Parent Teacher Conferences

This week I had both of my children's parent teacher conferences. Scheduling worked out that they were one after the other, albeit in different schools. Thankfully the location of these two schools is close in proximity.

First up was Miss Thing's teacher. And I have to say I LOVE HER. LOVE. I would totally hang out with her. She told me that Miss Thing is wonderful, perfect, an absolute joy to have. She's ready to go off to 6th grade today. Always nice to hear, really.

Next up, Lil Man's teacher. Starts off my telling me how much she loves Lil Man. LOVES. Tells me how sweet, sensitive, nice and hard-working he is. I am silently counting myself very lucky for having such wonderful kids, that I almost miss her last comment.

"And.... he's VERY FUNNY."

Oh, yes. I know. It's his timing really. He says things and has NO IDEA how funny he is.

"And... he GETS jokes that just go over the other kid's heads."

Uh, yep. I know that too.

"For example, I will say a little joke to the class and he's the only one who looks up at me with a smirk. It goes over all the other kid's heads. I ACTUALLY said, 'Gee, I feel like I'm talking to a bunch of cows in the meadow'"

(already smirking...)

And Lil Man says without missing a beat, "Yeah, I know what ya mean."

And she roared.

God, when he harnesses this timing thing, I hope he keeps his charming personality, so as to avoid getting in trouble. I can just SEE him making the WHOLE CLASS crack up with his one-liners. And ya know, he has NO IDEA how funny he is. None.

Who Me, Stressed?

Slightly.

This is the understatement of the year. I actually have to keep reminding myself to stop scowling/frowning as those wrinkles will surely become a permanent fixture. Miss Thing keeps asking me if I am mad, even when I am the farthest thing from mad. I may have to learn some meditative breathing to lighten up a bit. Here's what's got me stressed...

1. Two Graduate classes = 12 credits. One of which is a Thesis Writing and Methodologies Class.

2. That Thesis class I mentioned? I handed in my first research paper and had it returned to me THREE times before I had it in the proper MLA format. Fuck, fuck, fuckity-fuck. I guess that explains the additional pound weight loss this week. Officially, 51 pounds lost, NINE to go!

3. The other class is a studio class and I have to create 4 pieces of art in the next 10 weeks. Yeah, no pressure.

4. This class had a hidden section which I was supposed to post my journal, which I hadn't done and didn't see and only learned about from a wonderful girl in my class who called me THREE times and left messages. If not for my new on-line friend, I would have hung myself in the garage by now.

5. Work, which sucked the big one ALL SUMMER LONG, now is cruising at just under warp speed. I have deadlines EVERY DAY! Not complaining here, as this allows me to buy dinner for our family on those nights I am rewriting and rewriting my thesis paper.

6. If not for On-Star, I would have run out of oil as I somehow completely forgot that you have to periodically go and change the oil. Can you imagine, eventually they are going to give me a MASTER'S DEGREE and I can't even remember to change the oil??

7. I made an appointment to get the oil changed today, Monday October 13th AFTER the kids got on the bus.

8. And I JUST realized there is NO school today. Whatever, they can come with me and dear they whine, I will scowl/frown at them.

9. I had made an appointment today for Miss Thing to get her eyes checked after we discovered Lil Man needed glasses recently. I made it for today after school.

10. See number 8. Yes, no school. God, I suck and really need to keep my calendar with me.

On top of the above, we are well into Fall Soccer season which means we have an additional four days of running to practice and games. Here's how the schedule is looking...

Monday - CCD for Miss Thing directly after school, which means I have to go pick up both kids or Lil Man would be standing outside of a locked house by himself until I arrived some 10 - 15 minutes later. Then, Miss Thing has Karate 7:15 - 8:30.

Tuesday - Miss Thing has Newspaper club - pick-up at 4:00; Lil Man has Karate 6:00 - 7:15 and Miss Thing usually goes to help student teach (she's a red belt now, one belt away from Black belt)

Wednesday - Tricky day because I teach my College Class and need to leave by 5:00 with dinner on the table for 4:30. Lil Man has Soccer practice at 5:30 and Miss Thing has Karate at 7:15 - 8:30.

Thursday - Miss Thing has Soccer practice at 5:30 and Lil Man has Karate at 6:00 - 7:15.

Friday - Blissfully nothing, but I usually do the grocery shopping.

Saturday - Lil Man's Soccer Game.

Sunday - Miss Thing's Soccer Game.

Add in those crazy house chores, shopping, Birthday parties, Halloween costumes and supplies for the pumpkin decorating competition and I am ready for the looney bin. Thankfully Soccer ends right before Halloween and November should be a lot lighter. Tell me, are you all as hectic as this??

5-0

And, no I don't mean the Po-Po, for those of you with street cred or any dealing with college kids (that's how I get me my slang).

I am shouting from the roof tops that I have hit a Monumental Goal - 50 pounds lost!



Of course, it took much longer than I had hoped, I am currently in Week 38 of this journey. And YES, I will admit to flipping off the scale EVERY FUCKING MORNING from then til now. AND I'll also admit to joining (YES, FUCKING JOINING - ME SO NOT A JOINER) a 2 day a week aerobics class and a Zumba salsa dancing aerobics class in order to break that plateau.

But, I can say with great pride, that I am down to that last 10 pounds I need to lose. I may just make it by the end of the year after all.

Biggest Hugs To My Little Sis

And all the love there is to my Lil Sis (her site is AWOL, at the moment). Because she doesn't seem to know it herself, and I don't TELL her nearly enough, I am now saying on record that "My Sister is an incredible, warm, loving, Mom/Sister/Daughter/Wife/Friend/Student and all around wonderful human being that I have the great privilege to be near on a regular basis AND related to. She makes me laugh like no one else. She is honest and kind. She is the best sister a girl could have."

Leave her some love here in the comments. She's going through a lot right now and could use the kind words.