Miss J

I subbed for a third grade class today. Most of them greeted me with a smile, but one boy loudly announced his disappointment, "Oh, man! Mrs. N said we would probably have Mrs. J as a sub today!" I was happy to tell him, "You know what?! I AM a Ms J, too! Before I was married, guess what my name was?! It was Miss J!" (yes, her married name & my maiden name are the same). I told them, "So, I betcha that there's a part of me that's still used to being Miss J, so if you want, you can call me that instead of Mrs. R today." We had a chuckle and I thought we moved on, but nope, there were 2 kids that straight-faced called me Miss J all day.

And I responded without missing a beat every time.

An Official Mother Hen

Sometimes stepping out of routine makes you realize how much you take for granted. Tonight, M had a class from 6-8pm in a town about 30 min from here, so I made arrangements for E to go home w/a friend after school, which meant we picked her up at 8:30pm.

I put her on the bus at 8:40am, so we were essentially apart for 12 hours today, which is very unusual. I missed her, but at the same time it was nice to have such a huge chunk of time for just M and me. We made dinner together and even made a quick Marshall's run (trying to lighten up her Sunday wardrobe choices as we head into spring...so many dark colors in her closet!) before heading to class. I completely enjoyed my time with her, and knew that E was having a great time at her friend's house, but my heart still ached for her.

I learned a few things about myself as a mom today. 1) I am so grateful that I'm not a mom who routinely has to drop her child off in the am and pick her up again 12 hours later. 2) I am officially a mother hen who needs her chicks under her wing to feel complete. 3) That saying about roots and wings...way harder to do than to say!

The Downside of Sheltering

I believe in using good, clean, positive language. "Shut up" is not even allowed in our house, and "hate" is saved for really special occasions. But maybe I should've eased up somewhere along the way. Today in the car afterschool, M was recounting her day and asked what a certain word that starts with a "j" meant. I told her "a really dumb jerk. Why do you ask?"

"Well, we were playing the ABC game and it was the first word I thought of. I said it and my teacher talked to me and she realized I didn't know what it meant or anything but I was embarrassed and I felt bad about it."

I assured her that it was an honest mistake (we still aren't sure where she's heard it. Shrek, maybe, or perhaps it's popped up in a book?) and I recounted a time when I was in middle school & repeated a phrase I'd heard my friends say. A teacher took me aside & asked if I knew what it meant. I guessed, "That you're really mad?" She filled me in & I don't think I've repeated it since (except in my head.)

I was oddly grateful to have had a similar experience to share with her, and at the same time, it left me wondering if I'm really doing the girls a favor by keeping such clean language around here? Just kidding. I think I'll stay the course. Because I really hate - excuse me, I mean - I really dislike rude language.

This is Maren speaking.

Hi

Mouth of Babes...

At dinner, E was sharing that the new neighbor kids had to go home b/c they were heading over to their dad's for a few days. She explained to me that their parents are divorced and that they don't even have to take their toothbrushes when they go over to their dad's b/c he already has everything they need. She then asked, "Why do moms & dads get divorced, anyway?"

I said, "Well, there are lots of reasons. Sometimes it's because they fight all the time and can't be nice to each other. Sometimes it's because one of them has an addiction to something like drugs or alcohol." She interrupted here and said, "Or, to, ummmm, wait a minute, what's that called? Ummm, it's like Chuck E. Cheese's...oh yeah, gambling!"

Why she connects CEC to gambling I have no idea, but since we've never been there (and I don't intend to start) I didn't clarify.

I continued, "Or sometimes it's because the mom or the dad goes out and gets a girlfriend or boyfriend, and you can't do that if you're married." M burst into laughter. When I asked what was so funny she said, "Daddy could NEVER get a girlfriend!" I said, "Oh, and do you think I could get a boyfriend?" "No way, Mom! You're too OLD!"

I tried to salvage the discussion by assuring them that they are forever stuck with two parents who have every intention of being together always, but I think I lost them...

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Seattle Center - December 09

As we were looking for some amusement over the holidays, we realized that if we bought an annual pass to the Pacific Science Center, our family would only have to go one and a half times to pay for it. Sold! Of course it's a bit of a commute, and there's parking to find, but we're adventurous like that. ;) We've been twice since December. Here is our first trip:

The dinos just make me laugh. I remember seeing them for the first time on our 8th grade trip to Seattle about 100 years ago, and I thought they were SO COOL. They've got some serious staying power, though, b/c our girls are just as enamored with them as I was back in the day.

P sat here w/the girls and said, "Hey, E, this is what the world is like for you, huh?!" It does create a little more empathy for the kid who can't keep her dangling feet still at dinner...

Love the Butterfly House!

P kept accusing me of acting like a tourist and taking way too many pictures,

but hey, you gotta admit, these are some pretty cool pics...