Of Dolphins and Invitations

Fifth Grade!

Ah, back to school...

Busy afternoon. Abby off to first day of fifth grade in the morning, and Lizzy in the afternoon, then me off to a job interview, then to the bus stop to wait on their bus. And wait and wait and...

Kindergarten!

...the first day of school is hard on the transportation department. The bus was about a half hour later than they claimed it would be, and about twenty minutes later than I actually expected it. You see, Lizzy is not the only child beginning kindergarten today; there are so many kindergartners in our school this year that the bigger kids overflowed into the five portables... and five new ones as well. All those little ones in new situations, overwhelmed with information and new experiences, all that makes for a very slow transportation day.

And all Lizzy noticed about the bus is that there are no seatbelts. She was very impressed. But of course she was in Pre-K for two years, so it's not like she doesn't have experience in school; the bus is a whole different thing.

She really likes her teacher though, and so far I do too. Kindergarten teachers are a special breed. And Lizzy's looks like a good one. For instance, she has already worked out how to deal with Lizzy's birthday tomorrow, explained that there are no known allergens in her class this year (always a concern for me) and somehow managed not only a little treasure hunt for the kids today (their class mascot, a plush toy called Dazzle the Dolphin, went missing, and in their quest to find him they took a school tour, only to find him in their classroom, where he had apparently been procuring goldfish crackers for a snack), but also wrote up a newsletter and a separate postcard for each child about their first day (I compared Lizzy's to another child's, so I know they're not boilerplate, though they may have been mostly pre-written. But still).

Abby's teacher, as indicated previously, is a Shel Silverstein fan (and besides, her name is Liz, which my Miz Liz finds to be almost as impressive as beltless school buses). We like her.

No homework tonight, except that there is a "My first day" paper for Abby and a "what I did this summer" poster for Lizzy, both due Monday.

As for my school, my class is done, and I know I passed. I got a high score on my individual paper, so all that's left is the team assignment. That week break between classes was seriously helpful.

A Break From Homework

'Lil Lizzy can't win for losing. We want her to help her sisters clean their shared room, but a) she drags her feet and b) they don't want her in there; they want to play Big Kid Games while they clean, and they kick her out. Not a problem with just Abby and Lizzy, or just Leanna and Lizzy, but all three of them (all three of any kids where Lizzy is involved actually; it happens when Abby has friends over, although it's less directly kicking her out of her own room) gets very two against one, with Lizzy odd kid out because of the age difference

And the chore list (which she does generally follow, albeit with whining) kind of went by the wayside while the kids were out of town in mid-August. That'll start up again tomorrow; not fair to Leanna to make her clean up stuff that happened when she wasn't even here. Even if she and Abby both complain that Lizzy never has to do anything, but then set her up to fail. They can't help it; they're adolescent and pre-adolescent, respectively. Anyway, when we move in November or December, Lizzy'll have her own room and it'll cease to be a problem.

But today it required a little judicious tweaking, to preserve the dignity of two older kids (13 and nearly 11 respectively) who are underslept and resisting basics like showering and tidying their room, while still requiring Lizzy to do some cleaning in the room where her sisters don't want her to be. I had her crawl under the bed and clean underneath it (that way when Leanna goes back to her mom's tomorrow morning it'll be just a matter of her shoving the trundle in; when she leaves in morning-time things tend not to get cleaned up unless we do it the day before). So I had Lizzy get all the stuffed toys and books out of there, so she did a job, then dragged her out here to play old SNES games (apparently Mystic Quest is too much reading as of yet (and I can't read it to her while doing homework) but she's enjoying Super Mario World though she's not very good at it yet). 

So the big girls finally come out after tidying their room and Lizzy is only too happy to let them have the controller, because they're far better at this kind of game than she is, and I'm relieved because it gets her out of my hair while I do my homework (a lot less, "Mommy, can you do this level for me?" And I can; I used to sell these things and demonstrate them for a living after all). The hubs tries, really hard, but the kids want me to do this stuff, not Daddy. Especially Liz.

Now, thank goodness, back to homework.

Hot, Cranky, and Full of WIN

Whew! Busy couple of days, even by my standards.

Thursday was the elementary school Meet-n-Greet, and we managed to also get haircuts for all three of us, go out to lunch (where Lizzy actually ate sushi with protein), and to hook up with the "only boy who doesn't chase... unless a girl asks him to," from Lizzy's pre-K; they are not in the same class in kindy, but they are in the same school. He and his little sister are now invited to Lizzy's Hello Kitty Birthday Party in the Park on Sunday the 8th, and she was thrilled that she found him. Lizzy's teacher is young but clearly knows exactly what she is doing, and is extremely understanding about things like birthdays on the second day of school.

Abby's teacher seems a kindred spirit; she had a Shel Silverstein poem posted on her classroom door.

INVITATION

If you are a dreamer, come in.

If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,

A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer . . .

If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire,

For we have some flax golden tales to spin.

Come in!

Come in!

Nats goes girly

And then (and THEN) today we went to the fair. After an early morning job interview for which I may have been underdressed, since I don't own a lot of business professional. My mother suggested that the two younger ones (Abbs and Liz) and she go to the fair all the way back before I got let go from my job (as she is my child care provider, and if I was working right now she would've had them with her all day anyway), and since I am not working, invited me along as another adult to split the chasing around duties. It was canned-food-drive-admission day, so we got in for three cans each (none for Liz because she's under six for another week). She also had the stellar idea of Abby and Lizzy each bringing a friend (and Lizzy the friend's mom, since they are little), as last year Abby started really getting cranky about having to go on "baby rides" with Lizzy when she wanted to try big ones (and most of them I won't go on with her; I don't do upside down). Now, Abby's friend Kiki is a very responsible girl, a couple years older than Abby and mature for that age, as well as possessing her own cell phone. So (with her dad's approval) we arranged for the big girls to play on the big rides (and check in by call or text every half hour) and Lizzy and her little friend to stay at the little kid rides with me and mom and the friend's mom.

Two regrets on this day: It would have been nice if we could've brought more kids, but sheesh - this was busy enough, we didn't have enough room in cars, and the only other kids we thought might like it live near enough that we thought they had already gone. And also, Abby is now too big for pony rides, which gives me (and her father) a sad.

And Miz Liz rides the water dragon

So the kids are overexcited, oversugared, and overtired (Abbs had a meltdown over who owned a given toy she and Kiki won in a joint game, and Lizzy was that child in the grocery store).

The moms and the grandma are sunburned, hot, and cranky.

There's a lot to do the rest of this weekend; I have two papers to write, Laston is taking Leanna for the last of her school supplies and a little "them time" (I think maybe movies?) as they missed the fair, and all three girls have manicure appointments Sunday afternoon. Plus the usual stuff - laundry and all that - and I should pack Abby a lunch for Tuesday and set out Abby's and Lizzy's First Day Of School clothes, and... you get the idea. But we had fun. Next year we're bringing our own food though; fair food is super-spendy.

Except for scones.

Saved by the Postcard

There has been a fair bit of pre-adolescent angst here this evening, as two of Abby's besties now loathe each other. One of them moved to a different area of town and moved up to Jr. High, and the other feels bereft and put upon and like the older girl doesn't like her any more. Abby is a kind-hearted soul (aside from her sometime attitude toward her little sister) and although she has probably never heard the phrase, she's a rather 'go along to get along' sort of person.

Like her mother.

Mind you, these are not the besties who spent all last winter fighting over who got to play with Abby, nor are they the ones who have moved away.

Abby is a social creature, and it hurts her when her friends dislike each other. She feels (and often is) caught in the middle.

However, there was a ray of hope today, in the form of the postcard we got from the school with Abby's class assignment (Lizzy's isn't here yet, which I suspect is because, as a kindergartner, she's a new student rather than a returning one. But I digress).

Because Abby's real bestie, the one she worked at seeing this summer even though we live outside of walking distance? She's in the same class as Abby is this year.

I'd better warn the teacher.

The Silver Lining

I am jobless, as you know. And this is my last week of school for this class. These two things work together to mean that I have more time than usual to do said school work, as well as things like going myself to school orientation for the kids, trips to the zoo, etc., rather than my mom taking them alone.

It also gives me time to do things like renting a storage unit to get ready for our move in the fall, arranging for school supplies and clothes (though Abby's dad does a lot of hers) and hanging out with the kids. Chasing down why Abby gets "head-explody feelings when I read for more than half an hour" (I think it's eye strain; we'll see what happens when we get her new glasses, for which I now have a prescription). Signing Lizzy up for Daisy Scouts, signing Abby up for art lessons (if they ever call me back), checking a website to see if Abby is, in fact, dyslexic (she says that she can't focus on the end of a word because her eyes jump to the next word). Setting up Lizzy's Hello Kitty Birthday Party At The Park.

And watching Abby's friend Kiki play Mario and Luigi both, because she can just get further than Abby can.

So there are silver linings.

But I'd rather have a great job I can keep for a long time.

The Rollercoaster

I do not refer to this, nor this.

I refer to this.

Yes, the emotional roller coaster that this week has been.

Down: Monday of last week, I was let go from my job. This was unexpected, but as Washington is an at-will state, they can let me go (or I can quit) at any time, for any reason (or for none at all). The reason they gave was "not the right fit" and it was at my 90-day review. They were very kind, and somewhat regretful, but it is what it is, and there's not a lot to be done about it but buckle down into the job hunt again. Since I now have an associate's degree under my belt, this should be easier. Wish me luck.

Up: Also on Monday, we put a down payment on the manufactured home we're buying (don't worry; the check has cleared, and the combined mortgage and lot rental will be just over half our current rent. As soon as we move in, and it won't be ready until November. Dang it.) In any case, it will All Work Out In The End. Yay!

Down: So today, the plan is to take the girls on their annual trek to Grandma's Condo. We have to stop at the store first; we need a hoodie for Lizzy and some batteries for Abby's camera. Normally under these circumstances we go to Fred Meyer; it is nearby and is like a localized Target - food and everything else. But there's not one on the way tot he ferry dock that leads to Grandma's Condo, so we decide to go to Target.

We should have gone to Fred Meyer, driven the extra few blocks.

On the freeway, on the way to Target, there's stop-and-go traffic due to a collision - a bad one - up ahead. And... distracted by a car on the shoulder, I goed when I should've stopped. More precisely, I didn't stop soon enough, and rear-ended someone. Not very hard, nobody is hurt, both cars had minor damage - panels popped free and a bent license plate. But still, I rear-ended her, and therefore we exchange information.

And I can't find my bloody insurance card.

Sigh. Okay. Call the police; there are a gazillion State Patrol cars out here anyhow, because of the collision up the way. We get all that taken care of, I get a citation for driving "too fast for conditions" and another for "driving without proof of insurance" the latter of which can be waived down to a $35 fee when I find the card, or get a new one. So we continue on our way. We make it safely to Target, buy what we need, and head for the ferry.

Only to get stuck in another backup, and this time, the other driver's insurance agent calls me while I'm in it. It's fine, I have hands-free, so I'm trying to talk to him and find the right lane for the ferry and one would think the freaking insurance agent would let you go when you say, "I'm still driving," but no. So I finally get him off the phone, find the correct lane to be in. I'm frustrated and annoyed (mostly with myself; leave it to me to hit someone else when I'm just driving, not even on the phone or yelling at the kids), and I'm worried we won't make the ferry on time and that will throw everyone off, when Lizzy pokes me in the back of the neck and shrieks, "Slug Bug, no returns!" at the top of her shrill little lungs in my ear.

Now I am yelling - dare we say screaming - at the kids. At least one of them. And those big baby blues fill with tears because I "scawed" her and crap, I must really have done, because she's reverted to Fudd-speak. So I calmly suggest a little game of silence until we all calm down some, and we park the car.

After that I'm not able to speak, because - well - that's why they call it a rescue inhaler. I'm not in any kind of shape (except round) and I have exercise-induced asthma besides. By the time we make it onto the ferry - running up the long gangplank, natch - I'm wheezing up a storm. I collapse in a seat and motion the girls to sit next to me and take a couple hits off the rescue inhaler.

Breathing is good. I send Abby off to the galley (I can see it from my seat) to get some drinks.

Then my mom calls to tell me that they probably won't be at the other ferry dock, because traffic on their side sucks.

At this point I'm in very much of a "whatever" mood. Seriously?

Lizzy asks me with all seriousness what number sea we're on.

Yeah, Puget Sound is sort of a sea, but it isn't one of the seven seas.

"Well, mommy, then there should be eight."

And everything is okay again.

Scarlett O'Hara and all that. Tomorrow is another day. And I will spend it talking to insurance companies, looking for a job, and doing the most fun paper ever for school (I have to watch Like Water for Chocolate and write a paper about culture clash therein), plus cooking and laundry. I can handle this.