I’ve been gone. I left Friday afternoon and spend a night at a women’s conference out in the middle of nowhere. I slept in a room with four women, but had the not-so-bright, yet effective idea, to stay awake very late so I would be able to fall asleep. I am notorious for being unable to sleep in unfamiliar places. As it turned out, I stayed up chatting with a few other women until 3:00 a.m. and had no problem falling into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.
And I woke up at 7:00 a.m. to walk with a woman who runs marathons for fun. Then, I walked out of a morning session at 10:00 a.m. to return to my room to nap. I had been sitting in the meeting fantasizing about crawling onto the floor to snooze. (George Costanza sleeping under his desk . . . remember that? That was me, in my wakeful dreams.)
I am still utterly exhausted, but have to say that I haven’t enjoyed listening to a speaker so much in a very long time. Cynthia Ulrich Tobias was the keynote speaker and she delivered her message with such a funny, deadpan style that I laughed and laughed. She has some really interesting information on her website about learning styles, among other things. I am going to use the information as the school year begins for my twins, and hopefully I will not drive them as crazy as they drive me. (We are such different people, with opposite learning styles, opposite ways of dealing with the world.)
[As I write this, squinting at my computer screen, one of my 14-year olds came out to report to me that his twin brother mistakenly put dishwashing liquid into my high-efficiency washing machine . . . and suds are now pouring out of the machine. Honestly, parenting is like being stuck in a rip tide, always swimming, but never getting any closer to shore.]
More tomorrow, unless I die from fatigue.
Actual Unretouched Photo 
Hope you get some rest soon, but I’m dying from stroller suspense!!!
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Oh no. Right out of the Brady Bunch!! Ah- I’ve had those Costanza dreams, too.
Steph
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Wow! About two and a half year ago I was in great angst over one of my sons. He was having a rotten time in school. His Christian school teacher had openly pegged him as a “problem child” and his performance and behavior were becoming increasingly difficult. I felt like a horrible mother and simply did not know what to do. Home school? Public school? Charter school?
At the same time, my husband and I had a conference we were committed to attending–it was out of town– and for some reason, we opted to take our son with us.
At this conference Cynthia Tobias was the keynote speaker. Tears ran down my face as I listened to her. In her address, she spoke about various learning styles and how kids are often misperceived as “problem” kids, when in fact, they are bright and creative and need to be taught in unique ways. I spoke with her afterwards and introduced my son to her. She was funny, kind and really gave me understanding. It was a real turning point and I am forever grateful to her. The issues didn’t change overnight, but her wisdom put us on the road towards solutions. I highly recommend her materials!
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I have twins too – 15 year old girl twins. I just said to them, not ten minutes ago, “You’re driving me crazy. Is that what you’re trying to do – drive me crazy? You’re d-r-i-v-i-n-g me c-r-a-z-y!” They laughed. And then I laughed.
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But you are getting closer to shore, Mel, one day at a time. When you do finally get your feet under you, these are the days you may miss the most. 🙂
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she’s the best. she has helped me (through her books, she didn’t come to my house or anything) get through some tough times with my kids!
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Hey! I managed to snag Cynthia Tobias to speak to our local chapter of WSMTA (music teachers association) in January~! I’m really excited to hear her again…trying to communicate that to the rest of the teachers who are “who’s THIS?” about it. *advertisement ensues* It will be January 26 at 10 a.m at Sumner Presbyterian. $10. Bargain. *end advertisement*
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