The Queen's Rambles

This week has been crazy, and the weekend is going to be even worse. Erik has his outdoor birthday party on Sunday, which is starting to freak me out. Sunday we were sunny and up in the mid-80s. Monday the sky opened up and the rain hasn’t stopped. There is an indoor facility, but the major component of the party is the campfire. How are we going to have s’mores and roast weenies without a campfire?

Tonight Erik told me he wants to bake his own birthday cake. He has a recipe for a s’more cake that he completely made up. He has some good ideas and I will try to let him help me, but I can’t just turn him lose in the kitchen to make his birthday cake. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

I would love to post something deep about this government shut down, but the whole thing enrages me and there is no way I can come across as articulate and well informed. I live in the DC area. A ton of my SAHM friends have husband’s who work for the government. They are trying to figure out how to pay their bills and not be slammed with all kinds of late fees. At least some of them will be getting retroactive pay, but most of them are contractors and won’t be getting jack. I am convinced that the tea party hates America and Americans. I really hope this is the motivation normal Republicans need to take back their party from extremists. I consider this government shut down an act of terrorism. It is destroying hard-working American families. The longer it goes on, the harder it is going to be for the government’s own employees to get their lives straightened out.

That’s not even talking about the people who depend on their WIC and other government programs. Let’s starve the children so other children can’t get affordable health care!

Ok. . . gotta stop thinking about that.

I’m the membership person in my PTA, so yesterday I had to plan and execute a pizza party for a class of fifth graders. The pizza delivery guy was super late and I over-ordered. It was kind of a mess. I hate being seen as incompetent.

I could not believe how polite the fifth graders were. They all said, please and thank you. They raised their hands. They didn’t go crazy at all. It was truly a pleasure to see them.

However. . .

Are we raising a nation of incompetent ninnies or what?

I figured they were 5th graders so I could just set a couple of pizzas on each table and they could serve themselves.

One of the second grade teachers on duty freaked out about this. She thought they would tear into it like animals, but she couldn’t have been more wrong.

When faced with an open pizza box, the children had NO FREAKIN’ CLUE what they are supposed to do. They all wanted me to serve them like they were five year olds at a birthday party. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

I did end up passing out the pizza because they were completely immobilized and didn’t know what to do. When some of them raised their hands for seconds I was pretty busy and told them to go to the pizza boxes and get the pizza they wanted. You’d have thought I sprouted another head. Some of them did it, but very tentatively.

Then the second grade teacher freaked out and told me I couldn’t give them more than two pieces. Some of the boys ate 4 pieces. Did I care? No. They are 12 year old boys. I had way too much pizza. Why does the second grade teacher think she is in charge of their eating? I asked their teacher afterwards if it was a problem to give them more than two pieces of pizza and he rolled his eyes and said to ignore the other lady. I think she is also the teacher who always tries to ban our fall carnival because it is too focused on food.

I’ve been reading articles about Millenials lately and am kind of disgusted by what I’m seeing–the complete lack of independence is mind-boggling. I don’t have much contact with that generation, though I have heard from numerous friends who work with them in a university setting that they are over-dependent on parents and even have parents call their professors. Articles say that they sometimes bring parents to job interviews! Some worksites are now having family picnics for parents, not spouses. I suppose I’m firmly a Gen-Xer because I can’t imagine asking my mommy and daddy for help with anything. As one of the articles said, a Gen-Xer is likely to say “You have a dad?” when a Millennial asks them “Why didn’t your dad go to every practice and game?”

I had a dad, but I don’t think he ever attended an event for me except my HS graduation and wedding. My mom went to all my soccer games, but I rode my bike to practice.

I surround myself with people who have the same values as me, so the people I hang out with on a day-to-day basis are teaching their kids to be independent. I do see parents who don’t force their kids to do things on their own, but I generally avoid them because I find it annoying. Except the one who freaks out every time she sees my kids do something in the kitchen. Yes, he’s cut himself with a knife before. No, it was not the end of the world. He learned to be safer next time.

I guess me and my little cabal of independent-creating friends are in the minority. I can’t get over 11 and 12 year olds not knowing what to do when faced with pizza!

I had another margarita tonight and I think I put too much tequila in it. I am feeling so woozy right now!

My friend had a baby today! I was showing Erik pictures of the baby and awwwwing over it. I can see why he gets in trouble at school. He doesn’t mean to be disrespectful, but he has no filter and is very matter-of-fact about everything: “So why don’t you just go tell dad to put his penis in your vagina and make a baby if you really want one.”

I only want a little girl so I can name her Astrid. Except I wouldn’t really name a girl that because they would call her Ass. But I realllllllly want to have a baby and name her after Astrid from Fringe, plus it would fit our Swedish naming motif.

The other day I was longing for Fringe and thinking how empty it is not to have the show to look forward to anymore. I realized that I could watch it again! I’ve been immersed in season 1 and it makes me giddy (when it is not completely grossing me out).

Ok, I gotta get to bed! Enough of this silliness.