BTS

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Last week the kids went back to school! And there was great rejoicing.

Prep wasn't as bad as last year. Got smart and paid for the school supplies through the PTA - they arrived neatly shrink-wrapped and labeled by grade. No OfficeMax for me!

The kids still needed a fool's ransomworth of clothing - but it wasn't such a production since I had gotten smart last year and bought Sarah 2x the number of jeans she needed and so they just had to get hemmed when she got too tall for the first round. Then we made the first round into cutoff shorts. Isn't that green of me? And the only part of Becca's body that is actually getting bigger seems to be her legs - she can still wear a 4T top (or smaller!), but her pants from last year turned into capris. Which miraculously are in style. So there.

The worst of it was SHOES - Sarah had grown 2.5 shoe sizes and now wears a 6 or 6.5 WOMEN'S... not ready for this NOT READY FOR THIS.

Aren't you glad you're reading this post? It even makes me want to put a pen into my eye. Sorry.

Sarah got the teacher who's really quite serious about preparing you for the 7th grade. Lots of timed tests and neat and clean binders. She's running the Marines of 6th grade. And there was great rejoicing.

Becca got the teacher who agreed to take her on. She actually loves Becca and thinks she's funny. Becca spent the whole first week - DOING HER WORK and respecting the classroom rules! There wasn't any poking, popping, peeing, or pulling on herself or anyone else. Aging is a wonderful thing.

And I am a week into being Homework Bitch from Hell - she got a break over the summer, but she wasn't too far under the surface. Nobody really likes her, and she has a thankless job. But they never learn to adapt their behavior to avoid a confrontation with her, so at some level, she's needed.

LADIES NIGHT

Friday, August 22, 2008

from left to right: Sarah, Emily, Allison, Karina

I know it's small - you can click on the image to see it bigger

We celebrated Sarah's 11th birthday by taking her and 3 of her friends to see "My Fair Lady" in the open air theater. We took them to a nice restaurant beforehand. And bought fudgecicles at intermission.

The car rides were so loud that by the time we got to the restaurant, I seriously needed a glass of wine. These girls had only seen each other here and there throughout their jam-packed summers, so they were a bit overexcited to be together - which I think added a couple notches to the volume.

And then they decided to sing the most obnoxious camp songs any of them had learned.

I think the winner was Karina - she sung "My Name is John Johnson." I feel I must share it with you because this song is so insidious that it will just glom onto your brain. And why should I be the only one with this experience?

My name is John Johnson.
I come from Wisconsin.
I work in the lumberyard there.
When I walk down the street, all the people I meet say
Hey, What's your name?" And I tell 'em:
[Repeat]

If you want to learn the tune from a couple of Indian-sounding guys who don't know the words (kind of funny - kind of irritating) - here it is -


It reminded me a lot of being a preteen (maybe a little older) and getting to go to the local mall with my friends and going into the luggage shop and pulling all the strings on the laughing heads they had there. Well come on if you are going to have a collection of laughing heads in a store - what are the chances that at some point, someone is going to make them all demonstrate their abilities?

It appears that being a preteen is all about this fine mix of doing adultlike things (getting to go to the mall without your parents, going to a birthday party that's dinner and a musical instead of a kiddie birthday party) and acting like a complete 'tard (pulling pranks and singing dorky camp songs). And saying things like you're a complete 'tard.

SINGING DOXIES

Friday, August 15, 2008

I've been meaning to capture this on film for some time... when Sarah practices piano, Archie and Eddie accompany her. To round out the band, we have tried to teach Gizmo the tambourine, but it's not taking...

OVERHEARD FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Monday starts a new year of school. The two dear sweet little pumpkins who live in my home, will be in 1st and 6th grade. And sales of Advil will rise for all.

The school year brings a lot of structure - too much, I think - to our lives. It's a delicate balance of homework, Hebrew school, play dates, piano lessons, choir performances, teacher conferences, the daily Reading of Shit That Comes Home in Backpacks, the girl drama, the TESTS. Making everyone shower, eat, think, on a schedule. Individualized schedules. And they will like it. THEY WILL. Because we parents work our fingers to the bone, day and night, night and day, and WHAT DO WE GET IN RETURN??? Nothing but cryptic notes from school about lunch money.

Sorry about that, clearly I'm suffering some post elementary school stress disorder and I cannot help the ticks.

In some ways I am very glad they will be moving their little booties into the school. Because I have camp drop off duty in the morning now - and those 25 minutes have become SHEER HELLLLLLLL. The little angels cannot really go 3.5 minutes without starting a new fight.

That's my lunch. No it's not - it's MY lunch.

I'm better at horseback riding than you. No you aren't. Yes I am.

It's my turn to put on the sunscreen! Give it here! No! Noooooo!

You can't bring that stuffed animal to camp! You're not the boss of me!

Get in your seat! I am in my seat!

Mom, she HIT me! No I didn't! Yes you did! Well I didn't mean to. What do you mean... you reached all the way over here and hit me on purpose!!!

Nothing really rivals the precamp drive for picking fights. Everything is really fine and relatively quiet until they climb in the backseat with the camp bags, and then all hell breaks loose. I'm not sure why. I'm thinking of consulting a shaman and seeing if I can scare the poltergeist that's provoking them out of my car. Or sell my car. I think it might be the car. Is that my insanity talking?

MISSOURI RETROSPECTIVE

Sunday, August 10, 2008

So here's all the fun highlights from our trip to Branson and Springfield, MO in June! Thanks to my nephew Jeff for the great snaps - made for a great little film!


Music: Happy Birthday To You by The Beatles

I KNOW YOU ARE WONDERING...

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Who the heck watches this show and laughs at it.



Sarah and Don. That's who.