Progress…
So I knit the gauge swatch for my Jitterbug socks. It swatched great and at 6 stitches per inch on #3 dpns… I think I'm in love. Compared to the Lorna's Laces ones I am working on now 8.5 stitches per inch on #1-1/2 dpns. That's 48 stitches per round as opposed to 64. Wow. Wow. Once again I will do both concurrently toe up using Amy's Universal Toe Up pattern from Knitty. I might play with some ribbing this time or not. Doing two toe ups at once keeps me motivated in several ways.
In other news, this is something that doesn't make it into the blog… the real source of my stress… the stuff that is nearly too painful to talk about. The boy struggles with school. He's ADHD, he has learning disabilities. School overwhelms him. He sometimes has massive anxiety attacks and refuses to go. Sometimes he does go but once we're there he just can't get out of the car. Every week is a crap shoot, some weeks are fine some are anything but, he has missed more school than he should have and the whole sorry mess breaks my heart.
Nothing I tried seemed to work, nothing until this week. The boy LOVES to cook. He wanted to make a REAL Black Forrest Cake. So I promised him that provided he had a full good week at school, I'd teach him my Mom's secret (it's not really a secret, a chocolate cake mix, cherry pie filling with a little kirsch mixed in and whipping cream with chocolate shavings on top). Last week, every time he started to go off track I just kept repeating… you can do it… Keep your eye on the prize… x more days to Black Forrest Cake Sunday! One more day and I pick up the secret ingredients… No fights, no threats, no taking stuff away, no tears, no begging. And it worked!! We're already talking about next weekend--Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake Sunday. I am not a baker and neither of us needs the calories but if it works…he can bake or cook anything he wants to every Sunday provided only that he has a good week and goes to school every day.
Oh, and the Hanger has called, a few times. He misses me… he misses my body… and who wouldn't…Angelina Joile is my boob twin ;-D…he wants to see me, I miss him too but I'm holding the line. I told him he can call me, we might even go to a hockey game this week but we can't go back to the way things were. He has to figure out what he wants. I got off the fence… now it's his turn. We'll see. I'm doing OK though, it feels good to have taken that deep breath and told him the truth. Even if nothing comes of it, even if he goes away. I told him we get what we settle for and that's true. There is a great line in the Movie, "Failure to Launch" when she says to the guy, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life having Fun? Or do you want to spend it with me?".
- You can try them on
- You get the hardest part over at the beginning
- They progress apace
- If you swap back and forth then they should be finished at the same time, no second sock!
- Did I mention you can try them on?
In other news, this is something that doesn't make it into the blog… the real source of my stress… the stuff that is nearly too painful to talk about. The boy struggles with school. He's ADHD, he has learning disabilities. School overwhelms him. He sometimes has massive anxiety attacks and refuses to go. Sometimes he does go but once we're there he just can't get out of the car. Every week is a crap shoot, some weeks are fine some are anything but, he has missed more school than he should have and the whole sorry mess breaks my heart.
Nothing I tried seemed to work, nothing until this week. The boy LOVES to cook. He wanted to make a REAL Black Forrest Cake. So I promised him that provided he had a full good week at school, I'd teach him my Mom's secret (it's not really a secret, a chocolate cake mix, cherry pie filling with a little kirsch mixed in and whipping cream with chocolate shavings on top). Last week, every time he started to go off track I just kept repeating… you can do it… Keep your eye on the prize… x more days to Black Forrest Cake Sunday! One more day and I pick up the secret ingredients… No fights, no threats, no taking stuff away, no tears, no begging. And it worked!! We're already talking about next weekend--Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake Sunday. I am not a baker and neither of us needs the calories but if it works…he can bake or cook anything he wants to every Sunday provided only that he has a good week and goes to school every day.
Oh, and the Hanger has called, a few times. He misses me… he misses my body… and who wouldn't…Angelina Joile is my boob twin ;-D…he wants to see me, I miss him too but I'm holding the line. I told him he can call me, we might even go to a hockey game this week but we can't go back to the way things were. He has to figure out what he wants. I got off the fence… now it's his turn. We'll see. I'm doing OK though, it feels good to have taken that deep breath and told him the truth. Even if nothing comes of it, even if he goes away. I told him we get what we settle for and that's true. There is a great line in the Movie, "Failure to Launch" when she says to the guy, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life having Fun? Or do you want to spend it with me?".
posted by Gingersnaps with Tea... at 11:51 AM
6 Comments:
I gotta get the courage to break out of my sock rut and try the toe up pattern....what a fantastic idea to spend time with your son baking. You are such an awesome mom, seriously. I need to remember the focus on the positive message of that when I'm screaming at my 12 year old about banal things.
What a wonderful cake and what a wonderful solution to help motivate your son for school. I'm so glad you have found something that will help. Good luck to the both of you - I hope it continues to go smoothly. And how nice to spend the time together baking on Sunday too. :)
My youngest sister had a brutal time going to school after my parents separated. I wish that something like your baking idea had worked with her... but she hated school so much she'd get extreme stomach upsets all the time. The best day in both of our lives was when she graduated-- no more school! I wish you the best of luck motivating your son. I know how difficult it can be to feel like you're pulling teeth every weekday for years at a time, but in the end (even if he struggles the whole time and hates being at school), an education still counts for something. You can do it!
Say, maybe I should use my Jitterbug yarn on size 3 needles too! I get too attached to my size 1 needles. The cake looks great. I think I'd be on my very best behavior for it.
My son has had similar struggles. You're a good and clever mom to come up with motivation.
That's a great way to motivate him, and I'm glad it's working. I hope it continues to work. A co-worker of mine had a son with the same issues, and ended up home schooling him instead. She got him involved in a lot of sports activities and other things he liked so that he can keep interacting with children his age. It worked for her.
So, he misses your body..hmmm? I don't see him letting you go. Stay strong girlfriend!
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