The SMD: Legos

It's entirely fitting that Logan plays with Legos the way she does. Daily, intently, she constructs architectural masterpieces. Then she kicks them to oblivion with as much glee. It's her happy place.

This school year has been an adventure already, and we're a month and some change in. Within the first two weeks, she came down with lice (by the way, THAT is what should be shown in Health class as abstinence propaganda-that inevitably, one day, you will be crouched over your child's head like a crazed chimp, extracting bugs and their eggs out of his/her head for hours while they squirm and complain/you cry and curse the heavens-it will keep the nickel between the knees better than diseased reproductive organs, I'm telling you), come down with a heavy, black-lung type cough/stuffed nose (sleep deprived x2), and was called into the principals office for kissing/chasing/man-handling the boys. Like mother like daughter.

Then as crippling crescendo, she got her last batch of immunizations at her required physical check-up. Shots=disgruntled kid. After a run like that on top of the basic stress of the new, the rest of the year is a Carnival Cruise, even if I know not of what's to come.

The California Public School System is in tragic disarray, and I've witnessed what that means in real terms, not just as abstract political commentary. The school encourages parent volunteering/involvement to counter balance all the budget cuts and over-worked teachers and staff. They have a $4,000.00 budget for the ENTIRE Ocean View School District (about 20 schools) for the ENTIRE year. All the teachers have to pay out of pocket for classroom expenses. They ask you donate hand sanitizer, baggies and tissues, whenever possible. As a firm believer in being part of the solution not the problem, I stepped up. I'm "Room Mom" for her class (organizational go-to for the other volunteer moms), and I help out in the classroom weekly.

Then there's the PTA and Volunteer sponsored fundraisers (like, two a week) to help out with, and the homework and structure needed for her to make the grade. They will be reading and writing by the end of the year, so it's crunch time the whole way through. One of Logan's teachers joked that it's "not eating cookies and making crafts anymore" in Kindergarten. She ain't just whistlin' Dixie.


In my mind-scratch that BOTH our minds-we figured this school thing would be an oasis of learning, mutual breaks from the norm and each other, and would be an easy transition due to our excitement, willingness and natural aptitude (refer to previous entries for proof). Then reality slapped us swiftly and soundly, and we're exhaustively re-envisioning the full picture every day. It's not the learning curve or the clamoring to make it all clip along smoothly, but the dashing of all rosy-colored sketches we had hanging above the mantle of our minds.

These first years are the building blocks to her future, and in turn one of the most important factions of my own. We have to stack well. She and I are committed ("school lunch" is her main motivator, whatever gets butts in seats) and it really is a commitment. I watch many parents deny that truth, to their child's detriment. I refuse to be one of them.

As the Loganator stacks, constructs, and negotiates her little cities and sculptures everyday, we'll do the same for our new respective educational careers. the joy of kicking them down to rebuild stronger is just that, and it feels good to draw up blueprints together. And to shelter others from what we've built along the way, is an awesome thing.