seems like I never post here, but the forum I post on I feel either:
a) they are too huge to post about personal stuff, ie nobody would care
b) they are too small and have heard whining from the same small group of people over and over and don't want to hear about it anymore!

So anyway, here is my story that nobody on a forum would like to hear.

Today, after I picked up K-Bean from Pre-k, we went for a walk to get the mail.

she said,"Mama how come you don't toot?"
me: "I do"
she: "I never hear you".
me "I try to do it in private, so nobody hears"

she burst into tears:"I wish I never tooted!"

So I asked her: "Did somebody make fun of you for tooting today?"
She says yes, but then tells me a different story:

"So and So said nah nah your mom is MEAN and my mom is nice"

She said she cried and told the teacher ans she was so mad at this girl because I (her Mommy) AM nice!

How she went from toots to that is interesting. However this particular little girl is the one K-Bean most compalins about the "you are too small" teasing she endures. But they still play at school together a bit(until the girl starts saying these things, and upsets K-Bean)

This girl has a birthday a day before K-Bean. April is just a month away so the birthday guest list has been a big topic here.

Last year we invited the whole class. Not this year:

a) she has no close friends in her class this year
b) last year at the party all the kids sat at 3 tables and K-Bean sat alone. Yes, at her birthday.
c) She has good friends outside school. Enough to 'fill' a party

So after last year, I decided only to invite friends, or at least children who are nice to her.

So she has 7 good friends out of school. She needs to invite 1 boy and his little sister from her school because we are friendly with the family. I carefully selected 2 other girls from her class. One saw her at the mall and gushed over her to her family and called her friend, and one is a shy girl and the teacher has suggested nudging K-Bean and her together as friends.
I watched both of these girls at the recent class party. Girl #1 seemed generally friendly and nice, and girl #2,well, shy. She tried to stand next to this one girl and the girl ran to her mother and said "I don't like her! she always wants to stand next to me!" Oooh that boiled my gravy! So girl #2 is invited.

K-Bean had expressed interest in another girl, but at the class party I saw K-Bean approach this girl and ask her "Can I play?" and the girl said "No you can't" So I crossed her off my mental mommy party list!

So getting back to the "your mommy is mean" girl I also too had thought of inviting her, but yeah comments like that get you knocked off the guest list too, girly!

We are done with Dance for the year!

1aaaadance2, originally uploaded by rufusbeans.

Bean girl had her very first tap recital last night. We can relax for a week then it is off to the mountains for the summer, yippee!

April 13th

So Today is Miss Bean's 4th Birthday. It is already 10 am, and I am letting her sleep in. Bean Dad just went to get last party stuff.
The Weather is ick. It is slowing/raining. I wonder if it will keep people from coming to the zoo. 15 kids are suppose to show up, so we will see.

I'll post pics later, but there will not be a horse shoe cake to go with her Horse party. I ordered the pan from Amazon, along with a 12 pack of you-can-only-get-from-amazon Betty Crocker Cherry Chip Cake mix. Well they send them in the same box and the case of cake crushed the horseshoe pan. I couldn't find another here in Beantown, so we went with what we could find: a daisy.

Oh what a pain in the rear it was. Well the first cake got burnt and was two same and the second one was too big (2 mixes) but it worked, we just shaved the bottom off. Good thing we had a case of mix!

So its not a gorgeous cake. But I think it will do. I hear Bean stirring. Back later

I should get the Blog Shame Award

Because I say I am going to be better at blogging, then I let a month slip by!

We decided on the Zoo for Bean's Birthday, and she is excited. It's on the Sunday of her birthday late in the afternoon. I figured that would let most people get home from church and whatnot. Only four kids from her class have rsvp-ed though. I have to admit I am a little disappointed. I though there is more time for them to call. I hope they are all waiting until the last minute. BeanDad invited 3 of his friend's girls, and none of them gave firm answers! A least one girl will come, one is iffy (her uncle is getting married the day before) and the last dad acted 'funny' when V asked his daughter to come. I think It is because she just had her birthday party and Katya wasn't invited. I mentioned this to Vlad and he looked really confused. He would of though they would of invited her. Anyway, I think this girl's party was at the zoo too, so I bet he is worried about it all leaking out somehow.

Anyway, that's it, in a nutshell. 5-3 spots still let at the party!

Thursday, Leap Year

of course you are invited, H. Bring the whole brood! :)

Big City Catholic keeps sending us stuff. Last week it was coupon for a month free tuition. Yesterday it was a letter to Bean from our tour guide. They also had the financial office call us to tell us we could apply for a diocesan grant PLUS Big City Catholic Grant.

Bean had her second day of class at Big City Ballet yesterday. We have to drive forever to get there, but she seems to like it.

If you are the parent of a 3/4/5 year old....

and you received an invitation to a birthday party, which venue would annoy you the least (ie which would you be willing to go to/have your child attend)

Before the flames start (why not just a quiet birthday party at home with friends and family/why not just go to a park for free?) let me address these issues:

a) Our house is under construction and therefor not safe for a group of people with small children
b) small party with family: it would be very small. We have no family here, so it would be mom, dad and kid. woo
c) hey why not outside at park/school/state park? Well last year it snowed her on her birthday. Rain and wind also is possible...refer to #a, we can't use out house as a backup.
d) cost: this city is a bit economically depressed...therefore activites are a bit cheaper than the national average, and I have been saving for 3 months for this.

Choices:

Chuck E Cheese
pros they do not restrict what you can bring in, don't have to pay extra for adults
cons Would have to have it on Tuesday; her birthday is Sunday (Chuck is waaaay to0 busy for 4 year olds on Sunday) and she has dance class on Monday so...

Childrens Museum
pros get admission to musumm, private party space, craft
cons: possible no Sunday Parties (website unclear), Smalltown parents may not want to drive all the way to Bigtown's downtown

Zoo
pros: get admission to zoo, private room with animal visit
cons: no balloons

Indoor Waterpark
pros: fun???
cons: unclear whether adults are free, kinda iffy about such young kids with water

Indoor Waterpark's arcade
pros: assume like chuck e... pizza, prizes, smaller space
cons: extra for weekend party

all are about the same price......

so if you recieved an invite to a four year old party (we are not closey closey with any of these people) which would make you go ugh which would make you go..fun!

I guess it's time

I guess it time to rekindle this blog.
What is going on at the Bean household lately?

Well Bean is doing well. She loves her dance class, loves her teacher Mrs. A, loves pink, loves horses.

In January she and I went to a bunch of open houses at Catholic schools in Bigtown. Its not that Littletown, our township, doesn't have a good school district (its one of the best in the state, actually) its just some aspects of NCLB that we do not agree with.

We found one we really liked. So much so that we went home and convinced Beandad that it was great. We want to put her in there for kindergarten, but they also have a preschool.

Why mess with her preschool if she is happy at Smalltown preschool? I am wondering. Smalltown preschool isn't perfect.
pros:

• she gets along with most of the kids
• she likes her co-teacher Mrs. A
• she doesn't hate her other co-teacher Mrs. B
• it is cheaper than Bigtown Catholic
• it is just a few minute drive

cons:

• she has a issue with one little girl. Girl pulls her everywhere and controls her.
• little feedback
• little parent involvement

Beandad wants to apply at both and see if we can get a scholarship to either. I am all for that, but I do worry about not enrolling in her current preschool next year because of the friends she's made, and because she likes it.

Well I think That's big enough post for today!