And now she knows

As is often the case, I have to preface this with a little background. The Trube loves to watch the parts of Glee where Kurt and Blaine sing. She's fascinated with Kurt, thinks he's adorable, and totally digs on the a cappella scene. Who doesn't like singing and dancing? She was naturally curious when Blaine laid a nice sloppy one on Kurt and we had the discussion about what gay means. I told her sometimes boys love boys and sometimes girls love girls. We love people for who they are inside, not what they look like outside. She was totally down with that and we moved on.

So today she was telling me how she's got it all planned out. She's going to marry the boy she first declared her intentions with in kindergarten. I said maybe, but told her she hasn't even met most of the people she's going to know in her life. "One day, you're going to meet a boy you think is so kind, and so smart, and so funny, and so cute. Or maybe a girl." She says, "I don't want to be gay." I asked her why not, and she says, "We would have too many kids! What if I have three kids, and the girl I'm gay with has three kids...that would be six kids!" Oh crap, cogitated I. The moment is upon me. I have put it off for eight years come Tuesday. Every time we come close to the subject, and there have been some mighty close shaves, I distract her with something shiny. But I gotta bite the bullet at some point!

So I did it. I had a little trouble getting started, kinda hedged around how in all plants and animals (I know not ALL but she's in second grade!) there are male and female for a reason, but once I got it going it was ok. When I got to the actual mechanics part, she made the requisite horrified/disbelieving/appalled face and said, "I am NOT doing that." But I got it all in! She's not as well informed as her friend who got the whole skinny, down to genetics, from her health teacher mom in kindergarten, but she's not totally in the dark anymore. I asked her if she had any questions and she goes, "Do you wanna play Monopoly?" Yes, darlin. Yes I do. Now that I've deprived you of your innocence, I will crush you with the racecar.

Teacher Thinks Kids Shouldn't Read!

Hey, here's some great news. Little pun. The local newspaper ran a giant article about science in the classroom, and how we need to change the way we teach kids and how, best of all, my school district is right at the forefront of this all this positive movement! In fact, yours truly was right in the middle of it. Two giant pictures of my classroom, kids engaged, working their hearts out, talking about how I collaborate with Western (that would be my astronaut, thank you very much) to bring the most up to date research based strategies to my classrooom. It was great! Except for two, small sentences that maybe could have been worded a little more diplomatically. But were, of course, totally valid and explained very clearly. Which, of course, was not printed. Yeah. Upshot? I'm the only teacher on the planet who thinks kids should not be taught to read. Nice.

Another year over, and a new one just begun

So, how was your 2010? Good stuff here. Here's hoping the next is lovely for you and yours. From one of my very favorite authors, Neil Gaiman: I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you'll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you'll make something that didn't exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.

I’m sure people who don’t have kids will disagree with me, but ding dong Christmas is totally a kids' holiday! As a mom I enjoy it more watching it all through the Trueb’s eyes. This year was no different.

I came home from the last day of school brimming with the holiday spirit. We’d spent the whole day doing projects, watching Elf, drinking hot cocoa. It was aces. Which is lucky, because Gordon and Emma decided sugar cookies were the plan for baking this year. The last time I made sugar cookies, I swore I would never do it again! Seriously, they’re fantastic for the first three, then it’s just an eternal slog through never-ending blank, androgynous, buttery canvases mocking you with their infinite number of not doneness. They take forever! So I told them it sounded like a great daddy/daughter project. Of course, three cookies in, they’re whining about how they’ll never get done and they need help…. Argh! Look how pretty they came out though! And perfect for Head and Rosie’s 10^th Annual neighborhood party. Trueby brought a buddy this year and they had a blast. Even with a very strictly imposed cookie limit. How can you go wrong with a carousel of cookie plate filling?

In other surprising news ~ I like caroling! Never would have thought it. The Fawcetts were brilliant enough to organize a party this year with caroling around to the neighbors. It was great! We had kids, dogs, candles, the works. People would stand on porches to listen and cheer. Loved loved it.

We went to the lights of Christmas in Stanwood for the fist time. No idea why we didn’t hit this before. Yeah, I do. It’s in Stanwood! But totally worth it. Santa train blew a tire right before our turn, True didn’t even care. There was so much going on she didn’t even miss it. The highpoint for her was talking to Bruce the Spruce, a fake tree with stuck on eyes and lips who makes shmucky jokes and entrances the kids. The high point for me was when Lauren asked if the girls thought he was interactive. Em said he was and I laughed at her, “You don’t even know what interactive means!” She says, “It means like you ask him a question and he answers you.” What the what!? Where did she learn freakin interactive? My kid is brilliant. Top that off with the fact that they had pretty good vegetarian chili and you’re sitting on a winner my friend.

This was the first year in a while we’ve been over to Wenatchee for the holiday. I forget how gorgeous Leavenworth is when they do it all up in lights. We stopped to gape and to sled a little. Christmas Eve at grandma’s was shortish but nice. Emma got to open one present and was a little disappointed in her inability to master the BopIt I think. I also think it’s worth mentioning that I currently hold the high score on said present.

We went back to the hotel which had a pool that only started to try to counterbalance the weird smell in the room. In the morning, she was flabbergasted to find Santa had come by in the night and left exactly the present she’d asked for! What are the chances? We got to grandma’s for breakfast and a little tussle over the time for dinner, but everyone made it out alive. Uncle Jamal and Jessica arrived with baby Leila and I’m afraid all the pictures from there on out involve the baby. Sweetie! Emma would not put her down. Which was lucky, because she hates to be put down. No shortage of people willing to hold the baby though.

Christmas day was lovely of course. Everyone got something nice they really liked. Emma scored huge. Uncle Craig and Karen came by for dinner and my “herbivore” daughter decided she likes roast beast after all. Shocker! And apparently, there’s a Lego game that brings out the cutthroat in your closest relatives. Good times.

The drive was a drag, obviously, but we had a good visit. Emma was disappointed we had to leave so soon. Next time, we’ll get more than 2 of the 4 together, that will be real party! Merry Christmas!

It's in the air!

If you heard about a cool light display place, with a Santa Train, tons of decorations, lots to do and see, but it was in Stanwood…you’d totally blow it off, right? Me too. But I was wrong! It was such a good time. Not only were there decorations and lights everywhere, but they had made whole scenes out of the lights. Landscapes, backgrounds, arches…it was gorgeous. There wasn’t a single tree that wasn’t done up to the nines. Loved it. There were more photo ops for two super cute girlies than you can imagine.

Emma was crazily excited to talk to Bruce the Spruce. She used his parting line, “Have a tree-mendous Christmas” for a good three days after. He was a hammy Ozarks comedian, but check out the pictures. Devil eyebrows, anyone?

Em says one of her favorite shots was this adorable little cottage. Check it out, they made hyacinths out of lights! I was digging on this little town. Dude! It’s in a mailbox!

So pretty, loved it! You know me, there were way more pictures :) You can see the rest here if you like.

Sounds like I'm trying to cover my ass

I've had an idea. You know how we (and maybe that's too general, but I'm going to assume you're on my side) constantly lament how teachers are not given enough credit for the job they do? Not just pay, but the way we look at the profession itself. As a society, we see teachers really as glorified babysitters, and sometimes not even glorified. Yesterday the Trueb popped out of nowhere with, "I am so glad Mrs. Ritchie is my teacher." My first instinct was to agree and say, "Me too. She is really nice." But then I had this weird epiphany. What is the first thing you ask your kid about the first day of school? "Do you like your teacher? Is she nice?" And we communicate with our kids on the level of whether or not they like the teacher, how nice/not nice she is. So, unintentionally, but surely, we are raising our kids connecting good teaching with being nice and when some of those kids become congresspeople and legislate for our country, they are thinking in their heads about all the nurturing, kind, supportive people watching kids all day. And isn't that just a subconscious step away from babysitter?
I replied to Em, "Yeah. She seems like she has a bunch of good ideas. I'll bet she can teach you a lot." My brilliant girl agreed with me and detailed a couple things she felt she had already learned from her.
Maybe I'm overthinking this. Maybe our country has more respect for teachers than I think. Maybe I actually am a glorified babysitter. But just in case I'm right, next time you almost ask your kids if they like their teachers, try asking them what they are learning from them instead. Let's see what happens.

Totally Diggin 2nd Grade

Wowza, the start of another school year! It's weird, I was thinking the other day that my school years are kind of cyclical. I go from September to June, then start over again. Granted, every year is different, and, here's hoping, I get better, but it's kind of marking time in a way, it's always the same thing.
For the Trube though, it's a linear model. She's moving from milestone to milestone, every year for her is one year closer to independence, to being on her own, to being out in the world and ready to grab it! I'm watching her move through these rites of passage and gain more and more confidence, become more and more capable. It's a time-honored parental lament I know, but that doesn't make it any less shocking when every once in a while you're jolted out of your everyday and literally watch your child grow up before your very eyes. That was today. I took her picture in her First Day of School Outfit and she popped a hip out and gave me a double thumbs up. It looked so much like a little girl emulating an older girl that I just wanted to scoop her up and press kisses all over her soft baby cheeks. Then she slung her backpack over one shoulder and suddenly looked so much like that older girl that I wanted to scream and pile books on her head to stop her from growing so rapidly that she is rocketing skyward like Alice in Wonderland! I got to take her in to school this morning and her teacher is freakin lovely. I adored how she treated the kids, still a little coddly, but a little grown-upy too. A great balance for second-grade I thought. Plus, we get to celebrate birthdays this year! Woo hoo! I stayed for a little while and got to help out with some stuff in the room. When I had to leave, she just waved and smiled and that was it. She's on her own in the big big world. I am so proud of my kid I could quite literally puke all over myself.