So Much To Blog, So Little Time...A Week's Up-Date

Sorry that things have been slow around here. I have been crazy-busy at work as usual and am trying not to ignore the kids too much in the process. Blogging may only take a few minutes for people with better technology, but it is at least a half-hour committment to get a post out around here in dial-up land, so please be forgiving with me.

Here's a little run-down of the last week for our family:

Sunday
Baby shower at Meeting for a Friend who is having a baby. They have a little girl the age of the Lone Star Baby and, since they joined the Meeting this past year, I am no longer solely responsible for physically producing new Friends. A good thing, considering the Lone Star Girl's negative attitude about religion in general lately.

Monday
My storytime night with the Lone Star Baby. We have now moved on to pumpkins and Halloween themes, which is always fun. September was bug month at the library and Ms. Linda brought her pet cockroach to storytime every Monday night. The kids loved it. They petted it. I politely declined to pet it, although I was happy enough to let the Lone Star Baby do so. She loved it. Yuck. Pumpkins, ahoy.

Tuesday
Got a flu shot after school from the district at a high school near my school - I can't get the kids in for one at their doctor until the 26th. Lone Star Pa got his Monday at school. The Lone Star Baby's school had a potluck in the evening to celebrate its sixth birthday. We all went and my sister and dad and stepmom (not my sister's parents - things are complicated for my generation that way) also attended. It was a lot of fun for the little kids and the Lone Star Baby was very excited about her aunt and grandparents meeting her teachers.

Wednesday
Worked very late at school. After I got home, showed my sister where the Lone Star Girl's school is and where the Sears meeting place for their caravan to camp on Friday would be as she is assisting with getting her to the meeting place. I have time to get from work to the meeting place if I leave as soon as I'm allowed to after school, but not time to pick up the Lone Star Girl and get there, so my sister is picking her up from school and getting her there and I am meeting them all. Frantically supervised camping packing. Watched Bionic Woman on tape with Jazz and the Lone Star Girl - our new vice.

Thursday
Worked very late at school. Got rain poncho and last minute camping toiletries. The Lone Star Girl got her laptop at school!!! Saw Jazz.

Friday
Met up with Girl Scouts and Jazz at Sears after work. Jazz and the Lone Star Girl had no trouble with getting there. Saw the Lone Star Girl and her troop off. I feel bad about not going, but the Lone Star Girl is more ready to be camping without me than the Lone Star Baby is ready to be overnight without me. This is a camp we've never been to that is way down in the Valley and it is one of those wobbly-mommy things to let her go so far "alone". I am so silly. I tried not to embarrass her. I utterly trust her troop leader's supervision, of course. They come back Sunday.

Also, the Lone Star Girl got her first report card of middle school. She got a high B in math and A's in science, social studies, reading, language arts, P.E. and theatre arts. I am very proud of her, especially as she is taking Pre-Algebra as a sixth grader and with a very tough teacher. I have been hard on her about school work lately and she has felt rather pressured, I'm afraid. She's a brilliant girl, but very...ah...internally motivated, and has rarely prioritized her school work, since she can get by well on natural ability. In elementary school, I was mostly okay with that, as childhood is about so much more than the stuff they get at school, but she really must develop better habits now if she is to reach her full potential. It sounds a bit nutty, I guess, but I feel a responsibility to the world not to let her intellect go to waste. I worry about the future of humanity and think that the best young minds must be made to see the need that there is for their talents to be used in the service of humanity's needs.

Today
Lone Star Pa is helping at the rummage sale at the Lone Star Baby's school. I am soon going to take the Lone Star Baby to the pumpkin patch at the church where she used to go to daycare as a baby. Then we will probably get some lunch and go to the museum. We also need to squeeze in grocery shopping and maybe some birthday shopping for the Lone Star Girl this weekend. And I have to fit in a grading session as well. And pay the bills. And get some articles finished. Busy, busy!