Melissa's Rules for Raising Amazing Children.

I just read this article on 21 ways to raise a feminist child and I love it!

So, I've got three kids and as I'm going through the list, I'm thinking...yep, yep, yep...that's about right, so I'm proud of my efforts to be a progressive parent.

My kids have grown up in an intentionally exposed environment.  When I worked at an AIDS agency, they frequently visited my office.  They also visited our attached LGBT center and made friends with a few transgender employees there, who were and are dear friends of mine.  Sometimes my children would ask, "Is that a man or a lady?" And I'd simply answer, as if answering what color the sky was right then.  No need to freak out or act weird, because those are non-verbal cues that your child will pick up on and proceed to think they need to freak out.

Now, after a few years of being in an open home, my kids ask questions like (when visiting my friends' Katelynn and Brooke's house), "Are you two wives?" and I let them answer.  I love that my children now understand and accept that there are more household types than one man/one woman.  I also love that they are curious, inquisitive, and not scared to voice their questions.

My kids have been to protests with me, and I always explain what's going on (in as appropriate a way as possible..Callie went with me to a protest in Richmond...no,  she didn't get an in-depth description of abortion.  What she got was a day where she saw thousands of women gathering to speak to their government in a civilized, respectful manner, where nothing but women (and a scant few boyfriends/husbands) took up signs, banners, armbands, and stood up for themselves and all women.  She kept her little armband emblazoned with "My Body, My Choice" in turquoise puffy paint, and it stays in her jewelry box with her other prized possessions.

So here begins what is, quite obviously, a shameless showing-off of my kids, but a list of what I've prioritized when raising them. The reason I've included pics is not only to show off my beautiful children, but to prove that I practice what I preach...I'm not making this shit up.

 Grayson is now 8, into musical theater and basketball, who is apt to dancing his way across the court and pretending to shoot free-throws on stage during rehearsals. He can read at a level two grades higher and has a crack mind, when it comes to logically destroying any parental argument ("Because I said so", etc).

Callie is 6, a self-affirmed vegan and artist, if given the preference would only wear Chuck Taylors (preferably black) for two years now, and has a real problem with cleanliness. She's my mirror image...absolutely the most "like me" of all of our kids: questions authority, stands up for herself yet deeply hurts privately when someone is mean (and she confides in me, which is so humbling), and may one day live in my basement while she figures herself out.

John is 5, wants to be a doctor yet has the cunning wit of a budding comedian/actor.  His curiosity and love are boundless, and he has spent the most time out of all of the kids (basically his whole life) deeply entrenched in the LGBT and activist communities and it has given him a deep and passionate empathy for others and a sparkling love of life, every day.  He's the least likely to complain, in any situation (including myself).  He rolls with the punches and has endless optimism.

So here are the rules with which I have raised my children to be the amazing people they are.  I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I am saying I'm doing a damn good job given what astounding people my kids are becoming.

#1) Above all else, love. Love, love, love.  We, as a family, are each others' best friends.  At the end of the day, after friends come and go, boyfriends/girlfriends break our hearts, for all of our lives, we have one another.  Be our best best friends.  Love and nurture your relationship with your family. Truly be best friends, and absolutely shower your children with love because one day they'll be gone and you can't give them a hug whenever you want.

 

#2) Love and respect animals.  We've had many pets...old dogs who have now crossed the bridge, puppies that are still frolicking, turtles, hermit crabs, you name it.  Teaching children to care for animals instills empathy, a gentleness of nature, and unconditional love like nothing other.





#3) Love reading. Love education. Love school. You get nowhere in life, no matter how big your dreams and ambition, without a solid education.  Read together. Make school a fun experience, not a dreaded end-of-summer-bummer.  Let your kids see you read. Don't wait until after they're in bed...read, all the time, in front of them so they see it's a viable and fun activity for adults, too.  Turn off the TV, throw a bunch of books in the living room floor, and have family reading time. Encourage older siblings to read to younger ones.  They love that...they eat it up. Encourage them to read above their level...read the paper, magazines, etc.
 




#4) Love Nature. No planet...no life. No nature...no life. Make sure your kids are out in nature, enjoying it, but also understanding how important it is to respect it and treat the earth well.  Volunteer to pick up trash together. Recycle, garden, hike, get out and enjoy nature as often as possible.




















#5) Love and respect ART. In all forms. Painting, writing, singing, dancing....enjoy art.  Take your kids to art museums (and don't giggle or act weird at the nudes). Take them to live art demonstrations. Give them easels, paints, paper, typewriters, instruments, whatever they need to flourish in the arts.  Growing the right side of the brain is just as important as growing the left.
 

#6) Maybe this should be first....LOVE YOURSELF. LOVE UNIQUENESS.  Love and adore your children's quirks and teach them to do the same.  We are all so gloriously different...let them be as weird, funny, goofy, as they want and never EVER, EVER try to stifle that and put them in some social-conforming box. Never crush a kids' spirit like that. If they're a boy and want long hair, let them. If they want to paint their nails, let them. If they typically behave as goofy as early-career Jim Carrey, let them.  If they want to pick out Rubix-cube sneaks for the first day of school, oh my God, how rad is that?  If they want to sing and dance on the sidewalk in the rain in front of rush hour traffic, OH MY GOD LET THEM.  Let them rise their faces to the sun, eyes closed, absorbing everything. Let your children live their lives to the fullest, because when they are adults, society may tamp down on that.  Let them be as free as possible for as long as possible.

#7) No gender rules.  If a boy wants to paint his nails, play with dolls, grow his hair, let him. If a girl wants to pay ball, get dirty in the yard, and not wear dresses, let her.  Why on earth would you not?  How would you like it if you hated wearing corduroy (as I do) and some asshole made you wear corduroy every single day?  What a horrible way to live!  Don't press gender roles on your kids...let their spirits develop naturally.  Society, school, and friends will be along soon enough to press gender assignments on your kids, but hopefully they'll be strong enough from an early childhood without those pressures to be secure in who they naturally are without the pink or blue airbrushing of society.

#8) Get them involved in politics.  Yeah, I'm serious.  They need to be informed on how their democracy works.  Use age-appropriate language, of course (don't go talking at a six year old about sequester....duh), but take them along to political events (and yes, this includes protests and rallies, provided they are peaceful, safe places for kids).  Kids need to see democracy in action. (By the way, John is wearing his Michael Jackson glove in this picture...the one he wore for a month straight after watching "This Is It" and learning every move.  They can totally express their individuality while supporting politics...LOL.)

#9) Embrace exposure to all walks of life. Now, I don't have a lot of pictures of this because I didn't want to take pictures of my kids in the LGBT Center or in my office as I felt like that looked (at the time) like a photo op.  When I worked at the AIDS agency and the LGBT center, my kids dropped by about 2-3 times a week. They would sit and talk, hang out, while I finished up, made copies, etc.  My home is an open environment...I have friends over all the time, and many times those friends are gay, transgender, bi, whatever.  The thing is, my kids don't know that, they just know that they are cool people.

This picture is from a community work-day where we freshened up the paint in the LGBT Center.  Grayson was playing chess with Julian, who Grayson will probably never realize is anywhere on the LGBT spectrum. Julian is an attorney, that's what stuck in his mind, as it should. Teach your kids to love people, not their labels or what box they fit in.  This is advice a lot of adults should heed, as well.

#10) Embrace responsibility.  Nobody gets a free ride in life.  You have to work.  Teach them early...chores are a mom's best friend.  You have absolutely no obligation, once they can walk and comprehend basic instruction, to pick up after them.  Teach them to take care of their own space, clean up their own messes, and take care of common spaces as a team. Trust me, their future roommates and partners will thank you.
My reward system worked great, and now we don't even have this poster anymore but the kids remember their basic chores.  Sometimes, if we're doing something extra like spring cleaning, I'll work out a system, "OK, I'll give you each five bucks to pitch in on your closet, pack up these summer clothes, and put everything away."  They get five bucks, I get a check on my cleaning list. Win/win.




So there it is....my rules, which I've learned all by experience and taking many, many wrong turns, to raising amazing kids.  And if you doubt it, give me a call and you can come hang out with some of the coolest kids you'll ever met and see for yourself.
~m

Today's Meal Plan

OK, so this morning I was supposed to have a smoothie (protein shake) for breakfast, so that was good but I ended up hungry not too long later. For lunch, we had shrimp stirfry, which I liked...a lot. I could eat that more often. Tonight I am supposed to have lean turkey breast with gravy and green beans, but since I have class until 7, I don't know if I will have that kind of energy when I get home. We'll see.

I just had my afternoon snack, which was a protein bar and Gatorade....the protein bars I got are made by Snickers, so they are actually very yummy. Chocolate and nuts...who can go wrong?

Now if my kids will only get in line, I'll be happy. My fuse is getting shorter and shorter because they are starting to gang up on these little schemes...exciting.

Wishing there were more hours in the day

I just wish I had a few more hours...I would be able to spend some more time playing with my kids rather than cleaning up after them, or doing their laundry, or cooking for them...but such is life.

I also wish I had a few more friends around here. It's hard with Logan gone because I don't get much adult interaction; I mean, at school I do, but that's only sitting and listening to a professor for an hour or so and then we disperse....not like college kids have much in common with a 27 yr old mother of three anyway. So yeah, just wishing for a few minor tweaks in my life but no one can have perfection :)

Going to take some of the existing hours I actually have to do some HW.......

Navy wifedom...

Yeah, so it doesn't get better with time...every time he has to go out to sea, it flat out sucks. I mean, a part of it is that I have to do everything by myself....the laundry, the cleaning, the dishes, the kids, the cars, the pets, the bills....everything....I mean, Jami definitely helps me out, but more than that, I don't have someone to come home to and tell my problems to. I don't have someone to sit with me and watch Criminal minds and tell me how cheesy my FBI/cop shows are. I don't have someone to tell me my dinner is yummy or that he loves me, and that stinks. To everyone who thinks the military doesn't sacrifice, or that their families don't sacrifice, you should walk a day in our shoes. Logan and I laugh at that show Wife Swap when they have to be apart for 2 little weeks and they are crying and about to lose their minds being apart from their spouse for that long....and it's only 2 weeks. Try eight months... been there, done that...with a newborn. I'm just hoping with Grayson's birthday party and getting ready for Thanksgiving that it will go by fast.

Anyway...it's such a Martin Sexton/ Johnny Cash type of day. Grey...overcast...chilly, perfect for curling up with a spiked mulled cider and reading some Plath or Poe, all gloom and doom in their delicious poetic words. Mmmm, to have one day with a babysitter who has the kids at her house and I have some good book, some warm drinks, and an appointment at the salon.....aaaahhhhh....a girl can dream (and use excessive ellipsis...ten bucks to anyone who counts them...I know I have a problem).

Halloween Night.

Last night was so fun, and there were so many things I wish I could just freeze in time so I could remember them forever. Callie thought she was a princess with her hair curled and dressed up in her Little Red Riding Hood costume. She was scared of some of the people wearing black robes or scary costumes on their front porches but went to every house. Grayson was so excited and so proud of his Optimus Prime costume...he took it very seriously and really thought he was Optimus Prime for the night! He was hilarious talking to every kid we passed, and he has eaten most of his bucket of candy already! John took the night, though....last year he wasn't old enough to walk, so this was his first year walking it. He is absolutely f.e.ar.l.e.s.s. He wasn't scared of any costume, any noise or scary decoration; no fog machine or jackolantern could sway him once he discovered he said those three magic words (which sounded like "Dwick Dwee" when he said it) and scored candy in his bag. Between houses, he would hold his bag open and look down into, sometimes so into it he veered off into the grass beside the pavement. He was absolutely fascinated with this event.....walking from house to house getting candy from strangers! He loved it, and all three kids passed out as soon as we got home, still in their costumes.....there is nothing cuter on earth.
So all in all, great Halloween with great friends and great kids! It' going to be hard next year without Janet, Troy, and Christian.

So much to do....so much to say

Anyone who can reference the song lyric in my title gets extra credit.


Anyhoo, Logan and I are doing the big clean out this weekend. I'm looking at several law schools that fit what I want to do and some happen to be in New York. Not New York state, like upstate, Buffalo...I'm talking downtown, subways, beatin the street in the concrete jungle. I'm stoked. BUT we have to de-clutter our lives BIG time. I'm also applying in NC, SC, VA, GA, etc...lots of places. Either way, there is a move in the imminent future.

The kids each have a toy box, then we have a vertical Ikea toy storage unit...all packed and overflowing with the plastic atrocities our kids call toys nowadays. It's too much, too too much STUFF. So we've convinced the kids that we will keep their ten favorite toys and all the rest will go to charity by way of the local Ronald McDonald house. Same with their clothes: we're downsizing their little diva wardrobes to some necessities and staples, like jeans and cords, that will wear wellf or a long time.

Don't feel sorry for my kids...Logan and I are doing it too. I've already gone through my clothes and got ready of anything I haven't worn in six months (seasonal exceptions) or is one of those sizes I keep "hoping" I'll get back into. I figure if I ever do get back in that size, I'll go buy myself new clothes as a reward for shedding the weight. So I am down to 1/2 of the closet bar of hanging clothes and 2 drawers of clothes and 1 drawer of underthings and PJ's. Logan has got to let goooo of those size 34 khakis, but he's holding strong. But then again, men usually can lose weight fairly easily and he may actually get back into those pants.

We're also trying to get rid of our bigger stuff, the garage full of extra dishes, clothes, boxes, nick nacks, furniture, and the more space-consuming junk that is no longer of use to us.

So wish us luck as we get started this weekend on the big purge of all of our junk, the byproducts of our materialistic life that will hopefully lead to a less hoarding lifestyle and make us think before we buy the next "I want" item.

Other than that, getting geared up for the holidays...alone. Logan's leaving in a week and a half and won't be home until the day before Thanksgiving...if we're lucky. Then he gets to be home for about a month until he leaves for his third deployment in four years. Hooah, go Navy, right. So I will be doing all the prepwork for the holidays alone, which is mildly irritating, but, as a good Navy wife, I'm getting used to it.

So wish me luck as we set out on this weekend and get everything done so I can do the last stretch of my undergrad at a breakneck speed and get my butt into a decent law school so I can get on with my life, already!

Finally I can get back to blogging

I finally feel like everything has settled down enough so I can get back into my daily routine, one item of which is writing. So you readers get to be my guinea pigs as I start to try my daily writing routine and see how you like it. Sometimes it may not be interesting, and sometimes I'll just be writing about my kids and nothing else, but at least I'll be writing something.

OK, so since my last appearance in January, my ex-husband passed away, I [finally] got back custody of my son and we are [finally] one cohesive family unit. Logan came home from deployment, and I started my Fall semester at ODU and took the LSAT for law school. I made a pretty decent score and now I'm looking at law schools, and I won't saw where for fear of retribution. The fact is, one law school in SC is probably not feasible for me to get into and the other is crazy expensive. If it works out, good. If it doesn't, it doesn't...so sue me.

I can't wait to be done with my undergrad and on to bigger and better things. Since some of the classes I am taking this year were unfilled freshmen level prerequisites, I feel like I'm spinning my wheels a little, and the sad part is...I'm making the worst grades in those classes! Because I don't like them! How stupid is that? I'm trying to buckle down but it's hard with three kids, their school schedule, my husband's crazy military work schedule, and trying to maintain the household...it's totally cuckoo for cocoa puffs in my house, 24/7.

On a side bar, what's the deal with college students wearing black? Black jackets, black jeans, black shoes, black scarves, black glasses...we get it already....our campus is starting to look like some retro-sad beatnik invasion of coffeehouse geeks circa 1993.

Back to what I was saying, hopefully I will find that magic mastery of organization and scheduling which will allow me to finish my undergrad with flying colors and get into some of the law schools I am DYING to go to (hello... CUNY!). It would be sad if I didn't get into a good law school because of laundry, seriously. I've been thinking of cutting the kids' wardrobes down to 14 shirts and 14 pants each, that all "go" together, so I can do laundry once a week and they will always have clean, matching clothes. Thoughts?

Gotta run to class. I screwed up on the syllabus and did next week's assignment for today, so at least I'm ahead (albeit unintentionally)...as Forrest Gump says, one less thing.

Today's my brother's birthday! Anyway, it's been a while since I wrote because it seems everything I touch has broken...lol! Our van has some sort of electrical problem and it won't start. Then, about three days later, we got rear-ended in the Jeep. The dog jumped on the laptop and broke it by bending the monitor all the way back, and then the heat pump went out in the house. Who knew we could rack up about $2K of repairs in less than two weeks?

Anyway, I'm trying to stay positive. We've got plenty of space heaters, so until the heat pump's fixed we can stay warm. The Jeep still runs, so until the van is fixed we still have transportation. The laptop is still functional, I just have to plug it via VGA into the desktop monitor, which of course makes it lack the portability of a laptop but hey, I didn't lose all my photos and data and buying another laptop isn't entirely necessary at this time. So as long as we're all healthy, I'm happy. (Knocking hard on wood).

So Logan got to come home for about four days and then went straight back out to sea. I hate it. But at least he will be home for the holidays this year!! I'm so excited! He's going to be here for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, AND New Year's (an unprecedented lineup thus far in his Navy career!). I think we're sticking around the area during the holidays except maybe a long weekend up to NYC to ice-skate at Rockafeller Center. Logan's never been, which I think is a crying shame and I insisted we go before we move out to the MidWest and never again see civilization....er, you know what I mean. I know my parents are coming up for Thanksgiving and we may go down there for a few days right around Christmas.

OK, so is anyone sick to death of hearing about the election, already? If I hear one more ad about either candidate I'll scream. We're turning our cable off and attempting to live sans TV for a while...everyone I know who's done it has never gone back! So hopefully when I'm not leaving news channels on all day to watch while I do laundry, vaccuum, etc, it won't bug me so bad! Our local newspaper has done a great job of covering other news so my morning read isn't ruined. :)

I'm afraid I've got no new photos today...somehow I ruined my Bluetooth connection so I can't upload the photos from my phone. At least my 2 yr upgrade is coming up in a few weeks so I'll be getting a new phone that works ALL the time! Yay! Logan's tried to get me to buy a new phone before now, since mine is shorting out, losing power quickly, and now the Bluetooth is messed up....but there's a certain satsifaction in holding on to something until you get rewarded with a uber-cool new one for free or really, really cheap. So I'll hold out the three additional weeks, keep my phone plugged in 24/7, and just stockpile these photos until I do get a new, uber-cool phone! Until then...I'll just post here...

Cheap dinner...

So I had someone ask me for the recipe to dinner tonight...LOL! It's just an easy casserole that's cheap, healthy, and fast. Here's dinner tonight:
1 package stuffing: ~$1
1 can mixed veggies: ~$0.69
1 can cream of mushroom soup: ~$0.99
4 chicken tenderloins: ~$2.00

Prepare the stuffing according to box directions. In small casserole dish, mix drained can of veggies, chicken (cut into 1"chunks), and cream of mushroom soup. Also, mix in half of stuffing. On top of this, spread remaining half of stuffing. Bake, covered, at 400 for 30 minutes. Uncover and broil on HI for about 5 more minutes, until stuffing on top is crispy and browned. Serves 4 or 5.

Now tell me how you can feed a family of four or five for about $5.00?

My dad made casseroles a lot, and now I know why! They're cheap, easy, and yummy! Callie loves them. Anyway, today was a great day...got my transcript so I'm ready to start @ ODU now....nervous, but ready.

Well I have to run...Callie's harassing the cat again.

Good morning

It's a nice, calm morning...for some reason the kids are all very chilled out today and not wild-n-crazy like they usually are. I'm so ready for Logan to be home...I'm tired of being worried all the time. Those in his chain of command were going to transfer him to the Flight Deck shop, and after the accident this weekend, I'd rather him work in the burn room for the trash than work on the flight deck. I don't want any chance of him getting hurt.

There seems to be a lot of deaths on the Eisenhower in the past couple of years. I'm not trying to say anything negative, it just seems strange and is very nerve-wracking for those of us who have a loved one on that ship!! I try to stay positive, but when something like this happens it's very difficult to not imagine the possibilities of danger. My husband works with bombs!! If that's not enough to worry about, now they want to put him on the flight deck + bombs. I think I'll have a nervous breakdown!

I've heard a lot of negative comments about Navy wives lately, and let me tell you, this is one of the hardest roles to play in life. Military wife, police officer or fireman's wife, all of us have to go about our daily lives and maintain a sense of normalcy for the sake of our children; we have to play Mommy and Daddy, do the cooking, cleaning, yardwork, mechanical maintenance on vehicles, clean the gutters, do it all and still smile and pretend we're not worried to death every moment of every day. And then something like this happens and our facades crack for just a moment and we allow ourselves to call the ship's careline, to email everyone we know, to find the name of that poor sailor and then guiltily breathe a sigh of relief when it's not our husband. Only to immediately be overwhelmed with sorrow for his wife, pregnant with their third child and left to be the permanent deployment wife: taking care of her children alone while her husband is forever lost to the seas.

When I served in the Navy, I frequently felt our isolation and the extent to which we were at the mercy of the sea. Should the winds shift, a plane's propellor catch a draft, an airman take a step forward when it should have been backwards... as we floated out there with no land in sight, a self-sustaining mechanical island with the capability of a small city, small airport, and full battalion, the leer of death was around every ocean swell and in every churning thunderhead. From time to time, Davy Jones rises to remind us all of the danger of our jobs in the Navy; even the most routine underway can turn into tragedy.


On to brighter news: John is cutting another tooth and has grown at least a couple of inches... he's going to be very tall, I think...he's all legs with a big head (like an orange on a toothpick...ten bucks to whomever can name that movie!). Callie's tall for her age, too...must be what I'm feeding them :). Well, now John's staring at me and intermittenly screaming and laughing, so I think he wants me to play.

Sunday, Sunday

I wanted to write this morning because I probably won't get a chance later today. We've got to get off to church at 1030, and then after church we're running home to change and then meeting Janet and Christian at the zoo. They're having military appreciation day, so all military families are FREE! I'm so excited! Callie loves it, and my favorite part is the big giraffe exhibit with the deck that takes you up to their head level...lol. Callie's favorite part is the hippo, or at least it was the last time we went.

I've gotten on Facebook after receiving the fourth email inviting me from somebody or other. So I finally signed up and now I'm talking to people I haven't talked to in almost a decade...it's pretty insane! I got a message from Marybeth Johnson this morning...crazy! I haven't seen her since high school. I'm trying to get my mom to join, because I'll post new pics of the kids all the time (like this one of Callie in her new puffy vest Daddy bought her last month that she's been dying to wear and it was finally cool enough).

Oh, if anyone has advice on AT&T Razr cell phones acting up, I'd appreciate it. My phone has been perfect for the past year, and suddenly it doesn't get signal...anywhere. My friends have been calling and just get a busy signal or as soon as I open the phone to answer it, the phone turns off and back on. In fact, here's a pic I took when I was attempting to connect to my Bluetooth to send Logan a pic of John (it's weird that a picture I took by accident turns out better than when I'm posing for a photo...): And here's the pic I was attempting to send...John was mad because I ran out of his diapers and had to put one two sizes too big for him and it was bunching up when I took this photo: Anyway, I've been meaning to post pics of our Saturday walk...every Saturday, we go downtown and walk...we have a route: we start at the coffeehouse (A Latte) where I'll get a frappe or a smoothie and Callie gets ice cream (and lately, a banana, because the owners have come to know her as "Monkey Girl" and give her a banana every trip!), then we walk down Freemason to the Market where Kelly has a wine tasting every Sat from 12-3 and we sample 2 or 3 new wines and she teaches us about them, then we stroll down to Town Point Park where there's usually a festival of some kind going on, then on to McArthur Center or perhaps the Gallery of artists, then home for a Saturday snooze while Logan cuts the grass. Of course, recently I've been going alone since Logan's out to sea, but it's a tradition so I just go alone with the kids. Thank goodness we have a double stroller! I was SO looking forward to my parents coming on our walk with us, but they had to cancel their trip here. Logan and I are extremely disappointed...we were looking forward to it so much, and we had already told the kids Grandmama and Grandaddy were coming. Logan gets the feeling that my parents will only come see us if they have absolutely nothing else to do that week, like visiting us is a last resort, but I've told him that Travis still works and he can't just not go to work so my parents still have to honor his work obligation. I do wish they could visit more often, though.

Well, it's off to get the kids and myself dressed and off to church!

Winding down...

I'm so glad it's Friday! Another day closer to the day Logan comes home, and another day closer to when my parents are coming!!

John is sick today; he finally succumbed to the teething and is resting after attempting to stay awake all day yesterday. His second tooth is coming in, and he's got a slight fever, poor thing. I know he can't feel great at all. So I gave him a dose of Mortine, a frozen teething ring, a bottle, and some toys and he's in his crib on his Boppy alternately resting and playing quietly while gnawing on his teether.

Tomorrow Callie has a trial class at The Little Gym in Chespeake...I can't wait! I'm sure she's going to have a blast. Even if we can't afford it, she'll at least have fun tomorrow. I'm working so hard to finish all my schoolwork so I can just enjoy the weekend with my kids and not have to be glued to the computer the whole time.

Waiting on this debate tonight...that should be awesome!