On Friday afternoons, I like to hang out with a homeschooler’s group at a local park, and it’s really something for me rather than for my children, since all the other children in the group are considerably older than Neil and Kelly and rarely play with them. The other parents, though, are experienced, and always…
Author: cjbickford
World’s Worst Mom Week End, Part 3: Racist Frustrations
On Friday, I tried for a hail-mary pass to try to get Kelly into the presumably (but not guaranteed as such) better environment of the magnet school she was waitlisted for. Peter, ever the optimist, thought there might be merit in keeping Kelly within the district until after Christmas, when more places at the magnet…
World’s Worst Mom Week End, Part 2: Bad Party Mojo
On Friday, I came to the horrible realization that my daughter is spectacularly unpopular, and I got to wondering. Is it me? Is it her? Or is it factors out of our control? Still a bit discombobulated from our incredible vacation, I was a wee bit late in getting invitations out for Kelly’s birthday party,…
World’s Worst Mom Week End, Part 1: School
At the end of this week, I felt I was the world’s worst mom in my treatment of Kelly. It started out, ironically enough, by my volunteering in Kelly’s classroom. I’ve blogged several times about San Jose Unified’s despicable policy of requiring parent volunteers to be fingerprinted and vetted by the FBI, at the volunteer’s…
My One-Woman Voter Suppression Effort
After we dropped Kelly off at school, Peter and I went to vote since our polling place is conveniently located at Kelly’s school. I’m the self-designated household designated voting nerd. I’m one of those people (supposedly rare) who looks over the ballot and all the propositions several days before the vote, reads them over, together…
The Amazingly Rapid Economic Meltdown
Peter and I joked that the world could fall apart, but we were still going to continue on our trip. I have to say, at times, it did feel like the world collapsed in our absence. I knew Happy Happy Lenderman had left a path of economic destruction, at least in real estate, but I…
Our Amazing Cross-Country Road Trip
Just a week ago, we got back from our 31-day trip seeing our own country. I’ve been holding off blogging on it because frankly, getting it all in print, is intimidating! How do you write up a trip on which every day was a mind-blowing adventure? Eventually, I’m sure I’ll get it in, pictures and…
The Charybdis and Scylla Ancient Greek History Test
Neil just took this test, and passed it with 90 points, but that’s because I gave him 5 points for the extra credit question he answered correctly. Peter didn’t do as well. Can you pass it? Charybdis and Scylla Academy Ancient Greek History Test 10 multiple choice questions, 2 points for each correct 1. Who…
Tying Up Loose Ends
Next week, we’re leaving on a grand adventure: a driving trip across the United States. In one month, we plan to see Yellowstone Park; South Dakota’s Black Hills; Chicago; Niagara Falls; Boston with MIT; New York City; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Washington, DC; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; Disney World; New Orleans; Austin, Texas; Roswell, New…
School of Lowered Expectations
I really want to like our neighborhood school, where Kelly is currently going. I know she loves it, because every day after school, she can’t even wait to walk home before showing me the work she’s done. She’s putting more effort into reading independently than she did when she was with me, she asks me…