Like I Have Time For This?

Better like this? (Imagine a heavy Bronx accent here.)

Or better like this? (Again, really heavy Bronx accent. I’m talking HEAVY. Don’t be afraid to lay it on thick.)

It was standing room only at the local Dunkin’ Donuts this morning as dozens upon dozens of homeschoolers descended upon the little shop and scarfed down several dozen of the famous sugary treats, not to mention large cups of milk and coffee and juices of all kinds.

After about an hour of that, we all moved on up the road a bit to our friend’s house where the kids swam or played basketball or badminton and the moms knitted or crocheted various things and we ordered sandwiches in and just had ourselves a regular-old good time.

And I should also mention that today is the day my 6-year-old turns into a 7-year-old, and what a joy it is to NOT have to send her off to school on her birthday of all days. Here’s my birthday girl:

What a face! It almost looks like she’s thinking: Oh Mother, those poor, poor children! Tell me it’s not true, that children all over the state are being bussed away and sent into large, un-airconditioned industrial-looking brick buildings and forced to sit in uncomfortable chairs all day long. Oh please, Mother, say it isn’t so. Oh, how can they bear it? Oh, isn’t there any way to save them?

It does sort of look like she’s thinking that, doesn’t it.

But what was really happening in that shot was that she’d just run up to me and asked if she could go swimming, and because I didn’t say yes right away because I was busy dinking around with my new camera, she became concerned that I might say no, which would have been devastating. This is what she looks like when she thinks I might say no to one of her requests - reasonable or not.

Of course I said yes. It’s the first day of school…. Of course you can go swimming. And have another donut while you’re at it. That’s what the first day of school is all about around here.

And Happy Birthday, sweetie.