You Can Call Me...
Mood:  silly
Topic: Family and Friends
Lauren and Tony have developed nicknames for each other, usually animal related. Most of the time he calls her little grasshopper and she calls him little fish. Since I was feeling a bit left out what with all the nicknames flying around, I asked Lauren what names we could use for each other. After just a moment's thought, far too little in my mind, she came up with two from which to pick. I have to say I was hoping for something with more feeling, more connectedness, more, well, special. Instead I could be either...silly nut or crazy cuckoo bird.

A Change Of Heart
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Lauren
Lauren attends dance class with a woman who has an impressive list of clientele. She had taught out in Hollywood and named names on her advertisments (Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise, OJ's daughter,and Clint Eastwood to name a few).  Miss E has always said that she is no longer in it to push her students and make them great. She is going for a more relaxed and fun experience for the kids and that was fine with us but this was our third year with Miss E and even though we like her and Lauren likes her, we were seriously considering making a change. After two recitals where the abilities demonstrated by the more advanced levels of classes just did not seem to be much further along than Lauren's class, we found ourselves quite disappointed. Not only that, but for all the money we spent sending Lauren to the place she is going, we were a bit upset that the teacher was not around for most of the year. Granted she was hospitalized for about a week last fall and was under the weather for quite a few weeks after, but she rarely showed up all through the winter and spring as well. The class was left to the assistant and her two assistants. So we were all set to change to another studio even before the year was out. Then, suddenly...the recital was so much better this year. The older students were so much more polished than previous years. And it was as if Miss E had been a fly on the wall and knew we were thinking of changing studios. She had Lauren be one of the leaders in the dance and after the recital when we brought the customary flowers to her, she gave Lauren a big hug, told her what a great job she had done, and over Lauren's head told me "She is definitely a keeper". Flattery won't get you everything, but it will get you one more year of teaching our daughter to dance.

FFG
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Lauren

The badge read FFG - Future First Grader! It's hard to believe Lauren's first school year is over. Besides doing very well, she loved every single minute of it. All in all, a grand success!

Happy kindergarten graduation!

No Sale
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Rants
I like your newpaper, I really do. I read it every day at work and I even look up articles on your online site at times, but if you call me at 8:35 in the morning on a school morning when I'm in the throes of getting breakfast in my kid, making a school snack for her to take to school, getting her backpack ready, making sure she is dressed, has teeth brushed and hair combed all before the 8:44 bus arrival time, then forget it. There is no way I'm going to sign up for the daily newspaper online. Even if it is at no extra charge to my weekend subscription. My answer is and always will be...click.

Worthwhile Pursuits
Mood:  special
Topic: Family and Friends

During dinner the other night Lauren, out of the blue, commented, "I'm hard to take care of, right? But it's worth it!"

You betcha baby! It's priceless! 

Schmoozing 101
Mood:  bright
Topic: Lauren

Back in 2005 Lauren passed Negotiation 101. She is now on to Negotiation 201.

She had been out with Tony at the park , the post office, etc. While they were out Lauern started to have a bout of typical 5yr old girl hysterics. Since she wouldn't calm down and tell Tony what was wrong, Tony brought her home so she could spend some time by herself. When I talked to them on the phone later, the converstion went like this:

Tony : ...I turned the car around and headed for home.

Me: Well, fussy, whiny girls have to go home.

Tony: It's too bad because I was going to set up a playdate with M to go to the amusement park.

Lauren: Dad, hang up. This is the part I don't want you to hear. 

Pause...

Lauren: I'm going to try to "work a little something out" with Dad so I can still go tomorrow. 

Me: (muffled laughter while picturing her giving me a wink and a nudge while she says the words) Oh you are?

Lauren: Yes. Like I do with you - I try to work a little something out.  I don't know if it'll work but I'm going to try.

She passed with flying colors. It worked and amusement park fun was had by all.

Three Great Things About Snowpants
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Lauren

1. "They are fun to hop in."

2. "They make a nice swishing sound."

3. "They make me look big and fat just like a snowman!"

Ta Da!
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Family and Friends

After a little bit of melting, we have our snow family!

 

Parental Pride
Mood:  happy
Topic: Lauren
During the lunch hour I like to tell stories of things Lauren has said and done - what parent doesn't?! A while back I told about this comment after which my boss kept having me repeat it to anyone in the office who had not heard about it. He just couldn't believe that Lauren, at the age of 4, had taken words from Charlotte's Web and used them correctly and appropriately in a real life situation.  So I couldn't help but relate that Lauren had made another such connection. On President's Day, she was telling me what she had learned about Abraham Lincoln. I happened to mention the Emancipation Proclamation and was explaining it to her when she brought up the similarity with what Martin Luther King Jr. had talked about. My boss was suitably impressed, although not with the connection as I had thought he would be. He was impressed that the connection was regarding such an abstract idea as people being equal.  Today, he and another co-worker paid Lauren a great compliment. My boss said Lauren was smart to which my co-worker agreed but added "scary smart". It's always nice to hear great things about your kids :-)

Snow, Snow, And More Snow
Mood:  surprised
Topic: Family and Friends

When they said there would be more snow, they really meant it! Once all was said and done, we were left with approximately 25" of the stuff.  And still not one bit of good old fashioned snowman making snow!! Take a look...