Crazy with the Hand Sanatizer

If you're a parent, you know that at the beginning of the school year, you are required to purchase a massive amount of supplies for your kid's class. One of the items on Sarah's list was hand sanatizer. There are 18 kids in her class, so that's 18 bottles of the stuff AT LEAST - who knows how many the teacher brings, if any.

While there's really no proof that this goop actually kills germs (I've heard that only germacides really kill the germs), it's just goop with alcohol and smell in it. And the kids use it ALL DAY LONG. I have no idea how many times they may use soap and water - maybe on bathroom trips - but Sarah is nuts about using it.

I must say that I hate the stuff. Why? Because Sarah would rather use it than wash her hands. "No Mommy. I need hand sanatizer." She uses it so much at school that her knuckles are raw, itchy and rough. I thought she had scraped them playing they looked so bad, but it's the alcohol in the hand goop that's drying her hands out.

I gave her a small bottle of lotion to take to school to help and I've been putting Burt's Bees Hand salve on at night. But I'd rather she just use soap and water.

:-/

An official Brownie

I'm so proud! This past Monday, Sarah was able to recite, from memory, the Girl Scout Promise. And not only that, but in front of a crowd of older Girl Scouts! She said it was exciting and scary. Heh.

With that, she earned her Girl Scout Pin. :D So proud!

She's also earned two Try It patches and a Juliette Low Patch (she's the founder of the Girl Scouts).

What a fun time!

Knock Knock Jokes

Scene: On the way home from school. Sarah and Cloosty are in the back and Sarah decides to play knock knock jokes.

Sarah: Knock knock?
Cloosty: Who's there?
S: Orange banana head.**
C: Orange banana head who?
S: I'm in your ice cream, don't eat me!

Riotous cackling from the peanut gallery.

S: Knock knock?
C: Who's there?
S: Banana peel.
C: Banana peel who?
S: It's in your garbage can - peeeee youuuuuu! It's stinky!

Uproarious laughter from the peanut gallery.

C: Knock knock?
S: Who's there?
C: You're a stinky banana head!

(Obviously, he hasn't perfected the finer points of knock knock jokes)

Wild cackling ensues, no less.

**The "orange banana head" stems from the "Orange you glad I didn't say banana?" knock knock joke.

1st day of 1st Grade

Today is Sarah's fist day of first grade! My baby girl is so grown up!

And not only that, but she rode the BUS to school!

Normally, she wouldn't ride the bus because school is just 3 blocks away, but they've moved her school to the old Berry campus this year because they are doing rennovations to her regular school. And since we live more than 2 miles from Berry, we can get bus service - "I want to ride the bus!"

The bus stop is about a block and a half from our house so Pete took her to meet the bus for the first time. Cloosty and I were ready early, so we hopped in the car and took off. Our route takes us past Sarah's bus stop and what did I see but Sarah loaded down with her backpack full of school supplies, standing alone amid a gaggle of older kids. I slowed down to wave at her and she looked close to tears and refused to wave back. I immediately called Pete:

"Why aren't you waiting for the bus with her? You should have stayed! It's her first time on the bus - I know I'd be a little worried and scared!"

Yeah, I was a bit snappy about it. I know I worry a little too much about my kids, but holy moley, she looked like a frightened rabbit. Sheesh, she's only six!

Luckily, Pete had thought the same thing and was going around the block to go back to her. He waited with her (the bus was late) and told me that she was mostly worried that the bus wouldn't come but she was fine.

Whew!

I hope she has a great day - and I hope her teacher likes the baby gift we got her. A tan bear bear (Eliot's all time favorite) and a lion (just in case the baby is a Leo like me). :)

Pickles R Us

Sarah is a very giving kid. She met her new teacher Monday, who happens to be very pregnant, and decided that she wanted to get Mrs. Stacy a baby gift.

"Mommy! We have to give her something!"

So she started digging through all the old baby toys we have stashed (and that we really need to get rid of) and had a display ready for me when I got home. I vetoed all of them - they weren't all that appropriate - and told her we'd go buy something.

It ain't easy buying a baby gift for 1) someone you don't know at all. I haven't met the teacher yet - Pete went with Sarah that day; 2) you don't know what they've gotten already; and 3) when you don't know the sex of the baby.

At first I thought we would go to Wally Mart, but I really didn't want deal with the craziness that is Wally Mart. So after work Tuesday, I took her to Babies R Us to pick out a stuffed animal.

We parked close to one of the expectant mother spaces and Sarah saw this:



Sarah: Mommy, why do they have a PICKLE sign?
Me: A pickle sign?
Sarah: See? There?








You have to admit, it does look like the Vlasic Pickle stork.

Snaggle Tooth

Sarah finally lost one of her top front teeth yesterday. They have both been wiggly for months and months now, but either they just didn't want to give up the ghost or she wasn't fooling with them to get at least one of 'em loose enough. Two days ago she was begging me to pull the right one because it was pretty wiggly, but not quite enough to yank out of there.

However, when I picked her up from school, she showed me the gaping hole and held up her tooth in a zip-top bag - "Look, Mommy! It came out!" I knew it wasn't loose enough to pull, so I asked her how it came out:

Sarah: Well, there's this plastic tub and it hit my tooth and it just came out!
Me: What? A tub? What?
Sarah: Yeah, a tub.
Me: Okay, tell me what happened. Did you hit it on the tub?
Sarah: Yes.
Me: How? (Why am I having to ask 20 questions? She's just like her dad, I swear!) Were you leaning over the tub?
Sarah: I was getting something out of the tub and I bumped my tooth on it and just popped out!

Okay, whatever. So we put the tooth in the tooth box, slid it under her pillow and this morning there was a shiny gold dollar coin in place of the tooth. And here's what's bugging me - This is only her third tooth she's lost and she's already so nonchalant about getting money for the tooth... like "Oh yeah, here's my money Mom. Ho Hum."

???!!??

I was always super excited that the Tooth Fairy left me money. Sheesh. Kids these days, I tell ya. I wouldn't be surprised if the Tooth Fairy left her only a piece of lint next time. Nah, she wouldn't be that mean, would she? ;)

Chuck E. on the cross

We don't go to church. Yep, we're heathens. And we don't preach to our kids. We don't even talk about that kind of stuff at home - not because we don't want to... just because we don't feel the need. But there is a little girl in Sarah's class who has been telling her all about Jesus and other Christian theology lately. Sarah sometimes comes home and tells me what this kid has said. For example, a few weeks ago Sarah said, "Mommy, did you know that God created me and that He is our Father?!" My response was, "No, Daddy and I made you and Daddy is your father." Pete and I then proceeded to explain that some people believe in certain things while we are Evolutionists. She learned about the Big Bang at Montessori school, so she groks it.

I could get up on the soap box about religion, but that's for another day. Instead, I'd just like to relay what happened this morning...

So...This morning I decided to wear the rosary I got from Notre Dame in Paris (thanks Whitlows!) because it goes well with the outfit I'm wearing. Sarah noticed it and here's what happened:

Sarah: Mommy, that's Jesus on the cross.
Me: Yep.
Sarah: Where did you get it?
Me: Paris.
Sarah: Why?
Me: Because I wanted it.
Sarah: Where did you get it?
Me: At a place called Notre Dame in Paris. It's a really famous church in France.
Sarah: Did you know that Jesus' daddy was God?
Me: Hmmm.
Sarah: And Jesus WAS God!
Me: Well, I think he was a man.
Sarah: And Jesus died for his life.
Me: Hmmm.(trying not to laugh) Where did you hear that?
Sarah: From (that kid). I don't listen to her, but she keeps talking about it.
Me: (frowning) Uh-huh.
Sarah: Christopher, look! It's Jesus!

Cloosty leans over to look at it...

Cloosty: That's not Chuck E. Cheeses!

Super Power Party

This past Saturday, the McWane Science Center held a fund raising event called the Super Power Party. We were invited by one of my attorneys whose daughter is in Sarah's class.

I was told that there would be Super Heroes there and the kids were encouraged to dress as their favorite super hero, too. It just so happens that Sarah and Cloosty had costumes - Supergirl and Superman. I wore my new Batgirl t-shirt and Pete wore a Batman t-shirt.

The McWane Center never fails to amaze and entertain! There were oodles of neato experiments, acitivites and demonstrations plus SUPER HEROES! Wow! We saw Batman, Flash, The Green Arrow, Harley Quinn (okay, she's not a hero), Spiderman, Spiderwoman, and Supergirl! Supergirl was a big hit and very popular with the little girls. I don't think I've ever seen so many little Supergirls running around!

One of the neato experiments was watching them make ice cream with liquid nitrogen! They eyeballed the measurements of the ingredients - sugar, vanilla and half&half - added the liquid nitrogen and Voila! Ice Cream! And it was pretty good!

Next we saw some live sea creatures - sea urchins, star fish, a LIVE horse shoe crab (never seen one alive before!) and some sea slugs. That was way cool!

Other experiments/activities: they blew up balloons... I mean the BLEW them up. I guess they filled the balloons with hydrogen because they were floating and then held a flame close then FWOOOM! A HUGE explosion! Super LOUD!

- Setting a dollar on fire. I only caught the end of that, but the money didn't burn.

- Super Hero Trivia. You know I was THERE and kicking some butt. Hehe.

- Batman Forensics. I missed that one.

On the third level was a buffet. I was a bit disappointed with this - not a big selection and pretty wimpy food at that. But they were playing episodes of the Justice League and the dessert buffet was tasty. :)

The kids,... we ALL had major fun! I'm seriously thinking about signing us up for a membership.