So.
I went to the eye doctor (shouldn't it be eyes doctor?) yesterday and got some bad news. My left eye is not doing so well these days. It has decided to be larger than my right eye and not see as well as it used to. I blame Obama. I think I get this blame everything on Obama from John. If the left is bigger than the right, it has to be Obama and the Liberal Agenda's fault.
I had Lasik surgery in 2000 and have had over nine blissful years of not dealing with glasses or contacts. It has been so amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone who suffers from Mr. Magoo syndrome like I did. I don't want to wear glasses again but at least if I do they won't have to be so thick they necessitate a permit to be worn on sunny days.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
The Family We Get to Choose
Robby has been lost at preschool for the last week and a half. Every morning he gets to the steps and scans the playground looking for his best-est friend, Emma. When he discovers she's not there, he slowly descends the steps and half-heartedly heads off to play. Emma's grandmother died and she has been home grieving with her family. When it happened, the teacher told us parents, but not the kids. Two days ago, I had to break down and tell Robby what had happened and why Emma was not in school. We were driving home from school and Robby asked me, "Why do people die? Do kids die too?". Naturally, I assumed they had mentioned it in school that day.
Such tough questions coming from his little four year old brain. I knew I didn't want to lie to him and so I told him that yes, sometimes kids die too. I told him that every living thing will one day die. In the past, I've told him way too much information and all he wants is specific direct answers. He asked, "Who am I going to live with when you and Papa die?". I told him that by the time we died he would already be living with his own wife and children and not with us. He seemed to grasp that. I also told him that I thought that even if a person has died and you cannot see them or touch them anymore a part of them will always be with you in your mind and heart. Then he said that was why we included the "those I never knew" in his nightly prayer. So that Grandpa Charlie (my dad) and Peepaw (John's dad) would stay in our hearts. "Exactly.", I said.
He hasn't asked any more about death since that afternoon. When we got to school this morning he scanned the children running around the playground, as he has every day since she has been gone. At the very moment he spotted her running toward him with her long brown hair flying behind her I could actually feel his heart leap from his chest. They hugged and ran off chasing each other and laughing. They didn't say one word to each other, but I could see that each child was getting exactly what they needed from the other.
I am blessed to know this kind of friendship three-fold in my life. I am ever so grateful that Robby knows it too and at such a young age. There are many sayings about friendship but the one that has always stuck with me is this one; Friends are the family you get to choose.
My dear friend is flying to Chicago today to say goodbye to her dying father. Even though we don't get to play with each other five days a week anymore, our friendship, at its core, is a lot like Robby and Emma's. I know that when I do get see my friend, my heart will leap at seeing her and getting to hug and comfort her. Because we are adults, she knows that I am here for her and I know that she will make it through this tough chapter in her life. But oh, how my heart aches with longing for that shared hug. I wish I could sweep her up, hug her and run off to the swing set with her and make it all okay.
Such tough questions coming from his little four year old brain. I knew I didn't want to lie to him and so I told him that yes, sometimes kids die too. I told him that every living thing will one day die. In the past, I've told him way too much information and all he wants is specific direct answers. He asked, "Who am I going to live with when you and Papa die?". I told him that by the time we died he would already be living with his own wife and children and not with us. He seemed to grasp that. I also told him that I thought that even if a person has died and you cannot see them or touch them anymore a part of them will always be with you in your mind and heart. Then he said that was why we included the "those I never knew" in his nightly prayer. So that Grandpa Charlie (my dad) and Peepaw (John's dad) would stay in our hearts. "Exactly.", I said.
He hasn't asked any more about death since that afternoon. When we got to school this morning he scanned the children running around the playground, as he has every day since she has been gone. At the very moment he spotted her running toward him with her long brown hair flying behind her I could actually feel his heart leap from his chest. They hugged and ran off chasing each other and laughing. They didn't say one word to each other, but I could see that each child was getting exactly what they needed from the other.
I am blessed to know this kind of friendship three-fold in my life. I am ever so grateful that Robby knows it too and at such a young age. There are many sayings about friendship but the one that has always stuck with me is this one; Friends are the family you get to choose.
My dear friend is flying to Chicago today to say goodbye to her dying father. Even though we don't get to play with each other five days a week anymore, our friendship, at its core, is a lot like Robby and Emma's. I know that when I do get see my friend, my heart will leap at seeing her and getting to hug and comfort her. Because we are adults, she knows that I am here for her and I know that she will make it through this tough chapter in her life. But oh, how my heart aches with longing for that shared hug. I wish I could sweep her up, hug her and run off to the swing set with her and make it all okay.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Yes We Did
I come from a long line of women who were saying "Yes we can" long before politicians. I submit the following evidence:
We purchased a new BBQ grill and having no access to a truck needed a way to get it home. We took it out of the box in the parking lot of the store and what would not fit in the trunk of our Mitsubishi, went into the backseat. Right next to our 4 year old in his car seat.
Thinking outside the box or desperation? You decide.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Channeling Annie Kinsella
I cannot believe that the summer is almost over! Where did it go? We had a six day stretch of record high temps but other than that it's been a cool (cruel?) summer.
School started yesterday in our neck of the woods. Robby is one year away from Kindergarten. (Is is Kindergarden in the US? I'll stick with the original German spelling.) Our assigned public school does not have full-time Kindergarten. They have two sessions, both 2 days a week with an third day thrown in every other week. This means that we will still have to shell out money for daycare/preschool for another year. The daycare center he is attending now offers a Kindergarten class with an accredited teacher and everything. If we had to make the decision today, he'd stay in daycare Kindergarten and wait until first grade to go to the public school.
As a parent, how do I know what's best for his education? What research can I do to assure myself I've made an educated and correct decision? I'd like to use the public school system and not just for the financial freedom it will offer. I've heard about charter schools where they are supervised by the government but parents chip in financially. I don't think we have any in our area though. Most private schools here are faith based and very expensive. I am going to check out the Jewish school and some Christian schools though and compare. To be honest though, I feel extremely uncomfortable exposing him to one specific faith and other people's beliefs. Spirituality is important to me and I want it to be important to my kid. How do I accomplish this without exposing him to all the thing I disagree with in the religion I was raised in? These are the questions that keep me up at night. Homeschooling is out of the question for two reasons. One, I want Robby to be smarter than us and two, I don't think I could be his teacher and mom and stay sane.
My plan is to join the PTO (When did it stop being the PTA?) and watch that scene from Field Of Dreams over and over. You know the one. Where Kevin Costner and Amy Madigan are at the PTA meeting and they are discussing banning books from the school. She stands up to defend Terrance Mann and calls Beulah (another parent) Eva Braun and says "At least he's not a book burner you Nazi cow". That's me. Poor Robby....
School started yesterday in our neck of the woods. Robby is one year away from Kindergarten. (Is is Kindergarden in the US? I'll stick with the original German spelling.) Our assigned public school does not have full-time Kindergarten. They have two sessions, both 2 days a week with an third day thrown in every other week. This means that we will still have to shell out money for daycare/preschool for another year. The daycare center he is attending now offers a Kindergarten class with an accredited teacher and everything. If we had to make the decision today, he'd stay in daycare Kindergarten and wait until first grade to go to the public school.
As a parent, how do I know what's best for his education? What research can I do to assure myself I've made an educated and correct decision? I'd like to use the public school system and not just for the financial freedom it will offer. I've heard about charter schools where they are supervised by the government but parents chip in financially. I don't think we have any in our area though. Most private schools here are faith based and very expensive. I am going to check out the Jewish school and some Christian schools though and compare. To be honest though, I feel extremely uncomfortable exposing him to one specific faith and other people's beliefs. Spirituality is important to me and I want it to be important to my kid. How do I accomplish this without exposing him to all the thing I disagree with in the religion I was raised in? These are the questions that keep me up at night. Homeschooling is out of the question for two reasons. One, I want Robby to be smarter than us and two, I don't think I could be his teacher and mom and stay sane.
My plan is to join the PTO (When did it stop being the PTA?) and watch that scene from Field Of Dreams over and over. You know the one. Where Kevin Costner and Amy Madigan are at the PTA meeting and they are discussing banning books from the school. She stands up to defend Terrance Mann and calls Beulah (another parent) Eva Braun and says "At least he's not a book burner you Nazi cow". That's me. Poor Robby....
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