Overdue

Not our library books. They are due tomorrow and sitting on the floor in my office waiting for me to walk them to the main branch. I keep holding out hope that I will get an email saying that one of the books I have on hold is available. Apparently, if a book is reviewed in the New Yorker, that really makes it soar in popularity. At least, that's my explanation for being 8th on the hold list for one of the two books I have on hold.

No, I just mean I'm long overdue for a post!

This morning was the awards ceremony for the preschool through 1st grades at Sabrina's school. I thought it was tomorrow so I almost missed it! My observations:

1. oh my G-d there was a lot of cuteness in that room.
2. an hour is really too long for kids that age to sit and clap for other kids. Eight classes. After the second, the kids got really restless.
3. At least starting in kindergarten, not every kid got an award.
4. But kindergarten is really too young for not every kid to get an award.
5. What in the world does "honor roll" mean when applied to preschool? (Or pre-K? Or, well, any of those grades?)
6. Nevertheless, I am very proud that Sabrina got an honor roll award. Since we've stopped doing homework, I was nervous that she wasn't going to get honor roll and it would be my fault.
7. Sabrina's aunt came. Yay!
8. I didn't learn "shake with the right, take with the left" until I was in 12th grade. Those pre-schoolers were SO FREAKING ADORABLE trying to get it down.
9. The assistant principal of Sabrina's school is H-O-T HOT. Just sayin'.
10. None of the parents who got the "outstanding volunteer" award were there. Irony much?

So here we are a week away from the end of the school year, and Sabrina's teacher still says her name wrong. It's as if she called her "Stabrina." That is, she adds an extra consonant (not actually a T) between the first and second letters of her name. Grr.

***

Yesterday I picked up Sabrina at school and the first thing she told me about was the cantaloupe she had with her grandma over the weekend. I wish I'd had a video camera to record her describing the cantaloupe. So of course we made a detour on the way home to buy a cantaloupe. (Um, we had to stop at the store to buy milk anyway. My fault. I went to Costco on Sunday for our fruits and veggies and such, and I certainly was not going to buy milk there.)

We walked into the store and the first thing Sabrina saw were blueberries. How can you say no to a four year old who insists that we NEED blueberries? I tried, actually. I bought strawberries at Costco and we were about to buy a melon, and there ARE only two of us. But really, it's fruit. Then it turned out that they didn't have cantaloupes! So sad, but we got a mini watermelon instead.

As we were getting in line, we passed the "impulse-purchase-some-pie!" display. Sabrina asked--not if we could buy a pie--but "can we make a pie?" SO CUTE!

***

Sabrina's dad got a job, hooray! Last Monday he had to report at 6 am (ugh) so he asked if he could bring Sabrina back on Sunday night instead of needing to find someone to take her to school. So I gave him my address and he came by with her, and then... yesterday I got a call from him. He is installing satellite dishes literally across the street from my building. We never would have known if he hadn't had to bring Sabrina back to me last week. Crazy.

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According to Sabrina's GAL, my post about ICPC was wrong and my city wouldn't remain on the hook financially for Sabrina if dad got custody. The GAL has another kid on her caseload in exactly the same situation. Same county. A birth dad. Money questions. TWO YEARS LATER,. that kid is still not with her dad... Hopefully the fact that Sabrina's dad now has a job will change the situation.

Nevertheless, there is something seriously wrong with kids remaining in care because a parent--not just a family member, but a PARENT--doesn't have a job.

***

Okay, back to work. More cute stories later, I hope!