And the Light Bulb Comes Out of the Box

If you know my daughter, you know she's bright.

Scary bright, really.

We had her tested for the Gifted program at school; not because we needed a sheet of paper to prove she was a smart cookie; but because this year we've run into fairly significant issues with her behavior in the classroom.

I can hear you, you know - I can feel the vibrations of your murmurings: "SHE'S BORED!!!"

While I don't disagree with you, we've been confronted with a different truth: although not qualified for a Gifted designation, Audrey DOES fit neatly into an ADHD profile.

See, I can still hear you ... stop shaking your head!! Bear with me, ok?

A year ago, or less, perhaps, I would have scoffed at any suggestion of the sort. I "KNEW" ADHD when I saw it ... the boy with ants in his pants who certainly wouldn't sit down to read a book (as she does -- often), is in need of medication (this concept directly in opposition to my opinion about the over-medication of children - I'm a hypocrite, and I'm willing to admit it), and/or a stronger means of discipline.

But after speaking to her teachers, the school psychologist, and an independent psychologist who did a THOROUGH investigation and interview, Ian and I are comfortable with this diagnosis.

In fact, I'm relieved.

It's amazing how filling out those forms with the little check boxes and rating scales gave me immediate grace for -- and understanding of -- my daughter. Being smart doesn't make her able to organize her thoughts, her tasks, her BODY ... anything. Being mature doesn't cover the inability to control outbursts in the classroom and saying things which inadvertantly hurt others. Being 7 doesn't mean she's finally self-aware enough to keep her hair out of her food ... there's simply a missing piece, a brain misfire, an issue in the frontal lobe.

Lord knows the Maizes know enough about the brain to give it due respect.

And so, dear reader, I throw this out to cyberspace for a number of reasons:

1. if you've seen me do what you believe is going overboard in my dealing with Audrey ... shouting, becoming insanely frustrated, making a big deal out of her responses to me, insisting she obey me immediately, getting in her FACE out stuff ... know that these have all become part of my coping mechanism for something invisible which has now come to light.

2. if you have experienced the joy of my daughter (and truly, she is a joy - a lover of people, a charming, funny kid, quirky and crazy and wonderful), you can look for the things I describe and nod in agreement with me ... and perhaps try a different tac if you need to get her to ingest some pertenent information.

3. if you've heard me grumble or roll my eyes about ADHD in general, I'm sorry; it's not that I denied its existence, or even dismissed the need for medication to be given ... just that without a full understanding of the syndrome itself, I was prone to oversimplification and suspicion. For this academic laziness, I apologize.

4. if you've been down this road: we are about to begin our journey of special school accomodations, therapy/counseling and parental education. You may hear about some of it. If you have comments, especially of a constructive, experienced nature, I'd love to receive them. (FYI: we are not yet on a medication plan. This may come later, if the above provisions do not suffice).

The Saga of the Painted (Upholstered) Chair

This summer I did a fun project which elicited much commentary via facebook.

"You're doing WHAT?!"

So I thought I'd lay it all out here, so you can check it out and weigh in if you'd like :)

I was inspired by This Blog and I knew I had to give it a shot! I bought two identical chairs from a friend, fully intending to give them this treatment; the fabric's in great shape, but it's PINK.

Here are the Pink Lovelies, having a chat.

I bought a can of plain 'ol latex paint at Lowe's: I forget the color name, sorry (my neighbor calls it Ooblek Green. He's not far off).

You'll need mixing containers, a spray bottle of water, foam paint brushes (the GOOD kind, not the cheap, crappy ones), a small "regular-ish" paint brush and FABRIC MEDIUM. This is what makes the paint not crack and goo and blick. (Those are technical terms.)  You can find it with the paints at your local craft store - you will need a bunch, depending on your size of furniture and type of fabric.

I'm not going to fuss with a tutorial here - you can visit the above site.  But here are the before, during and after photos.

The chair is not "crunchy." It does not feel like velor, but it also doesn't feel like burlap. More like a starched linen or duck cloth (or painted canvas, naturally).

I plan to paint the other chair, although I we haven't settled on a color yet. Hence, it sits in all its pink glory, awaiting Spring.

eeeew! this could have been discouraging ...

Must. Have. Patience.  This is AFTER one coat.

TA-DA!!

Whaddya think??

Fun Fact

About seven million cars are junked every year in the United States.

Come in, This is No Sugar. Do you read me?

Except for the Christmas letter and small, random updates, things have been quiet here at No Sugar.

There are many reasons: busy-ness, perfectionism, lack of inspiration, internally pooh-poohing my own thoughts and opinions...  "Who (of the many readers who follow this blog due to Ian's story last spring) cares about my favorite restaurant, the miserable customer service I encountered, my son's proclivities or my daughter's quirks?

And really, the answer to that should be is this: "I write this for me. If you don't want to read it, there's a little red and white 'x' up there. Use it."

I have come to realize that what used to be a creative outlet and diversion to me has become a news-only station. So fair warning; I'm manually adjusting the dial and returning you to your (semi)regularly scheduled programming. Buckle up.

Fun Fact

Recycling one glass jar saves enough energy to power a TV for three hours.

Fun Fact

If you yelled for eight years, seven month, and six days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.

Fun Fact

H2O expands as it freezes and contracts as it melts, displacing the exact same amount of fluid in either state.  So if the northern ice cap did melt, it would cause absolutely no rise in the level of the ocean.