After Happily Ever After

March 20, 2010
What happens when After Happily Ever After isn't so happily ever after for everyone? Why, you bring the whole enchanted family on a talk show to work out your issues, naturally, and if the mood strikes you, burst into a song or two while you're at it. If you're really prepared, you'll bring along choreographed back-up dancers to sashay and shimmy to your up-tempo showcase numbers. I've often thought it would be nice to have back up dancers of my own to make life a little more interesting, but so far they haven't shown up yet.


Anyway, that's the premise of the play Danielle just wrapped up. The Ever After--A Musical, featured Snow White and the Evil Queen, Cinderella and her 'beauty impaired' step-sisters, the Frog Prince, and Jiminy Cricket as a panel expert. We went to see the show last Thursday night. Once again I was amazed at how much fun I could have watching an elementary stage production. There was humor, both intended and unintended, and some very well-played roles. Danielle was in the chorus again this year, but got to be in one of the featured small group dance numbers. She also got a line this year, playing a small role in one of the 'commercials' in between segments of the play's talk show. One line or a hundred, it made no difference to me; I was the misty-eyed mama in the audience cheering her on.

The kids also performed during the school day on Friday for the student body. My sister Lisa was able to make a quick one day trip up from the L.A. area to see both of the girls' plays, so I got to see the show a second time when I brought Lisa to the student show. Lisa scored some serious Super Star Aunt points, by the way, for making the turn-around trip just so she could see the girls up on the stage. That's about ten hours worth of driving in twenty-four hours for a little under three hours' worth of theater. (We saw Bree's play that evening.) My sister rocks!

My Little Leprechan

March 19, 2010

I just love that Danielle is still young enough to totally get into the spirit of holidays and festivities. When her teacher announced there'd be a contest for the students wearing the most green in honor of St. Patrick's Day, she was determined to go all out. Here's how my little leprechan went to school on the 17th of March this year:

They didn't end up announcing a winner because so many kids came to school sportin' the green, but she loved it anyway. By the way, in case you can't tell from the pictures, that's a tiara worn over a ballcap. Totally Danielle--a princess in comfy-casual wear.

But How Do I Answer the Telephone?

March 16, 2010

Unless you've been living under a rock or in a much more temperate clime than I do, you recognize this:

Yes, folks, it's the Snuggie.

When I first saw a commercial for these blankets with arms on television, I thought it was a joke. Seriously? People in distress over how to be warm and talk on the phone or find the remote at the same time? C'mon, it's not rocket science! Do these people lose connection with their extremities once they don't have a visual on them? "Oh no--my arms have disappeared!! What am I going to do if I need to change the channel?"

When my daughter suddenly decided that it was the must-have Christmas gift this past year, I was amused and decided to order online, sort of as a tongue-in-cheek present. I'm sure the new designer animal prints made it even cooler for the sixteen-year-old set, and the buy-one-get-one-free offer certainly appealed to the ninja shopper in me. Turns out, the joke was on me.

I should have known there'd be problems when I went to the As-Seen-On-TV website and started to order. $19.95 plus shipping and handling for two, even though in stores they were selling individually for twenty bucks. (For the record, all the local shops were out of the leopard print Snuggies--the blanket of choice for Bree.) However, they didn't show exactly how much shipping and handling was until you submitted the order. Wanna know how much it was? $18. 90, with tax. So much for two for the price of one. If it sounds too good to be true, folks, it is. So I was irritated, but I figured, what the heck. I have two daughters, and if I found them in the stores, that's how much I'd spend for two anyway. Okay, so I let it go.

And then....nothing. I got a confirmation email that my order had been placed, but nothing was deducted from my bank account, and no Snuggie appeared on my doorstep. One week went by, then two. Nothing happened. I went back online to check the status of the order, but there's no way to do that on the site, and naturally the 1-800 number takes you to a charming recording. (No human beings were used in the making of this message.) No way to get through, no, one at home, thanks for trying. Ugh!

Mind you, that was in mid-December. Christmas came and went, and Bree's presents under the tree were shy one Snuggie. Still, no charges appeared on my bank account, so I figured the order had been misplaced or overlooked and that was that. Until yesterday. Yesterday, I checked in on my bank account and found not one, but two nearly forty dollar charges from the fine folks in Snuggie world--three months after the fact! They tried to do it undercover, too, under some vague and innocuous company name. They couldn't fool me, though. I know how to Google, and yeah, I found them out. If they're gonna charge me that kind of money, I'd better be toasty warm underneath four cozy blankets with eight arms. Right now, though, I've got nothing. Zip. Actually, I guess that's not entirely true, since what I do have is an uphill battle of paperwork to dispute the charges for non-existent merchandise, a canceled debit card, and sudden dislike for leopard prints.

Guys and Dolls Opening Night

March 14, 2010

We took the family to the high school's opening night of Guys and Dolls this weekend. Although Bree has been involved in choir and drama throughout high school, this is the first Buchanan theater production she's been a part of. Weeks of hard work and long hours went into the show, and it was fun to see how it all paid off. I was a proud mama seeing her up on the stage! I also loved seeing several of my students in the show--I love getting to see the sides of my kids that don't necessarily come out in the classroom.

Two shows down, four more shows 'til the final curtain falls next Saturday night.

Who's a Loser?

March 12, 2010

I just read an article about big to-do surrounding a 6th grade teacher from North Carolina who wrote the following on his student's paper:

Seriously? What was he thinking? The girl's mom, naturally, is up in arms, as I'm sure I would be if this came home in one of my kid's backpacks. She's calling for the immediate dismissal of the teacher, especially given that this is not the first time he's written such gems on her daughter's paper. His defense? He was just joking. And several other parents are also coming to his defense, saying his joking manner is his way of relating to the kids, reaching them.

Honestly, I kind of get that. Now, before you go and attack me, I have to say I don't condone what the guy did. Maybe he's just a mean-spirited guy who gets his kicks out of making kids feel bad, but I think probably something else is at work here. I myself can be prone to sarcasm now and again (or all the time--whatever). Sometimes I say things to kids that, if taken out of context, could be perceived as mean or angry or rude. But my demeanor, my facial expression, the context of the conversation, and the relationship I have with a particular student all play into how a student hears what I have to say. We joke, we talk, we interact--I teach high school kids, and you simply can't survive if you don't have a sense of humor. I actually am really careful about the students with whom I am sarcastic, because I want to know that a student knows I really care about them and that they understand my sense of humor when I have that kind of exchange with them. I would be mortified if I learned that a student mistook my sense of humor for something negative or derogatory.

That is what seems to be missing from the story here--we don't get the kid's reaction to the teacher's comments. Does she feel like she's been unjustly attacked, as her mother says, or does she take it as an intended joke, knowing that her teacher thinks very highly of her and has a solid relationship with her? If he did really mean it as a joke, I hope the girl was in on it. His mistake, if that was the case, was allowing it to occur outside the scope of context, devoid of facial expression and body language, removed from any personal contact that would ensure she knew it wasn't intended maliciously. The power of words on the paper is that they can take on different inflections and tones than originally intended, if one isn't careful.

Or maybe he's just a jerk. Who knows? All I'm saying is, I'd want to get the whole story before I jumped to any conclusions. If it was my kid, would I be upset? Absolutely. It wouldn't mean I'd alert the media immediately, though, at least until I felt like I'd gotten the whole story.

And the Oscar Goes To...

March 10, 2010
Sunday we held our 5th annual Oscar Party, something we look forward to every year. We rolled up our sleeves to spruce up the place, then rolled out the red carpet to welcome fifteen or so good friends to watch the festivities with us.

This year's front runners were Avatar and The Hurt Locker, with The Hurt Locker running away with majority of gold by the end of the night. Highlights of the show itself were the John Hughes tribute and the acceptance speeches by both Mo'Nique and Sandra Bullock, which all moved me to tears. We were also excited to recognize some of the dancers on stage during the tribute to the Best Song nominees, since choreographer Adam Shankman drew from the talent at "So You Think You Can Dance" to fill his stage.

Despite the fact the Doug and I once again set out to see the Best Picture Nominees (he managed to see eight, I saw seven), neither of us ended up in the running to win the Oscar pool and the coveted Oscar trophy. First place honor went to our good friend Victor, while second place went to our attendee-by-proxy, David. I think we're going to start making David actually attend if he's going to keep winning the pool. For the rest of us, it was an honor just to nominated (to donate our money to the winners).

For a new twist, we added and appetizer contest this year, and the players came to win. We had two fantastic chili dishes, Chicken Salad Lettuce Cups, stuffed mushrooms, turkey meatballs, sushi rolls, homemade guacamole and salsa, bar-b-qued ribs--some really amazing offerings. The competition was fierce and the judges were enthusiastic in the taste-test. Hands-down, though, Donny's unbelievable ribs were the party favorite and yielded him the $20 Starbuck's gift card for his award. It's no Golden Trophy, but it's nothing to sneeze at either.


With all that fantastic food, it was hard to save room for the belle of the Oscar ball: Donny's incredible Oscar cake, a coffee flavored cake with almond filling, specially designed for the occasion. I had no idea we had such talented friends!

As always, we had a wonderful time with family and friends, and when we closed the door after saying goodbye to our last guest, we were already looking to ways to make next year's party even bigger and better.

The Hunger Games--Suzanne Collins

March 10, 2010

I just finished this book and loved it! Check out my review at Sisters Recommend.

Little Slugger #76

March 9, 2010

Last week, Danielle had her first softball game for her elementary school. When she the kids started practices a few weeks ago, I was surprised when she came home and said, "Guess what, Mom? I'm gonna be the catcher!"

Seriously? The catcher? Did she know that that would mean people were going to be throwing balls at her FACE? Yeah, yeah, I know they've got head gear on, but still. "That's great, sweetie. Are you liking it? Did you ask to play catcher, or did the coach just ask you to play that position?"


She assured me it was her choice. "I'm good at catching, Mom, but I'm not so good at throwing from the outfield. So I like it. I also get to play first base when the second catcher wants to go in." Huh. First base. That's where most of the action is for young teams without a lot of experience--not a lot of triples going on with the team. She's not the A team, by the way; most of the sixth graders and powerhouse hitting fifth graders are there, so our girls are a little younger, a little greener, and hit a little shorter. Or a lot shorter. Play's at first.


I never would have pegged her for those positions, but if that's what she wants to be then I'm excited for her to be able to play there. (Not that I won't be cringing when some Amazon ringer sixth-grader from the opposing team fires a missile at the head of my little princess.)


When Bree played her one year of softball, I never got to see one game. Not one! I go to great lengths to be a presence at all of my kids' activities and events, because I want them to know I support them and am proud of them. The games for elementary schools, though, all happen on Friday afternoons before the high school lets out for the day. During the year Bree played, I happened to have an AP Lit class on Friday afternoons, and I simply could not sneak away or have someone cover my classes. This year, however, I have a regular senior class with a student teacher, and a very good friend in the next door classroom who doesn't mind supervising so that I can get away fifteen minutes before the end of school on the days Danielle has home games. (When I told Bree not to get her feelings hurt because I would be able to see Danielle play sometimes--the circumstances were just a little different now--she just looked at me blankly and deadpanned, "It's okay, Mom. I know you love her more." Where did that kid get her sarcastic sense of humor?)



So last Friday was Danielle's first game, and although I missed the first inning, I got there with plenty of game left to watch. I arrived in time to see her get swallowed whole by all the catcher's gear before heading out to the field. She was beaming. It's possible that Danielle's mom was the loudest cheerleader on the sidelines, but she's played soccer for several years, too, so I'm sure she expected nothing less. By the end of the game, the girls had emerged victorious, 6-0.


To cap off Danielle's first game, we found out Monday morning that she had been named Player of the Week. She got her name read over the morning announcements and got an award to bring home. She also got a gift certificate to Baskin-Robbins, which was really the highlight of it all for her, naturally. It looks like her Garfield softball career is off to a great start!

A Little of This, A Little of That

March 3, 2010

I'm feeling some love over here on my blog this week. I received this "You're Going Places, Baby" award from Valerie over at Next to Heaven, which is very cool. Thanks, Valerie! I love Valerie's blog, because she has such a positive outlook--it always makes me smile to read her posts. Head over there and check it out, if you're not already a regular reader.

To pay it forward, I'm supposed to post where I'd like to be in 10 years and then award this to ten other bloggers who are Goin' Places.

So where do I see myself in 10 years? Weird to say, but in another 10 years I could see myself looking forward to my first grandchild from the oldest and college graduation from the youngest. I would love to see all three of my kids happy, healthy, and settling into careers that they love. I see myself still working at my current school, maybe having had a thing or two published on the side. Most of all, I see myself still crazy in love with the man by my side, spending our summers traveling and enjoying adventurous road trips.

Below you'll find links to some on-line friends I love to 'visit' on a regular basis. Check out the following blogs, which are definitely destined for bright futures:

Mama-Face at Blog Ignoramous

Mrs. 4444 at Half Past Kissin' Time

Brainella the Librarian

...for a different kind of girl

Kim at Under the Influence

Christy at Cakerwakers

Kim at Thinking Out Loud

JennyKate at JennyKate's Spot

Caroline...Online

Just Making Our Way

While I'm on the subject of blog love, let me tell you how excited I am about having stumbled onto Brainella the Librarian's blog. I found her by blog-hopping, as I am occasionally known to do. I love her blog, and found that we have a lot in common. And the bonus? She happened to be doing a giveaway when I found her, and on a whim, I entered. Now I know people say, "I never win anything!" all the time, but seriously, I NEVER do. But I DID! And this wasn't just any giveaway--it was a bonanza, as you can see below. It felt like Christmas in March when this package arrived on my doorstop yesterday! Thank you so much for such a great giveaway, Julia--you made my day: ) If you get a chance to stop by and check out her blog, too.

In other news, this is a crazy week for me. So much so that I really shouldn't be taking the time to write this, but I am skilled in the ways of procrastination, so here I am. It's the end of a grading period for me, so I've got papers to grade and enter and stressed out parents and students. Bigwigs from the School Accreditation team are scoping out our campus early next week, so we've got to make sure our classrooms are spiffy and sparkly for our guests, we've got to be dramatic and entertaining and terribly insightful when they step into our worlds for a five minute snapshot that will tell them everything they need to know about education at our school, and we are to make ourselves available for additional meetings both before and after school. Oh yeah--we're supposed to wear our badges, too. (Now where did I put my badge? Seriously. I hate wearing a nametag around my neck that says "If found, please return to CUSD District Office at such and such address. As if someone might find ME, cold and lifeless, or wandering around aimlessly, babbling incoherently, and return me safe and sound to my home at the district office. I know they're really just talking about finding the tag, but still. It's so Big Brother-sounding.)

We are also in crunch time for Nicholas' History Day project, and both girls have stepped up their drama rehearsal schedules, since we are nearing production dates. Danielle also has softball practice (when she doesn't get rained out), which adds to the taxi schedule. Oh--and a birthday party this Saturday (for which I have yet to get a present), and a package to mail out that should have gone out, oh, say, two months ago.

On top of that, this weekend is the Academy Awards, so we're gearing up for our annual Oscar party. I'm really looking forward to that, but I'd be even more excited if some cleaning fairy were to show up and make the house more presentable before Sunday. I'm not holding my breath, though, so I've got to add housecleaning to my list of things to do.

Not that I'm complaining, though. I think I just needed to take a minute to detail what all I needed to do, so that I could prioritize. Thinking out loud, as it were. I'm good now, and I've got to go. I've got things to do!