Another week at the same job...

Starting another week at my job.

At least once a day I laugh or roll my eyes at something one of them says or does (they're funnier in large groups, I think).

I tie someone's shoe or shoes at least 15 times every week. It's mostly boy shoes. The girls can tie their own. Mark* comes in every afternoon with his shoelaces flapping. Recently, I commented on that, and he said that no one else ties them as well as I do and he just leaves them for me. It's lovely after a day of him walking around here and there. More often than not, everyone's shoelaces are damp. This is particularly disconcerting when it hasn't been raining. Think now. Where would a boy's shoelaces get damp? Hmm.
(I have a special way of tying shoes that does not include a double knot... but shoes stay tied when I tie them, and will come untied easily when prompted to do so. It was one valuable thing I took away from Girl Scout 'Go Outdoors' training.)

We have three boys, all close to age seven, who tell each other, "I'm not going to be your friend anymore!!" at least five times every afternoon. This usually results in tears from Christian*, frustrated anger in Evan*, and total bewilderment from Joey*.

Every time one of them says it, all three run to me trying to outshout each other and be the first to tell on the others. On Thursday afternoon, I sat them all down together and we had a little talk. I explained to them that, "When someone says they don't want to be your friend, what they're really saying is, "You're making me mad right now." It really doesn't mean they don't want to be your friend anymore. Now if the three of you can't get along, you're going to need to find a different activity. You've all been too angry with each other this afternoon, and none of you are really having fun, are you?"

Five minutes after our little chat, they were again running toward me from across the room to complain about each other.
So I told them they could not play with each other for the rest of the afternoon.

This was not a mean thing to do since two of them are always picked up by 5:15 and the third by 5:30. So a maximum of half an hour of enjoying the companionship of some of the other kids who were still around was the 'punishment' they got. In the past, after I have resorted to that treatment, the next few days they're together is lovely.
Then, of course, it starts all over again.

On Friday, Christian was picked up by grandparents after school and did not attend our program. Evan came over to me while I was still signing kids in and asked where Christian* was. When I said he would not be there, Evan was just devastated. So was Joey. They played together happily all afternoon without arguing, though.

Lest you think this means all the altercations are Christian's fault, let me assure you that it would not matter which of the three was missing. We've had all possible combinations of those boys, and it just seems that three is the magic number. Two of them do fine. Doesn't matter which two. Add in a third... fireworks, raised voices, anger and tears.

I feel like announcing that in my best Elmo voice when all of them are running toward me getting ready to tattle, actually.
"This argument has been brought to you by the number THREE!!"















Last week we made Christmas ornaments.
The week after Christmas 2007, I went to Michael's and bought two (75% off!) packages of them (brown 'fun foam' in holiday shapes) to be used this year. I purchased some glitter glue pens for the kids to use to decorate them. They're adorable, and the kids are SOOO proud of what they did.

We made Christmas keychains from pony beads. Mr. or Mrs. Claus, a snowman, a mouse, a Grinch or a Christmas tree... pony beads are always a popular project, but think about trying to teach ten kids at once how to do one.

Would you believe me if I told you I had fun with it?

We didn't get them finished Friday so we'll have to finish today. That wouldn't be so bad, except the kids who either were not there on Friday or didn't start one will wander over while we're trying to finish and ask if they can make one, too. Well I can't tell them no, of course. I'm sure we'll be making them until school gets out on the 19th.

Last week, we ate snacks and told silly jokes and played foosball and pool and Mancala and played with cars and Legos and drew pictures and made confetti and worked on homework and ran in the gym and hauled our stuff in and out and in and out and in and out of the back room.

My paycheck-that-was-missing-a-week was deposited in my bank account Friday morning. Grocery money for this coming week and that's about it.

(That's not a complaint, by the way. I knew what the job paid when I took it, I knew that it would never make me rich.)

If things continue for us as they have been, (Eric still has his job, house payment still being made on time...) I'm going to finish the school year at this job. I think it's good for the kids to be able to count on me until the end of the school year. (and good for me, too. I really do love the job and the kids)

Along about mid-May, I'm going to start looking for full time work to start in June, and let Sunshine know at that time that I'm seeking a full time job and probably won't return in the fall.

That way, if someone wants to contact my current employer, I can say yes.

I really would rather be honest with Sunshine, too.

The two job applications I submitted made me feel a little dishonest, actually, even though it's acceptable and most people do exactly the same thing, I didn't really feel right about it, ya know?

Last summer I did not work more than 12 hours in any single week, and some weeks didn't have work at all. We dipped into savings a bit, which I hate to do. This summer, I will no longer have to make any payments on Matt's braces. (Lyssa's were paid off in July.) That will help.

And since Washington D.C. has promised to fix everything, I'll probably be rolling in money before then anyway and we won't have to work. Ever. Again.

Question... when do I get MY bailout money?? Will I have to get a private jet and fly to Washington to get it or will they just put a check in the mail?

I won't need even a million.

Heck, a hundred grand would pretty much take care of the mortgage. That's really our only big bill. We don't have a car payment or a big balance on our one lonely credit card.
Shit. It just occurred to me. (I'm a little slow.)
Those big bailout packages are only for the fiscally irresponsible.