Eddie's library visit

This year, we are trying to get Eddie to have more love for books. He's already enrolled in the advanced reading (AR) program at school. But even still, he doesn't enjoy reading when it's WORK. Also, he does not want to participate in the quiz and comprehension portion of the program.

Last year, he was only able to increase his percentage score to a little over 50%. The majority of the class was below that, but a lot of students were at 100% and some even at 250%! I know Eddie can be up there, but he really lacks self-initiative and motivation. Last year, for the first half of the school-year, Eddie would not quiz on his own and the teacher CANNOT tell them to quiz-part of the program is to teach them to do it on their own.
By the end of the year, Eddie was quizzing 2 times per week, but by then the class was way ahead of him.

So far, he is about 2 weeks into the AR program and we were informed he has quizzed ZERO times!!!  He is supposed to quiz at minimum two times per week to earn his score and increase his overall percentage  number for rewards and recognition. This year, dad and I have come up with a reward/consequence system, which starts today. We hope this system will motivate him to quiz in the program.

The quizzes are to be initiated by each student, meaning they have to know when it's ok to quiz in class, get up from their desk, go get a laptop, log on, enter their book information and start clicking on the prompts to quiz. Students are allowed to have the book in front of them to reference when answering questions. But, Eddie never wants to use the book, even if he forgets the answer. Eddie tries his best to guess the correct answer. Last night, I was coaching him on the importance of referencing the book. We touched on accuracy and how important it was for him to do his best and get a high percentage score. 

Yesterday, I took him to the library and he read about 3 books that he chose on his own.

In the short clip below, Eddie is excited to find a STACK of "I Spy" books, his current interest. This stack included a newer "Spooky" version he is enjoying recently. The book has new and brighter pictures.

When it was time to go, he did not want to go home.  Of course, earlier, when I asked him if he wanted to go to the library, he said no-This is our usual pattern. I've learned it's best not to ask him for his approval, but just take him to where I think he will enjoy time spent.

Eddie cavity free!

Yesterday was Eddie's dentist appointment. He was really good! Poor kid had to have his bottom teeth scraped though because he had some build up on them. The dentist recommended we pay more attention to brushing close to his gums to prevent the build up from happening again.

They asked us to use the bass technique when brushing:

After they were done scraping, they gave him a mirror to show how much better his teeth looked. Eddie's gums were slightly bleeding from the scraping, so when he looked at the mirror, Eddie immediately had a shocked and worried look on his face. He asked the dental assistant: You mean you tried to take my teeth out?!!!!!!!!! Everyone immediately comforted him and explained why his gums were bleeding. Eddie did not cry at all and was super brave despite being uncomfortable.

Other than that, we are cavity-free!

The two ladies in the office really liked Eddie's way of speaking. They genuinely giggled enjoying his comments, opinions and observations.

One of the ladies even asked if she could take a picture with him.

The dentist asked him: How was school? Boring? 
Eddie said: No. 
Dentist: Was it fun?  
Eddie: It was just a regular day. You know? Just ok.
Dentist: What's your favorite subject?
Eddie: Recess.
He made the dentist laugh.

 

Being a good sport

Eddie has been maturing and it makes me glad to see him growing the way he is. Here is a picture of him this morning on the way to school. He told me that he liked his new clothes because he looked like a grown up. He wants so much to be older.

Lately, though, he has had problems with demonstrating good sportsmanship. As I mentioned in a previous blog, he likes to race me but doesn't want me to let him win. But if I win, he blows up in anger!

A few days ago, we went specifically to run at a park. We warmed up, did a few sprints and then raced. When I beat him the first time, he yelled at me, telling me how much of a bad mother I was for being fast. He said he wished HE  was MY father so that he could make me stop being fast. I tried my best to calm him down, but he wouldn't stop with his rage. He asked to race me again and I reminded him that it was not ok for him to get angry the way he did. I beat him the second time and he blew up again. I had to send ourselves home because he could not stop being a sore loser. Sometimes I wonder where he gets it from. Neither Eddie's dad nor I are as aggressively competitive as Eddie is.

I've thought about how to teach Eddie to manage his competitive rage and finally decided it's time to really educate Eddie on how to train to be a fast runner. I started by teaching him 3 important lessons (to start with-there will be more later.) Below you can see that not only was I telling him, but I also texted them to him so that he can remember. As you can see, Eddie has a sense of humor.

 

The video I sent him is of a cartoon on being a good sport. Eddie actually liked it and watched it several times. I only asked him to watch it once. Here it is in case you want to see it. 

Yesterday, I took him to the park and we did a 2 lap warm up. Then, I made him sprint 5 times and timed each sprint. I made him race against himself and beat his own time. After his sprints, I reminded him to say out loud the good things about his speed even when he was slower than the previous time. One of the good comments he made to himself when he was slower was, "I'm going to be faster in the next sprint!" 

Once he was done sprinting, we raced. He beat me the first time (I wasn't warmed up at that time lol and I did NOT let him win on purpose) When he won and crossed the finish line, he immediately laughed at me and called me a slowpoke. I reminded him that it was NOT ok to call names after winning-That is considered a sore winner. I asked him to apologize and instead give me a compliment. He was confused and congratulated me for losing. I had to remind him that all he had to do was say something nice each time, whether he won or lost.

His compliment to me was "You're fast mom. I thought you were going to beat me." Then, he gave me a high five.

The second time, he won again and gave me another high five. On the third race, we tied and congratulated each other.

I really did not let him win. I was running top speed. 

I am going to keep working on running with him and telling him that it's not ok to be a sore winner or a sore loser. Today we will be visiting his friend Daniel, so before heading there, I will remind him to practice good sportsmanship, as they like to race each other a lot. 

Science center and USC

At the end of the day, I have said time and time again, if Eddie decides he doesn't want to go to college/university, there is nothing I can do about it. I tried pushing my sister into it and it backfired on me. I hope dad, grandparents (and other family) and I can encourage him to go all the way. 

This is the 2nd University he has visited. 

Eddie's first question while walking on campus was "Why do these universities try to copy HARRY POTTER!?"

He loved it when I explained to him about mascots and school colors. He really smiled and compared it to Hogwarts.

Before our tour at USC, I took him to the California Science Center.

Then our trip began to USC. Below is Eddie petting the dog, George Tirebiter.

"This was the nickname initially given to a dog at the University of Southern California in the 1940s who was the unofficial mascot of the school before becoming the official mascot on October 22, 1947. He was famous, or infamous depending on your perspective, for chasing down passing cars and nipping at their wheels. The lovable shaggy mutt quickly endeared himself to the student body. He was pampered by the fraternities and sororities in USC's Greek community, routinely being carried back and forth from campus and being fed ice cream."
Here is a picture of Eddie squeezing the dog's nose as he likes to do to Zero.

Next, we went to the playground nearby (walking distance)

After the playground, was time for fro-yo, as he enjoys.

First day of second grade

Eddie's first day of second grade. He expressed he felt nervous. But once he arrived at school, he was yelling his greetings at his friends, who were walking to school across the street from him. His friends yelled back and waved in excitement. Some of his friends are in the same classroom as he is.

Eddie is 7 and a half years old. He likes to play Mimpi Dreams and My  Singing Monsters on his iPad, he enjoys playing with legos and making lightsabers out of anything he can find. He helps me when I ask him to and does kind things such as hold the door open for me or help me carry heavy things from the garage to upstairs. He likes to race me and asks me, please, not to do what grown ups do and let him win-he asks me to run at my top speed. He doesn't want to cut his hair, so our compromise is that he  has to comb it to one side to get the bangs out of his eyes. He says he wants to go to UCLA so that he can defeat the bad guys "The red team" aka USC. He grew more in the last 6 months, than he did between 6 and 7 years old.

We hope he has a good year!

Eddie's race question

Yesterday Eddie was playing with a little boy at a playground.
When we were heading home, I mentioned to one of my friends that the little boy was Mexican, not like the kids at his school who are Asian. Then, Eddie asks me, "Mom, what am I? I mean, what kind of boy am I?" I've never heard Eddie ask me such a question and to be honest, I didn't want to answer it yet. I changed the subject and he forgot about his question.

Beach day!

Yesterday we took the kids to the beach for some summer fun! This is the group of kids Eddie is hanging out with lately. Eddie had a great time and behaved better than ever! I loved to see him play in the water with the kids and even make new friends with nearby kids. When we were walking to the restroom together, Eddie says to me: "Mom..?" "Yes baby?" I replied. "Mom, I love the beach." I said, "Guess what? I love it too."

All of the kids enjoy eachother's company. One of the boys, Ali asked if he could take Eddie home because he likes his company. It's funny to see them kind of bicker and then also cry for each other when it's time to go.

The other two little girls recently joined the group and they are so sweet. They are still trying to get to know Eddie and understand him, so they quietly watch him from a distance and parallel play.

Palm Springs with the 3 brothers

A few weeks ago we took the brothers on a trip to Palm Springs. I am sure they will remember this for a long time. I'm trying to take Eddie out often before he goes back to school, to different places for him to have fun. When we got to this place, Eddie ran to the top of this big kid slide and went on it 23480943 more times. There was a height requirement and Eddie just barely met it by a hair.




Below, Eddie jumping in the pool, no floaties, no fear.

Sleeping in his own room and bed.

Watching movies with his brothers

Playing Jenga with his brothers

Summer break university campus visits-UCLA

Just wanted to take Eddie to visit different university campuses. We started with UCLA. Eddie may or may not choose to go to a university but at least I would like to give him a chance to see what campus life is like.

 

Here are some more pictures

Brothers

Three only child boys have promised each other to be brothers when they grow up.

Yesterday was a very fun day! I contacted Daniel's mom and asked if she wanted the boys to hang out. She replied letting me know that she had Ali with her, Daniel's cousin, but she was available to meet up. We took the kids to Yogurtland, on such a warm day. Obviously, a few minutes later the boys needed a high-energy release outlet. They were so silly, funny and almost out of control! We took them to a nearby playground where the played tag and hide and seek for about 2 hours.

It was a great learning experience for Daniel and Eddie, who have a difficult time playing by the rules or being good sports. Daniel and Eddie are very similar in personalities. When these three get together, it's a constant battle between Eddie and Daniel.
Ali on the other hand, is the most well-behaved little boy I have ever met. Eddie actually tells me that Ali is very mature. Ali, at 6, is the youngest.

During their game of tag or hide and seek, Eddie and or Daniel would spontaneously create their own rules to change the game to their benefit. When it was time for either of them to be "it" they either wailed, threw a tantrum or screamed in anger/frustration. The moms jumped in to remind them that it was not fair to behave that way and we forced them each to be "it." By the end of the game of tag, Eddie and Daniel were playing fair.

Also want to mention that I told Eddie to approach a kid and make friends with him. He went up to the boy, asked his name and was able to get him to play with their group. There was another little boy who came to play later, when they played red light green light. By the end of the game, all boys were cheering each other on to be "Good Sports."

After the playground, we took the kids to McDonald's, which also had a playground (indoor). The kids continued to play and this time Eddie and Daniel were being better sports than before. 
Eddie did scream once when it was his turn to be the monster. I had to sit him down for a 5 minute time out and reminded him that if he could not control his temper, we would have to go home. After that, he was fine to play, even when it was his turn to be "it."





I'm really proud of how far Eddie has come along. He is better at making friends, he has more patience and is willing to try to control his anger.

Last night

Just a memory to jot down:

Last night, I sent Eddie to bed as usual. I went to my own bed and then a few minutes later got up and asked Eddie to come to my bed to cuddle. He looked and me and said "Mom, I can't go to your bed! I like being in my own bed and in my OWN room!" He opened his arms wide to demonstrate his personal space. It was so disappointing, but at the same time, I understood why. Eddie is so big now. I am so proud of him.

Outgrowing his clothes

Eddie is outgrowing his clothes. Dad, grandparents and I have had to buy about every 3-4 months it seems. I am buying clothes that fit slightly larger, but as you can see, it looks baggy on him. He is selective of the type of clothing he is willing to wear and the type he is not.

Currently, he has no interest in wearing shorts or a tank top. As a matter of fact, he says wearing those types of clothing, makes him feel like a "dork" or "silly!"

Eddie is attached to his hat, even though he is not wearing it in this picture. It's been about a year now that he wears a hat and has not wanted to stop wearing one. Wonder if it will carry on into his teen years.

Cut Eddie's hair

Eddie is growing his hair long. His hair was a little raggedy looking so it was time for a trim! He's still going to let it grow; just cleaned it up a little.

Eddie has lost another tooth

Now, Eddie has a nice little window!

Anakin Skywalker arm

The other day, Eddie and I were laying down on my bed, quietly thinking; No devices, just holding each other and thinking.

Suddenly, Eddie says "I wish there was a way to saw my arm off and then I could get one of those mechanical arms, that look like Anakin's robot arm."

I tried not to laugh or be shocked by his random thought. I asked him "Don't you think that would be very painful?"

Eddie replied "I guess, but I just want a robot arm. I really, really do!"

So, I said "Well, you can't have one. It's not a good idea to wish for that either."

Back to silence....


Then, I said, "But you could PRETEND to have a robot arm! Do you want to pretend?"

He laughed excitingly and said "OK!" I took some metallic/foil tape  that we bought from home depot a few weeks ago to make lightsabers and wrapped it around his arm like a cast.

He was pretty happy about it and wore it until it was bath time.

Sleepover 2

I'm writing this post from my phone. Not sure if it will come out right, but we had a fun sleepover last night with the boys.

One of my favorite parts was when they each made their wish. Eddie wished to rule the world some day, Ali wished for an 8 pack instead of a 6 pack (abs) which he does have a 6 pack at age 6. Daniel wished that he would not have nightmares about Chucky. These are some pretty awesome boys.

What Eddie learned in Kinesiology

Eddie was so excited to show me what he learned in Kinesiology, I had to record him. It makes me so happy that dad's money toward this summer program, was not paid in vain. Eddie really LOVES to learn. I had a feeling he would enjoy this program and I'm glad I went with my gut feeling. He truly likes summer school!

Story time with Eddie

Eddie was telling me about what he learned in Kinesiology, during summer school.

After he showed what he learned, he told me about this story he remembers from when he was 5 years old.
He didn't mean for it to be funny, but I laughed so hard, that I had to have him retell it and record him. He was so happy to have made me laugh.

Eddies first day of summer school 2016.

Eddie is enrolled in a 6 week summer academic elective program, which his father paid for. I'm so thankful because it was expensive, but God has blessed our son this year. During this time, Eddie will be prepared for 2nd grade, which he officially starts in August. He will also be enrolled (thanks to his father) in an extended program in which he will learn about kinesiology, art, music, robotics and technology and more. My heart is full, so full.

He was nervous at first, but then remained calm.

 

He was excited to be standing in the 2nd grade line. 

Making a squinty face at me, to make me smile :)

Eddie's first sleep over

I tried to document as much as I could without constantly being on my phone etc. Eddie was so excited about his sleepover with his best friend, little Daniel.

The night of the sleepover, Eddie was super anxious, excited and hyper. I was a little concerned because he was slightly out of control. I had a talk with him an hour before Daniel arrived, about what my expectations were of him that night. But when Daniel got there, he just lost it. He was all over the place, trying to get Daniel to do what EDDIE wanted. After a while he was getting frustrated that Daniel would not cooperate. His frustration led to him acting out and I had to send him to his room for 15 minutes. He was crying in his room and I honestly felt like such a monster, but it was his consequence.

After the time out, he was able to return to the "party" and spend time with Daniel. The video shows Eddie and Daniel having fun.

The next morning, Eddie was on his best behavior. He was much more relaxed and more himself, being sweet to his friend. I told Eddie that I was proud that he was behaving well this morning.

The boys were sad to say goodbye. Little Daniel even wailed and bawled at the front door, after Eddie gave him a hug and said goodbye. About 20 minutes after Daniel left, Eddie was moping around saying he missed his friend. I told him to Facetime him (as they both have iPads.)  He did and now we are planning another sleepover at our place and their place soon.

Here is the video from my Snapchat.

These kinds of videos make me laugh

My Mother's Day gift

My gift made me cry tears of joy! 

Edward received an award today!

Edward had a difficult time adjusting at the beginning of his first grade school year. The family has been in agreement, including grandma and grandpa, in helping him improve his behavior.

This award is a wonderful reminder that all of our efforts are not in vain!

We are all so proud of Eddie!
This is the first award he has ever received. :)

When Darth Vader removes his mask