New to our junk food menu, the SS Dog.

SS has unusually enjoyed sour flavors since we met. She had only been home a few months when she had her first taste of sunomono (sliced cucumbers with rice vinegar), and she loved it. Not many eighteen months olds are fans. She likes sweets, just like any child, but tires quickly after a few bites. Eventually SS discovered sauerkraut, and that led to her topping her pepperoni pizza with her new found sour friend.  Recently SS has requested sweet relish on her hot dogs. It took her this long to find the condiment acceptable.

Pickles are a new must for SS, she can't get enough of them. A couple of weeks ago we went to Soak City and I packed sandwiches, because you can only have Mrs.  Knott's friend chicken dinners so many times before it is no longer exciting. SS ate two sandwiches ( a few hours apart, but the same size as ours), and we are convinced it was because of the dill pickle spears running entire length of the sandwiches. With a child like SS, who is OK going hungry (I'd spare you the rant about why) we quickly capitalize on her likes. Now her burgers must also be covered with dill chips. Whatever it takes to get the girl to eat.

Yesterday was junk food day and we were having Nathan's hot dogs. As we were getting our condiments together we realized that we did not have relish. It was a 100 degrees and no one with a drivers license was crazy enough to go out in that heat. SS would have volunteered, but her car needs a battery. Fearing a meltdown I made the lame ass suggestion that we had dill spears. SS loved the idea, she was going to add a new touch to her dogs. She eventually settled on ketchup, mustard, pickle and sauerkraut. Relish and kraut make sense, but pickle and kraut? Double sour? We were not sure about that. We watched as SS took a bite of her custom dog, waiting for her reaction. She loved it, and declared it her new favorite dog. Lemmings that we are our dogs were topped in the same manner and were indeed quite tasty. Looks like SS has added her signature dog to our junk food menu.

I'm not kidding, double sour is good.

YUM

Fourth of July came back to bite us in the arses.

This fourth of July turned into quite the adventure in finding a viewing spot. I think P's decision to leave the house so late was influenced by the fact that he worked that day and was tired. He assured me that he knows this city very well, and knew the perfect spot to view. He does know the city very well. At least once a week he goes to random water reservoirs to take samples, so I trusted him. I jokingly told him we should watch from one of the reservoirs, since they are on higher ground. SS was busting at the seams in anticipation of the pyrotechnic display. Just as we arrived at the stop sign where all we had to do was drive across to our destination, a police officer barricaded the street. SS began to panic, and I was fearing the impending meltdown. P told JJ to turn around and drive back home. P grabbed his work keys and gave JJ directions.

There is a reservoir on the same path used by the fireworks crew to reach the launching site.  When we arrived P was shocked to find the gate open and the area outside the reservoir gates (a second gate after the entrance gate) filled with cars and many people waiting for the show. Down the path to the fireworks area we could see a Sheriff's car, probably making sure no one got too close to the launching site. We parked, got out our blanket and sat down to wait for the fun to begin. With about less than 10 minutes before the start the Sheriff car flashed its lights and drove towards the crowd. No way, that is when the dude chose to clear all trespassers? Really? Yeah, really.

At this point SS was comfortable on the blanket in a state of bliss, and the sudden commotion really unsettled her. I got up to leave the area, but P had his plan C and set it in motion swiftly. He got his key, ran to the reservoir gate and asked me to get the van in. I was thinking the wine had gone to P's head, we were being told to leave (technically we were not approached, but since everyone else was vacating it was implied). P grabbed SS placed her in her carseat, and since we were moving a few yards he did not strap her in. That was a huge mistake because it made SS flip a little. Although I thought the move was crazy, since we would be seen, I have no common sense so I went along. We hurriedly made it inside, with SS screaming that it was not safe, "I'm not buckled up Mama.!!!" P was having difficulty closing and locking the gate, and I thought we were really going to get caught.  As he finally gets it locked, P turns around to see that the two tablets and my phone where providing way too much light in the van giving away our location. So he hurriedly told us to "Kill the lights before the fuzz sees it.!" JJ and I ran to do as asked, while laughing at the absurdity of it all. Now mind you, what took me so long to describe happened in about two minutes, and was a bit confusing to SS. Once the fuzz vacated the area and locked the outside gate, we relaxed on our blanket.

That was not the case for SS, who associated our silly dash inside the gate with real danger. She worried that "the fuzz" was going to find us, and who knows what that meant in her innocent mind.  We reassured her it was OK, and that we were just being silly and that there was no need to be afraid of police officers.  A blatant lie, because, you know, Ferguson, MO (where the police department should be a cautionary case study on the effects of inbreeding) happens.  But thankfully she is a tiny Chinese girl. SS relaxed and watched the fireworks from our private viewing area. It was really neat, because we had never watched fireworks without a mass of people around us. Who knew that besides a decent salary and awesome medical insurance, P's job would provide this fringe benefit. It was pretty funny when we we left, as P unlocked the second gate to access the street, the place was packed, and we got many WTF looks. I told P that we needed to discuss with SS what had happened. Not only about why we were there when everyone else was removed; but also about SS's fear about law enforcement. But alas I'm a huge flake and the much needed conversation never took place.

This is the only picture I have of that evening, ironically taken just before the mad dash. Now fast forward to last Friday. Our local minor league baseball team has fireworks after the games on Fridays.  Last Friday was going to be the last fireworks of the season, and P's company offered an employee discount for the occasion. Apparently that is a big deal around here, so P got four tickets. Perhaps he was hoping to make up for the 4th of July mad dash.  SS was even more excited about this fireworks than she was in July.

SS even made a sign for the occasion, Go Storm!. Not even the fact that she could not make it in time to high five the team mascot dampened her firework anticipation.

SS had an unusual day, because she ate all her lunch, and ate a good serving of penne pasta with Alfredo sauce and chicken for dinner. When less than an hour into a three hour game she requested a hot dog we were skeptical. By now we should now better, because an overpriced hot dog is all it takes to make SS ravenous. And she did eat her dog. And proceeded to narc on her father, throwing him under the bus, then backing over him again. SS's combo included chips and a soda. We rarely allow SS to drink sodas, but it was Friday and a ball game. SS noted that "Baba got me a soda Mama." Yep, he did SS. The girl could not drop it. "Mama, Baba got me a soda. He got me a Sprite Mama, it's a soda." Darn, talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

SS never passes up an opportunity to relax.

She was not done with her hot dog, chips and soda. SS wanted "a treat Mama, like maybe ice cream?" And that is exactly what she had, because we are bad,bad, indulgent parents. We knew she would not get through even half of that scoop, and we were right. Suckers.

Baseball games bore me senseless, it is sheer torture sitting through a so called exciting one. But sitting through a minor league snooze fest, where the home team was getting spanked raised the level to water boarding excruciating. I amused myself taking pictures of SS's static hair.

By the seventh inning not even P could take it any longer, he was done. But we had the fireworks to wait for, and we knew SS would be rightfully upset. We thought about watching from the parking lot to make our exit easier. But after talking to an attendant we realized that the stadium and trees would obstruct the view.  When I told P where the fireworks were set up (happened to see it on our way in) his knowledge of the city layout came in handy. He happily told me he knew the right spot to watch and there would be no traffic getting home.

And that is how we found ourselves in the back of a strip mall waiting for the final fireworks of the season. When we arrived there were about three cars there, an indication that we were on the right track. We parked and SS impatiently waited.  More cars arrived full of families so we knew we were definitely in the right spot. The mall security also cruised by several times, which is understandable.  P was listening to the game to give us an idea when the display would begin. The game ended and the emcee was pumping up the crowd, which we could hear roar from our spot. That is when a Sheriff car arrived and parked nearby. We were seated on the back of the van, when P said, "The fuzz is here." He said this in a very nonchalant manner. SS bolted to her feet and said "I have to hide," hightailing it inside the van and crouching down.

Any responsible parent would immediately realize that this was a reaction to our Fourth of July excellent adventure.  Sadly, SS is stuck with us as parents and we had indeed neglected to have that important conversation with her. Her reaction really surprised us, because she reacted like an adult with a mile long rap sheet. And it was funny as hell, so instead of practicing responsible parenting we laughed. As we are laughing we realized that the police officer had a guy bent over the hood of his car. Oh crud, what the heck are we about to witness to further traumatize SS. As it turned out they were posing so the guy's friends could take a picture. Not sure of the appropriateness of that, but we'll take it over a take down any day. And what was P's reaction to the photo op? He wanted to take SS over so the cop would pretend to take her down as well. Not. Kidding. People. How in the world did we ever pass a home study? Don't worry, you are not going to see a pic of a SS take down next.

We thought our private viewing area in July was an awesome treat, but this time we were in for another treat. We had never been so close to the launching site, and it was quite the experience. A positive experience once you get over the fear that the sparks will end up on you. Yeah, that darn close. We now know where to be on Friday evenings next summer, without having to suffer through a boring game.

I had a difficult time focusing because we were so darn close, but it was fun.

SS ate tomatoes!

Although SS loves tomato based sauces, has eaten tomato soup, and must eat tomato paste whenever I open a can in her presence, she is not fond of the vegetable itself. Not fond is mild, when she finds tomatoes in her food she flips and demands they be removed from her presence. And even though we are rather spineless when it comes to SS, we have refused to kow tow to her tomato elimination edict. If she does not like them, she can remove them herself.  Today I made Chicken Piccata for dinner, and decided to also make bruschetta.  I did not think much about the tomato factor, because SS has yet to come across a bread she does not like. Totally her Puerto Rican side. .

I forgot to mention something when I posted about SS asking for capers with her piccata last time. Mami loved capers,  they were, along with Spanish olives, part of her everyday sofrito. I initially left them off her plate, because unless you grew up with Mami, kids find capers disgusting. I know Mami is very happy that her namesake is not afraid of capers at a young age. Anyway, back to our dinner today. SS reached for the toasted bread, rubbed with garlic and sprinkled with olive oil. Instead of nibbling away, she reached for the tomato,basil, garlic, olive oil topping. We all looked at her wondering what that was about, because she darn well knew there were tomatoes in there. She topped her bread and said "I'm just going to try it, OK?"

We were expecting SS to spit it out right after taking a bite, but not only did she like it, she gave me a thumbs up, and ended up having four servings. My baby made my day, heck she made my week. Had she not liked it, or disposed of it on her napkin we would have been fine as well.  SS eats many vegetables, so not being fond of one is no big deal. But what really got to us is that she tried, unprompted, and that is a big deal when it comes to food and kids SS's age. And for all the grief I give P about letting SS get away with so much, I am grateful that he will not put up with the I only eat mac and cheese, and PB&J sandwiches mentality. That and for not making SS eat only out of the kids menu to save a few bucks.  Chances are SS's Lycopersicoaphobia (tomato phobia) will resume tomorrow, because she is one funky chicken. But tonight we are feeling good. Also, there was a lot of basil in that topping and she did not complain.

We planned to go for a walk after dinner and have SS drive her Mini Cooper. It was unusually nice and we wanted to take advantage. Darn, SS's battery is dead, and get this, a replacement is going to cost more than our van battery.  We walked to the newly opened 7-eleven, about three quarters of a mile from our house. SS complained, wondered aloud why would we want her to walk for sooooooooo loooooooong, but was good company overall.

SS's reward for taking a chance on tomatoes was a wild cherry Slurpee.

Our little fish.

Last Sunday we were invited to M's house (P's coworker) for pool time and fun. M and his wife had offered their pool throughout the summer, but SS was making do with her little one at home.  We were worried that SS would have lost some of her abilities due to the cancellation of the summer swimming classes in our city. But our little fish did very well considering, and we all had a blast.  All that swimming really paid off because SS downed three hot dogs, with buns for dinner.

Belly flop!

A milestone that made me say OUCH.

Pick up yesterday went better than I expected, but I did and will remain anxious about SS among so many bigger kids. Especially when those bigger kids are running and plowing through the younger ones in their haste to get the hell out of Dodge. I could see SS scanning the area for me and I was able to catch her attention easier than I expected.

And this made my day, because my girl went back to her wacky self. It reminded me of the lyrics, "I'm free, I'm free, things are only as important as I want them to be!"  In true SS over dramatic fashion, the walk from her classroom to the van dehydrated her. And of course, she was the only person there who was hot and uncomfortable. A few gulps of iced water calmed her down a bit, as did the AC on full blast.  SS stated that she liked her teacher, describing her as "nice." Let's hope she is right.

SS helped me with dinner and that made a simple protein with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli an almost two hour ordeal. But I really miss cooking with SS, it is something we did quite frequently since she was so young. And now SS has a new job, reading the recipe ingredients and procuring those that she can carry. Another reason it took so long, but Mami taught me how important it is to be patient and allow children to learn. SS even cracked three eggs and I'm in shock that there were no shells in the bowl. I wish I had filmed it, because it is virtually impossible given her funky technique. She deserves major kudos because I sure was not cracking eggs when I was seven years old.  The day caught up with her as soon as she was done helping. I placed the dish in the oven, turned around and found her tuckered out.

Darn, a nap was not part of the plan because there was no way she would go to bed at eight if she napped, and it was late in the day. As usual I took the cowardly way out and waited for P to come home and wake up SS. Hey, I value my life, I was not going to poke that bear. She was furious and I think she tried to decapitate P when he took her upstairs for a bath. As we expected SS did not touch her lunch, just the strawberries and milk. She did have a good sized dinner, with rib sticking food.  SS got a second wind and we were afraid she would be up late. We grew a backbone and kicked her out of our room at eight after a Halloween story and cuddles. SS was out quickly and when I woke her up at seven this morning, she was still groggy.

Today's lunch, quesadilla, broccoli, apple slices, and her usual milk, juice and water.  We just have to keep trying to find what will do the trick on any given day. SS let out a YEAH! when I asked if she wanted broccoli for lunch. It still stuns us how much she loves broccoli, and without Ranch dressing or cheese sauce. I would love to see the lunch monitor's face when SS opens her lunch box. 

Why oh why do I keep purchasing pleated skirts and blouses that require ironing?  I don't mind  ironing, I do mind how difficult it is to get the pleats just right.  And when SS sits down for breakfast she stands up with wrinkles all over. Oh well, she does look absolutely adorable.

SS's Maui bow, we got it on our last trip. Damn, we could all use a Maui fix right about now.

About that ouchie milestone... One thing I learned this past school year (yet P was way ahead of me) is to enjoy those days when I get to drive SS to and from school. We always walk with SS to her classroom and hang around until the bell rings. It's a treat, being cognizant that it won't last for long.  I was absentmindedly carrying SS's backpack today (We prefer she carries it, so she won't be looked upon as being a baby.), and when we arrived at the gate she asked for her backpack. Realizing that I was perhaps embarrassing SS I quickly complied. SS put her backpack on then said goodbye and motioned for a hug and a kiss. WHAT?????? I said that we always walk her to her classroom, and SS sighed and made an annoyed face. Man, I was totally dissed by my seven year old, and it stung. I told SS that I do not get to walk her to class often, and that soon she would be too grown up for this. So for now she has to suck it up and deal with it, because we want to enjoy what may be the last year we can enjoy time with our girl this way.

Second grade here she comes!

Sorry to be MIA for so long, but after blinking and missing first grade, I did not want a repeat of that awful feeling about SS's summer. We did not take daily pictures, did not go to Knott's/Soak City as often, did not do anything big during summer.  But we made it a point to enjoy each and every second we had with our girl. And just like that second grade arrived way before we were ready to let SS go and keep growing. 

We started the morning with a refreshing shower to make sure SS would be fully awake, then a nice breakfast. If you have been here before it should not surprise you to see avocado on SS's scrambled eggs. As usual we worry about her penchant for not eating when away from home. In her lunchbox today she had milk, juice, yogurt, strawberries, apple sauce, Mexican rice, and flautas topped with freshly made guacamole. SS loves flautas, so we are hoping she at least eats those. We also made sure she had a thermos with iced water, because it gets nasty hot around here. SS cleaned up her plate, so even if she does not eat all her lunch we feel much better.

This is new, because SS is all into making silly faces and super hero poses. When I asked her to take her place for the obligatory first day of school picture, she surprised me. Dear G0d, please don't let this be a shift to girly, frilly, vacuous behavior.

SS added a shout out to her beloved Angels to her uniform.

Greeting the school principal, Mrs. R.

Look who is finally in transitional kindergarten, none other than Miss M. Her brother is SS's age and a good friend, but M has always been drawn to SS. Such gorgeous girls. And as you can see, SS's school is still an uniform optional school. Since I had SS wearing uniforms before this became an option, to SS is just the way to dress for school. And Chucks, SS must have Chucks.

SS first grade class was split this year, then again being a K-1st combo class there were not that many first graders. Only two of her classmates are in her classroom this year. At least SS had T as a familiar face.

Lunch boxes and snacks are always placed outside,.

Then came the curve ball our stubborn daughter did not like one bit. Backpacks are to be left outside as well. We do not know if this is temporary or not, but SS's mood soured right away.

New year, new desk, new challenges.

K and first grade kids walk with the teachers to the gate and are released only to the parent or approved person. This will be SS's first year leaving among the free for all that is release time. We found the past two years rather overwhelming, and not looking forward to have SS among so many bigger kids. We'll see how she handles the utter madness that is the end of the school day.

We think it was rather clever for the teacher to get them busy right away, amid all the chaos that is that first morning of the new school year.Thankfully for us the task was math, SS's favorite.

First day of summer camp.

Summer did not start out well for SS. It looks like her archery teacher is not coming back, and B&G has yet to find a replacement. After the accident that damaged his trailer Coach A just could not get back into the swing of things which is a shame.  Once we are settled with our summer routine we are going to look into whether he still has his archery shop and see if SS can have classes there.  Last Saturday I got up bright and early to sign up SS for swimming classes and could tell a block away from the community center that something was wrong. No line of early risers around the building. SS swims in the last session of the day, and no one wants it, so we have some leeway getting there.  There will be no first session of swimming classes. Why? Because they have no staff. The swimming instructors graduated and moved on to college and our city administration was asleep at the wheel.  They did not see that one coming? If they can hire enough staff they will wold sign ups June 21 for the remaining sessions. We are not holding our breath on that one.  Of course that also means no family swimming at the pool. Really glad we at least have the tiny inflatable for SS.

Setbacks aside SS was excited to return to B&G yesterday for the first day of summer camp.  It was a long one, a 10 hour day, because I dropped and picked her up. We are so amazingly organized that we were out of breakfast foods, totally out. Not a problem, because crappy sausage muffins with eggs are acceptable breakfast fare around here.  So yeah, I fed my child substandard food, while assuring her that Baba will stock our kitchen while she endured playtime at B&G.  You can see how upset SS was at the inconvenience. 

And there she was, beyond excited at the summer ahead, which is only three days a week. SS is still happy because she does not know that we are signing her up for the reading/writing/math program. We are evil that way and my goal this morning is to have her scheduled starting next week.  It would be nice if the B&G gave discounts for referrals.  Their rates increased by $4 a day, and that adds up. In the past week two of my coworkers have signed up their kids. One last Friday, a 14 year old boy, and one yesterday afternoon, a 7 year old girl. Both parents started training with me last year and we work in the same office. J, the girl's dad picked my brain about B&G and how appropriate it is for a 7 year old. We feel comfortable, as long as SS does not go on field trips, she is too young at this time, plus we provide plenty for her. J then paid me a backhanded compliment.  He said he feels comfortable because "you are anal when it comes to your daughter, so if you allow her to go there it has to be OK." OUCH, excuse me for wanting my kid to be well looked after.

SS is all smiles here, but I found a hot mess when I picked her up. A happy, hot mess with hair all over the place. The girl barely said two words during the drive home, but perked up as soon as he hit the driveway.

Not very happy that I told Baba she was a mess.

Is obvious SS had a great day yesterday and burned some energy, because this is what I found this morning. She has been starting to sleep with her head towards the foot of the bed, like I do when not feeling well. Gee SS pick up all my bad habits why don't you. Baba came through for us with a nice dinner, then while SS was in the bath he did a Costco run to tide us over until we can do the big shopping trip that is a must.

Sunday is not only Father's Day but also our anniversary and we have yet to plan anything. There's a little trip we are contemplating but it will have to wait. We just do not (well, I do not) have the vacation time necessary to pull it off. But we are going to chill and spend the day together.P will come home Friday and Saturday bone tired and crash shortly after dinner. I'd be surprised if he makes it past seven on Saturday. That leaves one whole day for us to enjoy family time. Sucks big time, but at least the girl gets what she needs.

SS celebrated the last day of school by stomping all over the dress code with our blessing.

Thursday was SS's last day of school, and it hit me unexpectedly hard. I blinked and missed first grade. I know that I should be grateful that I had so much time with my baby. That at least I got to volunteer last year in her classroom. I should be grateful that I was able to limp all over Legoland and shared SS's first big class school trip. SS's teacher made a video of the many milestones the kids experienced. The video is over and hour long and we have watched only half of it so far. I got teary eyed many times when I realized how much I missed.

There are many moms that are busy raising children as single moms, and they sure as hell do not get to be there for every milestone. Intellectually I realize that I have been luckier than most, that I have a husband who decided we would live in a two bedroom apartment for a few years, because the trade off was SS and Mama time. I know that I could have made much more than P did in his last job, but we lived frugally, the trade off being time with SS. And again back to one of my few smart decisions in my life. I chose right the second time around.

Then why am I b*tching in a public forum? Because I'm rather surprised at the battle between my heart and my brain. I am my bio mother's daughter, even Mami instilled in me that I had to get an education and not rely on a man to meet my, and my children's needs. I was going stir crazy as a stay at home mom. I missed working and feeling productive. Not that raising a child is not productive. But I was either wired this way, or had way too many working women (with husbands) around me growing up to develop a need to work outside the home. I don't regret a single second I spent with JJ and SS. But man I sure was not expecting that push me pull me thing that swirls around in my head.

I also married a man whose grandmother worked for Ma Bell, and had a set idea that wives work, his grandma, mother, and aunt M did (lady has a Ph.D. to boot). Yet he put all that aside and was really OK with working double shifts so I could devote myself to our daughter. It was cool but I know there is no way in hell I can do that again.

So yeah, watching SS's year made me sad. I already told P that I expect him to get his purple badge (red badge means one can only be around the kids with supervision, purple badge allows us to have the kids on our own) and we will both volunteer in SS's classroom. Jackie Kennedy said "If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much." I read that quote at an early age, when children were not even a thought, I was just a child. But that quote has stayed with me, and I don't know why. For the record, I don't think I have done a remarkable job as a mother, maybe that is why that quote taunts me.  

Apropos of my bad parenting choices let's get back to Thursday. Last week P and I went shopping for summer shoes for SS. Even though JJ is home SS will be at B&G Club three days a week. It's pricey but SS needs to socialize and we are OK with cutting back on other things so SS can have the opportunity to go to summer camp. It goes back to that choice I made in a parent for SS. P could easily say hell no, she stays home with JJ. Choices... We bought two pairs of shoes, because Kohls has expensive shoes but when they are on sale they have great prices. We got SS an orange pair and a blue pair with sharks. SS could not wait to wear her sharks shoes, because her Baba has taught her that sharks are cool and need our love. She asked every day to wear them to school, and I could not allow her. Why? Because her school has a strict policy that kids are to wear closed toe, closed back shoes and socks.  

My husband the rule breaker thought I was being to damn prissy about the dress code. This is the same man who has insisted on SS wearing her Halloween costumes with a (gasp) mask, totally against school rules. He does not care and he makes no apologies for his rule breaking. I took the middle ground and told SS that I would allow her to break the rules on her last day of school. Unlike P I had a plan. What were they going to do? Suspend her? I told P that if he got a phone call from the school (he is now the main contact since it is easier for him to leave his work than me) to tell them I would bring a change of clothes and shoes at 2:00 p.m.  School is out at 1:45 p.m. 

SS was happy when I set out her clothes Thursday morning. Spaghetti strap tank top, check. Short shorts, check. Shoes with open back and no socks, check. We knowingly sent SS to school as a rebel, and did not feel an ounce of guilt.  It wasn't until P pulled away from the house that I realized SS was wearing a pair of $26 shorts and what could go wrong as in staining them permanently. Oh well, we live we learn.

SS was so excited about her last day of school outfit.

Grandpa, you have spoiled our children forever. JJ and SS want to turn our tiny backyard into a Tiki paradise. They won't shut up about our last two trips to Maui, and although JJ is old enough to know better he acts as though it is his birth right. Their last brilliant idea was to get Tiki torches, and here is P indulging their delusions.


A weird thing about me is that I do not care for characters and gimmicks on kids shoes. When we bought SS's sandals I had no idea they were the light up kind. SS has never had light up shoes, and had I noticed that, I'm ashamed to say I would not have bought them. Why? I have no idea, but shoe gimmicks disgust me.  SS is thrilled however, and thinks she has the best pair of shoes ever. Because her Mama was asleep on the job.

It's small, but it'll do for now.

Next Thursday is SS's last day of school, we can't believe it's over, and now we start the summer routine. A great change as far as SS is concerned is that she won't be in tutoring all summer in two languages like last year.  Mrs. S is confident that if SS reads and writes on her journal daily there will be no problems when she starts second grade in August. We can't believe SS is about to complete first grade, that went by so darn fast. Our goal this school year was for SS to be at grade level, since she missed kinder by all practical purposes. SS met that goal, next year we will work on helping her exceed her grade goals.  That will take work because SS is lazier at seven than her brother ever was as a teenager. Forget that stereotype that all Asians are driven, our girl is not going to be the one asking for more homework, let alone any educational challenges. It's going to be up to us to motivate her lazy a$$. That should be fun. However, if she slacks off on her reading and writing, then off to tutoring she goes.

SS is looking forward to Boys and Girls club and swimming classes. It's funny because last summer she swore she did not want swimming classes. The trip to Maui did help SS realize that swimming has its advantages. She now calls her snorkeling mask her SCUBA diving mask, and practices in her little pool. Our unemployed daughter confidently states that she is visiting Maui next year, and she's going to SCUBA dive.  SNUBA maybe, SS will be old enough, but she's three years away from a SCUBA certification. And I would not put it passed P to sign her up.

SS is having fun with her little pool and enjoys diving for her sticks.  She does quite well considering that she has only three feet of water to work with. It does not bother her one bit, she is a fish, and loves to be in water. P bought a solar cover for the pool and we are surprised at how well it works. The first day that water was freaking freezing. Now it's nice and warm, perfect for a dip after work to cool off.  Although SS said the surface water is too hot for her.  SS can easily spend 30-40 minutes diving to get her sticks. That translates into a tired SS who crashes by 8 (sometimes before) and saves us the I'm not tired why do I have to go to bed whinefest. We all win.

Since P has been holding down the dinner fort around here (work has been beyond stressful) I decided it was time to get back in the kitchen. I made chicken piccata for dinner as a thank you to P. Not only did SS clean her plate, but she requested and liked capers!