Festive Times & Festive Measures

First, the measure... my hair, is now dark. Not sort of brown or light brown, but dark in a competing-with-the-Chinese-kid's-hair dark... I would post you a photo, but I seem to be under some sort of agreement with my husband not to let anyone out there actually see what I look like... apparently you all can eyeball the children as much as you want, but I am off limits because I am the freak magnet.

When the lovely Hugh was going through his resistance to blogger-dom, the only one of my friends who agreed with him was my girlfriend Tori... she quite rightly pointed out that, where I am, the disturbed gather. If there is a stalker, an unmedicated bi-polar sufferer, or someone who is simply batshit crazy, you can bet that I either remind them of their dead sister, their ex-wife, their doctor or, worse, I am the woman of their dreams. This has nothing to do with what I actually look like, but rather with a very strange vibe that I emit... it sends a "COME OVER & SIT BY ME!" message to those who are truly in the midst of some sort of downward spiral. Trust me when I tell you that not one time has this happened with anyone you would actually want to know. Never. Ever.

The festive note: today was the last day of school for the boys (yea! I love when my kids are off school)! Jake and Jack attend a Catholic School, which, for shits and giggles, we will call, "St. Give Me All Your Money". The school term ends every year with a good old Christmas Carol program with each class singing 2 or 3 songs... it was fairly typical, what with the K kids shoving each other off stage, the upper grade girls singing rather reedy solos (while trying not to fall off their inappropriate heels because the stupid hair in their faces made it hard to see), my younger son frantically trying to convey something to me from the stage and my elder son looking as though singing in the Christmas program = pop quiz in math. I agree with him.

The damn program gets longer every year. Each December there seems to be some addition: Parent Sing-Along! Scenes from the Nativity! Solo for flute and guitar! More!! Make it longer!! By the halfway point I, and all the other parents with small children, have migrated to the parking lot where we lurk around, swap goldfish crackers and take turns running back inside to see what grade they are finally up to... Eva entertained herself by banging on the window of someone's Lexus and, as they were not parked correctly, (ever see 'Mr. Mom'... do not mess with the school parking regulations...), I didn't stop her. The photo above shows where we hung out... BTW, Eva dressed herself... I don't make her wear all Chinese style clothing with red rubber rain boots... that is all her.

Finally, a public service announcement to my lovely friends and family who very sweetly read and then email me a message... you can post here, without registering, under the "anonymous" option and then simply sign your name.