Updates

*Dyed Isabelle's hair blue for crazy hair day at school. I fought hard for another color, any color that wouldn't look like a chlorine accident by July but she was adamant. This time I purposely didn't leave it on as long as you should, or strip her hair with dish soap prior, thinking we would speed the entire process up but really just managed to go directly to the wash out stage. I think in another week I will talk her into letting me use some kind of color off crap. Hey, I like funky hair colors as much as the next person who grew up in the grunge era but the over powering mommy grooming urge is more than I can fight.

*Field Day at the school. The Field Day Coordinator stationed me as the hair color lady. I spent six hours spraying hair color onto children's heads who's parents are smart enough not to fuck around with semi-permanent hair color that looks like shit in a week. It was a lot of fun and I do believe I managed to regain my Isabelle's cool mom status. Half way through the first class I realized that they can't see their own heads and started doing whatever I wanted to them. Then their friends would see and by the end of the line would be requesting that their head be a target, camouflaged, flaming, polka dotted or striped, too.

*District Board Meeting. Holy Bajeezus! I will never feel like our Parent Ass. Meetings are long again. And I totally want a gavel to begin my presidency next fall. You might be wondering why the hell I would attend a district board meeting, much as I was pondering that same question mid-way through the first quarter. See, Isabelle goes to a charter school, but it's still public and it is still part of the district. Except it's not. But it is. Anyway the district had budget cuts so they will no longer be offering TAG to the charter school students. (They site the cost is $1300 per student) The part the other parents don't get is that they don't have to offer it, that they receive no state or federal funding to do so and had been offering it out of generosity in the first place. They're required to offer some sort of enrichment for "advanced" students IN THEIR SCHOOLS but given no funding earmarked for that. (incidentally they ARE given extra, up to double, for ESL and special needs students) So I showed up to lend moral support but when the mom went up there to speak in front of them, (it's pretty intimidating) she burst into tears and the mom sitting next to her joined the crying and it was a mess. I had to go up there and speak even though I know the Board is correct and even sort of side with them. At least now the other moms are starting to get it. It really sort of astounded me that this woman went in there, hadn't done her homework and then thought that appealing to their emotions was going to fix it. I eman pishaw it's not like these people WANT to take away TAG from our students, but when faced with a budget cut of course they're going to save money in the areas they don't benefit from. The person the parents need to be talking to is the founder/director of the charter schools who not so subtly told me personally that TAG is not a part of their program. The principal essentially sent these parents to the Board meeting knowing damn well what would happen instead of sending the to the charter school board meeting an asking why they're not paying for it. Asshole. Now they all want me to talk to him but he hates me, we've had words plenty before.  So yeah… umm why is my kid in their school again? I don't know, cause I haven't moved to Corbett yet and the other options here are worse. Because my life is a case history in choosing the lesser evil. Blah. Enough about that.

*Last Day of school. The parent association rents one of those giant inflatable slides for field day every year but the company sent the slide to the wrong school on field day. We had to get a slide for the last day of school 'cause there were literally children sobbing on the playground upon the realization that there wouldn't be a slide. LOL. So I was back down at the school, sliding … ummm helping out all day. Thatch LOVED climbing to the top of the slide but barely tolerated going down. Never stopped him from going up again though.

*Finished the book binge and am now making summer clothes for Is. The nice thing about girls, when their pants get too short you can make shorts, shants, and skirts. And I'm back to working ..ing the table and chairs when the weather allows. I'm still trying to skip sanding.  

And now…. I should probably get dressed. It is almost 11 am.

I LOVE SUMMER.