Today is officially my LAST day of college! For now, that is. My projects are all completed and I'm confident of my grade, and I received the email from the college telling me I can pick up my degree at the end of the month. :D :D Needless to say, I'm psyched.
I haven't found work yet, which I'm really bummed about. Hopefully it won't take much longer. I interviewed for an administrative job that I'd really like to get, but I forgot a few important things I should have said. I still have a lot of anxiety about meeting new people, and I spend so much cognitive energy trying to appear calm that I can't remember much during the meetings. Oh well. It's through a staffing agency, and they told me they are still waiting for my background clearances to come back. I hope that doesn't prevent me from starting work in time for the job.
I had to start the mandatory job searches to maintain public assistance last week, which is incredibly annoying. Some of the intake discussions have been helpful, though. Our instructor gave me some excellent pointers on how to let employers know that I have valuable life experience and was far from idle during my marriage, without just saying "I was married to a heroin addict." Nobody wants to hear that. I feel like Lisa in The Simpson's Movie, when Marge enters the hotel room and asks where Homer is, and Lisa exclaims, "He's gone! Let's quickly rebuild our lives while he's away!"
I sent my information to CYS, and was told that they hire for Social Worker Aide level 3. I only took the exams for 1 and 2. I'll have to take it again. I didn't realize I qualified for level 3 with an A.A., but it seems different agencies have different qualifications. Unfortunately, they also pay less than $12/hr to start. Benefits won't do me any good if I can't pay rent. I'm trying not to panic. My parents expect to move around the beginning of March, and I really need to have some money set aside and have my bills and budget sorted out when that happens. The job searching program drives me insane, because the people who hire through them are the people looking for cheap labor, which is why they team up with the welfare office in the first place. Any job I get through them is likely to be a failure as far as getting us off of public assistance in the future. On the other hand, it appears any job I get with my degree won't be much better, except when it comes to benefits. I'm not sure what to do. Hopefully it will just sort itself out in time as long as I keep lots of options open.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Big Changes
Well, I did get an A in Statistics. If I had it to do over again, I would rather get a B than allow a single course to so thoroughly consume my life for three months. But it's over, and so is my time at college, for now. I'm taking an online course over the winter break, and I expect to have my A.S. degree in hand by the end of January. I took the state Civil Service exam, and scored 88 in one category and 90 in the other, so I'm pretty happy. I hope that after the holidays I'll start getting calls for interviews.
Meanwhile, we traveled out to see the children's dad. It was a far better experience than I had anticipated, and some of my frustration with the distance is mitigated now that I've seen how conducive the environment of this particular facility is to family visitation. It was very clean as prisons go, the entry process was low-key and not particularly invasive, and the visits are done in a large cafeteria, with a playroom for small children and vending machines that serve all sorts of snacks and lunch-type meals. You can't take money in, but you can buy a vending card that gets loaded before entry, and the kids were able to have a relatively normal experience, all things considered. The visiting hours are long, nearly 7 hours on visiting days, and they had board games available for families to play.
We found an Orthodox church only a few miles away, and the hotel we stayed in was much nicer than I expected for the low price. On top of that, there's a fun center in the nearest major town with very reasonable prices, and the area is patchworked with state parks and outdoor activities. When the weather is warmer, we will be able to go camping overnight rather than spending money on a hotel, and that will be very helpful. It will also make the visits more of a family experience, not just focused on the prison, which is exactly what I had wanted. I'm hoping that over the next three years, we can establish a relationship with the small church there and get to know the area well enough that the children feel some sense of community connection aside from the prison visits. The long visiting hours mean that we can plan activities for the morning and then visit in the afternoon, so the Princess doesn't get too worn out, and then still make it home in time for a tolerable bedtime if we leave directly from the prison. As she gets older we'll be able to spend longer chunks of time there. Her limit right now is about two hours.
Christmas was wonderful, more so I think since the boys were able to see their dad first. Little Bear in particular is very tactile, and it seemed to me that he really needed to physically touch and see his dad to believe that he was still in existence. We planned to go away for New Year's, but I changed my mind. We all need a break from deadlines for a little bit. The boys are in aftercare now, and depending on my schedule that may soon include before care, so time at home is going to be at a premium very soon. My parents are very likely moving soon as well, and I'm not sure how that will affect us. So many things depend on so many other things. We shall see what happens over the next several weeks. Hopefully whatever happens won't be too terrible.
Meanwhile, we traveled out to see the children's dad. It was a far better experience than I had anticipated, and some of my frustration with the distance is mitigated now that I've seen how conducive the environment of this particular facility is to family visitation. It was very clean as prisons go, the entry process was low-key and not particularly invasive, and the visits are done in a large cafeteria, with a playroom for small children and vending machines that serve all sorts of snacks and lunch-type meals. You can't take money in, but you can buy a vending card that gets loaded before entry, and the kids were able to have a relatively normal experience, all things considered. The visiting hours are long, nearly 7 hours on visiting days, and they had board games available for families to play.
We found an Orthodox church only a few miles away, and the hotel we stayed in was much nicer than I expected for the low price. On top of that, there's a fun center in the nearest major town with very reasonable prices, and the area is patchworked with state parks and outdoor activities. When the weather is warmer, we will be able to go camping overnight rather than spending money on a hotel, and that will be very helpful. It will also make the visits more of a family experience, not just focused on the prison, which is exactly what I had wanted. I'm hoping that over the next three years, we can establish a relationship with the small church there and get to know the area well enough that the children feel some sense of community connection aside from the prison visits. The long visiting hours mean that we can plan activities for the morning and then visit in the afternoon, so the Princess doesn't get too worn out, and then still make it home in time for a tolerable bedtime if we leave directly from the prison. As she gets older we'll be able to spend longer chunks of time there. Her limit right now is about two hours.
Christmas was wonderful, more so I think since the boys were able to see their dad first. Little Bear in particular is very tactile, and it seemed to me that he really needed to physically touch and see his dad to believe that he was still in existence. We planned to go away for New Year's, but I changed my mind. We all need a break from deadlines for a little bit. The boys are in aftercare now, and depending on my schedule that may soon include before care, so time at home is going to be at a premium very soon. My parents are very likely moving soon as well, and I'm not sure how that will affect us. So many things depend on so many other things. We shall see what happens over the next several weeks. Hopefully whatever happens won't be too terrible.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Deep Breath
I'm trying to stay optimistic since the semester is halfway over. I think I can still get an A even in Statistics; the last course I need for my degree is being offered over the winter break, so I pushed it off until then. I would not be able to keep up with all the homework otherwise. I feel like I barely get to talk to the kids any more.
The Princess is solidly into the terrible 3's. Why they call it the terrible 2's, I have no idea. 3's are far worse. She gets exponentially cuter, whinier, and more demanding with each passing day. All the kids are growing up so fast.
Their dad has been permanently placed, about 5 hours away. The paperwork came and went for getting the kids on his visiting list, so hopefully that will happen soon. We're all starting Hep B vaccinations since it is highly recommended. Apparently Hep B is rampant in the prison system.
Meanwhile, Cub Scouts has turned out to be a really wonderful experience, for me as well as the boys. It hadn't occurred to me that interacting with other parents might be good for me too. I've always had a lot of trouble with peer interactions, and although college has been helpful, there isn't much opportunity for true personal interaction there. Basically, college has made me capable of looking strangers in the eye if necessary, and speaking up in front of them without having a panic attack. Important, but far from enough. Last weekend we attended the annual Scout Fall Festival for our Council, which is free to new Scouts. It's expensive otherwise, so I figured we should take advantage of it being free this year. It was an absolutely fantastic experience, and I'll be more than happy to pay the cost of attending in the future now that I know what to expect. The day was cold, but beautiful, and the fall colors were at their peak. At some point about halfway through the day, I realized that I was talking and laughing with other people my own age, even MALE people my own age, without feeling awkward or out of place or self-conscious. I was feeling like a person who actually had an equal right to be there, not just an outsider who should probably keep her mouth shut lest she say something embarrassing. Something changed in me right then. I'm not sure what it was, but it was healthy. Almost like it was the last step on my path to becoming mentally an adult as well as nominally. I'll always remember it as one of the defining moments of my life. Funny how those moments tend to be so small and invisible from the outside, isn't it?
My parents don't expect to be moved for another few months, so we're hoping the new buyer will allow us to rent one of the units for a low price until the end of the school year, so the boys can finish it out in the district. One of the units has significant water damage and can't be rented for a decent amount until it's repaired. We could certainly manage that for a few months, if the buyer is willing.
I need to start my job search in earnest soon. I've put in two applications so far, but only because they were opportunities I didn't want to pass up. I need to start the real process soon. I'm dreading it and looking forward to it at the same time. I can't wait to start working; it's the searching part that I hate.
The Princess is solidly into the terrible 3's. Why they call it the terrible 2's, I have no idea. 3's are far worse. She gets exponentially cuter, whinier, and more demanding with each passing day. All the kids are growing up so fast.
Their dad has been permanently placed, about 5 hours away. The paperwork came and went for getting the kids on his visiting list, so hopefully that will happen soon. We're all starting Hep B vaccinations since it is highly recommended. Apparently Hep B is rampant in the prison system.
Meanwhile, Cub Scouts has turned out to be a really wonderful experience, for me as well as the boys. It hadn't occurred to me that interacting with other parents might be good for me too. I've always had a lot of trouble with peer interactions, and although college has been helpful, there isn't much opportunity for true personal interaction there. Basically, college has made me capable of looking strangers in the eye if necessary, and speaking up in front of them without having a panic attack. Important, but far from enough. Last weekend we attended the annual Scout Fall Festival for our Council, which is free to new Scouts. It's expensive otherwise, so I figured we should take advantage of it being free this year. It was an absolutely fantastic experience, and I'll be more than happy to pay the cost of attending in the future now that I know what to expect. The day was cold, but beautiful, and the fall colors were at their peak. At some point about halfway through the day, I realized that I was talking and laughing with other people my own age, even MALE people my own age, without feeling awkward or out of place or self-conscious. I was feeling like a person who actually had an equal right to be there, not just an outsider who should probably keep her mouth shut lest she say something embarrassing. Something changed in me right then. I'm not sure what it was, but it was healthy. Almost like it was the last step on my path to becoming mentally an adult as well as nominally. I'll always remember it as one of the defining moments of my life. Funny how those moments tend to be so small and invisible from the outside, isn't it?
My parents don't expect to be moved for another few months, so we're hoping the new buyer will allow us to rent one of the units for a low price until the end of the school year, so the boys can finish it out in the district. One of the units has significant water damage and can't be rented for a decent amount until it's repaired. We could certainly manage that for a few months, if the buyer is willing.
I need to start my job search in earnest soon. I've put in two applications so far, but only because they were opportunities I didn't want to pass up. I need to start the real process soon. I'm dreading it and looking forward to it at the same time. I can't wait to start working; it's the searching part that I hate.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Scouts! Yikes!
So the boys have been wanting to join Cub Scouts for a while now. We have a troop that meets very locally, and several of their schoolmates are in it. Tonight we got our application approved, and I'm pretty excited. I hope it helps us to build some good strong ties in the community. The acting leader of the troop knows our church and is a member of the "sister" church with whom we participated in an outdoor Pan-Orthodox service the last two spring seasons. It's a small world, in a good way.
My sisters and I have been talking about moving plans if my parents sell their house. I'm very worried because we can't afford to stay in the district, and I hate the prospect of leaving it just when we are starting to put real roots down. I need people I can feel connected to. I feel like I've been floating out there alone on a life raft my whole life, and now that it's finally changing, I'm getting shifted to another ocean. I desperately want to stay in the district. It's hard to get motivated to look for any other alternative. I can apply for low-income housing, but the approval might take a while and it's only available in the next district. Still, we'd be close enough to keep in touch here. More and more I feel drawn to that option.
This is the last semester for my Associate's Degree, and it's not going easy. I'm really liking the course in Social Welfare Policy, and thinking I may go in a policy research/analysis direction with my Bachelor's rather than a casework direction. The ASL club has been going much better, and I'm starting to feel confident that it will continue after I graduate. We have new officers who are very committed and involved. The workload is really heavy, though. I feel like I can't even afford the time it takes to drive places sometimes. But I'm taking my favorite course of all, and that helps. Earth and Space Science. I love it. I've always been fascinated by geology. If travel wasn't an issue, I'd aim to be a geologist.
My sisters and I have been talking about moving plans if my parents sell their house. I'm very worried because we can't afford to stay in the district, and I hate the prospect of leaving it just when we are starting to put real roots down. I need people I can feel connected to. I feel like I've been floating out there alone on a life raft my whole life, and now that it's finally changing, I'm getting shifted to another ocean. I desperately want to stay in the district. It's hard to get motivated to look for any other alternative. I can apply for low-income housing, but the approval might take a while and it's only available in the next district. Still, we'd be close enough to keep in touch here. More and more I feel drawn to that option.
This is the last semester for my Associate's Degree, and it's not going easy. I'm really liking the course in Social Welfare Policy, and thinking I may go in a policy research/analysis direction with my Bachelor's rather than a casework direction. The ASL club has been going much better, and I'm starting to feel confident that it will continue after I graduate. We have new officers who are very committed and involved. The workload is really heavy, though. I feel like I can't even afford the time it takes to drive places sometimes. But I'm taking my favorite course of all, and that helps. Earth and Space Science. I love it. I've always been fascinated by geology. If travel wasn't an issue, I'd aim to be a geologist.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Summer 2
So, a few days before the end of Summer 1 my caseworker called me. The campus caseworker, not the county one, they never do anything. She informed me that if I took both my Summer 2 courses online I would lose my child care subsidy. Oops. So I had to drop one of my courses and sign up at the last minute for a classroom course. I wound up with Macroeconomics. NOT what I wanted. It's like math and politics all mixed up together with a whole bunch of graphs. And if you remember how much I hate MLA format? Well, I feel the same way about graphs.
Actually, it's not too bad, now that I'm in the middle of it. The professor is passionate about teaching it, and not in a traditional way. He teaches from the standpoint of international business and a global economy, which means there is a lot of talk about foreign policy and trade. He explained some of the graphs, but shuns them for the most part. He made us all watch IOUSA, and the exam we took today was all essay questions. I know this makes many of my classmates cringe. It makes me appreciate my mom's good teaching in making us read, write, and summarize, and my family's passion for politics. Although I didn't understand any of the concepts when I started the class, I think I grasped enough to answer adequately.
Shortly after the class began, I was looking for Simon Baker movies to watch and came across Margin Call. I rented it on Amazon and watched it over the weekend. I'm dying to ask the professor how accurate he thinks it is. I have a feeling he might scoff at the idea of learning economics through entertainment, though, and not without good reason. I'm also dying to know what he thinks of the recent escalations in the Gaza strip, but he's been mum. Also for good reason, no doubt. Personally, my sympathies are with the Palestinians. They've been kicked around, lied to, and bullied long enough. The fact that they are Muslim in no way makes that okay. The Israelis have acted no better.
We each were told to choose a foreign country and find out all we can about its culture and economy. I chose Turkey. Not sure why. It just seemed like a good choice. I'm looking forward to the rest of the class. It might not be a subject I wanted to learn about, but knowledge is always useful, and at least it's outside the textbook.
The Princess has been potty-training. It's going fantastic - at home. She has repeatedly told me, in very clear terms, that she does NOT want to tell the teachers when she needs to potty. Only mommy. And according to the teachers, "She's a woman of her word." *sigh* I guess I'll be doing a lot of laundry for a while. I'm saving on diapers, though! That's about $40 every month.
We were finally able to get cards to the children's dad. He's been in the state penitentiary in the next county for a while, and they don't allow minors to visit because he is there temporarily. Yesterday we got an envelope from him. He drew pictures for the kids, but didn't actually write much, and he jotted down some screwed-up existential nonsense on the back, probably for my benefit. It made me angry, although I didn't say so. The kids want to hear from him, not get some pencil drawings. Maybe he feels he has nothing good to say, but still. They were happy, though. So I may just be over-thinking it.
I've decided to keep a journal of their activities for him to have. Just little snippets about their day and their behaviors, the kinds of things he can't see in a photo or hear in a phone conversation. By the way, he's called them once. ONCE. In six months. For about 60 seconds each. But I'm doing this for them, not for him. I want to hold on to any connection he may still feel with them, so that they don't feel like strangers when he gets out. Whiz Kid will be 13. Little Bear will be 11. At the earliest. That's going to be a very hard bridge to cross. I think they are most afraid of him never coming out. I'm afraid of him coming out the same person he went in.
I've started reading to the kids at night from the Kindle. It's great. Since it's backlit, I can leave the lights off and it provides a sort of night light. This Kindle has been one of the best family items I could have gotten. I'm thinking of purchasing a Bible to it, since late evening/night is really the only family time we have, and I need the lights out so they fall asleep. It used to seem silly to me to have a digital Bible, but I'm rethinking that.
This weekend we are going to a BBQ and fireworks with their godparents. I can't wait. We're so blessed to have met these people.
Actually, it's not too bad, now that I'm in the middle of it. The professor is passionate about teaching it, and not in a traditional way. He teaches from the standpoint of international business and a global economy, which means there is a lot of talk about foreign policy and trade. He explained some of the graphs, but shuns them for the most part. He made us all watch IOUSA, and the exam we took today was all essay questions. I know this makes many of my classmates cringe. It makes me appreciate my mom's good teaching in making us read, write, and summarize, and my family's passion for politics. Although I didn't understand any of the concepts when I started the class, I think I grasped enough to answer adequately.
Shortly after the class began, I was looking for Simon Baker movies to watch and came across Margin Call. I rented it on Amazon and watched it over the weekend. I'm dying to ask the professor how accurate he thinks it is. I have a feeling he might scoff at the idea of learning economics through entertainment, though, and not without good reason. I'm also dying to know what he thinks of the recent escalations in the Gaza strip, but he's been mum. Also for good reason, no doubt. Personally, my sympathies are with the Palestinians. They've been kicked around, lied to, and bullied long enough. The fact that they are Muslim in no way makes that okay. The Israelis have acted no better.
We each were told to choose a foreign country and find out all we can about its culture and economy. I chose Turkey. Not sure why. It just seemed like a good choice. I'm looking forward to the rest of the class. It might not be a subject I wanted to learn about, but knowledge is always useful, and at least it's outside the textbook.
The Princess has been potty-training. It's going fantastic - at home. She has repeatedly told me, in very clear terms, that she does NOT want to tell the teachers when she needs to potty. Only mommy. And according to the teachers, "She's a woman of her word." *sigh* I guess I'll be doing a lot of laundry for a while. I'm saving on diapers, though! That's about $40 every month.
We were finally able to get cards to the children's dad. He's been in the state penitentiary in the next county for a while, and they don't allow minors to visit because he is there temporarily. Yesterday we got an envelope from him. He drew pictures for the kids, but didn't actually write much, and he jotted down some screwed-up existential nonsense on the back, probably for my benefit. It made me angry, although I didn't say so. The kids want to hear from him, not get some pencil drawings. Maybe he feels he has nothing good to say, but still. They were happy, though. So I may just be over-thinking it.
I've decided to keep a journal of their activities for him to have. Just little snippets about their day and their behaviors, the kinds of things he can't see in a photo or hear in a phone conversation. By the way, he's called them once. ONCE. In six months. For about 60 seconds each. But I'm doing this for them, not for him. I want to hold on to any connection he may still feel with them, so that they don't feel like strangers when he gets out. Whiz Kid will be 13. Little Bear will be 11. At the earliest. That's going to be a very hard bridge to cross. I think they are most afraid of him never coming out. I'm afraid of him coming out the same person he went in.
I've started reading to the kids at night from the Kindle. It's great. Since it's backlit, I can leave the lights off and it provides a sort of night light. This Kindle has been one of the best family items I could have gotten. I'm thinking of purchasing a Bible to it, since late evening/night is really the only family time we have, and I need the lights out so they fall asleep. It used to seem silly to me to have a digital Bible, but I'm rethinking that.
This weekend we are going to a BBQ and fireworks with their godparents. I can't wait. We're so blessed to have met these people.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Monday, June 2, 2014
Summer
I started the summer semester last week. It's a lot of fun. I'm taking Public Speaking in the classroom, with the same Communications professor I had last summer. We have an interesting class; it includes a ballet dancer, lacrosse athlete, and a guy from Romania who looks roughly 35-40 and whose accent is very hard for me to follow. Our professor made us all give a little speech about ourselves on the 2nd day that included a favorite (or least favorite) song, and our favorite movie or TV show (of course I said Jericho). The Romanian guy said that he does not watch movies or TV because he thinks they are terrible things that ruin your ability to think - or something to that effect. I nearly laughed out loud. It reminded me of what I'd said at the end of my last post.
Yesterday we had our annual Pan-Orthodox service at a state park in Delaware. Members of three parishes attended: ours, a Ukrainian parish, and a Greek parish. It was a beautiful day, and I got to take pictures of Little Bear serving. I don't like taking photos in the church; it seems disrespectful and disruptive. But the outdoor service provided the perfect opportunity. And for once, I didn't have to spend half the service keeping the Princess quiet. She played on the playground only yards away from the pavilion and I could see her just fine. So did many of the other young children. I took pictures of the boys with their best friends, because they all wore similar shirts; it was great! Last year our service got rained out with a summer storm at the very end. This year, the worst we got was sunburn. I should have worn my big garden hat, but I was too busy trying to remember the bazillion other things you have to bring when you have three kids and only yourself, lol. I refused to bring the Kindle, because I knew the temptation to let them use it would be too great and I wanted them to spend time with other people, as well as reinforce the idea that worship is worship no matter where it takes place.
The thing I look forward to most about leaving school and leaving my parent's house is being able to give the kids alternatives to electronic entertainment. They desperately need a place where they can play without being hounded about when the mess will be cleaned up, and I need to be able to devote my brain to whatever needs to be done with them instead of constantly worrying over due dates. I never thought I would let them spend so much time on electronics, but as long as we're here we have no realistic alternative. There just isn't anything else they can do that doesn't create a problem for someone. They can't even learn to ride bikes; the driveway is too broken, and too dangerous with the amount of traffic in and out and the visual barriers. I would have to take them somewhere else to teach them, and I don't have the time for that. My mom refuses to allow any plastic play equipment because she doesn't like the way it looks, so that pretty much rules out any play equipment. Yes, kids used to have no play equipment. They also had plenty of other things to keep busy with, including farm chores, a whole lot more of the outdoors to explore than we do, and often a community of friends to play with them and keep an eye on them. That isn't the world we live in here, and it's stupid to pretend we can create it through wishful thinking.
They'll be in summer camp again this year, and Little Bear is starting to do very well at swimming. I was hoping to sign up for swimming lessons, but the only lessons they offer for adults are very early and very late. Nothing during the day when I don't have the children in tow. So I guess that's out for now, just like Martial Arts. I tried that too, thinking I could do it with the boys. But the program requires 3 nights a week, and that's out of the question. For now, I'm just going to do parent-child swim lessons with the Princess, so she can get independent early on. Whiz Kid has always protested against the lessons, so I've decided not to sign him up for any more at this point. He really dislikes swimming.
I got A's again from the spring, so my 4.0 is still intact, although there was one close call. Here's hoping it survives the summer too!
Yesterday we had our annual Pan-Orthodox service at a state park in Delaware. Members of three parishes attended: ours, a Ukrainian parish, and a Greek parish. It was a beautiful day, and I got to take pictures of Little Bear serving. I don't like taking photos in the church; it seems disrespectful and disruptive. But the outdoor service provided the perfect opportunity. And for once, I didn't have to spend half the service keeping the Princess quiet. She played on the playground only yards away from the pavilion and I could see her just fine. So did many of the other young children. I took pictures of the boys with their best friends, because they all wore similar shirts; it was great! Last year our service got rained out with a summer storm at the very end. This year, the worst we got was sunburn. I should have worn my big garden hat, but I was too busy trying to remember the bazillion other things you have to bring when you have three kids and only yourself, lol. I refused to bring the Kindle, because I knew the temptation to let them use it would be too great and I wanted them to spend time with other people, as well as reinforce the idea that worship is worship no matter where it takes place.
The thing I look forward to most about leaving school and leaving my parent's house is being able to give the kids alternatives to electronic entertainment. They desperately need a place where they can play without being hounded about when the mess will be cleaned up, and I need to be able to devote my brain to whatever needs to be done with them instead of constantly worrying over due dates. I never thought I would let them spend so much time on electronics, but as long as we're here we have no realistic alternative. There just isn't anything else they can do that doesn't create a problem for someone. They can't even learn to ride bikes; the driveway is too broken, and too dangerous with the amount of traffic in and out and the visual barriers. I would have to take them somewhere else to teach them, and I don't have the time for that. My mom refuses to allow any plastic play equipment because she doesn't like the way it looks, so that pretty much rules out any play equipment. Yes, kids used to have no play equipment. They also had plenty of other things to keep busy with, including farm chores, a whole lot more of the outdoors to explore than we do, and often a community of friends to play with them and keep an eye on them. That isn't the world we live in here, and it's stupid to pretend we can create it through wishful thinking.
They'll be in summer camp again this year, and Little Bear is starting to do very well at swimming. I was hoping to sign up for swimming lessons, but the only lessons they offer for adults are very early and very late. Nothing during the day when I don't have the children in tow. So I guess that's out for now, just like Martial Arts. I tried that too, thinking I could do it with the boys. But the program requires 3 nights a week, and that's out of the question. For now, I'm just going to do parent-child swim lessons with the Princess, so she can get independent early on. Whiz Kid has always protested against the lessons, so I've decided not to sign him up for any more at this point. He really dislikes swimming.
I got A's again from the spring, so my 4.0 is still intact, although there was one close call. Here's hoping it survives the summer too!
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