Candi

There are definite advantages to having 4 kids. Like days like today where they keep each other busy, which makes my job much easier. I have to admit my tan is starting to look quite complete and we haven’t even gone on vacation yet!

I just realized after having my full keyboard cell phone for 2 months, that you don’t have to hold down the Caps or Shift key while pressing the other key at the same time. You just press it once and the press the other key right after….duh!

Moblogged by Candi

(I wrote this on Wednesday, but forgot to publish. I will write about today tomorrow morning, I have pics to share too! I gotta watch So You Think You Can Dance tonight!)

The last week of school is always fun for the kids. I don’t remember it being that way, but I suppose that is because I remember my high school years more than elementary school. I remember it being a week filled with final exams, cleaning up the classrooms, and tearful letters to friends that you knew you weren’t going to see over the summer.

The school is really making this last year of elementary school a lot of fun for Andrew. Monday they had a school Talent Show. None of my boys were in it, they all said they were NOT going to get in front of the school and do something stupid, but yet they came home and talked about some of the neat stuff people did. Yesterday they had Fun Day where the whole school participates in various outdoor activities and the 6th graders were in charge of some of the games and such. Today the 6th graders are going to a local pool club where they will have a party and swim.

This morning when I woke Andrew up he informed me that he had to be to school a few minutes early because he is being interviewed by the local newspaper for The Heidelberg Project. (The link is to the site where the project started, I couldn’t find the link to the local project that is being replicated in our area.) Here is what our school has created and honestly I don’t know much more about it. This is the first time Andrew was involved in something and I feel so out of the loop. I remember the kids bringing a paper home that said the school was taking donations of shoes for the project and I tossed it in the garbage because I had just gone through their shoes and threw out their old ones. A couple of weeks ago he told me that the poem he wrote about The Heidelberg Project is being submitted to something. When he told me it got blended in my head with the rest of my mumbo jumbo. Now I feel bad. Obviously this is a big deal, here he is being interviewed today!

As I sat down to work as the boys left for school I was beating myself up a little bit. I realize though that this is only the beginning of what is to come in Andrew’s life that I won’t be part of. He is going to be entering junior high, turning 13 years old, and he doesn’t need me to be right at his side anymore. We talk a lot and he is very open with me about everything from girls, to his body changing, and whatever else is going on in his almost teenage life. It just scares me though… thinking about how he doesn’t NEED me as much. I am lucky that he is so mature and responsible, but that just shows me that he needs me even less.

Tomorrow the school is having 6th grade Recognition. I am not sure exactly what goes on beings this is my first time going, but I hope Andrew gets something for all of his hard work this year. He has gotten all A’s since 4th grade except for one B that he received in the first quarter of 4th grade. I did talk to another mom who has an 8th grader and she said that when her daughter graduated 6th grade the school did not give out anything for making Honor Roll because the principal does not like to make the learning disabled kids to feel bad for not getting awards. I don’t know why they couldn’t have improvement type awards for those kids, but whatever. When I was in school we always received something for being on the Honor roll, including having our name in the newspaper. It should be a memorable event for us and the kids tomorrow. I hope I don’t cry.

The kids’ school had a lottery to see which kids would get to go to all day Kindergarten next year. The school has 3 Kindergarten classes, 1 all day, 1 half day morning and 1 half day afternoon. About 35 kids signed up for all day and only 20 were selected. Chase got picked!! I am so happy! He has already gone this year half days for Young Fives and he will be more than ready for all day next year. I feel a little guilty for wanting him to go all day, but with me trying to work all day, he will be better off being at school than at home fighting with Karli. Karli will go to preschool 3 days a week, just for 2 1/2 hours. She is so much easier to occupy on her own, she loves coloring, puzzles, and playing with her girly toys. For some reason when Chase gets home from school they just go at one another all day. Huge sigh of relief that his name got picked for all day.

Andrew made the All Star team for baseball which equals more practices and more games. Actually long weekend tournaments are in our near future. I am excited for him. He really is impressive this year. Puberty has changed the kid in so many ways. Strange! Now he is saying that he might play football again in the fall now that he is bigger and stronger….LOL!

Only two more weeks of school and then summer break begins. I don’t know how I am going to do it (work) with the kids home all day. Mornings will be okay. I mean I can get up a bit earlier than the kids and try to get some stuff done, maybe start laundry and so forth, but they will be begging to go outside after lunch. Chase and Karli aren’t old enough to let them outside by themselves and I can’t count on Andrew to watch them 100%… not around the pool. Just isn’t worth it. So I will soon be outside a lot… I do a lot of reading in the summer. It has it’s pluses. We are scheduling interviews all the time so I think it will be okay if I am not working as hard. I think it’s more about me not being so hard on myself really.

We decided to do a road trip for our summer vacation. Rather than just drive down to Myrtle Beach, I guess we are going to make our way through the Smokey Mountains, stop at some caves, Gatlinburg (Tennessee), and who knows what else. We will spend about a week in Myrtle Beach and then on our way back home we’ll go a different route and go through Virginia and West Virgina or something. Totally wing it! We have 12 days to do whatever we want basically. If you know me… I don’t really care for “winging it”, but I am trying to not be so narrow minded and let things happen as they may. The plan is… there is no plan. Ugh.

My niece is with her daddy this weekend! I can’t wait to see her! BBQ on Sunday and we are opening the pool tomorrow, even though the weather around here has been on the cool side. Hopefully it will warm up soon.