Last Day of School

And as promised, I took my girls to their favorite Middle Eastern restaurant. It was like one big breath we all got to take on a Friday afternoon and it was well deserved. Everyone has worked hard and now we get a week or two off before summer activities begin. Education never ends. I'll be taking one course, and there will be gymnastics camp, drama camp and ACT prep. The summer is shorter now, a scant ten weeks and I'm not sure there's a vacation in the mix until the fall.

Still, the last day of school is always sweet.

Wouldn't it just be easier to work at McDonalds?

I just paid $125 for a book for the summer session which lasts only six weeks. OMG!! If the cost of education gets any higher, I might consider going to work for Mayor McCheese. The cost of college is a constant discussion at my home, since my oldest is going into her third year, I'm going into my second, and the 17 year old has dreams of studying while lying on a beach in California. She also dropped the phrase 'law school' the other day. Clearly, she doesn't understand the phrase 'a quarter of a million dollars' either. That's a conservative estimate of what it will cost for undergrad and law school if she chooses to go to school out of state.

So, I tried to couch it in terms she could understand; disposable income. This girl likes to shop. The minute money goes into her high school checking account, it goes out. It's not strange at all to check the balance and see less than five dollars in the account. If she gets a job in law, how much disposable income will she have, once she starts paying back those sizable student loans?

The only time you should this kind of debt is when you're purchasing a home, someone in your family is deathly ill, or you own a business. I hope she understands this before she mortgages her future.

The Mother's Day Remix

On Sunday, I will do something for my Mom and then we'll visit my husband's Mom. She lives about an hour away. I'll probably host a breakfast or brunch for Mom, and I'll contribute a cake to the meal at my mother-in-law's house. So let's see, I'm cooking and spending the day in the car. Yes, I'll enjoy seeing these two ladies who've been so important to my development as a person and a mother, but........

I came up with the idea of an alternative Mother's Day a couple of years ago when at the end of one of these days, I came home exhausted and my family considered Mother's Day over at about five o'clock. Needless to say, I was feeling a little let down.

To me the perfect Mother's Day is doing what you want to do. I want to do nothing, or at least to have the option to do nothing. After doing nothing for a while, I might want to watch a movie, work in the garden, edit a manuscript, or just walk around in my pajamas all day. Being served meals in bed all day wouldn't hurt either. Twenty-four hours before the cruel reality of motherhood bites me again would be sweet.

Now that's a great Mother's Day.

It's Over!!!

I turned in my last exam today. Well, actually, I emailed the exam to my teacher, and then because I'm so anal, I walked a hard copy to his office. I'm starting to act like my 70 year old mother who refuses to use the ATM because she's sure someone will steal her checks.

I remember this feeling. I had the same feeling when I passed my last class in undergrad, then walked aimlessly around the campus because I was no longer a student, nor was I gainfully employed. And of course, this euphoria will only last for a month, but as the end of the school year nears for my daughters as well, we're all just thankful for the break.

What's next? Time to get caught up. I've got a million and one projects I'd love to get at before the summer session starts.