Aloha Friday

I love Fridays. (In Hawaii we lovingly refer to them as Aloha Fridays).

My classes end on Thursday so there's no hair spray, corky wedges or red pencils allowed on Fridays. There are no comma splices, misplaced pronouns or missing articles on Fridays. On Fridays I don't instruct, suggest, decide or record anything. The whole day lies ahead of me like a blank page.

I love to wake up super early because everything is more fun on Fridays. I swim, I do yoga, I read, I write. I take luxurious baths. Even the daily domestic duties don't bog me down on Fridays. Joyfully I pull all the sweaty balled up soccer socks from the shoes strewn across the floor and toss them into the washer. I flit from floor to floor gathering backpacks and discarded homework and humming a happy tune. Then, just as I'm getting that rush that comes from scrubbing the toilet bowls . . . my kids wake up.

And then I wake up.

And once the kids get off to school, I start preparing for Saturday.

Yesterday that entailed checking the ads for sales; making a Costco list; running to the grocery store to buy snacks for Zach's soccer game; putting the snacks together for Zach's soccer game (in Hawaii snack means hearty meal); pulling all the balled up soccer socks from the wash and matching them up with cleats, uniforms and water bottles; making arrangements to have meals brought in to a sista who just gave birth; making a meal to bring in to the sista who just gave birth; setting up sistas to visit the widow in the hospital; visiting the widow in the hosptal; having a quick nervous breakdown, (no time for a long one) and then racking my brain to think of what to get the twins for their birthday (besides new church pants).

(You know you're out of touch with your kids when you realize on Friday it's their birthday on Sunday and you haven't planned a party, obtained presents, or purchased a cake. To top it off you can't remember how old they are).

But enough about me.

Here's the latest update on the kids:

Tatum is straightening her hair again because, as she puts it, she's not in a curly mood.


Plus she says she's tired of her head being 10 times the size of everyone else's.


Which is totally not true.

She dropped out of Keiki Choir because it's incredibly time consuming, but missed singing so much that she has now joined a choir at school. (I'm guessing there were other factors in that decision besides how badly she missed singing.)

Big event yesterday! Zach brought his trombone home to practice (sorry neighbors). Here's what he looks like when he practices:



And here's what Wyatt looks like


And here's what Garrett looks like.


I don't know why, but it gave me the biggest thrill to see Zach carrying that trombone to the bus stop this morning. Weird, I know. Anyway, he ain't half bad and I'm really looking forward to the full-ride college scholarship due to the shortage of trombone players in the world.

Good news! Junior High progress reports are out:


And more good news! Wyatt and Garrett have finally finally finally started taking their school work more seriously than they take hangin' loose with the neighborhood brat pack/mongoose club. They come home from school and set up camp at the kitchen table while I finish up my bon-bons and soap operas.


Life is beautiful.