B.A.U.A.C.P.W.L.C (no really you need to read)

Many days I wonder where my children came from. Often people will suggest that they are a mix between Mike and I. Maybe so, but I also know that they come with special, quirky personalities all of their own.

Case in point:
My 10 year old daughter is a weirdo. She is beautiful, smart, does a mean robot, and totally in her own world. She wants to be a baker. Yes, I know, nothing sounds quirky or weird about it except she has been developing her own business plan, ON HER OWN. Today she brought me an application that she made for her potential employees.
Let's get started.
The name of her company is B.A.U.A.C.P.W.L.C. which of course stands for "Bakery Association of Underestimated Amazingly Cool People Who Love Chocolate"....obviously.

If any of you reading this, want to apply they will have to complete the following application. Lets get started.

1. Do you want to join the B.A.U.A.C.P.W.L.C?
2. Are you fit to be a baker?
   a) YES
   b) NO :(
   c) Maybe So
   d) I really don't know
3. Are you an underestimated cool person? Why?
4. Do you LOVE chocolate?
   a) YES!!! How dare you even ask!
   b) yah it's ok I guess
   c) No! Never!
5. Can you complete this application?
6. Are you good with computers?
7. Are you great on the phone?
8. Do you have any recipes you want to share?
9. Do you like making friends?
   a) Yes I love everyone
   b) Eh...ok
   c) I HATE THE WORLD! NO!
10. Are you good at cleaning up your space when you are done? Rate yourself 1-10
11. Are you good with the business, economy, money, etc?
12. What mood are you in today? Draw  :) if happy,  :(  if sad,  :<< if frustrated, and ? if none of the options fit you.
13. You are almost done. I want you to draw a picture of anything you want. Just make it good. (the best)


So really, I may have had a little influence on my daughter's personality but the above exercise was all her.
I think she is ready for her new business.

Love Notes.......

I remember a period in my life from the age of 5 to around 21 that I was always deeply in love. Yes, I was that girl. So, when my 12 year old son started to have a crush of his own, I felt his pain.
He has always had a small crush on one girl in his class each year. Only he and his mother knew of his crush each year.
Until now.
This year it is a little different, he has upped the ante. Not only has he developed a crush, he has written love notes, the first one anonymous and the most recent one he actually signed his name. It is fun to watch the poetic side of my 12 year old come out as he is trying to impress his new crush. Just to let you know, this 12 yr old boy is the sweetest thing, so to him, this day, must be love.

WARNING: Before reading the following love notes, be aware that my 12 year old son is DEEPLY into GREEK MYTHOLOGY.

Love Note #1

Dear Melanie,
You are as sweet as Greek honeycakes. If I were a god and I was immortal I would make you immortal so we could be together. If you were Medusa I would still date you. You are as beautiful as Aphrodite.
Love,
GM (greek myth)

Before I start love note #2 I have to say that I did not let him deliver this note, we talked about being friends and about giving each other space.

Love Note #2

Dear Melanie,
If I were a slave and you my master, I would do whatever you say, even if it means death. If I were Alexander and you the Persian princess, named Roxanne, I would marry you on the spot. If I were Perseus and you Medusa, I would rather die a bloody death by the Kraken than chop off your head. I would do whatever it takes to tickle your heart until death falls upon  us.
Love,
(his name)

These may seem a little serious, but with his love of Greek myths and tragedies, what other frame of reference does he have for love? (I guess other than my husband and I, but we are not nearly this dramatic)

It is so funny to look back and think of those major crushes. The very excitement you feel as you are going through young adulthood, just how serious and eternal they seem. How watching your crush laugh and giggle without knowing what is in your heart. 

Modesty is a virtue.

I have a 7 year old daughter. And in spite of my efforts, she has remained modest and aware of her body. Why should this matter? Well frankly, I am impressed.
Today's dolls & media show our children that people with giant eyes, an even larger head, and minimal clothing are the most attractive of the bunch.
Good news for troll dolls, but alter to nature for the rest of us.
To the story: This morning while getting my 7 year old ready for sh-ool (as Megamind would say) (no comments), anyway, this morning my daughter had to get ready for the school trip to the indoor water park.
My daughter has a cute tankini, with stylish belt included, is in her drawer, ready to wear. She also has another one piece suit that is equally cute but is nowhere to be found.
Commence argument. 
She does not want to wear the suit that shows a little of her stomach, because, it shows a little of her stomach. (in case you missed that). I however the shining beacon on Motherdom tell her not to worry, the suit is too cute, and she should love what she is wearing.
Really, I did that, I know. I don't need your judgement right now.
Finally my daughter had shamed me, by her example, to understand she is right. At 7 she is purer & smarter than me.
So, I searched and searched for the other swimsuit, the one that covered her entire body. The one that shamed her mother into the hoochi hall of fame.
Why do I care if she is the trendiest when it asks her to give some of her values up. Do I care more about being cute than letting her be happy and comfortable, unfortunately, the answer sometimes is yes. And to that, my dear Sophia, I am sorry. I love you. Thank you for showing me the way.

WTF?

This was what my daughter did tonight when left to her own devices and markers. Really, there is nothing else to say.

Are you kidding me? Principles, teachers, my husband and me.

So, one of my three children is a 2nd grade girl. Yes of course she is cute and funny and fantastic. I do however try to be a realist when it comes to my child. I don't want to be the mother that lives in a fantasy land, has the best child that has ever existed and can do no wrong, and this is how I got into my recent predicament.
At my daughter's parent teacher conferences in October, the teacher seemed happy and pleased with her progress. So, naturally, was I.
I have since started to worry. I got a call from the teacher telling me that she is 12 homework assignments behind and that he is giving her a second chance to finish them. He didn't know she was so behind until he went through her desk. How does a teacher not know this? Anyway I said I hadn't seen those assignments and I will make sure she gets them done right away.
Then I saw the assignments, some had pictures on the back, some had the teachers writing on the back, some were pages I had helped her finish before. When asking my daughter about the homework with stuff on the back she said they were papers from the recycled homework pile that she would use to draw. They weren't unfinished homework, they were doodles.
And then there it was, a stack of 15 or so assignments that the teacher had just corrected and sent home. One math page had 18 questions, 15 out of 18 were marked incorrect.
She wasn't asked to do them again, but marked wrong. Most of the other pages were journal entries which apparently had a total of points per entry. Some entries had 2 sentences and she scored 4 out of 5 points. Some entries had 5 sentences and she scored 2 out of 5 points. Never did any entry have notes from the teacher or things marked or corrected, they just had the score out of 5. Frankly Mike and I didn't even know what "5" was.
To put a final "what the hell?" The teacher spelled her name incorrectly on her homework folder. I am usually not this picky, however her name is Sophia. This teacher has taught her for 5 months and spells her name Sofia. Really?
So, half of the homework wasn't real homework, she obviously isn't learning math and her teacher can't spell her name. Should I be worried?
When talking with the teacher about the problems he said he hadn't looked in his grade book and noticed what was or wasn't turned in, his teaching is just fine, and sometimes he spells phonetically. (that is why he can't spell her name correctly), I wonder if the 2nd graders can spell phonetically on their spelling tests, will the teacher care?