What a week!
The last week of the school year is always crazy busy. I should expect it but somehow it seems to catch me unawares and by the end of the week, I am just totally beat! There is a lot of celebrating and special events and that ready to start summer vacation planning, when I think what we really need is a rest!
The week before school let out, Robin had her first Girl Scout bridging. This was a big deal to her, her first time moving up a level in Girl Scouts. After four years as a Brownie (most girls these days are Daisies for 2 years, then spend 2 years as a Brownie, but Robin of necessity had to start Brownies early when the COL was in Texas for a year, and I had to take her along as I co-led Dove's Brownie troop), she was both sad to leave her troop leader, my friend Fan, but also proud to be a new Junior Girl Scout. It was time. Her vest was totally full. She had so many try its that there was barely room for more on the front, and so many Fun Patches from events we'd been to and activities she'd participated in that the back and entire insides of the vest were covered!
Robin has begged me to "move up" as the Juniors leader next year, but I am taking a break from Scouting. I'm sure I will pitch in and give a hand now and again if needed, but I think it is important for her to make a break and spend time without Mom being part of the troop, as Dove has done once she moved out of Brownies. So far they have not found a new leader yet for next year, and I hope one of the other moms will step up and take over the new troop, as I like the GS group at Immaculata, but we may of necessity have to place Robin in a troop elsewhere next year if no one takes over the Junior troop. Dove, on the other hand, has decided she wants a troop change. She had a rough year in scouts this year as a lot of the girls were very difficult. She says about 1/3 of them are nice girls, but the rest are so disruptive and disrespectful to the group that they don't get much done. She earned all of two badges this year. Dove is rarely one to leave a group she enjoys, so when she asked me if she could switch troops, I knew it was pretty serious for her. Her friend Katie is also wanting to switch out, so we'll see where they go.
I want to take a minute to address something that is bugging the crap out of me regarding Girl Scouts. There is a raging controversy going on right now across the country where the Girl Scout organization is being put on the griller by conservative groups who are making all sorts of false claims about the Girl Scouts.
http://www.newsy.com/videos/lawmaker-girl-scouts-promote-homosexuality
This infuriates me because it paints the Girl Scouts as this blazingly liberal organization out to indoctrinate our children on abortion, homosexuality, freewheeling sex, etc. Frankly, Girl Scouts is about empowering girls to become proactive community leaders who are open minded and think for themselves. Our "agenda" goes no further than the Girl Scout promise: "On my honor, I will try, to serve God and my country, to help people at all time, and to live by the Girl Scout Law." Being honest and fair, respect one's self and others, making the world a better place....what could be wrong with that?
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/basics/promise_law/
We have had a number of parents in our parish pull their kids from Girl Scouts because they wish for them to belong to a more Christian based organization, like the American Heritage Girls, who recently started a troop at our parish. That's fine. Our feeling was that there is room for all in our parish, we have Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, American Heritage Girls and groups of all kinds. But there is this undercurrent buzz among some of the families that is besmirching the Girl Scout name. Our Scouting program is a good one, and I love its inclusivity. We have girls from all walks of life, and we all support each other. One of our scout leaders is Jewish, and her daughter was in my troop. We have girls of all faiths who respect and encourage one another. Last year, all the girls (of all faiths) spent an afternoon beautifying the church cemetery with planting flowers and weeding and gardening as a way to thank the parish for allowing us meeting space. The scouting program recognizes and supports all faith beliefs. Our archdiocese has a scouting program and my girls have attended scouting religious retreats and earned several faith-based medals (as have a number of our scouts of different faiths). I think this promotes sisterhood and understanding and ecumenicism and tolerance. I hate that there are people out there who are besmirching the Girl Scout reputation out of fear or exclusivity or pure ignorance who are painting this negative depiction of the group. There should be room for everyone. And yet, I feel like there is a low level witch hunt going on. It saddens me that I have to defend this group, which is so incredibly positive for girls, from these political rabble-rousers. Okay, vent over. I usually try not to post anything negative or political on LJ, but this one bothers me a lot.
There were a lot of fun things for the girls (and me) in the last week or two. Dove's sixth grade class took a field trip to DC and we got to see the MLK memorial for the first time. I thought it was impressive and very nicely done - love the long wall with all the quotes behind the huge MLK statue! They also toured a number of the other monuments and memorials, and despite the very hot weather and tons of walking, it was a good day. Robin's class went to the Baltimore Museum of Business and Industry, which I sat out on. Robin let me know that she wanted "a little independence" on the trip to go with another parent, which was fine with me. I like seeing her cutting the apron strings a bit. :) Finally Dove's class had their end of year field trip to Six Flags - lots of fun! The kids in our group were good, a mix of sixth and seventh graders, and they all rode rides, got soaking wet, and had a blast. Dove is usually a major chicken at amusement parks, but she got up the nerve to try a new ride that looked initially terrifying to her. Her classmates were great - encouraging but not pushing, and when she finally got on, they were all cheering and supportive. Of course, she loved it and then wanted to get on again. :) One of the school buses broke down prior to the trip home, so we had to squeeze three buses worth of preteens onto two buses, but we all got back on time!
The last week of school, I spent a lot of time helping Mrs. Z with the third grade. I will say again, that woman deserves a medal. I am humbled by her patience and kindness to the most disagreeable and difficult children. I loved working in Robin's class this year, especially with the Scrabblers, who have grown so much over the year. On my last day working centers, the kids all gave me funny and adorable thank you cards, and Mrs. Z gave me an excessively generous thank you gift. I was also her homeroom parent, and was happy that we were able to collect funds to give HER a very nice gift card at the end of the year that she can use during her summer vacation travels, and I bought her a Scrabble Dictionary that she can use with her class next year. Robin got her a pretty bracelet, and we made her a lovely framed and signed collage of her class and her getting the Golden Apple Award this year (unfortunately, Eddie, one of the difficult boys this year, broke it before the end of the day, so we will have to replace the glass on that!). I also found out that one of the two 4th grade teachers for next year is leaving, and that Mrs. Z is considering moving up to 4th grade from 3rd. I don't know if it will happen, but I would be happy to have Robin in her class again.
On the last day of school, they had the end of year prayer service and awards ceremony. Robin was chosen to give one of the two readings, and she did a great job. In past years, Robin has done very well in the annual school race, and gotten the class medal every year for speed. This year she did not win it, and though we had talked about the fact that you can't win every time, and it is nice for other people to get a chance to get a prize, I know she felt a little let down about it. There are not many opportunities for the kids in the lower grades to earn a prize, as academic recognition and honors for grades are not given out until the 6th grade. But she got a great surprise - this was her first year that she was able to participate in the Science Fair, and her experiment was one of four chosen to receive a trophy out of all the elementary school entries. She was the youngest winner and only one in her grade. She was SO surprised and thrilled, and I was really happy for her.
Dove swept up at the awards ceremony. She DID win the medal for her class for the annual race, for the first time ever, and I think she was prouder of that than anything. Doing cross country last year was a big help, I'm sure. Dove has never been athletic and she never does well in sports, so getting winning the race medal was great for her. She also got one of the three Science Fair trophies for the middle school, and she made Principal's List again, the only girl in her class to make straight As all year. She works hard for it too, and juggles a lot, so I was really proud of her. At the end of the day, as she and Rachel were leaving the assembly, their principal, who was standing on the sidewalk saying goodbye to all the kids as they departed, said, "Look at the K--------- girls leaving with all that bling! Great job, girls!" :)
This past Friday, to celebrate the end of school, we went to see the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's production of Romeo and Juliet. We go every summer and the girls enjoy their very family friendly productions. Because Dove is doing R + J with the local teen Shakespeare group, she wanted to see how an adult company would do her part in the show. To her surprise, the wonderful actor who had the lead last year in Hamlet, was this year playing Dove's very tiny part of Peter, the nurse's servant - and he did a lovely job too, being almost unrecognizable as last year's melancholy Dane, and he was funny and very entertaining. We got home VERY late though, and had to be up early the next morning for Girl Scouts Rock the Mall, the 100th anniversary celebration on the National Mall.
That was a wonderful experience for the girls, as they met other Girl Scouts from all over the country, and they had a super time visiting the mall and trading swaps and meeting so many people...but it was ridiculously hot, we did a ton of walking, and I was totally beat. I fell asleep during the IMAX movie we went to see, I was so tired!
Yesterday Dove had to serve Mass in the morning and then had play practice in the evening. It was a busy day for us, and we were actually running out the door late to get her to practice, without her showering or having any time to "get ready" to go. And wouldn't you know, Dove gets to practice and it is the night they are taking cast pictures. She had on a junky shirt, had no hair brush, had been sweating all day - she was not too thrilled about the timing! Also, she says her actual costume for the show looks goofy. She has to wear a big floppy orange hat and an oversized shirt and pantaloons, and thinks she looks ridiculous. I assured her that most of them would look ridiculous!
Because she earned straight As all year, she decided she wanted to get her ears pierced as a reward. She has been wavering on whether or not to do it this year, and when she finally decided she was ready....she has to wait because she won't be able to take them out for six weeks, and she will be playing a boy at the end of the month. Her director said it would be okay if she did not get dangly or girly looking earrings...but I think she wants that kind, so she is going to wait until the show is through to get them pierced.
This week also had those "end of an era" moments. First, our dear neighbors, the Svensons, are moving away. They are a wonderful family whose girls attended Immaculata with my girls, though they were several grades ahead. Their older daughter was my girls primary babysitter when they were small, and Robin burst into tears when she heard that they were moving. We bought them a housewarming gift, a pretty bird house to hang in their new yard, and stopped by to visit last night. We will really miss having them in the neighborhood.
And we made another trip up to Baltimore yesterday for another farewell. My cousin Rabbit is selling my aunt Katie's house, finally. She had been in an assisted living facility for almost two years now, and he was clearing out her home for the last time. Katie had my mom's bed and bureau, and Rabbit asked me if I would like to have it back for Robin's room, so we went up to get it.
Robin and Dove felt sad about Katie's house being sold and asked if they could have something of Katie's to keep as a memory, and Rabbit let me choose what I thought they'd like. Katie had a metal fairy ornament that used to hang from the fan cord in her living room and I took that for Robin, along with a guardian angel coin of hers. I found a pretty lacy velvet heart shaped trinket box, which I took for Dove, as well as a little knickknack that looked like a set of school books with an apple on top. Years ago Katie gave me the one knickknack that I always associated with her, a ceramic bank that looked like a leprechaun, which sits on my file cabinet as I type. :)
Amidst all the old photos and papers that Rabbit was boxing up, I found a remarkable thing. It was an tiny, old fashioned baby shower card, and inside was a message from my mother - it was a gift that I had given to Katie when I was just 4 years old, when she was pregnant with Rabbit. That is one of my first memories of her - Katie being pregnant and letting me put my little hand on her tummy to feel Rabbit in there kicking. I took the card home with me.
It was a little sad for me to see Katie's house being shut down, all her things boxed and piled up and spread all over to give away or donate or keep, but moreso for the girls, I think. The house Katie lived in for most of her adult life, the house I remember visiting her and Rabbit and my uncle in, they sold about ten years ago, when the neighborhood got bad and she was looking for a smaller home with no stairs. But this house, with its little yard with azalea and rose bushes, is the only house my girls remember Katie being in. I have a picture of them there, sitting on the sofa with Katie when they were very small, and I brought that back for them to keep as well.
Today Dove and the COL are off on a road trip. They are going up to Hanover and York to take a bunch of factory tours: Harley Davidson (Dad's fave) and the Utz Potato Chip Factory and the Snyder Pretzel Factory. Dove enjoys seeing how things work and how they are put together, and she is looking forward to the solo time with Dad. Meanwhile, Robin and I are having a lazy morning, enjoying the first day that we can sleep in and relax in our PJs. We have already played two rounds of Uncle Wiggley and plan on going to see Snow White and the Hunstman this afternoon. The house is an utter disaster right now - but we will worry about it tomorrow. For today - summer has arrived, and we are enjoying it. :)
The week before school let out, Robin had her first Girl Scout bridging. This was a big deal to her, her first time moving up a level in Girl Scouts. After four years as a Brownie (most girls these days are Daisies for 2 years, then spend 2 years as a Brownie, but Robin of necessity had to start Brownies early when the COL was in Texas for a year, and I had to take her along as I co-led Dove's Brownie troop), she was both sad to leave her troop leader, my friend Fan, but also proud to be a new Junior Girl Scout. It was time. Her vest was totally full. She had so many try its that there was barely room for more on the front, and so many Fun Patches from events we'd been to and activities she'd participated in that the back and entire insides of the vest were covered!
Robin has begged me to "move up" as the Juniors leader next year, but I am taking a break from Scouting. I'm sure I will pitch in and give a hand now and again if needed, but I think it is important for her to make a break and spend time without Mom being part of the troop, as Dove has done once she moved out of Brownies. So far they have not found a new leader yet for next year, and I hope one of the other moms will step up and take over the new troop, as I like the GS group at Immaculata, but we may of necessity have to place Robin in a troop elsewhere next year if no one takes over the Junior troop. Dove, on the other hand, has decided she wants a troop change. She had a rough year in scouts this year as a lot of the girls were very difficult. She says about 1/3 of them are nice girls, but the rest are so disruptive and disrespectful to the group that they don't get much done. She earned all of two badges this year. Dove is rarely one to leave a group she enjoys, so when she asked me if she could switch troops, I knew it was pretty serious for her. Her friend Katie is also wanting to switch out, so we'll see where they go.
I want to take a minute to address something that is bugging the crap out of me regarding Girl Scouts. There is a raging controversy going on right now across the country where the Girl Scout organization is being put on the griller by conservative groups who are making all sorts of false claims about the Girl Scouts.
http://www.newsy.com/videos/lawmaker-girl-scouts-promote-homosexuality
This infuriates me because it paints the Girl Scouts as this blazingly liberal organization out to indoctrinate our children on abortion, homosexuality, freewheeling sex, etc. Frankly, Girl Scouts is about empowering girls to become proactive community leaders who are open minded and think for themselves. Our "agenda" goes no further than the Girl Scout promise: "On my honor, I will try, to serve God and my country, to help people at all time, and to live by the Girl Scout Law." Being honest and fair, respect one's self and others, making the world a better place....what could be wrong with that?
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/basics/promise_law/
We have had a number of parents in our parish pull their kids from Girl Scouts because they wish for them to belong to a more Christian based organization, like the American Heritage Girls, who recently started a troop at our parish. That's fine. Our feeling was that there is room for all in our parish, we have Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, American Heritage Girls and groups of all kinds. But there is this undercurrent buzz among some of the families that is besmirching the Girl Scout name. Our Scouting program is a good one, and I love its inclusivity. We have girls from all walks of life, and we all support each other. One of our scout leaders is Jewish, and her daughter was in my troop. We have girls of all faiths who respect and encourage one another. Last year, all the girls (of all faiths) spent an afternoon beautifying the church cemetery with planting flowers and weeding and gardening as a way to thank the parish for allowing us meeting space. The scouting program recognizes and supports all faith beliefs. Our archdiocese has a scouting program and my girls have attended scouting religious retreats and earned several faith-based medals (as have a number of our scouts of different faiths). I think this promotes sisterhood and understanding and ecumenicism and tolerance. I hate that there are people out there who are besmirching the Girl Scout reputation out of fear or exclusivity or pure ignorance who are painting this negative depiction of the group. There should be room for everyone. And yet, I feel like there is a low level witch hunt going on. It saddens me that I have to defend this group, which is so incredibly positive for girls, from these political rabble-rousers. Okay, vent over. I usually try not to post anything negative or political on LJ, but this one bothers me a lot.
There were a lot of fun things for the girls (and me) in the last week or two. Dove's sixth grade class took a field trip to DC and we got to see the MLK memorial for the first time. I thought it was impressive and very nicely done - love the long wall with all the quotes behind the huge MLK statue! They also toured a number of the other monuments and memorials, and despite the very hot weather and tons of walking, it was a good day. Robin's class went to the Baltimore Museum of Business and Industry, which I sat out on. Robin let me know that she wanted "a little independence" on the trip to go with another parent, which was fine with me. I like seeing her cutting the apron strings a bit. :) Finally Dove's class had their end of year field trip to Six Flags - lots of fun! The kids in our group were good, a mix of sixth and seventh graders, and they all rode rides, got soaking wet, and had a blast. Dove is usually a major chicken at amusement parks, but she got up the nerve to try a new ride that looked initially terrifying to her. Her classmates were great - encouraging but not pushing, and when she finally got on, they were all cheering and supportive. Of course, she loved it and then wanted to get on again. :) One of the school buses broke down prior to the trip home, so we had to squeeze three buses worth of preteens onto two buses, but we all got back on time!
The last week of school, I spent a lot of time helping Mrs. Z with the third grade. I will say again, that woman deserves a medal. I am humbled by her patience and kindness to the most disagreeable and difficult children. I loved working in Robin's class this year, especially with the Scrabblers, who have grown so much over the year. On my last day working centers, the kids all gave me funny and adorable thank you cards, and Mrs. Z gave me an excessively generous thank you gift. I was also her homeroom parent, and was happy that we were able to collect funds to give HER a very nice gift card at the end of the year that she can use during her summer vacation travels, and I bought her a Scrabble Dictionary that she can use with her class next year. Robin got her a pretty bracelet, and we made her a lovely framed and signed collage of her class and her getting the Golden Apple Award this year (unfortunately, Eddie, one of the difficult boys this year, broke it before the end of the day, so we will have to replace the glass on that!). I also found out that one of the two 4th grade teachers for next year is leaving, and that Mrs. Z is considering moving up to 4th grade from 3rd. I don't know if it will happen, but I would be happy to have Robin in her class again.
On the last day of school, they had the end of year prayer service and awards ceremony. Robin was chosen to give one of the two readings, and she did a great job. In past years, Robin has done very well in the annual school race, and gotten the class medal every year for speed. This year she did not win it, and though we had talked about the fact that you can't win every time, and it is nice for other people to get a chance to get a prize, I know she felt a little let down about it. There are not many opportunities for the kids in the lower grades to earn a prize, as academic recognition and honors for grades are not given out until the 6th grade. But she got a great surprise - this was her first year that she was able to participate in the Science Fair, and her experiment was one of four chosen to receive a trophy out of all the elementary school entries. She was the youngest winner and only one in her grade. She was SO surprised and thrilled, and I was really happy for her.
Dove swept up at the awards ceremony. She DID win the medal for her class for the annual race, for the first time ever, and I think she was prouder of that than anything. Doing cross country last year was a big help, I'm sure. Dove has never been athletic and she never does well in sports, so getting winning the race medal was great for her. She also got one of the three Science Fair trophies for the middle school, and she made Principal's List again, the only girl in her class to make straight As all year. She works hard for it too, and juggles a lot, so I was really proud of her. At the end of the day, as she and Rachel were leaving the assembly, their principal, who was standing on the sidewalk saying goodbye to all the kids as they departed, said, "Look at the K--------- girls leaving with all that bling! Great job, girls!" :)
This past Friday, to celebrate the end of school, we went to see the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's production of Romeo and Juliet. We go every summer and the girls enjoy their very family friendly productions. Because Dove is doing R + J with the local teen Shakespeare group, she wanted to see how an adult company would do her part in the show. To her surprise, the wonderful actor who had the lead last year in Hamlet, was this year playing Dove's very tiny part of Peter, the nurse's servant - and he did a lovely job too, being almost unrecognizable as last year's melancholy Dane, and he was funny and very entertaining. We got home VERY late though, and had to be up early the next morning for Girl Scouts Rock the Mall, the 100th anniversary celebration on the National Mall.
That was a wonderful experience for the girls, as they met other Girl Scouts from all over the country, and they had a super time visiting the mall and trading swaps and meeting so many people...but it was ridiculously hot, we did a ton of walking, and I was totally beat. I fell asleep during the IMAX movie we went to see, I was so tired!
Yesterday Dove had to serve Mass in the morning and then had play practice in the evening. It was a busy day for us, and we were actually running out the door late to get her to practice, without her showering or having any time to "get ready" to go. And wouldn't you know, Dove gets to practice and it is the night they are taking cast pictures. She had on a junky shirt, had no hair brush, had been sweating all day - she was not too thrilled about the timing! Also, she says her actual costume for the show looks goofy. She has to wear a big floppy orange hat and an oversized shirt and pantaloons, and thinks she looks ridiculous. I assured her that most of them would look ridiculous!
Because she earned straight As all year, she decided she wanted to get her ears pierced as a reward. She has been wavering on whether or not to do it this year, and when she finally decided she was ready....she has to wait because she won't be able to take them out for six weeks, and she will be playing a boy at the end of the month. Her director said it would be okay if she did not get dangly or girly looking earrings...but I think she wants that kind, so she is going to wait until the show is through to get them pierced.
This week also had those "end of an era" moments. First, our dear neighbors, the Svensons, are moving away. They are a wonderful family whose girls attended Immaculata with my girls, though they were several grades ahead. Their older daughter was my girls primary babysitter when they were small, and Robin burst into tears when she heard that they were moving. We bought them a housewarming gift, a pretty bird house to hang in their new yard, and stopped by to visit last night. We will really miss having them in the neighborhood.
And we made another trip up to Baltimore yesterday for another farewell. My cousin Rabbit is selling my aunt Katie's house, finally. She had been in an assisted living facility for almost two years now, and he was clearing out her home for the last time. Katie had my mom's bed and bureau, and Rabbit asked me if I would like to have it back for Robin's room, so we went up to get it.
Robin and Dove felt sad about Katie's house being sold and asked if they could have something of Katie's to keep as a memory, and Rabbit let me choose what I thought they'd like. Katie had a metal fairy ornament that used to hang from the fan cord in her living room and I took that for Robin, along with a guardian angel coin of hers. I found a pretty lacy velvet heart shaped trinket box, which I took for Dove, as well as a little knickknack that looked like a set of school books with an apple on top. Years ago Katie gave me the one knickknack that I always associated with her, a ceramic bank that looked like a leprechaun, which sits on my file cabinet as I type. :)
Amidst all the old photos and papers that Rabbit was boxing up, I found a remarkable thing. It was an tiny, old fashioned baby shower card, and inside was a message from my mother - it was a gift that I had given to Katie when I was just 4 years old, when she was pregnant with Rabbit. That is one of my first memories of her - Katie being pregnant and letting me put my little hand on her tummy to feel Rabbit in there kicking. I took the card home with me.
It was a little sad for me to see Katie's house being shut down, all her things boxed and piled up and spread all over to give away or donate or keep, but moreso for the girls, I think. The house Katie lived in for most of her adult life, the house I remember visiting her and Rabbit and my uncle in, they sold about ten years ago, when the neighborhood got bad and she was looking for a smaller home with no stairs. But this house, with its little yard with azalea and rose bushes, is the only house my girls remember Katie being in. I have a picture of them there, sitting on the sofa with Katie when they were very small, and I brought that back for them to keep as well.
Today Dove and the COL are off on a road trip. They are going up to Hanover and York to take a bunch of factory tours: Harley Davidson (Dad's fave) and the Utz Potato Chip Factory and the Snyder Pretzel Factory. Dove enjoys seeing how things work and how they are put together, and she is looking forward to the solo time with Dad. Meanwhile, Robin and I are having a lazy morning, enjoying the first day that we can sleep in and relax in our PJs. We have already played two rounds of Uncle Wiggley and plan on going to see Snow White and the Hunstman this afternoon. The house is an utter disaster right now - but we will worry about it tomorrow. For today - summer has arrived, and we are enjoying it. :)