Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Missing You

Yesterday, my very well loved boxer dog had an adventure. She decided she missed Joey so badly that's she'd just walk herself up to school and wait for him to come out for recess. Animal control brought her home.

Since Rabi came home to live with us, she and Joey have been companions. He used to lay on her and nap. He'd throw the ball and she'd applaud when he caught it (boxers don't fetch). so now, she's lonely. There's no one to play with.

And There Goes Another Piece of My Heart

This morning, when I walked Tommy and Joey to school, Joey looked at me as we were halfway there and said "Mommy I don't need you to walk me across the street and up to the school, I know where I'm going."

When we got to the crosswalk he let go of my hand and moved up beside Tommy, took his hand and crossed the street, on his own. Each sneaker covered step a little further away from me and one more step closer to independence.

In other worlds I think I LOVE Tommy's teacher. She is setting the classroom up as a community. Each student will earn money based on their "work" Students will set up "jobs" within the community and receive extra pay for them. Children with and A or B average at the end of the week will receive extra cash. Students who are failing will owe money.. Each month students will pay rent for their desks (homeownership is a privelege) If you fail to keep a tidy home you must pay a cleaning fee and a fine. I love this idea.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

An Open Letter to Mall shoppers

or shoppers in general,

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen (these terms are used, in some cases, the loosest sense of the word)

Thank you for coming into my store. I really hope you found everything you were looking for. I have a few things to say. Please don't treat the people who work in this store - or any other for that matter - like we are less than you. We're not. We are wives, mothers, daughters and friends some of us are students, others teachers all of us are working for whatever reason (I'm working for private school tuition for my oldest child. We just happen to work in a mall store.

When I greet you, it's because they pay me to. I get paid to stand there and greet you - please be polite and return my greeting - if our roles were reversed I'd do the same for you.

Put down your cell phone. I mean really, your life is so friggin important that you can't walk through a store without a piece of plastic attached to your head? If you feel you MUST talk on your phone, don't complain that no one would help you find the Japanese Cherry Blossom body cream you need and you had to look for 45 minutes - all the time flapping your lips on the phone - talking about how badly you're being treated in this store. And do not even have a fit because it took you five minutes to pay for your crap because you were still ON THE PHONE and had to be asked six times to verify the charge amount.

They pay us to ask you if you need help. They want us to ask you over and over and over.

If you have children please control them in the store. Yes the shelves are glass and yes they will break if your eight year old repeatedly runs her four year old sister and the stroller into them multiple times. Also, we have enough work to do without watching your spawn fight with each other and beat the tar out of each other with rubber ducks. Keep your kids in check, it's called parenting. If they cannot behave in public, don't bring them until you teach them to behave themselves.

Please do not let your baby or toddler scream all the way through your 30 minute body lotion search. I mean really? A child that upset does not need to shop. Attend his or her needs - I promise the body cream that you can't remember the name of but was pink, will still be there when your child has been fed, changed and rested.

We have no say in scents being discontinued. No really we don't. I am sorry it was your favorite but things and change - life goes on. Last year's Fresia is this year's whatever.

I am sorry you had a perfume emergency at 8:45 PM and you can't possibly go to school smelling like sweet pea when everyone else is wearing something else. We have to close our gates at 9 PM. The mall is not 7-11. Come back when we open the next day, the scent you want but don't know what it is will still be there. Don't threaten to call customer care because I told you we were indeed closed, there is never a perfume emergency - really.

Thank You,
Methusula Honeysuckle

A first day Overview

Tommy learned that fourth grade is not like kindergarten. While the teacher was glad he was there, she expected him to get straight to work. Then there was homework. Tommy was the only kid who had homework. The other two did not. Tommy was not amused and grumbled about how much harder he had it than his other two brothers.

We learned the junior high has idiots for counselors. They lost his course selection guide and his AP permission stuff somewhere. We know - at some point in time they had it - because a course change sheet was sent home by MAILm if I wanted my child in Pre-AP Physical Science instead of the course (AP Biology I in his case) he was selected for. Now they can't understand why we are livid with him not being in these classes - well DUH. We are letting eric deal with this because we all know if I have to get involved - it's not going to be nice. We are impressed with his art class. They are going to talk about art history, the concepts behind making art and they'll learn the principles of sketching. I am even more impressed with the art fee. I send in money. The school purchases stuff in bulk. I don't have to look 851 places for art supplies.

After he gets his AP classes fixed he'll be taking five classes for high school credit.

Joey made a robot with hair- he brought it home because the teacher put a star sticker on it. Lunch was way to early and he needed a nap after recess. Half the kids fell asleep during rest time.


The Longest Yard


I straightened the dining room and broke the vaccum (eric fixed it for me) today is the hall bath and computer area.

Monday, August 25, 2008

All's Quiet on the Western Front

It's quiet here. No one has told me to turn down my iTunes because they couldn't hear.

No one is watching PBS kid's programing

No one is FIGHTING or whining or protesting some gross injustice of sibling rivalry.

It's quiet.

Almost too quiet.

The First Day

and we were off - up and running - errrrrrr stumbling by 6:30 this morning. Joey was so excited to actually go to real school, where the teacher is a boy - just like him - that he didn't fall asleep til midnight.

Tommy was not amused. He walked into his classroom and was told his first assignment was on the overhead. No "welcome to fourth grade, we're happy to have you." This year they gave him a teacher who means busineess and is not a pushover backless pansy like he had the past four years. She'll be good for him.

It looks like the crackwhores are in charge again this year. we couldn't got back to the classrooms until 7:40 AM so we had to hold all our supplies and wait. This year they also divided where the kids wait to go to the classrooms. Some one in the braintrust decided the kindergarten kids needed no adult supervision.

We shall see how this works out.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

The Countdown is ON

In 4 days school will be OPEN. My children will be back in school. All of them

School clothes are cleaned or soon will be.

Supplies are purchased and ready to be sorted into backpacks.

AP summer projects are in the process of being done.

This time four days from now my living room and dining room will be cleaned and they should STAY that way. The idea that a room could be clened and clutter free for a full morning and afternoon, well that's been a novel concept for me.

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Tired

I am tired.

I am tired of the crazy that keeps infiltrating my women's group. I mean really - 8 years and 4 crazies. I have born the brunt of them all to some extent.

I am tired of people quitting just because things didn't go their way. No one gets their way all of the time - that's life. If I had my way I'd weigh 125 pounds and have a sculpted shapely body without ever having to step foot in hell errrrr the gym. If I quit something just because I didn't get my way - well I'd not be here - but that's life some days your the windshield and somedays your the bug.

I am tired of seeing supposed Christian women trat each other this way.

I am tired of people criticizing every decision I make because you know they had a chance to elect some one else - and they didn't do it. If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem and if you refuse to step up sit down and shut the hell up and don't friggin bitch.

Monday, August 04, 2008

Looking Back but Do I Want to Look Ahead?

Today, I was at Wal Mart picking up a few back to school supplies. My friend looked at the school stuff, neatly arranged in bins by price was waiting for my cart. My friend looked at her not yet two year old daughter and told her that she didn't want to have a child old enough for rulrs and note book paper and colored pencils. I thought about my 13 year old notaboybutnotaman at home, loading the dishwasher and said I can't imagine having a child old enough for dorm room supplies.

In five years I will be buying those things and packing my child up to send off to college.

Like college - away from me

Where I won't see him every day.

where he won't be able to tell me his corny made up jokes

or reguile us with what he learned that day.