Lori Miller’s Blog

This week, Makenzie attended Girl Scout Day Camp for the very first time.

It was called, “Trails to Shores through the Pages,” and the theme was books.

Makenzie was initially excited about going to day camp, which was held at a park all the way across town.  Mothers were not allowed to stay.  We had to hand in a medical form, sign a release, and sign our daughter in and out every day of camp.

On Monday, the theme was “Biography.”  The girls were encouraged to dress up like their favorite book character, so Makenzie decided to dress like “Alice the Fairy.”

When I picked her up after the first day, she said she had fun, but thought it lasted too long and that she got homesick.  They played a detective game, and had a scavenger hunt, which she liked.   They also sang Girl Scout Camp Songs every day, like “Black Socks,” and “The Penguin Song.”

Makenzie didn’t want to go back the following day.  I encouraged her to give it a try anyway, so she wouldn’t miss out on anything fun. (Actually, I may have bribed her into going.) “History” was the theme for Tuesday. Makenzie did have more fun the second day.  They played old fashioned games, like pick up sticks, jacks, and made old fashioned toys.  They made a doll out of a hankerchief, and a whirley spinner.  They also made a picture out of beans.

The theme for Wednesday was “Fantasy,” so Makenzie dressed up like a princess.  It rained on Wednesday, so the girls had to stay inside the picnic building. They were visited by the author of the book, “The Fairy Painting,” and Makenzie now has an autographed copy!  They also got to tie dye a pillow case.  This got messy, as Makenzie came home with tie dyed fingers!

On Thursday, the last day of day camp, the theme was “Mystery.”  Since they solve mysteries on Scooby Doo, Makenzie dressed up like Velma, although she kind of wound up looking more like Dora the Explorer.

This was the funnest day of all, because they got to go on a hike.  Makenzie said they had to find signs.  If they saw a triangle sign, that meant danger!  She also got to bring home her camp jounal, that she wrote and drew pictures in every day.

By the last day, Makenzie was much more enthusiastic about going to day camp. She said the hike was her favorite part!  And her least favorite part?, other than being a little homesick, were the mosquitos!

Today was the last day of bowling for the Spring Session.  On the last day, they have a party, with free hot dogs, chips, and root beer floats.

Makenzie did not enjoy bowling as much this time around.  She told me she’d like to take a break from bowling for awhile.  Brendan still wants to keep going.

Both kids managed to earn one “Bowler of the Week” award this time around. (Brendan earned one during the fall session, and neither kids earned one during the winter session.)

One thing that was very different this time around, was that each bowler didn’t get a trophy or a medal, like the last times.  They just got a little card that entitles them to free bowling during the month of July and August.  I guess that’s something. 

The lights were turned off, and the black lights and disco balls were going, but it was so bright and sunshiney, that too much light came through the doors, so it didn’t get that dark, and it didn’t look that cool.

All the little kids on Makenzie’s Bumper Buddies team seemed to have all had enough by the 8th frame.  Older siblings had to step in and take over for them, since they were done.  Makenzie finished her game all right, and she bowled 1 spare.  Brendan got 1 strike. 

Warning: I’m about to talk about peeing cats, so don’t read any further if you don’t want to be grossed out.

Before we got out basement refinished, Reebok would sometimes get trapped down there, and wind up having an accident.  However, it wasn’t a big deal to clean up a cement floor, or throw away a pee soaked cardboard box lid.  But now, our basement has nice carpet and furniture!  Reebok got trapped down there, and guess what happened?  Now it wouldn’t be the biggest deal if he peed on the carpet, it has scotch guard and cleans up really easy, better than our carpet upstairs.  But nooooo, Reebok had to go an pee in one of our brand new bean bags!

Dave decided that it was time to install a pet door. I didn’t like the idea of having to cut a hole in our basement door. Plus Reebok is an old cat, could he really figure out how to go through a pet door?

Not at first.  Reebok was intrigued by the pet door, but not enough to actually go through it.  Dave pushed him thorugh a few times, but Reebok contined to use the “meow at the door until someone opens it method.”  Dave taped the door open, and he went through a few times, but when the tape wore off, he didn’t push through.  Just when we were about to give up and remove the flap from the pet door, leaving just an empty hole, Reebok finally got the hang of it! He goes through the cat flap on a regular basis now! Pee Problem solved.

Pee Problem not solved.  Yesterday, Makenzie and I were playing with her Barbie dolls in the basement.  Reebok came in and took a long nap on the sofa down there.  We went upstairs to have lunch and got busy doing other things, and after we went back downstairs to finish playing, we put the Barbies away.  I picked up the Barbie doll case, and it was WET! Then I noticed yellow drops dripping from the case!

REEEEEEBOK!!!!

Reebok peed in Makenzie’s open Barbie doll case.

DESPITE the fact that he has a perfectly good Booda Dome litter box upstairs, that I sift EVERY morning.  DESPITE the fact that he KNOWS how to get through the pet door.

That was bad enough, but we didn’t realize it until after we put all the dolls in, so now their hair and clothes were all drenched in cat pee, and all the accessories and extra clothes were wet and sticky, and everything smelled horrible!  GROSS!

So I got to spend all evening doing Barbie and Ken’s laundry, and giving them a bath a shampoo.  I washed all the clothing in the sink with Woolite, and that worked pretty well.  So now Makenzie’s dolls smell fresh and clean like detergent.  The case was the hardest to clean.  That strong urine smell doesn’t want to come out.

The worst part is, we didn’t catch Reebok in the act, so we couldn’t punish him for all he’s worth.

So now the kids really can’t leave their stuff laying around.  Or Reebok will think he got a new litter box.

I took the kids to get haircuts this morning, amoung other things.  Brendan really needed one, since he was long overdue for one, and Makenzie decided she was ready for a change.

She wants to grow out her bangs, (because hair on her forehead “bugs” her,) when I comb her bangs straight down, she always pushes them off to the side anyway.  And today she decided she wanted her hair shorter!  I had her look in the mirror and tell me how short she wanted it, before we left, and she wanted it shorter, but long enough so she can still wear ponytails and braids.

The girl who cut her hair did a good job.  She layered her bangs a little bit so we can comb them to the side until they grow out.  Makenzie seems to like her haircut a lot.  Her hair is a lot more manageable now too.  She will get good use out of her headbands and barrettes now.

I will miss her long hair, but I had to let Makenzie make her own choice.

She’s going to look different as a first grader.  I asked her if she wanted to get her ears pierced too, but she said no, she wants to wait until she’s in 5th grade.

Let’s not rush into anything.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Tornado Watch

Flash Flood Warning

All winter long, we had to deal with snow storms, and now that summer is almost here, we now have severe weather to deal with.

We had a quick thunderstorm go through Thursday afternoon, while the kids were in school.  We had a couple more go through Friday afternoon.  We were at the mall at the time, and made it into the car just before it let loose.  We were under a tornado watch as well.

Yesterday was the worst of all, yesterday evening, to be exact.  It was warm and humid all day long, but with a nice breeze.  Dave and I went out to eat to celebrate our anniversary, and around 8:30pm, when we left to go home, it started thunder storming.  It didn’t stop until well after 2 am!

My parents were at our house with our kids while we were out.  Makenzie was a nervous wreck when we got home.  She is terrified of thunderstorms. 

The power went out twice, but only for a couple seconds, and it flickered a few more times.  The rain was heavy, the lightning was bright, and the thunder was LOUD, and shook the whole house. 

My parents were here until after 9pm, which is late for them, and we stayed up until well after 10, trying to wait out the storm.  But it was obvious that it wasn’t going to end anytime soon. 

We were all tired enough to try to go to bed.

Makenzie knows that the safest place during a tornado, is in the basement, so she INSISTED on sleeping in the basement last night. The ceiling tiles are more insulated down there, so the sound of thunder is more muffled as well.

And then, Makenzie was convinced that a tornado was going to come in the middle of the night, and sweep away all her stuffed animals, so she frantically ran up to her room, (after she was too afraid to go up there to change into pajamas,) and grabbed every stuffed animal she owned, and took it to the basement, making several trips.  She did it in record time too!  She didn’t stop there, she even took her throw pillows off the bed!

We tried convincing Makenzie that a tornado watch does not mean there will actually be a tornado, and pointed out that there hasn’t been one since we’ve lived her, so there’s no point in worrying just yet, but she would not be convinced.  I used to be terrified of tornado watches as a child too, btw.

Brendan was convinced.  He decided to chance it and sleep in his own bed, by himself.  He retrieved his favorite quilt, baby blanket, and one teddy bear from Makenzie’s rescue mission. (She took all of his animals too.)  Wow, that was very brave of him!

I slept in my own bed too.  Dave and Reebok joined Makenzie in the basement.

It was a LOUD night.  I woke up at 2 am and started reading a book until I fell back asleep.

And it hasn’t ended.  We are in the Slight Risk Area for MORE severe weather today AND tomorrow.

Brother!

It came and went so fast.

Makenzie’s Kindergarten year.

Almost 10 months have gone by since I blogged about her Kindergarten orientation.  Her teacher told us then that the year would go by so fast, and that our child would grow and change in so many ways.

She was right.

Makenzie grew taller.

She lost two teeth.

She learned to read. (She was the only kindergartner to get bumped up to the AR reading program.)

She started writing sentences.

She sang a solo part in the Christmas Program.

She chose Hannah Montana valentines over Hello Kitty ones.

She got mad at the boys when they kept cracking her Cheez-Its during snack time.

She wants to grow out her bangs!

However, the end of Kindergarten also brought some changes in Makenzie that no-one warned us about.

Makenzie has been “out of sorts” the last week or so.

Yes, she has been a brat.

I think I figured out why.

Makenzie is very excited about summer vacation, especially Brownie Day Camp, going to her grandparents new cottage, and Swimming Lessons, but she’s also sad about Kindergarten being over forever.  That is so final to a 6-year-old.

I never liked the last week of school growing up.  Sure you get to go on class trips and such, and do end of the year parties, but when everything starts to wind down and you start cleaning out desks and taking home your pencil boxes and gym shoes, you realize that regular school days are over. 

Makenzie has her anxieties about becoming a first grader.  She’ll have to go to school 5 days a week, for one thing, that’s always a big adjustment.

And as exciting as we try to make out first grade for her, she’ll miss her Kindergarten teacher, who she really liked, and the kids in her class, (except for the boys who cracked her Cheez-Its. ) It won’t be the same and she knows it.

We never went through this with Brendan.  (He couldn’t get to first grade fast enough.)

I remember my last day of Kindergarten, back in 1978.

We didn’t have a normal school day at all.  We walked a few blocks to Lions Park.  My mom was a room mother, so she came with us. We had a picnic lunch under the picnic shelter.  They divided both kindergarten classes into groups and had us sit at tables.  Each picnic table had food that the room mothers had provided.  I even remember a box of donuts being on the table.

Before we ate, we got to play on the playground.  There was a really cool merry-go-round.  A bunch of us kids were on it at once.  Whenever someone was ready to get off, they’d yell,

“Stop in the name of the law!”

Then a boy from the other class started yelling,

“Stop in the name of the poop!”

And at 6 years old, I thought that was hilarious. 

The last thing we did, was go wading in the creek.  There was a shallow creek that ran along the edge of the park, with a little bridge going across.

It was a fun day.

On Makenzie’s last day of Kindergarten, she got to meet the first grade teachers.  They watched a movie.  They had a pizza party.  They got to choose a class book to bring home, and Makenzie picked the “What would you do if you had a pot of gold?,” that they made in March.  (Makenzie said she would buy a doll.) She had a fun day.

But as soon as she got home, she said she was going to miss school. 

I’m not sure if I’m ready for Kindergarten to be over with either.  My youngest child is growing from a little girl into a “junior pre-teen”, that’s what a 7-9 year old is called nowadays. (And she has indeed been throwing junior pre-teen tantrums lately.)

I’m not ready for this, so “Stop in the name of the poop!”

Once Makenzie starts keeping busy with her summer vacation plans, she’ll go back to her normal, sweet self.  And first grade should indeed be very exciting for her…But she will always have a special place for Kindergarten in her heart.

Last night was Makenzie’s very last Youth Tap Dance Class for the Spring Session at the YMCA.

She already took 2 Ballet classes during the winter, so this time she wanted to try tap dancing instead.  So we signed her up for Kindergarten Tap, and she was the only girl who signed up. So then they decided the following week to combine the 2 tap classes so there were 2 girls in the class, which is still very small.

After her first class, Makenzie said it was hard work.  She was never really that excited about going to class, and couldn’t wait until the session was over.  Yet, she seemed to be enjoying herself at class.

Parents have to stay out in the hall during class, but we can still watch though the window.  For the last class, parents are allowed to come in and sit down and watch.

The girls demonstrated their many steps they learned, which Makenzie seemed to remember most of them, and could do them all.  It was so much fun to watch!

The best part was a little routine, that the 2 girls learned, with music.  Other than that, they don’t play much music in Tap Class.

Makenzie got her ending certificate and a sticker at the end of class, and her evaluation.  Her instuctor, Miss Amanda, wrote that Makenzie did great in Tap, and picked up the steps really quickly.  She still can improve in her “technique” though. She said that Makenzie is a sweet girl and that she really enjoyed working with her. She hopes she’ll take more dance classes someday.

As for now, Makenzie wants to take a break from dance.  She sayes it’s too “tiring.” 

She told me that the only fun thing about tap dancing is the “sound.”  That’s too bad because she really did a good job and looked like she was having fun. 

She did tell me last night that maybe she’ll want to go back to dancing later, so she hasn’t totally given up on it just yet.  But for now, she’s expressed and interest in Art Classes or Piano Lessons, so we’ll see. 

Reebok is usually up early in the morning before the kids are.  If his food dish is empty, he’ll meow in the upstairs hallway, even if it’s 6am. 

Once he tried a different approach; while I was getting the kids breakfast ready, he decided to sneak into the cereal cupboard!

Imagine my surprise when I reached for the box of Apple Jacks and it meowed at me.

May 31 was a very special evening for Makenzie, as she got to attend the Girl Scout Neighborhood end of the year celebration and bridging and awards ceremony.

It was at a park across town.  Dinner was first, there was lots of good food to eat.  They had sloppy joes and hot dogs, and every family had to bring side dish.   I’m not that creative when it comes to side dishes, (my main thing is desserts,) so I baked corn muffins, which happen to be Makenzie’s favorites, and everyone liked them because they were all gone!  There was cake for dessert.

They also had a raffle.  Each troop either made a cake or put together a themed basket to auction off.  Makenzie’s Daisy Troop made a “camp out” cake.  We bought $20 worth of raffle tickets, (so Makenzie could get the patch,) but none of them wound up being winning tickets.

Before the bridging ceremony, there was free time for the kids to go play.  They had an “old fashioned” play ground, and by that I mean the kind I played on as a kid!  Nowadays they have those fancy jungle gym type things, and slide and tunnels.  This playground had a swing set, monkey bars, tall slide, and merry-go-round.  Makenzie had never even seen a merry-go-round before.  She kept calling it, “that round thing that spins around.”

Since it rained that morning, the playground was still muddy in spots, and much to her dismay, Makenzie stepped in mud and got her Sketchers all dirty! And for Makenzie, that is SUCH a crisis.  She also got mud on her knees and leg too.

The Bridging Ceremony was next.  4 Daisies in Makenzie’s troop bridged to Brownies!  The bridge was actually 2 wooden steps back to back, decorated with flower pots.  Makenzie got a Daisy Ending Certificate, and a rainbow patch for her future Brownie vest.  She also got a little metal memory box.

Next, Brownies bridged to Juniors, Juniors to Cadets, and they had their first 2 Ambassadors, which are new this year. ( Junior and Seniors in high school, I think.)

More awards were given; 6 girls got their bronze awards, and a number of leaders were recognized for their service.

The raffle drawing was the last thing, Makenzie got to pick the very first winning ticket, but was disappointed not to win anything herself.

At the end of the month, Makenzie will get to go to day camp…as a Brownie Girl Scout! 

On her off days from Kindergarten, Makenzie just loves to go check the mail as soon as she sees the mail truck go by.

And today she didn’t let the fact that she’s wearing a bride costume stop her from getting that mail!

I guess getting the mail is a special occasion.