Week In Review

Reading-

I finally swapped out Emma for Mansfield Park in my car, so I should start making some progress on it this week.

Watching-

Heroes-

I felt a little bit out of the loop with the pre-empting and the fact that I missed it last week, but I refuse to miss the rest of this season and think I will get back up to speed as I continue watching. I will have more to say about the show next week when I feel like I know what's going on again.

Jon and Kate + 8-

I think I have to agree with others that this show may have jumped the shark with the new house purchase. I'll try it out again tomorrow, but last week's episode just wasn't as entertaining to me or the kids as they usually are.

17 Kids and Counting-

I may be a week behind or so, but we saw the Christmas parade and diamond hunting episodes this week. The parade was cute and I wish the family didn't feel the need to be so nice to cousin Amy because then we wouldn't have to watch her quite so much.

Grey' Anatomy/Private Practice-

Well Shonda, you finally figured out how to get me to watch your spin-off. That was the whole point of having characters from both shows crossing back and forth, right? And I forgot how much I love Amy Brenneman, so you just might have hooked me. Maybe. In fact, I was more touched by the lady suffering from post-partum psychosis on Practice than I was by any of the Grey's sub-plots, but mostly because the last thing one pregnant mom wants to watch is another one on t.v. having brain surgery. I did love the interaction between Taye Diggs and Chandra Wilson and the sparring between Derek and Addison's jerky brother. But the possibly dying pregnant woman? Not so much. Also, I have two words for the departing T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl: David Caruso.

Star Wars: Clone Wars-

This is actually a very cute show for a Cartoon Network original. Then again, this same network was also responsible for Dexter's Laboratory so I shouldn't be all that surprised.

Battlestar Galactica-

I finally got caught up on all the episodes I've missed the past 2 weeks. I LOVED (of course) the scenes with Lee/Starbuck and both guns blazing , but I already know how that will play out. He'll end up happy and she will end up alone. Poor Kara. (sigh) I wonder how Ellen will feel about Saul & the Six? Also, Dave is hypothesizing that Baltar is actually a #7 (Daniel) that somehow didn't get shelved. I'm not sure about that one, but I love Dave's theories. All in all, it's quite a final season. I'm going to miss it when it's over and done.

(Why yes, that IS a lot of TV this week. If you don't follow my minute-by-minute adventures on Facebook, my home and family were overtaken by a nasty stomach bug this week and that's about all we had the energy for-though obviously the kids don't watch Grey's, Private Practice, and especially not Big Love with me. BSG is on in their presence, but they have NO interest in it. Natalie enjoys Heroes though, and Dave and I are so tickled that she likes something sci-fi that we are letting her watch with us.)

At the Movies-

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace & Attack of the Clones-

Tristan's choice obviously, but Mom and Dad were proud. I remarked kind of sarcastically to Dave that I wondered how little Boba Fett got off of Geonosis after his Dad was killed there in battle. And, as it turns out, there is an entire book devoted to that. Who knew? (Besides my son.)

The Aristocats-

My all-time favorite Disney movie as a kid. I don't love it quite as much as I did when I was 7, but my 4 and 7 year-olds do; and I enjoy watching them watch it.

Extracurricular Activities

As I mentioned, a stomach bug sidelined most of us this week and although I never caught it; I still feel pretty drained from taking care of everyone else. Even so, it's been a good week. All the kids were better for their school Valentine's Day parties and I enjoyed catching the last few minutes in Tristan's classroom. I loved getting to see all my PTA friends who I never see anymore, and I loved how excited Elisa was about hers when she got home from school. I was most excited that Dave agreed to take on the Homeroom Mom role at Tristan's party so I could work at least two days last week and I'm told he did a good job at it.

Finally...if I learned one lesson this week (besides that fact that I need a back-up plan for how to get my husband off the floor when he passes out because I'm not strong enough to do it myself), it was to see the humor in things that weren't necessarily intended to make you happy. AND that of the quadrupled number of hits on my blog as a result of The Lost Ogle link, I only had to delete one idiot's comment. And that was mostly because he dared to accuse me of voting for Hillary Clinton. First of all, I'm a registered Independent who can't vote in primaries. And second, I may have a socially liberal track record when it comes to my voting history, but even I have standards, Doug.* Perhaps if you had left me some real contact information, I might have let your comment remain. I put myself out here daily with a public blog and an attached email address. If you couldn't be bothered to do likewise, then I didn't feel the need to let your comment remain. Especially considering how rude you were and how obvious it was that you had no clue what I actually write about here. (Anonymous comments, even critical ones, are usually welcome here if it's obvious from them that you read my blog from time to time and aren't just pulling a hit-and-run.)

Finally, I am more surprised than most of you to admit that one of the best parts of my week was preparing and teaching today's Relief Society lesson at my home branch today. When you have a stake calling, it is easy to get feel disconnected from your actual branch when you spend so much time visiting other places on Sundays. It was good to be "home" today.


*For those of you who may require an explanation, I admire the former Senator Clinton and I'm glad she is our Secretary of State. I followed her closely during her time as First Lady and as a NY senator and I have just never felt like she respected stay-at-home moms as much as she does those who have careers. I spent ten years as a SAHM and couldn't vote for someone who I didn't feel thought of me as an equal, as much as I would like to see a woman in The Oval Office. I was an Obama-mama, though I still have a huge amount of respect for John McCain and would not have been unhappy to see him in the White House.

Thursday Thirteen #55-EDITED

*As you might have guessed, I posted the original list in kind of a pissy mood. Since then, things have changed and life has happened, so edits are in bold. Enjoy! Goodness knows I laughed a lot typing them up this morning.*

I typically have Fridays off from work (though not as much lately) and use my time to run some extra errands, have a little time to myself, volunteer at the kids' school; and sometimes all three in the same day. Tomorrow is, frankly, not looking good at all until about 10 p.m. So...here are 13 items on my "day off" to-do list.

1. Take kids to school (never gets any easier no matter how many years I've done it) OR blow out tire en route to school, get help but still fail at getting flat tire off of car, get a ride home from the nice man who stopped to help. (He totally supports my "Individuals may not be so great at times, but humanity is still basically good" theory.)
2. Elisa's Parent/Teacher conference-what are my expectations and goals for my 4 year-old? To share more, cry less, and enjoy being 4 years-old pretty much. Will I sound like an ignorant parent for sharing that? I had loftier goals for her oldest sibling, but I'm over that now. At least for a 4 year-old. OR Cancel Parent/Teacher conference due to blown tire which has stranded us at home.
3. Drive to OKC to work, pick up forgotten raffle ticket money and promptly drive right back to Norman (possibly the worst thing about tomorrow). I BEGGED Dave to do it on his lunch hour, but he hemmed and hawed so much about how badly he DIDN'T want to do it that I'm going to-if I could follow that up by going to Penn Square Mall, I wouldn't mind so much but instead I have to do this...(Edited to add that Dave has totally redeemed himself by saying he will do this in his lunch hour after all.) Edited YET AGAIN to add: Which is good since I'm stuck here anyway.
4. Work at the School Store. Actually, I LIKE doing this, but I will only have help in there for an hour or so. Then, I'm on my own until it closes. After driving to and from OKC which I have to do because after I...Or not, SEE ABOVE
5. Pick up all the kids from school (this one's not so bad)?? IF we ever get the car fixed. Then we...
6. Drive straight home to gather Natalie's sleeping bag and overnight stuff (OR she can just pack right now since she's stuck here) so that we can...
7. Drive back to the school to drop her off for a sleep over on the way (Dad's car will be home by then, so she won't miss that at least) and then...
8. Attend PTA Movie Night at the school at which time the raffle prizes are being drawn which means all money and tickets have to be turned in by then  (Should still be able to complete the remainder of the list-even if I have to borrow one of my Dad's junk cars from his driveway. Neighbors will be thrilled to see one gone, anyway.)
9. Either work the PTA concession stand while my kids run wild and unsupervised or watch my kids and try to keep them from running wild and unsupervised (not an easy habit to break because for years they did this while I ran the PTA and their Dad just let them go crazy while I cringed at every glimpse I got of them). I'm not much looking forward to either option. (Will be absolutely thrilled to be there if it means I have a car at my disposal) BUT it's all good because when it's over I will...
10. Send the kids home with their Dad
11. Meet up with friends of both the YW and the RS persuasion
12. Spend some quality girl time with them and then...
13. Get home AFTER all the kids are asleep

I guess it won't be so bad after all. (No, it really won't.)

Week In Review

Reading-

The Book of Mormon-

This should be on my list every week and this isn't the first week this year that I've read it-but as part of my calling is to visit other wards and branches in the stake, it occurred to me that I don't want to sound like an idiot if I'm called on in one of their Sunday School classes. The same is true for my own branch on the rare occasion I get to attend there. This is the second week that I've not only read the Sunday School lesson, but also used those study aids in the old BOM Institute manual that's been gathering dust on the bookshelf since college. Of course, each Sunday I read almost guarantees that I will have a sick kid Sunday morning. I went and Dave stayed home through Natalie's stomach bug last week, so I dealt with Elisa's cold at home today. But at least I know that I read the lesson and was prepared.

Teaching of the Prophet Joseph Smith-

I will admit that I've been much more remiss in reading the Relief Society lessons because I've held callings in either Primary or Young Women for the past three years. But last Sunday actually found me in my local R.S. room and I could express no thoughts whatsoever because I hadn't read the lesson. Of course, having read this week's lesson, I found myself at home with a sick little one. But again, at least I was prepared. I will likely continue reading both of these throughout the rest of the year, but I may or may not mention it here again since it's on ongoing thing.

Watching-

Sex and the City re-runs-

I went to the HBO website to do a little inventory since TBS seems to broadcast these things in an all-over-the-place manner. I've seen all of Season 1 except for the last one. I've seen about half of Season 2, most of Seasons 3 & 4, and very little of Seasons 5&6. I think I'm just going to have to borrow someone's DVD's because while TBS has aired several epsiodes multiple times, there are others that I think may never show. Either way, I think Seasons 3 and 4 are my favorites though there are very few episodes that I don't like.

Degrassi-

I watched the last four episodes of this season and saw three of the four series originals graduate (sans J.T. who they killed off for no reason-in MHO-last season). They were good episodes, and I think I'm finally ready to be done watching the teeny bopper shows. (I LUV'D me some Dawson's Creek too back in the day.) Hey, everybody grows up someday-right?

In My Netflix Queue-

Into the Wild-

Umm...Wow?! It's hard to put into words how amazing this movie was to me. Sean Penn was seriously overlooked at last year's Oscars. The performances were all superb, and while many good movies leave me in tears at the end-this one made me cry throughout the rest of the day anytime I thought about it. I had no idea it was based on a true story, though I knew about Krakauer's book which I'm very much looking forward to reading now.

Extracurricular Activities-

1st Day of School-

I may not have been a happy camper, but I made sure the kids had a good back-to-school experience. They all seem to like their teachers though Tristan, yet again, has one of Natalie's former teachers. If I didn't like that teacher so much, I might have complained this year because I know he felt like there were comparison's last year (although his teacher last year AND this year aren't really the types to do that) and I hope he doesn't feel that way again. Poor Buddy. It's probably good that we will most likely go to our actual school district next year. Caroline also got Tristan's former teacher, but again, I would have picked her if I had the choice so I can't really complain about it. Also, Caroline doesn't have the same competitive streak that her two older siblings do, and won't be very affected by having the same teacher. All the 5th grade teachers were wonderful, so I'm pleased with who Natalie got, but would have been pleased regardless. Elisa's Pre-K teacher at the pre-school was briefly the three year-old teacher when Elisa first started there last year, so despite the whole debacle of last week-sending her back to the other school seemed full-circle to me. Her afternoon teacher (usually college students, which I LOVE) came from the exact same dynamic as Elisa (girl, boy, girl, girl) and again just reinforces my belief that things worked out the way they should. I'm still a little sad she won't have the Pre-K teacher at the elementary school, but I really feel like Tristan was the only kid who NEEDED to have has as a teacher and that Caroline being in her class was just an added bonus. Still, I'm glad that first week is over and that everything has calmed down a bit. I'm getting too old for the stress of being that upset-I fell asleep in my clothes and glasses at 8:30 p.m. last night, and I can't even blame it on being pregnant. (The only time in my life previously when such occurances were commonplace.)

Stake Leadership Meetings-

I think I covered this pretty well yesterday, but the 'refiner's fire' of Girls' Camp and the Nauvoo trip certainly seem to have cured me of any feelings of unworthiness or not being qualified enough to hold the calling that I do. Are there other women equally if not more qualified? Sure. But I really believe I'm where the Lord wants me right now. No question about it. Even if it meant sitting on the stand yesterday, which I don't think I'll ever learn to love completely,

Why?

I have absolutely adored the place that Elisa has attended pre-school for the last year. It has been an answer to many prayers, a convenience during after school PTA meetings and piano lessons, and it was my joy to call it "ours" after having so many negative experiences through the Tristan years. However, it has been my mother's pleasure to pay for it because my job would never cover its tuition. Because I remember Aunt M and Grandmother Mac writing the checks for my pre-school classes and ballet lessons, letting MeMe foot the bill has bothered me less than you might think. I kind of see it as her way of paying it forward. Not that I demanded it or expected it, but it has been nice.

This year, Elisa is old enough for the public school Pre-K program. That means mom will no longer pay for pre-school. That has always been the deal and I've always abided by it. (Natalie got extra years because neither Tristan nor Caroline attended pre-school.) Not only is that fair, but I love the Pre-K teachers at the kids' school and both of them were Tristan and Caroline's teachers which makes putting Elisa in that class that much more appealing. She has looked forward to it and talked about it all summer. Unfortunately, it's only a half-day program, but two of my friends whose kids have been faithful passengers in my carpool for the last year or two had enrolled their children as well. So, Elisa was going to leave after the morning session with them and be cared for by their shared caregiver (whose kids also ride in my car) until I brought the older kids home and picked her up after school. This made it possible for me to keep my job, continue driving the car pool, AND the other parents involved liked being able to help me out because I've driven that car pool without compensation for two years and counting.

Last spring, we explained that all three kids needed to be together. I thought that three years of PTA service might hold SOME sway with that request. Apparently not. The other two kids got into the morning class, and Elisa didn't. There is no one I can leave her with that can drop her off at 12:30, and my car is already at capacity for after-school pick up. It's stupid, but I feel really betrayed by everyone I trusted to make this happen over the summer. I feel like three years of service to a very under served school, and two years of a very full carload of kids was all for nothing. I never asked for a lot of attention or credit as PTA President (and, believe me, I got none), I have NEVER asked for special favors my kids at school except for this one thing; and I have never taken money from anyone whose kid needed a ride home if there was a seat in my car for them-so why am I always the one who gets screwed when I trust in 'the grand eternal scheme of things' that everything will work out for the best? Why?

Now, I really am screwed. I can't afford private pre-school on Dave's and my combined salary. (Not to mention, I withdrew her from it yesterday which sends us straight back to the waiting list.) Elisa has her little heart set on going to school with her brother and sisters and this is the only year it could happen for all four of them. I am mid-project at work and refuse to abandon something that seems to have been set up and abandoned at least three times previously. (Not to mention, I love my job.) There is no one available here who can drop her off at the afternoon Pre-K start time and I'm out of seats in the car at pick-up time unless I kick someone out of the carpool, which I don't have the heart to do. (Nor should I have had to do had anyone listened to a simple request at the end of the last school year.) No place to leave 4 year-old during 6 hour work day=Me.so.screwed. You know, I've spent most of my adult life doing things for other people without ever asking for anything in return and while I don't regret that for a minute, I did think that I had stored a little more good karma than what I've experienced in the last 24 hours. But I guess I was wrong.

Why Blogging Has Been Light Lately

I'm tired and mildly sunburned thanks to Super Kids Day today-but I loved being there. There's a big full-day group at work tomorrow, a school awards assembly in the morning and a mildly ill Elisa to shuffle to grandma's tomorrow (likely at the expense of the awards assembly) all because I have the nerve to think showing at up my job is just as important as any other job that anyone else in this family has even though mine pays a lot less. (My mom tried to scare me from supporting Obama by saying the first thing he would do is shut down Tinker-Oh Lady, you SO don't know me when think that would be a deterrent.) Then there is the budget meeting Tuesday afternoon and the Stake Presidency meeting that night...The talent show on Wednesday and the Girl Scout ceremony on Thursday, followed by the McDonald's night fundraiser on Friday. Are you all ready for summer? I know I am.

A Night Off

Tonight's regularly scheduled Stake YW Presidency meeting was canceled. I suppose I shouldn't be as happy about it as I am, but well...It's been a few weeknights since I've been home. The laundry is in the dryer, the dishes are in the washer, today's storms have abated enough for me to turn on my laptop; and the kids are obsessed with Super Paper Mario on the Wii. (Yes, I made them do homework and chores first! Remember, I'm one of those 'mother of the year' types.) And so, I find myself with some unexpected time to blog and so much to say that I'm not sure where to start.

I've mentioned here many times that I spent my teen years very involved with a youth organization called Rainbow Girls. Until recently, it has been my opinion that outside of the lifelong friends I made and a cute boy or two that I met; I gained very little from that experience. I've also felt like my LDS mission to Italy was also a failure as the only people I knew who got baptized didn't do it until long after I had returned to the stated.However, in retrospect, I have to admit that I was wrong about that. Just about everything I needed to know for the last three years of my life, I learned from Rainbow and from my mission.

When you turn 20, you "graduate" from Rainbow. You can do the ceremony locally like Chris, Lanie, and Wendy did the night before I left for the MTC or you can do it as part of the annual ceremony held at the state convention which was what I did. The ceremony was rather tearful and I remember very little about it except the words 'what you began as a service, you are ending as love.' (Probably got that wrong, it's been awhile. Though I have been known to point at my kids and say "My life is monumented there." Yes, they think I'm VERY strange-and so do those of you who didn't get that reference. But that's nothing new.) Either way, it was a fitting end to five years of my life that was spent memorizing parts, conducting meetings, working concessions at OU football games, making polite conversation with people I didn't have much in common with (old Masons and Eastern Star ladies) and going to dances and meeting cute boys. At least one, anyway. It is also a fitting explanation to how it feels to serve a mission. And I don't think it was by chance that I experienced both of these in the earlier years of my life. As I mentioned briefly in a Twitter entry yesterday, we elected a new PTA Executive board last night. For the first time in three years, it does not involve me as President, VP, or Co-President. It was an emotional day, and one that turned out much better than I expected when I mentioned in last week.

Four years ago, I enrolled my son in the local elementary Pre-K program because he had been "released" from any pre-school in town that didn't have a waiting list. I had some trepidation about this school. Many parents I attended church with moved out of that district as soon as their kids hit school age to avoid going there. Natalie had been in private school for four years for that same reason. But Tristan? Well, he's always marched to the beat of his own drum and that school as well as another one weren't in possession of that sheet music. So, to the public school we went. Once his enrollment was secured (Pre-K isn't mandatory, but it fills up fast), I was tapped by two good friends from church to fill in the vacated Treasurer position. The school's PTA program wasn't the biggest, but there was a core group of parents who kept things going. I enjoyed being a part of it, especially volunteering at the school store because I got to meet the kids and to keep my younger kids with me. (At that point, three out of the four because Tristan only went from 8-10:30 a.m.) I liked the school so much that I agreed to serve as secretary the following year and to take Natalie out of private school and enroll her too.

Suddenly, our "core" of PTA moms dwindled to about three and it was determined that I would be a Co-President. I had no leadership experience (or thought I didn't) and I've always had limited organizational skills. Fortunately, the other Co-President had plenty of both and patiently guided me through the year. Still, I didn't feel like I had learned much and our luck at re-building that "core" group didn't hold. In fact, we had more people move or have children move on to middle school. Our treasurer agreed to do one more year even though she no longer had kids at the school, just because she is great. I again volunteered to be Treasurer and drove away on the last day of school relieved that whatever next year held, it wouldn't involve me having so much responsibility. It scared me too much.

Unfortunately, I was in for a little surprise at enrollment night. Last year's Co-President had not only split with her husband over the summer, she had moved away. With the exception of the Treasurer who had already gone above and beyond by agreeing to help out even though she no longer had kids at the school, there was no one left but me who still had even the smallest clue how to go about running a PTA. I didn't want to do it again, I didn't think I could do it again-I was in the final year of my Master's degree program, I was gearing up for a 6-month Internship, I had FOUR KIDS; but as I pondered it, I thought about all those kids I had met through the window of the school store or at Skateland school nights-our PTA pays for more student programs than many of the ones at other schools in town, and I'm almost positive we do it on the smallest budget. I could NOT let these kids go without what the PTA could give them (field trips, artist-in-residence, popcorn and pizza incentive parties, and the once a week school store where they can buy snacks for a quarter). I spotted a mom who had been the Boxtop chair the year before, she was very pregnant, but she was THERE. I recruited her as a Co-President immediately and called another mom and sweet-talked her into serving as Secretary. Between my own inexperience, my Co-President's maternity leave, and few other factors; we struggled all year long. In the end, we made it through only to have the Co-President move (military), the Secretary move, and the Treasurer tell me apologetically that her kids were now well into Middle school and she needed to move on with them. (Still love her, by the way because she HAD already gone above and beyond.) And so, I was almost back to square one...almost.

By stocking the school store on Thursday afternoons, I had befriended another mom in the parking lot who watched me unload for a couple of weeks before offering to help. I concluded that made her good Vice President material. Another mom had helped me keep records during the candy sale-yet again, I was giving up my much coveted Secretary job. Yet another two mothers had stepped up to chair Teacher Appreciation Week and said they would help in any way that didn't involve an executive board position. I made a note to delegate more to them this year (I did and they made me look better than I deserved). Finally, a fellow mom of four volunteered her husband as Treasurer and I was thrilled to have a Dad on board.

While last year's piece-meal team of officers barely got things off the ground at any point during the school year, this year's team hit the ground running! Our new secretary knew pretty much everyone at the school and, unlike shy, hates-to-ask-for-help me, she drummed up several good parent volunteers. She was a true secretary keeping us all connected and on-task with her emails. We started out by taking what was going to be a small movie night and turning it into a very lucrative raffle. One of our most creative moms got together with her family and remodeled the faculty lounge beautifully on a budget that would have made Trading Spaces or Design on a Dime weep with envy. We were also able to purchase new computers for the school, pay for some nice landscaping, and do a lot more than just cover the field trips. I've never been more proud to be part of something than I was this year at school. How amazing it was to have a whole team to help with all the things that used to fall to Dave and I. Did you know being President is more like being the quarterback who sets up the plays than the one person who takes care of everything? I didn't until now. And in the end, despite differences in opinion and other bumps in the road, I learned to love that team I served with-and I hope I showed it to them. And above all, I love those kids that I've served all these years. It's always been about them, and I feel confident with the new officers succeeding me; that it always will be.

And as I've reflected on these things in the last 24 hours, so much of my life as a whole makes sense to me. While I was never comfortable BEING the boss, I was always able to run an executive board meeting efficiently. Perhaps because I was twice a Worthy Advisor (President) in Rainbow? Asking for donations wasn't my favorite, but I could do it more easily thanks to the eighteen months I spent going door-to-door in Italy. Making conversation is also not my strong suit, but serving at all of those Masonic/Eastern Star fundraiser dinners sure was good practice for that. And the school store? How many years in Rainbow did I spent capping Cokes at Owen Field? (Still what I call Gaylord Memorial Stadium, just 'cause I can.) Can't say I went to any dances (though I've danced plenty to the radio down in the school store) and as a married gal, I'm certainly not going to notice whether or not the boys I work with are cute; (I was going to say I didn't meet any cute boys, but we do have the principal and a few dad volunteers whose feelings I don't want to hurt-so I'll just say instead that I'm no longer allowed to look.) But I can see the rhyme and reason of why so many things in my life have worked in the ways that they did. And again, something I once began in service is now ending in love. I never thought I would look back on my time in Italy as "the time of my life," but it was. And I never thought I would say this about my time as PTA President, but in the end it really has been a great four years.

Happy Birthday Indeed! or Nice Save Anne!

Today was birthday number 36. I've never been one to lie about my age, but I'm thinking now that I may want to stop counting. It started out as a decent day. I didn't have to drag anyone out of bed or carry anyone kicking and screaming to the car to get us all to school on time. Jack FM serenaded me with U2, Beatles' "Revolution," AND Duran Duran all in a row on the drive into town. (I took that as my gift from them!) I got the school store all stocked and ready to go for the day and I even managed to turn in my kids' picture money. We did have a full day of kids at work, but all three classes were amazingly good. In fact, the class before lunch said "aww" and sounded all disappointed when I told them it was almost time to dismiss so they could eat. That NEVER happens. (I took that as another gift.) My boss came through with a double fudge cake, and throughout the day; emails and MySpace messages streamed through their respective Inboxes wishing me a Happy Birthday. Our Gypsy tickets just happened to be for tonight, but I thought that worked out well as a celebration; especially since I was feeling pretty low-key about the whole "one year older" thing.

I got home with the kids, cut them each a slice of office birthday cake as their after-school snack, and everyone was feeling pretty festive. I started looking through my closet and thinking about what I was going to wear...and then I made a big error in judgement. I decided to check my email one last time to see if anyone else remembered my birthday and to write down the directions to the restaurant where I was meeting my friends for dinner. I should have called some one's cell instead. I got an email that, to put it mildly, was hurtful. So hurtful, in fact, that it made me do that crying/shaking thing that I hate. Rather than enjoy my birthday, I spent my evening (even during dinner AND the play) trying to decide whether it was meant to be that way. My wonderful friend Lanie (who has known me since I was 15) said whether it was intentional or not, if it hurts, it hurts and that I have a right to my feelings. (I knew there was a reason that I still liked her after all these years.) Exactly what was written is irrelevant as I freely acknowledge that it was likely not a personal attack-just a very harsh critique of my shortcomings as a leader and an event planner, and I freely admit that I'm not great at either one. However, this particular event is the last thing I will ever do for the school as a PTA President and now there is no way that evening will be any kind of special to me at all. It will now be one big walk on eggshells. And frankly, I'd be a no-show if I thought I could get away with it.

And so, I came home from an evening that held a lot more promise at 4 p.m. than it actually delivered when the Civic Center curtain went down at 10:30. (And here I was thinking the worst birthday I would ever have would always be the one when I was dumped on my 16th birthday by the first boy I ever kissed. I know, Kyle who?)
Even my grandmother noticed how sad I seemed when I picked up the kids, but frankly I didn't feel like expending the energy it would have taken to explain the situation so I told her I was tired and sad about being older. THAT she could appreciate, so she left it alone. You might ask who would be foolish enough to check her email yet again upon returning home, and well, now you have your answer. But this time, it was a good email. Not only did Anne wish me a Happy Birthday, she wrote a whole blog post about it, complete with pictures (Yes, that is the Mesa temple in picture #2 and the OKC temple in picture #3). And really...that's all I needed to make it a good day after all. Thanks friend, if I had to endure Middle School, meeting you in the 6th grade may be the only redeeming thing that ever came from it. Well, that and the whole restored gospel thing. ;>)

Tuesday To-Do List

I'm getting forgetful in my old age and with everything that's going on this week. Maybe if I make a list and post it for the entire Internet to see, I might be more inspired to stay organized.

1. Pick up Natalie on time from each rehearsal this week (and remember that just because it SAYS it ends at 8:30 doesn't mean your kid won't call at 7:15 saying "Did you forget me?"). Wednesday's rehearsal is ONLY ONE HOUR.
2. Stake Youth committee mtg. tonight at 8.
3. Leftover roast in marinade for tomorrow night's fajitas. (They were supposed to be tonight's fajitas, but guess who forgot to put them in marinade LAST night.)
4. Turn in kids' Thursday folders by Thursday
5. Turn in Yearbook ads before they are due on Friday. (Here's a novel idea-send them IN the Thursday folders. Oh sure, it SOUNDS easy enough.)
6. Bring costume to work daily. Bring lunches for sure on Wed. and Fri. when there are only 30 minutes for lunch
7. Finish photographing artifacts downstairs and enter records in FMP when the kids leave each day. Try to finish entire downstairs by Friday.
8. Check school store inventory and re-stock (popcorn, oil, and KoolAid Jammers) by Fri. morning. Deposit last week's money from the store.
9. Reserve tickets for afternoon and evening performances of Natalie's class recital on Sat.
10. Take Natalie to b-day party between shows. Drop her off for a sleepover after second show.
11. Get house clean before Sunday
12. Get Natalie picked up before church.
13. Tristan's baptism after church on Sun.
14. Finish Tristan's birthday party invitations.
15. Write note to self not to have so many kids or so many activities in my next life.
16. Sleep...yeah right.

Do you see why I haven't done much real blogging lately?

Quick Quotes

I'm a little overwhelmed by life right now to do much updating here. I am finishing up the last of my three years as a PTA President and beginning a new calling in the Stake Young Women's presidency. These two won't overlap for long, but my life will remain pretty crazy until the end of the school year. What has been a huge surprise to me is that having served for two years of as what I thought was the most ineffectual leader the kids' school had ever seen, my third year finds me strangely confident in my abilities. ("Strange" only because it is completely unlike me to have any faith in myself) And while I am humbled and overwhelmed at the thought of my church calling, I also think I am very capable of doing it. I've never considered myself as leadership material, and if you've met me in person, you wouldn't either. I didn't aspire to be PTA President and was told long ago never to expect to lead the youth. I could easily name about ten people who are likely more qualified than me to fill any of the positions I've held at this point, but I have to say now that I don't feel undeserving of them either. While it seems unrelated, we finished listening to Harry Potter Book 7 yesterday amid many tears (mostly mine) and thunderous applause (mostly Natalie and Tristan's). I don't know how I missed this before, but I found this particular gem of Albus Dumbledore's to be quite inspiring and quite applicable when I heard it. So, I leave it with you all in lieu of a post of my own:

"It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well." ~J.K. Rowling, "King's Cross," Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, 2007, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore

(I searched all over the Internet for this before finally finding it here.)

Thursday Thirteen #42

Thirteen Random Things about my world this week 1. I'm having trouble writing blog posts lately because I'm keeping a very big secret right now and I stink at that. (No, I am not pregnant. No worries.) I'll spill the details on Sunday night. 2. I have bad allergies today. On a similar note, I hate Claritin-or rather, I resent it for not working very well while being the only med I can take without feeling sleepy. 3. I went on a museum field trip with Natalie's class today. I hope my co-workers and I aren't as condescending to our school groups as today's docents were to us. As our place is set up for kids, I doubt it. I hope they saw all the times I rolled my eyes at them. It was intentional. 4. I've managed to exercise every day this week except for today. Yoga was on today's agenda, have YOU tried to do it with a runny nose? Not good times. 5. In my history as PTA Pres., more kids have turned in their candy sale money this year than ever before-can I get a yay?! 6. Continuing in that vein, I finally feel like I can step down next Fall without any worries about the few things I've managed to hold together these past three years falling apart again. And that's good because...I'll be busy enough as it is. (See #1) 7. My Dad loaned me Across the Universe and I loved, loved, loved it. (Except for that funky Bono cameo which, I think, tried too hard. I did like the U2 homage at the end, though.) 8. As much as I loved it though, I'm thinking I should quit watching cheesy love stories. They make me cry and set me up for disappointment when the theatre lights come on and real life resumes. Not that real life is bad, it's just...well...real and therefore not set to music or brilliantly written by an Oscar winner. 9. My daughter Natalie really is a mini-me, Heaven help her! 10. I am never too old to be completely humiliated by my own misguided attempts at being nice. (Details to this story are available via email by request-it's WAY too embarrassing to post here-and yet way too funny not to mention at all.) 11. I had to run an errand for work last week that took me to the corner of 44th and Western. And there was that damn pharmacy where Myrtle Lodge is supposed to be. I hate CVS, just on principle. Maybe next week I'll wind up at Hwy. 9 eastbound and Four Corners so I can see the trailer park that used to be Camp Fire day camp. Since I ran that errand on the drive back to Norman, I decided to take Shields all the way back to I-35 and set my iPod to play "In My Life" because I really am one. big. dork. At least SE High School still appears to be a high school. 12. I'm going to a concert at Riverwind casino tomorrow night. I live about a mile from the place and this will be my first visit to it. 13. Our resident cat at work died yesterday. I think the last time I saw him I wouldn't let him out of the office because it was cold and I knew he wouldn't like it once he had been out more than a minute of two. It's silly, but I'm sad I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to him. He was like another co-worker there and had been there longer than any of the rest of us. He was nine years old and rather overweight, so I guess I am more surprised than I should be by this. Notwithstanding his habit of jumping on my desk when there were artifacts on it or his propensity for distracting huge groups of school kids with his presence while I was trying to teach; I'm really sorry he is gone.

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Thursday Thirteen #41

Valentine's Day Checklist for PTA Moms

1. Volunteer as homeroom parent for at least one child's class-check!
2. Volunteer to bring something for every child's classroom (always fruit or veggies because I'm that mom, or rather I became her after seeing all the junk the kids ate when Tristan was in Pre-K)-check!
3. Buy Valentines for four classrooms-check!
4. Buy extras *just in case*-check!
5. Buy cute teacher gifts for each kid's class-check!
6. Take off work for the day to attend parties in three of the four classrooms (the ones at the same school)
7. Pester Remind the kids to fill out Valentines all week long-check!
8. Finally get three out of four to finish them-check!
9. Do the three year-old's for her, feeling a little sad because it's likely the last year I will ever do that for any of my kids.-check!
10. Have a teacher tell me at the last minute that there is one class without a homeroom mom who is not having a party tomorrow-check!
11. Email all the other homeroom moms in desperation and ask for help-check!
12. Get an almost IMMEDIATE response from everyone-check! (Our PTA may be small, but we can do anything!)-check!
13. Get all the Valentine's for all the kids loaded up in backpacks, ready snacks for all the parties, and get it all done before 10 p.m. only to have one child start vomiting profusely just as you are going to bed feeling good about tomorrow-check and sigh!

Oh well! Happy Valentine's Day anyway!

For more Valentine's Day Thursday Thirteens, click here!

Thankful Tuesday

Today has been busy and the rest of the month is shaping up to follow suit. There is a field trip group every day from now through the end of the month at work, Halloween costumes to pull together for four kids, OU tickets, Civic Center tickets, Race for the Cure; not to mention all the usual committments to PTA and YW at church. So I didn't have time for the big essay I had planned for the night, but I do have many things to be thankful for.

For now, let me just be grateful for a PTA Board who WANTS to get things done and who are likely better at making things happen than I am. After three years of just trying to hold things together, I feel like we are finally moving forward. Finally! And that is one good reason to say 'thank you.' And one big reason why I'm too busy to blog tonight.

Week In Review

Watching-

Not much of anything. I skipped Army Wives last week and Big Love is still sitting unwatched on my Tivo, soon to be joined by tonight's episode. I'm sure I will get around to them eventually.

At the Movies-

I got a spontaneous phone call from a friend at church yesterday. At the moment, her husband is currently deployed to Kuwait and she is home alone with 6 kids: a 10 year-old, two 7 year-olds (twins), and three 1 year-olds (triplets). She wanted to get out of the house and she had called a babysitter. Did I want to hang out with her? If she had wanted to rob a bank I would have driven her getaway car. As it was, she wanted to see The Bourne Ultimatum. (We'll try robbery next time!) It was SO GOOD! Notwithstanding all the sweaty Matt Damon shots (which I am all about), it was also a very good movie. It was a big Hollywood blockbuster without the look and feel of such a film. I rarely say this, but I hope they make a fourth one. We also had dinner out at La Baguette. Good times! I'm so glad she called and invited me along, I had a great time!

In My Netflix Queue-

Same Time Next Year-

I can't believe how touching, funny, and sweet this movie was. I watched it last Wednesday at the height of last week's freak-out and it was the perfect catharsis for me. I'm going to have to buy this one and add it to my list of all-time favorites. It was that good.

Pride and Prejudice Pt. 2-

I am now officially ruined for the newer version that came out a couple of years ago. This was the miniseries done by the BBC several years ago and I absolutely loved it. Netflix did right by me this week, even if they did send Dave that awful Aqua Teen Hunger Force thing. (Hey, he asked for it. It's not really their fault.)

Muppet Show Season 2: Discs 1 & 2-

OK, went ahead and bought this and it has been, of course, a big hit. So far my favorite has ben Rich Little doing all the scenes from old musicals, BUT Elton John's episode is on Disc 3 and that's one of my all-time favorites so Rich's time on my 'favorite' list will be brief. I only hope we don't have to wait as long for season 3 as we did season 2. But I'm not holding my breath.

Extracurricular Activities-

PTA t-shirt orders are rolling in and the school store had it's first run last Friday. We have our first and second meetings planned and scheduled and as long as I remember to type up tomorrow's hand-outs we'll still be in good shape. As much as I dreaded the school year all summer, it's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be now that it's here.

So It's Not Always a Wonderful Life,

but for me, it's enough. I've spent a lot of time this week fighting anxiety attacks and panic. Tonight was Back to School night. This will be the third year I've attended that night as this year's PTA President and I did not think I had it in me to do it again. Within minutes of arriving, setting up the table, talking to parents, and selling school t-shirts; I felt differently. I was back in my element. Just like everyone told me I would be. Don't misunderstand, my goal for this school year is to find my replacement for the next one. But I do feel up to the task again.

I don't enjoy being a leader, I don't think it's where my talents lie; but I will admit that over time I have become pretty good at doing this. That doesn't mean it's always fun, in fact it isn't fun that often. But, it needs to be done and I can do it. (And even better? I can use this year to teach others to do it too!) There are many things about this stage in my life that aren't all that easy. My kids are at an age where they both need discipline and resist it at every turn. I'm trying to establish my career about 10 years too late, and I have to be self-motivated to accomplish it all because support for those endeavors is often lacking around here as I've mentioned. But that doesn't mean I feel sorry for myself or that I want others to feel bad for me. If I had had this quote at my disposal two weeks ago, I think it would have helped me to explain myself in many of the conversations I had during my weekend in Colorado. But I didn't read it until yesterday. It's from Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (which I finally finished last night) and it makes perfect sense to me:

"Humanity does not ask us to be happy. It merely asks us to be brilliant on its behalf. Survival first, then happiness as we can manage it."

-Mazer Rackham

I'll grant you that I'm not saving the world like Ender or Mazer. But, I'm working to make my kids better people which will, in turn, better the world they live in. And I'm working hard to give those kids and teachers at our elementary school at little fun, a little money for field trips and artists-in-residence, and a better experience than they would have were there not a PTA at their school, even though it would be so easy to throw in the towel there sometimes.
This may not be the easiest time in my life, but it's not without its rewards and I have no complaints. Right now, I'm all about surviving. And let's all keep our fingers crossed that somewhere in there I find time to squeeze in some of that happiness too.

Week In Review

Listening-

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix-

We're about halfway through the CD's right now, though we will get through the second half a bit more slowly now that we're no longer making a 40 minute round-trip to and from school each day. I find myself pausing more often lately to talk to the kids about how, even though Prof. Umbridge and Snape ARE unfair and not necessarily nice people, some of the things Harry does to get into trouble with them aren't the right thing for him to do either. We've recently had an especially long talk about why George and Harry were wrong to beat the tar out of Draco Malfoy, even though he richly deserved it. The HP series makes for great reading, but I don't want my kids to think for a minute that I'm going to laugh and shrug it off if they gang up on someone and beat them senseless-even if they are defending my honor.

I worried that CD's would keep me from catching details that I had missed before, but I was wrong. On page 404, I found this gem:

"Good luck Ron," said Hermione, standing on tiptoe and kissing him on the cheek. "And you, Harry---"
Ron seemed to come to himself slightly as they walked back across the Great Hall. He touched the spot on his face where Hermione had kissed him, looking puzzled, as though he was not quite sure what had just happened.

I ask you, how in the world did I miss that before now?!

Watching-

Star Wars: The Legacy-

My family has been discussing the many parallels between Star Wars and Greek and Biblical myths for years-not to mention its political and historical comparisons. So, it was really neat to watch a two-hour special dedicated to doing just that. To include directors like Joss Whedon, Kevin Smith, and J.J. Abrahms in such a show made it that much better. Thank you History Channel!!! It will be saved on my Tivo list indefinitely. (Still haven't managed to watch Star Wars Tech, but it's on there too, so stay tuned...

The Mormons Pt. 1 & 2-

Yes, I did just get around to watching the PBS special that aired at the beginning of May, I'm slow that way. I agree with what Christy has already said, but have to further register my own annoyance with Tal Bachman over-the-top comments about his mission. Because the church is responsible for about 50,000 young adult missionaries for 18-24 months of their lives, they really don't do much to place us in dangerous situations. We are fairly autonomous on a daily basis, but they faithfully keep tabs on us and do their best to keep us all in one piece. And I can't think of any mission president who would require a missionary to 'blow them self up' in the service of the church, nor any missionary foolish enough to follow such an instruction except for (apparently) Tal Bachman-so I guess it's just as well he's no longer a member. That's just what we need, someone blowing them self up in the name of the Lord. Like we Mormons don't have enough PR problems. (I'm making a joke there, people. And I really hope young Mr. Bachman was too.)

I was saddened by Margaret Toscano's excommunication. However, from just a cursory glance at the titles of some of her publications as they were flashed across the TV screen, I have to ask what she was thinking by writing them? Also, there are two sides to every story, and we only got hers. Don't misunderstand, given that she's a Classics professor at the U of U, I feel that I would have a lot more in common with her than I would most of the other sisters in Relief Society and I wish she were still a member (and that she were in my ward if she were). But, I'm not going to leave the church in a snit over her experiences. Especially when I only know her interpretation of how and why things transpired.

I was also touched by the comments of artist Trevor Southey about how religion, the one thing that attracts the outsiders, or as he calls them, "odd ducks" of the world, still has so much trouble knowing how to place them into their culture; when it should be them to embrace them. And I agree whole-heartedly.

And finally, I liked an observation made by someone at the very beginning of the documentary who said there is really no room for anyone who is a believer in anything to mock what Mormons believe because the faiths of ALL believers require them accept things that would seem preposterous to anyone outside their belief system and that Mormonism is no different than any other religion in its requirements. I'll grant that our beliefs may be a bit different from those of oyhrt churches, but the process of accepting them is not. It's a fairly universal process. I can't remember the name of the man who said it, but I'm grateful to him for pointing that out.

At the Movies-

Shrek III- I liked the other two better, but this one was still cute and enjoyable. Natalie saw it with her cousins last week, so I'm glad we've all seen it now. I do wonder why Artie never made any mention of Excalibur. I wonder if there were copyright issues?

Spiderman III-Thank you Winchester Drive-In for double features! We saw this right after Shrek III. Also not quite as good as its two predecessors, but I really liked the theme of forgiveness that ran through it (and I was really sad about Harry, who I love to look at). I wish they could have done more with Topher Grace's character (I love him too), but they had too many characters on the canvas for that. Also, what is it with men dirty dancing with a new gal to hurt the feelings of the ex? Do they know how dumb they look? (Unless of course they're Tobey McGuire and their moves have been taught to them by a choreographer. And their dance partners usually aren't as attractive or gracious as Bryce Dallas Howard's Gwen was either.)
I got quite a chuckle out of that...oh wait, we were talking about the movie, weren't we? And forgiveness too. Oh well, at least I said I was 'sorry.'

Out and About-

Howling Around the Harn-It was the first year to try out this event and it was really fun. Lanie, you and Dirk should definitely bring the pups next year. It went really well.

Kass' B-Day Party-Yet another good time at Pump It Up in honor of my niece turning four.

End of School Party-Due to weather, it was a bit different this year, but still good. If I have to be PTA President for one more year at least it's at the best, albeit most underrated, elementary school in Norman. And I even had a lot of help who promised they would be back next year. Yay!!

Thursday Thirteen #29

You know you've thrown your whole heart into doing something when you feel it break just a little bit once that thing is over. Today was the last day of school. As a PTA President AND mom of four, I should have been dancing in the streets. Instead, I spent most of the day choking back tears. I didn't think I could love 400 kids at once, especially without knowing all their names, but it turns out that I can and I have. I will miss them, especially those 5th graders. Still, it's nice to have summer break upon us and for today's TT, here are:

13 Reasons Why I'm Glad School is Out

1. NO MORE GETTING UP AT 6:00 A.M.!!! (I wish I were a morning person, but I'm not.)

2. No more fundraiser hassles! (At least not for three more months)

3. No more carpool lane! (You have to get there at least 40 minutes early to get a good spot in line. That's fun to wait out with a two year-old in the car.)

4. No more racing from work to school to get a good place in the carpool lane.

5. No more worrying about who's going to do the School Store on the Fridays that I have to work.

6. No more calls from irate parents.

7. No more walking into the school only to be accosted by at least one teacher and three kids when all I came inside for was a drink of water or to check the mailbox.

8. No more tearing the house apart for permission slips, Thursday folders, etc...

9. No more phone calls and 'special meetings' with Tristan's teachers. (It happens at least twice each school year.)

10. No more constant exposure to germs and (my favorite) head lice.

11. No more daily 20 mile round-trips to and from the school.

12. More time for trips, sleeping in, and cleaning the house.

13. More time for us to be together as a family, though I am looking forward to leaving all FOUR of them with Dave when I go to work each day. He is used to only having one at home with him. Hee! Hee! I can't wait!

For more TT's, check out the Thursday 13 website.

Remember Karnac?

The answers are:

1. Getting the house in order after a long season of comp exams, thesis-writing, and children's birthday parties.

2. Making sure out-of-town visitors get to spend some quality time with me and the family.

3. Helping to write a museum grant for the first time. (A government grant, no less. Scary!)

4. Dealing with the aftermath of a five year-old, a pair of scissors, and how those things don't mix with shoulder-length hair. (Thanks to Lanie's friend Heidi for the cute little bob she's now sporting. Also, it really isn't as traumatic when your third child does it. I laughed and shrugged it off-something previously not found in my behavior repertoire.

5. Pulling a 7 year-old's tooth to make room for the adult tooth behind it. (And remembering to let the tooth fairy know she should come. I forgot that a few weeks ago, woe unto me!)

6. Getting through a party and two commencements, all fun and worthwhile events, but definitely time-consuming.

7. Complicating all of that with the annual Mother's Day trip to Tulsa. (Also worthwhile, but time-consuming)

8. Finishing up a very full calendar of school field trips at work.

9. Finishing up this year as PTA President so that I can (sigh) do it again next year.

And the question is...

Why haven't you blogged about graduation yet?

It's coming...I promise.

(Sadly, I typed this without a big purple hat or an envelope to my forehead. We miss you, Johnny.)

My Day Off?

The full-time staff at The Job had CPR training today. While it's certainly been awhile since I was certified, I saw it as a good opportunity for some quality time at home. (The last time I took that class, it was at an R.S. sister's home in Tucson. Only Anne and I showed up for the class and she was reluctant to demonstrate choking manuevers on me because I was barely pregnant with Natalie.) The problem is, I never WAS home today.

First, I took the kids to school and spent half and hour collecting candy money in the office. Then, I dropped by the spring kids' consignment sale and made myself all sad by looking at all the cute baby stuff and realizing that I will never again have a use for any of that in my home. (Not that I really want to...endings are just sad.) To cheer myself up, I went to Wal-Mart for the new People magazine and to buy bottled waters because we re-opened the school store today. So, I raced back from Wal-Mart to the school because if you don't fire up the popcorn machine by 10:45, it isn't ready in time for the kids at 11:10. I'm proud to say I worked all three hours without burning a single batch of popcorn OR eating a lot of junk. I bought some hummus dip and carrot sticks at Wal-Mart and stuck to those. Once the store was closed down and cleaned up, I had to make my afternoon plea for kids to turn in candy money. By then, all I could do was wait 20 minutes in the car for the kids to get done with school. I took my two little car-poolers home and no sooner did we leave their driveway than the gas light beeped on my dashboard. One trip to 7/11 and $50 some-odd dollars later, I decided just to take the kids to grandma's without bothering to go home.

Tonight was Cousin J's birthday and I wanted to get him a present. Once my mom and grandmother were there to help him with my kids, I left to do just that. I also picked up some pizza while I was out, just like I told my mom I would. I got back to grandma's only to find that they had ordered some and had it delivered already. Nice.(Mom is like that) Fortunately, there was lots of company tonight and it got eaten anyway. I had to live in the middle of the party to help set up for a geneology conference tomorrow ("Land Run" themed, of course), but made it back in plenty of time for cake. (I wish I could say I skipped it, but I didn't. At least the rest of my day was spent eating well.) Both of my sister's brought their computers and we had a little LAN party going on in an obscure corner of grandma's house. From there, I listened to Aunt M raving to Natalie about all the healthy benefits of drinking coffee-she was trying hard to push my buttons, but I didn't let it happen. (Much to the disappointment of my mom.) I was having too much fun with my sisters. Besides, you aren't going to convince a 9 year-old to like coffee no matter where she goes to church.

The gift-opening provided the usual entertainment of mom only getting half of what she meant to give him into the package. (An all-time low of ONE sock and an empty envelope where the card should have been, plus a super-fancy shaving kit missing some of it's accessories. Quintessential Mom...) On Caroline's recommendation, I picked out some "freaky and evil" things because "that's what Cousin J loves." However, since I don't share his love of all things gory, I improvised. I got him a Blockbuster gift card so he can pick out his own scary movies, then went to the Dollar store for some tacky fun. I grabbed a package of gummy rat-shaped candy (I'd call that freaky and evil) then as I considered a very ugly piggy bank with the words "kiss me" on the side, I was nearly accosted by an elderly lady who saw it and liked it and was very agitated that I had it when it was the LAST ONE! Oh yeah, I got it for him. Knowing he had deprived a grumpy old lady of her tacky knick-knack was the icing on his birthday cake.

Finally, I realized at about 10 p.m. that I was starting to feel dead on my feet. I gathered up the kids, but not without a party balloon popping and much fighting over goodies in their treat bags. (Cousin J spoils them rotten...but you've gotta love him for loving them that much.) The good news is that all the whining and fighting must have exhasted them, because they were all asleep within 30 minutes of returning home. And since I've got to put in guest appearances at the aforementioned conference, a late lunch with my friends, and a youth dance tomorrow-I had best be sleeping myself. Not much of a day off, I guess, but does a mom ever really get one?

Busy Day

Tonight's PTA meeting had ONE (count her) ONE parent there tonight besides the Co-President and myself. The principal and teacher rep were there, so it wasn't time wasted, but good grief! Could someone tell me why I do this again?

Anyway, this blogthing looked fun and easy, and it was even somewhat accurate. And I wasn't even sure what songs were popular in 2004!

100 Years by Five for Fighting

"Every day's a new day... 15 there's still time for you Time to buy and time to choose Hey 15, there's never a wish better than this When you only got 100 years to live" 2004 was about thinking and reflecting - but isn't every year?

What 2004 Hit Song Are You?

Did you play? What 2004 song were you? Feel free to tell me in the Comments section.

Bah! Humbug!

No menu plan today! That would require me to be full of loving and nurturing feelings and right now I'm more of an angry Mama Bear. Because it's been resolved, I can now go into more detail about my 'unbloggable situation.' Apparently, when the Big Fundraising Company picked up the kids' fundraiser orders, about 6 were forgotten. Because this was a pre-paid fundraiser, parents were understandably frustrated by this. Because Big Fundraising Company did not leave me either the white or yellow carbon copy pages for any of the orders placed; I had no way of proving one way or another that any of these missing orders were ever made-even though I recognized a couple of the surnames from when I organized the orders, deposited the checks, and left them for Big Fundraising Company to pick-up six weeks earlier. They said that we lost the order forms and were liable, although none of us ever left the school premises with them because we were worried about doing just that. However, with no copies of anything, I had no way of defending myself or proving anything one way or the other.

I've been just about as frustrated as any one person who likes to make everything right can be. There was no easy way to "fix" this. To make matters worse, one of the parents involved became downright ugly with all of us, even though all we told her from day 1 was that we were going to sort this out. She came into the school office so many times with her threats that she was told security would be called if she did it again. She got my home phone number and left abusive and threatening messages for me. She did likewise to the people at Big Fundraising Company. None of this made sorting this situation out any easier. The other five moms couldn't have been more lovely and understanding even though they all had reasons to be mad. I wound up giving most of them my super-secret cell phone number-so it's not that I refuse to communicate with parents, but I won't return a message that's threatening and the principal told my husband that he shouldn't either. (And he REALLY wanted to.) However, I have spent just about every morning and afternoon that I'm not working at The Agency trying to resolve this problem. Ultimately, we decided to ask the parents to gather what information they could about their orders (cancelled checks, people who remembered what they bought, etc...) and that we would reimburse them. Our PTA is broke most of the time and this was a huge hit to our already ultra-modest income, but it was also the right thing to do. The checks have been written and I will be in the school office handing them personally to everyone involved in this mess tomorrow morning and afternoon. Either me or the principal has kept everyone informed of what we were doing about this every step of the way. Not an easy thing to do when your child has a concert one night, a Girl Scout awards ceremony the next, and you have taken off two days to work the school Santa store by yourself until your spouse can help in the afternoon.

I am horrified that something like this happened on my watch, especially when I originally delegated the money and order collection duties to someone else. (Who is, if anything, twice as competent and organized as I am.) I have done everything I can to make this right. For the last three years, I have dedicated myself to this PTA and I've been part of just a handful of us to do so. I'm not perfect, but I'm also not power hungry. When my kids enrolled this year, I knew there wouldn't even BE a PTA if I didn't kick things into high gear and I think me, my co-president, and the other four of us who seem to do everything have done a fine job-this fundraiser catastrophe notwithstanding. So, you can imagine how I felt to come out of the school this afternoon to find my husband and the custodian chatting about a "note" someone had left me in spray paint at the bicycle racks. It read: F*CK THIS SCHOOL AND THE PTA. Mr. W cleaned it up, but I almost wish he had let me take a picture first. I feel violated, I feel threatened, and I feel like everything I have poured into this school for the last three years has been for nothing right now. They don't pay me enough to do this job. In fact, they don't pay me at all. I'll probably remember why I do it after a good night's sleep, but for now I'm just not happy.