I have a cold
September 27, 2007
A cold. Woe is me. I was hoping for a 24 hour thing, but no, it keeps dragging on and on.
A star is born
September 25, 2007
Henry was in the local paper today. I have signed many a publicity / information waiver in the past, but little did I expect a newspaper photographer to show up at preschool purely to celebrate the first day. He is engrossed in the water table in all three (yes three!) pictures. I now know why the paper has an easy photographic print ordering form.
And because I get into these kinds of things--Happy Half Birthday to me.
Musicals may not be Henry's thing
September 23, 2007
How I Became a Pirate at the Emerald City Theatre in Chicago was very very cute. We all enjoyed it but I would say it was perfect for Miranda. The book is one of our favorites. They added a subplot (mutiny!) and character development (the captain is a softie!) that did to exist in the book. The member of our party who had not read the book found these developments easier to digest and accept. I was like that guy in the movie theatre watching the third Harry Potter movie saying, "But what about the robes!"
Henry was engrossed in the fighting scenes. And the dialogue. And the shark. Definitely the shark. But every time they broke into song, he started squirming. And crawling on me. And trying to change seats. And talking. Then the song would end and he would watch again. The main theme song was good, but some of them were too heavy or slow. And despite a long-running gag about show tunes, a few more toe-tapping, sing-along show tunes would have made me happier.
Anywhoo...the play was well received. If you can go, you should. And we also enjoyed our adventures on the El (the Red line was going on the brown lines tracks. Oh my!) and our trip to the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower. And a lovely dinner at Feed in ever-gentrifying Chicago.
Perhaps the call of the theatre will save her
September 21, 2007
As if it has ever saved anyone. Pshaw. This morning, before school, I found this carefully laid out scene behind the recliner in the living room. The room was dark and the stage was lit by a flashlight.
Now with the flash so you can see it clearly (obviously I have no future in stage lighting or photography as I gave up on getting a good dark photo after five minutes, seven shots and three camera settings.)
I adore the zebra shadows. And I was relieved that she did it on purpose; it would be entirely too odd for Henry to have left it that way just by chance.
I didn't know Miranda read Dooce
September 20, 2007
On Tuesday, Miranda invited us to Open House at her school. She had to write three things that would draw us to visit her classroom. I hope she continues to have strong math skills as I don't think she has a future in sales.
Her three lures were her mail box, the calendar and crayons. 
She seems to pronounce crayons in the way of the North (cray-on, two syllables) not a la Dooce and the South (crown, one syllable). And I have had no reports that she has corrected any teachers or staff members on the proper pronounciation...but she did learn to write by sounding out the words. How she hears it is how she writes it. So perhaps she pronounces crayon in her head differently than I listen to her say it. Maybe I shouldn't worry about the marketing skills--if she can be as successful as Heather, she'll be fine.
Open House was tonight. It was delightful. Her school is bright and airy and large. We checked out her newly clean desk and all of the accessories of first grade. She was happy and so were we.
Thar she blows!
September 19, 2007
Ahoy me hearties. it is International Talk Like A Pirate day. And a fine day to boot! We are seeing a pirate play this weekend. If we found a doubloon, walked the plank or sailed the seven seas we couldn't be happier.
hah!
September 18, 2007
Am I the only person who has been whiling away her time on PassiveAggressivenotes.com?
And Postsecret?
Isn't life grand?
Cute, huh?
September 17, 2007
Henry is experimenting with language. He'll hear a phrase and then repeat it over and over until he gets it right. He sounds like an actor trying to find his preschool voice. Tonight we watched the cable TV premiere of the Backyardigans' Super Secret Spy show, a 1 hour episode. It had too many songs and should have been squeezed into a regular half hour episode.
Pablo, the Secret Spy penguin, remarked several times that his spy gadgets were "cool, huh?" Henry repeated this phrase a few times and then he started trying it out on me. Jumping on me was cool, huh? And not putting his underpants back on was cool, huh? And the popcorn was cool, huh? It shall be fun to see if it persists tomorrow.
Miranda was convinced that she was going to be scared of the show. Nick did a terrific job in the previews. You assumed that they might vary from their standard "do it three times and then resolve the plot" storytelling method. An hour long! With songs sung by Cyndi Lauper! Alas, no. They do not. And unlike the Alicia Keys Mars episode, which actually highlighted the guest star, this seemed fluffy and unnecessary. Why yes, I do think too much about TV.
After her fear for Pablo's safety from The Lady in Pink subsided, Miranda jumped. She literally hopped, jumped or leaped through the first half of the show. Miranda moves with her whole body. She is not a toe tapper or fidgeter as much as she leaps out of her seat and moves all limbs off the ground. We do normally tamp this down because it is loud, she doesn't seem aware she is doing it, and it is hard on the furniture and other people who get in her way. I had actually just been considering a big hug to hold her in place when I got to wondering if she has been repressing movement all day at school. She seems to be having a good time at school. And her jumping is not behavior that endears teachers-it seems wild and mindless and like the things boys do that get them in such trouble in elementary school. So i assume she is not jumping at school. She is probably being very good--restrained, polite, quiet. And so the movement may be eager to escape.
So as I was thinking about letting her get this tremendous energy out of her system by leaping (even if 80% of the time, I think the jumping actually wires her up, not tires her out), my mom calls out to her "sit down, Miranda." And she sat. No angst from those two, I guess.
Lazy Post...I mean, Photo Update
How preschool is going
September 14, 2007
If anyone is wondering hwo preschool is going at our house, it is fine. No crying, from either of us. Henry is enthralled by the water table. AS long as that is there, we'll be fine.
And if anyone is wondering how I felt, I think The Dad at Looky Daddy provided an apt visual demonstration. Except there was more shopping and less p0rn in my day.
Am I waiting for the other shoe to drop or have we lost it already?
September 10, 2007
A title like that could mean I am about to blather on about geopolitical matters. About the best I can manage is that world seems wobbly--a little off its axis, and I am not quite sure how that will all shake out.
But really, this is a post about school. Because the personal is political. Or not. Whether Miranda is enjoying school does not matter to the war or the lobbyists or even the presidential candidates. Things are very quiet on the school front. She comes home on the bus with a jolly smile on her face. She shows off the many papers she brings home each day. i think there are many papers. No shortage of paper in this school district. I have to marvel that she got the originals from a workbook for her math work--full color and perforated edges. I am agog.
She is still a tad bit nervous about going to school. She has two friends, at least, but they don't appear to be in the line when she arrives. She is getting stars on her papers. Her print handwriting is atrocious to my eye and I am glad that it is tolerated. I think the guidance is gentle.
I am quite pleased with the school. I offered to volunteer. And I received a nice note today with a schedule. It is just about perfect. I don't want to be the only mom to help, but I am glad I was not turned down or shoved off into the vague future of "someday." The speech therapist has contacted us, relatively unprompted by me. Today we got a paper about a language lesson club that is offered before or after school for a fee. And girl scouts. And the Scholastic book catalog. All little things that lead me to think it was probably worth the disruption of our lives to move 15 miles. Of course, I will hope she learns many things and makes many friends. What does it mean that I am so happy with what should be normal?
If I were to complain at all, I would only say I feel like there is an assumption that everyone knows where they're going, what the routine is and how the school works. I probably like signs more than the average person, I'll admit. And the kindergarten parents must feel as new as me, right?
Tomorrow is Henry's first day of preschool. Hang on tight.
2 down, 173 to go
September 6, 2007
I have nothing to say. I have swirling internal angst and masses of insecurities. I have contractors I should call. And rooms I should paint. And books I should read. And rooms I should clean. And mosquitoes to kill. People I should reach out to. Presents to buy. Presents to wrap. Thank you notes to write. Puzzles to reassemble. DVDs to watch. Children to tickle. Sandwiches to assemble. Photos to organize.
School is going pretty well. Miranda likes it. I feel the relief that those kids in the Life commercials felt with Mickey ate the stuff, willingly even. Henry is pretty vague with his dismissals of preschool. September may be off to a slow start, but it looks steady, as she goes.
Love Actually
September 4, 2007
Today was a long day for me. Miranda declared the first day of school very good. This exceeds my expectations. I was kind of mopey all day. It strikes me as a sign of my fragile metal health that the soundtrack of Priscilla Queen of the Desert plus a little Mariah Carey formed my personal, internal playlist today. And that song from the Kohl's ad last Christmas.
Miranda's teacher gets props for being well-prepared. she gave each kid a postcard welcoming them. A note saying they had a "beary" good day. And a letter saying we can call her at home if we have questions. And at least another dozen pieces of paper with useful information. She took the bus home. She didn't cry going in. She didn't cry coming out. She's a bit nervous about tomorrow, but she's not complaining. I should be having a great day--it all went so well. Why do I feel like crying?
Except for December 24th, the longest night of the year
September 3, 2007
School starts tomorrow. Wow. I have resisted thinking about that for more than 5 minutes in a row to avoid spreading my school fear contagion. Miranda is a vaguely uneasy. She thinks she should be scared, but the anxiety is paper thin.
Oh, school. To all of the students and teachers returning tomorrow to their desks, I wish a light heart, a friendly smile, someone to sit next to at lunch time and the fortitude to make it until Halloween.