Barbara’s Thoughts on Life

You know, I have kids. And I really do remember what is like to be a kid. A teen, even. Struggling to fit in. Struggling to be unique. Struggling to have your own identity. Really. I do get it.

What I do not get is why they think they need to show the world their underwear at work. In a restaurant. Tonight we were at Frisch’s Big Boy using a Valentine card Maggie got for a free kid’s meal. The busboy leaned over to get clear his table. I could see the shadow of the crack of his ass. I kid you not! He was wearing green and white boxers. His pants were almost below his buttocks. While I think the look is asinine in the first place, I just don’t get why they think it is such a great look for work. Maybe there is a reason he is busing tables and not waiting on tables? He even had a belt on. Of course, his shirt was not tucked in at all.

I asked for a manager. She was quite young herself … it seemed that way anyway … I am old, you know. She apologized and talked to the young man. When he came back out of the office, RJ say him tucking in his shirt.

Let’s hope he remembers this and no other diner is ever subjected to the shadowy depths again.

Michael was in the Spelling Bee at school this past week. Didn’t study a lick. He got lucky and got some fairly easy words and made it through the first cut. The way they do it at school is each child goes through 5 rounds. After that, they take stock and see who is left standing. He did okay in the next round but was eliminated as he forgot the “o” in … hmmm, in some word and misspelled another word as well. Still, for a child who has only had formal education for 1 1/2 school years, I am totally impressed.

They had an Awards Ceremony after Mass today. I went to the Mass because Maggie was singing in the choir … I think this was the first time they sang. It is not the Mass I remember … no Apostle’s Creed, etc but most of the elements were still there.

They have started giving “Saint” awards to kids who are exemplary in certain areas. Maggie got one for being in the choir and another one (I will update when I get hers and what they mean).

Michael got three: St. Vincent de Paul for always striving to provide service; St. Martin de Porres for always striving to accept the beautiful diversity of all (wonder how this one is chosen - is it because he appears sweet on a girl who is African-American? The school is 86% white - though I am not sure if Michael and Maggie are counted as part of the “minority” population as they are 1/2 Cuban); and his third one was a St. Dominic Savio Award for always striving to do his best.

Michael and Maggie both got Second Honors Rewards. These are for students with B averages in Religion, Math, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies with no grade lower than a C. This school does not do the “dumbed down” grading system of 90% and above, etc but 93% and above is an A. I am so proud of both of them.

I really hated the other look. I liked a few of the things about it but not really the side bars. If I knew how to edit themes I would have fixed it myself. We’ll see how long I like this one.

What in the world was I thinking? I have been telling everyone that I am about to be 42. I picked Mag’s up from basketball practice tonight and was talking to a mom, telling her we needed to coordinate pick-up/drop-off as she lives two blocks from me. We are not traveling far but it is really a pain. I am not a “soccer” mom … I like to be home and not running in and out every hour or so. Anyway, I asked her if she could bring Maggie home next Thursday, the 15th. She said no problem and then mentioned it was her birthday.

Wow! She is going to be 42. My birthday is the 20th and I tell her I am going to be 42 as well! How cool is that!!! “1964 was a good year!” says I. She mentions she was born in 65 and I start to tell her to do the math again and then realized I needed to do the math.

I feel a bit depressed. Not a whole lot … just a bit. I mean … I thought I was going to be 42 NOT 43. I feel older now. Silly, I know.

RJ in ‘tails

Originally uploaded by soaps_and_potions

RJ went to a Youth CON (Conference) the first weekend in October up in Ft. Wayne. I am glad he went as he was disconnecting from the kids at the Fellowship and he went with 5 other teens from church. He had a GREAT time.

Here is a picture he shared with me. Someone put his hair up in pigtails … now isn’t he cute???

I am going to post Maggie-isms as they occur.

She was sitting on the floor, cleaning the dirt off pumpkins. She said she hates dirty pumpkins. RJ asked her what she was doing, “I am undirtyifying the pumpkins,” was her reply.

Too cute!

and their parents who let them behave badly really piss me off!

A boy in Michael’s class is having a Halloween party. Michael was NOT invited. I figured that was happening yesterday when he said, “I don’t have my invitation yet” and the party is THIS Saturday (on the same date as the school Fall dance, I might add). This is a very small school … one class per grade and Michael’s class only has 13 kids. Michael is not a brat … just a bit odd, in a good way. These kids were mean to him all last year … towards the end of the year things got better. I was cautiously optimistic. Guess the caution was for good reason.

Another mom came up to me in the parking lot today to let me know that Michael’s invitation was probably not coming … like I said, I figured it out. She asked her son why they were all talking about it at school … he said it was because someone couldn’t keep their mouth shut.

It is just hurtful … I hate crap like this. I hate the pettiness of it all. I wish I could still homeschool … and I wish I were better at it. I hate it. Our homeschooling group didn’t have the stuff. Sure, there are always some kids that got along better than others but we worked to have all the kids included. They got along well despite age “lines” … older kids with younger kids, athletic kids with non-athletic kids, etc. etc.

I just don’t get it … I really don’t.

Michael and Maggie

Originally uploaded by soaps_and_potions

August 2007 - their first day of school. Michael was not happy about letting me take his picture but he got over it.

I can’t wait to compare this phone with the one from last year to see how much they have grown.

Yesterday, errr Monday, Maggie was called to the office for some paperwork. She didn’t know why she had to go to the office. She thought she was in trouble. “Mommy, I crossed my fingers all the way there so I wouldn’t be in trouble. And, I was thinking, wondering what I could have done to even BE in trouble. I couldn’t think of anything!”

So funny!