Report Card Day!

So... Today was report card day for my 2 kids, and I went to their school this morning, not really knowing what to expect. Well, OK, to be completely honest, I did expect a few things. I expected Matthew's teacher to say that Matthew was a good kid, still struggling with the speech part (and thus also the reading part), but overall has improved a bit since last term. I also expected Mikaela's teachers to tell me she was talkative, curious, a little bit bossy (because she totally takes after me!) but definitely a good kid. And I was right, that was pretty much what they said to me today.

But here's what I didn't expect: Kae's teacher said that Kaela, summed up in one word was pretty much AMAZING. Her knowledge, skills and behavior is well above the average 2 year old, and she even volunteers to be a helper all the time in class. One of the two teachers even said that it was just like having another teaching assistant in class because she would help teach the other kids how the songs go, how to do activities, etc. She would even console her friends who cried in class, like "Aww.. don't cry, it'll be OK..."

Also, Matthew's teacher said that he has vastly improved in his speech, he is talking so much more than before and that he was very happy to see the improvement. He said Matthew was one of the smartest in Math, and considering I was awful at Math when I was in school, I pretty much jumped up and down in my joy.

Am I proud? Heck, yes! I've never been so proud in my life!

I can't take credit for much, I'm sure, because I spend a lot of my time at work and traveling and effectively, I am sort of a weekend parent type thing (unfortunately) because I only see them on weekdays in the morning and at night, which is basically a few hours (OK, now the guilt is setting in). But, wow, I'm definitely a proud parent. I'd like to think that at least the quality time I do spend with them is worth something, and maybe they do learn a thing or two from me.

And get this - Kaela can sing the whole "it's my life/confessions" mash-up from Glee too! Yeah, she is pretty amazing.

Just recently, some good friends of mine were tweeting about lost time with the kids because of traveling, and of course, this really struck some chords with me. I'd love to be able to say one day that my kids turn out so well because my husband and I have superb parenting skills - ha. But for now, I'll have to settle with trusting the big guy up there to take care of them while I have to work. I think if I manage my time well and make sure the time I do spend them is used wisely, it all works out in the end...

Can I Tell You....?

Have you ever noticed how you sometimes always use the same terms for something? Or have a habit of using the particular words all the time? Like for example, I attended a seminar a few years ago and the speaker kept saying "As such..." at the beginning and at the end of every sentence. My colleagues and I didn't end up listening to the actual contents of the seminar, but were busy counting how many times he used "As such" in his session. At the end of the day, we counted 67 times! Crazy!

Or - another perfect example would be Paris Hilton's infamous "That's hot" statement. She used it all the time, and whenever someone else would say it, people would go "That is so Paris" -- I think. Or maybe that was just me and my firends?

Anyway, I have recently become aware that I have a tendency to always ask "Can I tell you...?" before revealing some sort of information. How did I find this out? Because over lunch, my friends and I were teasing each other about it. My friend blurted out the "Can I tell you...?" bit just before I did, when I was about to say something. Everyone laughed and it was harmless, but it got me thinking and wondering whether I really did say that alot. Long story short, I asked a few people, and I checked this blog too... and can I tell you? It's true! (See!)

I find it pretty interesting that out of all the words that exist in the world, there are certain words that just stick with us all the time. Out of everything the English dictionary has to offer us, we chose these words most because somehow they just identify with us, or rather we identify with them. I could easily just tell people the information straight off, without using "Can I tell you...?" first, but I never do, and I have no idea why.

A friend of mine always says "From time to time" as a preference over "Occassionally" and another always says "Yeah, right" instead of "Yes, that's true"... and I am now wondering whether the words we use describe who we are somehow.

What are the words you use?