I just got back from my conference with Madalyn's Gifted & Talented program teacher. It went as I expected it would, which was something along the lines of, "Blah blah blah frigging genius blah blah blah winning personality" etc. etc. Heh. I also got a bonus comment on how well-groomed and well-dressed she always is, so, hey, proof that all that ironing I do isn't for naught.
Really, though, it was very interesting. Madalyn isn't so big on the details so I have never been sure what all they actually do in the class. The teacher went over all the things on which they've been working and showed me various samples of Madalyn's work. She appears to be doing well with it.
Coincidentally she just, the other day, gave me her third quarter marks for the class, which she had secreted in her desk at school and then forgot. The kids are evaluated and scored on sixteen different skills in the areas of work habits/study skill and cognitive skills. The scores rate their competence and range from 1 (low) to 5 (high). Madalyn scored a 5 in every category. Because I'm completely shameless I can't resist mentioning that, as if that wasn't impressive enough, you should also keep in mind that she is a year younger than the other kids. Dear Madalyn was only supposed to be in first grade this year, according to the local age restrictions, but, you may remember, we started her in kindy a year early. Apparently we were not so far off in our thinking when we did this.
Anyway, I'm very proud of her, as you might imagine. She's a great kid, all around. That child has never given us a bit of trouble and has made parenting sinfully easy. She's smart, she does well in school with minimum effort and no prodding needed from us, she makes good choices and she's got a great personality -- everyone loves her. Yes, I think she's definitely a keeper.
New baby photos; get 'em while they're hot!
(Check out the mini-slideshow over there in my sidebar -- click on it to go to Picasa and see the pictures full-sized. Then return and post comments on my offspring's stunning good looks, which she obviously did not get from myself or her father.)
My dear husband is currently laid up for the weekend following a, uh, procedure he had performed yesterday. ('Nuff said.) While I do think that three labors and deliveries still trumps the, uh, procedure, I am, nonetheless, grateful and willing to allow him to milk the situation for a few days. So, contrary to my usual m.o., I have been trying to pamper him. I spent a couple hours on my feet in the kitchen last night making dinner AND dessert, which I served to him in his comfy chair in the living room. He responded by giving both of my efforts rave reviews. In fact, he swears the main course was the best chicken dish I've ever cooked. Now, keep in mind, dude would eat anything that doesn't eat him first, including seafood (in any stage of cooked-ness, including "not"), buffalo, squirrel, lion (he swears he's not making that up), Various Random Shit That's Been in the Fridge for at Least Three Weeks, and deep-fried testicles, so perhaps his opinion of what's good isn't that reliable. Also, he was possibly still high on drugs at the time. However, I'll pass along the recipe, just in case. If you make it, and like it, you, too, can marvel at my culinary prowess:
Zesty Chicken and Rice Casserole
(Note: if you are not a huge fan of onions and like a milder onion taste, use yellow onions instead of red. That's what I'm going to do next time I make it.)
And don't forget dessert:
His final comment, at the conclusion of dessert, was, "I thought you told me once you couldn't cook. You lied." Which, all told, wasn't a bad way to end the day.
As you may, or may not, know, Robert and I have been big Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans for over a decade. It is, in fact, the entire reason we met. Since it went off the air in 1999, there has been a dearth of bad-movie-riffing of the type we craved. So, imagine our excitement when we heard that the best of the original cast has reassembled to riff, once again. The name of the new project is Cinematic Titanic.
I am on the CT email list and I received an email of great interest to us this morning. It appears the CT cast, plus Kevin Murphy ("Tom Servo") will be attending the U.S. Film Festival in Dallas (a mere 2.5 hours away) at the end of April. They will present a panel discussion on "Mystery Science Theater 3000 at 20" (this year being MST's 20th anniversary), followed by a LIVE Cinematic Titanic show!
Now, obviously, we can't let this pass without at least trying to attend. Our optimum scenario would be for the entire family to make the trip to Dallas that weekend, accompanied by a family friend who could babysit the kids at the hotel while Robert and I attend the panel and live show. (I don't feel like Eliza is old enough to leave at home for two days with someone she doesn't know well, and the live show begins quite late so going down and coming back the same day isn't an option.) However, we're not sure if this will work out or not, in which case the kids have to stay home, as they just aren't old enough to sit through an evening like this one. Robert has said, if this is the case, that I should go alone. While I would really hate to go without him, as I know he'd enjoy it as much as I would, I'd also hate to miss it. I think he truly expects me to go, though; I don't think he's just saying that and figuring I'll decline. So I will certainly consider that option if it's the only one feasible. It would be fabulous, though, if the babysitter would work out so that Robert and I could have a date night -- and one as exciting as this one would be!
Here's hoping that we'll be aboard the Titanic in just three-and-a-half short weeks....
A follow-up, in regards to this entry -- and it's actually good news!
Today was Madalyn's appointment with Dentist C. First off, both the dentist and the nurse were just lovely. They had Madalyn almost totally at ease, which is a major feat in and of itself. I am much happier with their bedside (chairside?) manner with her. Not that the other people weren't nice, they just didn't have that extra something I saw today.
Secondly, all this balderdash about having to sedate her to do the work? Not necessary, just as I thought. We have to get a very low-dose Valium and give her that right before the appointment and the dentist feels that and the gas will be plenty and Mad will do just fine. Yes, I do realize Valium is technically "sedation" but she'll be functional. To hear the other bunch tell it she would have to be knocked out completely using a method that would cost us a lot of extra money.
And, finally, speaking of money: the previous office had quoted us a price in excess of $875 for all the work. Not only that but they wouldn't even entertain the notion of doing the work in two separate visits to break up the cost for us (I asked). One of their parting bits of wisdom for me when we left there was that this new dentist would probably charge even more, what with knocking my kid out and all. Well, I requested an estimate today, with some trepidation. The total price?
$445.
Additionally they WILL be doing the work over two separate visits, as a matter of course. I didn't even request it. So the first visit, the crown, will cost us $200-something and the second, the filling, will be just $185. Unbelievable. Leave it to me to have picked the most ridiculously expensive dentist in town to start with.
Oh, and it turns out my fears of her teeth turning black and falling out were unfounded. Apparently cavities are not that fast-growing. Her first appointment isn't even until March 8th -- another perk, as it puts us past the holidays and all the expenses therein.
So there you have it. Once again things have worked out for the best even though it was impossible to see what was so good about the situation when it first occurred. And you guys were so upset about it! I tried to tell you it would be okay!
Heh.
Thanks to the generosity of someone from our Sunday school class I get to take Madalyn to see Peter Pan, starring Cathy Rigby. The play is in Oklahoma City this week. I had wanted to take her but didn't think it was feasible and then this opportunity arose.
The show isn't until 7:30 which means we probably won't be home until 11 p.m., at the earliest, but Madalyn sleeps well in the car so I'm not worried about it being a school night. She has elected to skip dance that day so we can leave earlier and have enough time to both eat dinner AND go to the mall to play on the indoor playground for a while before showtime.
It's been way too long since she and I had some one-on-one time so I am really looking forward to this. I think she will enjoy it very much -- at least until Friday morning when she has to get up at 6:50 to catch the bus!
We're going to California next month! We're really really going!!!
I just booked the tickets today. It's a done deal. No last-minute backing out, which is what happened the previous two times we were supposed to go (Christmas and my friend's wedding).
In order to get the lower price we are having to stay a few days longer than I'd originally planned. Yeah, I'm real broken up about that. Madalyn will miss five days of school, total, but she is at the head of the class so it shouldn't set her back any.
We will be going March 8th and coming back March 22nd.
By the time I get out there it will have been 8 months since my last visit. That is a new record for the longest amount of time since I've been there since I moved away over 9 years ago. The previous record was 6 months. I am NOT okay with how the time between visits has been getting longer and longer over the past couple of years. Hopefully this wil be the last record set in this category.
I had some initial guilt over spending the money. Robert JUST deposited it in the bank this morning and it was gone in a flash. Plus two years of being broke has conditioned me to want to sit on money as long as possible. But we really can spare it right now; it's not taking food off the table or preventing us from paying the rent. And I'm rapidly overcoming the guilt when I think of being HOME and eating at all my favorite haunts and just resting.
Oh, and one more thing? We are flying from Oklahoma City to San Luis! Let me spell this out for those who don't know. My parents live halfway between San Francisco and L.A. The nearest airport to them is a small, regional airport in San Luis Obispo, 15 minutes away. Being a small, regional airport the prices to fly into there are usually prohibitive; or have been since we've been broke. This means I usually end up flying into Santa Barbara (2 hour drive), San Jose (3 hour drive) or, worst of all, LAX (4 hours). Also add to it the fact that I have been flying out of Dallas lately to get there, and that is a 2.5 hour drive, so you're looking at up to 6.5 hours in the car along with your 3-4 hours of flying. For any childless readers out there, allow me to inform you that this, with a 2-year-old and 5-year-old in tow, is Not Fun. Even the hallowed portable DVD player can only go so far in taking the edge off before it, too, must fail. So imagine my delight that, this trip, we will drive a mere hour-and-fifteen minutes to get to the airport and be facing only a 15-minute drive once we arrive. BIG sigh of relief.
Have I mentioned yet that I expected 2006 to be thousands of times better than 2005? We're definitely starting out on the right foot (knock wood).
Long story short: I have a friend in California who is getting married on New Year's Day and wants me in the wedding. It was originally planned for May and they only just moved it a few weeks ago so there was some doubt as to whether I'd be able to make it or not. I swore to do my darnedest, though, as she and I have been friends since the third grade -- and it appears it is actually going to happen.
Now what sets this trip apart from the usual (besides the fact that I'm going to participate in a wedding, which I haven't done in over 10 years) is that I am going without children. Yes, that's right -- footloose and child-free in California. I have not gone home without a child in tow in more than five years now. Neither the opportunity nor the motive had ever arisen before, plus I had the vague notion my parents would not let me in the door if I arrived without Madalyn. Now that the situation is at hand and I have spoken to my mom about it I begin to realize that, after all, I was around long before the two kids were and maybe the parental units would enjoy a short visit with me and me alone. After all, I have been feeding my very own self for a number of years now, I don't throw screaming fits over Little People figures and I can be relied upon to be responsible for my own bodily functions. It will probably be a nice break for them, as well as myself.
I, personally, am thinking about all the fun I will be able to have, sans offspring. I love them dearly, and will miss them, but the simple fact of the matter is things are about a frillion times easier when all I am responsible for is me, myself and I. Seriously, if you don't quite get what I'm talking about I invite you to take my five-year-old and my two-year-old, schlepp them three hours to the airport, fly 1500 miles then drive another 2-4 hours, all in one day. It's quite the experience. I am used to it now, having been doing it for quite a while, but it is still extremely low on the "fun" scale.
Then, once we get there, it's not all vacation. Yes, we do manage to do fun and enjoyable things. But even just running out to get something to eat is a major project, not to mention quite an expense. I don't feel right in asking my mom to babysit them too often so my opportunities to, say, catch a movie or a nice, quiet dinner are few and far between. Actually, the opportunities for a nice, quiet anything are few and far between. That includes an evening of television viewing with the 'rents, which is something I enjoy, but which is punctuated, start to finish, with screaming, crying, snack requests, book requests, and fights over toys whenever the little darlings are around. And just TRY to shop with those two! I end up browsing while my poor mom corrals the little heathens and tries to keep them from wrecking the place. So, yes, I can see many perks to taking this trip on my own. I mean, just to be able to sleep in the morning as long as I want and leave the house at noon and not have to be back by 12:30 for naptime -- it will be heavenly, I tell you.
I guess I owe someone an extra-big wedding gift by way of saying "thanks for the opportunity."
....it can't get no worse!"
Love that line, kids. In case you don't know, that's from "Getting Better" off Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It tickles me to no end every time I hear it. There's Paul being...well, Paul, all optimistic and hopeful, "It's getting better all the time!" And then there's the typical John countering with "It can't get no worse!" Oh, how I love those boys!
Anyway, I feel like it pretty much sums up things around here right now. As Robert keeps saying, really, we have nowhere to go but up. It does appear things might be getting better for us financially. Several things have happened just in the past day or two that are benefitting us quite a bit. We are going to be able to pay the deposit on the house on the 15th, like we said we would, with no problem whatsoever. I am actually going to be able to go up to Norman next weekend and complete my Christmas shopping and probably be able to buy whatever I want (within reason, obviously; we're not talking plasma televisions or anything). I will be able to go to Toys R' Us, buy the kids the rest of the stuff I want for them, go to Petsmart and buy the drinking fountain I've been meaning to get the cats for two years now, find some things for Robert and possibly treat myself to a little something. I am probably going to take myself to a movie while I'm at it -- make a real day of it. (This is next Sunday, by the way, so if anyone wants to join me, give me a holler.) I haven't had a proper shopping day in I-don't-know-how-long. It may not sound like much but it's a big deal to me. I am not a window shopper. Looking at things and not being able to buy them makes me unhappy. And for so long now, so long, I have had to do more looking than buying. That probably sounds horribly spoiled, and maybe it is. It just seems like all I've done for the past couple of years is look. Pick up ten things and put seven of them back because there's just no money to get all of it. And I'm not just talking about luxury items. Sometimes it's been minor items; things people normally toss in the cart and don't think twice about. It's just been a constant, "We'll have to wait on this, that and the other thing and maybe we can get it next time." So just to be able to go and pick up all the rest of the things I wanted for my kids and still have money to shop for something decent for my husband is going to be heavenly. And if I manage to have enough left over for a little treat for myself that's just all the better.
Lest anyone think that my optimistic outlook on the future is based solely on one shopping trip I need to clarify that things are looking a bit better for the long-term. The shopping is merely a side effect of the improvements; it's just that it's a very large symbol of hope to me, personally, since it represents something I haven't been able to do in quite some time. Now, are we out of the woods yet? Nope. There are still unanswered questions, things up in the air. We will know more after the first of the year. But some things have finally gone our way and steps have been taken to dig ourselves out of the hole in which we've been languishing. I have been fairly pessimistic up till now but I am, finally, allowing myself a glimmer of hope that things are actually going to turn around for us.
We could still use some prayers, good thoughts, or whatever you may be inclined to offer. This house needs to sell as soon as possible (another positive - we are actually going to come away with money in our pockets when all is said and done!) There are still certain things that need to happen, or need to go well in order for us to really prosper. Like I said, we aren't out of the woods yet. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel -- and, for once, I don't think it's an oncoming train.
I had a lovely night last night. Some friends decided to take me out to dinner in celebration of my birthday. It was fab to get out and see people besides the ones that actually live in my house, I enjoyed my meal, and they gave me, like, the most perfect gifts ever.
So, thank you, Tiffany, Cheryl, Kiah and Kelly, who were at dinner, and Amy, Steph and Jennifer, who were represented, in absentia, by the gifts. You ladies made my week! Hugs to you all.
God bless the zoo workers!
[HAPPY DANCE]My parents will be here day after tomorrow![/HAPPY DANCE]
But, wow, have I ever been working my butt off! I am, like, totally impressed by my moxie, and yet I'm too tired to congratulate myself about it.
We have another full day of tasks ahead of us tomorrow but I honestly do not think I will still be slaving away at 1 a.m. trying to get everything done. Which will be a vast improvement on the last, oh, eight years or so.
Because I am obsessed, I am off to Tulsa tomorrow evening to see 1964: the Tribute once again.
My favorite Beatles tribute band, I had seen them twice before this year. In February I saw them, once again, on their annual visit to OU. Then I saw them a second time in May, at Abbey Road on the River, and I enjoyed them so much I was bummed at the thought of having to wait until '06 to see them again (they always visit OU in late winter).
It occurred to me to check their website for show dates, though, and I discovered this Tulsa show was upcoming. I bought a ticket as soon as they went on sale. I'll be enjoying the show from the third row. I always have so much fun at their concerts and I'm really looking forward to this -- not to mention the fact that I will be going to dinner beforehand, and will be borrowing my father-in-law's cushy Lincoln to drive up, which doesn't suck.
It's Harry Potter day!! I'm off to Borders tonight to pick up my copy. It's a 15-minute drive back to my parents' house from there. I am going to try really hard to limit myself to only a couple of chapters after I get back so I can be in bed by 1....but I'm not making any promises!
I also want to pace myself so I have some left to read on the plane on Wednesday when we head for home. (Insert loud sobbing here)
Have I mentioned I'm going to see Paul McCartney? Really? Because I could totally say it again.
Tickets go on sale in under 59 hours, people. Come Saturday morning it's me at the computer, Mastercard in one hand, seating chart in the other. Ticketmonster had better be good to me.
(Added bonus: I probably won't mention the subject again for a good five months after the tickets have been purchased. Till then, give me a break, it's all I've got going for me right now.)
Little more than three hours in and we have already made enough to cover the Paul McCartney tickets.
God bless the Oklahoma cheapskate community.