Permission Granted

You have got to be kidding me. This came home today in Priya's school folder.



Is this really what public schools have resorted to? They won't challenge my child to more difficult math work without my permission first. Don't get me wrong, I understand the “we're taking your kid on a bus” permission slip, the “it's ok to videotape my kid” permission slip and the “we'll be using the internet at school” permission slip. But this is complete nonsense... I'm not even sure what I'm agreeing to here. Seriously.

Enough already with the red tape, the procedures, the locked doors... just let the teachers teach our kids. That's what they signed up for and that's what I, as a parent, want them to do. You don't need my permission for this.

And now back to your regularly scheduled blog posts; you know the ones that don't involve me complaining. this much.

OMG, my BFF is moving to Germany. ATAB.

I figure I had better brush up on my netlingo since we'll likely be having more and more conversations online. With the 8 hour time difference and the cost of international calls, our daily phone speak will all but disappear. Our friendship is going back to where it started... online.



Katy and I met through a Yahoo group serving a Colorado Springs playgroup. I posted a message there when we were considering the move westward, and she was one of the first to reply to my bombardment of questions. We exchanged a few emails and based on those alone, I thought she was Chinese (her last name is Ong) and she thought I was Indian. It wasn't until we met that we found out our interracial marriages were just the first of a long list of things that we'd have in common.

Katy is the kind of BAC that I can always count on... whether it be to finish off a bottle of wine, to watch my kid while I'm visiting my sister in Germany, to recommend a good book or movie, to join me in letting loose on the dance floor to old 80's hits, to give me sound parenting advice, to research and put together a training plan for the triathlon we would compete in together, to put up with my annoying call-backs when I think of one more thing to tell her or to find and share in fun activities around town for the kids. She acknowledges and puts up with my stubbornness, my desire to always be right, my competitiveness and the bounty of other character flaws that I possess. Our relationship moved quickly passed the acquaintance phase to where now there are absolutely no formalities between us. Just the way I like it. We are like sisters and I'm really, really going to miss her. I'm not usually a touchy-feely person, but the realization that she's leaving Colorado and there are but days left, is making me all sappy and out of sorts.

LUMTP Katy!

* If you need help deciphering any part of this blog post, check here.

7 Shopping Days 'Til Christmas

I'm not sure what happened this year... well, perhaps it is in part due to my addiction with Facebook and blogging... but Christmas really crept up on me. I didn't see it coming and therefore am about as unprepared as I've ever been for this monstrous event. (Sorry Mom and Dad, the house is a mess. Hopefully, that will resolve itself before your arrival on Tuesday.)

In preparation for the annual Natarajan newsletter, we did manage a Christmas photo shoot with the tripod, matching outfits, our decorated tree and a few seasonal props. But as of yet, nothing has materialized from that afternoon of smiles and self-timer flashes except loads of amateur photos with bad lighting taking up precious space on my ever-shrinking external hard drive. But, alas, I did find something really cool to do with the pics.

In lieu of actually receiving a real live letter in the mail from me this year, I ask that you accept my sincere apology for my utter laziness and enjoy this fun little holiday video instead.

To paraphrase the words of a really good friend in a far away land, "May the Easter bunny bring the tooth fairy over for a glass of eggnog this season" or, in other words, "Happy Holidays my Friends".

Frigid, Subfreezing, Bitter Cold, Frosty, Wintry, Nippy

Some well-suited adjectives to describe the current weather hovering over our state. No amount of sunshine or proximity to the sun will make days like these feel balmy. For those of you wishing you could experience this pure delight, I give you the following images of 9°F in Colorado:





And this brand new piece of electronic equipment may or may not have been sitting out in the sub-zero temps for 2 days on our front porch...



That's right, estimated ship time = 9 days. Actual ship time = 2 days... perfectly timed to arrive just after we left town for the weekend.

Here's hoping that puppy works when we plug it in.

Winter Landscape, Summer Clothing

It's December, we're in the northern hemisphere and Priya is wearing a sleeveless summer dress with sandals while playing in the snow. That's the beauty of Colorado... even in the middle of winter you can count on a day or two like today. Something about the lack of moisture in the air combined with being so darn close to the sun makes cloudless days balmy, no matter what time of year.

To My 7 Year Old (7 days late)

It's hard to believe that I've been a Mom for 7 years already. The time seems to pass too slowly at times and too fast during others. When you were an infant, I was overprotective of you, cherished you, spent a lot of time staring at you and holding you... this beautiful but dependent little being that I helped create. I fumbled through a lot of things not being fully prepared for the changes you would bring to my life. I vowed to do some things different "the next time around". And, oddly enough, when given the chance to do it all again, much of it looked the same. As much as I disliked my disturbed nighttime sleep, I wasn't able to give up falling asleep beside you every night. Daddy was the one who finally separated us... you were, after all, almost 3 years old.

Sometimes I look at you and see someone more mature, more grown up than I remembered from yesterday. It reminds me that the time is passing and I need to capture what I can in pictures or words before you go changing on me again. You say things like "I. Don't. Care.", just like that with the punctuation and everything and I wonder if you might already be a teenager. Or, like yesterday, you picked out a pair of jeans that you normally wouldn't wear because they don't look good aren't cool enough. Since we were just hanging around the house, it didn't bother you to wear them, but we'll never see you don that pair for school. When talking about your day at school, you will declare that "the best thing happened to you today" when a friend chooses to play with you at recess instead of the friend she usually plays with. The cliques are already forming in first grade. As much as you want to be part of them, you don't like leaving anyone out. I think you are really torn by this social anomaly. Always aware of other's feelings you are, because you yourself are so sensitive. Emotionally, I would love to toughen you up a bit.

Today was the first day back from Thanksgiving break and we walked into school together. I felt especially close to you, as the snow packed road muffled the sound of moving cars and students hurriedly walking to class. In the peacefulness, my mind drifted to our hands... yours in mine. Our gloves thick enough to keep our hands warm, yet thin enough that I could feel the exact shape of your hand in mine. You didn't want me to leave you at the sidewalk... instead you insisted that I walk the full distance back to your class line. My warnings of the icy sidewalks struck up a little fear in you, and you didn't want to be left to tackle it alone. You held my hand securely knowing that if you slipped, I would be there to catch your fall. And, indeed I was ready. Always and forever, I want to be the one to catch your fall... no matter how big you get or how independent you become. I'll be there for you. Your kid, adolescent and adult hugs and kisses will always be welcome with me. I love you with all my heart little girl!!

Snow Day

It was snowing this morning when we woke up and it didn't stop all day. Lovely. Glorious. And, here are the pictures to prove it:









Sledding Tip: When you don't want to fight the crowds at the sled hill across the street, convert the deck steps into a slide. When we did it last year, the kids trampled the snow while walking back to the top, so Bartee devised a clever way to launch them back over without damage... to the slide, at least. Priya's snowsuit, on the other hand, took quite a beating.



And, this is what it looks like when you put it in motion...