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!

Kindergarten SUCKS!: A Gift of Praying Mantises

Kindergarten SUCKS!: A Gift of Praying Mantises: My mom, a retired kindergarten teacher, thought it would be a wonderful idea if she ordered a habitat and praying mantis egg cases for her g...

A Gift of Praying Mantises

My mom, a retired kindergarten teacher, thought it would be a wonderful idea if she ordered a habitat and praying mantis egg cases for her grandchildren.  I too initially thought it would be fun!  

The three egg cases came today.  O eagerly opened the box while I read the directions.  First, I read that each egg case contains 150 to 300 nymphs (baby praying mantis). Initially, I assumed that I read that part wrong.  (Science was never my best subject in school.)  

My eyes went straight to EGG HATCHING INSTRUCTIONS.  After placing a paper towel on the bottom of the habitat, I was given a few options of how to secure an egg case to a stick or branch.  The first two involved using pins, or a needle and thread.  I chose the option of using super glue. Regardless,  it took a good amount of time to help O superglue three egg cases to three sticks.  We then placed them in the habitat and read a little further.  

"Spray mist the habitat once every day or two lightly with non-chlorinated water."  O ran upstairs and grabbed the spray bottle she uses for her doll's hair and I went to find some bottled water.  The only bottled water we had was frigid cold, so I put it in a coffee cup and warmed it up for the little praying mantis eggs.  O spritzed the habitat once.

We found the perfect place in our kitchen for the habitat to live and I sat down to read a little further.  I especially wanted to know more about how many praying mantis we may be expecting.  Here is what I found out...

• It's true 150 to 300 tiny mantises per egg.  If all three eggs hatch, we will have 450 to 600 tiny mantises to feed!!!!!  
• Oh and speaking of feeding, we will need to feed the little critters fruit flies.  Who knew we might be able to buy fruit fly cultures at our local pet supply store.  If that doesn't work, we need to contact a fruit fly supplier.  Can't wait to meet him!
• It doesn't end there.  No.  As it turns out, as they get bigger we will be buying crickets, maggots, houseflies, moths caterpillars and spiders.  So if they get a little hungry, what's the worst that can happen...they will EAT EACH OTHER! 
• Mantises molt (shed their skeletons every 2-3 weeks) so once they hatch we can't release them into the wild until their third molt...8-9 weeks...three months of feedings and spritzings.

While I was reading all of this, O wanted my attention.  My mind couldn't help but think about the amount of time it will take to maintain this science experiment.  O came up to me, looked me in the eye and said, "Mommy, did you hear me?  I hate bugs, especially praying mantises."  I feel your pain O!  Kindergarten SUCKS!

Kindergarten SUCKS!: Another Loose Tooth

Kindergarten SUCKS!: Another Loose Tooth: O has another loose tooth.  However, this time she has a plan.  She woke up this morning and said, "Mommy, if my second tooth comes out toda...