Mommathon

There are usually really only two times when moms really chat about school-when they are looking for one (starting preschool or kindergarten) or when they aren’t happy with the one they are at. Today I was at a birthday party and there was a group of moms who are clearly not happy with the school, or at least not happy with the class their children are in. They must have talked for over an hour about all the things they are upset about. They tried to rope me into taking their complaints to the principal, but I was not going to get sucked in. I listened and offered suggestions and that is where my role ended. I am so glad that I could just sit back and listen. I am so pleased with where my kids are right now. We know where Liam will be for second grade. We know where Colm will be for kindergarten. We have found the right school for us. There is nothing to discuss. I am so glad I could just sit back and listen.

I was trying to figure out our new insurance cafeteria plan yesterday and I was reading over all of the things that it covers. It covers a lot of things, including abortions. Does that seem weird to you? They won’t pay for vitamins, but they’ll pay for an abortion? Another weird thing along the same lines…there is a website that I go to often to check to see if they have any part-time jobs available. It is a website that only features non-profit organizations. There was a job listed through Planned Parenthood that said one of the main duties would be to schedule abortions. Who would sign up for that job? I don’t care if you are Pro-Choice or not, that just doesn’t seem like a job that would have a lot of applicants. Then, on that same day, I was flipping through the radio stations and there was a woman talking about something so I thought I would listen for a while. Apparently, she used to be a nurse in an abortion clinic and she was giving some pretty graphic details as to what they do to the babies when they dispose of them. The whole point of her story was how she found Jesus, quit the abortion clinic and now runs a clinic for unwed moms and even has some unwed moms that live with her and her husband. What is the point of this post? I don’t know, really, other than that after hearing that lady talk and then seeing that our insurance covers abortions and then seeing the want ad for an abortion scheduler all in one day, I was just a little freaked out.

I would shop on-line more, but I just refuse to pay shipping. It just seems like such a waste of money. So, I was very proud of myself when I got free shipping yesterday and today!!! I saved over twenty bucks! I love it.

How awesome is it that our kids aren’t even phased that Barack Obama is President and that he is African American? It’s not a big deal to them. Who cares? I love that it is not a big deal to them. As far as they are concerned he isn’t any different than any other person who could have been up at that podium being sworn in today. I was torn as to whether I should even mention it. Should I press upon them the importance of today? That would mean explaining to them at least a little about racism and the ugliness that goes with it. I decided that I wasn’t going to say anything but then Liam watched it in school today and he came home telling us that he was part of a historical moment because he had witnessed the first African American President being sworn into office. So, I guess the school kind of did it for me. I am glad they watched it and discussed and I am glad he knows that he was witnessing history. He doesn’t fully grasp why it’s important, but I guess that’s not important right now. Someday when he is older he might get it a little bit, but unless you have lived as an African American I doubt you can fully understand what today means. You can appreciate it, but I don’t think you can truly, truly grasp it.

As I was thinking about this historical day today I started to think about other historical events that have taken place in my lifetime and I realized that I spent and am still spending an awful lot of time in various schools. I was in second grade when someone tried to assassinate President Reagan. I remember the teachers wheeling out the TVs and we watched it over and over again. Really, how many times do eight-year olds need to see someone get shot? When the space shuttle blew up I was in gym class. We were square dancing and our principal came on over the intercom to tell us. My last day of student teaching was the day the O.J. Simpson verdict was read. Most of the teachers were standing outside the teachers’ lounge watching them read the verdict. I think we left the kids to fend for themselves for a few minutes. I was reading The Three Little Wolves and the Big, Bad Pig to my class of fourth graders when we learned that something was going on in New York on 9/11. That was the day I was going to tell my class I was expecting, but I couldn’t. I was too busy trying to explain to them, without breaking down into tears, what I had seen on TV in the teachers’ workroom while they were in the library. And today I was serving nachos, apples and carrots to a bunch of Catholic school kids while the lunch lady and the other mom that was volunteering watched what we could of it on the little TV they had brought in for the three of us so we wouldn’t miss it. Thank you to Mrs. Roberts for bringing in the TV and thank you to the custodian who brought in the very long extension cord.

Sunday-Chicken Enchiladas
Monday-Chicken Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust and Salad
Tuesday-Spaghetti with Italian Sausage
Wednesday-BBQ chicken, potato salad, corn
Thursday-dinner at the in-laws
Friday-Chicken Noodle Soup with some really good bread from the bakery
Saturday-out to eat?

Between two five-year olds:

Cissy: We can read, can’t we?
Isaac: Yeh, we can.
Cissy: Have you ever heard of Hooked on Phonics?
Isaac: No.
Cissy: It’s really good.

Sitting here watching Barack Obama come out of church on this Inauguration Day and watching the reaction of the people waiting for the Inauguration to begin who are watching his every move this morning on the large screens set up on the Mall makes me nervous for him. He is more than a president; he is a rock star. When he came out of church this morning the crowd went wild-WILD. I know I haven’t watched too many inaugurations, but I think most people would agree that this day is different. There is so much hope and emotion surrounding this day. There is so much expected of him and so much that needs to be done both here and abroad. There are people waiting for him to fail so they can say I told you so. There are even more people who want him to succeed, to deliver on all of those promises he made during his campaign. They want their lives to be better and they want hope not only for today but for the future. I wish him the best for a thousand different reasons, but I do not envy him.

Can someone please explain this to me? Why is it that the ONE DAY that Colm doesn’t have school he decided he needed to wake up at the crack of dawn? Usually it is a very choreographed dance of orange juice and cajoling that gets him out of bed each morning, but the one day he has off he prances into our room before the sun has come up and is asking me about Easter eggs. Now, I must admit that my mom would tell a similar tale. I remember school day mornings not being the happiest of times in our house. I was not so easy to get up. However, on Saturdays I was always up in time to catch all the cartoons. I think I am getting a little of what I gave. Karma!!!!

Colm went through a stage not too long ago where pretty much all he wanted us to read were Curious George books. I don’t think there is a Curious George book out there that we haven’t read. Then, magically, he forgot all about George and moved on to other books. Well, much to my dismay, George is back. Don’t get me wrong. I love George as much as the next person…but in moderation…Colm doesn’t see it that way.