Gaby loves to use big words, and usually uses them in the correct context. Her current favs are:
"Well, actually, I'm not afraid to eat lunch anymore at school."
"Apparently, Nana, there is a bully at my school that bites ears off kids."
"Owen! It is not appropriate for you to touch your peanut."
Speaking of nuts (and "A" words for that matter!), acorns are bombarding us day and night. Our trees have been very busy this year producing oodles of offspring. Most nights it literally sounds like the roof is caving in.
Book Cart
In some circles, namely UMC circles, PTA may as well be a 4 letter word. I thought learned my lesson in California when the PTA, which consisted of about 5 moms for the entire school of 1,000 kids, nearly sucked the life out of me. Halloween carnival, newsletter (which I had to copy all by myself on a copier from 1988), bake sales every Friday, Santa's toy shop, Westfield Shopping $'s, Box Tops for Education, PTA meetings, what else Holli? The only thing that made it remotely fun was our PTA president who was so not your traditional PTA president. Short skirts, hoochie mama shirts, chain smoking Amara. She was a hoot. No one else wanted the job, so more power to her and the drama that surrounded her life.
It was a relief to change schools, and having learned my lesson of don't get sucked in, I gladly stayed out of PTA circles at Valley Elementary in Poway, CA. Then we moved again and I was blown away by the commitment of parent volunteers at Pierce, our current school. So many parents are involved, that you can do as much or literally as little as you want. So, I started off slow helped with a public speaking program for the 5th graders when Taylor was one, and helped with an art program. Then Taylor went to middle school. They don't really want your help in middle school and we had Owen that year, so I was off the hook.
I really do love being at the school, getting to know my kids' teachers, getting to know my kids classmates and friends. I do say no, sometimes, every cause is important right? So this year I'm "only" doing the book cart, co-chairing it with the Diva of Book Carts. The problem - not enough people want to be book cart divas with us. I was thinking of starting a club (like the trend) and wearing a shirt that says "Cool moms work the book cart" AND carrying around a tray of homemade fudge. And "only" doing the book cart means I do that two mornings a week and work one morning a week for Lydia's teacher and do class parties for both kids and signing up to be a Daisy troop leader for Gaby and selling tickets for show choir concerts, etc.
Blog unveilings
My favorite Bed spelled backwards has designed our very own blog for the official Ugly Moms' Club (click the little button on the right), not to be confused with copycat sites. I secured the url way back when the club was in its infancy, but Deb got the ball rolling this weekend. Not that we expect anything to come of it, but it's hip to be official and all. The other blog unveiling is TBA, but I have created a blog site for the Kilgore Family Reunions. This one will most likely be private, though quasi-family and pseudo-family and family by marriage would be more than welcome to visit. I figured it would be nice to have all the info in one place, as I am constantly scrolling through my email to find that one email that someone sent awhile ago that had something important in it.
The Move
This will be the condensed outline version of the move that didn't happen, but boy did we come close!
A. Jerry has not been satisfied at work.
1. Jerry had a phone interview for a job in the DC area in the spring.
2. They liked him (of course, who wouldn't) and he flew there to interview in person.
3. They really liked him, but weren't sure where he'd 'fit'
a) He liked the opportunities there, but not the positions that were open.
4. No offer.
B. Life goes back to normal, but Jerry has 'the 4 year itch,' which I KNEW would happen.
1. Moving wouldn't be so bad, especially now that it's not an option.
2. We start a MASSIVE landscaping project.
a) 8 pallets of landscaping block, 4 tons of gravel, one skid loader
b) Rain, rain go away, come again another day.
c) Floods come.
i We get busy doing service in many ways for many people affected by floods
ii We don't touch the landscaping.
C. The offer is made mid-July, kind of sortof out of the blue
1. Dang
2. It's one of those offers (and most perhaps are) that you actually have to consider a lot of different things because it's not a we're-going-to-pay-you-whatever-it-takes-to-get-you-heren kind of offer
3. I'm at youth conference, next week is girls' camp followed by vacation.
a) Stress, stress, stress.
D. Research
1. Houses - whoa nellie
2. Schools - new high school yikes/limited music programs boo
3. Wards
4. Realtors - CR realtor says our house is sellable, but market isn't ideal
5. Projects, projects, projects in order to sell house
a) finish MASSIVE landscaping job
b) finish various painting jobs that are in various stages in multiple rooms
6. Living in two places at once? two mortgages out of the question
E. We're going to DC! (and most likely moving there soon, too!)
1. Tell mom & dad that we might move :-(
2. Pack up for a 17 day vacation limited to two suitcases and NO pillows
F. Tell the kids
1. Taylor - Ok with it, bummed about leaving friends & music program, not the end of the world
2. Lydia - ABSOLUTELY the end of the world, won't go, no way, no how
3. Gaby - oblivious, I don't think she knew what was going on.
4. Owen - likewise clueless, starting singing "I see Nana's house" while driving down a street in Sterling, made me cry.
G. D.C.
1. Church was weird
2. Air and Space museum was cool
3. Realtor used to be a lobbyist and talked faster than anyone I have ever met in my life
4. Market tanking in DC, not much for sale
5. Busy, traffic, not Iowa, everything is expensive, everyone else must be making $
6. We saved a turtle and named him Sterling
H. Jerry really wants change and new opportunities for his career.
I. Sara really wants to be able to feed her children.
That's pretty much it. Vacation was kind of tense as we were on opposite sides on the fence. There are so many reasons I am grateful we decided to stay put. I really struggled with my selfish feelings about wanting to stay and the not-so-good feelings I had in general about moving there.
Show Choir
Show Choir in Iowa is sport. It is commitment. It is your life. It is fun. It is ridiculous. After Taylor's show-choir-is-my-life dreams were crushed last spring, I was nervous about her trying out again this fall. This time she made it for which I am happy but still nervous. Show choirs can do some really fun shows with great songs and modest-ish fun costumes. Show choirs can also do really lame stuff and have the girls wear skanky clothes.
I went to a choral concert last spring and fell in love with the Concert Choir (varsity). Floor length gowns with sleeves. No cleavage, no micro mini skirts, no halter tops, no strappy tanks.
The show Taylor's group is doing this year is pretty good, I think. I've had conversations with her about if she'd quit depending on what the director planned for the music and costumes. I think she would. I hope she would.
Here ends this post. I have fulfilled the sub head and outline trend in one shot. Thanks for reading.
It was a relief to change schools, and having learned my lesson of don't get sucked in, I gladly stayed out of PTA circles at Valley Elementary in Poway, CA. Then we moved again and I was blown away by the commitment of parent volunteers at Pierce, our current school. So many parents are involved, that you can do as much or literally as little as you want. So, I started off slow helped with a public speaking program for the 5th graders when Taylor was one, and helped with an art program. Then Taylor went to middle school. They don't really want your help in middle school and we had Owen that year, so I was off the hook.
I really do love being at the school, getting to know my kids' teachers, getting to know my kids classmates and friends. I do say no, sometimes, every cause is important right? So this year I'm "only" doing the book cart, co-chairing it with the Diva of Book Carts. The problem - not enough people want to be book cart divas with us. I was thinking of starting a club (like the trend) and wearing a shirt that says "Cool moms work the book cart" AND carrying around a tray of homemade fudge. And "only" doing the book cart means I do that two mornings a week and work one morning a week for Lydia's teacher and do class parties for both kids and signing up to be a Daisy troop leader for Gaby and selling tickets for show choir concerts, etc.
Blog unveilings
My favorite Bed spelled backwards has designed our very own blog for the official Ugly Moms' Club (click the little button on the right), not to be confused with copycat sites. I secured the url way back when the club was in its infancy, but Deb got the ball rolling this weekend. Not that we expect anything to come of it, but it's hip to be official and all. The other blog unveiling is TBA, but I have created a blog site for the Kilgore Family Reunions. This one will most likely be private, though quasi-family and pseudo-family and family by marriage would be more than welcome to visit. I figured it would be nice to have all the info in one place, as I am constantly scrolling through my email to find that one email that someone sent awhile ago that had something important in it.
The Move
This will be the condensed outline version of the move that didn't happen, but boy did we come close!
A. Jerry has not been satisfied at work.
1. Jerry had a phone interview for a job in the DC area in the spring.
2. They liked him (of course, who wouldn't) and he flew there to interview in person.
3. They really liked him, but weren't sure where he'd 'fit'
a) He liked the opportunities there, but not the positions that were open.
4. No offer.
B. Life goes back to normal, but Jerry has 'the 4 year itch,' which I KNEW would happen.
1. Moving wouldn't be so bad, especially now that it's not an option.
2. We start a MASSIVE landscaping project.
a) 8 pallets of landscaping block, 4 tons of gravel, one skid loader
b) Rain, rain go away, come again another day.
c) Floods come.
i We get busy doing service in many ways for many people affected by floods
ii We don't touch the landscaping.
C. The offer is made mid-July, kind of sortof out of the blue
1. Dang
2. It's one of those offers (and most perhaps are) that you actually have to consider a lot of different things because it's not a we're-going-to-pay-you-whatever-it-takes-to-get-you-heren kind of offer
3. I'm at youth conference, next week is girls' camp followed by vacation.
a) Stress, stress, stress.
D. Research
1. Houses - whoa nellie
2. Schools - new high school yikes/limited music programs boo
3. Wards
4. Realtors - CR realtor says our house is sellable, but market isn't ideal
5. Projects, projects, projects in order to sell house
a) finish MASSIVE landscaping job
b) finish various painting jobs that are in various stages in multiple rooms
6. Living in two places at once? two mortgages out of the question
E. We're going to DC! (and most likely moving there soon, too!)
1. Tell mom & dad that we might move :-(
2. Pack up for a 17 day vacation limited to two suitcases and NO pillows
F. Tell the kids
1. Taylor - Ok with it, bummed about leaving friends & music program, not the end of the world
2. Lydia - ABSOLUTELY the end of the world, won't go, no way, no how
3. Gaby - oblivious, I don't think she knew what was going on.
4. Owen - likewise clueless, starting singing "I see Nana's house" while driving down a street in Sterling, made me cry.
G. D.C.
1. Church was weird
2. Air and Space museum was cool
3. Realtor used to be a lobbyist and talked faster than anyone I have ever met in my life
4. Market tanking in DC, not much for sale
5. Busy, traffic, not Iowa, everything is expensive, everyone else must be making $
6. We saved a turtle and named him Sterling
H. Jerry really wants change and new opportunities for his career.
I. Sara really wants to be able to feed her children.
That's pretty much it. Vacation was kind of tense as we were on opposite sides on the fence. There are so many reasons I am grateful we decided to stay put. I really struggled with my selfish feelings about wanting to stay and the not-so-good feelings I had in general about moving there.
Show Choir
Show Choir in Iowa is sport. It is commitment. It is your life. It is fun. It is ridiculous. After Taylor's show-choir-is-my-life dreams were crushed last spring, I was nervous about her trying out again this fall. This time she made it for which I am happy but still nervous. Show choirs can do some really fun shows with great songs and modest-ish fun costumes. Show choirs can also do really lame stuff and have the girls wear skanky clothes.
I went to a choral concert last spring and fell in love with the Concert Choir (varsity). Floor length gowns with sleeves. No cleavage, no micro mini skirts, no halter tops, no strappy tanks.
The show Taylor's group is doing this year is pretty good, I think. I've had conversations with her about if she'd quit depending on what the director planned for the music and costumes. I think she would. I hope she would.
Here ends this post. I have fulfilled the sub head and outline trend in one shot. Thanks for reading.
14 comments:
OK - really irritated about the spacing on my outline. Should have used Live Writer. Darn it!
Wow. Just wow.
I'm glad you're staying too. I don't think you would have been happy in D.C. I can totally understand and support your reasons to "Selfishly" want to stay. All mommies would!
(I hear you on the 4 year itch thing!)
Seriously. Wow.
Yes, Formatgate happened to me on my outline comment post to Anna. I think there's something fishy going on. And I think it's wearing lipstick.
(BTW, it's me, your SIL! Don't forget I'm "deb" now...Goodbye pablachards that I was too lazy to personalize for two flipping years.)
Sara, you're a PTA Beast. Do you enjoy doing it? Or do you secretly wish that instead of pushing around a sexy book cart, you were at home sitting on the sofa in your sweatpants with a good Stephanie Myers book eating Ben and Jerry's out of the carton with a serving spoon? Just curious.
And Deb, I will miss seeing your generic pablanchards tag. Because I used to say it like, pablanchards. Not P-A- Blanchards. But Puh-blanchards. And that was fun for me. For some weird reason.
And also, Sara, I selfishly wanted you to move to DC so you'd be OH SO MUCH closer to me. But I'm a jerk like that. Glad you guys came up with a decision that works for you.
Hey you, you are an amazing helper mom and I sure admire all you do at the school.
2. you made me cry going through the whole move thing again. Probably because I am pregnant and it made me sad to think of it again. But I am glad you are here.
3. Good luck with all the show choir stuff!!
Talk to you tomorrow!
Carrie
You are a good mom. After Doyle I can't believe you would even consider PTA. How can you ever replace Amara? I was laughing as I read that. So many fun memories. What better word is there than hoochimama? Those were the days.
About the itch...one word...schweitzer, selinc.com!!! Of course it would be for selfish reasons also!
Amazing post. Seriously. Amazing.
Heaven Help the PTA if I ever decide to join because I will definitely be taking up all of Amara's activities (minus the chain smoking). Mini skirts have always looked tremendous on me.
p.s. Submitting your name for saint status this afternoon...
im not worthy im not worthy im not worthy
oh wait i think that qualifies under your favorite movie quotes post too
and i brought annas lack of punctuation over here with me
Alyssa...Puh? You mean you're not part of the hicksville-dutch-huggin' folk who say you're from Pee-Yay? Dudes, do Iowans say they're from Eye-Yay? No, they do not. Does any other state embrace their postal appreviation so enthusiastically? I am not aware of any. And if there were, I'd be aware of it. I just would. (Do not correct me, people, I'm making a point here.) Even professional newscasters say it, ick. As you can see from my photo, I am waaay too sophisticated to say I'm from Pee-Yay.
Gee-Yayers, those are upside b's that are just too, too tired to stand up straight. They worked all day, went to soccer practice, cooked dinner, and then had a 9PM phone call with a Board member about diabetics, which caused them to miss the premier of Heros. They're weary and, quite frankly, whiney. They will try harder tomorrow.
Say it loud, say it proud! I always and will forever more say I'm from Pee-Yay. Pennsylvania is a mouthful.
Speaking of Pee-Yay, I have a little musical medley that I'm working on for Christmas Eve. It's all about Pee-Yay.
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