I can’t say I have many accomplishments in my life other than the whole “raising well-adjusted kids and continuing in a successful marriage” thing. Yes, I have that Master’s degree on my wall (“wall” meaning “in a cabinet”), but it doesn’t take a Master’s degree in anything to sit at home and plot World Domination. So at this point in my life, it’s just that one thing I did back then that I can count as an accomplishment. And really, if I can do it, anyone can do it.

My currently-running accomplishment, other than earning that Master’s degree and the whole kid/marriage deal, is having not eaten a single bite of McDonald’s food* in over 6 years.

Not a french fry. Not a Big Mac. Not a very delicious little cheeseburger.

Nothing from McDonald’s.

I do eat fast food, but my consumption of Frankenfood has diminished over the last few years to about twice a month (not including Chick Fil A, cause that’s real food, dammit).

It’s more than just not eating McDonald’s. It’s a test of my will-power. Can I do this thing I set my mind to accomplishing? How long can I go without eating the most popular food in the world?

I’m also taking my girls on this journey of No McDonald’s, and so far, save for a bite of a chicken nugget or two that my friggin mother gave them (yes, I’m still peeved, 1 year later), they have never had a McDonald’s meal in their respective 6 and 4 years of life.

Seriously.

I don’t even think they know who Ronald McDonald is.

I KNOW.

They’re not deprived of Frankenfood. They enjoy Taco Bell cheese rollups, Burger King chicken crowns & apple fries, and they love Chick Fil A (again, not Frankenfood) chicken nuggets.

But this, my friends, I feel is my biggest non-education-related and/or familial-related accomplishment of my life to date.

How much longer can I last in my quest to not eating McDonald’s food? I’m down 6 years and counting.

We’ll see.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

*PS – Ice cream doesn’t count as “food.” Yes, I have eaten a McDonald’s sundae or two, and a McFlurry or two, in the last 6 years, but those don’t count. Hey, it’s my accomplishment; I get to make the rules as I go. Neener.

Yesterday, I wrote about my crazy-intelligent special needs kid. Today, I have a post on Aiming Low about having crushes on girls.

It’s a wonder the kid was birthed from my loins.

20 years from now at some very important smarty pants convention speech deal:
“Hello, friends. My name is Anna, and I’m here to talk to you about rockets and/or science and/or writing novels and/or historical referencing in recent artwork mediums. I’d like to thank my mom for her years of encouragement.

“What does my mother do, you ask? She’s a big deal on the internet who got her start writing about having unstable crushes on old movie stars. No, I don’t know how I came to be so intelligent, but I know it has nothing to do with her ability to name her bowel movements.”

……..

I like to think of myself as special. She’ll think of me as “succeeding despite her upbringing.”

Starting this post is proving more difficult than expected.

How do you start writing something that may turn people away?

I’ve written in the past about the anxiety issues with which my daughter has been diagnosed. I have not written at length about her challenges.

No one really wants to hear about some “mommy blogger” *puke* spew about her kid and how smart her smart kid is and LOOKIT MY KID!1! ISN’T SHE AMAZING?!/?

Me either.

We found out yesterday that my kid is a special needs student. She will forever have an extra set of paperwork attached to her file. She will forever have a label. She will forever be watched extra closely.

She is a challenge. A WAY beyond-her-6-years intelligence challenge.

I hate knowing she may be ostracized or separated or looked upon as being different.

I hate feeling like I can’t talk about her as a “special needs student” because most special needs students are on a different spectrum of “special.”

She IS a special needs student. She DOES need additional services. She needs extra help and special teachers and extra meetings throughout the school year to check on her progress.

I don’t want to feel embarrassed by my Special Needs Student. I don’t want to feel like I’m THAT MOM who is fighting for what my child needs.

My 6yo, going-into-1st-grader is Gifted & Talented. She is nearly off the charts in intelligence. The staffing counselor who tested her yesterday was literally shocked at how high her scores measured.

What do we possibly do for our child? How do we make sure she’s challenged? How do I, as her parent, protect her?

What do we do with a kid who is smarter than we’ve ever been?

How do I make sure her sister isn’t lost in the challenges of her sister’s? How do I make sure SHE isn’t overlooked?

Compared to other family’s challenges, ours is manageable. Ours is still a challenge.

Ours is still a “special needs” challenge.

And we have no idea where to start.