Good morning. It's a beautiful day out. I've told the kids that today will be shorts weather, but it looks like back to pants and short sleeves weather again starting tomorrow. I won't complain, though. As much as I enjoy the symbolic transition into the warmer seasons, my favorite temperature range is actually the elusive pants and short sleeves weather.
I haven't written since Monday, so you're a little behind on current events. Josh did find a few things at the unemployment office he hadn't tried, although not too many. He spent the evening applying. Tuesday was not typical for us. Josh was going to take the kids to an appointment, since the guy who made it was hosting Josh's cousin, Zach (who was in town for the funeral). There were kids there for Grant and Abbie to visit with. I, on the other hand, was scheduled to go to the meeting for Grant's kindergarten registration. They left in the afternoon, and at first I didn't know what I was going to do. Then I decided I was probably vitamin deficient and sat in the sun on the deck for a while. After I showered, I cooked dinner so it would be ready when they got back, and I was getting ready to go, when I got a phone call.
It was Michelle. She was waiting at Denny's. I know I told her, told the entire group, sent emails.....but I still felt bad that she was stuck there. Penny calls it "Mothers' Guilt". She says that after being a mother, one starts to think everything is her responsibility and her fault. One problem with that theory: I was always like that.
I passed Josh and the kids on the way to the meeting. I found the school easily enough, and stood in several lines obtaining paperwork. Lots of it. Then I sat through a presentation by the school principal. He looks like a coach. He talks like a coach. I bet he's just a big teddy bear. However, he can't deliver a speech to save his life. And I hate presentations that consist of someone putting up slides, and then reading them verbatim. (I can read, too, you know.) Especially when he gets some of the words wrong. At this point we were assigned to different tables, where the kindergarten teachers explained what the students would be learning. Grant already knows a good half.
I was standing at one table in particular, where the teacher was showing us a list of the "sight words" that the kids would be expected to know by report card time. The lady next to me said, "I've never heard of a "sight word". They sure didn't have them when I was in school. Can you tell me what a "sight word" is?" Not a difficult question. I had also never heard the word, but immediately understood that it was yet another educational buzz word (got my fill of those during my brief stint as an education major) referring to words that the children would have to memorize spelling of in order to recognize them by "sight". But could the teacher explain this? No. She talked and talked and started to look frustrated, but never said anything enlightening. If she can't explain it to an adult with a ripe, mature vocabulary, how is she going to explain it to a child?
After visiting the tables, we scheduled our future kindergartners for their screening. Yes, they will be placed according to the results. Penny wants me to "work" with Grant about what's going to be on the test. But I will not. Surely, they are interested in the real Grant and not the coached version. After this test is over, he's only going to revert to type anyway, right? Why not show them Grant as Grant? If he is prone to saying, "I don't know," instead of, "I'll try," then they need to know that.
It reminds me of job interviews. I resent that everyone tries to look perfect and never really tells the potential employers any useful information. If I have kids and might sometime need to go pick them up from school due to illness, I think the boss SHOULD know this. It's the truth, isn't it? They'll find out if I'm hired, won't they? So, why hide it?
Anyway, when I came home, Josh had some news. A job offer. Temp to perm. Monday -Thursday, 7am-5pm. It's at Coca-Cola, but not the one here in town, the one off 270. So, yesterday he started that.
Yesterday was beautiful! We were waiting for Miss Penny, but really we wanted to play outside. So, it was great when she showed up with sidewalk chalk. We traced our shadows, and drew pictures and then painted on them with wet brushes to make the colors run together. We blew bubbles. It was nice. I asked Penny a little about the school and found another something that I don't especially like. They are politically correct to the degree that they don't tell the children that they are misbehaving. According to Penny, they say, "My friends are making me sad." WHAT?! What Kindergartner is the peer of his teacher? That makes me super mad. I did notice during the meeting that they don't use the word "rules", they say "expectations".
After Penny left, we changed into shorts and played on the deck for a long time. That was fun, too. I took pictures. Then we came in for the hottest part of the day and watched a movie. I was waiting for Josh to call. He was going to go to a Vector meeting, but he always calls when he leaves work. Hours went by. at 7:30 he called to say he had worked some overtime. I started to tell him about the day and make some plans for the weekend after Easter, if he's interested. But mostly he just wanted to argue about the details. Eventually I said something. By then, though, we were both getting angry.
Today was supposed to be me going to taiko. Josh's mom scheduled Easter egg dying at her house. I asked Josh specifically if he would stay with the kids, since this was a family thing, and I couldn't be there because of taiko. He said yes, until last night when he said well maybe he would work overtime again since the kids would be at his mom's anyway. Doesn't he care that his own mother wants to make this a big deal? But it gets better. I drop the kids off twice a week just before 5 so I can meet Michelle at Denny's at 5:30 and take her to practice. True, we're there in plenty of time, but that's necessary. Someone has to get everything ready, and most people show up late, even the ones not coming from work. Tonight, I can't drop them off until at least 5:30, but they're not exactly sure of the times. So....I'm going to be late to the one practice I'll probably be at this week. And I really hate being late. Today is not being good to me.
Josh and I are speaking, but not very friendly. I still don't much know about his job.
Today is my mother's birthday. I tried to call her, but her phone was busy. I can't email her because while she was off in Colorado visiting my brother, my dad changed the Internet provider and the email address, and last I checked, she hadn't been told the new one yet.
I have my windows open. We are going to put on shorts.
Hope your Thursday is a nice one.
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