School Day Storage

Does anyone have a brilliant suggestion for how to store school projects/art? My heart is overrun with spelling tests (already!), sponge painting masterpieces and paper mache renderings. What do I do with it all?

Please help if you're a scrapbooker/collector/saver of all things. I am not ready to let good work go, but it can't continue to live on my desk in the kitchen. Any and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

Super What?

It's official - my cape has been lost. I took it off earlier to help me wade through the 8 million loads of laundry littering the baskets in my house and I just can't seem to find it again.

Sometimes it has an enormous M on it for Super Mom. That's definitely not today. Max is struggling with being a first grader in a fifth grade world (at recess, that is). Pia is not sleeping as punishment to me for working too hard. And I am certain that I have no idea what is best for either one of them and I will be directly responsible for ruining their lives.

Sometimes my cape has a fancy little f on it for friend. That's not today either. I did devour sushi with my dear, dear friend Amy, but I think my cape was already lost by then. We just shared calories today! It's my Ya Ya's birthday and we sang to her on the phone this morning, but I didn't get around to getting a card in the mail to her from Arizona this week and feel terrible. I don't think I should be looking for that cape today.

There are even days when my cape has a big, bold W on it for Super Wife. Seeing as how today is my first day in town since Monday I think the title is lost. It seems somehow when the other party is not available to make life easier, say something sweet and end the day together the "Super" label needs to be re-earned. I'm sure that's not the cape I was wearing before I got buried in laundry.

Then there's cape with the B. It could mean Super Boss, but after this week's trip, I am confident that there's no one on my team thinks the that Boss is what a Big B stands for. It's my least favorite of the titles I wear, so I can live without finding that one right now.

So where to go in search of my Super Hero, Super Fun, Super Charged cape to roll into a Friday night? It's definitely not in the bottom of our laundry baskets, I have tried that - several times so far. I didn't find it at the grocery store, but that was a good start. At least we have vegetables in the house again. Maybe I'll find it when I pick up my babes from school. We seem to lose a lot of money there, our dignity sometimes and our kids for several hours a day. That might be the ticket. If the cape's not there, I give up.

I will have to settle for wearing Max & Pia's hugs, Ed's warm smile and a pair of flip flops through the weekend. Sometimes that's all a San Clemente girl needs at the end of a week like mine! Love and hugs to you and yours for a Super Weekend, too!

9/11/01 ~ We will not forget

My dear husband left for the airport at 4 AM this morning and was catching a non~stop flight from LA to New York City. I would not be honest if I didn't tell you that my heart dropped and I flashed back to that terrible time in 2001 where our whole country watched in horror as our own Commercial aircraft were used against us. Will my heart let me believe that it's going to happen again 7 years later? Not entirely. Does it make me sad to think of all of those families who started their days like any other and had their lives changed forever? Absolutely.

Max was happy to put on his red, white & blue for Patriot Day at school. The Principal said he should and he took it as gospel. I don't know how or when to share with him the terrible things that happened on this date the year I was pregnant with him, so I just hugged him tight and told him that I was proud of his patriotism. Pia, of course, got in on the action. I am a proud American this morning and felt good walking the kids to school.

Please say a quick prayer for Ed's safety today (and my Ya Ya who's flying here from Tampa) and those families who dread this day coming around every single year. God Bless the USA

Back to School

We officially have two KIDS ~ one in First Grade, one in Pre-Kindergarten. No more babies, no more toddlers ~ kids! Max cruised right into first grade this morning with a wave over his shoulder and a thumbs up to me (as I choked back tears). He was part of the student body as they started their morning with the pledge of allegiance and then filed into their classrooms.

I then had to drive home and try to drag Pia out of bed and get her dressed for her first day. She is not as big a fan of school as Max and wasn't quite as interested to get up and out. After several tries we found something that she was willing to wear, we slicked her hair to her head and agreed on a pair of shoes. These are MAJOR accomplishments with Pia. Once we left the house she happily went on her way and joined her class (already in progress) quietly.

Ed and I have started researching private schools for her to begin Kindergarten next year and for Max to start second grade. I don't think we'll have an opportunity to get them started this year, but after this morning, I think a uniform sounds mighty good . . . And, of course, the faith based curriculum, special interest offerings and controlled class sizes.

I am sure we're going to miss the casual schedule of summer sometime soon, but I am pleased to get everyone back on track. Happy Back to School to you and your gang, too! Have a great week!