Karma (?)

Last summer, Violet went to Magic Mountain with her camp. When the kids poured off the bus at the end of the day, Violet's friend ran straight up to me, pulled a small pair of plastic binoculars from under her shirt and said, "Look what Violet and I got!" Uh-oh. As if the reveal from the hiding place hadn't given it away, the fact that the kids weren't allowed to buy anything on their field trips flashed through my mind. Shit. After a mortifying next couple of hours (for both of us), Violet wrote a letter to Magic Mountain, admitted to what she had done, apologized, promised never to do it again, and put it in a package with the stolen goods and sent it back. A few days later, she received this:

Sure enough, there were two passes. I read the letter to Violet, editing out the part about the "reward." Although it may have been a sweet [albeit corporately self-serving, my cynical voice piped in] gesture, I'm not sure that "steal a $2.99 toy and earn a free trip to Magic Mountain!" is the message I want to be sending. Is this parental psychological engineering? If so, I guess I am guilty. I am also guilty of using this little carrot to my own advantage, magnanimously (and coincidentally!) "allowing" Violet to earn "pleasant points" toward going on a mommy-daughter Magic Mountain day. Well, the big day arrived yesterday (also "coincidentally" on the day the aforementioned passes expired). We invited Violet's Aunt Michele and four-year-old cousin, Clementine, along. As we approached the ticket booth, a woman came up to Michele and said, "Happy New Year," and handed her another free pass! That left us only to purchase one child's ticket and voilà! a fantastic day for all was born. As we entered the park, Violet pointed out the gift shop where the original "incident" occurred. With that little point of business out of the way, off we went. The weather was perfect, the lines were short, and the rides were super fun! I daresay a better time than Disneyland. Hmmmmmm, I wonder what happens when you shoplift from the happiest place on earth....

Bummer, Weird, and Delicious

Philip had his wallet and keys stolen today. While I was poking around in the nearby bushes looking for his stuff, I discovered these instead:

Quite the surprise! I am used to finding these in April, in the midwest. This is December in L.A.!! Can't wait to fry 'em up! Yummy! Tomorrow we will go back and look for more!

By the way, if you want to know where I acquired my taste for these babies, behold the professional...

While my grandma likely would have preferred her more glamorous side as her first internet-posted photo, this is my favorite of her. I can still hear her giggle at the sight of a mushroom! I miss her a lot and will giggle to myself as I enjoy every last bite. :)

Sad

In my previous post, I mentioned a young man from the middle school where I work who was gravely ill. His name was Cody. He died on Sunday, the day after his 14th birthday. His family had been posting to this website they had made for him. I didn't know him, but the posts from his classmates, family, the community, and the world attest to how much this kid was loved and to the heartbreak of it all. It is really incomprehensible.

Some of My Favorite Words: "I'm Fine Mom!"

Today I learned that a student at the middle school where I work is critically ill. I don't know the student, but I was [obviously] affected by reading the family's blog and seeing the staff work with students as they process their feelings. This boy seemed to be more or less fine one day, and was then in crisis out-of-the-blue. It is heart-wrenching to think what this family is going through.

As my thoughts went to my own children, I thought about how some days I have to resist the urge to keep them with me, holding them, hugging them, never letting them out in the world, as if that could keep them safe and happy (well it might keep me happy). Last winter around this time, Philip was out of the country on business. I had to drop off Violet early one morning at Winter Camp and picked her up later than usual. It was a much longer day than she had ever spent away. I was really freaked out about her having that long of a day and was driving like a maniac to pick her up. When I got there I was almost in tears. When I told her I was sorry and that I had been worrying about her, she looked up and said, "Mommy, the whole time you were worrying about me, I was having a great time!"

So I am trying to visualize this young man waking up and telling his parents, "Don't worry about me, I'm gonna be fine!"

My Girl

Help with Thanksgiving Cooking

Another Packed L.A. Weekend

Friday night Hollywood premier and after-party? Check. 8 a.m. soccer game with toddler in tow? Check. Baby shower brunch an hour from home? Check. Birthday party for my favorite twin four-year-olds an hour in the other direction? Check. Kid-friendly rock and roll reunion show of one of my favorite bands an hour in another direction? Check. Fun had by all? Check. And this only brings us to Saturday night, people. Keep up! Tomorrow will be a BBQ with friends!