The last (silent) word

Okay so anyone who's not me will most likely chuckle when reading this post. With biggirl's very full gymnastics schedule, we made a deal before school started that she is to be in bed by 8:30 p.m. every night except Saturday. I know this may seem harsh for an 11 year old, but she is on the bus by 7:30 on weekdays and at the gym at 8:00 on Saturday mornings. We feel that in order to function properly at school, gymnastics, and at home, that is the most appropriate bedtime. On evenings when she has gymnastics, she is normally in the door by 7:50 p.m., which leaves her 40 minutes to shower, brush her teeth, and get to bed. Any mother out there knows that 40 minutes to do that is a luxurious span of time, heck need I make a list of everything I can get done in 40 minutes? Actually, that might make for a good blog entry!
Anyways, tonight, biggirl was sluggish when she got home. She suddenly had many things she wanted to tell me. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for talking, just not when it's late and we have a schedule to respect. So, once again, I found myself constantly reminding her that the clock was ticking and she tells me that she's sick of me bugging her to get things done all the time. Soooooooo... what do you think I did? I backed off. Way, way, off.
It is now 9:05 p.m. and she is not in bed. She is practicing Mary had a little lamb for the 50th time on her recorder (homework states she is to practice for 5 minutes). Plus, she is laughing loudly, talking, and making noise in every way she can think of. I know she is just waiting, longing for me to go down and get upset. But no way.
I have backed off.
I will let her deal with the natural consequence of being tired.
There.
I will have the last (silent) word tonight.

The worst thing is... getting to bed on time is actually considered a paying chore in our house. That is how important we think getting to bed on time really is for her. Unfortunately, we rarely have to pay for that one!

If only I could figure out how to get paid for getting to bed on time... any ideas anyone????

To camp and back

Sunday morning, I was up bright and early. I had prepared myself to send biggirl off to gymnastics camp for months and the day had come! After much frustration, her (5 ton) suitcase was packed and her list had been checked, rechecked, and overchecked!

It took us about 2 1/2 hours to get there. We were given the chance to take a look around and meet the coaches and staff. Everything looked fantastic, especially biggirl's smile when she spotted her BFF, the one for whom she had frantically reserved the bunk above hers.

Finally, after a long presentation proving to all parents that the camp was beyond doubt worthy and capable of taking care of their offspring for a whole week, we were given 10 minutes to say our goodbyes. I had been warned: she did not want me to cry when it was time to leave (who me?)... Thank God for my oversized sunglasses!

On the way home, we decided to take another route which included a ferry crossing. Of course, just as we reached the ferry, it was full. That meant waiting for the next ferry... I'm all for road trips, but I couldn't wait to get back home! Who would've thought that this would be a 10-hour day? Not me!

Anyways, when we finally did get home, I made babygirl (who came along for the ride) dinner and sat on the porch with her while she was eating...

Me: I am pooped!

Babygirl (puzzled yet attempting to pursue the conversation) stated: I peed when we got home.

At first, I didn't get it, but then I realized that she just didn't know what "pooped" means. I thought this was really cute. So now, babygirl has a new expression she can use whenever she gets sleepy, which is still around 7 p.m. every night!

Can't wait to see how pooped biggirl will be when she gets home!