So, January passed with little to no ground breaking events happening in our household. This winter may go down in history as the mildest snow season in Michigan history. It is February 15th and I could count the days that it has 'really' snowed on one hand! I even saw people in shorts on Super Bowl Sunday!! Just so there is no confusion...I'm not complaining...I love it! With 20 extra minutes of driving tacked onto my daily commute, I'm certainly not shaking my fist at the skies wishing for a blizzard.
One of the main reasons nothing happened in January is that I found the Pinterest website and I have a problem ~Total addiction~.
If you don't know what I am talking about, Pinterest is basically a website for sharing ideas, things to create, recipes... anything. It is cocaine for crafters, a giant cork board to store project ideas and inspirations. The amazing thing for me is that I have actually been MAKING the stuff that I pin... YEAH... seriously. We no longer have cable at the house, so my nights have been filled with crafts and Netflix. I just finished making these giant Valentine envelopes for Nathan and Hailey (I still have to put Nathan's name on his). The idea is to hang these on their bedroom doors a week before Valentines day, and to put a love note in each day to open and read on Valentines Day! Genius! So cute and more personal then buying a card from the store (and cheaper too). I'll have to make myself one... once the craft store restocks their red felt.
Speaking of Valentine's Day, it was yesterday.... and I had the delightful volunteer opportunity to run one of the games at Hailey's Young 5's school party. Fun! With the exception that the lady in charge gave me very little warning and/or information in which to plan my game, things went really well. I made a couple of heart shaped bean bags and the kids threw them at pieces of candy that I scattered on the floor (which they then were able to keep). It quickly became obvious that I'm not the typical mom who sits at the kiddie table instructing the kids how to make flowers out of tissue paper. I was all.... "All right Oval table!!! Are you ready to rock some BEAN BAG tossing?!?! YEAH!!! High Fives!!"
Hailey was SUPER excited to have Momma in her class.... she had some trouble staying in her seat because she wanted me to be with her, which was nice. Lots and lots of boys in that class, so she is in her element. It also became very clear to me that the lack of noise in my daily job has completely skewed the volume level I perceive the world should function at. I never thought I had a low tolerance for noise...but I think I do. It was very difficult to concentrate. Luckily, throwing a beanbag didn't take a lot of complex explaining on my part.
While I had a lot of fun watching her interact with her classmates, I would like to lodge a complaint. This has nothing to do with yesterday's party or Hailey's class. I am a little irritated with the general volunteering atmosphere at her school. There are apparently very, very few ways that a working mother can get involved. Yeah, I get that it's a trade off. I work, so I can't volunteer for some of the daily things that her school and class need. I can't go in to be a computer lab helper every Tuesday at 2:00pm, or a book reader Wednesdays at 1:00. I was only able to go yesterday because I took the day off. It was important to me (as well as Hailey) that I participate with her class. However, I think that I should be able to attend PTA meetings if I want to... or any of the other important meetings, but I can't. Those are during the work week.
I haven't felt this bad about being a working mom since the first month I went back to work. Back then, I had to deal with the fact that her first steps may take place at daycare. I learned to live with Hailey calling Jamie "Mommy". I could hardly tell my toddler to please wait to learn to crawl until 5:01. However, I don't see why I have to be excluded here. Parent meetings could just as easily take place in the evenings.
On Friday, Nathan and Hailey get to go to their first Father/Daughter Dance. Awesome! I also signed myself up to make 2 dozen cookies for the event. I was revved up about what to make... until I got the e-mail that they have to be delivered between 8:30-3:00 at the school on Friday. That will be a neat trick for me as I work 40 minutes away. Maybe I can Fed Ex them.
OK... to be totally honest, going to a PTA meeting isn't on my bucket list of things to do before I die. BUT what I don't like is not even being able to have the option of going. Maybe there are so many stay at home moms involved because we are still at a young age for our kids, or this particular school has lots of single income families. Whatever. I have absolutely nothing against stay at home moms... in fact, I'm jealous of them (very jealous sometimes). However, call it working mom paranoia...but I get the feeling that some of them have a problem with us.. as if this was a choice we made not to stay at home with our kids. I HAVE to work... and I care about being involved with my daughter. I am not some anomaly.
But you know what... I've seen it. The past 8 years of working with high school kids, I have seen the kids who have parents that brush them under the rug because they are too busy. Nope, not gonna happen to my girl. But, she's not going to have to peel me off her either... that is just the opposite side of bad parenting. She is going to know I'm there. She is going to see me in the stands or in the audience. I'm going to be a booster, a supporter and PTA member... if I choose.
I'm going to bring home the bacon..... AND make cookies for the dance - overnight shipping if necessary!
One of the main reasons nothing happened in January is that I found the Pinterest website and I have a problem ~Total addiction~.
If you don't know what I am talking about, Pinterest is basically a website for sharing ideas, things to create, recipes... anything. It is cocaine for crafters, a giant cork board to store project ideas and inspirations. The amazing thing for me is that I have actually been MAKING the stuff that I pin... YEAH... seriously. We no longer have cable at the house, so my nights have been filled with crafts and Netflix. I just finished making these giant Valentine envelopes for Nathan and Hailey (I still have to put Nathan's name on his). The idea is to hang these on their bedroom doors a week before Valentines day, and to put a love note in each day to open and read on Valentines Day! Genius! So cute and more personal then buying a card from the store (and cheaper too). I'll have to make myself one... once the craft store restocks their red felt.
Speaking of Valentine's Day, it was yesterday.... and I had the delightful volunteer opportunity to run one of the games at Hailey's Young 5's school party. Fun! With the exception that the lady in charge gave me very little warning and/or information in which to plan my game, things went really well. I made a couple of heart shaped bean bags and the kids threw them at pieces of candy that I scattered on the floor (which they then were able to keep). It quickly became obvious that I'm not the typical mom who sits at the kiddie table instructing the kids how to make flowers out of tissue paper. I was all.... "All right Oval table!!! Are you ready to rock some BEAN BAG tossing?!?! YEAH!!! High Fives!!"Hailey was SUPER excited to have Momma in her class.... she had some trouble staying in her seat because she wanted me to be with her, which was nice. Lots and lots of boys in that class, so she is in her element. It also became very clear to me that the lack of noise in my daily job has completely skewed the volume level I perceive the world should function at. I never thought I had a low tolerance for noise...but I think I do. It was very difficult to concentrate. Luckily, throwing a beanbag didn't take a lot of complex explaining on my part.
While I had a lot of fun watching her interact with her classmates, I would like to lodge a complaint. This has nothing to do with yesterday's party or Hailey's class. I am a little irritated with the general volunteering atmosphere at her school. There are apparently very, very few ways that a working mother can get involved. Yeah, I get that it's a trade off. I work, so I can't volunteer for some of the daily things that her school and class need. I can't go in to be a computer lab helper every Tuesday at 2:00pm, or a book reader Wednesdays at 1:00. I was only able to go yesterday because I took the day off. It was important to me (as well as Hailey) that I participate with her class. However, I think that I should be able to attend PTA meetings if I want to... or any of the other important meetings, but I can't. Those are during the work week.
I haven't felt this bad about being a working mom since the first month I went back to work. Back then, I had to deal with the fact that her first steps may take place at daycare. I learned to live with Hailey calling Jamie "Mommy". I could hardly tell my toddler to please wait to learn to crawl until 5:01. However, I don't see why I have to be excluded here. Parent meetings could just as easily take place in the evenings.
On Friday, Nathan and Hailey get to go to their first Father/Daughter Dance. Awesome! I also signed myself up to make 2 dozen cookies for the event. I was revved up about what to make... until I got the e-mail that they have to be delivered between 8:30-3:00 at the school on Friday. That will be a neat trick for me as I work 40 minutes away. Maybe I can Fed Ex them.OK... to be totally honest, going to a PTA meeting isn't on my bucket list of things to do before I die. BUT what I don't like is not even being able to have the option of going. Maybe there are so many stay at home moms involved because we are still at a young age for our kids, or this particular school has lots of single income families. Whatever. I have absolutely nothing against stay at home moms... in fact, I'm jealous of them (very jealous sometimes). However, call it working mom paranoia...but I get the feeling that some of them have a problem with us.. as if this was a choice we made not to stay at home with our kids. I HAVE to work... and I care about being involved with my daughter. I am not some anomaly.
But you know what... I've seen it. The past 8 years of working with high school kids, I have seen the kids who have parents that brush them under the rug because they are too busy. Nope, not gonna happen to my girl. But, she's not going to have to peel me off her either... that is just the opposite side of bad parenting. She is going to know I'm there. She is going to see me in the stands or in the audience. I'm going to be a booster, a supporter and PTA member... if I choose.
I'm going to bring home the bacon..... AND make cookies for the dance - overnight shipping if necessary!
