But I still do the surveys, twice a year, and still love the peek it gives me, this little slice of time in their lives.  Here are just a few of their answers this go-round.

Last day of school, 2011:

Brayden, age 14, 8th grade

What was your favorite class this year?  “History, because Mr. T is awesome.”

Least favorite class this year?  “Science, well, it’s science.  Enough said.”

The best way to spend recess:  “hang out with REAL friends that stay true to you.”

Best memory of this school year:  “Having all the 8th graders at my house.”

Favorite project/activity this year:  “the math animals that we made.”

Describe your perfect school day:  “Not having a school day!”

Kellen, age 13, 7th grade

Favorite class this year:  “Geography, it was fun!”

Least favorite class this year:  “Pre-Algebra, I didn’t understand it sometimes.”

Something I would like to change about my school:  “Longer recess and lunch!”

Best memory of the school year:  “Going to my first basketball game and getting to play!”

Describe your perfect school day:  “Having free days in every class!”

Kendrie, age 11, 5th grade

Favorite class this year:  “Language Arts, I love to write.”

Least favorite class and why:  “Science, I just don’t.”

Best field trip andwhy:  “Last day of school – bowling.”

A new friend I made this year and what I like about them:  “McKenzie – she has a cute twin, tehe, tehe, tehe, tehe”

Something I am excited about for next year:  “just it being middle school.”

Something I am nervous about for next year:  “7th and 8th graders.”

Something that made me sad or upset this year:  “Mrs. N lost her home in the tornado.” {2nd grade teacher at our school}

Describe your perfect school day:  “We switch classes and Katrina comes into my class.”

2010 – Brayden, age 13 – 8th grade:

The best thing that happened on the first day of school:  “I made a new friend who loves Justin Bieber as much as me.”

What I had for lunch the first day:  “A chicken sandwich”

When I grow up, I would like to live:  “In a nice house.”

When I go to college, I think I will be:  “A good student.”

I think Kellen:  “Is a good Ninja.”

I think Kendrie:  “Is a good sister.”

2010 – Kellen, age 12 – 7th grade:

The best thing that happened on the first day of school:  “We formed the N.A.S.A.; Ninja Assassin Sinister Alliance.”

What I will miss most about summer:  “Swimming.”

What would make this school year perfect:  “Having all my classes with friends.”

When I grow up, I would like to live:  “In Japan.”

After high school, I want to:  “Go to college in Japan on a Ninja scholarship.”*

When I go to college, I think I will be:  “Good at it!”

I love:  “Family, and the weekends!”

2010 – Kendrie, age 10 — 5th grade:

I think my favorite subject this year will be:  “Social Studies”

Because:  “I love Social Studies.”

I am not looking forward to this class or subject:  “None.”

Because:  “I love it all.”

The best thing that happened on the first day of school:  “When Christian flipped a desk over by accident in a game.”

What I will miss most about summer:  “Mom taking me to lunch.”

When I grow up, I would like to:  “Talk to kids with cancer.”

My favorite hobbies:  “Soccer, Karate, be hyper.”

I think Brayden:  “Has Justin Bieber fever.”

I think Kellen:  “Is a great saxophone player.”

If I could skip school for one day, I would:  “Go to Steak N’ Shake, or go to my granddad’s house in Dallas.”**

*Yeah, good luck with that.  Because Ninja scholarships are just falling from the sky for thousands and thousands of students.

**I would just like to point out that her granddad doesn’t LIVE in Dallas.  Perhaps that’s a sign we should visit him more often.

I would hurry, on the last afternoon at school, from class to class to class.  When they were all in elementary school together, it was not really that hard to do.  I traveled the most when they were in three different hallways, hoofing it from room to room to room, but could still manage.  I would typically take cookies to one class, cupcakes to another, and drinks to the third.  Or maybe plates and napkins.  Or even ice cream sundae ingredients ….. really, whatever the teacher asked me to bring.  I would take as many pictures as possible of the kids with their classmates and teachers, for scrapbooking purposes.   I would try to help with games, or activities, or set up or clean up.  You get 20 or 25 kids, already wound up about it being the last day, and then throw enough sugar at them …… honestly, the teachers could use the help on those days.   Typically, last-day-of-school parties lasted about an hour, so I would allocate twenty minutes for each room and just enjoy myself.  When school let out for the day, I would help each child carry their brown grocery bag full of papers and graded homework and art projects home, eyeballing the parents who were smarter than me and had the good sense to bring a wagon to the school with them, to help haul the left-over school stuff out to their car.   We would arrive home tired, hopped up on sugar, and yet excited at the same time to know SUMMER had officially begun.

Nowadays:

My middle school kids don’t even GO to school the last two days, except long enough to catch a bus to take them on their last-day-of-school field trips.  I offered to go as a chaperone, and the principal said while I was certainly welcome, they had plenty of staff and I wasn’t needed.  My kids said they didn’t care, but I didn’t want to be one of, if not the ONLY, parent there, so I skipped it.  They’re big kids now, they don’t need me to hold their hands and help them on and off the school bus, or to make sure they don’t get left behind in the bathroom.  Their lockers were cleaned out last week, they’ve already signed up for next year’s classes, and they don’t need help getting any work or papers or folders home ….. its all already here.  Barring anything we might be leaving behind in the lost and found, but dear Lord, who wants to dig through THAT ginormous pile in the commons area??? 

Kendrie is still in elementary, and I was supposed to take snacks for her class.  I figured as long as I was dropping them off, I would stay long enough for a few pictures at the end of the day, then bring her home.  Her class is not doing a traditional party …. instead, the entire grade is allowed to bring one electronic game, and one board game, a pillow, a blanket, and slippers, and they are having a day of relaxation and just goofing off.  Her teacher called two days ago and said not to even worry about the snack, that she was going to take care of the food and drinks herself.  She brought home all her papers and work and folders last Friday.  Since my kids walk to and from school, weather permitting, I don’t even really need to go up there today.

I’m feeling a little sad, truthfully.  And perhaps, if I’m being honest, a little obsolete.

I mean, I guess on the one hand, that gives me another hour …. a last, final, PRECIOUS hour of peace and quiet before the chaos of summer begins. 

So there’s that.

And I also know that after our traditional last-day-of-school dinner at Pops, a local restaurant we go to every year on the last day, I’ll have less than twelve hours before the cacophony of  “What are we going to do today?” begins.  
And my reign as social chairperson, chauffeur, summer camp coordinator, swim date organizer, snack provider, enforcer of computer and tv time, and holder of towels, purses, and bags will begin.

So it’s not like they don’t need me.  It’s not like my status as stay-at-home-mom is in jeopardy.  It’s not like there still isn’t plenty to do, both during the school year and during the summer – volunteering, being here when my kids get home from school, being available.   If nothing else, the local snow cone stand is too far for them to walk, so they need me to drive them there.

But part of me sure misses the olden days, when I was perhaps needed a wee bit more.  Even if only for the parties.  And the photos.

Kendrie, “Mom, what do you think of my costume for my skit at school?  Dad helped me make it.  Do you like it?”

Mom:  “Sure I do.  Are you guys re-enacting a toga party?”

Kendrie, “No.”

Mom:  “Are you a ghost?”

Kendrie:  “No.”

Mom:  “A Roman emperor?”

Kendrie:  “No.”

Mom:  “So just what exactly *are* you???”

Kendrie, “Duh, I’m JESUS.”

Oh.  Of course you are.

And let’s see, your friend next to you is God.  Or maybe even Father Time.  But probably not the lead singer for ZZ Top, which was my first guess.

Then the Mixed Chorus part of the competition was canceled.

Of course it was.

Since I had already paid, and paid for Brayden, and plenty of her friends were still going, I decided to go ahead and attend.

Even at the ungodly hour of 3:00 am.

Do you know what time you have to set your alarm to actually BE somewhere at 3:00 AM????  I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to live down the street from the school.  I estimate I got an extra seven minutes sleep that way.

Anyway, we went, the Show Choir performed well, and then the kids and chaperones were turned loose in Six Flags.  For safety sake, the kids were put in groups that they were not allowed to leave UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH, and most of those groups had an adult with them, so all told I’d say it was pretty controlled.  And even the groups that didn’t have adults …. well …. these *are* 7th and 8th graders we’re talking about, 13 and 14 years old.  At some point we have to trust they can walk around an amusement park without getting lost or leaving with strangers or causing too much trouble or getting arrested, right?

At least that’s what I told myself.

Brayden’s group had four girls and the world’s cutest boy in it, and we were having fun, but then the boy bailed for another group with more boys (ie, more TESTOSTERONE) because Brayden was the only one in our group who would ride the roller coasters with him and trust me, if BRAYDEN is the brave one in a group, then its a pretty sedentary group. 

I realized about half way through the day, when I worried aloud for the third time that the kids needed more sunscreen, and did anyone need to go potty?  that I’ve turned into my mother. 

There were a few things that hopefully helped me gain “cool” points:

1. I was willing to sit and hold the various purses and sunglasses and backpacks when the kids rode rides, because did you know some rides at Six Flags, which don’t allow bags on them, now have “bag lockers” and you have to pay a dollar to leave your bag in one while you ride?  Seriously, don’t even get me started.

2.  I had extra cash because did you know some parents send their kids to spend twelve hours in Six Flags with only ten bucks?  Now, it had been a long time since I had been to Six Flags, but I can tell you, ten bucks won’t even buy a decent lunch and a drink, let alone two meals, drinks, snacks, or any kind of souvenir.  I think that girl was embarrassed to take money from me, but come on.  After five or six hours walking around the park, she needed a stinking bottled water.

3.  I totally just followed the kids around the park, at a respectful distance, and didn’t try to be all Bossy-Pants about their schedule or route (even if they were just walking in circles because really kids, would it kill you to try and read a map????)

4.  At lunch and dinner, I sat at the next table over and didn’t try to butt into their conversations about which boys in the park were the cutest.**

5.  I actually had tylenol with me when needed by a member of our group.  See also:  sunscreen and hand sanitizer.

Things that made me NOT cool at Six Flags:

1.  I had to leave the group for a few hours during the afternoon to go lie down in my van and take a nap.  Hey, what can I say.  I’m old, I’d been up since 2am, and I knew I also had to drive back, not arriving at the school until after midnight.  It was either nap, or run the risk of late-night collision on I-35 in Dallas.  Although, considering that meant the girls got to hang by themselves in the park, ogling cute boys, for almost two hours, this should perhaps put me in the “cool” column again.

2.  Brayden asked how I liked her souvenir sunglasses and I truthfully told her they were the ugliest things I’d ever seen.  Then realized the entire group bought matching sunglasses.  Oops.

**I would like it noted that my 13 year old daughter, who 95% of the time cannot be bothered to say a kind or appreciative word to me because she is too busy rolling her eyes and flouncing out of the room, left her friends both meals and came to my table and ate with me so I wouldn’t have to eat alone.  One time she did it out of the goodness of her heart; one time she did it because she needed aspirin.  Both time I suspect she was just happy I paid for her meal, leaving her more money to spend on souvenirs, but that’s ok ……….. I’ll take it.

But today, I’m talking about my kids.  And how many days INAFREAKINGROW they have been out of school due to the ice/snow storm we got here.  I’m certain you people up north are laughing in our faces at what wimps we are, that everything — schools, universities, businesses, doctors offices, churches – shut down with a simple sheet of ice, covered by a couple inches of snow ………. but we don’t have the road crews or street equipment to deal with it.  There isn’t enough sand or salt in the grocery stores in all the land to clear the streets.  So they cancel school.  And I am forced to spend quality time with my children.  Hours and hours, days and days, of quality time.

Dear Lord, please let them go back to school tomorrow.

I do think I should get some good mom points.  I took them sledding twice, and put a bowl outside to collect enough clean, fresh snow to make ice cream.  Never mind that we forgot the bowl and never actually made the ice cream.  I have washed and dried more scarves, jackets, gloves, socks, and boots than should be allowed by law, and drove my children twenty miles to my sister’s house today so they could play outside in acres and acres of snow.  That’s right, the school board says it’s not safe to go 100 yards to the elementary school, but by golly I risked life and limb to get out of the damn house today and interact with other human beings.

I have watched approximately 7,343,857,477 hours of television.  There is not a single iCarly, Wizards of Waverly Place, Hannah Montana, or Suite Life episode that I have not seen.  At least eight times.  We have played computer games, and watched movies.  I even got desperate enough to suggest a rousing game of Yahtzee … thank goodness the kids said no.

I have cooked frozen pizzas, grilled cheese sandwiches, hot pockets, made soup in a crockpot, shrimp fried rice, heated up endless mugs of hot chocolate, and even made (and SHARED, which should be noted) an entire batch of chocolate chip cookie dough.  I’ve never been this Betty Crocker in my entire flipping life, and still the children complain there is nothing good to eat.

If I have to spend one more minute bonding with these children, I’m going to slit my wrists.

So here’s my public notice to the school board administration of our school:  I appreciate your hard work, and respect the decision making process.  I understand the responsibility you feel for the safety of our students and their families.  But if you cancel school again tomorrow, I will be dropping my children off at your personal residences at 8am, and not returning until 3pm. 

Good luck with that.

“For lunch I had …..”
Kendrie: 2 tacos
Kellen: Pizza sticks
Brayden: Crap. It’s school food — cold meat and hardened cheese.

“Lunch was actually pretty ….”
Kendrie: Fun!
Kellen: Average
Brayden: Bad

“One goal I am setting for myself this year is ….”
Kendrie: Make new friends
Kellen: Just be myself and have a great time.
Brayden: Stay on all the teachers’ good sides.

“One thing I am really looking forward to this year …”
Kendrie: Spanish
Kellen: Lunch
Brayden: Calling all the sixth graders “Sixlets”

“When I grow up, I really want to be ….”
Kendrie: Like my mom and dad.
Kellen: A CIA Ninja
Brayden: An actress and a vet

“I think this quiz mom makes us do is ….”
Kendrie: Fun
Kellen: Fun
Brayden: Fun even though I’ve taken it 47 times already.

What’s funny is Brayden is actually NOT the one I would label “sarcastic” … yet after reading her answers, I might have to re-think that opinion.

Child #3 forgot both her water bottle and her snack.

Child #3′s best friend needed a baggie to hold her extra pencils.

Thankfully we live so close to the school I could run home and get everything the girls needed and bring it all back to school before the day had really even started.

But then I left my umbrella there in the classroom.

It was raining.

Second day of school:

I forgot to ask my children the night before if they wanted to buy lunch at school, or pack a lunch from home. (Hush, I realize my children are old enough to pack their own lunches but I’m still trying to play the “good mother at the beginning of the school year” shtick.)

This morning, after looking at the cafeteria menu for today, all three informed me they wanted to pack a lunch. Of course they did.

Kendrie wanted a ham and cheese sandwich, but informed me there was no more lunchmeat. I told her she could have pb&j.

Kellen informed me the cheese had been left open by accident and was hard. I told him HE could have pb&J, too.

Brayden said she would actually PREFER pb&j, but that Blaine had finished the last loaf of bread a few days ago and forgot to tell me.

Blaine confirmed this to be true.

(sigh)

So, Blaine ran to the store to buy lunch meat, cheese, and bread, and hey, while you’re there, we need another gallon of milk and the kids would probably love if you’d buy some of those individual bags of cheetos that I am always too cheap to buy, thanks, honey.

He came home and I rushed to make the lunches.

Which Child #1 AND Child #2 walked off and left sitting on the kitchen table.

When we realized it, half way to the school, I told them children not to worry. I would bring their lunches to the school this morning and leave them in the office.

At which point Kellen said, “Never mind, I don’t want to eat it anyway.”

At which point **I** said, “Oh. You WILL eat that lunch, and {insert scary demon voice} YOU. WILL. LIKE. IT.”

But hey, at least they all three made it to school, unlike my nephew, who missed his first day of middle school ever, thanks to some mystery “summer virus” that rendered him home in bed with a high fever and sore throat on the first day.

Something tells me that the weeping coming from my sister’s house yesterday morning wasn’t from happy baby angels ….

And still, NONE of it was as bad as this year.

And the baby angels sang and wept with happiness.

Today, I shopped at Target and none of the following — candy, gum, toys, bouncy balls, flamin’ hot cheetos, video games, Disney movies, or stuffed animals — landed in my cart.

And the baby angels sang and wept with happiness.

Today, I sat in a doctor’s office waiting for an appointment for half an hour, and not once did I have to worry about getting back to the sitter, or if the kids were ok at home.

And the baby angels sang and wept with happiness.

Today, I listened to the ipod player in my car and none of the following — Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Naked Brothers Band, Emily Osment, Selena Gomez, or Demi Lovato — played a single time.

And the baby angels sang and wept with happiness.

Today, I went for lunch at a restaurant none of my kids like — and no-one complained.

And the baby angels sang and wept with happiness.

Today, the television never came on, which means none of the following — Wizards of Waverly Place, iCarly, Drake and Josh, Suite Life on Deck, the Othersiders, or Malcolm in the Middle — crossed my eyes or my brain even once.

And the baby angels sang and wept with happiness.

Can you guess what else happened today?

My kids started back to school.

And Kristie sang and wept with happiness.

Anyway.

The teachers let all the parents whose kids were chosen (about three hundred and ninety-two of us) know that the awards would be passed out during the Friday morning assembly so we could go for picture-taking purposes.

After the names were called and the certificates passed out, I asked Kellen and Kendrie, and their cousin who was also named, to stick around for a few quick photos.

Kellen didn’t look too happy and I asked him why. Not that this is the biggest honor in the history of mankind or anything, but I was still proud of him and thought he would have been more pleased.

“Of all the days,” he hissed at me under his breath, “for me to get an award, it has to be today? Book Character Day? The day all the parents show up, and I’m up here in front of everyone, dressed as TOM SAWYER?!?“

And I thought to myself, “Honey, as many dress-up days as you have around here, odds are running about three-to-one that ANY day you won an award would be a dress-up day.”

But you notice he refused to take his jacket off ….. oh well, at least he’s in good company:

A cat.

His cousin, the squirrel. And his sister, who had the good sense to select Jigsaw Jones, Boy Detective, who dresses like a normal person.

And look, Laura Ingalls is in the house. And for the person who asked if the teachers dress up as well — do you see Snow White? She is one of the kindergarten teachers. The other seven teachers were …… (go ahead, you can guess ….) the dwarves.