Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Day 76 - 05/07/2007

Went to the new pho restaurant across the way. Apparently Viet Crystal has changed their peanut sauce recipe and they're no longer lunch-worthy. I liked this new place better anyway. It was:

  • bigger;
  • brighter;
  • cleaner;
  • closer to the office (right across the light at 50 vs. having to actually turn down 50); and (most importantly)
  • the food was delicious.
So, it looks like we've found a new place for lunch without having to resort to corporate places. (I wouldn't mind going to a corporate place ~gasp!~ if they had something worthwhile to offer, but c'mon, really, what's the difference between TGIFridays or Ruby Tuesday's or Applebees? Not much: Their food is pretty much all the same...mediocre.)

I also spent some time trying to get D's laptop to work. She called in a panic (alright, not really a full-blown panic, but needed assistance none-the-less) in that she couldn't connect to the Internet. Without the Internet, she couldn't send e-mail. Without being able to send e-mail she wouldn't be able to finish her room mom correspondence for Teacher Appreciation Week. So, like the good tech support staff that I am, I dashed home and fixed her issue. Don't ask me how I did it as I pretty much did nothing she couldn't have done. I turned off her laptop, went into the office and played backgammon for a few minutes and then came back out and turned it back on. Viola! It worked like a champ. She was back in business.

I have no idea why, but it worked.

M had another blowup this evening about something or other that caused me to take away Narnia for the night. She and N were going at it as soon as we got home and neither one of them would let up. It was partially my fault in that N and I lost track of time down the street and didn't get home until 645p. Seeing as N hadn't had dinner yet, he was well on his way to full on Mr. Crankypants. While part of me worries that this will be long term behavior (it better not be!), I also think it's just her being a normal 3rd grader and that she'll grow out of it. (Of course, I know some adults who pitch a fit when things don't go their way, so it's always possible.) One thing that I need to be cognizant of is the way I interact with her during these periods. I need to remember to stay calm and not escalate the situation. There's a few cliches that I could name (e.g., crying over spilled milk, throwing fuel on a fire, etc.), but I'll try and refrain from using them here and now. Whoops! Looks like I did just that! :-)

Anyway, as I said, the important thing is to not actively participate in her tantrums and instead try to remain calm and unimpressed. Maybe this will cause her to see that she's not getting anywhere with her behavior and will change tactics herself. But, truth be told, the day when she does can't come too soon.

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