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Monthly Archive for January, 2013

Simon’s “Me Book”

By Simon Wolfsin (sic) Whitwirth (sic). Yes, he misspelled his own last name. I guess they don’t write it much in class, and with his focus on phonics, he’s sounding everything out and going by that. The other day he wrote in a note that someone or something was “Osam”. I didn’t have the heart […]

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Food Stamp Challenge: Finale

No history of Arctic exploration is complete without at least one instance of shoe-eating. Here’s what happens: A group of European explorers set sail for the North Pole or Northwest Passage, seeking to add to human knowledge and bring glory to themselves and their country. They wear cotton and wool, they bring stores of European […]

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Food Stamp Challenge: The Midpoint

So. When I started this challenge, the goal was to see what would happen if I ate real food instead of cheap processed stuff. I am simultaneously succeeding and failing. Succeeding in that I’ve eaten whole grains, beans, and some fresh fruits and veggies. Failing in that I’m regularly running 300 calories behind what my […]

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The Food Stamp Challenge: Part I

Can I eat on $31.50 per week? I’m about to find out. As part of the Community Relations Council of the Louisville Jewish Federation, I began taking part in the Food Stamp Challenge today. The challenge is designed to draw attention to hunger in our community and the importance of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program […]

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School’s out Monday for MLK day. As they do with all holidays, the teachers at Brandeis are discussing this one as part of the social studies curriculum. Wimp that I am, I have not brought up racial or religious intolerance with Simon. We’ve talked about how we’re all the same in our hearts and how […]

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Competition

Simon’s kindergarten class is part of a district pilot project using a game-based computer program to help kids learn to read. It’s called Lexia, and the kids all work on it about 20 minutes a week during their computer time. A month or so ago, parents were given credentials to install and use Lexia at […]

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Last Monday, about five minutes before it was time to head out the door, Simon broke down into ugly, sobbing, tears. He didn’t want to go to school. I’ve seen this before, of course, but this time I wasn’t worried or anxious over the tears. Because while the cure for perfectionism and anxiety is elusive […]

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Sleepover

I have now learned that the only thing more devastating than a failed sleepover is a successful one. Let me explain. A few weeks ago, Simon got the idea that a sleepover sounded like great fun. He’s spent the night with grandparents aplenty, especially the first week of winter break when Matt and I both […]

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Mr. Suave

Watching Simon’s social life unfold is getting pretty amusing. More specifically, I’m watching two trends speed towards a head-on collision. Trend One: Simon’s best friends from preschool are girls. In part, this is because Matt and I have stayed close to the parents of Caroline and Ruby, and in part it’s because he has known […]

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