Campaign Central

So it is that time of the year again - Election time!

For Student Government, that is.

Both of my kids have decided to run for their respective classroom Representative positions.

For Miss M, this will be the fifth year she will be running (yes, she has run each year since 1st grade - unsuccessfully - but remains determined)

For Drewby, this is the first year he is able to run.

Tonight was campaign poster making night. Drewby came up with the idea for his poster...and I helped a little on the computer and with the big cutter.

"Score a Touchdown...Vote for Drewby" is his slogan. He put his face on a flying football...very cute.

He is one of 12 kids in his class (of 23) running for class representative.

Miss M was in total control of hers. It is filled with a picture of her, her slogan "Your choice for a New voice", and traits she possesses which would make her a good rep.

Oh and we cannot forget the pink hearts, yellow stars, and green clovers...just kidding (about the green clovers).

She is one of 9 kids, out of 22 running for class rep.

Tomorrow night will be sticker making night (since we don't have the button making gadget we do round stickers).

And there is a strict policy of no candy hand-outs. (that was Drewby's first choice!)

Which is a good thing as one of the girls in Miss M's grade is our State Reps daughter. The one year she ran, there were helium balloons with her name on them as a hand-out.

I don't even try to compete with that!

Then, they will both have speeches to write and the weekend to work on presenting them.

Next Monday is Rally Day, when they will each give their speech to their classes.

And next Tuesday, is Election Day.

It is a busy week for a 6 and 10 year old - on top of homework and sports.

Of course, I am way more into this campaign than the actual political campaign going on. (On that front I am still undecided.)

As for our homefront campaign - I know who my choices would definitely be.

Oh that's right - only the students get to vote!

So I will wait (impatiently) for the results of this election to come in next Wednesday.



Til next time, I'll still be...



Being Brenda

Why Do I Do It?

I do this to myself every year.

I volunteer for too many things, all occurring at - or about - the same time.

Case in point.

I have been in charge of our parish's Christmas Craft Bazaar for 3 years now.

I know that I need to start working on this event well before September 23rd.

(Or at least I should know that!)

I am also on the Home & School Board for the kids school.

As fundraising coordinator.

Which basically means I am in charge of at least one event per month.

It also means I am responsible for requesting donations of items for each of these events.

So the fact that we have one large event this Friday (September), two events in October and a huge Holiday Breakfast event, all before Thanksgiving break is a bit much.

Oh, and remember the craft bazaar?

Well, I am at that point where I am getting frazzled.

Too much to do, and not enough time.

Hubby says I need to remember this feeling and learn to say "No".

Problem is....I have a hard time saying no to the kids school.

As a private school, there is a lot our kids do without, or we as parents provide, that public school kids get due to state funds.

So anytime I am asked to step up to the plate....I think about what our kids will miss out on if I say "No".

One of the problems is, while the school is a nice size (300+ kids), our volunteer base is very small.

It is the same people, volunteering their time, over and over again.

Which amazes me.

Our children, who all go to school together, all participate in various community service projects throughout the year.

Some events are done in school; others the kids do on their own.

This is to remind them to give of themselves: their time, talent, and treasures, for the benefit of Our Lord.

But why is it the parents find it so hard to give of themselves?

I remember what it was like to be a working parent with a full time job.

I really do.

But I still volunteered - at least two to three events a year, and some classroom help mixed in.

Yes, the tuition covers a good portion of what it costs for the kids to attend this school.

However, there is a large amount not covered by tuition.

And this is where our fundraising efforts come into play.

We raise funds for new computer software, new textbooks, and new curriculums.

Without our H&S events, their children's tuition would increase.

I wish parents looked at a Catholic school education as less of a burden and more of a chance to really live their lives, as they (are paying) to have their children taught.

Giving of your time, talent, and treasure to benefit our Lord.

So, I will continue to juggle my volunteer duties in with my other duties as a mom, wife, and homemaker...because it is a small investment to ensure my kids know we "walk the walk".

(Sometimes, I just need a few "down" moments to remind myself of why I do what I do)

Til next time, I'll still be...

Being Brenda

Anyone know where to find my husband's evil twin?

Not really a twin....but definitely evil.

Seems someone has gotten my husband's debit card numbers, our address and has been having some fun.

We noticed some suspicious holds on our account over the weekend.

The bank was SO (not) helpful.

Until the holds actually come through our account we can do nothing.

In the meantime, we have had two packages delivered to our house.

One is from a company that has a hold on our account.

The other is a totally different company.

The wierd thing is, it is hubby's name, our address, but different phone numbers.

(If someone wanted to buy stuff on our account...why would they have it shipped here?)

Unless they know we are typically not home when UPS delivers to our block.

Which is the case most days - but today my neighbor, who is usually at work, was home and signed for the boxes and stayed outside until hubby got home. (One of the boxes is rather large)

Needless to say - we have spent hours on the phone trying to sort this mess out.

The Bank still cannot do anything about the fraudulent charges as they haven't actually hit our account yet.

So, we have to close out our debit cards and get new ones.

But can I tell you how inconvenient this is.

Not only with the typical stuff of having to put alerts on our account, and close cards, etc.

It just so happens that this week, this week, I have MAJOR shopping to do for a school fundraising event.

Now I typically do all my shopping with my debit card. I rarely have more than $20 in cash on me.

So now, I will have to carry enough cash - or continue to hit a bank to cash checks.

So anyway, if anyone sees the evil twin....get my hubby's identity back.

Til next time, I'll still be...(hopefully the only one)

Being Brenda

What a Week!

I cannot believe it has been so long since I've had a chance to post.

Mondays are our "free days" here. No one has any after school or evening activities. So that was my last chance to post.

One of the things making this week so crazy is Miss M's homework.

She is technically in 5th grade - but her and some other kids have tested for placement into 6th grade math.

She can totally handle the work, understands the math concepts - it is the sheer volume of homework.

She has 30 math problems each night. Most of which have multiple steps, with all work needing to be shown.

Add onto that, spelling - written word definitions, and sentences.

Then she has social studies - writing key words and definitions, as well as the occassional worksheet.

Then she has English - at least a page or two of various English papers (definitions, dictionary skills, etc.)

Then she has science - questions or worksheets or definitions. Oh and she has a biome project due in 10 days.

Then she has reading - typically review/reread the story and answer questions in writing. Or read pages in the current novel being read. (Big project subject)

Then she has Religion - which at the 5th grade level is very conceptual, and requires a significant amount of rereading and discussion. (another big project subject)

Add onto all this homework, which has been taking approx. 2 1/2 hours each night - two nights of cheerleading practice and two nights of field hockey practice.

Now the diocese has established homework guidelines for each grade level. For 5th grade, the guideline is 60-90 minutes per night.

I have talked to other parents, and this is not just happening with Miss M. Many of the students are taking 2 - 3 hours to complete the assigned homework each night.

Thank goodness I pick the kids up at school and she is home by 3pm. She ends up doing homework until 5pm when we leave to go to various practices. Then we are home by 8:30pm, she eats and finishes her homework, showers, and gets to bed around 10pm.

So here is my question, is this typical homework for a 5th grader? (Miss M is my firstborn - so I really don't know what to expect)

I also cannot ask any 5th grade parents from last year - as this is the first year the school has allowed advanced placement of 5th graders into 6th grade math.

What do you all think? What has been your experience?

Til next time, I'll still be...

Being Brenda