, thanks to "All About Raccoons" for this little conversation snippet.
Knowing our son as we do, we know that the novelty of the new toy would wear off partway through the day and that he would want Panda. Especially during naptime, when he tends to use Panda as a pillow. We were therefore hesitant to allow him to switch teddy bears for daycare.
We tried to persuade him. H explained that J would want Panda. H suggested that Raccoon could go along, but would need to wait in the car until after daycare. But J was unmoved, and insisted that he must take Raccoon to daycare. Finally, in desperation, H tried talking for Panda.
H (as Panda): Wouldn't you miss me at daycare, J?
J (as Raccoon): I can easily catch a fish with my feet, Panda!
Once again, thanks to "All About Raccoons" for this little conversation snippet.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
All About Raccoons
Lately, one of J's favourite books has become "All About Raccoons", a book filled with many raccoon details. How they search through garbage for food. How they sometimes live in peoples' chimneys. How they learn to climb. Yes indeed. "All About Raccoons".
Today, I fortuitously stumbled upon a beautiful raccoon stuffed toy. Knowing that J would love it, I couldn't resist buying it for my little boy. I gave it to him this evening. He loved it so much. He took care not to get it dirty, and he took it to bed with him tonight, along with his cherished Panda.
Historically, J has been less than creative about picking names for his stuffed animals. They all sport names like "Panda", or "Froggie". Sometimes, they are more descriptive - as in "Blue Bear" or "Big Blue Bear". His most creative choice thus far was when he named his giraffe puppet "Kangaroo". Of course, he just had his animals confused; it is now known as "Giraffe Puppet".
So when I asked him what he wanted to name his new toy, I expected to hear "Raccoon". I was therefore somewhat taken aback when my darling son responded with:
J: His name is Garbage Head.
Alright. Well, if nothing else, his book has apparently taught J that raccoons sometimes go through the garbage.
Today, I fortuitously stumbled upon a beautiful raccoon stuffed toy. Knowing that J would love it, I couldn't resist buying it for my little boy. I gave it to him this evening. He loved it so much. He took care not to get it dirty, and he took it to bed with him tonight, along with his cherished Panda.
Historically, J has been less than creative about picking names for his stuffed animals. They all sport names like "Panda", or "Froggie". Sometimes, they are more descriptive - as in "Blue Bear" or "Big Blue Bear". His most creative choice thus far was when he named his giraffe puppet "Kangaroo". Of course, he just had his animals confused; it is now known as "Giraffe Puppet".
So when I asked him what he wanted to name his new toy, I expected to hear "Raccoon". I was therefore somewhat taken aback when my darling son responded with:
J: His name is Garbage Head.
Alright. Well, if nothing else, his book has apparently taught J that raccoons sometimes go through the garbage.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
It never rains but it pours
The kids are sick.
N has some kind of explosive diarrhea stomach cramp issue. Usually very content, he sleeps and screams by turn. The screams are quite disconcerting.
J feels very warm, and he has a cough, runny nose, stomach cramps, and a headache. He's also extremely tired and has no interest in eating (not particularly new, but he won't eat his favourite foods and keeps asking to go to bed instead, which is quite different). He's not even interested in drinking milk. And he's not stalling bedtime, preferring to go straight to bed without snacks, stories, or even being changed into his pajamas. And that's unbelievably weird.
We were set up to babysit I&G tomorrow for L&P. Had to call over there really late, when it became especially apparent that the kids weren't themselves, and tell them the kids are sick. Thankfully, L&P were able to make alternate arrangements. We don't want their kids to get sick. Neither do they. I'm glad we have understanding friends, but I still feel badly about bailing on a commitment at the last minute.
I'm achey all over. Think I'm passing one of the many kidney stones. Hurts, but it's good. Pain means they're leaving my system. I hope they all leave. As long as I don't have to head to hospital for pain meds, it will be just fine.
And of course, my birth mom is fighting pancreatic cancer that is now in her liver. I don't think I've mentioned that on this blog yet. But there you have it.
Fortunately, H feels just fine. We'll all get him yet. Just you wait and see.
N has some kind of explosive diarrhea stomach cramp issue. Usually very content, he sleeps and screams by turn. The screams are quite disconcerting.
J feels very warm, and he has a cough, runny nose, stomach cramps, and a headache. He's also extremely tired and has no interest in eating (not particularly new, but he won't eat his favourite foods and keeps asking to go to bed instead, which is quite different). He's not even interested in drinking milk. And he's not stalling bedtime, preferring to go straight to bed without snacks, stories, or even being changed into his pajamas. And that's unbelievably weird.
We were set up to babysit I&G tomorrow for L&P. Had to call over there really late, when it became especially apparent that the kids weren't themselves, and tell them the kids are sick. Thankfully, L&P were able to make alternate arrangements. We don't want their kids to get sick. Neither do they. I'm glad we have understanding friends, but I still feel badly about bailing on a commitment at the last minute.
I'm achey all over. Think I'm passing one of the many kidney stones. Hurts, but it's good. Pain means they're leaving my system. I hope they all leave. As long as I don't have to head to hospital for pain meds, it will be just fine.
And of course, my birth mom is fighting pancreatic cancer that is now in her liver. I don't think I've mentioned that on this blog yet. But there you have it.
Fortunately, H feels just fine. We'll all get him yet. Just you wait and see.
Friday, August 01, 2008
Sarcasm: Just one more free service he offers
H: J, don't take your blankie downstairs.
J: But Jakey carries his blankie around like this!
H: You're not Jakey.
J: (with utmost wide-eyed innocent sincerity) I'm not?
J: But Jakey carries his blankie around like this!
H: You're not Jakey.
J: (with utmost wide-eyed innocent sincerity) I'm not?
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Have we caught a favourable tailwind?
Seriously.
Have we?
The crossdraft seems less, somehow.
I think we're going faster.
Don't you think?
It's not been as much of a struggle, the last 20 or 30 kilometres.
Have you noticed that?
I feel so light.
So airy.
Like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
Wait ... where's my boat?
Have we?
The crossdraft seems less, somehow.
I think we're going faster.
Don't you think?
It's not been as much of a struggle, the last 20 or 30 kilometres.
Have you noticed that?
I feel so light.
So airy.
Like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
Wait ... where's my boat?
Friday, July 18, 2008
Crossing the Coursework Line
I'm taking a course. Another one. Being no fool, I opted for a lighter term this time around. I figured with a new baby, I couldn't handle an intensive high pressure course this term. So I chose to do my first business case this term. Three months to do a project that is supposed to take around 60 hours to complete. No assignments. No quizzes. No final exam. Just a project. I even arranged to start it early, so that I wouldn't have to work at it for the first month after the baby was born. It's due on September 12. I'm about 75% done already. All that's left is to write two reports. They're difficult, but I should be able to handle that. I've got almost two months. And I know what I'm doing, for the most part.
The business case is basically a test of how well a student knows the materials that he or she studied in levels one through three of the program. We have to do a bunch of year-end entries in Accpac (Batch 2), perform some adjusting and correcting entries (Batch 3), input a current and future tax entry (Batch 4), prepare some schedules in relation to our entries, prepare some internal financial statements, prepare a few spreadsheets, and complete three reports with supporting exhibits. Really, the reports are the toughest part for me. But I write fairly well, so as long as I can figure out the correct recommendations, I should be okay writing the reports.
Since this is distance education, we can't really work in groups and collaborate. But the association recognizes the importance of collaboration. So one of our resources is the Student Lounge. It's an online forum where we can post questions to and receive feedback from fellow students. It can be pretty helpful, but can also deteriorate to a case of the blind leading the blind. So you really have to know your stuff when you visit the forum, or you can be easily misled.
We also have an online course tutor. We can ask questions of the tutor and get clarification on a number of points. The tutor will not premark our project and will only give guidance. Different tutors in different classes tend to operate in different ways. In this class, the tutor is refusing to answer any questions in any kind of remotely useful manner. So the students are relying on one another more than is the norm. Makes it harder, but we cope.
The final resource available for collaboration is a student mailbox, where we can email one another privately. This works well if we need to speak to a specific student, or if we want to work in a group with friends we've made along the way but don't want to share our detailed answers with the entire class. This way, we can collaborate in greater detail. But it's understood that none of us steal each other's work. No plagiarism. No copying. It's against the rules, and can get us kicked out of the program.
Every so often, a student decides to take advantage of the available resources. It's not the first time this has happened to me. I'm sure it will not be the last.
**********
She posts in the student lounge. She is wondering if she has prepared Batch 3 correctly. She posts her batch total and asks if others in the class could compare. Her batch total is incorrect. It is off by over $100,000. I post my batch total and let her know that I think she is off, and I tell her at least one thing that I think she probably missed.
She private messages me. She attaches a printout of all of her entries for Batch 3 and asks me to check them and let her know where she is out. By doing this, she is pushing the boundaries. I do not know her. We have never worked together. To the best of my knowledge, we have not taken other courses together. I am a classmate. I have my own work to do. She is basically asking me to premark her project. I can't do that.
I give a quick look at her entries for Batch 3. There are only five or six entries, so it doesn't take very long. I respond by telling her that I can see several errors. And I let her know where those errors appear to be. I provide a bit of guidance, to point her in the right direction. But I do not share my answers, and I don't give details on how she should correct her entries. She figures things out with the guidance I have provided. She emails me and lets me know that she corrected her entries and that our totals now match.
She then private messages me again. This time, she attaches a printout of all of her entries for Batch 4, as well as her supporting spreadsheet for current and future tax calculations. She asks me to check her entries as well as her spreadsheet and let her know if it's right.
She has now completely crossed the line. She is no longer looking for a check figure. Really, she wants me to complete her assignment for her. Perhaps I should just email her my completed project so that she can put her name on it, hmmm?
I look at her Batch 4 entries. There are only two entries, so it doesn't take very long. Her entries differ significantly from mine. I respond to her. I tell her that our entries are very different from one another, but that I really do not have time to check her work for her and let her know why our entries are out by so much. I tell her that she should probably review her prior courses or maybe ask the tutor for some help. And I leave it at that.
After I hit "send", I look at her spreadsheet for my own curiosity. I discover that her net income amount, which is the starting point for the spreadsheet, is out by around $110,000. There are other errors, too. But this is the main problem. And I realize that, since her Batch 3 total matches mine and she hasn't posted Batch 4 yet, she must have made mistakes in Batch 2 that resulted in the huge difference in net income. Batch 2 has around thirty entries, if a student has done it succinctly.
I do not email her back to let her know that this is the primary issue. I'm sure you can see why. I do not email her back because she is taking advantage of my good nature and continuing to ask me to premark her work. If I email her back, where will it end? If I review her Batch 4 spreadsheet and let her know that her net income is off and that she must have made errors in Batch 2, then she'll email me her Batch 2 and ask me to check all of the detailed entries and supporting schedules. And if I do that, then next she'll email me her financial statements and ask if they're right. And by the time all is said and done, I'll end up preparing her cash flow statement for her. And I can't do that. It would be wrong. Not to mention that it would eat up a significant amount of time that I do not have.
As you know, I do not have a lot of time at my disposal just now. That's why I got a head start on the class when I had more time on hand. And my time management strategy has worked; that is the reason my project is now 75% complete. I didn't do it so that I'd have more time to complete the work of other students for them. I did it so that I'd have more time with my family, at a period of time when I really need family time.
The business case is supposed to test each student on how well he or she knows the materials taken in levels one through three. It is not supposed to test each student on how well I know the materials taken in levels one through three. I know the materials quite well. We all know that, based on my grades to date.
I'm happy to provide input. I'm happy to guide a student who's a bit lost. I don't want anyone to fail this project if I can help by providing a bit of direction. But I will not premark a paper. I will not email a summary of all of my work so that it can be copied. I will not do her work for her. Ultimately, she must do her own work and complete her own project.
We all have our line in the sand. That is mine.
The business case is basically a test of how well a student knows the materials that he or she studied in levels one through three of the program. We have to do a bunch of year-end entries in Accpac (Batch 2), perform some adjusting and correcting entries (Batch 3), input a current and future tax entry (Batch 4), prepare some schedules in relation to our entries, prepare some internal financial statements, prepare a few spreadsheets, and complete three reports with supporting exhibits. Really, the reports are the toughest part for me. But I write fairly well, so as long as I can figure out the correct recommendations, I should be okay writing the reports.
Since this is distance education, we can't really work in groups and collaborate. But the association recognizes the importance of collaboration. So one of our resources is the Student Lounge. It's an online forum where we can post questions to and receive feedback from fellow students. It can be pretty helpful, but can also deteriorate to a case of the blind leading the blind. So you really have to know your stuff when you visit the forum, or you can be easily misled.
We also have an online course tutor. We can ask questions of the tutor and get clarification on a number of points. The tutor will not premark our project and will only give guidance. Different tutors in different classes tend to operate in different ways. In this class, the tutor is refusing to answer any questions in any kind of remotely useful manner. So the students are relying on one another more than is the norm. Makes it harder, but we cope.
The final resource available for collaboration is a student mailbox, where we can email one another privately. This works well if we need to speak to a specific student, or if we want to work in a group with friends we've made along the way but don't want to share our detailed answers with the entire class. This way, we can collaborate in greater detail. But it's understood that none of us steal each other's work. No plagiarism. No copying. It's against the rules, and can get us kicked out of the program.
Every so often, a student decides to take advantage of the available resources. It's not the first time this has happened to me. I'm sure it will not be the last.
**********
She posts in the student lounge. She is wondering if she has prepared Batch 3 correctly. She posts her batch total and asks if others in the class could compare. Her batch total is incorrect. It is off by over $100,000. I post my batch total and let her know that I think she is off, and I tell her at least one thing that I think she probably missed.
She private messages me. She attaches a printout of all of her entries for Batch 3 and asks me to check them and let her know where she is out. By doing this, she is pushing the boundaries. I do not know her. We have never worked together. To the best of my knowledge, we have not taken other courses together. I am a classmate. I have my own work to do. She is basically asking me to premark her project. I can't do that.
I give a quick look at her entries for Batch 3. There are only five or six entries, so it doesn't take very long. I respond by telling her that I can see several errors. And I let her know where those errors appear to be. I provide a bit of guidance, to point her in the right direction. But I do not share my answers, and I don't give details on how she should correct her entries. She figures things out with the guidance I have provided. She emails me and lets me know that she corrected her entries and that our totals now match.
She then private messages me again. This time, she attaches a printout of all of her entries for Batch 4, as well as her supporting spreadsheet for current and future tax calculations. She asks me to check her entries as well as her spreadsheet and let her know if it's right.
She has now completely crossed the line. She is no longer looking for a check figure. Really, she wants me to complete her assignment for her. Perhaps I should just email her my completed project so that she can put her name on it, hmmm?
I look at her Batch 4 entries. There are only two entries, so it doesn't take very long. Her entries differ significantly from mine. I respond to her. I tell her that our entries are very different from one another, but that I really do not have time to check her work for her and let her know why our entries are out by so much. I tell her that she should probably review her prior courses or maybe ask the tutor for some help. And I leave it at that.
After I hit "send", I look at her spreadsheet for my own curiosity. I discover that her net income amount, which is the starting point for the spreadsheet, is out by around $110,000. There are other errors, too. But this is the main problem. And I realize that, since her Batch 3 total matches mine and she hasn't posted Batch 4 yet, she must have made mistakes in Batch 2 that resulted in the huge difference in net income. Batch 2 has around thirty entries, if a student has done it succinctly.
I do not email her back to let her know that this is the primary issue. I'm sure you can see why. I do not email her back because she is taking advantage of my good nature and continuing to ask me to premark her work. If I email her back, where will it end? If I review her Batch 4 spreadsheet and let her know that her net income is off and that she must have made errors in Batch 2, then she'll email me her Batch 2 and ask me to check all of the detailed entries and supporting schedules. And if I do that, then next she'll email me her financial statements and ask if they're right. And by the time all is said and done, I'll end up preparing her cash flow statement for her. And I can't do that. It would be wrong. Not to mention that it would eat up a significant amount of time that I do not have.
As you know, I do not have a lot of time at my disposal just now. That's why I got a head start on the class when I had more time on hand. And my time management strategy has worked; that is the reason my project is now 75% complete. I didn't do it so that I'd have more time to complete the work of other students for them. I did it so that I'd have more time with my family, at a period of time when I really need family time.
The business case is supposed to test each student on how well he or she knows the materials taken in levels one through three. It is not supposed to test each student on how well I know the materials taken in levels one through three. I know the materials quite well. We all know that, based on my grades to date.
I'm happy to provide input. I'm happy to guide a student who's a bit lost. I don't want anyone to fail this project if I can help by providing a bit of direction. But I will not premark a paper. I will not email a summary of all of my work so that it can be copied. I will not do her work for her. Ultimately, she must do her own work and complete her own project.
We all have our line in the sand. That is mine.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
On Birds and Piglets
J continues to hate all things food. He eats better, but he still doesn't eat enough. As my mom says, "He doesn't eat enough to keep a bird alive". I've never encountered a kid quite so fussy! Foods he enjoys are:
Meats and Substitutes:
Hot dogs (no condiments, no bun)
Hamburger patties (no condiments, no bun)
Hamburger soup
Chicken (plain roast chicken only ... any other preparation is unacceptable)
Ham (note: he hates bacon. He eats ham, but under protest)
Peanut butter and strawberry jam (he prefers to eat these off the bread and leave the bread behind)
Eggs (scrambled or hard boiled only, and with nothing mixed in)
Breads and Cereals:
Garlic bread (french bread, crust only)
Garlic bread topped with mozzarella cheese (french bread, crust only)
Maccaroni and cheese (melted cheez whiz topping - he detests Kraft Dinner)
Pancakes (but only at my mom's house)
French fries, without ketchup
French fries, with ketchup (only if the ketchup is in a squeeze bottle)
Tater tots
Hashbrowns (the "McDonald's" variety)
Potato chips (plain)
Doritos (Nacho Cheese flavoured)
Cheerios (if they're dry)
Shreddies (if they're moistened with chocolate milk and fed to him one at a time)
Granola bars (the Trail Mix kind with the nuts. He breaks them apart and separates grains, fruits, and nuts into separate piles. He prefers to eat only the nuts)
Fruits and Vegetables:
Carrots (raw or cooked)
Corn (in small portions only)
Cucumber slices
Most fruits (exceptions include pineapple and blueberries)
Dairy:
Milk (plain, unflavoured, and cold)
Hot chocolate
Yogurt (Danino brand; white only ... if there is coloured fruit mixed in, he won't eat it)
Cheese strings (Black Diamond brand)
Cheese slices (Cracker Barrel pre-sliced cheese - he hates processed cheese slices)
Pudding (chocolate, pre-made Jell-o brand, at room temperature)
Sweets:
Chocolate icing (he won't eat anything it's on - he just licks off the icing)
M&M's
Gummies (the "real fruit" variety)
Chocolate chips (unflavoured)
He still doesn't eat enough of even the foods that he enjoys. And he takes forever to eat anything!!
His height is increasing slowly. His weight is not improving. But at least he's not actively losing weight any longer. He's a slow grower, but is somewhere along the 5th percentile for both height and weight. If he'd eat better, this would improve. But he won't.
**********
By contrast, N is a piglet. He eats almost constantly. I've had to go on medication to increase milk supply, as I can't keep up with his appetite. Even with the medication, I'm hard pressed to keep up with him. At 8 weeks of age, N weighs 10.5 pounds and is 23 inches long. He is in the 25th percentile for weight and the 50th for height.
N will be bigger than his big brother if J doesn't start eating more food.
Meats and Substitutes:
Hot dogs (no condiments, no bun)
Hamburger patties (no condiments, no bun)
Hamburger soup
Chicken (plain roast chicken only ... any other preparation is unacceptable)
Ham (note: he hates bacon. He eats ham, but under protest)
Peanut butter and strawberry jam (he prefers to eat these off the bread and leave the bread behind)
Eggs (scrambled or hard boiled only, and with nothing mixed in)
Breads and Cereals:
Garlic bread (french bread, crust only)
Garlic bread topped with mozzarella cheese (french bread, crust only)
Maccaroni and cheese (melted cheez whiz topping - he detests Kraft Dinner)
Pancakes (but only at my mom's house)
French fries, without ketchup
French fries, with ketchup (only if the ketchup is in a squeeze bottle)
Tater tots
Hashbrowns (the "McDonald's" variety)
Potato chips (plain)
Doritos (Nacho Cheese flavoured)
Cheerios (if they're dry)
Shreddies (if they're moistened with chocolate milk and fed to him one at a time)
Granola bars (the Trail Mix kind with the nuts. He breaks them apart and separates grains, fruits, and nuts into separate piles. He prefers to eat only the nuts)
Fruits and Vegetables:
Carrots (raw or cooked)
Corn (in small portions only)
Cucumber slices
Most fruits (exceptions include pineapple and blueberries)
Dairy:
Milk (plain, unflavoured, and cold)
Hot chocolate
Yogurt (Danino brand; white only ... if there is coloured fruit mixed in, he won't eat it)
Cheese strings (Black Diamond brand)
Cheese slices (Cracker Barrel pre-sliced cheese - he hates processed cheese slices)
Pudding (chocolate, pre-made Jell-o brand, at room temperature)
Sweets:
Chocolate icing (he won't eat anything it's on - he just licks off the icing)
M&M's
Gummies (the "real fruit" variety)
Chocolate chips (unflavoured)
He still doesn't eat enough of even the foods that he enjoys. And he takes forever to eat anything!!
His height is increasing slowly. His weight is not improving. But at least he's not actively losing weight any longer. He's a slow grower, but is somewhere along the 5th percentile for both height and weight. If he'd eat better, this would improve. But he won't.
**********
By contrast, N is a piglet. He eats almost constantly. I've had to go on medication to increase milk supply, as I can't keep up with his appetite. Even with the medication, I'm hard pressed to keep up with him. At 8 weeks of age, N weighs 10.5 pounds and is 23 inches long. He is in the 25th percentile for weight and the 50th for height.
N will be bigger than his big brother if J doesn't start eating more food.
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