new school

We miss homeschooling.

I thought this new school would be a bit more like homeschooling, and we have not given up on it yet, but yesterday neither kid could tell me a thing they learned (though I am sure they did - their teachers are excellent) - and Punk's new friend was drawing "I hate South Iraq cartoons on our chalkboard . . . so I am not yet convinced this is the place for us either.

bad mother

If you haven't seen Mary Poppins yet - you absolutely must. I took the kids (and 40 students) to the cities last week to catch one of the last shows.

Kooka could not wait to don her own Mary Poppins outfit for the occasion. She got so many compliments from total strangers as we walked downtown . . . including these guys.

Insane Clown Posse was playing at a nearby club, and their fans were all over the place. They do look creepy - especially if scary clowns freak you out (aka - Punk), but they did break character when Kooka walked by. "Ohhh my gosh - she is sooooo cute!" they said. Kooka responded with a quick "thank you."

But I just couldn't let the moment pass - sweet little Mary Poppins chillin' with ICP . . . it was too much to resist - too weird. Hope this doesn't make me a bad mother.

before and after

Let me be the first to admit that I went overboard . . .

. . .like freakishyly, frighteningly Jon-Bennet overboard.

But Kooka wanted a "big" makeover last weekend. (Emphasis on BIG)

The best part is that somehow she theorized on her own that you are supposed to make a "frowny face" in your "before" picture, so that no matter what happens your "after" picture looks better.


BEFORE


AFTER

jealous

It is not too often that I am jealous . . . but now is one of those times. I really really really wish that I had been the one to dream up this choreography:

one of these days

I have Christina to thank for getting THIS little gem in my head.

If you listen to this once - just ONCE, you will be doing the chicken dance all day, and have this insane song running through your head.

Worst part is - I can't even pronounce the words. . . so I end up running around sounding like a mentally deficient toddler singing along to Japanese Sesamee Street.

One of these days - I will pay her back.

wow

Punk entered this contest in the second grade. It was only by googling his name today that we found out he'd actually won something.

Well, actually, he didn't win anything but respect . . . but still, landing in the top 20 out of 800 is pretty amazing. Even more amazing when the entrants are 6-14 years old . . . even more amazing when he is the youngest kid to even make the list.

His drawing is pure Punk - but his essay was not too shabby either . . .

Made us all feel pretty good today.

Check it out here:

PUNK'S CONTEST

first day - no jitters

New shoes, new clothes, new school - no problem.
Both Punk and Kooka gave their new school two thumbs up.
Punk's favorite part was how easy it was to make new friends.
Kooka agreed - but also really liked that they get to eat lunch in their classrooms.

boycotting target

Had to stop at Target for a few last minute school supplies - because even though both kids had gym shoes, what they didn't have was any actual shoes to wear to school - which means Punk would show up barefoot, with his hair in a fauxhawk, smelling slightly of swamp. Not exactly the kind of first impression we need to make in a new school - and at least I can DO something about the barefoot part.

So I go to check out tops for Kooka - size 6x mind you. I have one in my hand, when I take a closer look at the sign - "Fun and Flirty."

Seriously?

Flirty?

In second grade?

Does that need to be part of their already cheapening advertising campaign? . . . "Hey six year olds - it's fall, time for phonics class, dodgeball and hooking up! What better way to catch that special someone's eye at recess, than with our fun and flirty ensembles. Add a pair of smokin' hot low rise jeans and jailbait lip gloss - and you'll never have to sit alone at lunch again."

In case you're wondering -
no, I did not buy them -
purely out of principal.
Which is too bad - because they were cute.

it's official

So I am teaching my class the other day - Dance 1 to be exact - and we are doing the whole "get to know you" stuff. The students fill out a little sheet and we go around and guess who said what - blah blah blah.

So I get to the Russian kid - who speaks 5 different languages (YEAH - FIVE), and this gets the whole room talking, and I realize that aside from me - everyone in the room is fluent in no less than THREE languages. And we're talking HARD ones - French, Madarin, Russian, Korean.

Fantastic.

I am the teacher, and officially the dumbest person in the class.