Oh, yes. I am the PTA president for the next two years, unless they kick me out. I mean, generally, no one wants the job, so I don't see that happening.
Last Saturday, I went to a state PTA conference. Thankfully, they had 4 different regions, so I was able to attend at the school down the street. The district conference is in October, and that is a must-attend for me and as many of my PTA peeps as I can get.
The ladies will be coming to my house on Thursday to start getting those PTA wheels rolling. I, in true Virgoian fashion, have purchased folders for all my peeps, so that I can have everything copied and organized for the meeting.
We will be accomplishing things, you see.
For several years before our current board existed, our PTA had some issues. For the last two years, Patti the PTA past prez was busy doing damage control and being a cheerleader. Now that she has worked on smoothing over the mess that was left for her to clean up, I'm on project, "Get everything compliant."
I'm very good at pushing papers. Just ask my husband. That is why we have a slumbering child in the next room. He said that if all that paper had to be pushed by him, she'd still be on foster status. :S
We have to redo the bylaws. Ah, yes. If you are in Ohio, you should have bylaws restructured at least every three years, but those need changed (not an easy process) as needed. You also have standing rules and those can be amended in a process not as long and painful as the bylaws. Since they have found a copy of the bylaws, but not the standing rules, we need to revamp bylaws and construct standing rules.
Why do we have to do this and what the heck are those things anyhow? Well, they are a bunch of binding rules and basics for the organization and it is required to be a PTA in good standing to keep all those papers in order.
I do not believe that the PTA organization recalls that this is an unpaid position.
There are many things that we've tossed around about the year that we view as flawed. This is the year to change them. I feel like Barack Obama in the first presidential run-- change. Yes, we will also be-- forward. We will change and we will move forward. There's just going to be a lot of trees involved in that forward movement.
Kay, my PTA partner in crime, called to give me calendar updates for the fall. Kay and I are co-chairs for Book Fair. We have a training workshop in October and a Book Fair in November. I did realize that the Book Fair is the Thursday and Friday following the big crush week that I have for the open house at work, and I generally pull 12 hour days. Calgon, take me away.
Of course, I'm rushing into fall without mentioning the Membership drive that begins the first day of school through the third week of September. I have to update the JBF website to include everyone (thankfully, I have all that set up and if they are renewing membership, it is a simple click). I also have to construct the directory, build the books and distribute those and cards.
I should mention that right after labor day, we have our Garden Fair. This year's Garden Fair was seed sponsored by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, so I'm truly excited to see what everyone has grown. :) That is a big part of that beginning crush, though.
Add to that 100 Book Challenge and the fact that we lost our Leveled Literacy Intervention coach (LLI) and while we had a great system of working things, once again-- I have to figure out a new way of working with someone else. I should be used to it, as almost every year I've done this, I've had a change of 100 BC coach. Still, it makes me sad, as Ms. S and I really were two very similar people. We loved the kids, loved books, loved gardening, organic things, environmentalness and she was one of the most excited folks about the seeds! I will miss her so much. We will not be receiving a new LLI K-2 tutor, so the existing tutors will need to absorb the kids that originally went to Ms. S. Budget cuts. Arrrggghhh. Just pass the darned levy already! 22 million dollars in cuts and counting . . .
I digress.
I should round out by saying, I'm a little busy. :deep breath: And to think, they said that the president job was the easiest job. Don't worry. I didn't believe them.
Smiles in my day:
- Lil Mak is home from the hospital (after having finally eaten something) and is doing well. It was a big, bad virus and she's a little, bitty thing. She needed some fluids to rehydrate her and she's good to go. :) Thank you for praying.
- I was able to get my niece's birthday gift crafted (of course I forgot to take a photo), but I bedazzled a plain bag from Joann's and it looks marvelous. K- told me, "Mom, if she doesn't like it, she can just sent it back and I'll carry it." Shhh, I'm making K- a special bag of her very own for her special Christmas gift from me. I was sweating it to get that gift done because, of course, I waited until the last minute. My in-law's will take it up for me when they go this week, so I needed to get it dropped off. :sigh of relief: It is finished. :)
- Hubs has been stressed this week, but he has a much needed day off tomorrow. That is a very good thing.
- When you put a second run of clothes on the line at about 4:30 PM-- the time that the line is almost fully in the shade-- and they are fully dried when you go to get them later, you realize that it was very warm out today. (96 F here.)
- I got a new sprayer for the hose. Now, that may not seem like a big deal, but mine was completely busted and this one is a wand with an adjustable, multi function head and a trigger sprayer! It was on clearance, too! :)
- K- went to the bank and deposited some saved money today. She was surprised to find that her savings has grown to $102.00 already. I told her that when she saves, as opposed to spending and when mom has it directly deposited weekly so she doesn't forget, it accrues quickly. (By the way, we subscribe to the half the current age rule for weekly allowance amount.) She works and when she doesn't, allowance isn't earned or is docked. That doesn't make her very happy.
- The Olympics and athletes who are wonderful about not medaling (volleyball gentleman), losing a medal place (Aly Raisman) but not third place, and true happiness (Missy Franklin). They are beginning to rinse the egos out of my mind of second place not being good enough with some of the swim team (being asked "what went wrong" as opposed to "congratulations!")
Have a wonderful weekend!
Friday, August 3, 2012
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Tales from the Trenches: Why do I have to be the meanie?
I will start by saying that I love my husband and he is nothing but an absolutely wonderful father. He is very involved with K-, knows and helps with her school studies, takes her on trips with just him and her, takes her to the doctor if that appointment falls on his day, cares for her when she is ill so that I can go to work and she loves him dearly.
With this, occasionally, I am put in the position of being the meanie. It is not a place that I like to be. Discipline is a must, though.
The other day, K- had been tired and a bit unwilling to cooperate and Hubs had told her that he wasn't going to get her a prize. Now, he is the prize dad. I am notsomuch the prize mom. Good behavior is expected with me. Good behavior is rewarded with dad.
I think that we need to hit a middle area.
At any rate, K- came to me and asked about the prize. "It has nothing to do with me, K-. That's up to you and dad." "But he sent me to ask you." I asked him about it and he said that it was up to me. "Um, no. This is your deal." "But (get this) you are the disciplinarian."
What? It is true. I have to put on my mean mommie hat and sometimes have to force K- to finish homework, household tasks and so forth. Tidying her bedroom is a weekly hassle. Grant you, it is much better than it was and a 10 minute tidy would really take care of the job. I feel like I am pulling hairs out one at a time in some weird unpublished torture to myself. Oh sweet heaven, sometimes I just want to do it for her, but I won't. I'll take the agony over making it easy. Sometimes three hours later, that 10 minutes worth of work gets done.
It's a bummer though. As the mama, I am home more often and am looked at as more the disciplinarian. I run a tightish ship at the House of Bailey's Leaf. We both want K- to be respectful, responsible and thoughtful. She is absolutely all of those things. It is because of discipline that she is, though.
When she gets older, will she hate me or respect me for having to be the meanie?
Smiles in my day:
- Lil Mak is fighting off a virus and until she can successfully keep food down, they will keep her at the hospital. My brother does not have insurance for her, so this will be a rather costly stay for them that they didn't expect. They've made payment arrangements, but I'm hoping that they will go forth and secure insurance now.
- I texted my brother Billy about Lil Mak's condition. While I did break the "don't contact me" rule that he laid out after I got on him about his screaming and swearing at Mom, he did contact Mom to find out what Mak's issue was and was going to leave work to sit at the hospital with Dump and Renee. I laid out an olive branch and though there was no reciprocation, at least I wasn't poked in the eye with it.
- K- ran into Noggin (Billy's son) at the pool today and they got to talk for a bit. It did her heart good to be able to see him. He's enrolled in school where they are living and I think that he is looking forward to starting school there again.
- Laying out a prayer request and y'all pray without ceasing. Thank you much for that!
Have a great night!
With this, occasionally, I am put in the position of being the meanie. It is not a place that I like to be. Discipline is a must, though.
The other day, K- had been tired and a bit unwilling to cooperate and Hubs had told her that he wasn't going to get her a prize. Now, he is the prize dad. I am notsomuch the prize mom. Good behavior is expected with me. Good behavior is rewarded with dad.
I think that we need to hit a middle area.
At any rate, K- came to me and asked about the prize. "It has nothing to do with me, K-. That's up to you and dad." "But he sent me to ask you." I asked him about it and he said that it was up to me. "Um, no. This is your deal." "But (get this) you are the disciplinarian."
What? It is true. I have to put on my mean mommie hat and sometimes have to force K- to finish homework, household tasks and so forth. Tidying her bedroom is a weekly hassle. Grant you, it is much better than it was and a 10 minute tidy would really take care of the job. I feel like I am pulling hairs out one at a time in some weird unpublished torture to myself. Oh sweet heaven, sometimes I just want to do it for her, but I won't. I'll take the agony over making it easy. Sometimes three hours later, that 10 minutes worth of work gets done.
It's a bummer though. As the mama, I am home more often and am looked at as more the disciplinarian. I run a tightish ship at the House of Bailey's Leaf. We both want K- to be respectful, responsible and thoughtful. She is absolutely all of those things. It is because of discipline that she is, though.
When she gets older, will she hate me or respect me for having to be the meanie?
Smiles in my day:
- Lil Mak is fighting off a virus and until she can successfully keep food down, they will keep her at the hospital. My brother does not have insurance for her, so this will be a rather costly stay for them that they didn't expect. They've made payment arrangements, but I'm hoping that they will go forth and secure insurance now.
- I texted my brother Billy about Lil Mak's condition. While I did break the "don't contact me" rule that he laid out after I got on him about his screaming and swearing at Mom, he did contact Mom to find out what Mak's issue was and was going to leave work to sit at the hospital with Dump and Renee. I laid out an olive branch and though there was no reciprocation, at least I wasn't poked in the eye with it.
- K- ran into Noggin (Billy's son) at the pool today and they got to talk for a bit. It did her heart good to be able to see him. He's enrolled in school where they are living and I think that he is looking forward to starting school there again.
- Laying out a prayer request and y'all pray without ceasing. Thank you much for that!
Have a great night!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Prayers for Lil Mak.
My niece, M (who just turned 4 on July 22), is in the hospital tonight with potential appendicitis. She started feeling ill a few days ago, and my brother and his fiance took her to the ER. They diagnosed her with a UTI or bladder infection and put her on antibiotics.
She hasn't eaten anything except a piece of toast in 3 days. That piece of toast was at the coaxing of my mother.
She is very dehydrated.
They said that her white count is off (dehydration can cause that, if memory serves) and something else looked wonky. They have her in this evening continuing to test and to observe.
She's a little bit of a thing, but whoooo boy is she a pistol. To have her down instead of running in circles and continually stubbing her teeny toes has got to be a bit concerning for my brother and Renee.
Please pray for them. I'll keep you up to date.
Edited to add:
There is no appendicitis. Mak has a virus that just needs to run its course. However, now that she is technically better, like her Aunt Amy, she doesn't want to eat. I'll tell you, I get where the kid is coming from and have made myself far sicker by not eating after the vomiting ended because I didn't want it to happen again. I've left a get well giftie at her door and maybe her parents can bribe her with it. :S
She hasn't eaten anything except a piece of toast in 3 days. That piece of toast was at the coaxing of my mother.
She is very dehydrated.
They said that her white count is off (dehydration can cause that, if memory serves) and something else looked wonky. They have her in this evening continuing to test and to observe.
She's a little bit of a thing, but whoooo boy is she a pistol. To have her down instead of running in circles and continually stubbing her teeny toes has got to be a bit concerning for my brother and Renee.
Please pray for them. I'll keep you up to date.
Edited to add:
There is no appendicitis. Mak has a virus that just needs to run its course. However, now that she is technically better, like her Aunt Amy, she doesn't want to eat. I'll tell you, I get where the kid is coming from and have made myself far sicker by not eating after the vomiting ended because I didn't want it to happen again. I've left a get well giftie at her door and maybe her parents can bribe her with it. :S
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)