I know. I know. I've been strangely quiet for the past ummm....5 days and I know some of you are beginning to get restless with the lack of updates happening here and over on Dakota's blog (I'm looking at *you* New Products Jen! Hee Hee).
The only excuse I have to offer is the ol' tired one of "I've been busy!" Stop right there! Don't roll your eyes. I *have* been.
As you know, I'm on the PTO for Kelton's school and if you've ever been on a PTO or PTA than you know what I mean when I say "Holy crudballs, Batman! There is so much to do!!" The project I am buried in right now is the annual Scholastic Book Fair and it is sucking the life out of me. I mean really....someone better look up a life insurance quote online for me because I think this project just may do me in. I kid you not. Though yesterday someone (Jeri - I'm looking at you this time!) on a white horse rode into my email to offer her 5 years of running book fairs experience to me. I promise you I heard the angel's singing.
I'm sure it's not all that complicated once you know what you're doing but at this point, I know nothing. Nada. Zilch. Less than.
And there are no former PTO members in the school to help. We're just flying by the seat of our pants and we have four weeks in which to pull a rabbit out of our hats.
I'm sure things will be more clear after I attend the training at the Scholastic Warehouse next week but consider we are rounding the corner on two weeks behind in their "5 Weeks to a Successful Book Fair" schedule, I'm feeling the pressure. I went to the first meeting on Thursday and I just got the materials Monday afternoon. I spent pretty much all day (much to Kaylen's HUGE disappointment for my lack of complete attention) reading, creating documents and sending emails. Right now I should be logged into the book fair site setting up the school's homepage. It's listed as needing 2 hours to do. Ugh. Then there are the letters for students to take home that need to be generated and, and, and!
I have a PTO meeting tomorrow night so hopefully we'll have people willing to take on different pieces of the puzzle so I don't feel like I'm drowning in it. I do have a co-chair but at this point, she is as frazzled as I and is working hard to keep her head above water on her pieces. Do you have any idea how many volunteers are needed to pull this off? And do you have any idea how lacking in volunteers the school is? Yeah - the math hurts on that one.
OH! And add to that a certain 4 year old has two birthday parties this weekend and well.......you can see where blogging has taken a back seat this week. :)
Kaylen is, at this very moment, having a meltdown because she wants to play with Martian Matter. It requires an adult to oversee and darn it - I just don't have 30 minutes to do that right now. UGH! I feel like a bad mom. I need a back-up wife and barring that - a babysitter. And a housekeeper because if you think that the house is being taken care of right now well...you'd be wrong. *sigh*
Just breathe. I just have to keep breathing and remember that if the book fair ends up just being cases of books for sale then well - that's what it is. As long as the kids can buy books (oh wait - that means info going home to parents...so that part will have to be done...as well as lining up people to take their money.....) it will be ok.
It will be ok.
And I have Jeri who knows how to pull a rabbit from her hat.
It really will be ok. Busy - but ok. *inhale* *exhale* *inhale*
7 comments:
Ah book fairs. My mom used to volunteer at those and I remember her always saying that the people running it had a hard time for volunteers- I remember my mom worked them all day the entire week to help the poor people out! I hope everything comes together for you!
I am sorry for you that you are so busy, but happy for myself that I am not the only one:) I keep thinking that if I only have a few more hours in the day, but that never happens:)
Let me know if you work out that back-up-wife and/or housekeeper thing, I could use the trick:)
Emily
I'm glad my petty complaints about lack of updates spurred you both into action. :)
-New Products Jen
Deep breaths... thanks for the heads up. I'll avoid the PTO like the plague!
Patti: I'm not advocating that! Not at all. The PTO/PTA absolutely must have volunteers. Maybe I would advise not getting on the board but definitely be there to help out. If we had more parents, it would be so much easier and so much less all consuming. We seriously have a handful of parents. Most of us are on the board. No wait - all of us? Because yes, that's how few there are.
Get involved because the more parents involved the better the school and the better school experience your child will have.
I want a back up wife too!
I keep telling FD, if he ever wants to be a polygomist, go right ahead, I would LOVE someone to help with laundry.
sorry you're stressed. it'll all get done and you'll wonder why you stressed about it so much in the first place. ;)
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