Anna's Senior Prom--April 29, 2016!!

Today was Anna's Senior Prom.   I have to be honest, I am not the greatest mother about these things.

 So, she came home, and ran out within 20 minutes to meet up with her friends and dates at a house, then go to pictures, which got changed because the weather was so lousy.   I got these pictures, quickly, because she was in such a rush:

But, then she came back, because she needed to fix something, so then I got this--see how she is gritting her teeth for me to hurry!!

Because of the rain, the photo session at a local arboretum got cancelled....so we went directly to the country club for the photos: 

Look at how cute Zoey and Anna look---I had to do a close up! 

 Many of the Mount Crew girls--apparently solid colored dresses are what girls are wearing....it took this photo to realize it:

April 26, 2016--Happy Pennsylvania Primary Election Day!

I usually vote later in the day, but I was at the  polls this morning with Anna, because it was the first election she was eligible to vote in, and I wanted to be there.  Ironically, we vote in the gymnasium that her preschool used for outdoor play in bad weather, so as we were waiting to vote (yes, we had to wait!), we talked about her old days at Abington Friends Preschool. I loved that preschool.

But, today was a big day for Anna.  Here she is:

I can remember holding her hand as we walked into this gymnasium when she was four....

  Now, holding her voter identification card:

Waiting for the lady to find her name....how many Gallaghers can there be?

Yes, that is a hole in her elbow. And the button on her skirt is broken.  And during the winter, she wears tights that have holes in it the size of a dinner plate.    She is a mess, and she doesn't care.

This went on for about three minutes....they have asked me to work the polls, but I know better---with my personality, it wouldn't be good. 

So, regardless of who you want to vote, make sure you go vote today.  I have never missed an election, primary or general, since I first was able to vote when I turned 18.   

Sunday Synopsis--April 18-24, 2016--Still waiting for Anna to decide about college.....

This week went by quickly, not really sure why.  Lily is busy playing outside with friends after school, Matthew has been playing a lot of lacrosse, Timmy has been working a lot of nights at his job at a local ice cream shop (my dream is to own an ice cream shop--maybe down the shore?), and Anna is in her busy season of Crew, which means she leaves for school at 7, gets home from Crew at 8:30 at night.  It is ridiculous, really---too much for a high school Crew program, even if it is one of the best around.  It is still too much.   I guess you can see why my children don't play college sports.  Just not worth it to me.

And it always seems the last 6-7 weeks of school fly by with all sorts of events...last week was Matthew's play at Ancillae, and this week we have the Spring Fair,  and Field day, Lily's class trip (which I have, I mean "get" to go on because I am a room parent.....yay!!), etc, etc.  

Anna is up in Saratoga this weekend for a regatta.  I woke up at 3:55 am on Saturday morning to drive her to the Mount.  The bus left at 5 am, then they drove several hours up to Saratoga.  They had one race yesterday, and one race this morning.  It is just a very long weekend.   Anna just texted me...they are done racing (as of noon), and her boat mates are walking around Saratoga Springs...something she hasn't been able to do in all 4 years, because her previous race times conflicted with sight seeing, I guess.   Anyway, Chris will be getting her at midnight from the Mount.
Last weekend was a little bit of a taste of what life will be like without Anna this fall.  It seems so quiet with only the three youngest around.  Honestly.  I can't imagine not having at least 5 kids.   If we had gotten married earlier, we probably would have had 6.   Just because 5 seems like a little bit of a weird number.  But, I am thrilled with our 5.    And I thank God we have them all, because life around here seems boring without them.  

Of course, Anna going to college this fall is actually dependent on her deciding on where she wants to go.  Which she hasn't decided.   We drove out to Villanova on Friday night for another look.    Two weeks ago, Chris and Anna went to Boston College for the weekend.  And last weekend, I drove her up to Bucknell for Admitted Student Day.   But, this is about what she wants, and she claims to not be sure.  I told her she needs to tell us by April 29th, so we have a buffer day to make her acceptance in case our computers break, or there is another catastrophe.   So, until then, we wait to see what Anna will decide.  

Senior Appreciation Day--Mount Crew April 17, 2016!

I simply can't believe Anna is a Senior.   I mean these four years of Anna rowing have been long, and sometimes, torturous. It has been very demanding, for Anna--requiring super-human efforts of getting home every night all year at 8-8:30 pm, rowing every weekend in the Fall and Spring at races, etc.   And, those demands effect her family, which has been both great, and very hard. There have been lots of events we couldn't go to because Anna was rowing, or places we wanted to go that we couldn't go, because Anna had Crew.   But, it will all be over soon.

On Sunday, Senior Appreciation Day honored all the Senior Mount girls.  The hard work paid off--many of the girls are going to unbelievably prestigious colleges to row.  It was a gorgeous day, and it was so nice to see how the rest of the team cheered on these girls who are leaving soon!

Immaculate's Father/Daughter Dance--April 15, 2016

Lily missed the Father/Daughter dance at her elementary school because we were away, so she was really excited about the dance our church had this past weekend.  I actually went to pick her up a few minutes early on Friday, so she could get her hair done (she is naturally curly...she wanted her hair straightened, and then curled...and I agreed!!).   I have always been indulgent with Anna and Lily because I was so un-indulged as a little girl, and I know how that feels.   And, they are only young once.    Here are the photos:

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What I learned from cleaning Anna's room--April 10, 2016

I am a failure as a decorator.

Because I only decorated this room once--for a new baby arrival in 1995.  It is the same room, just updated with some new furniture, furnishings.   The same color walls, the same window treatments. I really should have given her a lovely girl's room.   I just never did, and Anna is not a complainer.


I am a failure as a housewife.

This came out from under Anna's bed.  It is a baby bottle with black mold on the inside from crusty leftover milk.  I am very liberal with allowing my children to drink out of a bottle well beyond when the pediatrician tells me they should not still be drinking out of a bottle (don't judge me), but this is ridiculous.  Lily is 9, which means this has been molding/contaminating Anna's air in her room for at least 6-7 years.  Granted, the bottle is sealed, but this is just disgusting.

Anna needs a new bed--her mattress doesn't fit the bed frame.  

Which must explain why there were at least 20 shirts stuck between the pillows and the bed frame top, and shoved up against the wall.  

Anna has no appreciation of the value of money.

I found money all over the place.  In every nook and cranny.   I still would never think about leaving money on the floor.  Apparently Anna doesn't care.

Anna must have allergies, or she cries herself to sleep every night.  

There are kleenex/tissues all over the room, but there were tons under the bed, next to the bed.   I think she aims for the trashcan, and misses, and because I am a bad housewife, I never really do a thorough cleaning.   But there were tissues everywhere.  I can't imagine blowing my nose that much unless I had allergies, or cries herself to sleep.  Either way, it isn't good, but I would cry myself to sleep if I had to deal with a mother who never decorated my room, also!!!

Sunday Synopsis--Week of April 4--April 10, 2016

I realized that I am not posting as much as I could/would/should, because...well, I don't know why.  I think one big reason is that you just get really busy doing things, and taking care of things, so that sitting down to post about those things is difficult.  But some of those things are also maybe not big enough for a whole post.   But these things are significant to me, and my family, so I am going to make a little blog post about these weeks every so often.

ER-
This week is one of those weeks--busy, but nothing too major.   On Tuesday, after complaining for two days about a pain in my neck/chest/left arm, the pain got pretty bad, and I got talked into going to the ER.  Going to the ER is something I have never done before, and I felt really ridiculous going, but I was starting to think there might be something wrong with me, and I thought about our friend who died very unexpectedly a few weeks ago, and how if there is something wrong with me that I can fix/stop by going to the ER, then I should go.   So, I went, although I did feel badly about it, because I didn't look as bad as the people who were there.

After three hours, and lots of tests (including a blood test, which I really don't like), I was sent home with "Chest pain of unknown etiology."   So, they (the medical personnel at the hospital) don't know.   I spent two days just doing nothing, because they thought it might be a pulled-something, so I decided that if something was pulled, it needed to be rested.   So, I rested.   As of today, I am about 80 percent better.  Sometimes it still hurts, but overall, much better.  But I did do something, and it hurts.   But I guess that is what happens at some points.  Things just start to break down, and then you start to hurt.

Boston Trip--
Yesterday, in the middle of a weird really big snowflake snowstorm, Chris and Anna left to go up to Boston to see what Anna thinks of going to college in that city.  I really don't know where she is heading.  But we want to see what she thinks of going to a school up there.

Teaching Stories-
Last night,  I went to my friend's lecture--I guess you would call it a lecture.  Rick is a friend of mine from Bucknell, and for two years now, he has given a talk to a big group of people at a high school about his experience as a third grade teacher in the West Chester area.    I went last year, and I was in awe.  I have known Rick since 1980 when we were freshmen at Bucknell, and I guess I thought of him as that same 22 year old kid when we graduated.  But he has a ton of amazing friends who went out to listen to him on a cold April night last year.  And the stories he told were transformative.   What he does as a third grade teacher is just awe-some.  And I separated those words to make sure you understand that I am in awe of what he does.

Last night, I drove over an hour to West Chester by myself in the sleet (yes, sleet), to hear him give his lecture again...and I was so inspired.   Rick has been teaching for 21 years, and so he has a generation of stories/updates/and children he has helped.   What he does for our children, and a generation of children now, is so wonderful.   To hear him talk about some of these kids, and to now hear how some of these kids turned out, is both uplifting and heart-wrenching.   I am not sure that any of us fully appreciate what our teachers do for our children. I think it was especially poignant for me because Lily is a third grader now.   And I was sitting there wondering what her story will be.

Anyway, anyone who is interested in donating to Rick's organization, which gives money to help children, should go to teachingstories.org.  Tell him Leslie sent you.  I know about 5 truly good guys, and he is one of them.