PinkGirl: Part of Your World
This is one of the songs PinkGirl has been rehearsing for the last two weeks as part of “American Idol” day camp.
I’m slightly proud.
crispy eddie haskell.
So FavoriteSon was invited to go to the beach with a bunch of friends. This is a big deal. Going to the beach without us. Not even with an organized, supervised school or church group, but rather two vehicles full of kids and two parents/drivers.
That would be some new freedom. His dad was fine with it. I wasn’t sure. Here’s the way the conversation went:
Me: “FavoriteSon, if you want more freedom and privileges, you need to demonstrate some personal responsibility, like for you own self-care. For instance, what is one of the most important things you would need to do if you spent the day at the beach without me or your dad?”
FavoriteSon: “uhhhmmmm. Not do anything that would be displeasing to God?”
PinkGirl: “I know! I know! Wear sunscreen?”
Me, to FavoriteSon: “Your sister can go.”
Now, don’t get me wrong, I like his answer too, but seriously – what a suck up. Eight years of Christian school can sure bring out the Eddie Haskell in a kid. I would LOVE it if he spent his day at the beach thinking about how he could please God, but he would still come home crispy. I continue the questioning:
Me: “What would you look for to find out if there’s a rip tide?”
FavoriteSon:“. . . waves?”
Me: “At the lifeguard chair . . . “
FavoriteSon: “a . . . sign?”
Me: “A red flag.“
Me: “What do you do if you’re caught in a rip tide?”
FavoriteSon: ” . . . relax?”
Me: “well, okay. Then what?”
FavoriteSon: “uhhhh”
Me: “Swim parallel to shore till you get out of it.”
FavoriteSon: “I KNEW THAT!”
Me: “umm hmm”
FavoriteSon: “REALLY! I KNEW THAT!”
Me: “You are so going to drown.”
Thankfully, the plans changed and they went to Wet-N-Wild instead. Lots of lifeguards, no rip tides. Just free water wedgies. We had to shell out $45 for a ticket, but it gets him in free for the rest of the year. I have a feeling PinkGirl and I will be buying the same ticket this summer.
Anyone want to hang out at Wet-N-Wild? I like me a l a z y river. Float. Walk backwards for exercise between lifeguards. Rinse, repeat.
proud mama keep on screamin!
email from FavoiteSon’s English teacher:
I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I AM IN AWE OF MRSPEEDY’S (aka FavoriteSon) ATHLETIC TALENT. YOU SHOULD HAVE HEARD THE COMMENTS IN THE STANDS AT THE TRACK MEET. “WHERE DID HE COME FROM?” “IT’S LIKE A LIGHTNING BOLT OUT OF NOWHERE!” “IT’S LIKE HE JUST TURNS ON THE AFTER BURNERS…AND HE’S GONE!”
She’s talking about the 4×100. FavoriteSon was the anchor (last runner) in that event on Monday. By the time he got the baton, his team was in 7th place. He finished 3rd.
Not that I needed an email to tell me he’s FAST! This is his first track meet since straining a hip flexor two weeks ago and he ran the 100 meter dash in 12.99 seconds. The 200 meter dash in 26.55 seconds. Check it out – he’s in the middle in the first photo, wearing the blue shorts, and a grey tshirt with a long sleeved black shirt underneath. And? He FORGOT to change into his track shoes, so he’s wearing his regular, everyday shoes.
Is it my imagination or did he let up at the finish line? He looks horizontal to me. I’ll check the video.
Start!
First Curve . . .
Second Curve . . .
Where is everyone? Oh, I can see their shadows . . .
In the homestretch . . .
26.55 seconds. Without his track shoes. I can’t wait till next week!
539 out of 200
yep. I said that right. That would be 539 text messages on a plan that allows for 200 per month. And the month wasn’t even half over.
FavoriteSon and FirstHusband went on a field trip to Washington DC last week and while the students weren’t allowed to talk to each other on their phones, they were allowed to text each other. Just for the fun of it, when they got back, I got online to check FavoriteSon’s usage.
Voice Minutes Used: 8 (and he didn’t even call his mother)
Text Messages: 539
That was February 14th and the billing cycle ends in March.
So after a little family pow wow, I got on the phone and increased his text message to 1,500 for an extra $10 per month. Back dated to include the 539 messages so he won’t have to pay 10 cents for each one over 200.
Because he’s 13. And communicating with his peers. Which he wasn’t really doing so much last year. Before the contact lenses. and the clear skin. and the cool hair. and the team sports. and he’s a good kid, who gets good grades and does his chores. most of the time. and is sweet to his baby sister. some of the time.
Besides. He’s paying for it.
The rules? We’re making them up as we go along, but so far:
1. This rule was instituted the day he got his phone: No phone in the bedroom at night.
2. We get to look at his text messages. If we ask, he allows us. (he can read mine)
3. He promises he will not text anyone anything their parents will need to call us about.
4. No texting during homework or family meals.
5. He doesn’t forward chain texts & tells his friends to stop sending them.
6. He has to check his own minutes and self-regulate.
He is very motivated to keep these rules. He’s eligible for an upgrade.
What teenager cell phone/texting rules have worked for you?
hiccupy tears & Despereaux
Spoiler Alert! Grown-ups and Big Kids Only!
PinkGirl: “maybe” (hiccupy tears)
“there” (hiccupy tears)
“really is” (hiccupy tears)
“a” (hiccupy tears)
“tooth fairy” (hiccupy tears)
“maybe” (hiccupy tears)
“she just came” (hiccupy tears)
“and saw” (hiccupy tears)
“that daddy” (hiccupy tears)
“already left the money” (hiccupy tears)
“and the note” (hiccupy tears)
“and so” (hiccupy tears)
“she didn’t have to do anything” (hiccupy tears)
Mom: “you think?”
PinkGirl: “mmm hmm” (hiccupy tears)
Mom: “Well, how about this . . . next time you lose a tooth, daddy won’t do anything and we’ll see what happens.”
PinkGirl: okay. (hiccupy tears)
Mom: “But you can’t tell any of your friends or any little kids about your doubt, okay?”
PinkGirl: “I would never do that. It would break their heaarrrrrt.” (serious heart breaking full blown crying)
“I wish” (hiccupy tears)
“I could forget” (hiccupy tears)
“I ever asked you.” (hiccupy tears)
“Why didn’t you LIE to me????” (MORE heart breaking full blown crying)
Lots of hugging.
This all took place after she came into my office, turned me around to look at her and said. “Mom. Look me in the eye. Tell me the truth. Are you the tooth fairy? Did you put the money under my pillow? Tell me the truth.“
I honestly told her that I did not put the money under her pillow.
“Mom. Tell me the truth. Are you the tooth fairy?”
“I am NOT the tooth fairy.”
She gives me “the look.”
pause.
“Daddy is.”
Hours later, before bed: “Mom? Is Santa really Santa?“
FIRMLY: YES.
“Is the Easter Bunny really the Easter Bunny?”
STILL FIRMLY: YEP.
“okay.“
I just put her to bed and she’s in there thinking. About Despereaux. She likes to “think for 5 minutes” before she goes to sleep and I decided to help guide those thoughts away from this afternoon’s drama by reading aloud to her tonight. We started reading The Tale of Despereaux
Tomorrow, she will wake up, put on her school uniform and follow rules all day. Tonight, her imagination takes her to wonderful places.
Judge PinkGirl
So we’re watching American Idol. Right before the first contestant began her audition, she informed the judges that she quit her job because that’s how much she believed in herself. She began to sing and PinkGirl turned to me and with a serious and concerned face, she said:
“I think she should get her job back.”
PinkGirl was relieved when Simon called the girl’s boss and asked if she could have her job back.
PinkGirl’s special powers.
PinkGirl was flying around the house, trailing a long pink scarf from her shoulders (wings). She’s recently finished reading a few “Little Genie
“Mom? What special powers do I have?”
“The ability to suck the energy out of anyone near you.”
pause. thought.
“I LIKE that!”
pigtails and sideburns
So we’re out and about over Christmas break and I see this guy with pigtails. Like, Pippy Longstocking, high up on both sides of his head, pigtails. Unusual. Different. So I say to my family,
“He has PIGtails.”
FavoriteSon, without skipping a beat, says, “How do you know she doesn’t have sideburns?”
true enough.
“Erica” braids
remember “the ugliest hair EVER?“
Well, this is what it was supposed to look like. PinkGirl requested this hairstyle for her birthday and it actually turned out the way it was supposed to. PinkGirl says it looks like Erica’s hair from Barbie’s Princess and the Pauper.
Happy Birthday!
What a difference time and the right tools can make!
everything tastes better with chocolate sprinkles on top!
Even tomatoes with cottage cheese. Really. See?
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