A taste of West County...

...or should I say the over privileged that tend to flock here.  This county is full over over privileged, self important, unrealistic, grown children.  I've always known that, but it was home, so you deal.  Now that Little Queen is in school I have been introduced to an entirely new monster.  The stay at home/ room mom.   Now I am a stay at home mom myself and I feel very blessed to have the life I do.  We gave up many things and lived with more debt than we could have if I worked.  Never assume that just because someone stays at home with their kids its because they just don't need the money.  Caviat aside this stereotype is exactly what you get hit in the face with come time for school parties.

With my own school and child I have only even heard from them once.  We started that school right before the "Winter Party" so I emailed the head mom (who by the way took almost a week to get back to me) and asked if I could contribute any last minute items.  I was to bring TWO foam poster boards, as large as I could get them, for the "pin the nose on the snowman" game.  Sure whatever, I don't have anything better to do then to spend $17 on poster board.  But wait, why not just use regular 99 cent poster board and tape/sticky tack?  Because it looks "more professional" to use the foam board and let a bunch of rowdy, hopped up on sugar 1st graders play with sharp push pins.  SERIOUSLY?  Although I do have to be thankful that our school does things differently than a friend of mine's school.

At this other school (in the same district) the Room Monsters are everywhere.  At that school (and possibly ours but I just was never informed) they like all the classes in the same grade level to have the same holiday parties.  So they have one head coordinator room mom that leads with all the other room moms from the 4 or 5 classes.  She hosts these "planning" meetings where she tells people their ideas don't really matter because her and her closest MFFs (don't even get me started on that one!) have already planned everything.  Seriously?  If that's the case why make us come, just send an email and be done with it.  Anyhoo, for the "friendship day" (Valentine's Day) party they wanted to play this horrible, disgusting, degrading game.  You take donuts (after the hugely, sugar-coma inducing snack) and tie them to broom handles.  Then you make the kids LIE ON THE GROUND ON THEIR BACKS (in a school that has recently had a lice outbreak) while you DANGLE the donuts over them and move the stick back and forth to tease them and make it harder for them to EAT THE DONUTS WITHOUT USING THEIR HANDS.  Got a visual of that?   Teasing the children and making them BEG for food (sounds a little prison campish to me) while forcing them to eat off the floor.  WOW.

The best part comes next.  One of the teacher's nixed the idea and they had to throw it out.  Instead of just being adults and going with it, the email chains started.  We got to see grown women type statements like "WOW who told"  and "guess the fun police stepped in".  (Fun police: way to teach your children that cops are heroes to serve and protect us.  Get the idea in their heads young that police only ever do things to annoy people.)  So my friend and her co-room mom went to their teacher and said they wanted to do their own party and the teacher agreed and possibly even sounded relieved.  Get this though, the next day the principle called the room moms and told them no, because it was important for unity that ALL parties be exactly the same.  Why?  What purpose does it serve to make everyone do that exact same thing the exact same way.  We never did growing up, would it really damage our children if they don't have the same party as the kid that plays on the playground with them?

The unrealistic nature of these women combined with how entirely out of touch they are completely floors me.  You'd think I would be used to it after ten years.

Coming soon: Driving Laws in West County (with pictures)

For those of you that don't know. MFF means Mom Friends Forever.  Its like BFFs for those that are too old but still want to seem hip to the younger generation.

The pool of tears

Oh tears abound these past few weeks.  Little Queen apparently isn't doing so well at school. As parents, we believe she is just being pushed too hard and for too long.  We've done everything we are supposed to; had a meeting with her teacher and set a plan, working with her at home focusing on reading, bought and played games that encourage literary skills.  The problem is, according to her teacher, she is not doing so well.  She has only been there for 6 WEEKS, and I guess the teacher expected her to be caught up by now.  That's the general rule, right?  Six year olds take six weeks to catch up?  Oy!  Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE her teacher.  I truly believe that God placed her in that classroom for a reason, she is the teacher that Little Queen needs.  I just feel that maybe that wonderful teacher is pushing too hard.  For most kids this works well.  For Little Queen, the more you push her, the further she shuts down and tunes out.

In the attempt to try to be good parents we are doing everything that we are "supposed" to do.  Every extra worksheet or game that the teacher sends home, we do it.  On top of regular homework, we do worksheets and anything that comes home unfinished we have her finish.  Random extra stuff that the teacher thought would be helpful.  We do it all.  The problem is, she is 6 and still adjusting to this new world we've thrown her in.  While homeschooling we schooled year round only take few day breaks here and there.  Might as well school when its too hot or too cold to do anything else outside, right?  So with that schedule to get our required yearly hours we only had to do school 20 hours a week, or 4 hours a day.  Now she is going 7 hours.  They get 30 minutes for lunch and ONE (yes, really only 1) 15 minute recess a day.  That in itself is a huge change for her and she is tired.  Top that off with all the extra stuff we are doing with her and she is down right exhausted.  Her day is school school school, come home, watch TV/play for about 20 minutes, read books aloud to me while I cook dinner, eat then right back to the homework, worksheets, or more reading stuff.  Oh look at that, time for bed, hurry up and shower!  The poor kid just isn't getting ANY breaks.  No wonder she wakes up and cries that she doesn't want to go to school, I wouldn't be able to handle all that either.

Now this wonderful teacher (that I honestly really do like) is telling me she is still behind and we really need to work on catching her up.  Honestly, what more can we do?  I also was told today that Amy needs to make more friends.  So what now, being popular is essential to learning?  Who really cares that she is shy?  Why does it matter if she wants to be by herself on the playground during her ONE break?  God made everybody different and some of us are just introverts.  IT'S OK.  The frustration knows no bounds in our fragile playing card house.  Top that off with the impending move and its a little much for her 6 year old psyche. 

What's a mama playing card to do?

Curiouser & Curiouser

So its been a few weeks since we've written and boy things have sure happened around here.  Our little queen has been in school now for over a month and is steadily doing better and better.  Reading comprehension is a bit of a struggle sometimes but she is getting there and only slightly behind the rest of the class.  Good news for her confidence that she isn't the only one reading on that level.

Our little mad hatter is same ole wierdiepants and everyday she teaches more and more things to her little sister.  She has started making up her own knock knock jokes now and likes to pretend to be a zombie.  ALL THE TIME.  Apparently zombie is the new superhero or something.  I think I missed the memo that explained it all.

The little Cheshire cat is well, anything but little these days.  Already acting all the big girl her sisters are, she has become my most independent child.  Its a good thing because...surprise surprise,\, she's going to be a BIG SISTER this summer.

Yes that's right, Daddy and I had the shock of our lives when I had my physical right before Christmas.  No I haven't been battling the flu for several weeks.  Its not some random virus and my white blood cell count is normal.  Turns out its called morning sickness.  After a urine test and two blood tests its confirmed.  We're having baby #4.  I'm still in shock since I had a tubal ligation called ADIANA two years ago.  Lesson learned?  ALWAYS HAVE THE FOLLOW UP TEST DONE!

So my life in 2013?  Curious that's for sure.  Busy-YES.  I have to fix my house up, list it for sale, HAVE A BABY, sell my house, buy a new house, and move my family half way across the country to a city that I have never visited before 1200 miles away.

The first stop on our journey?  Weekend trip for mom and dad to Boston to check our neighborhoods and things they have to offer.  I'll let you know how it goes.  Wish us luck!