Parental Overtime

Despite the fact that parenting is a 24/7 gig, I have somehow bought into the notion that I should get off hours. This has resulted in me getting increasingly grumpy with every minute past bedtime that my little darlings are still. not. in. bed. Don't they know that I should be able to "clock out" by now? Why don't they respond to the same sorts of stink eye looks I used to so skillfully give customers who came into the store where I used to work at closing time? Why, despite the multiplicity of clocks and watches in my home and on my children's actual bodies, do they seem completely oblivious to the time? Apparently they don't understand how tired I am, that I don't get overtime pay (unless you count the ice cream that calls to me from the freezer especially loudly on nights like these). They don't understand how DONE I am about 2 hours before bedtime so that every nanosecond they try my patience after really seems like hours of patience tried. There is always one more fight to referee, one more story to read, more water to dispense, and of course, the panicked "timely" notice that something must be purchased or made or had for school in the MORNING that no one mentioned until after bedtime.

But all this does eventually end and oh, the blissful, peaceful silence that results when they are all finally asleep. When they have succumbed and are quiet, at long last, there is so much I want to DO and I have energy for none of it. And the ultimate exercise of my own self control is to go to bed myself in a timely manner. Perhaps I am not so different than my children after all?

Why I like FB

I don't play any farm or pirate games. If you give me "flair" and ask for some back, I will ignore you. I don't do quizzes or lists or notes. I only friend people I actually know. But I like Facebook. Because of Facebook, my lunch date today was possible.


I have dozens of notes from Patty from high school (I actually have all the notes sent to me during high school). We shared chem class and drama and the woes and angst of your average female high school student. And then she went off to one college and I went off to another and we lost touch. An average tale told a million times. But thanks to Facebook, we have renewed contact and because of FB, I knew when she would be in my crazy town preparing for a big meeting and we were able to get together for a girls' lunch date. What fun.

I have replicated this experience or will replicate it in the future with other long lost friends newly found. It is why I FB. Yeah FB!

Not the PTA president

Several weeks ago, a friend from our ward called me wanting to find someone who could be PTA president because he was worried about who seemed to be getting involved in our fledgeling school (it's not quite completely built yet). I consulted with my very own PTA guru (current and past PTA president of our old beloved school), fully expecting that she would tell me that it was too much for me at this point in my life. Instead, she told me that if I had a good, committed bunch of people with me that it was doable. And so I said I would be the "face" if we could get a good group together.

We began to attend meetings and be involved. I helped draft the brand new PTA bylaws. Several friends were on the nominating committee and nominated me to be president and other good women for other offices. We helped out with registration; we participated. As this process continued and more people found out I was willing to do this, more people went behind my back to chastise my friends, assuming that I had been bullied or cajoled into getting involved. I have been surprised at how many people seemed so very protective of me. That part was quite flattering. Ultimately, the whole nominating process came down to a series of interviews the committee held with each candidate. The presidency slot was between me--a woman never before involved in PTA, but someone who has been a part of each of the feeder schools, has kids in multiple grades with experience with gifted classes, with getting and maintaining an IEP (special ed), and with juggling (oh so much juggling)--and another woman who is coming from our former beloved school on a zone variance, has only 2 kids, no experience outside said beloved school, but she has been involved in the PTA. She was chosen.

When the principal called to tell me the decision, I had (and have continued to have) mixed feelings on the whole subject. As it turns out, only one of the women our little group put forth succeeded in being nominated. (apparently, we needed to have more people on the nominating committee in our camp!) She will be wonderful. All the women chosen will be wonderful and it will be a good school and a good first year and we will build a community of involved families. I feel relieved to not have that additional thing on my plate. But I feel a little like the kid who was dragged to the play date and then not chosen for any of the games. I didn't want to do this, but felt like it needed to be done and then they didn't pick me after all. Hmph. Yeah, that about sums it up. Hmph.