Don't Mess with the Alarm

This past week my alarm failed. Never you mind why it failed. It has nothing to do with its age, with my receipt of the AM/FM radio clock just a few short years ago when I myself was granted the responsibility of getting off to school in sixth grade. I must say that after 20+ years of being dialed into 92.9 Z93 (until the Capitalist turds canceled the station), the tuner may occasionally get nudged just a hair, just a decimal degree, with the result of a blazing silence once the waking hour is struck.

With our children now in the school system, now maturing into responsible members of society, the occasional failure of my alarm is now found to spread its effects outwards, with its first victims of circumstances being our lovely 4th graders.

So I took them by car to school one day last week, missing the school bus but arriving in plenty of time before the first bell. All is well with the world...

Until tonight, as we put Elizabeth to bed.

"Mom, is Daddy's alarm working? Did he fix it? Because riding in the car in NOT fun."

"What's wrong," Maggie asked with naive compassion? 

"Well, when Daddy dropped me off, I barely got there in time. I didn't get to do my morning work (translation, "previous day's homework not yet complete and never revealed to my parents"), AND I don't get the good jobs, like writing the date on the board."

"We'll try better," Maggie tells her with feigned sincerity.

Writing the date on the board: it is a mighty fine job indeed.

I speak german

Tomorrow, this squirt of all squirts that invaded our immigrated to our house 2.5 years ago is starting kinder-garten. We all pray that they have more natural patience than I have, and that he enjoys this social experience, as well as learns to read.

Viel Erfolg!

The Fair, by lcb

Once upon a time in a far away land they were planning TWO fairs. We were going to go to the first one but our cat had kittens. They were so cute. Too bad we didn't get to go to the first fair.
But the next day we went to the second fair and there were cookies, ice cream and hot dogs and rides. When we went it rained and we got ALL WET! It got on a spinny roller coaster and got really dizzy. My brother Michael went to the contest instead and won a prize! We both had the best time ever.
I thought we would have to go at 7:00 pm but instead we left at 10:00 pm! When we went home we flopped in my bed fully-clothed and fell asleep.

The End.

Ranch Girl, by emb

Once there was a girl name Ava who lived on a ranch in Colorado. She had a little brother named Jacob who liked to pitch a tent in the living room with Dad. She also had two little twin sisters who loved to scream. Their names were Jillian and Bethany.
One cloudy Friday morning Ava looked out onto the horizon and smiled. Then her mom came, "Ava, pancakes time!". "OK, Mom." Later that morning Lexa asked "Where's Emily?"
"In Florida at Universal Studios."
"Oh."
After school Lexa came over the hang out and sleep over. They had tons of fun, pretending they lived in a cave, staying up late, eating ice cream and watching tragic superhero movies. And they slept late.
When they woke up, Jacob was in the living room asleep in a tent. Dad was feeding the pigs, and mom was making breakfast for the twins. Then they went outside to ride horses over the mountains, while Jacob played video games and the twins played barbies.
Everyone was happy.

The End.

Comtemporary Education

"Mom, what's nonfiction?", Independent Bowling asks while contemplating her dinner.

Swallowing her food while determining how best to explain the abstract concept, Mom replies "Well, fiction is a story, like"

To be interrupted by Reading Bowling, "like Narnia."

Followed up by Independent Bowling "AND Junie B Jones!"

Brief Pause.

Mom continues, "And nonfiction is an account that is true, like"

To be interrupted by Reading Bowling, "like the Middle Ages."

Followed up by Independent Bowling "AND Dinosaurs!"

Another pause.

Mom continues, "Nonfiction can also be something true about a person, which is called biography, like"

To be interrupted by Reading Bowling, "like Eleanor Roosevelt."

Followed up by Independent Bowling, "AND Elvis!"

She likes it, she really likes it.

We may as well own up that we weren't all that sure that Louise would take to this 'school' bit. Last year, as a homeschoolin' kindergartener, life was not exactly a bastion of cooperation.

About two months ago, in a manner eerily similar to the chronology of her pottie-training experience, after a full year of attempting to teach Louise to read, she went off into the corner by herself, made sure no one was watching her succeed, and started reading books without a problem. ... as long as the parent involved doesn't receive any sense of accomplishment, Louise is happy to learn...

While we are forced to whisper our words of encouragement so that she does not hear, I am terribly proud of my new lover of learning.

Oh Yea School.

Okay I just started school(MCAA) its a good school,

I have a fun teacher(Miss. Shelton i love her), A good portion of friends, and sometimes mom will let me buy my lunch.I for one believe that a lot of friends is a good way to fit in.

EmilyB.

School Days

I was in the newspaper Weird!

unknown talents

Emily is partaking in an end-of-school sing-song play of sorts in a few weeks. She attends a non-school, home-school, school away from home... thing one day a week. Every student participates in the event, which will involve 80 hours of preparation, a decent bit of stress, and 4-5 minutes of a show... a long-standing tradition in cultures that no longer have to worry about what to eat.
We were told that she was going to sing the lead solo parts. Emily's brain is strangely attuned to the art of memorization, so we were not surprised by this announcement.

Maggie teaches a 2nd day at this non-school, home-school, school away from home... thing each week as well, with Emily repeating a few of the classes and spending the rest of her time playing hacky sack and smoking behind the cafeteria.
The music teacher asked Maggie the other day if Emily could sing the solo parts for that classroom as well: "She sings so beautifully. It really is a joy to hear her voice"Silence. Initial assumption that the teacher is making fun of Emily... then slow realization that the teacher is serious, does indeed like Emily's singing voice, and wants her to perform in the other class' sing song show."Uhhmm, I suppose... do you really???... well, OK"

Those of us who live in Emily's real world are in a bit of a shock. She has been perfecting the fine art of underage-operata-star search-piercing-drawn out-shaky singing since her second birthday. Indeed, she has been punished and her voice banned from different parts of the house at various stages of her life. While excelling in the art of Volume, it has not been observed by those with ears to hear that she has been gifted by what is generally termed 'pitch' or 'tempo'.

There are two options here: Emily is either growing into a talent with the outside help of her teacher, or the non-school, home-school, school away from home... thing has a horrendous availability of talent to compete against. I will let you know in a few weeks.

Letter of the Day

Louise: Mom, you know, there aren't very many words that start with D that people say... except for 'diarrhea'.