We went to the airport last night and picked up the first kid we saw, grabbed her and stuffed her in the van. Off we went!
That's the short version, but amazingly accurate.
Saturday seemed to drag on and on. Finally, it was time to head to the airport to pick up our exchange student, Fenna. She traveled all the way from The Netherlands and across 9 time zones. As my husband explained, "We are Greenwich Time Minus 8 and she is Greenwich Time plus one." I said, "Sure hope she likes nerds." Anyway, we finally left the house. We took the two little girls in their brand new American print dresses and we left Charlie home with Lexie. Charlie needs to keep his bedtime since he is such a good sleeper and has a constant sleep schedule; it's a very nice sleep schedule! The timing was perfect, Lexie got off work just in time for us to leave.
The four of us drove down to San Diego. We got stuck in a bit of traffic at the Pechanga exit. Apparently there was a concert. Keith reminded me it is a Saturday night. This put us a little bit behind schedule. Fenna's flight schedule arrived in the mail earlier that day (really! That day! Good thing I asked Fenna on facebook two weeks earlier) said her flight arrives at 8:04pm. We drove as fast as we could and prayed for no more traffic jams - I had visions of her standing alone in the airport feeling abandoned. We pulled into the airport at 8:12, not bad considering.
Keith figured it would be silly to pay to park since we're late and she'll be waiting on the curb in the loading zone. Oh, whoops, I totally forgot to tell Keith we are all going in like a big welcoming committee. In my mind, we'd all be in the airport standing together with big silly grins. In his mind, she'd be ready to just hop in the van while we drove by. Since we were late, his imagination won.
The airport has a loading zone but you aren't allowed to stop and wait. It is strictly a pull-in, load and leave type of deal. Security will write you a ticket and yell at you too; they are big and scary so I don't dare stop the car for more than a minute. In the loading zone loop, there are three lanes, and all cars were stopped so I hopped out and Keith said he'd drive around the loop.
I ran in and there she was, coming down the escalator! We weren't late - timing was just perfect! After a big hug, I waited with her for her giant pink suitcase to come out of baggage claim and Keith had to drive another loop around. While we waited she told me that when her mom came to America for her exchange year, her luggage was lost for two days. Oh gosh, I sure hoped that wouldn't happen! But if it did, we would have a great excuse to go shopping.
Her bag came along, and she had one carry-on bag and that's it. The girl travels light! We took her bags outside and there was Keith crawling along in the van; he stopped, we shoved her and her bags in and off we went. The little girls were so excited! They did their best to greet her from the confines of their carseats in the dark, Keith too.
We stopped at a Mexican restaurant, On The Border, so that we could visit and have a proper hello. We didn't know if she'd feel like eating or not, so she could easily get something light or a big meal or nothing, whatever. We were all pretty hungry since we skipped dinner and just snacked for lunch. Katie, Andrew and Henry met us at the restaurant. I had imagined that we would eat at the Cheesecake Factory since it has a large menu of a variety of foods, and a lot of American food. Again, Keith and I were not imagining the same scenario and since he was driving, we went to a Mexican place for local style food. I love it, so I wasn't going to argue! Turns out, Fenna has not had Mexican food before. She was a lot more hungry than she thought and she enjoyed her meal. She eats like a teenager - no leftovers! Actually, everyone at the table cleaned their plates, what a hungry bunch we were.
We had a nice drive home, but it was too dark for her to see much except the other traffic. We counted the lanes and talked. Eight lanes in each direction in a much wider road than what they have in Holland. We got home and she found her room right away. She loved it! I am so glad she will be comfortable in her room, she will have some house and neighborhood noises to get used to but she was too tired to be wakened by random strange noises. At least, we all thought she was tired. She was pretty excited and needed to explore a bit and get her bearings before settling in for the night.
Today, Sunday, was a planned day of laziness. With a 9 hour time change and a night in a strange house, I figured a lazy Sunday might be just the thing. It is our usual Sunday thing anyway. Fenna got to explore the whole house and get to know each of us better. She met Charlie and Sandy gave her some love and tail wags too. She didn't seem to be tired at all; sure wish I had the energy of a teenager!
Best part of the day: Presents! Fenna brought lots of gifts for everyone from Holland. She spoiled us generously. The little girls and Charlie were so excited, they were squealing with joy and had so much fun opening presents and asking "what is this?" I think the concept of different cultures and different geographic places is out of their reach just yet. But they love their presents anyway. It was very sweet!
We went grocery shopping at Sams Club in the afternoon. I didn't think she would want to come, maybe she'd like a break from the little ones, but she came along. It was nice having someone come with me for groceries, especially because I had all three wild ones and none of them enjoy grocery shopping. Today they were all behaving so nicely! I could get used to this. We used this opportunity to drive around town a bit and take a quick drive-by tour of the school.
Burgers on the grill, OreIda fries and a green salad were on the menu tonight, very American. We all ate together on the patio while shooing away flies. After dinner I decided to take the little girls to the park and let them run off the rest of their excited energy. Fenna wanted to come along, so we loaded up the little girls and said goodnight to Charlie. He was going to have some quiet playtime with Lexie while we went to the park for noisy playtime.
We've had a wonderful past 24 hours. Fenna is a good fit in our family. Her English is great, so we are able to communicate very well. She is already teaching us about the Netherlands and learning about the USA. She also told us a bit about her daily medications and how she cares for her Cystic Fibrosis. It sounds very complicated but she seems to know exactly what she is doing.
Tomorrow we'll be registering Fenna at the high school and registering Gracie for Kindergarten. After enduring hours of paperwork at the schools, we will go shopping for school supplies and whatever else we need. I'm excited to introduce her to Super-Target; I think she'll like it!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
We're Ready!
Our "dutch daughter" arrives tomorrow! Her room is finally ready. Again.
I had "the pink room" ready for her a couple of months ago but we decided to move the little girls into that room instead and we moved Fenna to the white bedroom. Lexie and Charlie have the green room. Keith and I stay put in the master. The white room is downstairs, the master, pink and green rooms are upstairs. I painted the pink room two summers ago, and the green room last year. I think... or maybe it was three and two years ago, anyway, I painted them and not the bedroom downstairs. It was still the white paint that was slapped on in every room of this house when the house was built twenty years ago or so.
Lexie wanted the green room, so we moved the little girls to the pink room and put Fenna downstairs in the white room. But, the white room was just too ugly. We've been working on painting our house one room at a time and we've been in no hurry to get the whole thing done. Since we would be emptying the downstairs bedroom to rearrange furniture and things for Fenna, we might as well paint it while it's empty.
The week before she arrives we finally got it painted! It is now a cream color like the rest of the main floor (except the living room, it is still on the waiting list). The room turned out beautifully! It is just amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do. I really wanted to get it done but time slipped by too quickly until I finally felt like the clock was running out. I had a chance to paint it while I had help with the kids, so I did it. I painted it at night, in the dark, while drinking a beer.
I thought I did a great job, but in the morning, it looked like I had painted the room in the dark while drinking a beer. I told my husband, we'll just hang lots of pictures. He shook his head and told me to get my paintbrush. He was right, the second coat of paint went on very smoothly and the drywall wasn't sucking it up like it had a great thirst. Painting in the daylight also served me well. Much better! I put all the furniture back up against the walls, and then ran the rug doctor over the carpet.
The girls and I picked out some bedding, turquoise bedskirt, polka dot sheets and a pink striped blanket. We laid down a pink fuzzy rug. It sort of matches in a confetti sort of way. And then I remembered the girls had a throw blanket with the high school logo on it. Perfect! I tossed it on the bed. The school colors are red and black and I had a pink and blue thing going on already. Oy, not a good combination. But, all bright cheerful colors so I just left it as is.
I have a dream-catcher in every bedroom but I decided to trade dream catchers in this room with the little girls' room. At the moment that I took the photos, the dream-catcher was not up. It's there now; we can't have her sleeping without a dream-catcher on her window!
We put in a desk, chair and small bookcase for her study space. I gathered up a dictionary, thesaurus, and an MLA handbook too. I think I'll add my American Literature Anthology to the room too. I am going to print a picture of her family and put it in a frame. The router, printer and the house phone are in her room because that is where the wiring for these things happens to be located.
Here is her room, bouncing little sisters and all. I am excited that this seemingly empty room will soon be occupied by an excited teenager!
I had "the pink room" ready for her a couple of months ago but we decided to move the little girls into that room instead and we moved Fenna to the white bedroom. Lexie and Charlie have the green room. Keith and I stay put in the master. The white room is downstairs, the master, pink and green rooms are upstairs. I painted the pink room two summers ago, and the green room last year. I think... or maybe it was three and two years ago, anyway, I painted them and not the bedroom downstairs. It was still the white paint that was slapped on in every room of this house when the house was built twenty years ago or so.
Lexie wanted the green room, so we moved the little girls to the pink room and put Fenna downstairs in the white room. But, the white room was just too ugly. We've been working on painting our house one room at a time and we've been in no hurry to get the whole thing done. Since we would be emptying the downstairs bedroom to rearrange furniture and things for Fenna, we might as well paint it while it's empty.
The week before she arrives we finally got it painted! It is now a cream color like the rest of the main floor (except the living room, it is still on the waiting list). The room turned out beautifully! It is just amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do. I really wanted to get it done but time slipped by too quickly until I finally felt like the clock was running out. I had a chance to paint it while I had help with the kids, so I did it. I painted it at night, in the dark, while drinking a beer.
I thought I did a great job, but in the morning, it looked like I had painted the room in the dark while drinking a beer. I told my husband, we'll just hang lots of pictures. He shook his head and told me to get my paintbrush. He was right, the second coat of paint went on very smoothly and the drywall wasn't sucking it up like it had a great thirst. Painting in the daylight also served me well. Much better! I put all the furniture back up against the walls, and then ran the rug doctor over the carpet.
The girls and I picked out some bedding, turquoise bedskirt, polka dot sheets and a pink striped blanket. We laid down a pink fuzzy rug. It sort of matches in a confetti sort of way. And then I remembered the girls had a throw blanket with the high school logo on it. Perfect! I tossed it on the bed. The school colors are red and black and I had a pink and blue thing going on already. Oy, not a good combination. But, all bright cheerful colors so I just left it as is.
I have a dream-catcher in every bedroom but I decided to trade dream catchers in this room with the little girls' room. At the moment that I took the photos, the dream-catcher was not up. It's there now; we can't have her sleeping without a dream-catcher on her window!
We put in a desk, chair and small bookcase for her study space. I gathered up a dictionary, thesaurus, and an MLA handbook too. I think I'll add my American Literature Anthology to the room too. I am going to print a picture of her family and put it in a frame. The router, printer and the house phone are in her room because that is where the wiring for these things happens to be located.
Here is her room, bouncing little sisters and all. I am excited that this seemingly empty room will soon be occupied by an excited teenager!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
A Day at the Beach
I took all six kids to the beach yesterday. Six is misleading, one is just a tiny baby and two are all grown up now, but they all say "Mom, mom, mom, mom..." Maybe "six" isn't the misleading part, "kids" might be. Syntax aside, I took them all to the beach yesterday to relax and have fun after a couple of days of hard work.
Katie came home on Sunday for one of her friend's baby shower. She took Gracie back to San Diego with her to help the poor child get over a serious case of boredom. When Gracie is bored, we all suffer. I said I'd pick her up on Tuesday, so she got a two-night slumber party with her big sis!
Lexie had Monday and Tuesday off, so I was "off-duty" for watching Charlie. I figured I'd better make good use of the time I had with only one child to look after, Libby.
I took the rug doctor out and shampooed the carpets and seats in the van, I washed down the outdoor toys and the patio, cleaned the coolers and put them in the garage, took the trash to the curb (but I forgot one, whoops, it's gonna stink like crazy waiting a whole week for another garbage day in this heat), and I moved the furniture in Fenna's room to the middle and painted the whole room. Plus, I conquered a mountain of laundry and a kitchen full of dishes and cleaned the floors.
Painting took a lot longer than I thought. I thought it wouldn't take long to tape, but that always takes forever to get done. By the time I was ready to paint, I was exhausted from all the work I did but had to paint just so it would be done. This room needed a fresh coat of paint before we moved in, the walls were dull. I painted the other bedrooms last summer and I really wanted to get this one done too. I started painted at 8pm, in the dark, while drinking a beer. I finished at 2am. Tuesday morning I went in to look at it in the daylight and sure enough, it looks like I painted in the dark while drinking a beer. We'll just hang lots of pictures.
After working so hard on Sunday evening and all day Monday, Tuesday was my "day off". I needed to go get Gracie in San Diego. I woke up sore and wishing I could just lay around in my pajamas all day. My knees hurt and one was a little swollen. I'm just not as young and agile as I used to be. I think climbing over all the furniture and up and down the ladder was hard on these old bones. Old age can be repressed with ibuprophen and coffee! Yes!
Lexie wanted to come along with Charlie and have some fun too. Good idea, we packed up the kids and the beach towels and off we went. Yay! A day at the beach! It was 103 degrees when we left, wow, too hot to stay home.
The beach parking lot was packed solid, with a parking shark in every row. Katie and I both needed to park and it wasn't going to happen, so we drove across the street to the bay side. Katie didn't want to go there, but I told her I didn't want to drive up and down the beach any more, so we went across the street to Bonita Cove. Plenty of parking and not any more crowded than the beach. I like the bay for the kids anyway because there aren't any tides, the water is nice. Bonita Cove also had restrooms, showers, and a whole bunch of play equipment. We didn't end up letting the kids on any of the playground structures though because we went right to the water's edge.
We parked next to each other and turned Gracie loose. She had the biggest hugs for me! So sweet! She hugged Libby and Charlie with all her might too. That was it, mushy stuff was over, back to normal. It was just like she was never gone.
We found a shady spot on the grass right next to the sand, and we were still close to the water. It was perfect. Lexie put a good amount of sunscreen on Charlie and then he was free to run in the sand and sun. I put sunscreen on Libby before we left the house to let it soak in so that sand wouldn't stick to her, she doesn't like that.
Gracie ran right out to the water to splash around and the two little ones wanted to go too. I let Libby go on her own and I took Charlie to the water's edge. They were all thrilled! Lexie and Katie were visiting, setting up "camp" and putting on sunscreen too.
Charlie, or Mr. Daredevil, was super happy to be in the water. He was shoving his face into it all the way down to the sand and coming up smiling. He "kisses" whatever he loves, and he apparently loves the beach. And he kept crawling/walking out into the water a little farther. I'd pull him back and off he'd go again. The layer of sunscreen made him very slippery, it was like trying to catch a 25 pound fish!
In the meantime, Gracie was farther into the water splashing and squealing and giggling and having a good time. The water has such a slow slope that she had to go out a few yards to get where it was a little deeper and could get her legs under the water.
Libby was staying close to me, but Charlie was splashing too much for her tastes. She decided to venture closer to Gracie and I hollered at her to stay close. Now that I think about it, what does "Libby! Stay close!" mean to a two year old? She probably had no idea what I meant. Abstract commands aren't interpreted well by toddlers.
That's when it happened, while I was taking pictures with one hand and controlling wet, slippery, happy Charlie with the other and trying not to get wet. That's when Libby got away from me and tried to catch up with her sister. She was in water up to her hips and I saw her fall forward, just like she did in the driveway earlier in the day, she lost her footing and fell forward with her hands straight out to catch herself.
Libby was face down in the water with her arms out to the sides and her legs dangling; she couln't stand up. She couldn't turn over; she just flailed in a panic.
I panicked too.
I shoved my camera in my hip pocket, scooped up Charlie with a sudden disregard for getting my clothes wet, I planted him on my hip and ran out to scoop up Libby. I took about three big strides and bent over to scoop her up with my free arm. She was sputtering and coughing so I think she got water in her mouth and nose, but I got to her quick enough that she didn't get any in her lungs. I have no idea why, but I was screaming to her and I was screaming "Gracie!". Didn't make sense but in the moment that's what I did.
Gracie was confused. I was screaming her name and her sister was "swimming". She is such a good big sister, she clapped and cheered for Libby and told her "I'm so proud of you! You put your face in da water!" I like her optimistic viewpoint so very much!
I was soaking wet up to my middle (how did the water level at Libby's hips become the water level at my hips?) and I had one dripping wet kid on each hip. I waded back to the shore and told Gracie to come too. We all went up to our little towel camp where Katie, Lexie and Henry were visiting. Lexie looked over her shoulder at us approaching and I heard her say, "Oh my God. Mom is soaking wet!"
I laid Libby down and she was shivering, so I covered her and let her recuperate from her ordeal. Told the older girls what happened and they didn't see it at all. It happened so fast, it doesn't take much to miss a kid slipping under the water, and it's a quiet catastrophe. I'm glad I didn't let Libby go to the water with her sister while I stayed nearby on our spot; I may have been tempted to do exactly that thinking she wouldn't be brave enough to go in past her knees. I am surprised she went out into the water, but with Charlie and Gracie so brave in the water she was being brave too.
Libby and I rested on the towel, I moved a towel out of the shade and into the sun so I could try to dry off. I wore khaki shorts and a yellow shirt. I suddenly wondered if my clothes were see-through when wet! Yikes! Luckily, they weren't but I didn't bring any extra clothes for myself so I just had to air-dry. My camera had to air dry too! It was wet, but not dripping soaking wet. It still seemed to work ok for a few minutes and then it just died. It works again now, a day later, the battery was wet and needed to dry and recharge. Whew!
Libby wouldn't go near the water again after that and I didn't push her. I did take her back out and waded in ankle deep water just holding her. Charlie went back out with Lexie and Katie took Henry. We stayed and played at the beach long enough for me to dry off and Charlie to completely wear himself out. Lexie looked exhausted too. Not Gracie, she was still full of energy as always! Henry too!
I brought dry clothes for the little girls and Charlie. We changed them all and headed to Ikea. I wanted to do some fun shopping too. Katie, Lexie and I were so cute pushing our strollers into Ikea! I wish my camera would have worked to capture us in our little family stroller parade. Gracie ditched us at the ball pit, and then we went shopping. The child care area gives you one hour to shop, so we made our way through the store as quickly as three stroller pushing mommies could go. Afterward, we walked across the parking lot to Costco for a cheap meal.
Lexie was too tired to do anything else, actually we all were. We said our goodbyes to Katie and Henry, buckled up the kids and headed north. All four of my passengers were asleep right after I got on the freeway. I had alone time! Sort of. I did get to listen to the radio instead of Disney music. Traffic was great, but I wouldn't have minded if I got stuck in a traffic jam just because it was a nice quiet drive after a wonderful day.
Once I got home, I realized how exhausted I was. I was suddenly completely worn out! After working so hard for two days and then taking all six kids to the beach and shopping all day, my old bones were barking at me. Going to the beach to relax and unwind was a lot harder than it sounded!
By the way, cleaning the van one day and then taking the kids through a fast-food drive up and then to the beach the next day is totally backward. Totally.
Katie came home on Sunday for one of her friend's baby shower. She took Gracie back to San Diego with her to help the poor child get over a serious case of boredom. When Gracie is bored, we all suffer. I said I'd pick her up on Tuesday, so she got a two-night slumber party with her big sis!
Lexie had Monday and Tuesday off, so I was "off-duty" for watching Charlie. I figured I'd better make good use of the time I had with only one child to look after, Libby.
I took the rug doctor out and shampooed the carpets and seats in the van, I washed down the outdoor toys and the patio, cleaned the coolers and put them in the garage, took the trash to the curb (but I forgot one, whoops, it's gonna stink like crazy waiting a whole week for another garbage day in this heat), and I moved the furniture in Fenna's room to the middle and painted the whole room. Plus, I conquered a mountain of laundry and a kitchen full of dishes and cleaned the floors.
Painting took a lot longer than I thought. I thought it wouldn't take long to tape, but that always takes forever to get done. By the time I was ready to paint, I was exhausted from all the work I did but had to paint just so it would be done. This room needed a fresh coat of paint before we moved in, the walls were dull. I painted the other bedrooms last summer and I really wanted to get this one done too. I started painted at 8pm, in the dark, while drinking a beer. I finished at 2am. Tuesday morning I went in to look at it in the daylight and sure enough, it looks like I painted in the dark while drinking a beer. We'll just hang lots of pictures.
After working so hard on Sunday evening and all day Monday, Tuesday was my "day off". I needed to go get Gracie in San Diego. I woke up sore and wishing I could just lay around in my pajamas all day. My knees hurt and one was a little swollen. I'm just not as young and agile as I used to be. I think climbing over all the furniture and up and down the ladder was hard on these old bones. Old age can be repressed with ibuprophen and coffee! Yes!
Lexie wanted to come along with Charlie and have some fun too. Good idea, we packed up the kids and the beach towels and off we went. Yay! A day at the beach! It was 103 degrees when we left, wow, too hot to stay home.
The beach parking lot was packed solid, with a parking shark in every row. Katie and I both needed to park and it wasn't going to happen, so we drove across the street to the bay side. Katie didn't want to go there, but I told her I didn't want to drive up and down the beach any more, so we went across the street to Bonita Cove. Plenty of parking and not any more crowded than the beach. I like the bay for the kids anyway because there aren't any tides, the water is nice. Bonita Cove also had restrooms, showers, and a whole bunch of play equipment. We didn't end up letting the kids on any of the playground structures though because we went right to the water's edge.
We parked next to each other and turned Gracie loose. She had the biggest hugs for me! So sweet! She hugged Libby and Charlie with all her might too. That was it, mushy stuff was over, back to normal. It was just like she was never gone.
We found a shady spot on the grass right next to the sand, and we were still close to the water. It was perfect. Lexie put a good amount of sunscreen on Charlie and then he was free to run in the sand and sun. I put sunscreen on Libby before we left the house to let it soak in so that sand wouldn't stick to her, she doesn't like that.
Gracie ran right out to the water to splash around and the two little ones wanted to go too. I let Libby go on her own and I took Charlie to the water's edge. They were all thrilled! Lexie and Katie were visiting, setting up "camp" and putting on sunscreen too.
Charlie, or Mr. Daredevil, was super happy to be in the water. He was shoving his face into it all the way down to the sand and coming up smiling. He "kisses" whatever he loves, and he apparently loves the beach. And he kept crawling/walking out into the water a little farther. I'd pull him back and off he'd go again. The layer of sunscreen made him very slippery, it was like trying to catch a 25 pound fish!
In the meantime, Gracie was farther into the water splashing and squealing and giggling and having a good time. The water has such a slow slope that she had to go out a few yards to get where it was a little deeper and could get her legs under the water.
Libby was staying close to me, but Charlie was splashing too much for her tastes. She decided to venture closer to Gracie and I hollered at her to stay close. Now that I think about it, what does "Libby! Stay close!" mean to a two year old? She probably had no idea what I meant. Abstract commands aren't interpreted well by toddlers.
That's when it happened, while I was taking pictures with one hand and controlling wet, slippery, happy Charlie with the other and trying not to get wet. That's when Libby got away from me and tried to catch up with her sister. She was in water up to her hips and I saw her fall forward, just like she did in the driveway earlier in the day, she lost her footing and fell forward with her hands straight out to catch herself.
Libby was face down in the water with her arms out to the sides and her legs dangling; she couln't stand up. She couldn't turn over; she just flailed in a panic.
I panicked too.
I shoved my camera in my hip pocket, scooped up Charlie with a sudden disregard for getting my clothes wet, I planted him on my hip and ran out to scoop up Libby. I took about three big strides and bent over to scoop her up with my free arm. She was sputtering and coughing so I think she got water in her mouth and nose, but I got to her quick enough that she didn't get any in her lungs. I have no idea why, but I was screaming to her and I was screaming "Gracie!". Didn't make sense but in the moment that's what I did.
Gracie was confused. I was screaming her name and her sister was "swimming". She is such a good big sister, she clapped and cheered for Libby and told her "I'm so proud of you! You put your face in da water!" I like her optimistic viewpoint so very much!
I was soaking wet up to my middle (how did the water level at Libby's hips become the water level at my hips?) and I had one dripping wet kid on each hip. I waded back to the shore and told Gracie to come too. We all went up to our little towel camp where Katie, Lexie and Henry were visiting. Lexie looked over her shoulder at us approaching and I heard her say, "Oh my God. Mom is soaking wet!"
I laid Libby down and she was shivering, so I covered her and let her recuperate from her ordeal. Told the older girls what happened and they didn't see it at all. It happened so fast, it doesn't take much to miss a kid slipping under the water, and it's a quiet catastrophe. I'm glad I didn't let Libby go to the water with her sister while I stayed nearby on our spot; I may have been tempted to do exactly that thinking she wouldn't be brave enough to go in past her knees. I am surprised she went out into the water, but with Charlie and Gracie so brave in the water she was being brave too.
Libby and I rested on the towel, I moved a towel out of the shade and into the sun so I could try to dry off. I wore khaki shorts and a yellow shirt. I suddenly wondered if my clothes were see-through when wet! Yikes! Luckily, they weren't but I didn't bring any extra clothes for myself so I just had to air-dry. My camera had to air dry too! It was wet, but not dripping soaking wet. It still seemed to work ok for a few minutes and then it just died. It works again now, a day later, the battery was wet and needed to dry and recharge. Whew!
Libby wouldn't go near the water again after that and I didn't push her. I did take her back out and waded in ankle deep water just holding her. Charlie went back out with Lexie and Katie took Henry. We stayed and played at the beach long enough for me to dry off and Charlie to completely wear himself out. Lexie looked exhausted too. Not Gracie, she was still full of energy as always! Henry too!
I brought dry clothes for the little girls and Charlie. We changed them all and headed to Ikea. I wanted to do some fun shopping too. Katie, Lexie and I were so cute pushing our strollers into Ikea! I wish my camera would have worked to capture us in our little family stroller parade. Gracie ditched us at the ball pit, and then we went shopping. The child care area gives you one hour to shop, so we made our way through the store as quickly as three stroller pushing mommies could go. Afterward, we walked across the parking lot to Costco for a cheap meal.
Lexie was too tired to do anything else, actually we all were. We said our goodbyes to Katie and Henry, buckled up the kids and headed north. All four of my passengers were asleep right after I got on the freeway. I had alone time! Sort of. I did get to listen to the radio instead of Disney music. Traffic was great, but I wouldn't have minded if I got stuck in a traffic jam just because it was a nice quiet drive after a wonderful day.
Once I got home, I realized how exhausted I was. I was suddenly completely worn out! After working so hard for two days and then taking all six kids to the beach and shopping all day, my old bones were barking at me. Going to the beach to relax and unwind was a lot harder than it sounded!
By the way, cleaning the van one day and then taking the kids through a fast-food drive up and then to the beach the next day is totally backward. Totally.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
One week until we are an international family!
Only one more week and we will become an international family. We are hosting an exchange student from the Netherlands, who happens to be the daughter of a friend I had in high school. I love that we are part of one family's multi-generation exchange experience.
Mother and daughter will have very different experiences though. Bridgette went to my high school in a small town in Montana back in 1982-83. Life was different back then, no internet, no cell phones, no facebook! We live in southern California in a city with three very large high schools. The culture difference between Montana and California is striking, and the climate difference is drastic. Suffice it to say, Fenna will not be reliving her mom's experience even though I am a common person for both of them. Just thinking about hosting Bridgette's daughter has really made me think a lot about the dramatic differences in my life from then to now.
We only have 7 days until she arrives. I was nervous before, but now I'm feeling more confident that things will be great. My main concern is that we are so much more chaotic, busy and loud than what she is probably used to.
I finally decided to make a list of what I wanted to get done before Fenna arrives and school starts. We always save our house projects for summer because that's when my husband finally has time to devote to anything that needs attention. He was sick for a few weeks this summer and his projects were not getting done, not at all. In fact, he still hasn't done anything on his list. Oy. But, I made a list for myself and felt a lot less overwhelmed with life in general once I had my scattered worries all typed out in a nice neat list.
I was knocking things off my long list and feeling like I might actually be able to survive the summer without losing my mind. And then, I did myself a huge favor and divided my list into sections: stuff to do, stuff to do after school starts, and stuff for Keith to do. Ahhhh, my list of things to do before next week not only became manageable but it is very possible I might get it all done! Wouldn't that be something!
Keith was supposed to start back to school on Friday the 5th, but he has to go in on Monday the 1st. That gives him today to finish his list. No worries, I told him if he doesn't do his stuff he can hire someone to take care of that. Hit him in the wallet, that'll motivate the boy!
Since our daughter moved home with her 11 month old tornado of destruction, we've had to make a lot of changes around here. She works, so I am often herding all three runts by myself. This does not help me get anything done. I deleted things off of my to-do list just because they were going to be impossible. I removed all of my summer sewing projects from my list. There just isn't time. Maybe after school starts, maybe I can hire a babysitter for Libby and Charlie so that I can sit down and sew. In the meantime, I'm trying to run the rug doctor in between naps.
The biggest change with adding them to the household was shuffling the three bedrooms. What a big job! The room I had ready for Fenna became the little girls' room and their room became Lexie and Charlie's room. Now the guest room is being transformed into Fenna's room. It sounds a lot easier than it is.
Fenna gets a bigger room with a bigger window than she would have had. She will be the only bedroom on the main floor, but that might be nice for her too. She'll have more privacy in the mornings when she is getting ready for school, and the bathroom downstairs is the best one. Plus, if she has friends over, they won't have to go upstairs to her room and pass by all of our rooms. This should work out just fine... seven people in one house and Fenna ends up getting her own room and it is a nice sized one too! It isn't pink though, that's the big sacrifice.
I let the exchange student company know about the additions to our household. The main YFU representative that I have contact with delegated the responsibility of running a criminal background check on Lexie to another YFU rep. After a week of not hearing anything, I contacted YFU again. She delegated the job to yet another YFU person. So far, her emails have included five or six other YFU workers (since the beginning of our contact). I have no idea who our rep really is since it seems to be a different person each time we have any contact. We completed our on-line host family orientation too. I'm glad I didn't drive all the way to Orange with three kids to watch a power point presentation of the parenting handbook. Anyway, that is done and there were no surprises in the information. Pretty straight forward common sense type things. The information was good though, it just wasn't anything I couldn't figure out on my own.
Now that there is only a week left, I'm trying to think of the last minute things that need to be done too. I found a dictionary and a thesaurus to put in her room, and last night I found my MLA handbook. That's what she'll need for school! I hope her reading list is a good one, I probably have some of the books already, we'll see.
What a difference a list and a week make! Last week I was nervous and this week I am just excited. I'm still not ready though. Good thing I have a few days yet!
Mother and daughter will have very different experiences though. Bridgette went to my high school in a small town in Montana back in 1982-83. Life was different back then, no internet, no cell phones, no facebook! We live in southern California in a city with three very large high schools. The culture difference between Montana and California is striking, and the climate difference is drastic. Suffice it to say, Fenna will not be reliving her mom's experience even though I am a common person for both of them. Just thinking about hosting Bridgette's daughter has really made me think a lot about the dramatic differences in my life from then to now.
We only have 7 days until she arrives. I was nervous before, but now I'm feeling more confident that things will be great. My main concern is that we are so much more chaotic, busy and loud than what she is probably used to.
I finally decided to make a list of what I wanted to get done before Fenna arrives and school starts. We always save our house projects for summer because that's when my husband finally has time to devote to anything that needs attention. He was sick for a few weeks this summer and his projects were not getting done, not at all. In fact, he still hasn't done anything on his list. Oy. But, I made a list for myself and felt a lot less overwhelmed with life in general once I had my scattered worries all typed out in a nice neat list.
I was knocking things off my long list and feeling like I might actually be able to survive the summer without losing my mind. And then, I did myself a huge favor and divided my list into sections: stuff to do, stuff to do after school starts, and stuff for Keith to do. Ahhhh, my list of things to do before next week not only became manageable but it is very possible I might get it all done! Wouldn't that be something!
Keith was supposed to start back to school on Friday the 5th, but he has to go in on Monday the 1st. That gives him today to finish his list. No worries, I told him if he doesn't do his stuff he can hire someone to take care of that. Hit him in the wallet, that'll motivate the boy!
Since our daughter moved home with her 11 month old tornado of destruction, we've had to make a lot of changes around here. She works, so I am often herding all three runts by myself. This does not help me get anything done. I deleted things off of my to-do list just because they were going to be impossible. I removed all of my summer sewing projects from my list. There just isn't time. Maybe after school starts, maybe I can hire a babysitter for Libby and Charlie so that I can sit down and sew. In the meantime, I'm trying to run the rug doctor in between naps.
The biggest change with adding them to the household was shuffling the three bedrooms. What a big job! The room I had ready for Fenna became the little girls' room and their room became Lexie and Charlie's room. Now the guest room is being transformed into Fenna's room. It sounds a lot easier than it is.
Fenna gets a bigger room with a bigger window than she would have had. She will be the only bedroom on the main floor, but that might be nice for her too. She'll have more privacy in the mornings when she is getting ready for school, and the bathroom downstairs is the best one. Plus, if she has friends over, they won't have to go upstairs to her room and pass by all of our rooms. This should work out just fine... seven people in one house and Fenna ends up getting her own room and it is a nice sized one too! It isn't pink though, that's the big sacrifice.
I let the exchange student company know about the additions to our household. The main YFU representative that I have contact with delegated the responsibility of running a criminal background check on Lexie to another YFU rep. After a week of not hearing anything, I contacted YFU again. She delegated the job to yet another YFU person. So far, her emails have included five or six other YFU workers (since the beginning of our contact). I have no idea who our rep really is since it seems to be a different person each time we have any contact. We completed our on-line host family orientation too. I'm glad I didn't drive all the way to Orange with three kids to watch a power point presentation of the parenting handbook. Anyway, that is done and there were no surprises in the information. Pretty straight forward common sense type things. The information was good though, it just wasn't anything I couldn't figure out on my own.
Now that there is only a week left, I'm trying to think of the last minute things that need to be done too. I found a dictionary and a thesaurus to put in her room, and last night I found my MLA handbook. That's what she'll need for school! I hope her reading list is a good one, I probably have some of the books already, we'll see.
What a difference a list and a week make! Last week I was nervous and this week I am just excited. I'm still not ready though. Good thing I have a few days yet!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Where are my shoulders?
I think all hairdressers should be required to take an anatomy class. Basic anatomy, nothing overly complicated. I honestly think knowing the difference between shoulders and ears could be a valuable tool of their trade.
I went to get a haircut. Why do I torture myself? I should just let it grow and not worry about damaged ends, it would be less irritating than getting a haircut.
I said to the lady with the tri-color mohawk, "Shoulder length all the way around". I told her, "It is really important to me that I can pull my hair back into a pony tail, so no layers can be shorter than shoulder length." She acted like she totally understood. I pointed, she nodded, I hoped for the best.
My shoulders are apparently somewhere between my neck and the top of my head. Odd, I thought that's where my ears were. Who knows, these hairdressers don't seem to!
She gave me a cute wedge cut that is a little bit longer in the front. My daughter said it was an A line and stacked in the back. The hairdresser said my curls will make it seem shorter, but its just what I wanted. Hmmm. Really? I didn't want a Dorothy Hamel cut, I wanted a shoulder length all the way around cut!
I cannot pull it back into a pony tail now. I've tried, it's too short and the pony tail stump that I can get with about half my hair won't hold. I have hair hanging on my neck in the middle of a hot summer. This does not make me happy, but it does make me sweaty and itchy. My neighbor told me it was cute. I don't care if it's cute, its covering half my neck and it's hanging in my face. Grrrr!
Actually, it is kinda cute and I do like it. It could be worse, and it has been. Too bad it's the wrong time of year to have hair I can't pull back.
I'm so glad that I taught all of my children the different body parts. All of my girls knew nearly every part before they were even two years old. Neck. Shoulders. Ears. Chin. They could all teach hair school! I wish they would so I could get a decent haircut someday. Sigh. Next time, I'll let Gracie and Libby trim it. Of course, I have to wait several months because its so short it won't need a trim for ages.
Why do women like getting their hair done anyway?
I went to get a haircut. Why do I torture myself? I should just let it grow and not worry about damaged ends, it would be less irritating than getting a haircut.
I said to the lady with the tri-color mohawk, "Shoulder length all the way around". I told her, "It is really important to me that I can pull my hair back into a pony tail, so no layers can be shorter than shoulder length." She acted like she totally understood. I pointed, she nodded, I hoped for the best.
My shoulders are apparently somewhere between my neck and the top of my head. Odd, I thought that's where my ears were. Who knows, these hairdressers don't seem to!
She gave me a cute wedge cut that is a little bit longer in the front. My daughter said it was an A line and stacked in the back. The hairdresser said my curls will make it seem shorter, but its just what I wanted. Hmmm. Really? I didn't want a Dorothy Hamel cut, I wanted a shoulder length all the way around cut!
I cannot pull it back into a pony tail now. I've tried, it's too short and the pony tail stump that I can get with about half my hair won't hold. I have hair hanging on my neck in the middle of a hot summer. This does not make me happy, but it does make me sweaty and itchy. My neighbor told me it was cute. I don't care if it's cute, its covering half my neck and it's hanging in my face. Grrrr!
Actually, it is kinda cute and I do like it. It could be worse, and it has been. Too bad it's the wrong time of year to have hair I can't pull back.
I'm so glad that I taught all of my children the different body parts. All of my girls knew nearly every part before they were even two years old. Neck. Shoulders. Ears. Chin. They could all teach hair school! I wish they would so I could get a decent haircut someday. Sigh. Next time, I'll let Gracie and Libby trim it. Of course, I have to wait several months because its so short it won't need a trim for ages.
Why do women like getting their hair done anyway?
Monday, July 25, 2011
Gave up Dairy Farming
On May 10th at 6:00pm (I know, it's July now. I'm not sure how that happened so fast!), I quit breastfeeding. Yes, I did. I am no longer the milk-cow!
It sort of happened by accident. I've been wanting to wean but not really knowing how to go about doing it. You'd think after four children I would be a pro, people keep telling me that I must be one, but some things are just hard to do no matter how much experience I've had.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't just decide to quit nursing and that's that. No. Much to my husband's surprise (and plenty of other people too), it doesn't happen like that. It's not as easy as going out to the back yard and turning off the water faucet to the sprinklers. There are a lot of factors involved that make the whole breastfeeding thing harder than it looks. There are hormones and feelings and complicated crazy things like that with every meal. And there is very little support for weaning! No, I take that back. There is NO support for weaning!
I started this addictive habit over 5 years ago on March 14, 2006. The day Gracie was born! I had a hard time weaning her too, but I managed to quit just in time for my third trimester of pregnancy with Libby. After the 3 month break, I started nursing again on September 30, 2008. But because I was super pregnant when I quit nursing Gracie, my body just stayed in dairy-cow mode.
With Gracie, who is my third baby, I weaned her on a roadtrip. We drove 3800 miles round trip and nursing in the vehicle is impossible. When we weren't driving, we were busy. She had so much fun that she slept hard at night and ate really well when we sat for meals. Incidentally, most meals were in restaurants and by that time I had given up nursing her in public (much). Being on vacation helped us both to fill the days and nights with activity, food and sleep. It was the perfect way to wean!
I thought I'll do the same thing with Libby when we go on our annual summer roadtrip. But, we decided not to go this year - crazy as that sounds! We decided to act like normal people and not haul our family halfway across the country in a mini-van. There went my weaning plan.
Luckily, Libby got a stomach virus. Wait, that wasn't lucky. Well, it sort of was. You be the judge. She was a puke fountain, poor kid. Keith told her it was because she grew too big for boo-boo. She said "am I fwee yeez old now?" He said "yes". She was very thoughtful as she processed the cause and effect in her little head. She didn't want it all night; she'd wake me up and say "boo-boo is for babies" and then whine or ask for a hug and go back to sleep. My poor baby!
And who are we kidding, poor me too. My body was not listening to what was going on in our little world. It was still making milk, and then making more. Oh, mama, I was looking lovely! And I was in a lot of pain, couldn't sleep, but it's worth it, right?
In the morning, I kept Gracie home from school because I was worried she would start puking too. They usually do these types of things together. Mostly, I was afraid if Gracie puked it would throw off the too big for boo-boo story that Libby was wholeheartedly believing.
Gracie did get sick, but Libby was too self-absorbed to noticed her sister's mad dashes to the bathroom. Whew!
With the sudden "birthday", the boobie bar was closed. Libby announced over and over again that she was now "fwee yeez ode" although she wasn't quite ready to grow up so fast, she handled it well. First, she demanded birthday cake and presents. We told her that she needed to stop puking first and then we would have a party for her. She climbed up into my lap and said "I'm too big for boo-boo now. I just want a hug." We hugged and then she said, "you will get me a tea set for my birfday today". Bossy little thing now that she is three. But she stuck to her decision to be three, so we played the game. The puking triggered the weaning, but turning three cinched the deal. Apparently, when you are three, the milk is no good. I won't argue.
Noon. Libby had explosive diarrhea, I had ice packs on my chest, and dang it, Gracie was puking like a college student on a Saturday morning. Day 2 of weaning was looking rough. I WANTED to give it up, why is this so hard? Because I was closing a long chapter in my life? Great, the kids are sick and I'm having a hormonal weeping attack.
4:30 I don't think I can take the crying. She's just crying! And crying! And crying!!!
6:30. Daddy came home and told her Happy Birthday, she explained how she needs a cake and a present. It should be a teapot. I'm just glad she quit crying.
They are both sick and feeling yucky. Poor girl, sick on her fake birthday. I'm looking mighty fine. Getting some lovely cleavage from this sudden end of an era. In fact, I was barely recognizable.
24 Hours!!! She was not asking for it at all. She had some water and she had rice for dinner. Gracie looked at her rice and went to the bathroom and threw up. I was hoping tomorrow would be better for everyone, and that Libby would still be "Fee Yeez Ode" and really, I feel like this last year went by way too fast! Whatever, if she wants to be three, I'm ok with that, but she's gonna stay three for a year and a half at least!
Daddy rocked her to sleep without a battle of any kind. No resistance. But, she said, "When I was little, I was a baby and I used to have boo boo. Now I big. I free yeez ode." Ah, reminiscing about the good ol' days.
Day 2: She slept through the whole night in her own bed! I think I am gonna like having boob freedom! Speaking of my boobs... my cups runneth over. Damn, I was sexy!
Libby asked for it in the morning and I reminded her that she is too big. She cried. She said she is sad. But she moved on to the breakfast table without a problem. We had blueberry muffins for breakfast and Libby was so excited! "My Birfday cake!" Oh, kid, this birthday thing is just too much fun! At least there is some fun to the big changes going on in our lives.
Both girls were to be feeling good that day. No puking or poop explosions. yay! To celebrate their return to normal digestive processes, we went shopping and found a little tea set. Happy Third Birthday, Libby-Lou.
It has been almost three months since we weaned. She still insists that she is "Fwee Yeez Ode" and one of these days the calendar will catch up with her. She's eating and sleeping like a champ, but still enjoys some lap-time. My voluptuous figure shrank; I'm looking droopy but feeling normal. We have tea parties often; I've drank more than my fair share of imaginary tea! She has trouble falling asleep, consoling herself when her feelings are hurt, or conquering boredom, but she's come a long way since the old days when she nursed.
It sort of happened by accident. I've been wanting to wean but not really knowing how to go about doing it. You'd think after four children I would be a pro, people keep telling me that I must be one, but some things are just hard to do no matter how much experience I've had.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't just decide to quit nursing and that's that. No. Much to my husband's surprise (and plenty of other people too), it doesn't happen like that. It's not as easy as going out to the back yard and turning off the water faucet to the sprinklers. There are a lot of factors involved that make the whole breastfeeding thing harder than it looks. There are hormones and feelings and complicated crazy things like that with every meal. And there is very little support for weaning! No, I take that back. There is NO support for weaning!
I started this addictive habit over 5 years ago on March 14, 2006. The day Gracie was born! I had a hard time weaning her too, but I managed to quit just in time for my third trimester of pregnancy with Libby. After the 3 month break, I started nursing again on September 30, 2008. But because I was super pregnant when I quit nursing Gracie, my body just stayed in dairy-cow mode.
With Gracie, who is my third baby, I weaned her on a roadtrip. We drove 3800 miles round trip and nursing in the vehicle is impossible. When we weren't driving, we were busy. She had so much fun that she slept hard at night and ate really well when we sat for meals. Incidentally, most meals were in restaurants and by that time I had given up nursing her in public (much). Being on vacation helped us both to fill the days and nights with activity, food and sleep. It was the perfect way to wean!
I thought I'll do the same thing with Libby when we go on our annual summer roadtrip. But, we decided not to go this year - crazy as that sounds! We decided to act like normal people and not haul our family halfway across the country in a mini-van. There went my weaning plan.
Luckily, Libby got a stomach virus. Wait, that wasn't lucky. Well, it sort of was. You be the judge. She was a puke fountain, poor kid. Keith told her it was because she grew too big for boo-boo. She said "am I fwee yeez old now?" He said "yes". She was very thoughtful as she processed the cause and effect in her little head. She didn't want it all night; she'd wake me up and say "boo-boo is for babies" and then whine or ask for a hug and go back to sleep. My poor baby!
And who are we kidding, poor me too. My body was not listening to what was going on in our little world. It was still making milk, and then making more. Oh, mama, I was looking lovely! And I was in a lot of pain, couldn't sleep, but it's worth it, right?
In the morning, I kept Gracie home from school because I was worried she would start puking too. They usually do these types of things together. Mostly, I was afraid if Gracie puked it would throw off the too big for boo-boo story that Libby was wholeheartedly believing.
Gracie did get sick, but Libby was too self-absorbed to noticed her sister's mad dashes to the bathroom. Whew!
With the sudden "birthday", the boobie bar was closed. Libby announced over and over again that she was now "fwee yeez ode" although she wasn't quite ready to grow up so fast, she handled it well. First, she demanded birthday cake and presents. We told her that she needed to stop puking first and then we would have a party for her. She climbed up into my lap and said "I'm too big for boo-boo now. I just want a hug." We hugged and then she said, "you will get me a tea set for my birfday today". Bossy little thing now that she is three. But she stuck to her decision to be three, so we played the game. The puking triggered the weaning, but turning three cinched the deal. Apparently, when you are three, the milk is no good. I won't argue.
Noon. Libby had explosive diarrhea, I had ice packs on my chest, and dang it, Gracie was puking like a college student on a Saturday morning. Day 2 of weaning was looking rough. I WANTED to give it up, why is this so hard? Because I was closing a long chapter in my life? Great, the kids are sick and I'm having a hormonal weeping attack.
2:30. Libby was really tired and couldn't manage to fall asleep without being nursed. But, she's three years old now so we had tough it out. I was dead tired. Hope she falls asleep. If Libby would just go to sleep.
4:30 I don't think I can take the crying. She's just crying! And crying! And crying!!!
6:30. Daddy came home and told her Happy Birthday, she explained how she needs a cake and a present. It should be a teapot. I'm just glad she quit crying.
They are both sick and feeling yucky. Poor girl, sick on her fake birthday. I'm looking mighty fine. Getting some lovely cleavage from this sudden end of an era. In fact, I was barely recognizable.
24 Hours!!! She was not asking for it at all. She had some water and she had rice for dinner. Gracie looked at her rice and went to the bathroom and threw up. I was hoping tomorrow would be better for everyone, and that Libby would still be "Fee Yeez Ode" and really, I feel like this last year went by way too fast! Whatever, if she wants to be three, I'm ok with that, but she's gonna stay three for a year and a half at least!
Daddy rocked her to sleep without a battle of any kind. No resistance. But, she said, "When I was little, I was a baby and I used to have boo boo. Now I big. I free yeez ode." Ah, reminiscing about the good ol' days.
Day 2: She slept through the whole night in her own bed! I think I am gonna like having boob freedom! Speaking of my boobs... my cups runneth over. Damn, I was sexy!
Libby asked for it in the morning and I reminded her that she is too big. She cried. She said she is sad. But she moved on to the breakfast table without a problem. We had blueberry muffins for breakfast and Libby was so excited! "My Birfday cake!" Oh, kid, this birthday thing is just too much fun! At least there is some fun to the big changes going on in our lives.
Both girls were to be feeling good that day. No puking or poop explosions. yay! To celebrate their return to normal digestive processes, we went shopping and found a little tea set. Happy Third Birthday, Libby-Lou.
It has been almost three months since we weaned. She still insists that she is "Fwee Yeez Ode" and one of these days the calendar will catch up with her. She's eating and sleeping like a champ, but still enjoys some lap-time. My voluptuous figure shrank; I'm looking droopy but feeling normal. We have tea parties often; I've drank more than my fair share of imaginary tea! She has trouble falling asleep, consoling herself when her feelings are hurt, or conquering boredom, but she's come a long way since the old days when she nursed.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
The Kindergarten Registration That Didn't Happen
Gracie is supposed to start kindergarten this year. Let's hope that happens!
I have been to the school twice to register her. Both times I was turned away.
Before I went, I checked the school web site and printed out the registration forms. I think I have it all. Maybe.
The first time I attempted to register the kid, I went to the school and found the office. We went in and there was another family in there and a very flustered secretary trying to help them. She told me it would be a long wait because she is the substitute secretary and she was trying to register a family from out of the country. I asked if I could just give her Gracie's name for the kindergarten list and she rolled her eyes at me in this "if it were only that easy" sort of way. Ok, fine, we'll come back another day.
Attempt number two: I went back to the school a few days later. The substitute secretary was still there. She rifled through my folder of papers and informed me that I didn't have everything I need. And, I had papers I didn't need. She wouldn't accept those because they they would be handed out to the students at school and then you fill them out and send them back. It's the same form and I already filled it out. Doesn't matter, they want it sent home and returned to the teacher. Can't you just stick it in her file and then it's done? No. Well... Ok. I didn't have enough proof that we live here. I needed one more utility bill, my drivers license wouldn't work as ID. Hmm, well, Ok.
And then she looked at Gracie's immunization card and said, oh no. We can't register her at all. You can take all of your papers and go. What? Yes, the substitute secretary told me no way for registering. So I asked to talk to someone else, maybe someone who isn't a substitute. She called over a couple of other ladies and they all agreed that Gracie was missing six shots and if she's just missing one, she cannot enroll in school. They can't even take her name down as a student who will be coming in the fall. I told them I'll sign a vaccine waiver so we can at least get her registered and I'll get her shots over the summer before school starts. Nope. No waiver. Since I showed them her immunization card, it is obvious that my religion does not prohibit shots. I was given the "don't waste our time" look in triplicate, so I left. Again, not registered for kindergarten.
That was all last April, or maybe it was May.
Now it is the end of July. I think I have enough paperwork for them, lets hope so anyway. I have a folder full of stuff to take them, and they can take whatever fits in their file.
I took Gracie to get her shots too. She's all caught up! I checked on the California Dept of Education website to see what shots are required for kindergarten entry, and sure enough, she doesn't need six stinking shots! She only needed three and three is all she got. I printed that page and put it in her kindergarten paperwork packet just in case the school does not agree. I also found out that I can sign a "Personal Choice" waiver instead of a "Religious Beliefs" waiver for the shots if they want her to have more shots than required. Cool. I am all for getting the shots, but not all at once!
Kindergarten starts August 11th. I'm hoping to get her registered before then, but we'll see. The office might be closed until closer to the start date, but I will swing by the school and check next week. I am really hoping to get her in our neighborhood school before it fills up and they start turning students away. Private kindergarten costs over five grand! I'm not so sure I'm up for home schooling. Overcrowded public school sounds so much better! And I'm shooting for the afternoon class. What are the odds that I can last-minute register my daughter and get my first pick time slot?
I have been to the school twice to register her. Both times I was turned away.
Before I went, I checked the school web site and printed out the registration forms. I think I have it all. Maybe.
The first time I attempted to register the kid, I went to the school and found the office. We went in and there was another family in there and a very flustered secretary trying to help them. She told me it would be a long wait because she is the substitute secretary and she was trying to register a family from out of the country. I asked if I could just give her Gracie's name for the kindergarten list and she rolled her eyes at me in this "if it were only that easy" sort of way. Ok, fine, we'll come back another day.
Attempt number two: I went back to the school a few days later. The substitute secretary was still there. She rifled through my folder of papers and informed me that I didn't have everything I need. And, I had papers I didn't need. She wouldn't accept those because they they would be handed out to the students at school and then you fill them out and send them back. It's the same form and I already filled it out. Doesn't matter, they want it sent home and returned to the teacher. Can't you just stick it in her file and then it's done? No. Well... Ok. I didn't have enough proof that we live here. I needed one more utility bill, my drivers license wouldn't work as ID. Hmm, well, Ok.
And then she looked at Gracie's immunization card and said, oh no. We can't register her at all. You can take all of your papers and go. What? Yes, the substitute secretary told me no way for registering. So I asked to talk to someone else, maybe someone who isn't a substitute. She called over a couple of other ladies and they all agreed that Gracie was missing six shots and if she's just missing one, she cannot enroll in school. They can't even take her name down as a student who will be coming in the fall. I told them I'll sign a vaccine waiver so we can at least get her registered and I'll get her shots over the summer before school starts. Nope. No waiver. Since I showed them her immunization card, it is obvious that my religion does not prohibit shots. I was given the "don't waste our time" look in triplicate, so I left. Again, not registered for kindergarten.
That was all last April, or maybe it was May.
Now it is the end of July. I think I have enough paperwork for them, lets hope so anyway. I have a folder full of stuff to take them, and they can take whatever fits in their file.
I took Gracie to get her shots too. She's all caught up! I checked on the California Dept of Education website to see what shots are required for kindergarten entry, and sure enough, she doesn't need six stinking shots! She only needed three and three is all she got. I printed that page and put it in her kindergarten paperwork packet just in case the school does not agree. I also found out that I can sign a "Personal Choice" waiver instead of a "Religious Beliefs" waiver for the shots if they want her to have more shots than required. Cool. I am all for getting the shots, but not all at once!
Kindergarten starts August 11th. I'm hoping to get her registered before then, but we'll see. The office might be closed until closer to the start date, but I will swing by the school and check next week. I am really hoping to get her in our neighborhood school before it fills up and they start turning students away. Private kindergarten costs over five grand! I'm not so sure I'm up for home schooling. Overcrowded public school sounds so much better! And I'm shooting for the afternoon class. What are the odds that I can last-minute register my daughter and get my first pick time slot?
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