Picture Day

I have just now returned home from running a check to Lily's school. What a morning I have had. It is picture day for Lily and I somehow forgot to fill out the order form. I remembered to get her all dolled up. At the bus stop it suddenly hit me that I had forgotten to write the check and fill out the order form.

Before leaving for the bus, I was trying to get Lily's hair just right and she was squirming and crying. Mandy was trying to get a paper, which is due this morning, to print. I got so frustrated I couldn't get a braid in Lily's hair and I couldn't get Mandy's paper to print. Then Lily started crying that we were going to miss the bus. I got a straight part in her hair and put in a little clip. Lily is growing out her bangs and her hair needed a little help, especially on picture day. I noticed a lot of lint on the front of her navy blue dress and tried to find a lint brush or tape. Couldn't find either, where is all my tape anyways? Not in the tape drawer, but I noticed several new pictures taped all over the house. Lily likes to hang up signs. Boys bathroom, girls bathroom, no dogs allowed, restaurant, etc.

I got Lily to put on her shoes and backpacked, and we were out the door. She was of course upset that we were not the first ones at the bus stop this morning. We weren't last and we weren't late - but we were not first. Lily and I are working on using words and not whining, however that is not yet a skill Lily has mastered. We did get to the bus stop in time to wait about three minutes before the bus arrived. Usually we get there in time to wait at least 8 to 10 minutes. Lily likes to be first. While I am the mom and what time we leave the house is ultimately up to me, I tend to try and pick my battles with Lily.

I find that in a lot of my posts people's comments tend to be, you are such a great mom. Which is very sweet and I appreciate very much the kind words, I sometimes come away thinking that my blog is very self congratulatory. I hadn't intended that to be the case. It sometimes makes writing here difficult. In real life I don't get those comments. In real life I tend to get a lot of unsolicited advice about child rearing. Because in real life Lily is a hand full. I come here as a passive aggressive way of telling the world, mostly people that don't even know I have a blog, that I am to a good mom. I feel the need to explain myself, to say, I have a plan - I am trying hard - please shut up and leave me alone.

I think I have lost track of my story...

I came home from the bus stop and looked for Lily's picture order form and realized it was in her backpack. I thought to myself, it would have been easier to just bring Lily home from the bus stop and get the order form arranged and then drive her to school. But, Lily does not like to be driven to school, she rides the bus and she does not like change. So I decided to drive up to the school and fix it there.

First I noticed that Mandy was in the shower and that the light on my printer was blinking. I unplugged the printer and plugged it back in to discover that a half printed page had been stuck in the printer, what do you want to bet that Mandy's paper had not printed out? I tried to ask her while she was in the shower and she screamed back, I can't hear you can you wait a minute. 15 minutes later she tells me that the printer wont work.

So I fixed the printer, printed her paper, and then drove to the school. I didn't take a shower, had bed hair, and no makeup. wrinkled clothes etc. I hoped I wouldn't see anyone I know. What a morning. I got an order form from the front desk and filled it out, wrote the check. I was supposed to give it to the front desk and let them deliver it to the classroom. However, there was a long line of people who were late getting their kids to school this morning and so I walked down the hall and delivered the check to Lily's class myself, even though that is against the rules.

I got to the class and gave her assistant teacher the order from and check. Earlier I had seen her teacher with another parent in a conference near the office. As it turns out yesterday was my day to help in Lily's class, and the assistant teacher was home with a sick child so I stayed and helped for three and a half hours instead of my normal one hour. It was a lot of fun. So the assistant teacher thanked me for all my help and apologized for inconveniencing me, and I told her it was fun. I forgot to ask her if her son who has the swine flu is feeling better. I have not yet mastered the art of being a southern lady. Damn. I will make a point to ask her on Friday, which is my other day to volunteer at the school.

But, as we were speaking and I was giving her my check. About a dozen kids came out of their seats to give me hugs and tell me very important things. I felt so bad for disrupting the class. Especially since I was not supposed to be there. Not really, that was one of the high points of my life. I love being loved. Lily herself got out of her chair and came up to see me to. Last year the darling didn't even say hello to me when I was at the school and did not like for me to come to her class ever. This year I help in her class and she speaks to me, but never hugs me. I was thinking I was going to get a Miss Lily hug at school. I wrapped my around around her and she looks me in the eye and said, "You forgot to give me money for the raffle too." No Lily hug.

I gave her a dollar for the raffle and checked her face for crumbs. It is picture day after all. She gave me a sour expression and I told her she was beautiful. She smiled a little and returned to her seat. The other children were still trying to tell me important things. One saw me walking my dog. One lost a tooth. I said goodbye and sorry for disrupting the class and went on my merry way.

What a morning.