The kids were in bed before 8 pm (uncommon during this, our first summer since Princess started school), Man is ill so went to bed around 7, Frieda is starting to sleep between 8-9 and sleeping until 6, and I only occasionally have the TV on in the evenings. I was reading the news and it hit me: it's quiet in here. I don't know the last time I've been able to say those words while we're all under the same roof.
Today, friend C moved. I'm totally bummed. I watched her son, Boy Wonder, while the movers loaded the truck and she and her dad cleaned the house. He's such a good little guy and we enjoyed him. You can tell that even though he's social and fun to be with, he's an only child. He expects there to be occasional quiet and I think it's still bewildering to him to be here and find that there is nowhere in this house where alone time can be found... sometimes not even when you're on the pot. Hugging C right before they left today was such a bitter-sweet thing for me. She hugs like no one else I've ever hugged -- she puts her enormous heart and glittery soul into those tan arms and isn't afraid to put her arms all the way up and around my neck, even though I'm at least 6 inches taller than her. The number of dear friends I've invited to live on my cul-de-sac in heaven has officially exceeded a handful, which I find marvelous, mystifying, and a thing to celebrate.
(Brian and R, you're invited to. Remind me to extend the invite in person some time.)
(Family of any kind, you're automatically invited.)
(Everyone, my house in heaven is a shoe free zone. Don't forget.)
So, after watching Cute the Wonder, cleaning my house in every spare minute, dealing with a sick Tag, a mild poop emergency from Pebbles, two full loads of dishes, at least 6 loads of laundry, and my despondency over having another friend move away, I realized quite suddenly that I had a class I signed up for tonight that started at 4:30, FRG which started at 6, and Enrichment which started at 7. I ended up skipping Enrichment because Man was feeling too poorly to manage The Tribble Troupe on his own, so here I am blogging.
-twiddling my thumbs-
What do you guys want a monologue about? You all know I'm pretty good at monologuing despite the fact that I'm definitely not the arch villain-type (I'm sure my kids would disagree occasionally) and, though I like to spill my thoughts through pen, as it were, I find my wellspring of creativity to be a bit dry nowadays. Fatigue and some anxiety over the impending move are not helpful in this area but I'm sure they'd both make for some good comedic ramblings if I could organize my thoughts through the haze of astonishment at finding down time. Many remarkable things have transpired over the past few weeks but, at the end of the day, it all sort of swirls together.
I'm still looking into college, but will have to put it off now that we'll be moving with Man. I actually have dreams now where I'm my current age but I had to go back and finish up high school. The kids there all ask me why I even bother to go when I realize that I just wanted to finish my education but I'm always surrounded by brainy, young, angry people who resent me. I hope that isn't what college is like. High school. Blech. We watched High School Musical the other day and I gagged through the whole thing.
I'm teaching a class on Tuesday but have yet to secure babysitting. I havn't even gone over the lesson plan yet, which I definitely should do since it's a level 2 class on personal relationships. The program manager is giving out AFTB polo shirts which look sort of funny on me, but oh well. At least it's periwinkle instead of that Christmas red lots of team building polos end up being.
My latest genius trick (which, with puddin' for brains, I really shouldn't take credit for) concerning organizing the kids stuff for the trip has been to acquire more number/letter/math flash cards but this time I've taken each category, hole punched them, added hole reinforcing stickers to each hole, and put them on loose binder rings. Hopefully they'll last longer than a couple of weeks this way.
School supplies are thick on the shelves over here and I'm so tempted to get notebooks, pens, erasers, glue sticks, etc... but I know everything will be cheaper once school starts. School starts here three weeks before school in the next place starts, so I'm going to cheat and make supply purchases here when the glue sticks are 10 cents instead of 29 cents. Ha! Go me. Beat that system!
But seriously, getting Tag a more age appropriate backpack, lunch box and thermos, plus classroom supplies for two kids is going to cost quite a bit. At least they don't need scientific calculators yet. Maybe I should have them start saving up their allowances.
Speaking of which, I'm finding that allowances are starting to be some pretty good incentive to keep their things nicer. They lose stuff or break it at a rather disconcerting pace, so I've told them that I'm happy to provide for their basic needs, but if they lose their toothbrushes after only one week, they have to buy their own new brush. The same goes for Tag and his glasses after he decided to bounce a ball off the wall and smash himself in the face with it. He laughed and said that all I had to do was order some more from the internet. I rounded on him and told him that he could order his own darn glasses after the ones I bought run out. He has been so very tickled with his Lightning McQueen t-shirt he bought with his own money and it's been nice to show the older two how fun it can be to use money wisely and conserve resources.
-sigh- Ok, I'm all rambled out and turning into a pumpkin. It isn't even 10 yet, but 6 seems to be coming awfully early lately.
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