A Charmed Life

I am starting to feel sorry for Kenzie's brothers. They have to watch as almost everything that goes wrong for Kenzie actually turns out positive, while the boys seem to run into normal obstacles with normal results. One big example is soccer. Connor's big sports passion is playing soccer. He's one of the best kids, his age, around here at playing the game. He's been on travel teams and just loves it. Over the past few years, however, there have a series of unfortunate events that have not allowed him to play on a travel team. He really, really wants to play on the travel team, but it just hasn't worked, not because of any lack of skill on his part, but because of various extenuating circumstances. Kenzie is just as as athletic as Connor, but has chosen to devote her energies to softball, not soccer. I think I mentioned in this blog (maybe not) that, while being rostered on a travel softball team, she also got recruited for a travel soccer team. I told the soccer coach that Kenzie would not have time to both sports, and besides, we couldn't afford it. The soccer coach didn't care. She got the fees waived and eagerly accepted Kenzie on her roster, in whatever capacity Kenzie could offer, even if it was only to help at practice. Kenz did wind up playing in a few games, but not many. We are still trying to find some way to get Connor on a travel soccer team.

On to the cell phone incident. As I'm sure you've guessed, Kenzie experienced an incident remarkably similar that which Silly Sally went through. To extend the story, in Kenzie's case, no one was informed of the loss of the cell phone until I asked where it was. Needless to say, the dead make more noise than that which could be heard in our house at that moment. The cover-up is always worse than the crime. Kenzie is now in so much trouble she cannot believe she will see the light of the new day. Punishment would have been fairly minimal; accidents do happen, but lieing by omission, DOESN'T; not without consequences. She has been saving money for a top-of-the-line softball bat (upwards of $250) and just about has enough to finally get it. A replacement cell phone would virtually wipe our her savings -- and her new bat. Here comes the charmed part: on a whim, Vicki dug out an old cell phone, called Verizon, and in five minutes had it activated with the lost phone's number. Kenzie's savings was saved. She is still grounded for a month, though.

Silly Sally Strikes Again

One day, Silly Sally took the "kid phone" (the spare cell phone designated for kid use when said kid goes a-visiting) from the kitchen and went to visit her friend down the street. Well, the girls were having a good time, even did a little door-to-door fund-raising in the neighborhood, for a charity. Everything was just hunky-dory until the girls decided to visit a local pond to throw rocks. Sally, being only ten (she just had a birthday), did not think to secure the kid phone, which was in her coat pocket, while she was tossing her rocks. No one knows which item flew the farthest, into the pond: the rock or the phone.

Reason 42 For Homeschooling

I usually don't get very political in this blog, even though I get very political in real life, but this is just nuts: School Bans Desserts. I know too much junk food is not good, but is it the government's job to tell us what to put in our kids' lunches (or allow them to buy with money we give them for lunch)? Once they take over every parental decision we make in the government's demesne, they'll be after us in our private lives (like they haven't been doing that for years already).

I am so tempted to go on and on about all the reasons this kind of government dictation is wrong, but I have my own school to run right now.

245 days to go for #8.

Number 8...or more?

Puppet Show

This is a day of several firsts. This is the kids' first production, without any assistance, direction, or even prompting, from anyone but themselves. This is my first attempt at anything close to editing a video, using a program I've never used before. This is also supposed to be the first day back to school since the Christmas break. I can't see the point of starting school on a Thursday, and this whole puppet-show-producing thing has been a great learning activity. I haven't seen those kids work together, for such an extended period of time, for, well--ever. Right now, I hear a lot of commotion (good commotion) upstairs, concerning set design, re-writing the script, re-designing puppets, etc. I've been told they're adding a new twist to the plot, but I won't get to see it until the next filming, later today. This 21 MB file is taking forever to load, so if you want to watch it, I hope you have broadband. It's also my first attempt at using this Blogger video uploader.

A NEW New Year's Day Tradition

One that I hope is discontinued next year.

Kenzie and I spent the afternoon, on January 1, 2008, at the nearest all-hours urgent care facility. She had been experiencing pains in her right side (appendix?!) since Saturday and they had been getting worse, so we decided not to wait until our pediatrician opened up on January 2, and got her checked out on January 1. After almost three hours in the office (it was a madhouse! I think everyone gets sick on holidays), a blood test, a urine test, and xrays, the doctor determined she just needed some mineral oil and water. I guess that's what happens after two weeks of Christmas cookies, Christmas cakes, and Christmas candy. We need to add Christmas vegetables, Christmas fruit, and Christmas balanced meals to the menu next year.

January 1, 2007 was spent in the same place, only that was for an ear infection that developed during a New Year's Eve party. At the stroke of midnight that year, the poor kid was curled in a little ball, holding her ear and crying, until we could get some medicine.

I wonder what it'll be in 2009.