Thursday, May 14, 2009

Thursday Report

1. I have stopped folding laundry. I didn't intend to stop folding laundry; in fact, I enjoy folding laundry. But a couple of weeks ago, right before my parents' visit, I quit. There wasn't time, and there hasn't been time since. So we have become one of those families that lives out of a laundry basket. I assume that next we'll stop unloading the dishwasher, so that we become one of those families that is never sure whether the dishes in the half-loaded machine are clean or dirty. Ultimately, we'll become one of those families that eats all our meals (fast food or microwaved, natch) in the car. With the car DVD player playing "The Little Mermaid" on an endless loop.

2. We don't have a car DVD player, by the way. If I recall correctly, Danielle has rented one (or gotten a rental van with one in it) for long trips, and I can see that. But a full time player in the car? No, I can't do it. How would I force the kids to listen to my music if they were watching TV?

3. I've worried in the past--and sometimes in this blog--about Jack's friends. Are they a bad influence? How about three years from now--will they be the kind of kids we want Jack hanging around with? But I've never considered that Jack's friends might be a good influence on him. The other day, though, when I saw Jack clearing his plate from the table without being asked, I realized that he learned that from his friends. Spencer and Aidan and Christof are all plate clearers (Spencer is even a plate scraper and rinser). I've been trying to get Jack to clear his plate for years, but I really think his friends' behavior is what pushed him over the edge.

4. Yet another Very Big Day at Our Fine School yesterday, which provided me with yet another opportunity to send Will to school dressed all wrong.

It was the kindergarten play, and Will was a leopard. I asked him first thing yesterday morning, "Is there anything special you need to wear?" He assured me there wasn't. Got to school to watch the play. The kids come out. The frogs are wearing green tee shirts under their frog costumes, the rabbits are wearing white tee shirts under their costumes, the elephants and rhinos are wearing gray tee shirts, and the leopards are wearing brown tee shirts.

Well, all the leopards except for Will, who, under his leopard spots, is wearing a lovely and very brightly striped red, yellow and orange polo shirt.

We are almost at the end of Very Big Days at Our Fine School. There is school spirit day next week, for which Will needs to wear his tee shirt with the school logo. And then there is kindergarten graduation (please don't get me started on that--Will will have graduated three times before he actually graduates for real in 2021, and we'll have to attend each one and make a big dang deal about it--I mean it, don't get me started). I challenge you to find white shorts for a six-year-old boy who is not in training to be a ring bearer.

Anyway, the good news is, there are only a few more opportunities for me to send Will to school in the wrong clothes. The bad news is, first grade is right around the corner.

7 comments:

Tracy said...

Your School has far too many dress-up opportunities! Someone needs to start making policies about this stuff for dress-up challenged parents (I include myself).

The laundry thing intrigues me. Surprisingly, it was Dh who taught me to fold as I take things off the line (or in your case, maybe out of the dryer?). My Mum used to just fling stuff at the basket and fold later, but my husband is much wiser in this regard. It works pretty well, and the kids are ALL capable of folding albeit at somewhat lesser standards than my perfectionistic tendency.

Angela said...

Yep, I am with Tracy on this one, you suffer from way too many dress-up days!
Laundry - again, like Tracy, I inherited flinging tendencies from my Mum, but after 30 years of marriage my folding is getting better. In fact I can now fold and pair SOCKS so they lie [lay?] flat in the drawer as per the method of my Flemish Mother-In-Law.
But I have tried and tried and still cannot master Martha Stewart's Ultimate T-Shirt Folding Method.
Part of the problem here in Britain is rain - you suddenly notice your line of almost dry washing is about to be baptised, so dash outside with a basket for three minutes of frantic "Grab'n'Stuff" - and then never get round to re-folding the stuff when you get inside again out of the deluge!
blessings A xx

Heather said...

I am too deep in the donate-a-please send in-a-volunteer-a-palooza that is the last 2 weeks of school to come up with a cheerful and witty comment. We will come out of this alive, right?

Gumbo Lily said...

We've been living out of the dryer lately. I've been in the yard/gardens too much to want to fold clothes, but I will again!

Love reading you.

Jody

Left-Handed Housewife said...

Tracy and Angela--Until Will started school, I didn't think too much about all the dress-up days. But now that I have two in school, it's a whole different story, especially since fourth grade is one long dress-up extravaganza.

Folding laundry directly out of the dryer or off the line--what sort of new fangled invention is that?

Heather, The last two weeks of school: 'nuff said. As my friend Danielle has said, May is the new December. It's just nuts.

Jody, We're in the yard more this time of year, too (though our yard is a lot smaller than yours!), and I do think having one more major chore puts the laundry in jeopardy.

Victoria said...

Nothing wrong with living out of a pile of clean laundry, it works quite well - everyone knows where to find their school uniforms each morning..
I do have an 8 year old (girl) who sorts it out very well when asked (for money). I hate to have double standards about boys/girls but the six year old boy is hopeless at the job. Maybe its a an ago thing.
It is hard to by new appliances, however useful and necessary, when you've come from being broke earlier, I agree. Congratulations on the deep freeze!! I think that's a great present!

debbie bailey said...

I agree with you about kindergarten graduation. Ridiculous! I say wait until they've actually accomplished something big before celebrating with a graduation ceremony.

I DO get our children 'end of the year' presents after they've finished a year of homeschool. I figure if they've put up with me for a year, they need a reward!