Sister Rachel hit her first hockey game yesterday. I think she was excited. It was Mac's first regular-season outing as goalie - Ice Sharks versus Polar Bears.
"This is my first hockey game ever," she told Shef and me on the way over.
"You're in for a treat," I said.
"I feel like a real Minnesotan," she smiled.
In the end, I'm not sure hockey is exactly the right sport for Rachel. I jumped the first time she screamed. "They're falling!" she explained, as I grabbed her forearm, the seven and eight year-olds sprawled on the ice.
"They do that," I said. "See all the pads?" I patted her reassuringly. "They're okay."
But the up-and-down drama of the kids trying to skate continued to provoke audible gasps and shouts and screams. I was basically laughing my head off at her and holding her hand for support. "Wait until you see Shef play," I said. The contact and the penalties and the slamming into the boards will surely test her emotional fortitude.
"Oh dear," she said.
But I think she's coming back. I think she wasn't too, too traumatized. Still, I don't think I can take her to lacrosse.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Status Report
Work Performance: The rubber is hitting the road for the sixers, and they're going to have to start working a little harder. There's less guidance and more independence. Let's just sharpen our pencils, kids, and tilt our heads toward our papers.
Puppy Love: We all know Teddy is one of the world's best dogs. Here's the only trouble with the Tedster: He gets up at 4:30 am. I'm not exaggerating. That's when he wakes. Plus, he really needs to be walked extensively before I go to work, which requires the walk to begin at about 5:05. I'm a little foggy-headed with the reality of early-morning dog requirements. I'm committed, but I'm foggy.
Language: I just started a book with startlingly gorgeous language. It's called H is for Hawk. I'm listening to it. The author, Helen Macdonald, is reading it, and sometimes I find myself just letting out a long breath, like whooooaaaaa. She hollows out my chest with some of her verb choices. All the Light We Cannot See sometimes did that to me, too, but I think I'm going to Macdonald's memoir about grief and falconry even better.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Be Good to Me
Shef was in my class yesterday because we made some new groupings to do a simulation game called Star Power. It was a pretty fun experience to work together, and the kid has actually expressed some regret lately about NOT being in my class.
"You let your advisory take selfies!" he said.
It's true, I did. Apparently, it makes you cool to post a selfie with your advisor on social media?
I'm sorry, but there was no way to predict that I'd be part of any "cool" behaviors on the part of sixth graders.
"I just want to be in your class," he said.
I am shocked, but also pleased. Does this make sense?
In any case, he was in my class yesterday and right in the middle of some directions, he just stood up from his chair, walked over to another kid, and stole that kid's baseball cap from his head.
"Shef," I said. "Unacceptable." I pointed at his chair.
He gave me a little sly smile, and we carried on. I have standards and these apply to my own child. Duh.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
#TwinTuesday
This is a wild combo that no one could have seen coming. Dragon and garlic?! Are we even serious?!
Lucky for me, I suddenly have no shortage of small stuffed animals. This is because at one point in her adult life, my mom, who is an academic with a Ph.D. and a top-notch mind, was obsessed with Beanie Babies. Now that she's moving from the home of my childhood, she can't accommodate the hundreds of adorables she's collected. Do you know who's happy to take them off her hands?
Obviously it's Mac.
I did ask him for 10 to take to school for my advisees to hold during advisory. I think they'd really enjoy that. Mac is thinking about it. I'm thinking about stealing them and keeping my actions a secret.
Monday, October 5, 2015
Grandma Take Me Home
I've got a car that a lot of other people have. This is probably because it's the best car. Have you ever driven a Toyota Sienna Miniature Van? If not, I'll just go ahead and say it: you are MISSING OUT.
Anyway, since so many people are hip to this sleek driving experience, I often park near other dark grey Toyota Sienna Miniature Vans. On Friday at Dairy Queen, I parked right next to one. We walked out with our Blizzards, and Shef and I hopped in the front seats. Mac was nowhere to be found.
"Where's Mac?!" I said, exasperated, because usually if you can't find that kid it's because he's incredibly slow.
"He's IN THE WRONG VAN!" Shef shouted, looking through his window and spying a befuddled Mac scanning the back of an identical vehicle. Mac looked up with wide eyes and saw us in the van next door. We all got a good laugh out of that.
And then, later in the same week, I tried to get into a chic gray van just like mine. "Hey," I thought as I opened the door, "I didn't leave Camel Lights in the cupholder."
No, I sure didn't. And I don't smoke regularly in my car. Turns out that van wasn't mine. I closed that door right up and walked down the row to the one with the tree marks on the back. That's a dead giveaway. Not every Sienna owner backs into trees.
Anyway, since so many people are hip to this sleek driving experience, I often park near other dark grey Toyota Sienna Miniature Vans. On Friday at Dairy Queen, I parked right next to one. We walked out with our Blizzards, and Shef and I hopped in the front seats. Mac was nowhere to be found.
"Where's Mac?!" I said, exasperated, because usually if you can't find that kid it's because he's incredibly slow.
"He's IN THE WRONG VAN!" Shef shouted, looking through his window and spying a befuddled Mac scanning the back of an identical vehicle. Mac looked up with wide eyes and saw us in the van next door. We all got a good laugh out of that.
And then, later in the same week, I tried to get into a chic gray van just like mine. "Hey," I thought as I opened the door, "I didn't leave Camel Lights in the cupholder."
No, I sure didn't. And I don't smoke regularly in my car. Turns out that van wasn't mine. I closed that door right up and walked down the row to the one with the tree marks on the back. That's a dead giveaway. Not every Sienna owner backs into trees.
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Walking Through the Hills
Shef has reached a pivotal moment.
"I'm in choir," he told me despondently, "and I can't SING."
"That's why you have a TEACHER," I said encouragingly. And his teacher is really tops. He makes singers out of tons of kids with limited natural talent. Not that I'm saying that Shef has limited natural talent. He might have a lot of latent choir talent, for all I know.
"It's TERRIBLE," he said. Choir was really causing him some pain, it was clear.
"I'm really sorry, "I said. "You can switch for seventh grade, you know, if you want to play an instrument."
Except, he really doesn't want to play an instrument.
"It might be one of those things that you just have to stick with for a couple of years," I said, honestly. "Maybe a little saying would help?"I offered. "Like, something you tell yourself when you go into choir to help you get through it."
"Like, 'Choir SUCKS'?" Shef suggested.
"I was thinking of something a little more positive," I said, thinking. "Like, maybe, this is choir and..."
"We're one class closer to the end?" Shef finished.
Sure, I agreed. It was better than "Choir sucks," so I'm calling it a victory.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Status Report
Fall to Winter: Cooler weather seems to be on the way. I wore my special-order hockey mom beanie to walk the dog this morning. Then, I remembered about actually being a hockey mom. The hours in rinks and the unending try outs and the out-of-town tourneys. Mac's got his first game next weekend as a goalie in his regular league. I think the job of Goalie Mom is going to be a special kind of anxiety-ridden hell. I'll let you know. But, I'm pretty sure I'm right about that. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be a total wreck watching people firing plastic slabs at my tiny baby.
Meditation: I've got a new app called Omvana. I'm digging it. So far, I've worked on love. Love isn't a challenge for me, really. I feel generally compassionate. Of course, there's always room for improvement, and I've been working on breathing out love to encompass the entire world. Blowing up love like a balloon to cushion all of the people. I'm now ready for gratitude instruction. I'll be honest and say that gratitude fails me in key moments. Maybe Vishen, my Omvana guy, can fix that.
Dog: I'm sorry to say that Dan's love and compassion and gratitude for Teddy are failing. It's not Teddy's fault that he's a teenager. After my weekend away, Dan said, "Never leave us again. We can't do it without you." "That's not true," I said. "You just don't like taking care of the dog." He agreed that this was actually the case.
Meditation: I've got a new app called Omvana. I'm digging it. So far, I've worked on love. Love isn't a challenge for me, really. I feel generally compassionate. Of course, there's always room for improvement, and I've been working on breathing out love to encompass the entire world. Blowing up love like a balloon to cushion all of the people. I'm now ready for gratitude instruction. I'll be honest and say that gratitude fails me in key moments. Maybe Vishen, my Omvana guy, can fix that.
Dog: I'm sorry to say that Dan's love and compassion and gratitude for Teddy are failing. It's not Teddy's fault that he's a teenager. After my weekend away, Dan said, "Never leave us again. We can't do it without you." "That's not true," I said. "You just don't like taking care of the dog." He agreed that this was actually the case.
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