NYR 6-3-14

Today was an incredibly busy day at Mac's school.  They had an internet safety course, a gardening session (which I volunteered to help with), and the dreaded sex ed class.

They divided the class up into boys and girls.  The boys did internet safety in the morning while the girls did sex ed, we gardened together from 11:35 to 12:20, they ate lunch and then the boys had sex ed while the girls did internet safety. 

I don't think Mac really knew what was coming in the afternoon, although I heard from other parents that the class is the subject of great angst for the entire year so maybe he caught wind of it from his friends.

During the gardening session, one of the mom volunteers overheard a boy say that "this day will go down as the very worst of his entire career at the school: first they were shown disturbing images of all the horrible stuff that's out there on the internet, then they had to pull weeds in the hot sun, and then they had to discuss body parts."

I really didn't expect Mac to discuss the sex ed class with me, but as soon as we met up in the parking lot, he started talking.  They gave every boy a little stick of Old Spice deodorant, which I found hysterical.  It's Fiji-scented, whatever that smells like.  Mac told me the girls got "those pad things" in their class.  He also said that he got a packet of information, but "it would be best if I didn't look at it because it's disgusting."

(Needless to say I'm dying to look at the packet, but I'm waiting until he goes to bed before I snoop through his backpack.)

Today, I'm particularly thankful that I'm not a school nurse and don't have to teach these classes.

NYR 6-2-14

Today I chaperoned a 5th grade field trip to the Natural History Museum in DC.  To get to the museum, we had to walk 0.7 mile from the school to the Metro station (that's right above our apartment building), ride the Metro for about 20 minutes, and walk a couple blocks to the museum.

A few points on this outing:

1.  This was Mac's final field trip of elementary school.  Sigh.  Do they take field trips in middle school?

2.  Parents had to show up early for an information session.  The trip was really well-scheduled and very well-planned so you knew exactly where you were supposed to be at any time.  I got a good giggle from the parents whose greatest angst about the trip was how to use the Metro. A lot of these folks obviously are not the public transit-using sort.

3.  Another mother and I were in charge of our "pod" of 5 kids - 2 boys and 3 girls - who were really, really good and well-behaved.  We got lucky. 

4.  Riding the Metro didn't make me nervous.  What made me nervous was my fear that the children were going to have to complete worksheets inside the museum to make sure they were paying attention, but there was nothing to do except enjoy the museum.  This, to me, may be the thing that surprises me most about this uber-intense school: they just let the kids wander the museum without attaching any work to the experience.  Wow!

5. Mac originally told me he hoped he was put in a group that wasn't chaperoned by me - knife to the heart - but all kids were put with their parents.  It appears I didn't do anything to embarrass him and we had a great time together.

6.  It was really cool to see him interact with his classmates over the course of hours.

For this great day with Mac, I am truly thankful.

NYR 6-1-14

This afternoon Jimmy and I attended a potluck barbecue for my Bible study ladies and their families.  (Mac opted to stay home but might have changed his mind had he known ahead of time that there was a trampoline.)  

I'm just going to put it out there that nobody does a potluck better than the Methodists.  In addition to barbecued chicken, there were all sorts of salads and casseroles and somebody made a chocolate cake that Jimmy is still taking about. 

I do love a potluck and am thankful we got to share this yummy food and great fellowship with this group.

NYR 5-31-14

This afternoon was Mac's final regular season baseball game.  His team, the Red Sox, have been coached by a wonderful, patient man and two young assistants who don't have children in the league but who love the game and want to be involved.  

Mac has learned so much about baseball but he's learned even more about life from these three men. 

Gracious winning and gracious losing.  

Letting everybody play even if they're not the best.  

Winning isn't the be-all and end-all as long as you've given it your all.

So thankful for this great team, the wonderful families who were part of the team, and the coaches who led the team. 

NYR 5-30-14

Today a letter came addressed to the Parents of James M. Story.

Yikes!

I opened it and it was Mac's test scores for the writing part of the Virginia Standards of Learning standardized test.  Writing is not Mac's strong suit so I was really nervous. After I figured out how to decipher the paper, it became apparent that he's kind of brilliant in writing.  

Or he tested well that day.  

Whatever. 

Here's to hoping he tested well on math, reading and science!

NYR 5-29-14

Jimmy returned tonight after a few days in Honduras, where he got to see our dear, dear friends from Mozambique.  He's now seen them twice in the last 10 months, and I haven't seem them once in 3 years.  I know jealousy is bad, but....

Sometimes I wish I had a job that required travel where I could see old friends in my ports of call.

NYR 5-28-14

Mac has never had perfect attendance at school.  There's always been strep throat or a stomach virus, and absent illness, we haven't bothered ourselves with that quaint notion that he needs to be present every single day if a weekend trip demands an extra day.  

Until this year. 

He's not been sick at all (!) and things feel so serious at his current school that we've not dared let him miss a day for something fun.

Until today.

Over the weekend at the Eastern Shore, his allergies went haywire and by today, he was coughing to the point of gagging.  He said he didn't feel well enough to go to school, even if that meant he couldn't go to his baseball game in the evening.  (House Rule (which causes a lot of ridiculous drama): if you're too sick to attend school, you're too sick to do anything fun during or after school hours on the day of absence).  

So we hunkered down and watched a lot of tv, and it was kind of perfect. 

Even if he doesn't get a Perfect Attendance certificate at the year-end promotion ceremony. 

Sigh.