Farty Goo

Amanda got a surprise this week at school because she had taken home and read five different books.  They weren't difficult books, very basic beginning readers, but books all the same.  Her school loves to reward the kids with stickers or prizes or candy and she responds very well to it.  It's like she is given nothing at home and perpetually goes without, except that's not the case at all.  I don't really care what they give her, if they are motivating her to read I'm good with whatever they do.

Anyway, she got to pick a prize because of her reading.  When I went to pick her up her little friends told me Amanda had a surprise for me and then it quickly leaked out that she had gotten a prize that I would just love.  Five year olds are HORRIBLE at keeping secrets, especially ones they think are super funny.  She was going to wait until we got home to show it to me but couldn't even wait until we were in the car when she started talking about Farty Goo.

I had no idea what she was talking about.  Plus, she's kind of difficult to understand a lot of the time anyway, so I wasn't even positive she was saying Farty Goo.  She pulls it out and begs me to open it and what it really is, is Noise Putty.  You know, the stuff that you plunge your fingers into and push it against the side of the container so the extra air comes out and makes a farting noise.  It is gooey and ooey and gross, but a huge it to the five year old set.

She was all excited about it for about two days until today when she stuck her fingers in there and felt something hard.  I don't know what it was but that was the end of the road for the Noise Putty, she wanted nothing else to do with it.

Good riddance, Farty Goo!

Cordinoise

Amanda knows all her colors, but has a little trouble pronouncing all of them.  Or maybe remembering the name is a better explanation.  One day we were doing something and she told me her favorite color was cordinoise.  Cordinoise?  Huh?  I thought and thought and asked her to describe the color to me until we finally figured out it was actually turquoise.  I'm not really sure how she confused corduroys with turquoise, but it was just one of those cute things that littles say that eventually they won't say anymore because they are big.

Sometimes I'm still glad I have a little around.  She keeps me guessing.

Kid Quote of the Day

Amanda:  Mommy, I love you.

Me:  I love...

Amanda:  Look!  A helicopter!


And in typical 5-yr-old fashion she derailed another beautiful moment that fast.

Taking Care of Mom

One night last week as I was tucking Andy into bed (yes, even at almost 12 years old he still likes to be tucked in and we totally give in to him because we know it won't last forever) he asked me to check to see if his alarm was on.  He proceeded to tell me that when I turn it off in the morning I can't just hit snooze I need to move the switch all the way to the right.  We have the same alarm clock, and I've had mine for something like 20 years, so I am very aware how it works.

I gave him some annoyed look and told him of course I knew how it worked, because he's always telling us stuff that we already know and he thinks that either we're idiots or that he's smarter than us.  Then he tells me that he just wanted to be sure because he had to turn my alarm for me twice that week.  Hmm.  Charlie was out of town and I tend to stay up a little bit later when he's gone so I was having a harder time getting up with Andy last week so it's very possible that I hit snooze instead of turning it off and then got up and was already downstairs when the alarm went off the second time.

Little man's looking out for his mom.  I like that.

There's A First Time For Everything

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this, but Andy is in 6th grade at the elementary school but does 7th grade math at the middle school.  That means that he gets up an hour earlier (and I do too) to catch the 6:56a bus to the middle school, has math, and then comes back to the elementary school and has a full day of classes.  I was told that during the time they have slotted him for math at the elementary school that they would pull him out of class and let him work on homework or do some extra, fun, academic projects with him, but today he told me he hasn't seen much of the G&T (gifted and talented) teacher and that lately he's been shelving books in the library.  Nice.  But I digress.


This is the first year that they've done this so there were a few things they needed us to be aware of, most importantly that they do not have the manpower or ability to transport Andy back to the elementary school after he finishes his math class at the middle school.  Fair enough.  Luckily there are two other boys doing this with Andy, so the three sets of parents split up the driving and we only have to drive Tuesday and Friday.  How hard can that be?


Well, on Tuesday it was our day.  Charlie is out of town all week so there was no discussion that morning of who was going to pick up the boys, it was all me.  I had a chaotic morning with the girls, which sadly has become pretty consistent when Charlie isn't around, and finally got them out the door later than I wanted.  When I got home from walking Sarah to school and Amanda to the house of the little boy she carpools with to pre-school, I saw my neighbor outside and talked to her for about 10 minutes.  When I got inside I grabbed my phone which I unfortunately had forgotten on the way to school (but no big deal because who really is going to call me at 8:30 in the morning) and saw two missed called from Andy's classmate.  Oh shit!  I forgot to pick up the boys.


I texted that I was on my way and called them three times before he picked up.  This is now the time that I tell you the benefits of giving your 11-yr-old son a phone, for just these reasons, but since his friend has one he doesn't need one.  For now.  Overall I was 20 minutes late picking them up.  I felt pretty bad, but didn't let it get to me for three reasons:  a) The boys didn't care.  They were playing human bowling (not sure of the rules on this one) while they waited.  b)  The school didn't care.  They didn't call or ask why the boys were 20 minutes late.  c)  I was the last of the three families to forgot the boys.  That's right, in December both of the other moms (maybe one of them was a dad) forgot to pick them up too.  Andy was holding out hope that we would be the only ones not to forget the boys, but sadly his wish did not come true.


Now if I could just not forget them again this year all will be good!

It's Starting to Get Real

Last week Andy brought home the paperwork for Middle School registration for the 2015-2016 school year.  Middle School!  How is that possible?  Just yesterday I brought home this tiny, adorable blob who's biggest feat was pooping six feet across the room (do you remember that Mom and Dad?  Because I will NEVER forget it) and now he's getting ready for Middle School.  April, it goes fast!

But that's not even the crazy part.  That's not even what prompted me to write this post.  It's that when I went online to register him for his classes and I went to the drop down to choose between him and Sarah there was an additional name in the drop-down list.  Amanda.  They have processed her Kindergarten registration paperwork and all of my children are now valid participants in the public school system.

I was just telling my neighbor this morning how I cannot wait for Kindergarten.  Yes, there is still three months of pre-K and then ten weeks of summer.  But then all my kids will be gone all day and I won't have to drive Andy back and forth from the Middle School to the Elementary School and I won't have to drop Sarah off at the Elementary School and then walk Amanda over to the little boy's house that we carpool with.  Andy will leave on the bus in the morning, I will take both girls to school at the same time and then I will be free.  Free to go to the gym or clean the house or watch t.v. or even go back to bed for the next SEVEN HOURS.  I haven't had this kind of freedom since I was childless.  That was 12 years ago.  Of course I'll still spend a lot of that time doing things for the children, but I will get to do them by myself and the phrase "hurry up" will not come out of my mouth nearly as much.

Most people are sad and teary when they drop their last kid off at Kindergarten.  That's always a possibility, but right now I just don't see that happening.

There's A New Kid In Town

Yesterday I took Andy to get his hair cut.  Charlie was out of town so I took the girls along too.  When we walked in Amanda said to Jillyn, our hairdresser, "When are you going to give me bangs?!?".  She has been wanting to get them ever since Sarah got them at the girls' last haircut.  She didn't want them then, but after seeing Sarah with them for a few weeks she was sold.

Luckily for her Jillyn had a cancellation and had a few minutes to give Amanda a trim.  She was so happy.  When we were getting ready for bed and picking out an outfit for today (yes, occasionally I have the forethought to do that), she said, "Nobody is going to recognize me tomorrow.  I'll have a new dress, new bangs, they are going to think I'm the new kid!".

Add in the fashion glasses and you never know.  Excuse her closed eyes, I took seven pictures and they all look like this.  Maybe it's the glasses, I don't know, but she wasn't going to pose any longer.