School fundraisers

I need to say, first, that I think that school fundraisers are a waste of money. Parents and neighbors spend an unreasonable amount on so-so products, resulting in a few dollars for the school and even more for the fundraiser company. If each person who wanted, say, an apple pie just bought the pie at the grocery store and gave $3 to the kid's school, that person would spend less and the school would get more than if the person spent $19.95 on an apple pie through the fundraising company.

Now that I've got that off my chest, I have a specific complaint about the fundraising package that I got for Sabrina's school. Sabrina goes to a school in a neighborhood where people are not at all well off financially. So why is the school using a fundraiser where the least expensive item is $13? And requiring payment by cash or money order? (Actually I totally understand the cash or money order requirement, and the people in that neighborhood are probably used to it. It's my friends who don't know how to buy a money order and never carry cash.)

BUT, now that you know how I really feel, I'm going to hit you up. Because there is also an online option. Here's how it works:

Go to clairesgourmet.com. Put lots of overpriced goodies in your cart.* Then when you check out, enter the participant code 003626. That will apply your purchase to Sabrina. Your order will then be shipped to you.**

Thanks!!!

* For those who keep kosher, obviously it's not even worth looking at the pizzas. Most of the "Elegant Desserts" are O-U or circle-k; you can verify which by checking the product information. In the "Treats and Sweets," the apple dumplings and pumpkin roll are O-U, the chocolate eclairs are the vaad of somewhere in New England--I don't remember which vaad it is but they are acceptable--and the cookies are triangle-k.

** For those concerned about Passover, I don't know what the timing of shipping is for orders placed online.

Am I being neglectful if...

...I let Sabrina get dressed in the morning without me smearing her entire body with moisturizing cream for her eczema? The past two mornings I have left her room while she has picked out her clothes, and she has shown up in the living room maybe five minutes later fully dressed. Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth (that IS the expression, right?), I haven't told her to go back to her room and take her clothes off so we can put on cream. We still put it on at night (though last night that led to quite a struggle) and I'd rather plop her in front of Max and Ruby for an hour (an hour, really!) while I wash dishes than have to sit in her room while she very carefully lays out her clothes exactly as they would go on her body (underpants in the tights, tights in the socks, socks in the shoes...) for 30 minutes and then spend another 25 minutes trying to smear cream on her and then then another 20 minutes getting dressed and then 10 minutes while her toothbrush plays and then we're late to school.

To-do list

I know, I know. You don't really want to see my to-do list. But I'm feeling overwhelmed and just want to share it with you, my imaginary (and in a few cases, not imaginary) friends.

1. Sabrina did a few more cute things that I want to blog about. If only I could remember what they were.

2. Sabrina made goodie bags for her class. I need to put the twist ties on each of them.

3. I need to make my own goodie bags (mishloach manot) for my friends. This is going to involve cutting shapes out of paper, gluing them to paper bags, and then filling the bags. And bringing the rest of the things I bought at C0stc0 in from the car.

4. I'm having people over for dinner tomorrow. So I need to cook. Actually, I need to figure out what I'm going to serve. And I think I need to buy more peppers, since I only bought three.

5. I took an hour long nap this morning. That's not a thing to do, but it got in the way of the things I need to do.

6. I'm supposed to be doing 4 hours of volunteer work each day. I am doing it from home today, but since I took that nap and am now blogging and have played a bunch of Lexulous and and and, I have about an hour and a half (at least) more to do. And I don't wanna.

7. I need to figure out who I should complain to about the atmosphere of anger in Sabrina's school. This morning one of the teachers was yelling into the microphone at the kids because they weren't being quiet. Following up, another teacher said something just this side of "shut up." I don't remember what it was, but it was mean. A while ago the aide in Sabrina's class actually did tell the class to "shut up." And the other day she said to "sit down or I'm gonna get you."

8. I'm knitting socks and I'm trying to finish them by the end of the Olympics. I don't actually know when the Olympics end, but I'm only 1/2 an inch above the ankle, so I have a ways to go.

9. I want to blog about Sabrina's ridiculous homework.

10. And I'm hungry. Today is a fast day (the fast of Esther, commemorating her fast in the book of Esther in the Bible) and while I need to remember to focus on the "I have plenty of food and I know that this fast/hunger will end at 6-something. Other people experience hunger every day and don't know where their next meal will come from," in the moment I am thirsty and wanting to eat some of what I just made for tomorrow's dinner.

Babysitting

Okay, John's not coming back as a babysitter. As I left my building, I met his girlfriend, who came to babysit with him. I don't mind the girlfriend. (Well, I do, kind of.) I mind that he didn't ask if she could come. I spent the entire 24 hour period prior to him babysitting prepping Sabrina. And in all of our conversations, we only talked about John. So Sabrina had no clue. And I wasn't even still there to introduce her. NOT COOL. Ever, but particularly with a foster kid.

Also, John came at 6:30 and Sabrina was in her PJs and telling me that she was tired. Did I tell John "okay, Sabrina doesn't have an official bedtime but you should start the bedtime routine now?" No. I said "Sabrina is tired so you can start the bedtime routine now." I got home at 9:00 and John said that Sabrina had been in bed for about a half hour. Woah? Now I know to be more explicit. (I guess my full page, bullet list explanation of how bedtime works wasn't good enough.)

Lots of great stuff today

Sabrina is making goodie bags to take to school on Friday. (We went to C0stc0 yesterday to buy things for mishloach manot--gifts given on Purim--so we are giving mishloach manot at school, too.) I originally thought she could decorate the bags for MY friends, but now I think I'll have to do that myself. Instead she is decorating bags for HER friends. Stickers. Who knew she would do it SO CAREFULLY. The amount of time she is spending to pick out the stickers is crazy. [As I was typing that sentence, she asked for help. So I will as soon as I finish typing today's cuteness.] Anyway, she is talking about how all her classmates love her and that is why she is giving goodie bags. What a sweetheart!

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In the car on the way home from school Sabrina asked me if we could stop, but we had just gotten on the highway. I said "no, we just got on the highway." Her response? "Where is the down-way?" "The down-way? Oh! Because this is the highway?" "Yes." What a clever thinker!

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A friend is coming over tonight to babysit. I'm completely stressed out about it. So is Sabrina.

We've been talking about how John is coming and is going to put her to bed, and then I'll come home while she's asleep. She has been asking who is taking her to school tomorrow, and where John is going to sleep, and if John is going to be here forever...

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We took a bath right after school today. I have no idea when her last bath was because I neglected to call her dad over the weekend. Honestly, it could have been WEEKS since we missed our bath nights last week. And she was stinkeroo. Pretty amazing for a 4 year old to smell bad. But she got in the bath with no complaints and then afterwards let me put on her cream and then put on her pajamas. She asked to go to bed. It was only 4:45, so I said no. I can't get over how adorable she is.

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Okay, off to help Sabrina with the goodie bags.

I can't believe I'm asking this, but...

...do any of you who live in states where medical marijuana use is legal know whether use may be approved for kids in care? Or does the state want to stay far, far away from that thorny issue? And do you know if there are problems where parents using medical marijuana are having their kids taken away?

If you don't want to make public the state that you live in, you can send me an email: frumfostermom - at - gmail - dot - com.

I'm going to knit a dress...

...for Sabrina. (Big mistake, looking at knitting patterns for kids' clothes. Too cute.) I showed her the picture and asked if she liked it. Then I asked if she wanted it in colors that she could wear to school, or if she wanted it for other days. Also a big mistake. Okay, not the biggest, but still.

Anyway, I mention this because I am now torn. She wants it in pink and purple and green and white (a combination that I can probably handle), but I don't know when she ever wears dresses other than at school. So I really want to backtrack on my offer to make it in the other colors, and instead make it in really cute blues so that I know that she will be able to get use out of it.

What do you think I should do?