[email protected]

Ya gotta get out of the house.
It's very easy to get wrapped up (and I know I get lazy) in what's happening
inside. But after a while, and particularly as we head into winter, you have
to get out.

Think about where you live...there is SO much to do around!!!! You can head
into Boston for dozens of museums, etc. If money is an issue, most of the
libraries have free passes. Heck, we're members of the Science Museum, and I
have free passes I'd be happy to give you. Danielle has an interesting sense of
humor -- go visit the Museum of Bad Art!
_http://www.museumofbadart.org/index.html_ (http://www.museumofbadart.org/index.html)

Wander around Salem for an afternoon. Go to the Guitar Center and let her
play with guitars you can't possibly afford for a while. If you can afford to
join the Family Resource Center, do it... Julian and I used to spend time
looking at the new newsletters and decide what things to do. The activities once
you've joined are usually pretty cheap, and you put it on your calendar, and,
voila! Structure that you've chosen!!! Stuff to look forward to!

Structure isn't bad...enforced structure is! Make plans... Do stuff!
Kathryn


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

jlh44music

> Ya gotta get out of the house.
> It's very easy to get wrapped up (and I know I get lazy) in what's
happening inside. But after a while, and particularly as we head into
winter, you have to get out.>

I think also I've been holding it all together for so long with all
that's been going on this past year, I'M stuck (and I think I need a
good cry!)

> Think about where you live...there is SO much to do around!!!! You
can head into Boston for dozens of museums, etc. If money is an
issue, most of the libraries have free passes. Heck, we're members of
the Science Museum, and I have free passes I'd be happy to give you.>>

She went on so many "field trips" to MOS in school, she's not really
excited to go right now (there have been things planned with the
homeschool group etc). But thanks! I'll keep that in mind.

We've talked about going into Boston on the train to check out some
places, (her dad works in Boston, we could meet him for lunch), but
again, a big part of the problem is getting her up in the morning.
She likes to sleep until noon.

>>Danielle has an interesting sense of
> humor -- go visit the Museum of Bad Art!
> _http://www.museumofbadart.org/index.html_
(http://www.museumofbadart.org/index.html)

I'll definitely check that out! (yes, she does have an interesting
sense of humor!)

> Wander around Salem for an afternoon. Go to the Guitar Center and
let her play with guitars you can't possibly afford for a while. If
you can afford to join the Family Resource Center, do it... Julian
and I used to spend time looking at the new newsletters and decide
what things to do. The activities once you've joined are usually
pretty cheap, and you put it on your calendar, and, voila! Structure
that you've chosen!!! Stuff to look forward to!>>>>>>

I got your email and one from Julian (I'll respond!). When I told
her about Julian offering to go check out guitars at the Guitar
center, her eyes lit up! (We'll talk about that off line). I'd
like to join the FRC but it seems many of the events she might be
interested in start in the AM, which means she'd REALLY have to want
to go to be able to get up early enough to drive there (they're not
all 20 mins away). Can you see my dilemma?

We have been talking about planning to get out more. The dialogue
continues.
Jann

Pamela Sorooshian

On Nov 9, 2005, at 8:09 AM, jlh44music wrote:

> We've talked about going into Boston on the train to check out some
> places, (her dad works in Boston, we could meet him for lunch), but
> again, a big part of the problem is getting her up in the morning.
> She likes to sleep until noon.

Use your imagination - think outside the box. Go to Boston and meet
him for after-work dinner and a show or something. Don't try to get
her up in the morning and don't even COMMENT on her sleeping late.

Read here about teens and staying up at night and sleeping late the
next day - it is a biological thing!

<http://www.nhen.org/teens/default.asp?id=2>

Go to the very bottom of that page and there are three articles about
teens and sleep - very important information for parents of teens.

-pam



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

jlh44music

> > We've talked about going into Boston on the train to check out
some places, (her dad works in Boston, we could meet him for lunch),
but again, a big part of the problem is getting her up in the morning.
She likes to sleep until noon.

> Use your imagination - think outside the box. Go to Boston and meet
him for after-work dinner and a show or something. Don't try to get
her up in the morning and don't even COMMENT on her sleeping late.

I should have been more specific! I have NO problem with her
sleeping! I DON'T comment on it. I have read those articles
(thanks! - I've been reading EVERYTHING I can get my hands on for 2+
years before we pulled her out of school). The problem comes at
night, because she won't stay up alone, and even though I'm a night
person, I'm finding lately I need to get to sleep earlier than 2 or 3
AM because I can't sleep later than 10 AM (I'm usually awake after 8
AM or so, my back starts bothering me). We've discussed this, and
she wants me to help her get to bed earlier (we have a bedtime
ritual, another reason she won't do a sleepover, which is fine), we
were starting to do better, but then this week and her period has had
us up late with long conversations, which I'm glad for, but it IS
again catching up with me (I don't do well with a nap during the day
usually, once in a while if I'm really exhausted).

My dh gets up early to take the train into Boston, so by the end of
the day, he's beat (plus it's been very stressful at work for him
lately, so he looks forward to coming home to veg). But that's not
to say it won't appeal to him sometime.

We have to go to my MIL's house on the Cape (Cod) tomorrow (dh has it
off from work) to do some final consmetic fixes. We want to leave
by 10, so she'll have to get to bed earlier as she's going with us.
She's going to help us paint some closet shelves etc (she likes to
paint!).

We'll get outside that box, I promise!
Jann

Robyn Coburn

<<<<< The problem comes at
night, because she won't stay up alone, and even though I'm a night
person, I'm finding lately I need to get to sleep earlier than 2 or 3
AM because I can't sleep later than 10 AM (I'm usually awake after 8
AM or so, my back starts bothering me). >>>>

One of the things I do, have done in the past more than now but still do
sometimes, is set up a bed for myself on the sofa in the living room (the
room Jayn and I are in at night - being our only other choice in a 1 bedroom
apartment). I have become good at snoozing with a pillow over my head for
noise/light reduction. I get somewhat broken up naps, but it is better than
no sleep at all.

It may not apply if she actually wants your engaged attention rather than
merely your presence. It is a shorter walk to the kitchen from the sofa than
from the bedroom for Jayn's near inevitable corn dog request before
sleeping.

Robyn L. Coburn

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