Fragglements

Or maybe 'frazzlements'.

This and that.

Talked to my attorney this morning. She advised me to go ahead and fill out the intrusive questionnaire, telling me that work comp inc and everyone associated with them already have that information anyway. The purpose is to find out if I'm a liar. You'd think by now they'd know.

I requested paperwork be sent to me to designate my current attorney to be my representative for the new injury. We talked briefly about the different possibilities that could occur with this case and moved on.

After more than four years, the other two injury cases are now officially closed. Oh, they still need to pay some medical bills, and I will be getting some reimbursements from hospitals etc, but the eternal paperwork and bullshit is over.

I'll get a bit of settlement from both cases. I will not be rich when I get those checks, but I will be able to pay off some bills. It's never been about money anyway.

It will be a relief to have the stuff over with. I think it's appalling that it took so long for the wheels and gears of the fabulous shit-on-the-injured-worker machine to stop grinding along, but I have to say I've learned a great deal from the experience.

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Molly* was mad again when she got there today. She was running in the hallway on her way to program and accidentally tripped Brody*. He fell down and then he yelled at her.

She came in, sat down next to one of the carts and put her coat over her head. As the rest of the kids came in, they glanced at her curiously. Ariana*, who is really very sweet and nurturing and tries to take care of everyone, was worried and tried to talk to her. She was roundly snubbed, which hurt her feelings a little bit.

I said, "Leave Molly alone, you guys. She needs time to sit for a few minutes. She's fine. Go play."

In about 15 minutes, Molly came to talk to me, face red and blotchy from crying and embarrassment and said, "I was bad, I made Brody fall down!"

So I explained to her that she wasn't bad, had simply been careless. I said, "You didn't try to make him fall down, did you?"

When she said no, she hadn't, I said, "Then stop worrying about it. I heard you say sorry to him. He doesn't seem angry with you at all. Go ahead and put your coat and backpack away and find an activity."

The rest of the afternoon was good. And when I told her it was time to clean up, she didn't offer any arguments. I'm sure it's a temporary lull, she will try to revert to the same behavior again, but right now anyway she will do as she's asked.

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Do you know what scratch art is?
I have some squares of heavy cardboard with a black surface coating. One takes a stylus or other type of little stick and scratches off the black to reveal bright colors underneath. Some of the ones I've seen are really great. It takes a lot of creativity to do one.

But for some reason, a lot of the kids like to scratch off ALL the black. It reveals a shiny, colorful rainbow surface, but it's nothing special. I can't figure out why they do it. Doesn't matter, except I hate spending money on craft projects that end up wasted, at least in my eyes.

I don't harass the kids about it, though. I've just made a note somewhere in my head not to spend budget money on them anymore. They're not cheap.

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I planned some activities for next week about bats. 'Tis the season and all. They really are fascinating little creatures, and the kids are always interested in things that make their moms go, 'eww.'

I have a couple cute projects for us to do, which will make most of the kids very happy, especially one of the little guys, Brandon.*

He asks me every day, "What's the project?"

I always feel bad if we don't have one he likes. And sometimes we don't have time to get to them. But he enjoys making things with his hands, so I am sure he'll enjoy these.

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Last, speaking of projects... remember the apple experiment? I 'retired' the apple slices this morning, but not before I took a photo of one set. Can you tell which one was handled with unwashed hands and which one was handled by the same child after washing with antibacterial soap? The slices are two weeks old in this photo. It's a dramatic lesson, and the kids won't forget it. But it makes them smile, too. Best way to learn. If you ask me. :)