LilZ had been reminding me earlier this week that the PTA meeting was coming up where we’d get to go to each of his classes for five minutes and meet his teachers. That’s the only meeting I ever go to because, well, I kinda have no use for the PTA. I’m glad they’re there, and I pay my dues every year to join it, but I just have no desire to lose 2 hours on a week night to hanging out in the cafeteria of my son’s school while much more dedicated mothers tell us about all of the new and exciting upcoming events we should participate in.

When we sat down to dinner last night, LilZ said, “Oh, crap. Tonight’s the PTA meeting.”

Thanks for the warning, kid.

Now, the old me would have said, “Too bad. Not enough warning, I’m not going to stress out to try to make it.” But, I’m try to be more active in LilZ’s schooling this year to help him get ready for High School. (I just threw up a little in my mouth saying that.) Meeting his teachers and hearing about their curriculum is the best way to get involved. Plus - It would also give me a chance to meet this teacher.

It was 6pm at that moment and he thought it started at 7pm. We all wolfed down dinner and rushed to get the kids ready (meaning: In clothes not covered in dinner) for the evening. We were taking AndyZ because I feared he’d get hungry while we were gone and would need to nurse. If he was with me I could just whip out The Boobs in the middle of the meeting to give LilZ a great Most Embarrassing Moment to use the rest of his life. (Or I could quickly run to nurse AndyZ in the van…either way.) NikkiZ wanted to go since AndyZ was going, so I ended up braving a PTA meeting with two kids in tow.

Luckily, LilZ was all for it because he has already learned the value cute kids can add to your evaluation from others. He knew if he walked into each class last night with LilZ and AndyZ, his teachers would have no choice but to love him. I told him a secret, “I did the same thing in college with you.” All of my teachers in college knew LilZ because he was such a natural charmer I used him as a weapon. Who was I to stand in the way of him doing the same with his siblings?

So, with him helping out I knew it wouldn’t be too bad. And it wasn’t - except for the repeat elevator trips to get between floors since NikkiZ was in her stroller. And the fact that the meeting extended an hour past NikkiZ’s bedtime. Meaning - she spent the last 30 minutes doing her best SATAN impersonation.

But, LilZ won some great character points as he was doing the Baby Bounce while holding his brother so I could beat his sister into submission. Several people commented on how natural he looked doing it, giving away that he’s not a first-timer with a baby. And the groups of girls eyeballing him as he walked around with NikkiZ? Yep. That kid was smart to want to bring the younger half of our family. I didn’t raise no Dummy.

All in all - it was an interesting trip. He’s got some great teachers, and they all got to see him in action with his brother and sister. I’m always glad people can see that side of him because it’s such a big part of who he is, I feel like you just don’t know the true LilZ until you’ve met them and seen him care for and play with them.

And really - how can you grade a kid harshly after you’ve seen him bounce an infant around to help his Mom instead of run off with his peers? You can’t. Which is why he deserves the good grades…because he’s a DAMN GENIUS.

I emailed Fraulein N about going to the movies alone the other day. She braved it for the first time and I let her in on my little secret: It is one of my favorite things to do.

The first time I did it was to see G.I. Jane back when it came out (11 years ago? Was it really that long ago?) and no one would go with me to see it. I don’t remember why I wanted to so badly, but I just remember thinking that I had to see it in the theater. So, I went by myself. I was really paranoid that someone would think that was weird and I’d stand out in the crowd. But, I remember noticing that I wasn’t the only one sitting alone. I guess I had never noticed the singles in the crowd before, but it definitely wasn’t just me.

I have since put Seeing A Movie Alone on the list of things I pamper myself with periodically. I don’t know why, but I just really enjoy it as an outing. Don’t get me wrong, I also love seeing movies with my family - especially LilZ. But, there’s just an escapist feeling to being at a movie by myself. What about you? Do you go to movies alone? Do you think people like me are freaks?

I finished Breaking Dawn yesterday. I have seen evidence and heard rumors of reviews/criticisms/spoilers on TWITTER but I will not do anything that will ruin the story for those reading it. I assure you. I am going to leave a bullet list of points after the jump here for those of you who HAVE finished it - so we can discuss it in the comments.

Edited to Add: So the entry showed up IN FULL in my feed reader. I don’t want anyone spoiled in their feed readers, so I’m going to put the actual entry as a COMMENT on this entry. Okay? I’m trying my best not to ruin the story for anyone!

I was reading this article about how kids these days don’t know how to wash their own clothes. It got me thinking a lot about laundry, and my own laundry history. I decided to impart my thoughts onto you so you could see how truly important it is that I go back to work and get my mind functioning at a higher capacity for awhile.

First - I will now make it known to the world that when I went off to my first year of college - to live in a dorm with no car - my Dad sent me away with many things. A word processor, clothes, books, toiletries, and a yellow legal pad piece of paper with instructions about how to do my laundry/work a washing machine.

I don’t think I had ever even touched a washing machine before I left for college. My Dad did all of the laundry and never bitched about it. Not that I remember, anyway. At least he didn’t bitch about it like I do. Which is like this: I am finally caught up on the laundry so we’re all going everywhere naked for a few days so I can savor it!

LilZ has done laundry before, but not because I make him do it. It has mainly happened where there was something specific he needed clean. He knows better than to say something like, “Hey - Woman - Wash this now!” So, instead? He just asks if he can do it himself. And I let him. Our washing machine is old and easy so I don’t even know if I had to even teach him. I guess this means he won’t be getting the traditional Yellow Legal Page of Paper instructions like I did.

Also - LilZ grew up very familiar with laundromats. We spent several years without a washer/dryer so we would go to various laundromats in town. We had them ranked in order of which ones we preferred (Him: The one with the park. Me: The one with cable.) but often had to use the one we hated (The one with the employee who smelled like dirty cat litter.) when our favorites were full. It’s an experience he remembers and therefore probably has a healthy appreciation for both his clean clothes, and the ability for them to be clean in our own home. He remarked one day that a friend of his mentioned that he had never been to a laundromat - and that they seemed cool.

LilZ set him straight.

Either way - I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a kid that doesn’t know how to wash his own clothes. I mean - I don’t think it scarred me or anything. I grew into quite the successful laundry maid, thank you VERY much. I only turn loads of white clothes pink a few times a month now. And I only shrink things at the most - twice a month. That’s good, right?

• I bought the soundtrack to “Once More, With Feeling” - the Buffy musical episode. I have now listened to it 900 times. It is the best musical soundtrack EVAH. My favorite part is when Anya sings about how evil bunnies are: “What’s with all the carrots? What do they need such good eyesight for anyway?” BRILLIANT.
• NPH is SO yummy. I want to go buy this issue of OUT magazine just so I can pinup pictures of him in my locker. Yes. I know I’m a 33-year old woman without a locker. I also know he’s gay. WHO CARES?
• I’m just a short ways into Breaking Dawn. I had to finish reading the book from LilZ’s summer reading list so I can talk to him about it (Read: Make Sure He Actually Read It) before school starts tomorrow. I’ll let you know when I finish. So far? STRANGE. Not going anywhere I expected.
• My new phone came in today. Turns out I was eligible for a free phone so I just ordered that instead of trying to use one of LilZ’s old phones. The only one they had in stock was blue. Am I too old to be using a blue phone? Too late.
• I have fallen completely in love with Joshua(r) from So You Think You Can Dance. He is so adorable and talented and while I doubt he’ll win, he’s the one I’m rooting for. With Katee coming in a close second.
• I’ve been dragging stuff up to the attic today, trying to get some last minute house stuff done before going back to work. Did you know that an attic is about 9 million times hotter than the outside? Well, I knew that. But it didn’t stop me from spending just enough time up there to almost pass out coming down the stairs. I’m awesome like that.