Yay for Charter Schools!

Yesterday was election day and our school system had a levy on the ballot. It was quite cheap, only $22 a year for a hundred thousand dollar house. And it was going to save our school system from the depths of despair. And it didn't pass. I am SO disappointed. I had a feeling this would happen, however, and we signed Willow up for kindergarten at a lovely charter school. But our school system will no longer have sports, clubs, or school funded recreation of any kind! No band! When I go to the grocery store I won't be able to hear the marching band in the field practicing. And they were good! The music has died, and it is your fault! (if you live in my neighborhood) What the hell is wrong with you, community?

So Tucker wakes up this morning with a runny nose and I immediately slip into neurotic mode. SWINE FLU! I was certain for a while it was swine flu and we are All Going To Die. I didn't use to worry about crap like that, but ever since I had the kids I freak out at the drop of a hat. I'm still not convinced it isn't swine flu but I suppose it is highly unlikely. We haven't really been around anyone, unless it was that evil child that sneezed as we walked by him in the grocery store. And we haven't been to Mexico. It almost makes me wish for the good old days of SARS and bird flu and even a little MRSA. Those certainly weren't pandemics. Or were they? Anyhow, we didn't get them. Tucker will be fine but why couldn't he have gotten sick last week when I was blissfully unaware of the nasty swine and their dirty flu?

Old School Volcanoes

Willow is very interested in science and math, and while I go slightly catatonic, or completely fall asleep, while discussing these subjects, I want to encourage her in them. So we learned about how to make a volcano! We used colors and made play dough and had big foamy messes that were fantastic and somehow educational at the same time. We started with a small vase and poured in two tablespoons of baking soda. We added a quarter cup of vinegar with food coloring to the baking soda and had a good sized explosion with that mixture. And that was SO MUCH FUN that we decided to make play dough and make a big volcano to explode.

Play dough - 6 cups of flour

2 cups of salt

2 cups of water

4 tablespoons of veg oil

food coloring

Just mix it all together. That's it. We covered a 2 liter bottle and added more baking soda and more vinegar and had fantastic explosions. It was a great project that took up all day.

Lovely. Just Lovely.

The other day I was down to one kid for the day and thought I would lay down for, seriously, like five minutes. All of the sudden I hear, "MOM! MOM! MOM!". I open my eyes and see my two year old son holding his foot precariously in front of my face. It was COVERED in poop. I snapped to attention very quickly and thought OH, SHIT. I followed him into the hallway where I found his pants, diaper, and the rest of the poop. What on earth would have posessed him to take his pants and diaper off and paint his foot in poo? My daughter never did this. I've heard stories about kids doing this, but those were bad moms and unruly kids. Certainly not something that happens in my life. But, there was the pile of poop in front of me as proof. I shall never nap again.

And the Cheese Stands Alone

We have been promising to take Willow to Chuck E. Cheese for months. She completed a workbook for school and this is the reward she requested. And so a few nights ago, we headed out. She invited the love of her five year old life, Finn. I was particularly excited, seeing as how we hadn't been there in over a year, and I'd forgotten much of what happens there with children in tow. We ordered pizza and it took over an HOUR to get it. There were maybe five or six other families there. An HOUR for one pizza! But they have fantastic pizza so it was okay. When the pizza was gone, we headed off to the games. The chaos that ensued cannot very well be described. Kids pulling parents in different directions, dirty diapers and no spares, tokens and tickets flying every which way. After spending close to $40 in a bit of pizza and a LOT of tokens, we claimed our prizes which consisted of two suckers, a piece of laffy taffy, a 3 inch puzzle, and two balloons. Mr. Cheese, it was worth it, but you win again.

So the kids have been getting a little stir crazy being cooped up. To shake it up, I try to add another dimension to our living space. This week we covered the coffee table with some heavy duty paper. I used rosin paper from the hardware store. I have no idea what its original purpose is. Then I let the kids have at it with crayons, markers, stickers and whatever else we have around. It amuses them to no end for about a week. After taking it off I like to cut a couple of especially cute squares out of it and frame it or display it somehow.

In My Life I Love You More

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to witness the sweetest moment I've seen in ages. My dear friend K asked my husband to play guitar while he serenaded his adorable girlfriend J and proceeded to propose to her. It seemed like the kind of proposal that is more myth than real. We lit candles for them all along a pathway in the woods (which promptly blew out because it was extremely cold and windy) and waited for them to stumble across the secret rendevous spot. He sang(in my life, the beatles), he proposed, she said yes. It was heartwarming to witness and I feel lucky to have been a part of it. I hope they have a fantastic life together.