Here Kitty Kitty

We had a visitor for a few days. A kitten showed up at our house one night. We have no idea where it came from, but it literally surrounded our house and meowed like crazy. I felt like a prisoner in my own home! Every time we opened the door, it tried to come in. When the doors were shut, it stared at us, trying desperately to get us to let it in. Front door, back door, round and round.... Meow meow meow.... The dogs were going nuts inside so it was more like: Meow meow meow. BARK! Meow bark meow bark bark.



It was still there the next morning.

At first, I was afraid to let the dogs out. But then I knew I couldn't keep them prisoners forever... so out they went. The dogs and kitten had a round. A round. Just one. The cat hissed, the dogs barked. The dogs chased the cat under a bush. Then - just like that - they were all best friends.



The kids were going nuts. All Emma wants is a kitten. I do not like cats. Repeat: I do not like cats. It followed them when they got on the bus. Waited all day for them to come home.

Eventually I realized this cat was nice and I let them play with it. And maybe, just maybe, I felt bad for it and gave it a can of tuna. Or two. Rumor has it that the kids took a leftover piece of pizza and fed it to the kitten when no one was looking. And they made it a box to sleep in. Emma named it Buttercup and they prayed for this cat at bedtime.





After 2 or 3 days, (just when I was getting used to the idea of having a cat - an outdoor cat!) we left for the day. When we came home, it was gone. Our neighbor said it followed someone who was taking a walk down the road. Just like a dog. Ran from our yard and followed them.

The kids were devastated. Truth be told, I was a little sad. Maybe I even hoped it would come back. Maybe I even checked the kitty bed to see if it had come back. Maybe I even checked more than once. Maybe I was just about to buy it real cat food. Maybe I had even looked on the internet for cat houses.

No wonder I don't like cats. No wonder there is a phrase "catting around". Fickle little things. Don't you like tuna and cold pizza??

Parent Volunteering

At Luke and Emma's school, they encourage parents to be volunteers. When Luke started kindergarten, of course this was all new to me. But I was happy to parent-volunteer! You betcha I was!! Yep... I'm one of those.

Kindergarten is super fun. Parent volunteers get to be the teacher's aide. Yippee! Yes, I have to make the occassional 20 copies of something, or cut out things, or put up or take down a bulletin board. But I also get to help the kids do their work, interact with all the kids, help at snack time and get to know my kids' friends.

It's awesome.

When Luke got to 1st grade, his teacher told me she was self-sufficient and didn't use parent volunteers. I almost had a heart-attack. I tried again in 2nd grade. She had too many helpers and only picked a handful. I wasn't one of them.

Depression set in. Of course I am kidding. Maybe. ha ha.

This year I've hit the jackpot. Emma is in kindergarten so I am in her class once a week. And Luke's 3rd grade teacher also uses parent volunteers - so I'm baaaack!

I only help Luke's teacher once a month. Today was my day. It isn’t nearly as fun as helping in kindergarten. There is a desk outside her door and she has a stack of papers for me to copy. Today she also had a note for me to take down the monster candy projects on the wall. Oh goody!! I don’t even slightly enjoy standing in the copy room for an hour making copies, but I am in the school and I hope to get a glimpse of my kid.

Am I deranged?? Don't answer that. It is better than sneaking around the school like a super ninja, don't ya know??!!

After I was done in the copy room, I took her stack ‘o papers back to the lovely desk in the hall and I peeked in her room. She has a curtain on her window so it makes it tough. There were no kids, only the teacher and 2 other teachers, talking.

Shoot. So I wasted some time in the hall reading, “How to Cook a Turkey by every 3rd grader in in Luke's school.” I left the hall, saw another group of 3rd graders coming so I went back to the 3rd grade hall hoping to catch a glimpse of Luke.

How pathetic am I???

I read – again – the amazing How to Cook a Turkey art work. Still no Luke. I hear her say to her teacher friends, “I have to go get my kids from library” so I read them again. And again. Finally – here he comes. Right in the front of the line. His friends are waving at me. And get this – he is too - so I waited and when they got to me, he ran up and gave me a hug!! Right in front of all his friends!

SWOON!!!!

It was SO worth it to read the Turkey Cooking Instructions 67 times!!

And I'm quite sure the teacher has no idea I'm not really a slow reader. ha ha ha.