Carpool

I love being in a carpool. For starters, I don't have to drive every week, which is, of course, the major point of it all. But the other benefit to carpooling is that the girls chatter away about all sorts of stuff as if I can't hear a darn thing because there's always a different mother driving them. I learn some fascinating information eavesdropping on their conversations. Last night the dancing girls started off talking about school. R. is in middle school and the others are in 5th grade so moving to middle school next year. They were curious about it. Apparently R. told them to beware of social studies (why? it's actually one of her best subjects). One of the other girls said she hated social studies because it was all history. Then she said she wanted to be a lawyer when she grew up. I interrupted at that point and said that the law required a lot of knowledge of history. So I was duly informed that she likes science and math. Fair enough. This same child then announced that she wanted to be a millionaire when she was grown. R. asked drily from the back seat, "Are you going to marry it or earn it?" I nearly swerved off the road trying to hold back giggles. Never did hear what the choice was nor did I hear my daughter elaborate on which she thought was a better plan.

Recently overheard

You'd think I'd get to go to the bathroom alone by now but even with children long past toddler age, I don't. Usually this is annoying. Today it was hilarious as I overheard the following conversation:

R.: Why does daddy even have a comb? He doesn't need one.

W.: He bought it when he had hair.

R.: But he has it out on his sink like he actually uses it.

W.: He uses it to comb out the dead hair.

::snort:: ::choke:: ::giggle:: ::wiping tears from my eyes::

And if I recount this conversation to D. his standard question is going to be: "Why did we have children again?" LOL!

Go play outside

Did you get into predicaments when you were small after your mom told you to go play outside? I send my crew outside at every possible moment, wanting them to have something beyond an encyclopedic knowledge of tv shows when they think of their childhoods (not that they don't already have that encyclopedic knowledge, mind you). Somehow though, they seem to find more trouble than I ever thought about when they were outside. Of course, I just went outside and sat on a rock to read my book while they are a bit more active. Today's entertaining result of outdoor play is that our neighbor's trees look like they've been toilet papered with colorful streamers intstead of boring old bathroom tissue white. What actually happened is that my children, who really are bright, not that this would prove it to anyone, put together a kite and decided to fly it in our wooded front yards. Yep, the multi-tailed kite's strings (they did manage to rip the kite out of the tree but the streamers unfortunately didn't come with it) are now lodged high enough in the trees next door that D. doesn't even think he can free it on a ladder using a broom (and he's reasonably tall). Too bad it wasn't a purple and green kite so I could try and convince said neighbors that we were helping them decorate for Mardi Gras. ;-)

Do I want to know?

The schools down here offer a service where you can add money onto your child's lunch ticket online. This is amazingly handy. They e-mail me when the account gets below a certain pre-set limit and I pony up the credit card number to keep my kids fed. Convenience, thy name is paypams. Now, as much as I am appreciating this handy-dandy system, I can also see what each of the short members of the family buy each and every day (ie why the account is being drained faster than I have accounted for). I'm not sure this is a good thing. I mean, aren't children's poor nutritional choices at school supposed to stay hidden from their parents? No longer! For instance, the youngest bought himself macaroni and cheese, potato wedges, chocolate milk, and a slice of cake for lunch on Friday. Do you see anything green in that listing? Me either. This fruit and vegetable free meal cost me the rather steep price of $2.75. His sister bought herself almost the same meal, minus the potato wedges (a sweet potato muffin instead and substituting ice cream for the cake slice. Nothing green here either! The middle schooler didn't do any better, choosing *premium* cheese pizza (I don't know what premium means either--other than being a euphemism for "costs more"), chocolate milk, and ice cream. Perhaps I should stop checking their food purchases and give thanks that they aren't yet a part of the childhood obesity epidemic, despite their poor nutritional choices at lunch.

Happy Mother's Day

I hope all the mothers out there had a nicer day than I did. The only way it was Mother's Day around here was that, per usual, "Mother" did everything. First of all, my DH, having moved several states away (hence our upcoming move), did not come home for the weekend. We actually won't see him again until Memorial Day weekend. So no breakfast in bed for me (I don't like breakfast so this doesn't really bother me) and no carefully orchestrated celebration of me (like this ever happens!) but most importantly, I could not escape for some peace and quiet (*this* was indeed the day's hardship). My kids didn't wish me a happy day (and they are currently yelling at each other again) even after my mother coached them over the phone. As a matter of fact, T. asked me, "Is it really Mother's Day?" "Not so's you'd notice," was probably not the proper response. My running group, busy enjoying the day with their more clued-in families, didn't meet so I had to run alone. At least I beat the rain. We had a house showing today so we had to be out of the house from 2:30-3:30. See above about the rain so we couldn't go to the park and we couldn't call any friends and impose on them because of this Hallmark holiday. :-P So I spent my Mother's Day cleaning the house, driving aimlessly to keep us out of the house for an inconvenient hour, and feeling sorry for myself. To add insult to injury, my period arrived a full week early. Apparently I have incredibly bad karma right now.

I will admit that it wasn't all bad. The smallest child gave me a heart-shaped plaster of paris handprint. As he's in kindergarten, his hand is a little big for this craft and the finished product is missing his middle finger (should be right in the middle of the top of the heart). I guess missing it is better than him giving me the finger. He also dictated a heartfelt card that included the sentiment that he loves me because I don't yell too much. Hmmm. I've also snookered him into thinking I really do like to watch the kids' sports. Good; at least T. hasn't noticed I haul a book to every event I must attend, even if R. and W. know. From R., I received a hasty assembled card and a very colorful origami swan. I should probably ignore the fact that all art supplies used to make this were not put away or cleaned up (small confetti-shaped pieces of paper clippings look good scattered all over the kitchen floor before a showing, right?!). As for W., well, the oldest gave me confirmation that he's headed towards puberty like a freight train. He actually "got" me nothing but in an "it's the thought that counts" kind of way he shared that he almost got me a new cell phone. Now before you think this is sweet, please know that the truth will always out. He heard an advertised deal for two cell phones for the price of one and figured if he got me one, I'd be so grateful for a better phone than I currently have (actually I don't care one way or the other about phone features/capabilities) that I would give him the other one, thereby fulfilling his long-held wish for his own cell phone. He's going to be a challenge, that one.

Ah well, tomorrow's another day, right?