Kindergarten SUCKS!: Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Kindergarten SUCKS!: Take Me Out to the Ballgame: Last week, my husband's firm hosted his staff and their families for a night out at the ball park.  The Washington Nationals played against ...

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Last week, my husband's firm hosted his staff and their families for a night out at the ball park.  The Washington Nationals played against the Baltimore Orioles.  O was invited to bring her two friends, Mimi and Lina.  

After filling themselves full of chicken nuggets, french fries, hot dogs and cotton candy they started to take interest in the game, especially the "fan-cam."  Each time it would say make some noise, the girls would scream, dance and wave to get on the jumbotron.  No luck.  Around the 8th inning one of our friends bought them ice cream bars as a conciliation prize. 

Our family has a silly game we play with any kind of food, but especially ice cream.  O's daddy tells her it smells funny and asks her to smell it, O smells it and the ice cream gets all over her nose.  

O decided to do this to Lina who in turn did it to Mimi, and before we knew it the girls were giggling while painting their faces with ice cream in hopes of getting on the "fan-cam."  It was all in good fun, but to no avail.  The gal sitting in front of us told me she so wished she could be a kid again.  It was a beautiful moment that unfortunately the fan-cam" did not catch.

After wiping their faces, Mimi jumped up with her eyes wide opened like she had just seen a ghost yelled, "Ms. Tasha, Jesus is up at bat.  Look at the screen it says Jesus is batting.  Ms. Tasha is that really Jesus?  That's so cool.  I saw Jesus tonight". 

How do I break it to her that Jesus is actually pronounced (Heh-soos) and his last name is Flores and he is not the man who Christians believe turned water into wine (one of my favorite biblical stories)?  Kindergarten SUCKS!

Kindergarten SUCKS!: Borrowed Dreams

Kindergarten SUCKS!: Borrowed Dreams: Our family friends shared with us a beautiful part of their bedtime routine which we have now implemented into O's.   After t...

Borrowed Dreams

Our family friends shared with us a beautiful part of their bedtime routine which we have now implemented into O's.  

After tucking their children into bed they whisper to each of them a dream they want them to have.  Our friends came up with this concept around the time their twins turned four years old.  They did so because, like most four year old girls, their twins always dreamed about becoming a princess and marrying a prince and living happily ever after, etc.  However, it was important to our friends that their children learn at an early age that dreams can be so much more. 

O now loves this part of her evening.  A few of the latest dreams we have given to O.  Tonight try to dream:

-about using eye droppers and peanut butter to find a magical cure for cancer.

-about how to teach your younger cousin how to sing karaoke.

-about flying a kite on the beach this summer.

-about flying in a spaceship to Mars and writing your name on surface.  (Copied that one from a recent episode of "Modern Family".

Last night I tucked O in and gave her a dream.  "Tonight may you dream about...", but before I could finish she interrupts me, "Mommy, tonight will you please not whisper it?  Tonight say my dream out loud, please!  Your breath STINKS!"  Tonight, my sweet daughter, may you dream about your mommy brushing her teeth.  Kindergarten SUCKS!

Kindergarten SUCKS!: Girl Scout Encampment

Kindergarten SUCKS!: Girl Scout Encampment: On Saturday, O and her daisy troop, and four parent volunteers, including chez moi, participated in Girl Scout Encampment.  It was a fun ...

Girl Scout Encampment

On Saturday, O and her daisy troop, and four parent volunteers, including chez moi, participated in Girl Scout Encampment.  It was a fun filled day of activities and no running water.  O tie dyed, participated in nature walks, learned about bald eagles and even won a freeze dance competition.  She also experienced using porta-potties.  By the end of the day she refused to put anymore Purell on her hands.  She missed soap and water.  It's a good thing her leaders brought handy wipes.  

It was a full twelve hour day.  We left at 7:30 am and returned home around 7:30 pm where my wonderful husband had dinner ready along with a fat glass of red wine waiting my arrival, as well as a big steak for the huntresses upon their return (O had a quesadilla actually).

Over dinner O told her daddy all about the day.  She said, "It was so much fun."  My husband replied, "That's so great.  You should tell mommy thank you for going with you."

O looked at me with a big smile and said, "Mommy, thank you so much.  I had fun with you.  Let's never do that again."  Kindergarten SUCKS!

Kindergarten SUCKS!: Queen of the Ants

Kindergarten SUCKS!: Queen of the Ants: After school yesterday, O had a lot to tell me..."Mommy, did you know that ants live in a colony?  The ants work for the queen.  The queen i...

Queen of the Ants

After school yesterday, O had a lot to tell me..."Mommy, did you know that ants live in a colony?  The ants work for the queen.  The queen is bigger than all the others and she has wings.  Really, Mommy.  I'm not really sure why, but that's how you can tell she is a queen.  And, there's a special room in the colony for the queen.  It's called the queen's room.  Next to the queen's room is the egg nursery where the ants take care of the queen babies and up above that room is the larva cocoon room.  Across from there is the food storage room and down below all of the room's is a room called the winter room.  Now mommy, you are probably thinking that this is where they store their winter coats and hats, but it is not.  It is where they go for the winter.  It is really big because all the ants have to fit into it.  The queen lives in her room while all the ants work for her.  Oh and I have good news.  Did you know there's only queens, no kings.  Girls rule in the world of ants!  Oh and I almost forgot, right before the queen ant dies, she lays an egg and that egg will be the next queen; until she lays an egg, she is the only queen ant in the entire world."


I said, "Wow O, that's really amazing.  You learned a lot today.  Are you sure there is only one queen in the entire world?  Goodness, she has more power than Queen Elizabeth of England."  It's so sweet how small their world really is.  I couldn't help how lovely it might be to come back in my next life as a queen ant relaxing in my room while the worker ants bring me food, a world where girls rule...


However, my thoughts were quickly jostled by O whom replied, "Yes, really!  My teacher told me.  And Mommy, after the preying mantis' are born, I think it would be a great idea to get an ant farm like my friend Jack has in his room."  An ant farm...mmm...with all of them creating a trail to my kitchen so they can get more food for their queen...Kindergarten SUCKS!  

Mother's Day Love

Yesterday I woke up to the whispers of my husband and O discussing the plan for the day.  

A few minutes later, O came in and informed me that I needed to sleep "a lot" longer so that her and daddy can run to the store and get flowers and pick up breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts (the surprise came out in the ruse).  As she left the room, she realized she had let it slip … "But you're not supposed to know that, so go back to sleep and don't tell daddy I told you."  

Just as I was drifting off, she came in again to inform me that next to my pillow she was laying out the Mother’s Day cards that she made at school. Again, she stated that I was not to look at them until she returned home.  I assured her that I wouldn't.  However, it's always tempting.  At this point I'm wide awake and falling back to sleep was not going to happen.  Plus, I knew I was going to have to eat Dunkin Donuts and pretend to like it.  Why couldn't we live around the corner from a Krispy Kream? 

Forty-five minutes later I heard them downstairs and texted my husband to see if I was to come downstairs or if they were coming up.  Couple seconds later I heard my favorite sound...tiny footsteps coming upstairs and down the hall, "Mommy, you can wake up now.  Happy Mother's Day.  Today is your day.  You can come downstairs now".  

After breakfast we went on a family bike ride.  After lunch O and her daddy surprised me with box seat tickets to an incredible ballet called "Noche Latina" at the Kennedy Center put on by the Washington Ballet.  Halfway through the production O leaned over to me and whispered, "Mommy, I love you."  Smile.

The day ended with an evening of good wine and good girlfriends enjoying a lovely dinner at a favorite Italian restaurant.  It was truly spectacular.

I woke up this morning and thanked my family again for making it all so meaningful.   Then I realized Father's Day is 34 days away.  How will I ever top this?  Kindergarten SUCKS!

Kindergarten SUCKS!: Project Runway

Kindergarten SUCKS!: Project Runway: A half hour before soccer practice today O came downstairs expressing her "immediate need" for soccer shorts.  I sent her back upstairs to p...

Project Runway

A half hour before soccer practice today O came downstairs expressing her "immediate need" for soccer shorts.  I sent her back upstairs to put on her practice gear and explained that we didn't have time to go buy soccer shorts, but that maybe we could go this weekend.  

Five minutes later she came downstairs again with her tennis skort (a skirt with shorts underneath) and said, "Mommy, I have a great idea.  We can cut this skirt off and then we will have soccer shorts."  

At first I resisted, but then I imagined time flashing forward twenty years to an image of O on a show like Project Runway.  Who am I to squash her dreams?  

Tonight at soccer her friend, Mona, complimented her shorts.  O confidently replied, "Thank you.  My mom let me cut off the my tennis skirt and these were underneath. I'm going to do this to all my skorts!"  Kindergarten SUCKS!

Kindergarten SUCKS!: Country Girl Elbows

Kindergarten SUCKS!: Country Girl Elbows: Last Friday was the Kindergarten Song Fest at O's school.    They sang songs about science.  The boys wore bumblebee hats a...

Country Girl Elbows

Last Friday was the Kindergarten Song Fest at O's school.   

They sang songs about science.  The boys wore bumblebee hats and the girls wore butterfly hats made of construction paper.  O was so excited that morning.  She wore her butterfly dress and requested pigtails in her hair.  

Occasions like this instill a very special pride that over takes me as a mommy.  It comes from deep within my heart and radiates as I make eye contact with O, and celebrate her performance of songs that she has rehearsed so many times.  I can assume, from all the mom's that I spoke with this morning, that they share the same sense of parental pride whenever their child is having a moment in the spotlight.  

It is also that parental pride that dominates our actions to capture that moment on film.  It can quickly overtake us as we race to get a good seat or we walk right up the center aisle in the middle of the performance and take a picture or video.  And if they are like me, the pictures and video get downloaded on my computer and that's as far as they go.  Yet, years from now when O asks to see the video of her kindergarten program, I can pull it up.  And I will not have to feel guilty that I didn't do it.

At the same time, there is a parental guilt when one loses sight of the moment.  The moment of listening, watching and meeting the child eye to eye.  

So I ask the question...Is it more important to be in the moment or to capture the moment on film?  I'm still not sure.  However, I am certain that the parent audience at O's program did not appreciate my arriving two hours early for a front row seat or the impact of my country girl elbows in positioning my camera on O during the concert.  Kindergarten SUCKS!

Kindergarten SUCKS!: Earth Day Druthers

Kindergarten SUCKS!: Earth Day Druthers: O woke up this morning and said, "Mommy, I think we should bicycle to school from now on so we can take care of our earth."   Obviously,...

Earth Day Druthers

O woke up this morning and said, "Mommy, I think we should bicycle to school from now on so we can take care of our earth."  

Obviously, Earth Day did not go unnoticed in her kindergarten class.  Isn't the bus a good choice in taking care of our earth?  

I told her I would consider it.  I even googled it.  

1.27 miles with a steep incline on the way home twice a day.   Kindergarten SUCKS!