Basics? What basics?
I was talking to my daughter, yesterday, catching up on the kids and all their goings on. Now that Valé (my oldest granddaughter) is in first grade, they've had the addition of homework enter their world. Trying to make sure they do their part on the school nights they have her (she splits time between her parents' homes), Emmie was pulling her hair out, not just over the sheer volume of homework, but the difficulty of the homework itself. "Mom, they're using words I've never heard of to refer to the numbers, and these are supposed to be addition problems, but they involve multiplication AND subtraction! Where are the flashcards? Why aren't they taking each number and learning it...
Keys
At the office, there is a copier located in room that, because of sensitive information, stays under lock and key at all times. For that reason, the copier is only used by key holders and their staff. Yesterday, I grabbed Kevin's key (which stays attached to his car keys) to make some copies, and then returned to my desk, dropped the keys on it, and finished out the day. We had driven separately because he had to stay to run a clinic for new agents, and was going to be late. So, around 5:00, I tidied up my desk, grabbed the keys off the desk and threw them in my purse, and headed out the door. I got home, changed into comfy clothes, collapsed on the sofa with my iPad. About 8:oo, my...
What We’ve Built
We had nothing planned yesterday. Oh, I guess there were a few things each of us thought we needed to do, but nothing set in stone, so that's usually when we either go our separate ways to complete our own lists, or chuck them and go to a movie. Yesterday, however, found us with an absolutely perfect Sunday afternoon, with no humidity, mild temps and a light breeze. THIS is what fall in Texas is (seldom, if ever) made of. We were contemplating the afternoon from our rockers under the trees. I started off. "I guess I could go in and get my grocery list together. I need to make a big trip." "Yeah, I actually need to catch up on some email." Silence. Total lack of movement. Then...
A Pint-Sized Point of View
I woke up really missing this little gal today. The older she gets, the longer the time seems between visits. This time really will be a long stretch, since we have Europe coming about the time I'd usually go, but it's been only been 5 weeks since I've laid eyes on her, and it feels like 5 months. Part of the problem, I think, is her understanding of the situation. She's old enough to remember being here, and my being there. When she was a baby, she'd enjoy me while I was around, but then it was out of sight, out of mind. Today, it's not just me missing her; it's us missing each other. And that breaks my heart. There's something about time with a child. With Lilli, everything is imagined....
The Bulldozer Effect
When my children were small and money was very tight, my husband would hand me a crisp $100 bill and send me off with my mother to the Junior League "Trash to Treasure" sale. They had a children's clothing resale section (mostly coming from the closets of boutique-loving, well-to-do families) and we would divide and conquer, each taking a child to shop for. We'd jump into the fray and just start grabbing anything that looked remotely cute, then we'd reconvene and huddle in a corner to really examine what we had. There was a line that would form behind us, and we'd just toss any castoffs back to waiting (read: GRABBING) hands. We had to be really careful not to get run over by...