Product Review Friday - Cloth Diapers (The Early Stages)

A few weeks ago, I actually ordered something from BabySteals.com - three GroBaby shells with 150 of their disposable liners. Once they arrived, I also bought a dozen Gerber Diaper Service Quality PreFolds. And so the cloth diapering began.

So far, I am not minding the change. We still use disposables for night time and if we are going to be out of the house for more than an hour or two. But, I am saving at least 4 disposables a day this way. So, in about 4 months I will have paid for what I bought (about $100 so far). I have 15 prefolds (had a few already that I used as burp clothes) and three covers, and I have realized I need more. I want at least two more covers and another dozen prefolds (or other reusable liners) so I don't have to do laundry each day. I can reuse the covers if the kids don't get too soggy or have a blow-out, but often I am ending up with both kids needing a new cover within an hour or two of each other. It takes 3-4 hours for the covers to dry (hanging up), so I either have to use a disposable or throw a cover in the dryer most of the time. I am waiting to see if BabySteals has any good steals in the next week or so though before I spend about $60 on what I still need (there are hints they are having cloth diapering things up soon).

As for work, it isn't a lot more effort for me to cloth diaper. I do have to rinse off some of AJU6's dirty diapers, but other than that, it might take me an extra 15-20 minutes a day to load the washer, take everything out and hang it up, and then fold the prefolds so I can just put them in the covers.

One thing I do like about the GroBaby covers is they are one-sized. I can use the same cover for AJU5 and AJU6. I just have to use the snaps to make it a little shorter for AJU6, and that is easy to do. I also fold the prefolds differently for each kid. The Gerber prefolds are a little too long for the covers "naturally", so I fold them the other direction for AJU5. This gives her extra material to fill where a girl natural needs it. For AJU6, I just fold down 1/3 of the diaper, giving him more absorbency where boys need it. I will probably buy the Green Mountain prefolds next, and they might be a little smaller. Hopefully they won't be quite a bulky on AJU6, as some of his shorts just don't fit over the diaper well.

And now I know some of you might be wondering why I changed - I was tired of having to buy diapers for AJU5. She is resisting potty training, and spending about $40 a month on her diapers alone was getting to be a pain. Now my diaper purchases go at least twice as far, meaning I don't have to buy them nearly as often!

REJECTED!

At church on Sunday, I was sitting in the pew with AJU5 and AJU6 during the first song. AJU6 was asleep in my arms, and AJU5 was looking at the hymnal. Then I hear the paper tearing. AJU1 had just come to sit with us, so I give him a look and point him towards AJU5. He takes the hymnal from her, and she goes crying and running to the back of the church. I hand AJU6 off to him and go after her. I am able to calm her down, and we return to the pew. I hold her for the songs, and before too long she is asleep in my arms. All is good! Then AJU6 wakes up. And he is hungry. And I didn't pack a bottle for him. So, I try to lay AJU5 down in the pew. No luck. Before too long AJU6 is really hungry (whining), so I have to trade kids with AJU1. I lay AJU5 down next to AJU1, take AJU6, and head to the back of the church to feed him. AJU1 tries to grab AJU5 and hold her, but she rejects him. She moves to the opposite side of the pew - as far away from him as she can while staying in the pew. I return from feeding AJU6 to this picture.

It has been like this a lot. Whomever has been playing or caring for AJU5 is the only parent she wants. There is no substitutions allowed in the game supposedly in her mind. The "funny" thing is that it isn't always mommy or always daddy. But, rarely will she allow us to tag in and out as needed.

I better go. AJU6 is making circle on the floor trying to get to toys. He is starting to learn that if he turns around, he can go backwards to the item he wants. This is not good....

Almost Went Crazy

So, we found out Tuesday that Jersey #2 might be discharged Wednesday, and if she wasn't discharged then she would most likely be discharged on Thursday. So, we thought we had until Thursday to get everything ready to surprise them - food, welcome home banner, etc. So, yesterday (Wednesday) morning we made plans to deliver everything Thursday morning. It was still a rush because we originally didn't expect them until Saturday at the earliest, but it was do-able. We could work on the decorations during Wednesday evening service, and we still had about 24 hours to cook. Around noon, Coach Mom posted that she was being discharged. She had also posted a question on facebook to another friend (who I knew was out of town), so I started a chat with her to answer the question. I subtly tried to push for them to return Thursday, and I was elated when she agreed. She got off Facebook, and I thought everything was fine. Then my husband called. He said they were flying back in a few hours!* I didn't believe him. So, he sent me the email with the information. I checked for myself. Then I started to panic a little. I called my two main helpers. The first one didn't answer her phones, so I called the second and relayed all of the information. We both were ready to rush and get things done and delivered in time. I called the other friend back - left a message on her cell and a message with her mom at home. Then I got to work. I have about 10 letters to make in the Welcome Home sign. Luckily, both kids were asleep! I barely got them all done and my enchiladas put together before it was time to meet to decorate/deposit food. Luckily we made it!

Of course the AJU's didn't sleep through all of my prep work. AJU5 wanted to help, and I wanted to let her play some with the paper. So, I left her in my closet with everything I didn't need and I took everything else (and AJU6) to the office to work. Unfortunately, I forgot to check and see what she could get into. She found my ink pad (for stamps), and had covered her hands. Luckily, she didn't get any on the carpet! Other than that, she had just spread things out.

It was a little crazy, but we had fun! They didn't get all of the food we had planned, but we can just deliver things as they are ready. We could have decorated more, but this means less mess for Coach Mom to clean up. We are just happy Jersey32 recovered so well that she was able to return home only 5 days after open heart surgery. We did laugh last night at church that the next time we pray for a fast recovery we will stipulate the length (let them recover in 7-10 days). We definitely learned (relearned) that God likes to laugh at our plans!

*We donated one of AJU1's free frequent flyer tickets to their family. So, when the flight was changed, the airline automatically sent AJU1 an email with the changed itinerary. It gave me about 30-45 minutes advanced notice before Coach Mom could update the journal with the news. I was very thankful for those 30-45 minutes!

Feeling Good!

First, Jersey #2 is feeling pretty good. She even startled the nurses this morning by getting out of bed all by herself (and tried to get back in alone too, but they caught her). She is really recovering well from everything, but there are still a few hurdles to cross before she can come home!

Second, a friend and I have been walking on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It has been great. The walking is making both of us feel better, and having a chance to talk to another adult is also nice. We stop at the park near the end to let the kids play, so there is an added bonus for AJU5 there.

In other news, AJU6 can now roll over. This is a mixed blessing. First, once he crawls he will be truly mobile (and he is getting close). Second, when I lay him down to sleep, he rolls over. And of course he doesn't want to sleep on his stomach, so he cries. I had to flip him three times this afternoon before he finally fell asleep. At least he isn't cranky like he was yesterday. What ended up being a 2.5 hour visit to the service shop for my car got him off schedule. He was cranky as all get out yesterday afternoon - refusing to eat because he was so tired but refusing to sleep because he was hungry.

What has been making you feel good lately?

Ramblings

First, thanks for the prayers for Jersey #2. She made it through surgery just fine, and just a little while ago she had her breathing tube removed. She is showing her strength and joy with lots of smiles and requests for food and drink (no drinks for a few hours and no food until tomorrow).

Second, AJU6's second tooth popped through yesterday. Hopefully we will have a little break before the top teeth come in. He handled the teething fairly well, but a non-teething AJU6 is less work for sure!

Third, my brother-in-law is giving me a little bit of a math work-out. He is taking college Calculus I, and I am tutoring him. We spent 3 hours last night on Skype working problems together. Unfortunately I didn't know how to do one problem (well, one part of one problem) and it wasn't in AJU1's or my calc books. Oh well.

AJU5 wants a bath - so I am bring pulled away. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Prayer Request (and Milestone)

If you ever read the comments on my blog, you might recognize the name Coach Mom. She is an IRL friend. Tomorrow, her daughter (Jersey #2) will undergo a five hour open heart surgery to replace a heart valve. Jersey #2 was born with Tetraology of Fallot, and underwent an even longer and more difficult surgery at almost 3 months old. Now she is 6.5 years old and in need of another surgery so she can be active again. Please pray for this family. Tomorrow many of us are wearing either crazy socks or rainbow colored clothes in honor of Jersey #2, as this is the type of clothing she loves to wear. If you join us, send me a picture so I can pass it on to her mom. They are going to show Jersey #2 all of the pictures to pass the time when she is stuck in bed.



In other news, AJU6 has a tooth now. You can't see it really yet, but I can feel it. I knew it was coming, but I was still surprised to feel it this morning. Hopefully he will sleep well tonight...

Injustices

Yippie! I finally was able to steal Mommy's computer so I could write a post. It is me - AJU6 - and I am here to tell you about all of the injustices in my world.

First, why is it that I can't move forward? No matter what I do, I only can spin in circles or move backwards. Occasionally I can move maybe an inch forward, but that doesn't really help. I just want to get to my toys or Mommy and Daddy!

Second, why is it that no one understands me? I say all these things, and all I get out of Mommy is "that is a good story." Hello. I am trying to tell you what I want. I am not telling a story!

Third, where is my food? I see everyone else eating around me, and all I get is plastic spoons to chew on. Why isn't there food on my spoons? Mommy was nice enough to let me suck on an apple Saturday night, but I want more!

Those are the big three. Occasionally there are other small ones, but I don't want to sound like my life is that bad.

Love,
AJU6

Busy Day

So, here is how our day went:
4l30 - AJU5 comes ot my side of the bed and hands me her duck, a blanket, and her water cup. I tell her to hold on a second so I can put AJU6 back in his bed (he is out). She goes crying to her room. Moments later AJU1's alarm goes off. After one snooze (10 minutes), he is up and getting ready for work. His plan is to take our "work" truck and pick up a trencher so he can work on the backyard in the afternoon. But, he notices that the back license plate is missing (most likely fell off), so he has to take his car and go to the DMV on the way home.
6:00 - AJU6 is awake and wants to be out of bed, so I am up for the day.
7:00- AJU5 wakes for the day.
10:00 - Head to story time. Today's topic was robots, and we got to make a robot for AJU5 to wear that had "wings" (arms).
11:30 - Leave the library and head to Costco for a few things.
1ish - Get home from Costco and try to get the kids to nap. AJU6 agrees, but AJU5 stays up until 1:45
4:00ish = AJU1 gets home after spending an extended period of time at the DMV because the computer system went down. AJU5 also wakes from her nap and AJU6 is back down for his long nap.
4AJU5 and I help AJU1 in the back yard until 5;30. Then we come inside, clean up, and get ready to go.
6:00 - Leave for an evening of indoor miniature golf with our churches "youth" group. It is more the children's group, but it was a fun evening none the less.
8:30 - Head home and get AJU5 into bed.
AJU6 is still up since he napped at the golf place, although he is about ready to crash. His bottom middle teeth are about to break through, so he is having a hard time falling asleep these days.

My Purchases

Here are the shirts I bought. I didn't iron them or anything, so that is why there are some wrinkles. Tell me what you think.

Deals?

So, I became a "fan" of BabySteals and KidSteals on Facebook a few weeks ago. I like to see what is for sale, but I have yet to buy anything. Some things I don't think are real steals. Hats for $20? No thank you. I bought one for AJU5 for $4 today at Wal-Mart. It may not be "name brand," but she doesn't care. Fancy diaper bags? Nope. Already have a few diaper bags, and I still just use the one because it is too much of a hassle to switch bags.

I am surprised by the number of people who buy multiple times a week. Yes, the stuff is about 50% off, but do you really need it? I guess I am just cheap. I have a hard time buying most stuff. I think that because we are getting by with what we have that we don't need more.

I still splurge occasionally. I buy things for the kids that we don't need. I am very guilty of buying lots of cheap things - like the 8 plastic baskets I bought today at Wal-Mart for $4 plus tax. Luckily my husband is the same way. He buys big things occasionally, but normally he spends very little (except for basics like gas, etc). We don't eat out much because it is more work some times and costs so much more than homemade food. It has allowed us to have the big things we want.

Today I also bought four new shirts. The ladies over at All Kinds of Pretty have made it very obvious to me that I shouldn't we wearing my unisex t=shirts (that I got free) all summer. And, since I am bigger than I was 3 years ago when I bought most of the short sleeved shirts I own, I needed a few new ones. The one I like the best my husband thinks is ugly though. He hasn't seen it on me though, so maybe then he will change his mind (it was a clearance shirt, so I can't find a pic online). Actually, there was only one shirt he didn't make a negative comment about - the most basic shirt. Oh well. He likes solids and that is about it. So, It doesn't surprise me he doesn't like the ones with a little color on them.

Now - those four shirts cost me under $60 with tax. So, I am happy! I do know how to find deals. I just have to decide I need to buy something first...

Product Review Friday - Wrap & Tie Carrier

So, I bought an Infantino SlingRider when AJU6 was born. I read about possible suffication, but because of how I planned on using it, I wasn't worried. I would walk around with im in it (and my arms under him) until he crashed, and then I would sit down and let him lay in my lap. Doing that, I wasn't afraid of him suffocating because I wasn't keeping his neck pushed to his chin. But, when they were recalled, I decided to send it in. I wasn't using it anymore, so why not get something different? I chose the Wrap & Tie because the other options we either already had (shopping car cover) or didn't need (plastic toys). Our other carrier was showing signs of wear, and this one was cuter and had a higher weight limit.

I am happy with the new carrier. I have only used it around the house, but it is very cute. I first tried it out with AJU5 because she is still about 8 pounds litter than the max weight and AJU6 was asleep. She rode on my back for a good 30 minutes and loved it! She has gotten in once or twice since then (because she asked). AJU6 isn't so quick to go for a "ride," but he is still fairly happy it in. One thing I don't like is the amount of fabric at the legs. It is fine for AJU5 since she is bigger, but I have to do a lot of adjusting so I am not making AJU6 do the splits. It has a band to wrap around this area for when the baby faces out, and I have to use that when he faces in as well.

It some ways it is easier to use than my Snugli, but in other ways it is harder. I have found it is easier to put the straps through the loops before putting it on, and then I just slide AJU6 in once I have it on and tighten it. It was a huge challenge to put the straps through the loops and balance him the first time! I do love the amount of adjust-ability. I found the buckles and straps on the Snugli to be a pain to adjust because there were so many places you could adjust them.

The Ergo or other carrier might be better, but for the price, I like the two I have. They work well for us, and that is all that really matters!

No Wonder People Are Confused!

In the past few weeks. I have read, discussed, heard, etc a lot about how much babies and young children eat. One thing I have concluded is that there are a lot of mixed messages out there about what to fed, when to fed, and how to fed our kids.

Some women are told to start solids at 4 months (or earlier).
Others are told to wait until 6 months.
Some moms chose to wait even longer and never spoon feed.

Some doctors are very concerned about children becoming over-weight.
Others seem to not worry either way.

Some doctors push to move kids to skim milk at 2 years.
Some doctors recommend changing to 2% milk.
Others don't say anything about the kind of milk a child drinks.

No wonder moms are going crazy!

A friend on Facebook was told her 4 month old was over weight. The boy was only drinking bm, and the doctor recommended the mom switch to formula and to start solids. Other friends and I were astonished! It seemed so counter-intuitive to us. In my opinion, I was glad the mom didn't take all of the doctor's advice. She did start solids, but she didn't switch to formula (and she switched doctors for her son).

I know childhood obesity is on the rise. But, I think we have gone too far in preventing it. As moms we need to make smart choices as to what we feed our kids. But, we don't need to be so rigid that we put our kids on a true diet.

With AJU5, we let her have as much milk as she wants (normally 2 tall sippy cups), and it is whole milk at this point because she is fairly slender. I don't limit the glasses of juice she has either, but I do water it down a lot (about 1 part juice to 5 parts water). We don't keep too many sugary things in the house, so she doesn't get a lot of sweets. If we have cookies, she gets one or two (depending on size) a day. She loves chocolate chips, but again we limit how many she gets. We are lucky that she loves raisins and peas and cheese. I have made choices on what I buy again after reading some labels, but I won't interfere if someone else offers her those things.

So, I bet I have rambled some. Where are you on this food debate? Are you worried about childhood obesity in your kids? Or, do you ever worry you child isn't eating enough or might be too skinny?

Abort and Other Short Outtakes

We have aborted potty training at least for a few days. Here is what happened yesterday:
At 9, I got AJU5 dressed and we got ready to go outside. AJU6 woke up, so I ran to get him while AJU5 lingered in the bathroom. Next thing I know she comes up to me and her pants are wet. So, I change her and we go outside. After 45 minutes, we sat on the potty. Then we repeated 30 minutes later. Almost 30 minutes later, AJU5 was ready to go inside. She was clearly tired, so I told her she needed to sit on the potty and then we would go inside and she could nap. She very reluctantly agreed - crying during most of the experience. I of course put a diaper on her because I didn't want a wet bed (there had been no success with the use of the potty). She was almost completely dry when she woke up, so I tried to get her to sit on the potty. But, she wasn't having it. AJU6 was asleep in the same room, so I couldn't push too hard (for fear of waking him). She didn't want to wear a diaper, so I eventually succeeded in putting her in undies, pull-up, and then pants. She uses the pull-up and doesn't care that she has the wet undies up against her skim. I tried to get her to sit on the potty again (because I can tell she isn't done), and it was a battle with tears. So, potty training is aborted. I am not going to force her to sit on the potty if it is making her that upset. We will keep trying to get her to sit ont he potty when we go and before bath time. Maybe in a week or two she will be ready.

Last night she confirmed to me that this was a good idea. AJU1 and I asked her if she wanted a bath. She said yes, but insisted he take her to the bathroom. Reason - he doesn't make her sit on the potty before baths, and I do.


In other news - AJU5 was a dare-devil on Sunday. She tried to scale her dresser. The result was in falling down on top of her. Luckily, her TinkerToy can was there to support the dresser. The only damage to her was a few very tiny little pink/red marks. But, it sure did scare everyone!

AJU6 has been a handful. I think the boy is teething. He is demanding to be rocked to sleep AND stay in my arms for the whole nap (other than his first morning nap). Yesterday I was finally able to get him to sleep in the crib at 5pm. He took one nap in the stroller for about 30 minutes after I walked and walked and walked him to sleep. It made for a long day.

Now to write my last final. Then I just have to do some grading before the term is over. I am so ready for 2 weeks off! Well, I will have to get my classes ready for the summer, but that isn't too hard to do.

Quick Update

Great grandparents left this morning.
I almost got the house cleaned before they got here (didn't get the family room mopped - that is it).
Had a great visit with them.
AJU6's dedication was wonderful.
Trying to potty train AJU5 today.
AJU6 turned 5 months old yesterday.
My semester at work will be before next Friday.

Will write more when i have time...

Keeping Up

First, a little AJU6 update since I don't talk about him too much on here. The boy is growing like crazy! And he is quite active. He plays with toys on the exersaucer that AJU5 never did because they were harder to reach. He is also slowly creeping a little bit. I can lay him on his belly, and he will inch (truly - only about an inch) forward to grab toys. He is also trying to master sitting on his own and spinning on his belly. He has no desire to roll from his back to his belly yet though (AJU5 didn't do that until she was crawling, so I am not surprised). He still wakes a bunch at night to eat, but that doesn't surprise me either.

Now for the keeping up part. The great-grandparents (AJU1's maternal grandparents) are coming this weekend. We were given about 2 weeks' notice on this, although we had been asking them to come for a while. Great-granddad is a preacher, and will be dedicating AJU6 at our church on Sunday. He dedicated AJU5 at what was his church almost two years ago, so we wanted him to dedicate AJU6 as well. That means I have to get the house cleaned! And get ready for finals! All this week!

My plan is to clean the kitchen and finish the laundry today. Tomorrow I will do the bathrooms. Wednesday I will dust, and Thursday I will do the floors. I picked up AJU5's toys and tried to organize those this weekend. So, now I just have to keep those picked up as well. Hopefully I will get it all done... We will see... Having my in-laws come is always stressful because I want the house to look nice... So, if you don't hear from me this week, you know why!

Product Review Friday - Store-Brand Diapers

Like I said before, I love the Kirkland diapers. They are soft, hold quite a bit, come in a huge box, and are fairly cheap. One big problem is the diaper sizes though. They start with a Size 1-2, and there is no overlap is weight sizing between this size and Size 3. So, we had to start with other brands for AJU6, and we are using another brand now for him as well. I initially bought Pampers newborns, because I love the wet indicator line. We also had some other samples (free) that we used. After going through a box of newborns and a box of Size 1 Pampers, I decided to try the Parent's Choice brand at Wal-Mart. They worked, but I didn't like them. They were very stiff and had no softness to them. Luckily by the time we had used all of those, AJU6 was big enough for the Kirkland 1-2's. So, we stuck with them until recently when we started to have a little leakage with big explosions. He leaks around the leg openings, so it is a size issue mainly.

I realized the Size 3's were just too big. I knew I could go with Huggies (like I did with AJU5), but I thought I would try the Up and Up diapers (Target brand). They seem to be working well. I like the pattern on them (blue and green dots), and they are somewhat soft - not as soft as Pampers and Kirkland, but no where near as abrasive as Parent's Choice.

Enjoying the Outdoors

AJU5 and I are outside. AJU6 is inside asleep (window open so I can hear him), and AJU1 is getting composite for the backyard (run 2 of 4 most likely). And I am enjoying it! Today is a practice to see how spending the day outside would go. In a week (or 3 or 4), I plan on potty training AJU5. We will spend out days outside to avoid accidents inside. So, I just need to make sure my plan will work :)

AJU5 has played in the dirt. She has played with water. She did a little short stint on her cars, andnow she is walking around upset because I won't let her push buttons... I may need to come up with a few more distractions though - any ideas?

At least she loves me...

AJU5 has become a complete Mommy's girl lately. She rejects AJU1 often, which I don't think he likes. She hasn't completely rejected him luckily, but he has mentioned that he hopes AJU6 doesn't hate him when he turns 2.

She insists I put her in the car. She sits behind the driver seat, so if we are all going somewhere these means that we have to put our respective children in and then walk around the vehicle to get to our seat. Annoying...

About 75% of the time she insists on getting out on AJU6's side - i.e. where I am. I took Sarah's suggestion from way back and unbuckle AJU5 first when it is just me and the kids.. Then, I go get AJU6, the diaper bag, and finally AJU5 out on his side. Now she insists on this order even if AJU1 is the one unbuckling her. Well, unless I am fast enough and get AJU6 out and the door shut before she is out of her seat that is.

During Sunday morning service, she insists on sitting with me/on me. This is fine until AJU6 is hungry. Yesterday we tried to get her to sit with AJU1 when she was 90% asleep, and she just screamed. So, I had her snuggled up next to me while I fed AJU6. It didn't work so well as she decided to rest her head on his head. Luckily he was no longer too hungry...

There are other times she insists on me, but it isn't consistent as to what those things are. Luckily during the middle of the night she normally goes to AJU1's side of the bed! Unfortunately on days like today, AJU1 is already out of the house when she comes looking (i.e. 5:30). I thought she would sleep in since she didn't give up and sleep until almost 10 last night...

And to think just before and just after AJU6 was born she was a total Daddy's girl. Jealousy has sure set in!

Change of Plans

I was going to do a little review of another diaper we are trying with AJU6 (since he is between sizes for the Kirkland ones), but I am not in the mood. Maybe next week...

The ick may hopefully have finally left our house. AJU5 had an ick free night last night, and she seems to be 100% today. So, that is a huge relief! After almost a week of all variations of stomach issues, I am ready to be over with it. The big thing we have to deal with now is retraining AJU5 and ourselves. AJU5 got more juice in her juice because I just wanted her to stay hydrated. Now she is refusing her juice because I am trying to bring it back to the 1/3 juice- 2/3 water combo we had. She used to even drink it more diluted sometimes, but not now. She has also figured out that "oh-no" will get a quick response from us. This is what she said often when she need assistance with ick, so I would run to her whenever I heard it. This morning she used the same tone when she spilled water on herself. Now, I know to her it might be just as bad as ick, but to me it isn't!. A wet shirt does not require me to run as fast as I can to her side...

But the most frustrating thing right now is a student I have. After the first exam, he went on a tirade in an email to me about how unfair the exam was. He also complained on the course discussion board, where other students (thankfully) voiced their disagreement with him. I did my best to deal with him politely, and he chose not to do most of the work for Exam 2. He did take Exam 2, but of course he bombed it. Then Saturday he emails me asking if he can still pass the course. Well, I had already posted the grades and explained to the course how many points are left. So, he could easily calculate his current total and see that yes, technically he can still pass the course but he has to do very well on everything from here on out. I didn't get a chance to reply to the email because of the ick on Saturday (and I take Sundays off from work). During this time period AJU5 restarted my computer, so I forgot about the email. So, this morning I had two emails from him. One asking if I was still around and the second saying I was the worst teacher ever and he was going to set up a meeting for us with the dean. Luckily I had already talked to our associate dean about the Exam 1 issues. I am fairly certain they will not make me sit int he same room with this student after what he said in some of those emails... I did email him back and explained that I was sorry I had not gotten back to him and it was because I had been dealing with sickness in the family, etc and he could have answered the question himself. Oh, and of course the end of the email I got from him was again not something any student should say to his/her professor. He went off on how I had been scammed into being a Christian. Now, I don't expect all of my students to agree with my beliefs. Actually, I expect many to have different beliefs. But, even if you don't agree with what I believe, it doesn't mean you have to basically say I am stupid as a result.

So yeah, I am glad I got that off my chest. I am glad I don't have to see this student face to face. Although, I bet if we were face to face, he either would not have said these things OR I would have gotten him removed from my course. Hopefully he will either get over his issues or the dean will back me up.

Wordless Wednesday - Helping Daddy