Superhero Lucy

When we were in Colorado the girls started a conversation about superpowers.  I asked them if they could have one superpower, what would it be.  Emma wanted the superpower that when you reached behind your back you could make anything appear in your hand; a sword, a magic wand, a light saber...(a starbucks?)

When I asked Lucy she said, "I want to be able to make bubbles under water"  Then she thought for a moment and added, "But not using my mouth."

Oh Lucy, you already have that superpower.

Bubbles

When we were in Colorado for Spring Break we bought a book on bubble blowing fun. It had a recipe in it for making your own bubbles. I doctored it a bit (because I can never follow a recipe exactly) and we used the rope and stick that came with the book to make these great bubbles in the front yard. Look at Emma's face.

 

I used the sports mode on my big canon camera to shoot these photos.  It has a burst mode and it captured the bubbles bursting in mid air.  Love this effect and the girls loved seeing it in the pictures because it was way to fast to see with the naked eye. 

Emma twirled the bubbles around her, too.  

But by far the most hilarious moments were when the bubbles stopped forming and the girls started chanting and singing in the front yard.  Emma remarked that the bubble magic had left them and that they should try to bring back the bubble magic.  So Lucy and Emma started chanting "magic be with us, magic be with us..."  I am pretty sure that between the dancing and the chanting the neighbors think we are wicken now.   But it worked...the bubbles returned (after the wind died down).

Too Busy and Too Opinionated

I have not blogged in a long time. I took time off for lots of reasons. I told myself and others I was too busy. But the reasons are more complex than that. Yes, I am busy, but another reason is I felt like I couldn't say what I wanted to say anymore. I had too many people reading my blog and I didn't want to make anyone mad. I also felt like people were tired of reading about my kids and that was so much of what I had to say. So I stopped. Well now I am back and I realize that I missed over two months of logging my children's life. I started this blog for them and for me. Not for anyone else. So if I make people mad or if they get sick of reading about my kids then they should stop tuning in. I am back and I have a lot to say. It feels better to vent on here. I can't believe that I worried about losing followers over this. Just look, there are only 13 of you. I would post a link to Facebook and according to the stats 94 people would click over, but only 9 people would hit the like button. I'm tired of measuring myself by that yardstick. Good riddance. Let's get something off my chest. Every single morning I sit in traffic in order to take my girls to school. The left lane has been closed for 5 months due to construction heading north. And every morning the same people pass me on the left as we just sit in our little line waiting to get on the highway. It is as if they think we are stupid or slow and that the rules just don't apply to them. I assure you, my IQ is just fine and my foot is heavy when it counts. But I think that society as a whole is better if we follow the rules and all do what is expected of us. If we all tried to cut in line, it would wreak havoc on the other end. And you have car seats in your big 'ol SUV and your kids are watching you. And your kids are going to be the ones who cut in line at school because they think that the rules don't apply to them. Enough! Get in line like the rest of us! The same rules apply to you! Yes, I am in a hurry too! I also have to get to work! My job is very important too! My life is also very worthwhile and important! I have recognized several people that I know zip past me morning after morning. I have lost respect for them. Completely. What are you teaching your children? If you drive fast enough or wave sweet enough, you can just jump to the front of the line? Well, when that person slowed down for you, they kept us from making it through the light, so yea, it does have an actual affect on us. What you do does affect others. It makes us later because were were too stupid to follow the rules. Then I get to school and see people not following procedure for drop off and parking in the crosswalk and I think to myself, "Why bother?" Why do I bother to teach my kids to do the right thing? I am in the minority. I am a salmon swimming upstream. So are my kids.

Why I Like Control

Last year for a brief period of time (apparently at least a day) I decided to just "let things happen".  It was school picture day last year and it was the only free dress day that the girls have all year.  The night before picture day these words came out of my mouth, "You girls can pick what you want to wear."  They looked at me in shock then ran to their rooms lest their real mother come back and inhabit her body.

When I picked them up from school they informed me that they were allowed to take sibling pictures.  I said, "You mean you had your picture taken TOGETHER?"  It was the first year I had two children in school together.  I had never heard of this.  I was not prepared.  And I had given up control to a four year old and a nine year old.

While I did not order the sibling photo from the school photographer, I did violate copyright by snapping this photo just before I turned in the proofs as a reminder to myself what happens when I give up control.

This year, I decided not to leave things to chance.  My coffee, I will leave up to chance.  This is serious business.  This year's attire...

For all those people who just think things just have a way of working out, there is usually a very busy mom working things out in the background.

Profiling at Starbucks

Yes, I frequent Starbucks.  No, I haven't found a little independent shop to support with my mighty dollar.  Besides, it's on my way...everywhere...  And I feel some amount of guilt about contributing to the corporate monster.  But Starbucks employees are so happy.  They seem to have the best job in the whole world when you walk in. So I continue to give my dollar to the corporate giant.  But this story isn't about that.  It is about how I am a freak. 

If you do not know me very well, you might have surmised from my stories that I am a bit of a control freak.  I leave very little to chance in my life.  I do not gamble.  I do not wait and see how things turn out in most cases...I make my own outcomes, so to speak.  So it is very surprising that a few years ago without really meaning to, I began to play a game of Starbucks roulette.  It all started one day when I was in a particularly indecisive mood. (Gasp!)  I was in line at my local Starbucks then suddenly they moved on and the very happy, perky person was asking me what she could make for me today.  I didn't know.  I absolutely had not had enough time to come to a decision.  So without thinking I said, "Whatever the person in front of me ordered is fine."

And so it started.  Most of the time, for the last 3 years, when I go to Starbucks I order what the person in front of me orders.  This has forced me, over the years, to try many, many drinks that I would never have tried.  I have had a lot of success and quite a few failures.  I discovered I can't stand soy milk.  NOT a fan of Chai!  Bleh!  And these people who order extra hot, holy cow!  They must have already burned off their taste buds in a nuclear accident, geez!  There are days, every now and again when I have a craving for something in particular, or when I walk in and there is no one in line.  Then I am on my own.  But most days there is a line.

This leads me to what I think can be classified as profiling.  As I get in line behind someone, I will size the person up and down, scrutinize them very carefully, if you will.  I will look at them to try to determine if they look lactose intolerant.  What kind of phone do they carry.  Are they a busy mom or pharmaceutical rep?  I am a Starbucks profiler.  If I determine that they look like a bad orderer, I will say to the person in line behind me, "You go ahead, I am having trouble deciding what I want."  Which, of course, is true.  Then I will try and size them up.  Do they look like they take care of themselves?  I really need to order non-fat today.  I hope this girl straight from exercise class isn't binging after spin but is still health conscience after yoga.

As you can see the thought process is quite extensive.  And if you will remember, this whole process started because I didn't want to THINK.  Ordering what the person in front of you ordered, took the thinking out of the equation.  It was easy, just walk in and say "ditto".  Now, look at me!  I am now over-thinking the person, scanning the crowd for a better orderer.  Oh, wait, look at her!  She looks like she knows how to order, no really you go ahead, I just need to take this call...I am just going to slip in here at the back of the line.  I just lost 6 minutes by ducking to the back of the line but I dodged the "soy bullet" big time...whew.  Okay, we are just about up, it's almost our turn, here she goes, wait for it, don't lean in too close, she will think you are weird...

And so the internal dialogue goes until I hear "I will have a grande, non-fat, triple splenda, extra foam, vanilla latte."

Jackpot!  I smile to myself.  And when it is my turn to belly up to the barista I say, "I'll have what she's having."

I love this game...

Before School Science Lesson

This morning on the way to school Lucy asked, "Mommy, why do we need trees?"

Well Lucy, we need trees to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen.  We exhale carbon dioxide and the trees take in that carbon dioxide along with sunlight and H2O and they release oxygen into the air so we can breathe.  We also need trees for shade.  They provide important habitat for birds and other animals who use the trees as their homes.  Once upon a time, humans cut down too many trees because we wanted the land or the wood to build things or to make paper, but we discovered that we altered the lives of animals and whole ecosystems by cutting down too many trees.

There are so many things that put carbon dioxide out into the air, like cars and coal plants, and cows.  This carbon dioxide is causing the planet to warm up just a little and changing the weather patterns.  We need all the trees to scrub the air clean and convert as much CO2 as possible into O2.

In her announcers voice Emma then said "And that concludes our before-school science lesson of the day.  Mom, when I ride the bus next year to middle school, how will I get the 10 minute science lesson of the day?"

Good question.

Listen to me throw Lucy under the Bus on National Public Radio

I was interviewed for a radio program out of LA called To the Point.  It is a long show (51 minutes, I believe).  Oklahoma has publicly funded pre-K.  They wanted the opinion of a mother from a red state who had a child go through pre-K last year.

In the first part of the interview I kind of spoke honestly (disparagingly) about Lucy.  If you have followed this blog for any length of time, you know Lucy was a pill up until she started school.
 
Universal Pre-School Education: Poverty and Politics - To the Point on KCRW 89.9 FM | Internet Public Radio Station Streaming Live Independent Music & NPR News Online from Los Angeles, CA


They posted my name on their website with my twitter handle.  I am waiting for the tweets to start!

It was so scary to be on live radio!

Ignore all the "um's"