Fall Break

Maria had half-days on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, and now she's off on Thursday, Friday and Monday for Fall Break, so we went on a little getaway.  Wednesday afternoon, I took Veronica and Maria to beautiful Ft. Wayne, Indiana, so we could see the sights there.  We stayed at a Hampton Inn, and the girls were thrilled because we stayed in a suite and I was thrilled because even a nice suite in Ft. Wayne is pretty inexpensive!  We went to Applebee's for dinner, then to the mall to do a little shopping, then to Culvers for Ice Cream and then back to the hotel for bath and bedtime.

HOWEVER.  Those girls would NOT go to sleep.  Veronica was running around the room like she was high on cocaine or something, saying, MAMA THIS HOTEL IS AMAZING!  AMAZING!  and Maria just ... she did not intend to go to sleep.  I am sick with a cold which is probably bronchitis, or pneumonia or something and I finally just fell into bed and turned off the lights and tv and they went to sleep after a while, past 10:15, which is just insane.  Then they were up about every hour on the hour, coughing, drinking water, asking is it morning, ugh, just ... up, I felt like I didn't sleep at all.

Of COURSE, they were up at 7:00.  They were pounding away at me, they wanted to go to Cracker Barrel.  I told them that since *I* hadn't slept all night, I was going to sleep until 8:00 and then we'd get ready so they kind of left me alone, even though Maria kept opening the door to the hallway, ay yi yi.  We had a nice breakfast at the Cracker Barrel and I bought them a little trinket in that store that they love so well.  Veronica had a giant fit because I wouldn't buy her - I can't even remember, something, so I just left.  That happens a lot anymore, I guess if they want to have a fit they can, but I am not sticking around to see it.  I do it a lot leaving the schoolyard.  I tell Maria we have to go and she drops to the ground and then I just leave and she (so far) always catches up.

We went back to the hotel to check out, then to the Science Center in Ft. Wayne, which was fun, I think they had a good time.  We went to Starbucks to have a coffee (me) and a treat (them) and we waited for the Children's Zoo to open.  It's really closed for the season, but they have a special Halloween trick or treat thing, and we went to that.  It was fun.  It's a teeny zoo, compared to ours in town but it was nice and they got some more candy (which we do not need) and then they were ready to go - it was cold and right when we got in the car it started raining in earnest, so we were glad to get out of there.

We were gone about 24 hours and I wish some things were different.  I wish I weren't sick, that made it difficult.  I wish they would possess the ability to go to bed at a decent hour even if they are not in their room.  I wish they didn't get so mad when their every wish wasn't granted, BUT, there were times when they were really good.  They didn't get so mad that I wouldn't buy them a $20 snake at the zoo today, which I am taking as progress.

Lord, this one sad thing happened.  One of the things at the zoo was you could make a Halloween bracelet for $3, it was basically a piece of black string and you could string 8 beads on it.  EIGHT BEADS!  For $3!  Whatever, we did it, they each made one and I gave the dingbat a $10 bill and she held onto it forever.  She said, after we were finished, waving the $10 bill at me, did you give me this?  I said yes, I did and she said okay.  Then she stared at me and then I realized that she didn't know how much change to give me, so I said well, if it was $3 each, then I got two and that's $6, right?  She said right and ... So I said, that'll be $4 back.  She said do you ever have one of those days? and I said sure but let me tell you something, Ft. Wayne Children's Zoo Carny, I NEVER have a day where I can't figure out that $4 is the change for a $6 charge if someone gives you a $10 bill.  SHEESH.

Here's some pictures of our trip:

Street Angel

When Maria was a baby, she was so grumpy and mean at home but she was really wonderful at the store, or out anywhere.  I used to really like to take her to church, even.  My sister was telling my old friend David when he asked how we were doing that Maria was only good out in public and he said she was a Street Angel and it's true!

Now I feel like she is being a School Angel, and Everywhere Else Angel and she is being kind of rough here at home.  Tonight she was at our neighbor's house and I went to go get her for dinner and my LORD, she was freaking out.  FUH-reaking OUT, crying and crying, it's so embarrassing, she is walking down the road just yelling and crying!  It's awful.  Then tonight, she was whining because - I don't even remember why, but - oh I remember why.  She brought five pieces of paper upstairs to her room and I guess she was planning on coloring every single piece of paper and not only that, but every single piece of paper had to be treated like it was a MASTERPIECE or something, because when poor Felicity wanted to color one of them, she acted like the person who discovered that lady in Spain that messed up the Christ picture or something, sheesh.  So I said okay let's just read our book and forget it, I am reading a Junie B. Jones book to her, and she would NOT stop whining over me reading.  I warned her I wasn't going to read anymore if she kept whining and then she did and then I warned her again and then she whined again and then I jumped up and said GOOD NIGHT NURSE and then she really went nuts, crying and crying.

Look, I said, you can't be so good at school that you get to PINK every day, that your behavior is FABULOUS every day, and then come home and shit all over us!  We are the ones who love you and take care of you!  Okay!, she said!  OKAY!

So we'll see how that all works out.

Here's a cute picture of her at the pumpkin patch where we went last week.  She was well behaved on the trip and it was fun to see her with her friends.  I am very proud of all the work she does in school, writing, and spelling, and reading, she's doing great.  I just wish we could get a handle on this behavior thing, jeez it makes it so unpleasant at such unfortunate times of the day - picking her up from school, bed time, etc.

Three for Thursday

It is extremely challenging for me to keep up with these blogs!  Poor me!  Ha, I am going to try to aim low with just three things about Maria, today.  

• We had a playdate with a new friend of hers this week.  Her name is Violet and she is very nice and thankfully, the mom seems very nice too.  It goes down like this - Maria comes running out of school last week, and yells at me, VIOLET AND ME WANT TO HAVE A PLAYDATE!  CAN WE HAVE A PLAYDATE?  WE WANT TO HAVE A PLAYDATE!  I say, well, I will talk to Violet's mom.  I have no idea who Violet's mom is, but what I am hoping is that she is NOT one of the Mean Moms.  Chances are she could have been, there are a lot of Mean Moms at pickup.  I have been lucky because Maria likes this boy named Leo and his mom is very nice and now Violet is a friend and I like her mom, too.  Anyway, Maria screamed and yelled and had to be removed from the schoolyard on Friday because she wanted to have the playdate IMMEDIATELY, she was completely uninterested in future plans.  She has been having a lot of these breakdowns, always at around 3:30, even on the weekends.  I'm sure she's tired and she spends all day being good and fighting her natural inclination to talk and misbehave, and I understand that she feels safe with me and that's why she can misbehave with me, but LORD.  LORD.  It is getting downright embarrassing, the yelling and screaming every day.  Anyway, I emailed the mom and we went to a park near school this week on Tuesday, it was fun.  Mike is on Furlough (ugh) so he stayed home with Felicity and I just took Maria and Veronica.  
• Maria told Mike last week that she was going to call 911 on him.  Thank God she didn't, she just threatened him.  I asked her why she did it and she said he was making her really mad!  Can you imagine?
• Felicity has been sleeping in her room and even though it's a pain because Felicity wakes up a lot earlier than she used to, I think Maria likes being in charge of two minions instead of just one.  This morning she and Veronica came in my room where I was sleeping and said "I have a crying baby for you, Mommy!  It's Felicity!".  I always think, reporting live from the end of the bed, Maria Beck.  
• Things she has really improved, in just a few weeks of school include writing, reading, being quiet when she is supposed to, being good in church, and climbing the HELL out of those monkey bars.