ahh, friday...again already...

Redundancy, I know, but life is just cruisin' on by. It seems like the weeks just speed faster and faster....



Yesterday.....Emily and I and the little girls went out to check on the chicken wings...they were indeed past their prime, so we said a tearful goodbye and ferried them to the dumpster....



We then went to her apartment for lunch....the little girls went into her closet and found a bag...it was a bag of toys we cleaned out of Charlotte Claire's room a year ago or so. Emily is bringing it to the Salvation Army. One of these days. Anyway, the little girls think that Em just happened to have some very nice dollies to play with. They each got one, and the playing House began. Upstairs, downstairs, they ran around and played. Emily made coffee, and we had a grand visit. Oh, how I see myself mirrored in my daughter. Her place is clean, but the way she makes herself comfy...just like her mom.



I had to take Mali somewhere, so Sonja and I went into a store that I rarely go to, and while Sonja was choosing between an Arizona tea and a Gatorade, someone crashed into my cart...it was my older brother, Joey! It was just so GOOD to see him. I see him one or two or three times a year, at weddings and graduations and Christmas....he was one of my very favorite brothers growing up, (I had five).



Then Sonja and I went to the library. We drove around the block in the huge van like three times waiting for a good parking spot, but it didn't happen, so we parked and walked....and it was COLD. The worse part was the slippery sidewalk, and me carrying the huge bag of books. Those boys of mine, getting out all those big heavy books. We hit the children's section first and got some nice books for the little girls....they were thrilled last night when I read two "Jesse Bear" books they never heard, and "D.W.'s Book Of Manners"......



Today....I have to go shopping, big surprise. I need some things for the Girls' Sleepover Party that Emily is doing tomorrow night. Since I am the shopper and cook, and I need to replace the wings...I had to come up with Plan B. There were some burgers and hot dogs there already from our Fall Grill, so we are using those, and adding fresh buns and some chicken, which I will prepare and put in some yummy sauce. Not wings, I know, but it will be good. We are having sno-cones, popcorn, and big pretzels for snacks, so I am thinking to go for the Carnival-y theme. Hmm, I should get some cotton candy.....



Here are some things that have been rattling around in my head...



1. The school....there is supposed to be a new "attendance policy" coming into effect next year. Uh-oh for me. There is no way "they" can possibly understand how it is in our family. Take Sonja, for example, who is a straight A student. Her report card stated that her excessive absence has made it difficult to keep her updated on new concepts. Okay, I AM sorry that the teacher has had to go out of her way to put extra time into instructing Sonja. But on the other hand, Sonja is an extremely sweet and helpful child, who is quick to learn, totally responsible, and always completes all assignments. So...my question is: How do "they" think she got like that? By magic? She just happens to be thoughtful, responsible? Or is it just maybe, partly, because her mommy spends time with her and listens to her and teaches her? I am sorry, but having a child home for those years before kindergarten IS a wonderful time, very important time of learning and relaxing and teaching values....but it is not long enough. School kids in our rural district, with the long bus rides, get only FOUR hours a day home, from getting off the bus to getting into bed. (with the exception of the getting-ready-in-the-morning time, which for these guys is an hour each morning, and usually a good and peaceful hour)(and of course the weekends)....so...the kids get their four hours with mommy and the family, usually some of which is spent on homework. So....TOO BAD if I want to have my kids to myself more than that. I am really sorry if some people just keep their kids home and wreck your system, but I love my kids,.....they are slipping through my fingers too quickly as it is, so NO, I am sorry, but I cannot send them all to school every single day. Believe me, I try to space the special days out, so that one child doesn't miss too much...and I totally realize that by the upper grades, this can't happen anymore....they need to be in school to get good grades, so they are.

2. Couch Monster has returned....only one load of darks, folded and neat...but if I don't attack it today, it will grow and overtake me...

3. I am going to cry and cry the day the girls outgrow the Kitty Suit.

4. Suzanne's ten dollar stuffed dog lost an ear yesterday while I was gone. She sewed it back on. It is slightly forward, but it looks sweet.

5. I never ate dinner last night.

6. Unless you count the caramel bugles I ate in the van.

7. Sonja almost talked me into getting a slice of pizza.

8. Sonja is the best pal to take to the library.

9. I stopped biting my nails again a week or two ago.

10. The day we are leaving for Oklahoma is Suzanne's tenth birthday.

11. The day we arrive in Oklahoma is Mirielle's 21st birthday.

12. The girls are playing princess dolls, and Camille's Cinderella is crying...because someone took her money.

13. It is negative five degrees out right now. No WONDER the furnace keeps kicking on...and no WONDER I was so cold when I took Rosie-The-Bad dog out this morning.

14. Oh great....my innocent little girls...one of their dollies is evil,(she took Cinderella's money) apparently, so they have a hair elastic on her for handcuffs...

Well, the day is not getting any younger, and neither am I....