Tuesday, May 15, 2012

There are so many interesting things to tell you, but I just don't have the time. For one thing, I'm busy being a seventh grade room parent. This would be an easy-peasy job but for one tiny error I made at the beginning of the year: I agreed to help "coordinate" the end of the year seventh grade pool party.

Mistake. Big, bad mistake. It sounded like an easy job at the time. According to the PTA president, all the pool party "coordinators" had to do was check in with all the seventh grade advisories to make sure everyone was on top of the pool party situation. Bring sunscreen, don't forget your towel, that sort of thing. No biggie. My fellow room parent, Ellen, and I happily volunteered.

What the PTA president didn't tell us about "coordinating" the seventh grade pool party: That we will be in charge of finding a pool, ordering 30 pizzas, hauling in 280 bottles of water and keeping them cool, and we will be paying for everything up front. We'll be reimbursed later, of course, but you know how much this party costs? A thousand buckaroos. That's right: Ellen and I will have to shell out a ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS to get this party started.

I protest. Fortunately, so does Ellen, and she's going to talk to the PTA prez about how she might consider joining the rest of us back here in Reality City, where people often don't have ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS to spare.

Here's the thing about having a kid at a school like Our Fine Middle School, which is, as we like to say, an independent school: You will find yourself among people who don't give it a second thought when the president of the PTA says "By the by, you'll be reimbursed for your expenses of ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS." Not only are some of these folks nonplussed, they're talking about spending three hundred non-reimbursible dollars of their own money on beach ball party favors.

The seventh graders will not be receiving party favors. Not only can I not afford it, the fact is seventh graders don't deserve party favors. Everybody knows that.

So, anyway, my time right now is being spent having anxiety attacks about planning the pool party. I wish I had time to tell you about the lovely Mother's Day I had, which included a marvelous bike ride on Durham's famous Tobacco Trail. This is the first time we've gone bike-riding as a family. Will has only just gotten comfortable enough on his bike for an outing like this, but now that he is, I foresee a lot of family bike rides in the future. After we took our ride, we got frozen yogurt, and Jack only said four sarcastic things. Bliss!

Less blissful: On top of "coordinating" the 7th grade pool party, I'm also having to consider the pros and cons of getting braces, because that's what my new dentist wants me to do. I don't have to get braces, but he thinks I should. I don't know. I'm torn. But I'll have time to think about it next week, during my root canal. Yep, there's that, too. The good news is, I'm such an old pro, the thought of having a root canal doesn't even faze me. The fact is, I've gone through drug-free child birth (not on purpose, it just worked out that way), and next to that, a root canal, especially one involving heaps of Novacain, is a walk in the park.

The bad news? Guess how much it costs?  ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS. I'll be reimbursed through my dental insurance, but still, I'll have to pay it up front. The Man is seriously wishing he'd checked my dental records before he proposed. I don't blame him.

So, yes, what fun we're having! I hope you're having fun, too! Only maybe in a different, funner way!


7 comments:

GretchenJoanna said...

You are being brave again.

magsmcc said...

And to think that here I am considering signing up for the PTA next year, and practically enrolled on the (tat) toy stall for the Summer Fair next month. At least they don't need one thousand dollars for the privilege. No. They just want blood. And preferably blond hair. I don't care. It's a social experiment- we're trying different methods to get away from being the back table at the servers' door for the Spring Ball. My friend Orla doesn't approve of social experiments. At least, she doesn't approve of this social experiment. We're going for a walk on Friday. I'll encourage her to think quiet thoughts as we wander through the trees, and I'll be offering up quiet, calm, hopefully not raucously laughing, quiet thoughts on your behalf. Two thousand dollars. How much frozen yoghurt could that finance? And who thought up this party bag nonsense anyway? I buy one useless plastic item per child now. But you're right. they have to deserve it....

Leslie said...

Guess what I did today?!? A surprise root canal! Mine costs more than ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS but I ONLY have to pay SIX HUNDRED AND EIGHT EIGHT and I will NOT be getting reimbursed. This is my third root canal in 2 years. The dentist came into the room after looking at my x-ray and I kid you not, she said, "I feel really bad for you." A DENTIST said that. Not good, my friend, not good. My tooth ache was an abscess. Of course it was. I was hoping for a huge cavity, but no such luck.

But they started it today because they had time and I will finish it after I take a little trip with the fam. I just popped my first vicodain/ibuprofen just in case. It said not to lay down for 10 minutes after taking it. Why is that, I wonder? So it has been 13 minutes for good measure. I'm going to lay down now.

Pom Pom said...

Wowie zowie. That's amazing. I can't quite believe it and I'm completely with you in regard to the beach ball party favors.
I had braces at 40. My teeth were so crowded and hard to floss. I'm so glad I did. Just today I was looking at myself in the teacher restroom mirror and I thought to myself, "I'm so glad I had braces. I like my teeth."
There are WAY too many one thousand dollar things in life, I think.

Tracy said...

So there's this common theme I noticed ... ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!

I'm so with you on the school thing. They should give you approximately what it will cost and reimburse you any extra later. You should be required to provide receipts in a timely manner. Truly, how hard can it be? Or perhaps there is a school credit card they could use to pay 'up front' instead? Fight Frances, Fight!!!! On behalf of all the parents like you who make sacrifices to send their children to independent schools!!!!!

I've known people who get braces at 40. Don't know what I would do if I was given that news. I suspect, at 40, that I might just figure I'd gotten this far without and wouldn't be in any danger if I continued on without. Then again, my teeth are pretty good. Guess it depends on why they're recommending it and whether you think it's worth it.

Melissa E said...

"7th graders don't deserve party favors"...hehe

Leslie said...

Yes, a crown, too! I would gladly let you win the most crowns but dang, I guess it is not to be. And this is on a front tooth, too. What if it looks fake or weird? And this tooth was one that was previously untouched, pristine, a virgin! At least you are getting the better financial deal.