You are here: Home / Archives for Family / Cordy
Feb 22, 2008

Next Week She’ll Be Starting Physics

By ·

I was the ultimate geek in high school. While math and science are generally considered subjects where the boys excel, I was always near the top of the class. My senior year, I received the math award for highest math grade of the entire class over all four years. And science? Well, let’s just say that I loved chemistry equations, and I could work a genetics Punnet square faster than anyone.

Sure, I was teased for being a math/science nerd. I was looked at funny for knowing these subjects, because, well, I was just a girl. I also tutored several classmates through Biology and Chemistry, although I had trouble explaining the concepts – I didn’t study much, I just seemed to know the material.

Maybe that’s why I’m now going back to school for nursing: I enjoy science and medicine. (Math, sadly, is no longer a love of mine. I can do basic algebra without problems, but I’d rather never see calculus again.)

I’m hoping that my two girls will also toss gender stereotypes aside and know that science and math are important subjects for everyone – not just boys. These subjects provide a framework for logic and an understanding of how our world works. Actually, I find it upsetting that even science is getting a backseat to other subjects now as standardized tests put more emphasis on english, reading comprehension, and math. All important subjects, but science and the arts are also needed for a well-rounded education.

I think Cordy may have a knack for math and science already. She loves taking nature walks, enjoys learning about different animals, and has a way with numbers, patterns, and shapes that I don’t see in many kids her age. I’m happy to encourage her interests and find opportunities to teach her about science and math whenever I can.

And then there’s the issue of her new favorite book:

(Mommy’s college Chemistry book)

She found the book in the car one day and hasn’t put it down since then. She can now tell you about the periodic table, and how it shows us all of the stuff everything is made of.


I think it’s a good start.

** If you want to read more stories about encouraging science in kids, check out today’s PBN Blog Blast. The theme is “Bringing Science Back, Baby!” and if you contribute a post before midnight tonight you have the chance to win a $100 VISA gift card, courtesy of The Zula Patrol.

Filed Under: Cordy, memories, school ·


Feb 12, 2008

The No Good, Very Bad Day

By ·

So far today:

– I walked outside yesterday to get the mail and discovered a flat tire on the SUV. The tires are only two months old. Took the car in this morning, meaning I’m without a car for the day. I hope the leak can be plugged, because I really don’t want to buy another new tire.

– While getting Mira out of her crib for her overnight bottle, I notice my nightshirt is suddenly warm and wet. Then notice she’s wet. Then check and find the entire crib wet. Change the leaky diaper, her sleeper, the sheets, and my shirt before putting her back to bed. (No, she didn’t get a bath before I put her back to bed. Call me a bad mother all you want – at least I’m a bad mother who got a little bit of sleep.)

– Wake up again to find Aaron standing beside the bed telling me to go downstairs and watch Cordy because he can’t stand to be near her at the moment. Find out that she knocked his computer off the couch (while he was trying to get her to stop jumping on the couch), and now it won’t start up again.

– Aaron calls tech support, who walks him through dismantling half of the laptop to diagnose the problem. With every non-essential piece spread out across the table, we find out it still won’t work. The motherboard is possibly fried, and the in-home support tech may not be here until tomorrow.

– Cordy didn’t have school yesterday because of a teacher training day. Today?


Snow day. (You’d swear we lived in the south – this warrants a day off?) So no school again, and she’s starting to go manic. And I’m starting to consider if cocktails at noon is such a bad thing.

– Mira is also cutting one of her top teeth. She’s Cranky McCranker-Pants today. And she’s stepped up her attempts to eat all the paper, hair and carpet fuzz she can find.

– Just a few minutes ago, Cordy went up to her room to play, and I heard a *thunk*…*thunk* coming from her room. Walked in to find her in the glider, rocking it hard enough to slam it into the wall, forming a lovely dent in the wall. At least I caught her before it progressed to a full hole in the wall.

Can I get a break, please? Surely all of this is building up some good karma for something, right?

PS – It’s only 10:45 am.

Filed Under: Cordy, daily life, Mira, rant, snow ·


Feb 8, 2008

Haiku Friday: A Hair-Do

By ·
Cordy’s new breakthrough:
Her hair is OK to touch
Without a meltdown

Rubber bands and bows –
Ringlets cascading downward
She looks so girly



Cordy’s sensory issue with her hair has been a problem for over a year. Those gorgeous curls are always begging for attention, yet any attempt to touch them is met with screams and wails. This is especially a problem for distant family and strangers, who seem to be drawn to those Shirley Temple ringlets with a burning desire to pull one of those little golden springs.

Every time we wash her hair is a battle. While she likes to splash and play in the bath, she despises water on her head. And combing out her curls takes an entire episode of Bunnytown, since we have to distract her with TV to even have a chance at getting a comb near her. Sure, she has pretty hair, however, you wouldn’t want to be the one to care for it.

But this week we were greeted with a surprise when she came home from school on Monday. The hair on either side of her face was pulled up and secured with a ponytail holder. She now asks for bows in her hair, too. Who is this child? Where did she come from, and why is she asking me for bows?

Her teacher told me she’s been slowly working with Cordy to reduce the sensitivity, and as a result she will let us pull her hair up. Amazing.

To play along for Haiku Friday, follow these steps:

1. Write your own haiku on your blog. You can do one or many, all following a theme or just random. What’s a haiku, you ask? Click here.

2. Sign the Mister Linky below or at Jennifer’s blog with your name and the link to your haiku post (the specific post URL, not your generic blog URL). If you need help with this, contact Jennifer or myself.

3. Pick up a Haiku Friday button to display on the post or in your sidebar by clicking the button above.

Filed Under: Autism, Cordy, Haiku Fridays ·


Feb 6, 2008

Who Really Cares About Seventeen Anyway?

By ·

“OK Cordy, what comes after thirteen?”

“Fourteen!”

“And what comes after fourteen?”

“Fifteen!”

“Good! Now Cordy, what comes after fifteen?”

“Sixteen!”

“And what comes after sixteen?”

“A bunch of bigger numbers!”

Filed Under: Cordy, kid logic ·


Jan 25, 2008

Haiku Friday: Cooking Plastic Cupcakes

By ·

We have a new chef
She’s a better cook than me
Want some plastic food?
(Excuse the messy corner we shoved the kitchen into.)

Cordy has been making huge advances in imaginative play lately. One area that surprised me was her sudden interest in play kitchens and play food. Since I want to encourage her imagination any way I can, I searched high and low for a gently used play kitchen. (After all, have you seen how much those things cost new?)

I found a nice one, and the night we brought it home, she was so excited that she didn’t want to go to bed. Actually, she wanted to go to bed, but she wanted to take the kitchen to bed with her. Uh, no. Sorry, kid, I’m not carrying that thing upstairs.

The next day, our imaginary stomachs were filled beyond capacity with cupcakes and several helpings of breakfast foods. (All we have are plastic cupcakes and breakfast foods right now.) She would insist we each eat a cupcake, then run back to her kitchen with her cupcake tray to make more.


While we now have plastic food and miniature pots and pans scattered all over the living room now, I’m happy to play along with her cooking games. Seeing her imagination sprout and take flight is exciting, and if eating a few more plastic cupcakes helps it, I’m game.

Besides, plastic cupcakes are fat-free.

To play along for Haiku Friday, follow these steps:

1. Write your own haiku on your blog. You can do one or many, all following a theme or just random. What’s a haiku, you ask? Click here.

2. Sign the Mister Linky below or at Jennifer’s blog with your name and the link to your haiku post (the specific post URL, not your generic blog URL). If you need help with this, contact Jennifer or myself.

3. Pick up a Haiku Friday button to display on the post or in your sidebar by clicking the button above.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Filed Under: Cordy, daily life, domestic zero, Haiku Fridays ·