character counts

The kids school has a student of the month program.  A. got it in September for responsibility.  I will not question that she follows the rules and is responsible for her actions.  However,  that girl does forget Every. Single. Thing. She has forgotten fins at swimming, back pack on the bus, lunch on the counter.  You name it, she has forgotten it.  

K. got the award for caring right after the baby was born.  I think this award was perfect for him as well.  However, I needed some of A.'s apparent responsibility to get us to the ceremony.  K.  finishes school at 11:40 but the ceremony was at the end of the full day, 2:45.  

2:20  I was all set to leave when R. decided that he needed to eat; he was apparently famished even though he just ate 1 hour before.   Quick thinking... fill a bottle with water and then add formula once we get there.  

crap 2:26 - load R. into his car seat and K. into his.  K.  has no sense of urgency because he simply thinks that we are going to pick up A.; this is his least favorite chore. 

Crap 2:31 Drive to school 

CRap 2:37  parking is all taken!!!

CRAP 2:48 sign in and the receptionist says, "I think they are still down there.  

I walk in already fearing the worst when A. meets me at the door with K.s certificate.  Her responsible self was there on time and picked up his award for him.  I feel like the WORST mom ever.  He is thrilled with his award but I know how much he would have loved standing with the other Pre K winners.  A.  takes matters into her own hands and goes up to the guidance counselor, tells her what happened and asks her to announce him again.  Fabulous guidance counselor agrees and calls K.'s name.  K.  immediately does a fist pump and runs down the aisle as if he is the first to ever win the award.  I have tears because my guilt is replaced by pride for my responsible girl and because my boy is SOO happy.  

Oh the emotion

This girl has had a love/hate relationship with swimming her entire life.  She hated swimming lessons when she was 3 because they wanted her to put her face in the water.  Then, she loved them when she was 5 and wanted to do swim team.  She won her first back stroke race and I thought she would never feel such joy again in her life.  She kept going with a determination that I have never seen in her during the lapathon that year and made her grandparents owe $100 to teh team (I thought she would do maybe 5 laps and she did 20).  Oops

We couldn't do swim team last summer because of my work schedule but, after a lot of emotion from me, we did find one for this winter.  A. wanted to swim for the YMCA which is 20 miles from our house, practices every day and cost about $700 when all said and done.  I couldn't handle the baby being there every day, and it was too much money.  But, oh the mother's guilt when I had to tell her no. Anyway, we now go about 15 miles away to a team that practices 2x weekly and is less than half the cost.  WHEW.

I thought A. would love it the entire time.  But, the hate reared its ugly head again.  The first night, the coaches put her with the 9/10 year olds because she was doing so well.  A., apparently did not think she was doing so well and she cried because it was too hard.  Then, the next week, we pepped her up for it so much that she just KNEW she could swim with the 9/10 year olds.  Well, they moved her back down to the 7/8's because she cried the week before.  Then, she cried because she wasn't good enough.  Oh the DRAMA.  The next week, she cried because she didn't have any friends there and some of the girls were laughing and joking arounds; they must be laughing at her... 

Three drama filled practices and I, the mom that won't allow quitters, was ready to throw in the towel.  It was about that time, that my girl found the love again.  She got bumped into a relay which gave her 4 events.  Yahoo!!  She did well and was happy at practice again.  Until... her score was recorded wrong by 10 seconds on the computer which dumped her back out of said relay.  The tears caused by rejection got into her head and she lost time on all of her events that week.  

So, here we are at the end of the season.  One more meet to go and we will see how we end.  Love, or Hate.  I don't know...