--The countdown is on to the end of the school year!
--Middle school is a shark tank, and 6th graders are guppies. Also, being a parent of a going-to-middle-school kid is quickly becoming a full-time job.
--Goliath chose band as his elective for next year. At the instrument introduction, he was to make a list of his top 3 choices of what he wants to play. In the #3 spot: tuba (who didn't see that coming?!?). #2: clarinet, and his #1 instrument choice was.....the bassoon. Up until that day, I'm pretty sure he didn't even know what a bassoon is!
--To bassoon or not to bassoon? That is the question that has consumed my son and me (but mostly me) for the last two weeks. After some research, a face-to-face meeting with the MS band director, and a pros and cons list, the decision is made. He will play the clarinet. Ah, that boy!
--Just on the heels of the Great Instrument Debate was a fun little evening event entitled "Middle School Parent University." This is how I know that MS is scary, and how I came to finally understand why in the world people homeschool their kids.
--Imagine a police officer who has an espresso with every meal and no volume control. Then imagine him walking the perimeter of a classroom filled with wide-eyed parents, pointing his laser beam at a screen filled with pictures of narcotics and drug paraphernalia that is commonplace among middle school and high school students. THEN imagine him hollering this command: "Parents! Repeat after me: We have heroin in our town." and that same wide-eyed group of adults stammering, "We have heroin in our town." That, my friends, Freaked. Me. Out.
--Sonic has half-price shakes after 8:00 p.m. A milkshake is sometimes the only thing that can help calm you down.
--Seriously....who orders a peanut butter & bacon milkshake?!?
--I am also wondering why we have Teacher Appreciation week at the end of the school year. Several teachers at our school asked for--and received--school supplies. But what good does it do them now? Seems like we would all be better off if we appreciated our teachers in February.
--The buttercups that have carpeted the sides of I-35 for the last month are beginning to wither. That can mean only one thing: summer is a'comin.
--I have learned that if I make a Starbucks run for Coach Hubby and Coach Scott before our boys' Saturday morning soccer game, the kids play much better.
--If your mother says you shouldn't slide down the banister of the stairs, there is probably a very good reason.
--I got to read to my boys' 1st and 3rd grade classes last week. For my book, I chose Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day. On the first day of my assignment, I accidentally turned off my alarm and overslept by an hour. The book was more than appropriate.
--Gus the Terrible has been out of town. Ahhhh.
--Willie Nelson turned 80. I love that guy.
--Authenticity in relationships is important. It can also be draining.
--I had a Girls' Night Out with my little friend Kathryn and her mommy. Kathryn and I agree on a few important things:
- The rolls at Texas Roadhouse are delicious.
- California is shaped like a banana on a map.
- 2-year-olds are kind of crazy.
- Reading yourself to sleep is the best!
--Greek yogurt is a weird food fad. What was wrong with plain 'ol Yoplait?
--There is nothing like a baby shower to bring out the Pinterester within.
--I paid my son $10 to wash my car and clean out the inside. Best money I ever spent.
--Silver Linings Playbook is a good, but tough, movie.
--I got a new dishwasher for Mother's Day. Yes, it was a necessity, but it still reminded me of this scene from "Father of the Bride":
"I mean, I didn't want to act thrown or anything, but inside I was. I mean, I thought something for the apartment...maybe a new clock, or a cool phone, or a great art book, or something...but a blender? I mean, what is this? 1958? Give the little wife a blender?!"
--Quiet is one of my favorite sounds.
--There have been an abundance of blue jays, squirrels, and lizards in our yard lately.
--Two jobs I would never ever be able to do: funeral director and dentist.
--Baby's class is working on a "Then and Now" project, which includes a "museum" of items from way back when. Two of the items make me feel particularly old: a floppy disk and a non-digital camera. My kid can not grasp the concept of a roll of film, nor can he understand not being able to see your pictures the instant you take them. Very old.
