Getting the flu sounds nice...

Dear Mom,

Was the end of the school year as crazy for you when I was in school as it is for me now?  Did you have a million kid activities to attend and a million major school projects to herd the kids through?  Did you wake up in a cold sweat four nights a week certain you had forgotten to attend some kid's special end of the year stuff?  How did you survive?  I remember having a spring concert in elementary school but not open houses.  I also remember keeping my school load to myself.  Am I too wrapped up in my kids crap--not letting them figure it out on their own?  Or is modern parenting just different from when I was a kid?  I don't know.  Maybe we can talk about it in person soon.

Last week I was listening to the radio and a news report came on that a major out break of the flu was terrorizing some of the northern California counties.  Whole school districts were shutting down due to lack of attendance from students and sick teachers.  The reporter then proceeded to describe the symptoms of the flu.  Followed by the recommendation, if you had flu symptoms to quarantine yourself and get plenty of rest.  I seriously thought, well that sounds nice.  I wonder how I can get the flu?  I'd rather say locked up in my room barfing my guts out than keep up with all of my kid's end of the school year crap.  That's what my life has become, Mom.  Thinking that getting the flu would be a welcome relief from life.  I need a vacation.  Can it be summer now?

There is never any food in the house for lunches.  I don't have the time for major grocery shopping.  I just get milk and cereal when we are out.  I think Adell packed a couple of scoops of cottage cheese and an old juice box for lunch yesterday.  Mom, I never realized what a blessing it was that our family qualified for free lunch every day.  We never had to figure out what to pack in the morning.  It would have been dried rose hips and homemade granola every day anyway.  Hot lunch is over $5 here...we are too middle class to afford that!  So, the kids pack whatever they can find in the morning.  Sigh.  

Mom, I know this May has been even busier than ever.  I think the end of the school year surprised all of us, students, parents and teachers.  It seems like every day has been an open house, concert or major project due.  I am just about ready to raise the white flag.  

Here is a run down of the last two weeks.  I love you Mom.  Thanks for reading.

Love,
Cassie

Lorien's Orchestra concert was first up.  I signed up to bring cookies...like I needed another thing to do.  Lorien's band teacher was taken to the ER the afternoon before the concert.  I think she hurt her back during marching band practice.  I also think she was looking for a break...  Students filled in for her as conductor and the concert went off without a hitch. 

Next up came Clare's Activity Days Talent Show.  It also fell on the same night as the Father-Son camp out...so we had fun getting the boys off to camp and getting over to the church for Clare's show.  Clare did a dance number to "It's a Hard Knock Life" thus the orphany looking clothes in the first picture.

Then the much anticipated elementary school open house night.  Clare needed to be Amelia Earhart for a living wax museum project.  On Tuesday afternoon she told me she needed her costume the very next day...So I stayed up until midnight sewing a bomber jacket and aviator cap.  Woof.  It was exhausting.  Then, the next day after school when I asked her how it went...she said..."Funny story...I didn't need the costume until tomorrow..."  Very funny.  

I realized there were only two years when I had three kids in elementary school (Clare's Kindergarten, Wyatt's second grade and Lorien's fourth grade and the following school year).  Those were hard years...three classrooms and three kid's proud projects to see.  Not easy.  The girl's class rooms and projects were great.  Will and I had to do a bit of tag team as I had a finance class to attend the same night.  Glutton for punishment.

On to the next week of crazy activities...First up, Adell's Patriotic Sing concert at school.  I also had a Relief Society Presidency meeting at almost the same time.  Luckily, Adell's class was first!  She saw me, I saw her.  She sang, I took videos and pictures.  Amazing.  On my way out of the concert, I got a call from Clare.  She had left her binder at home with part of a major group project in it that was due that day...could I please bring her binder to school?  Sure.  What's one more thing to run around for?

Clare had her very last elementary school band concert.  It was also the same day Will and I took Lorien in to San Francisco to see Hamilton but that deserves it's own post.

On a totally related note, elementary school band teachers should qualify for Sainthood without any discussion.  Have you ever heard an elementary school band play?  If you have, you should agree with me.  Band teachers are amazing people.  We have a particularly awesome band teacher in Mrs. Knight.  She taught Lorien for the few months she took clarinet.  Wyatt when he played saxophone and Clare with the flute.  I know how much all of my kids practiced (zero times) and Mrs. Knight was able to encourage sounds out of all of them...music even.  Thank heavens for elementary band teachers.

And finally, Colter's last day of preschool.  Popsicles, diplomas and scrap books were handed out.  Colter was just pumped that he wouldn't have to leave home anymore.  Please bless him to like Kindergarten in the fall!