So, on the spur of a moment thought while driving north on I-17, I swerved across a lane of traffic to exit for Walmart. Wally’s World… it solves so many of life’s daily issues…. and has the ambiance of the state fair for your viewing pleasure. My main thought was “cabbage”…. because there are currently two heads of cabbage in the fridge which I keep purchasing because our family eats CCS (Chinese Chicken Salad) at least once a week. The dilemma: no chicken has materialized at the Crosby home for at least three weeks. Hence, the swerve and the W-Mart run.
Larisa was with me as we bee-bopped into the friendly world of helpful souls clad in navy shirts and tan pants. At the Crosby home, there is a magnetic list on the side of the fridge where needed and even wanted grocery items are listed for such a time as this. Unfortunately, because this was not a premeditated trip, the magnets were still holding the list on said refrigerator.
So, with my hot pink cell phone, I called home to have one of my sons (whom I taught to read) relay the list to me while I stood in the produce section of WM. Keeve answered the phone. He was my easiest non-reading pupil. Somehow, he just naturally READ….. and I helped a bit. There were only four items on the list… he slowly read, “lard, …. um… I can’t read that one…. um…. A-C-E-T-A-M-I….” “Acetaminophen,” I interrupted his spelling bee recitation. “OK, yeah…. top ramen…. Mom, I really can’t read the other one.” Yes, I had written it myself. I remember writing it… but I couldn’t remember what it was. So I asked him to spell it. “Um….. g…v… your writing is really messy on this word.” “Yeah, yeah, keep spelling, please.” “OK, Um… g… v.. i…h..t…e..m. That’s what it looks like, mom.”
“Is Austin right there? Can you please have him read it?” While he was locating his brother, I found a scratch piece of paper in my purse and wrote down GVIHTEM to try and figure out what it was that I had written so messily. Larisa suggested, “Write it fast and then squint to read it.” hahahaha I did, but it didn’t help. Aus came to save the day… well, sort of. “Mom, I can’t read what you wrote.” “Then please spell it, son.” “OK, GVLTEM.” “Thank you, see you later,” I replied. I gave up at that point and went to find lard, pills and noodles.
I couldn’t wait to get home to read my messy handwriting. Ok, I laughed… the word they spelled over and over was the FIRST word of a double word item on the list…. even if they couldn’t read the first word, the second word was CRACKERS! And the first word started with a G…. graham crackers, of course! And my writing wasn’t THAT bad. I could read it. Sheesh.
Tags: fun fun fun, grocery list, handwriting, kids, mom, mommy, mother, raising boys, spelling, teaching reading, walmart
My Sister's Jar 
October 19, 2009 at 7:30 pm |
Oh for the good old days when pennmanship was taught (required) in grade school and like all subjects you were graded according to your skills. Much time and effort was spent on the lazy shaped horizontal figure eights, the continuous circles and verticle lines from one margin to the other. And believe it or not, seventy plus years later, most can still read my handwriting.
October 19, 2009 at 11:22 pm |
I started handwriting every day with the boys this year. Seriously, it just takes practice. And for the record, I have nice handwriting…. just not on the fridge list. :o)
October 21, 2009 at 12:19 pm |
I can hardly handwrite at all. I know how, but I go at the pace of a Grade 4 student – and it pretty much looks like it did in Grade 4.