Spring Musical

Today was Big Kid's 2nd grade spring musical. He was a carrot:

I dreaded going, like I dread all school events. I looked forward to seeing him in the carrot costume but could have skipped the rest.

But as I sat there and watched him and the rest of the awkward, squeaky-voiced, not-quite-big-but-not-quite-little 2nd graders, I cried like a crazy person. And the spring musical wasn't a dark comedy or anything.  I was silent and didn't make a scene but I could not stop the tears from coming. I didn't want to cry! I was highly concerned about my eye makeup! I don't think other people were crying!

I was filled with happiness and not sadness (thus the confusion about the non-stop water works) but I just couldn't believe he was in 2nd grade going into 3rd already, and he was so stinking cute up there, and I just wish I could freeze time forever and be subjected to a lifetime of terribly out-of-tune musical productions in rooms full of pushy parents with cameras for the rest of eternity, as long as I could keep him little.

I'm so proud I made that.

I wish I could keep him (with me) forever.

I've never cried over a carrot before.

Things I Think Are Cool

Design your own Lego kit
Create a muppet
Book art on shirts
Scrabble rug
The Stampler
Coffee temperature regulator
Rainy day sound site

Today I Learned

Today I learned that little kid can reach the very top shelf of the cup cabinet if he's really determined and has a bar stool.

Today I learned that little kid can open child-proof tops.

Today I learned the number for poison control and that they are very nice.

Today I learned that if you're a child you get a private room instead of one of those bullshit "hall beds" for your E.R. visit.

Today I learned if you drink an undetermined amount of Children's Benadryl, you will be lying in the hospital for hours for observation.

Today I learned that even an overdose will only barely slow little kid down, and only very temporarily.

Today I learned that little kid still cannot be trusted long enough for me to shower.

It was a very expensive shower.

Appreciation

Big Kid just came home with the following essay:

How My Parents Help Me Grow 

My parents take me many places and make sure I have fun. They teach me in alot of ways. They teach me math, reading, scince and much more. My dad teaches me how to borrow and carry. My mom lets me choose books so I can get smarter. I had alot of fun in the past 7 years and its because of them.

I need to teach him that a lot is two words, but isn't that so sweet? Things like this make it all worth the trouble.

He also chose an important person to draw a portrait of in art class and he picked Bill Cosby--a young Bill, from the Fat Albert days. I don't know why but I think that is so freaking cool.

Freaking Florida

I am really alarmed with Florida recently.

Our governor is a crook. And I don't just mean as a politician, homeboy is a criminal and I'd think the same thing if he was a member of my political party.  He was CEO of a company that was charged with 14 felonies and agreed to a $600 million fine for Medicare fraud. He frequently endorses policies that benefit a $62 million investment he still has (in his wife's name, he claims this makes it not a conflict of interest....). He wants state employees to start being drug tested--fine, but he happens to own a chain of businesses that do drug testing and this would cost tax payers $23.5 million a year. Yet he just made deep cuts to programs that benefit the severely disabled because we can't afford them.

We have legislators that can't bring themselves to say or hear the word "uterus" but feel obliged to make decisions about other people's.

We are trying to base teacher pay on student performance. The same teachers we force to deal with teaching to the FCAT standardized tests. The same teachers who have already had their salaries and budgets cut repeatedly. In theory it's a fine idea, but I'd like to see some of these politicians volunteer in the classroom before making this decision. There are at least 3 kids in Big Kid's class that if my pay was based on their performance, I'd be praying nightly for their disappearance.

The FCAT is destroying education, by the way. Big Kid, who has a deep love of learning and has always loved school, is sick to his stomach every Sunday night because he dreads going to school and doing worksheets all of the time. They are little form-filling factories--it is boring and stupid and I don't blame him for hating it. It's sad. His teacher hates it too and fondly remembers the days they had time for science experiments and projects in class. Big Kid will do great on the FCAT, but he'll probably hate school forever now.

I could go on...and on...and on. I have been seriously considering and researching moving. I just need to figure out if I could live without our beaches (and I need to convince Mr. Ashley, I guess.)

Tired

So I'm just slapping some links together and calling it a post!

Friends
Uh-oh
Inner voice
2 Questions
Dad
Wish granted
My version of heaven
Family decals
Happiness graph
Banksy
Significance

(I just realized these are rather depressing as a group, that wasn't intentional and/or is not a reflection of anything. I don't think.)