Another day

Rainy days and Mondays (or Tuesdays)


Today was Caroline’s first day of school (and also day 5 of my sinus cavity being under siege). This is a new school for her this year, so I was a little anxious as we made our way there this morning. We walked into her new classroom and she immediately ran over to her classmates. I asked her if she was going to give me a hug and she did. I lingered for one more moment just to watch her and she looked back at me and said, “Aren’t you gonna leave?” Oh she put on a brave front, but I bet inside she was crying. Right.

I took my cue and left. I had a million things to do and it’s amazing how efficient one can be when not toting a 3 year old around. I actually ran errands and accomplished something.

When I arrived to pick her up she came running to me with a loud “Mama” and spent the whole ride home talking nonstop about her day. She told me about her new friends and even sang a little song for me that she learned at chapel. I asked her if they sang any other songs at chapel and she told me “Yes, we sang Sweet Caroline”, but I’m highly doubting the credibility of that claim. Methodists usually aren’t known for using Neil Diamond in their worship.

Today was also notable because it was the first truly rainy day we’ve had in about 6 months. It actually felt a little like fall between the rain and the fact that the high was only 83. 83 glorious degrees and I wanted to put on a long sleeve shirt. Oh cooler temperatures, how I love thee.

Anyway, Caroline has been begging for a raincoat, rainboots and an umbrella. I mean to the point of bordering on obsessive. I have been putting her off by telling her we’re in the middle of a drought and honestly, if it’s dry enough that you can’t even run the sprinklers then there is really no need to rush out and buy raingear that she’ll outgrow before we ever see a raindrop. I spent the last 6 months successfully dodging the raincoat bullet with the promise that we’ll buy a raincoat when it rains.

My child has a memory like the proverbial elephant.

We got home from school and she was having a snack. All of a sudden the light came on…”Mama, is it raining outside?” I said, “Yes, it’s raining. Isn’t that great?” and because I am so kid savvy I added “I bet the trees are loving this rain. They’re probably saying MMMM delicioso!” She cut me off mid Dora the Explorer reference to say, “Well, time to go to the store and buy my rainboots!”

Note to self, be careful what you promise.

So off we went to buy the full rainy day ensemble. They had so many cute options, pink cats, butterflies, flowers and princesses. This is what she chose.

Could she Bee any cuter? (I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself.)

Don’t hassle me, I’m local

Yesterday, Caroline and I went to the grocery store. Now y’all know how I feel about the store and to top it off I waited until the afternoon to make the trip. I don’t want to exaggerate because I want to be credible, so I will be completely honest and tell you that it was 140 degrees outside.

As we made our way up and down the aisles, Dwayne (the H.E.B. manager) saw us and came bearing the dreaded Buddy Buck. He gave Caroline THREE Buddy Bucks and the news that they have a whole NEW Buddy Buck machine. You can imagine my excitement.

Our whole trip turned into a barrage of questions such as “When are we going to be done? Where’s the new Buddy Buck machine? When are we going to pay?” At one point I was putting something in the cart when I heard Caroline say “Oh no, Mama! I dropped my beautiful thing.” I had no idea what she was talking about until I turned and realized she had dropped the Buddy Buck. She has lost her mind over these things.

Finally, we check out and begin the beating that is the Buddy Buck machine. Keep in mind we get THREE turns because we have THREE Buddy Bucks. I’m trying to help her as much as she’ll let me, when all of a sudden I hear myself being heckled by some 8 year old boy in a private school uniform. He’s shouting “Not that way, you need to pick it up there. Move it this way, no this way!” Are you kidding me?

Finally we get our treasured stickers and it’s a good thing because our milk was beginning to boil and so was my temper. Heckled by an 8 year old? Seriously.

I called Gulley on the way home from the store to tell her about my experience and she said “Oh I know, they gave us FOUR Buddy Bucks this morning because they want everyone to use the new machine. But the good news is that we got Number 20, so we almost have enough stickers to get our FREE stuffed Buddy Buck keychain!” Apparently, Caroline isn’t the only one who has lost perspective on the Buddy Buck. Of course, me being the savvy mom I am, I didn’t even realize the stickers served any other purpose besides just being stickers. And you know what? I’m keeping that piece of information to myself.

Invasion of the Bees

P. and I took Caroline to the neighborhood pool on Saturday only to discover that the grill was closed due to an overabundance of bees. One lifeguard was quick to tell us that she even got
“stung on the spine”. I have to agree with P. when he said that unless bees are now burrowing into our skin, she really just got stung on her back. I don’t mean to sound unsympathetic, but no one on staff at the pool seems that concerned about the grill being closed, while I, as the mother of a toddler, view the grill as crucial to our pool enjoyment experience.

I met Gulley and her crew there today and yes, grill still closed. They now have it roped off with caution tape so it looks like maybe someone met a grisly end at the pool. The only fatalities I saw however, were bees floating in large jars of something that apparently is bad for bees.

No one is saying when the grill will reopen but in the meantime you can still purchase popsicles, drinks and slices of Double Dave’s pizza (for $2.00 per slice). So we left this evening after having an ice cream sandwich, but no dinner for Caroline which there again (and I can’t overstate this) is crucial to the pool experience.

So you might think I am a little overly obsessed with the pool food. Let me say that the food is completely mediocre for the most part. As P. says “what do I expect from food cooked by 14 year olds?” I have eaten a few meals there and it really all tastes the same, which is quite the accomplishment considering what a varied menu they offer.

For me the grill isn’t about the quality nourishment, but the ability to go to the pool, swim our hearts out and eat dinner all in one glorious stop. Granted (and as Gulley can attest) I spend most of our dining experience saying “Caroline, THIS IS YOUR DINNER, YOU NEED TO EAT, or you will get NOTHING ELSE when we get home”, to which she usually runs off to play with Jackson some more. The point is that by the time we get home and are at the point of sheer exhaustion, dinner is already out of the way and we can move on the bathtime and pajamas.

I realize that the bees got out of control, but have mercy call an exterminator, a bee keeper, anyone so that the proper order of things can be restored at the pool. I would kill for a soggy grilled cheese sandwich, which maybe explains the caution tape.