The Queen's Rambles

Kindergarten is finally over! Let’s all do a big ol’ happy dance! Tango-tango-cha-cha!

It was a rough, rough year. I never anticipated things going so poorly. I have always been a staunch defender of public school teachers (having been one myself), so this exprience has came completely out of left field and felt like a personal betrayal. I know that’s a very silly way to look at it. It wasn’t personal at all. Erik just got unlucky and had a teacher he didn’t click with–a teacher who refused to take any responsibility for lack of clickage or do anything that could improve the situation. There’s only so much a parent can do at home when the teacher flat out refuses to try simple things that could possibly make a big difference.

Next year will be better. It has to be.

I don’t know what to do if next year isn’t better. There aren’t many options around here. Though we are in an insanely huge school system (eleventh largest in the nation), we don’t have a single charter school. Damned politics.

There are a couple of language immersion schools and one TAG program, but all of them are way, way far away from us and it would be HIGHLY unlikely we would be able to get in, even if I wanted to spend 2-4 hours in a car every day.

Other options:

Private school. Anyone want to donate to that fund? I would have to go back to work and I seriously doubt I could get a job that would cover tuition for Erik and daycare for Elsa.

Homeschool. Hahahahahahaha. Not going to happen unless things get really bad. I am not sure how bad really bad would have to be, but it would have to be a lot worse than this year. I love Erik more than I can even begin to describe, but we don’t click as pupil and teacher.

Move to another school zone. We’re upside down on our mortgage so that’s not going to happen. Plus, a lot of the issues we have stem from No Child Gets Ahead and our school district’s curriculum. Where would we move? Sweden? I think not.

Let’s just think happy thoughts! Summer! Fruit smoothies! Lots and lots and lots of fruit smoothies. At least I have a recipe that I like so I can almost pretend it’s ice cream. I am not a fruit fan. Want my recipe? You can thank The Fresh Beat Band for teaching me about orange juice as a sweetener.

1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt (or whatever flavor)
big handful of fresh or frozen strawberries
big handful of fresh or frozen blackberries
banana
big handful of spinach
about 4 ice cubes (more if using fresh fruit)

Blend it all up and yum yum yum. I am hoping these smoothies are going to help me slim up and will teach the kids to like the flavor of fruit.

I really need to go to sleep, but how about funny story time first?

We went to the pool on Sunday, which is always overly chlorinated. We all have very sensitive skin so must shower as soon as we come home or suffer from chemical burns. The two kids were done and roaming around upstairs while I took my shower.

As I stepped out of the shower I heard a lot of screaming and commotion in Erik’s room.

I rushed in there, completely naked, and found Erik holding the hermit crab bathtub pan, screaming that a crab was about to crawl out. Instead of putting the bathtub pan on the floor, he is holding it in his hands about three feet above the ground. The crab is about to climb overboard and will surely be injured in such a fall. Everyone is screaming. The crab is going nuts. I am still naked.

I rush over, grab the crab by the shell, and feel its nasty legs scrambling wildly against my fingers. Its little pinchers are going a mile a minute and I’m picturing a very unfortunate accident. Free advice: No naked hermit crab handling!

Elsa is screaming and wants to be held. I pick her up and get a big ol’ shock when she decides she’s going to nurse, even though she hasn’t done so for almost three weeks.

Talk about being dignified. Standing in my son’s room, buck naked, crazy crab going wild in one hand while my giant 2 year old decides to attack my booby on the other side. I was not pleased. I’m sure it was quite the sight.

And no, I did not let her continue to nurse. I am not going back to that! I am so glad I don’t have to cringe every time she sits on my lap, just waiting for her to chomp down on my poor nipple. Not only is she weaned, she has slept through the night in her own room the past two nights! She has been sleeping in her own room for almost three weeks, but is finally not getting up in middle of the night. It is beyond fabulous. *knocking on all sorts of wood*

Now to get her potty trained. She is so very ready, but she just refuses to do it. Also, she has an older brother. She thinks she should be able to pee standing up. She stands there, trying to grab herself and direct the flow of things, but doesn’t have anything to grab. It’s actually kind of hilarious, except it is oh-so-wrong to see her jut out her hips in the exact same way her brother juts his out. I need a book on potty training little girls with older brothers.