Lots of things going on as usual. I've spread myself a little too thin (as usual.) The PTA has me pretty busy - plus I also write the PTA newsletter and am helping out EVS with their website. Aunt J called the other day and asked what was up, so I list off the numerous things I'm doing: Going to school to help sell skate night tickets (which was Sat Feb 23, and we had a blast), helping collect the school spring fundraiser stuff, going to the bank every day to make deposits (which includes counting a lot of money), soccer, dance and swimming, Friday night Lenten gospel study, incorporating comments into the web site, filling out the application to perhaps get Pumpkin into our parish Catholic school (which has a waiting list) etc. So Aunt J is appalled and asks me, "What to you do for fun?" Me, "Go to work."

Pumpkin's catholic school application is weighing heavily on me. I've never been that big on Catholic school. Not that I was against them, it just wasn't that important to me. However, this winter I felt called to get Pumpkin into Aquinas. I'll admit, I haven't really thought this through ~ I'm just responding to the call. So, I attended the open house and filled out the application (with references!) But, I'm still not sure if this is the best thing for him. I mean, I do now desperately want him to get in, but I also feel like I'm abandoning the public school system. The school Pumpkin is at now is one of the more "low income" schools - which is really funny when you consider Hubby and I live in a distinctly middle class neighbor hood and make like 80 grand a year. Welcome to DC. But anyway, EVS has a real struggle with parent involvement - even within the PTA there are only a few of us that do everything. I feel like Mrs. Z (the pres) and I do everything. (Mrs. Z is a PTA God and I so totally admire her.) And I think, I am exactly the parent EVS and public school in general needs - and I'm "fleeing".

So last night was skate night. The PTA agreed to come at 6pm sharp to set up (it started at 6:30.) So, who shows up? Me and Mrs. Z. I mean, other members straggled in, but they all went (except 1) and skated while Mrs. Z and I sold tickets and meal tickets. (As an aside, I was handling all that money, and then I ate pizza without washing my hands, so now I am really sick. Sigh. And this had been such a great year so far - compared to the beginning of last year, and now this is the second Sunday in a row that I want to just lie down and die.) Anyway, as we are packing up the money box and all I mention that I think we have to get the PTA books audited. And Mrs. Z says, "No, we only have to do that when it changes hands are you're staying. If you quit, then I'm quitting!" I'm still sure we have to get the books audited every year. I mean, I could be the treasurer for 6 years. And that would give me a lot of time to cook the books if we only audited when a new treasurer came in.

On the positive side, at least I know that if, for whatever reason, God has called me to jump through the Catholic school application hoops only to have Pumpkin NOT get in, I know how very much appreciated I am at EVS. I'm sure Aquinas has a very active parent group. I mean, you've got to me motivated to get your kid in. And I consider Mrs. Z to be my friend, so I don't want to "betray" her. . . and yet, I have to do what is best for my children. . . or is the fate of the community at large more important. The best society is NOT the one where it's every many for himself. It's a muddle. And it's in God's hands.

And Mrs. Z is so active in school - she's there every Friday helping out in her daughter's room. So she knows like EVERYONE! We're sitting there in the school lobby collecting money for skate night and she knows just about everyone. It was fun sitting next to her. Neat woman. Don't want to let her down. She was the one, who right after the car got stolen and I was so upset, said to me, "When bad things happen, you have to wonder, what is this new path God has chosen for me." That was so helpful in that time - I kept thinking, this is just a new path God has chosen. It all happens to be uphill, but it is still God's path. And, of course, it all turned out OK.

Pumpkin.
Pumpkin is awesome and also rugged. He needs A LOT of attention. Precious gets hers by being adorable. She is just a lap bunnie. You sit down, she's on your lap. You speak sharply to her, she totally disintegrates with tears dripping down her chin. "Are you angry?" she ask, bleary eyed and sad. So she gets attention because she just darn cuddles up to you and gets it. Pumpkin wants to be first, wants to be the only one that talks, wants everything. And when he doesn't get what he wants ~ he sulks! So he spends like 40 percent of his time in a bad mood because someone else got a sliver of attention.

So right now we are seriously missing Kenny. I think Pumpkin is bored - so he wants all my attention, or worse, he totally torments Precious. But there are no longer any kids his age on the cul-de-sac, and he's a little young to go anywhere further. Happily, when it is nice on the weekends the Deshong grandkids come over, and he can play with Amanda and Nick (which is what he did all this weekend.) I wish the Ross's grandchild (Blaze) could come over. He's there every day after school, but he doesn't get there until 3:30 and then he has to do homework. And then it is dark. (Or they don't want him to play with Pumpkin, which is a thought that crosses my mind, except in general they seem to like us. Hmmmm.) Sometimes he plays by himself really well, but sometimes you can just see the empty wheels turning - and next thing you know Precious is crying. I think when it's nicer out I can just send him outside. Tonight they got out the Pokemon and played really well together. Times like that are just so wonderful! Wish they were as easy to remember as all the times I am at wits end.

He's still totally obsessed with Pokemon, which drives me nuts. LOVES Them. I mean, he'll be reading a book and see one he doesn't have - and then for days he'll talk about how he wants it. Every time we leave the house he wants to bring his piggy bank on the off chance that we'll go somewhere that will have pokemon he can buy. It gets REALLY old fast, let me tell you. On Friday nights we'll all go to Blockbuster as a family and let them pick out of Pokemon movie to watch. (Usually a collection of 3 of the TV shows, which he's not allowed to watch on TV.) This is the only show he'll watch and sit totally still. Which is a positive.

Pumpkin has just discovered dinosaurs. Well, of course he likes dinosaurs - but he's just starting to get really into them. (OK, I admit. I'm hoping desperately that this will replace his Pokemon obsession, which means of course it won't.) First, we saw a TV show (cartoon) where the little boy and his friend discover a fossil. So this got Pumpkin interested in fossils. And them when mom came up, she brought this ENORMOUS box of big plastic dinosaurs. (He actually got a smaller box for Christmas, but I think with all the toys he got, they got forgotten in the crush.) Anyway, we pulled them out and played with them - but we didn't know anything about any of them. So we went to the bookstore and bought a children's book on dinosaurs called Dinosaurs Everywhere. It leaves me wanted more information, so I'll probably go out and buy an teenager book to learn more, but this book is just perfect for Pumpkin. So we spend a lot of time reading it and then pulling out his plastic dinosaurs to compare to the book. I'm pretty excited, because I know that when we go to Pittsburgh for the week before Easter I'm going to take the kids to the Carnegie Museum and that they have a ton of dinosaur bones.

Pumpkin's reading skills are improving greatly. I try to do a little bit each night. Of course I read to him every night - we're almost to the point where he can read "Are you my mother" to me. His kindergarden sent us a list of "100 words" that he is supposed to know by the end of the year. I put each of the words on a little card and they are all in a little bag. And every week his teacher tells us the 3 or 4 'words of the week' for them to learn. I was trying to get Pumpkin to write out the words of the week, but he really hates that. So what I do is grab all the word cards he is supposed to know, and any word that he reads he adds to his pile, and any word he doesn't know I put on my pile. And then we see who wins. Pumpkin is very much into competing and winning a the moment. He's really reading well, all together.

Totally Random
Oh yes - bath time. First we have a grocery-bag-size mesh bag hanging from a hook filled with toys. Then we have a small waste basket filled with bath toys. Then the other night they decided they needed to take 17 of their medium sized plastic dinosaurs in the bath. I think that if I let them put all their toys in their at once they would not have any room for water. Every parent says this, and it's true!

Maybe 2 weeks ago we all went to the zoo. (Actually, I've now been to the zoo 3 times so far this year. My kids lead such a tough life.) Anyway, it was a great day and Hubby was in the mood to go so off we went. Well, the howler monkeys were having a fit - maybe it's mating season? So they are screaming and howling at each other. The are separated into two large enclosures that touch, but that have mesh between them Wow, it was amazing. It was just like the soundtrack you hear on all those nature commentaries. We must have stood there for 20 minutes watching them screech at each other. You could hear them howling all over the zoo. I was thinking, if I was in the jungle and heard those noises I'd be scared out of my wits. I don't think Precious knew quite what to think. I think he was scared, but could tell the rest of us were fascinated, so didn't know what to think. But he didn't want to leave Hubby's arms while he could see the monkeys. (Loud!) Oh yes, our zoo has a baby elephant which I am just wild about, but the kids don't care. (sigh.) The one night I went because Hubby was driving me nuts (Smile) I must have left the house at 2:30! So the kids and I were at the zoo from 3:15 until 6pm! (It gets good and dark by 6pm!) We went to the Orang Utan house. Now, you aren't supposed to bring in any food or drink, but I figured I'd be the only person in there and wasn't in the mood to fight with Precious over his little bag of crackers. So there we are in the monkey house looking at these enormous Orang Utans. Precious walks up to the glass and suddenly this huge thing walks right over to the glass and stares right at him - not 2 inches away! You should have seen Precious back up! But her eyes never left him. Then I figured out she was hungry - she was actually looking at Precious's bag of crackers. It was neat to see how intelligent these animals are. And she put her hand up on the glass, so we all got to compare our hands to hers. That exhibit (it's inside a house) closes at 4 so they kicked us out. We ended up seeing the peacocks that night, and the male put on quite a show for us, so now all Pumpkin wants to so is see the Peacock. This would be no big deal but it is at the top of a huge hill - and it's tough to get all 3 kids up that hill.