I know, it’s an old topic with me, but I can’t help it…

The holidays bring out the worst in me where the public school system is concerned. Please note: I like the people at Alex’s elementary school — especially the principal. They are caring, concerned and hard-working individuals.

With that said… our public school system sucks!

Point One:

There is no science in fifth grade. Why? Because the State of Kentucky doesn’t TEST on science in fifth grade. My daughter does, however, have TWO social studies classes this year. I’m assuming that means that the fifth grade tests for social studies skills, eh? Teaching to the test makes me nuts.

I think she would really get jazzed about science this year. I think the iron is hot now. Of course, what do I know? I’m just a mom.

Point Two:

I had a visit from the Truancy officer last week. Why? Because it bugs the crap out of me that I need to send in notes from doctors when she goes to a dentist/eye/doctor appointment. I won’t do it until it’s absolutely required.

If I hadn’t sworn off drama, I’d probably let them take me to court just to make my point about such things and get my statement in the local paper. As it is, I’m trying to avoid drama. So, I gave them the notes from the doctor/dentist/optometrist. (Note: I do my best to make appointments after school whenever possible, but many offices aren’t open after she gets home from school.)

I did hold her out for one half-day session when she wasn’t sick — when she told me that they were not going to be doing any classwork (it was a “free day”). I did this because I had to go out of town the previous evening to sit with my father and I needed to get her glasses Rx checked that next morning. By the time I would have been able to get her back, there may have been 45 minutes of “school” left — and I’d have to return to that same out-of-town location to care for my father over that weekend. It just didn’t seem worth the gas, time and effort. So sue me. (It was counted as a full day absence, BTW, not a half-day.)

Yes, I know that I can write four “parent notes” and I know that after that I need to have “legitimate” excuses for her absence. And, I guess I’ll do that too, it just bugs me that me looking at a glassy-eyed child who has just thrown up doesn’t count as legitimate. It bugs me that when I pick her up, sick, from school (after they call me to come get her) and keep her in bed the next day — it’s unexcused. I’m so sorry she didn’t make a miraculous recovery in 12 hours and needed a full day in bed. Geeze!

It bugs me that it requires an MD to be “legitimate” — and a visit to the doctor (complete with bill) so I can be told “rest, fluids and time” is what she needs. Or worse… to be given a slew of symptom-treating drugs that does nothing to change the course of nature with a cold or a virus, but does God-knows-what to her young system.

This is my third child. I think I know, by now, when she needs rest and fluids to recover from a virus. Although I must admit that the darker side of me has been tempted to send her to school throwing up in the hopes that she will infect others and negatively impact the attendance record and the money per capita (which really IS the bottom line for the attendance policy) on a larger scale. Fortunately, I’m not willing to sacrifice my daughter to such dark ends.

It also bugs me that one of the “unexcused” absences was when they called me to come pick her up because she was sick — the moment she got off the bus, before classes even started. I’d suggested that she go on to school and if she didn’t feel any better I’d come get her. It’s standard for me to tell my kids that because, often, once they get up and moving, they feel better. It’s true for all of us. So, if they call and I pick her up, it’s unexcused? If they call and I don’t go pick her up… it’s, what, neglect? (They did say they would remove that one, when I inquired.)

I don’t run my kids or myself into the doctor the moment someone coughs or sneezes. I’ve been sick since Saturday — really sick — but I’m letting this horrible case of the creeping-crud run its course. I firmly believe that medicating too early is a bane to our future abilities to fight off viruses/infection/etc on our own. After all, the creation of super-bacteria has been traced to the over-use and unnecessary use of anti-bacterial soaps, etc. I don’t even let that stuff in my house. We use plain soap and water — not that it protects us from what other people have created.

I do believe that building a healthy immune system is the best thing for long-term health. I work hard to do so… for me and my kids.

Point Three:

The holiday schedules make me crazy. Yesterday, my daughter had 30-minute classes so they could leave at noon to go to the movies to see Madagascar. Hardly an educational movie in my book — and one she’d already seen with a church group the week before. I paid the three dollars and said nothing. Everyone deserves a fun field trip from time to time, right?

Well that’s before I knew what was on the agenda for today…

Today? No classes today. Today they watched “Home Alone” and “Kung-Fu Panda” and did crafts. No classes. They did go to library (where they watched part of the movie “Spy Kids”) and gym (where they ran relay races and danced). And this is for Thanksgiving. I’m sure the Christmas holiday lead up will be even worse — it usually is.

But, you know what? I’m required by law to send her for this. If I had kept her at home, it would have been another strike against ME. Legal strike against me. If I had kept her here to read or write or work on math… I would have been “interfering” with her education. Go figure.

Now maybe I’m just all pissy because I’m sick and because she’s starting to come down with what I have. (Case in point, it’s not yet 6:00 p.m. and she’s curled up in bed asleep with a stuffy nose.) I’m anticipating a glorious holiday of mucus and coughs and sneezes and bed rest for us both.

No traveling and family this year (I can’t possibly take this in on my father in his condition, even if I do start feeling better.)

But I tend to believe that it’s more than just a uber-cold induced bad mood. I think there is something seriously wrong with a system that requires us to send our children to school for “free days” and for movies. Am I crazy?

You would think, by now, I’d be old enough to know better…

Sometimes, I expect the world to be fair and for other people to observe the golden rule. Just because you put your personal differences aside and do the right thing when it comes to someone else, even if you have to grit your teeth to do it, doesn’t mean that very same person in a remarkably similar reversal, will do the same thing. I should just know that by now, right? Maybe this time I’ve actually learned that. Maybe. Hey, it could happen!

Sometimes not saying anything is better than saying something nasty. (My mother taught me that one.) So when I say nothing and say nothing and count to 100 and say nothing…. when does the goading stop? Does an ulcer signify success? Would taking up kick-boxing help… at all?

My father was the one that always said “Life’s not fair” — and I always argued. But you know what? He was right. Life isn’t fair. And, like parenting, no one gives you a manual. You, me and everyone else, just have to wing it, do what we can and hope for the best.

I laughed when both my parents told me that “parenting adults is harder than parenting children.” I felt the sting of the words aimed at me, while I complained about the messes my tiny children made and how hard it was to have two boys so close together in age and to literally start over again with a girl 10 years after the eldest boy was born. They didn’t understand, I assured myself… they never had THREE kids and they never tried to do it alone. I was wrong. They were right. ‘Nuff said.

So here I sit… trying to figure out how to learn to “let go” of the things I can’t do anything about and there I go… searching under every un-turned rock to find the wisdom to know the difference. Here I am, waiting for a miracle, a revelation, a tiny sliver of insight so I can figure out what my role is and if, indeed, I still have one in so many situations that find me lately.

In the meantime, while I impatiently await enlightenment, maybe I can be mature enough to quit worrying about everyone else and give myself permission to just take care of me and the one child I have left who is still under legal age.

Maybe now is the time to quit wringing my hands about all the things I failed to do perfectly, and start enjoying life a little more. Maybe today is the day I finally reach a comfortable level of maturity and realize that being a little more selfish isn’t necessarily a bad thing… maybe it’s a bit more like self-preservation. Maybe that’s what it really means to be mature. Maybe.

I went to a mother-daughter conference this weekend with my daughter. Silly me, I thought it would be time we spent together — rather than time we were mostly split up into “breakout” sessions. That didn’t go as I had hoped. But there were other things that didn’t “flow” for me either. For instance…

Professional Parenting Advice:

“Don’t talk with your kids about “responsible drinking” … what are you going to do next, give them condoms?”

My take on it:

Uhhhh… if you don’t talk with them about the facts of life, someone with different views than YOURS will. Take ANY opportunity to talk to your kids about responsible actions, regardless of the situation. And, personally, I don’t believe in giving kids condoms, but I’ve done it. That doesn’t mean I was leading cheers on the side lines encouraging them to go get laid. And that purchase was a real wrestling match with myself. It was a tough one.

I told them that I didn’t approve, but I didn’t want a lapse in judgment in their teen years to cost them their lives. Like I told my sons, “I can forgive you anything but taking my son from me. If you do something stupid, if you are careless or rash and you take YOU from me, I’ll never forgive you.”

Saying “this is bad and you are never to do it” sets up a wall between you and your child. You don’t have to put yourself in a no-win situation with your kids to make your feelings known. And, kids will screw up. It’s their job to do so — and hopefully to do so at an age that’s young enough to learn from their mistakes before the stakes get too high.

Not talking to kids about alcohol, drugs, sex and other “taboo” topics will not prevent them from exploring those options, it will just insure that they don’t tell you about it and ask you questions. Don’t be stupid. Always keep the lines of communication open with your kids. There will be times that you wonder WHY you encouraged them to talk to you about anything and everything. Just grit your teeth and be still. Be happy that they trust you enough to get your opinion and be honest, without being abrupt when you disagree. But always keep talking and listening.

But, hey, I’m not an parenting expert. I’m just a mom.

Professional Parenting Advice:

“That book should be banned from your local schools!”

My take on it:

Uhhhh… what could possibly be more attractive than a “taboo” book when you are in middle and high school? If memory serves, nothing! I still remember my first “racy” book — it was in middle school and it was called “The Other Side of Midnight” — it simply would fall open to all the “good” parts. That’s how much we passed it around. Heck, I’d never have considered reading some of the “classics” I read early on if they hadn’t been veiled in the mystique of the taboo. Of course I’ve never been quite able to wade through Lady Chatterley… but I still plan to do so! Eventually.

Instead of banning books, how about talking with your kids about the books they are reading? How about discussing the good and the bad in the latest novel in their backpack? How about discussing what’s “appropriate” and what is less than desirable and if the book, as a whole, was worth the time spent reading it? How about discussing generas and topics and what type of book they plan to read next? How about taking them to the library or the bookstore?

I find that that is a method that works QUITE well with my 10-year-old voracious reader. And she’s much more picky about what’s “appropriate” than I would be. She tells me that a certain word was used that was neither “nice” nor “necessary” to the story. And yes, we discuss if the language and situations are required or beneficial to the flow of the story. Isn’t that how you teach critical reading and… by the way… critical thinking?

Professional Parenting Advice:

“Make friends with your kids’ friends’ parents. That way when they say, ‘But everyone else is doing it!’ you can say, ‘these parents aren’t, we are all doing the same thing’.”

My take on it:

Or, just maybe, you could grow some… and be a parent. “No” is an excellent parenting tool, albeit quite under utilized these days. Who gives a hang what the other parents are doing? How can you fight “mob mentality” in your kids by doing the adult equivalent of the same thing?

Why not some independent thinking and some personal decisions and responsibility for all involved? Hey, it works!

There were some issues raised that I could get behind, but many times I found myself thinking that my Saturday of “Mother/Daughter” time would have been better spent curling up with one of those questionable books that Alex is currently reading aloud to me when we have time alone (Twilight by S. Meyer), sharing her passion for it and learning to properly pronounce some of those pesky four and five syllable tongue twisters that LOOK different than they sound.

Photo by lisafanucchi of morguefile.com

To say I’m pleased with the election results would be a lie.

I’m deeply concerned about this country, probably more so than I have ever been in any given election. I get the feeling that many people voted the way they did because they saw it as a way to shirk their responsibilities.

The thing that keeps coming to mind is the lady who, at the celebratory victory rally, said that she was glad she no longer had to worry about her mortgage or her car payment.

I’m assuming she intends to KEEP both of these items, she just doesn’t want to pay for them anymore. So, by default (isn’t that a great pun?!?) those of us who are responsible and DO pay our bills will get to pay hers as well? Maybe our children and grandchildren can kick in to support (with interest) the quality of life to which she has become accustomed, but no longer desires to afford?

It reminds me of the time when I was in a grocery line with my mother in Danville, Kentucky. The lady in front of us was wearing diamond rings and an “Aigner” coat (which was all the rage at that time), a matching purse and shoes.

These were things that we couldn’t justify (my mother has always been so practical — thank goodness!). When she tried to check out the dog food with her food stamps, she was told that it wasn’t permitted. Her response? She said her dog preferred hamburger anyway — and promptly left the line, went to the meat department, got a 10 pound roll of ground beef and returned to be checked out — while we all stood in awe, mouths agape.

I think that was a pivotal moment in my development. I was probably 12 or 13. It has colored my glasses about welfare programs and these glasses aren’t rosy. I feel that what we have here, is an even bigger version of the same mentality. Put simply, it makes me angry.

When are people going to be responsible and quit expecting the government to parent them?

Some of the propositions that passed also alarm me. I really don’t believe it’s the government’s job to dictate morality, define “family” and determine what is ok in our bedrooms. Apparently, that puts me squarely in the minority these days, too.

Most of my clients and friends are fiscally and politically conservative (with a few notable exceptions). One of my friends commented today, “Welcome to the USSA.” I have to wonder if he’s right.

On another note, the “Civilian National Security Force” scares the crap out of me. It simply does.

So, I’m sitting quietly here in my home office, wondering why I’ve spent my life paying my bills, meeting my obligations (even when people who supposedly share those obligations don’t do their part to help), trying to stay out of debt and avoiding “welfare” type programs — even during those really hard times in my life when I qualified.

I’ve always believed that freedom mattered more than security. I’ve believed in making your own way and cutting back when times were lean. I’ve always been capable of making the tough decisions. I’ve tried to pass this on to my children (whether or not I did this successfully is yet to be seen.)

I wonder “what’s the use?” when people who didn’t behave responsibly are getting bailouts. Like another one of my friends recently quipped, “Where’s my friggin’ financial bailout?!?”

*Not that I’d want one if it cost me my freedom or my privacy — or made me beholden to someone as a result, mind you*

We aren’t educating our children in our schools anymore, I worry that now all we have to educate them is our example… and if that’s the case, we are probably totally screwed.

I think I’m going to go try to find my old weather-beaten copy of 1984 for a quick re-read. I think it’s time.

I’d like to address this to the lovely woman (and her understandably quiet, seemingly embarrassed husband) who took little screaming Junior to Wild Oats in Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday.

Dear Mother -

No, I did NOT roll my eyes at your child. Had I rolled my eyes at anyone, it would have been at you. My sister tells me that I exude disgust without the need to roll my eyes and that I’m terribly transparent. She’s probably right. My apologies. Obviously, you misconstrued my total disgust with eye-rolling. I’m not sure how that happened.

However, having a child in a public place that screams at that decibel rate and in that particular key (I think it was a high c, although no glass actually shattered), is not ok. Perhaps you have been led to believe otherwise. I can understand that you may have been instructed incorrectly at some young impressionable age, but you are surely old enough to know better by now. If not, you may want to seek professional help.

To yell at me, “There’s no reason to roll your eyes, he’s just excited!” does not eliminate your responsibilities to others (many of whom WERE rolling their eyes, BTW) who must share the public space with your adorable child. Did it not occur to you that it was strange that you had to blurt that well-practiced line so quickly while Junior was taking a breath before screaming again? He nearly cut your mini-speech off with his tireless squeals.

At what point did it become ok for your child (or anyone else) to invade the sanctity of my personal space in such an offensive manner? The old adage about your freedom to swing your fists stopping at the edge of my nose also applies to my ears and your precocious child’s vocal cords.

I would understand if it was a sudden outburst and you scrambled to educate your child on how to be a better, more sensitive individual and a more pleasant member of society. Instead, you opted to condemn those of us who were surprised by your incredulous incapacity to even recognize a problem. Let me tell you a little secret…  just because your child wants to be the center of your attention and your world does not mean that he should automatically be thrust into the spotlight in ours. There, I said it. Believe it.

I realize it’s old fashioned of me. I realize that I’m not “cool” with the new trends toward lenient parenting. I’m an old fogy. That’s ok. I can live with that. I actually like that my own young daughter’s mouth physically dropped open in disbelief as your child expressed himself.

But if you had not been so quick to jump — if you had not had that comment a little too “at the ready” — perhaps you may have noticed the entire fresh produce section stop in their tracks and turn to stare when Junior demanded center stage. He truly is hard to ignore. Bravo for you!

If you want Junior to be the center of attention, you might try for a more subtle approach. Perhaps a talent or a skill. Maybe he will be an amazing adult… but somehow I think he may need a little more guidance than you are obviously willing (or able) to offer.

Do him a favor, do yourself a favor, do the rest of us a favor… discover a better way for him to claim his fame. And, if you can’t control his abuse of other people’s eardrums, leave him at home. In fact, why don’t you stay home with him and properly adore him at close range and in private?

Your husband appeared to be mannerly … maybe he could do the shopping.

note: photo courtesy of morguefile.com, artist: xenia.

The concert yesterday was a great way to spend July 4th. My daughter got to experience her first concert (she’s been clamoring for that) and she saw a line up of great country-rock artists. I think I was expecting pure country, so the rock covers threw me a bit, but it was a nice surprise.

The rain made life a bit interesting for awhile, but my daughter and I simply got soaked and continued watching the concert. When you have second-row seats in the VIP section, you don’t just jump ship when it rains a little…or even when it rains so hard and so fast that every square inch of you is soaked.

All the artists were good, some were great. Tracy Lawrence was a laid-back performer who didn’t seem to take himself too seriously - even when some technical difficulties that caused unexpected loud “pops” in the audio equipment a few times during the show. Despite that, his crooning sounded as good in person as it did on disk. He appeared surprisingly early during the day, considering his level of fame, but Lexington was only the first concert stop for him in the state on that day — he had a second show in Ashland.

The newcomers were energetic and entertaining. My daughter (who is 10) became immediately star-struck by Canadian, Adam Gregory. This little shaggy blond (with a five o’clock shadow from sometime a couple days ago) did give a great performance. He offered some original songs, including his own “Crazy Days” and pleased the crowd with his rendition of Vince Gill’s “Liza Jane.”

Sarah Johns was definitely a “Kentucky daughter” and spoke as if she were a Casey County native. Her songs were light and upbeat, and she seemed to enjoy performing and interacting (even to the point of playing matchmaker) with people in the audience.

Julianna Houghs offered a solid performance and enjoyed the last set before the rain drenched everyone in attendance.

When the clouds parted, Bucky Covington took the stage. My daughter (along with much of the crowd) adored this performer from the second they saw him. Not being a person who watches TV in general or American Idol in particular, I didn’t know him. So, when I say he (along with his band who included his twin brother, Rocky, on drums) offered the best performance of the day, it’s not because I’m predisposed to say so. I really enjoyed the sound, his obvious joy in the act of performing, and his interplay with the crowd.

This band did win the prize for the “cockiest” member… the base player. (I’m amazed there was room on stage for him, his ego, AND the rest of the band.) In spite of the bass player, I’ll be buying some of this band’s music just to see if it’s as good in the studio as it was live. Bucky and band demonstrated breadth with (surprisingly) some rock covers… like Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” — WHO expected that?!?!? And they did a beautiful job. I was truly impressed, all the way around.

I may have enjoyed Billy Currington if the sound check had not made the bass (and I LOVE bass) and the audio in general — painfully loud. It actually hurt to listen to his music. My daughter spent his set with her fingers in her ears… I joined her.

The sound issues seemed to be mostly resolved by the time John Michael Montgomery took stage … or maybe we were just too deaf to notice. It was a treat to see this mega-artist so “up close and personal” and to listen to the old favorites. I did notice that the songs I loved most (I’m dating myself now) were not as crisp sounding as the newer sets. I don’t know if his voice has changed in the over-a-decade since their original release, or if he just doesn’t practice the old favorites (Life’s a Dance, Beer and Bones) anymore. By the time he got to “Letters from Home” the sound had improved. That one sounded great! I didn’t expect rock covers from this particular band (Caught in the Crossfire) so that threw me off a bit, but he was the consummate crowd pleaser.

The damp evening ended with a traditional fireworks display and we left a bit early to avoid getting caught in the en masse exit of the crowd. My little one thoroughly enjoyed the day (except for a few minutes during the downpour when she was skeptical about my claims that this was all a part of the adventure and that she should just give into it). I enjoyed it too. Great way to spend the holiday.

Grayson arrived three weeks early today. Seen here with his father (and my eldest) Nicholas.

Recent news out of California may threaten all homeschooling parents. The appellate court recently ruled that parents aren’t the appropriate teachers for their own children. Apparently, the court wants a teaching certificate before a parent is allowed to teach. I find this not only unacceptable, but also ironic.

I actually looked into adding a teaching degree to my own education back when I was in college. After talking with the Colledge of Education at the University, I decided against it. It seemed ridiculous to me then (and even more-so now) that a major (or even a minor) was not required to teach a subject.

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My son has now been diagnosed with mono to go with the strep he’s just recently had. So now, he’s off school for an additional two weeks. He was off for several days with the earlier diagnosis of strep.

I’m worried about him losing this much time in school. Tomorrow I’ll need to go down to the school and try to set up whatever needs to be done to keep him on track. As a senior, it could impact his graduation if he doesn’t get back to class soon. (more…)

Alex, my nine-year old, has been pretty sick for the past few days. She tried to attend school yesterday, but didn’t make it long before I was called to come pick her up.

So, yesterday, in between antibiotics and chicken noodle soup, she worked on her book report due later this week. She booted her new Linux laptop (the one that died on me a couple weeks ago, but now has a different hard drive). She worked on one corner of the desk I was using.

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We have been teasing Alexzandria for some time about being the only one in the family that doesn’t have an iPod. She noted that fact first, mind you, we just hammered on it a bit.

For quite some time I have known she would be getting an iPod the first time one of our existing ones was replaced with the next generation.

She had no clue, however.

I held onto my 60 gig for a bit after getting my iPhone… and then I finally released my death-grip.

That happened on Sunday evening when I handed over my own iPod to my hubby (who had been coveting it for some time). He, in turn, gave me his 30 gig so I could wipe it and rename it and get it ready for Alex. (more…)

Today, my eldest son turns 19! Yeah, I’m O-L-D! But he seems to be doing well. I’ll be spending the day with him tomorrow, since he and I both have to work today and he has the day off tomorrow. I have a little surprise for him, but can’t reveal that here, since he’s been reading my blog lately.

My youngest son is attending the High School Entrepreneurship Program at the Center for Rural Development in Somerset, KY. (more…)

My daughter has picked up several bad habits from exposure to the elementary education systems in Casey and Russell County Schools. It bothered me when my child (who spoke perfect, grammatically correct English in the pre-K years) returned from first grade using the same incorrect language I’d heard fall from her teacher’s lips. It made me a little nuts, but I corrected at home and kept moving ahead. “We was” and “They is” demonstrated the worst of it and was corrected in fairly short order. (more…)

I spoke with a peer this morning. She knows I don’t watch TV, so she told me about the latest American Idol show… which donated money to needy causes. Alongside the starving children in Africa and disease causes, she said that there were also funds being funneled to Kentucky education. (more…)

Education in Kentucky gets me “all riled up.” My daughter got her report card on Tuesday. That’s the 24th of April, it was printed out on the 23rd (Monday). And the report date was 3/17/07 - 5/24/07.

She did well… only one B (in Language Arts, which kinda chaps my butt on general principal because I’m her Mom and that’s my “thing”) and the rest are A or A+.

So what’s my gripe? My gripe is that the term, the YEAR, doesn’t end for another month, but she’s already got her final grades. I’ve said for ages that the kids do NOTHING to learn anything after CATS testing, but how much more physical proof do I need than this? (more…)

Recently, I announced that I’m going to Linux. And I bellyache about Vista to my family. What happens? My father goes to Linux on one of his machines… then converts three more. (He likes his computers.) Now, my 17-year old has taken an old box I pulled from the discard pile at a client site and has reworked it with a Linux operating system.

They are telling me that Linux has gotten alot easier. They tell me there is very little required to get the OS working other than “dropping in” Ubuntu.

Now, suddenly, my son and father have both joined forces and started giving me crap (in stereo) for not having switched over already.

I’m running a business. I can’t just up and switch without a bit of research, some product testing and getting all my systems and software in place and under my belt…FIRST. I can’t just “go Linux” tomorrow and decide not to worry about all the functionality I need that won’t immediately work.

Why? I’m glad you asked… (more…)

My baby boy turns 17 today. Gee that makes me sound old, and even more scary… it makes him old. All the big celebrating is over — he already has his blog site (which was granted early so he could begin expressing himself). It still needs a few tweaks, but it’s usable now and I hope to complete the remaining items this week. (more…)

Today, I was the coolest Mom alive. Yup, honestly. I picked up my son just after 12 noon from school and surprised him with the rest of the day (a week early) to celebrate his 17th birthday.

I invited his girlfriend to be in on the surprise, so she was waiting in the car when I checked him out of school. We whisked him off (without telling him where we were going) to Louisville. He thought the gift was a half day off school and to see his girlfriend (who recently moved back to the state).

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I was browsing through my most recent issue of Wired Magazine this week when I noticed an article about a new online community for kids. It’s sounded so cute, I had to go check it out for myself. And, I’m glad I did — it’s simply adorable!

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I have been informed by my daughter that I’m now the “odd man out” in our family. Since she put on her brand new glasses, I’m the only one in the house that doesn’t wear glasses. And, she’s rather proud of hers (with good reason, they look adorable on her!)

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