I stressed over finding daycare for Abby.

Had to stress over finding daycare TWICE because of the move from Maryland to Colorado when she was 16 months old.

Now, the search for elementary school has been in full swing. It's fortunate that Colorado has Open Enrollment, allowing kids to attend any school they desire, not forced to accept their neighborhood school, but it's also unfortunate because it expands my research boundary a lot. As we dig into the Kindergarten/First grade curriculum at schools I'm getting really, really frustrated.

I have an embarrassing reaction to anger. I cry. Normally, not prone to being overly emotional, but when I get angry enough, I lose control and the tears are inevitable.

This morning, I came across this song in a Kindergarten parents' handbook of one of the top-rated elementary schools in THE top-rated school district in Colorado.....and I lost it.

Beginnings

I'm learning how to spell today;
I'm doing very well!
I know that exit starts with "X",
and elephant with "L".

(You can't seriously think that this is a GOOD song to teach kids about spelling! Can no one see that this could maybe do more harm than good?! Or has the texting generation changed the world of spelling so that "xit" and "lphant" are just as acceptable now?)

There's "K" for cape, came and cake,
and "Q" for cucumber,
Forest starts with "4", I think,
Oops, "4" is a number!

(On the bright side, this song can help kids develop a skill for going into business as vanity plate designers - "4est", "QcumbR"....I can see them slapped on to the front and back of my car.)

Birthday ends with letter "A",
and easy ends with "Z",
"O" comes last in scarecrow,
and baby ends with "B".

(I thought this was a song about Beginnings. I'm a bit confused about what this song is trying to accomplish.)

It gets harder, I suppose,
As you go along.
But spelling seems quite simple now,
Perhaps....I could be rong!

(No, I did not mistype the last word. Copied exactly from the handbook.)

[Sniff.]

Abby wanted two pigtails for school today.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face, I brushed her hair. As I started to part her hair, I saw a ton of black specks near her scalp and I froze.

"Aaagh, she's got head lice! Oh my gosh, she can't go to school today. I need to get Paul back in here to look at this. I wonder how much of this is all over her bed. All over her room. All over the HOUSE! Need to check Kayleigh. That's it! My girls are living in a bubble from now on!"

I stared to see if anything was moving. Thank goodness, no. So, my next, more rational thought was, "Shouldn't nits be white?"

At that moment, Abby moved her head and one of the specks caught the light and shined blue. Imagine my RELIEF when that clued me in to the fact that her head was actually covered in blue GLITTER......not nits.

The calmer me said to Abby, "Abby, were you playing with glitter in art yesterday?" Meanwhile, I was thinking why, oh why, didn't I give her a bath yesterday. Would've saved me from a near heart-attack this morning.

"Noooo...."

"Then how did you get all this blue glitter in your hair?"

"Quinncy put the sprinkles in my hair and then I put some in Quinncy's hair and then I put some in Olivia's hair. It was just the three of us and the teachers didn't know about it. We were like Tinker Bell and her friends."

Ah, glitter = pixie dust.

Just an overreaction.

Abby has been really hesitant to ride tricycles and bikes. Even with training wheels, she refused to try. So, when Paul had a day off on Monday, 8/8, he decided to give Abby instructions on riding a bike with training wheels.

Amazingly, it took only an hour and Abby was able to do it and loves it! She was so proud of herself and she called me at work to tell me about her success.

Here she is, proudly riding her pink Princesses bike around the tennis courts.

Ever since I saw the Disney movie, Ratatouille, I've been wanting to make this peasant dish. However, the recipes were all quite a bit time-consuming and intimidating, so I never attempted it.

Until now.

A few weeks ago, we started to get a vegetable share from our local community supported agriculture (CSA). Every week, we would get a box of freshly picked (from the day before), organic vegetables. Each week the vegetables were different, depending on what was in season.


So, last week, the huge stash of tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and variety of squashes screamed ratatouille. I found this recipe online by Julia Child and modified it to make my version of a quick ratatouille.

This recipe is not baked and I skip the last step to simmer all the ingredients together. In order to let the flavors mingle, this recipe should be made a day in advance.

Slice:
1 large zucchini squash, 2 medium yellow squashes into thin disks
1 medium eggplant (peeled, if desired) into 3/4" thick slices and cut into 2" x 1" pieces.
4-6 medium tomatoes (will be fairly pureed, so don't have to be pretty)
1 small yellow onion into thin slices

1. Toss the squashes and eggplant with 1 Tbsp salt and let sit for 30 minutes to extract the water, then towel dry.

2. In a large searing skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil on high-heat and toss in eggplants. Do not stir frequently to allow pieces to sear. Cook approximately 6-10 minutes, or until desired tenderness, then remove from skillet and place in large bowl.

3. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil on high-heat and toss in the squashes. Again, do not stir frequently. Cook approximately 5 minutes, or until desired tenderness, toss with salt and pepper to taste, then remove from skillet and place in same bowl as eggplants.

4. Reduce heat to medium and add 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Toss in sliced onions and cook until soft and brown. Add 4-6 cloves of minced garlic and the tomotoes. Cook about 5 minutes, until the tomatoes start to render their juices, then turn heat to high and allow most of the juices to boil off. Taste and adjust seasoning.

5. In a casserole dish, layer 1/3 tomatoes mixture, 1/3 eggplant, 1/3 squashes, sprinkle with dried parsley and a dash of parmesan cheese (extra pepper also, if desired). Repeat for 3 layers.

6. Cover and let sit, unrefrigerated, overnight. This allows the flavors and juices to mingle and get yummy. Next morning, place in fridge. Heat and serve as a side dish or veggie main dish.

Note: Cooking time is approximate and for high altitude. Just test the done-ness and taste as you go.

Pre-kindergarten officially started this week for Abby. She was so thrilled to be wearing uniforms. I think the girls' jumpers are absolutely adorable!