School's Out

[cjlasky7]

My son is officially on summer vacation.

Fourth grade ended on a big positive note. After struggling a bit in the second trimester, D. buckled down and studied hard, and his grades bounced up accordingly. He was in the upper echelon of his class at the end, and he was Disciple of the Month for June. He got his award during the final mass of the school year on Wednesday, and my wife and I both took off to see it. Perfect capper for the year.

Not that getting there was easy. For all of you out there with very young kids (or thinking of having them), here's a quick look at your future and how to coordinate a busy family schedule:

Wednesday, 6:30 a.m.: cjl gets up and feeds dog and cat, cleans kitty litter box, walks dog, returns home and goes back to sleep.

7:10 a.m.: D. and P. (my wife) wake up and prepare for his final day of school.

7:50 a.m.: P. drops him off at school.

8:45 a.m.: cjl and P. drive car up to church for awards presentation. Alternate side rules in effect; no parking spots. (We finally find one an avenue and a half away.)

9:07 a.m.: We take our seats in church.

10:30 a.m.: Post-ceremony, the three of us drive to P.'s school so she can meet up with her students by 11.

11:05 a.m.: cjl fills gas tank. (Lot of driving still to go!)

11:15 a.m. Back home. D. starts assembling Lego Avengers Quinjet.

12:30 p.m.: cjl makes D. his moderately famous scrambled eggs (with onion powder seasoning) for lunch.

2:25 p.m.: D. finishes quinjet.

2:26 p.m.: cjl and D. leave to pick up P.

3:15 p.m.: P.'s chiropractic appointment. (Sciatica. Not good.)

4:05 p.m.: Back home.

4:55 p.m.: cjl and D. drive P. back to school for EOY dessert party/yearbook signing.

6:55 p.m.: cjl drops D. off at 4th grade EOY party.

7:20 p.m.: cjl picks up P. at her school. Signing party was a disaster. (Don't ask.)

9:50 p.m.: cjl and P. pick up D. at his party. (In what must be a case of parental spidey sense, he called us just as we were turning the corner onto his block.)

10:10 p.m.: Home. D. takes his evening shower.

11:00 p.m.: Bedtime for D. cjl takes doggie for evening walk.

**************

Wasn't that simple? Just 18 easy steps to a productive family day! And we just have the one; multiply the above by however many kids you have.

Good luck!

Comments

[shadowkat]

Sounds simple to me, just a lot of driving, which I could do without. Are you not close to any of the subway lines?

Sorry to hear P has Sciatica, have it myself, it comes and goes. (Usually worse during bad weather or when digestive system acts up.) I'm afraid of chiropractors.

Eh, my normal wakeup time is 6am, and bedtime is 11:oo PM.

[cjlasky7]

No, in fact, we are not close to a subway line. We're before 13th Avenue, and the D is around 17th. (P.'s school is on the F line, so it wouldn't help anyway.) Besides, even if the train were right near the house (and took us straight to our destination), we couldn't afford to wait. Schedule was too tight in most cases.

"JUST" a lot of driving?!

[shadowkat]

I've been trying to figure out where you are. It's not on the frigging map. I'm thinking south western Brooklyn, west and north of Coney Island, South and West of Midwood, which means, no subway lines. What I was trying to explain to londonkds and a few of the Brits is NYC is weird in regards to Mass Transit. The suwbways are great about an hour out of the city but any further than that, not so much. And they are sketchy even towards an hour.

I commute daily to Jamaica -- 15 minute walk to the G, six minute walk to Atlantic Avenue Terminal - straight to Air Train building/Jamaica train station. Or if I take the Q - 20-30 minute walk to Q and then up the steps to the train.
IT's faster but a longer walk with more busy intersections in between. And there's a lot of cars in my neighborhood, because depending on where you are -- it's a 30-50 minute walk to the subway.

They really need to fix that. No Citibike down here either -- and we need it more down here than up where they have it.
The mass transit is VERY Manhattan based, which is why I have no sympathy regarding the congestion pricing in Manhattan bit. I know too much about how the infrastructure works here and how the money is spent.

we couldn't afford to wait. Schedule was too tight in most cases.

After Friday's issues with the trains on the way to work...I hear you.

Although I'd think you'd have similar issues with traffic. NYC traffic is head-ache inducing. I don't know how you drive here -- without going crazy.

I'm guessing I shouldn't ask about the yearbook fiasco, but am curious. What could have gone wrong? ;-)

[cjlasky7]

It was a dessert party, but nobody brought dessert. Parents were taking an "extra" copy of the yearbook when all copies had a specific child's name on it. Even some teachers were grabbing piles off other teacher's tables. It was a clusterfuck.

Remember, we were mostly driving during off hours. We avoided the highway and didn't really hit rush hour traffic anywhere.

We are around 12th Avenue and 77th. The nearest D is on 17th Avenue and the R is on 4th Avenue. We do have the B64 bus on 13th Avenue and the B4 on 75th st. But trains? That's a distance.

[shadowkat]

Oh, dear -- I looked it up, and you're near Fort Hamilton Parkway and Bay Ridge -- which requires a car. It's that annoying pocket of southeastern Brooklyn in which mass transit doesn't really go to. Sort of like Forest Hills, Great Neck, Little Neck and areas of Queens.

Co-workers have asked me if I've gone down to Dyker Heights to see the light display? Eh, no...I'd need a car and it's at night. Not happening.

It was a dessert party, but nobody brought dessert. Parents were taking an "extra" copy of the yearbook when all copies had a specific child's name on it. Even some teachers were grabbing piles off other teacher's tables. It was a clusterfuck.

Ugh. Sounds worse than herding cats. Why would you try to take an extra copy of a yearbook? It can't be that great a yearbook.

And no on brought dessert? Really? Usually too many people bring it. LOL! Is there no donut or baked good shops near people? Are they all dieting?

Oh it sounds hilarious...albeit not during.

[shadowkat]

As an aside? Schools get out really frigging late on the east coast. In the midwest we got out in May, you wait until the end of June. So...what, is there only two months of summer vacation? July and August?

We did go back in the beginning of August, but ended up with heat days..until the schools were air conditioned...which always seemed odd to me. Make more sense to wait until Sept.

[cjlasky7]

Sometimes, not being near a train is a pain in the butt. But most of the time, it's nice not to hear that metallic rumbling at all hours. My house is not on the main avenue, so auto traffic is light.

And if I need mass transit, the bus is right there. To get to our movie on Court Street, I have a 2 min. walk to the B4, which takes me directly to the 77th st. R station, OR the B64, which takes me to the Bay Ridge Pkway R station. I do have possibilities without a car. I just need to be creative.

[shadowkat]

Sometimes, not being near a train is a pain in the butt. But most of the time, it's nice not to hear that metallic rumbling at all hours. My house is not on the main avenue, so auto traffic is light.

Sounds nice. Good that you aren't on the main avenue.

Believe it or not? I don't have the rumbling train or traffic noise problem either. My apartment is at the back of the building and looks out on the backyards of a bunch of row houses, and a tiny, non-descript courtyard. There's no street sounds (outside of an occasional siren in the distance), no street lights (just the houses) and it's really quiet most of the time. (Unlike the other place I was living in.) Right now the only noise is the whirring of my air purifier. Also the view is blue sky, trees, and the rooftops of little row houses. Mostly? I hear cats, cicadas, and birds. The cats can be very noisy. They like to have singing contests and often hissing fights.

And I don't hear the train at all. It's too far away and too far underground. Last place -- it was about a block away but above ground -- so I heard it. Noise carries. Here, it's about six to eight blocks away and very far underground. Don't hear at all. This is the quietest and best apartment I've had since moving to the city.

To get to our movie on Court Street, I have a 2 min. walk to the B4, which takes me directly to the 77th st. R station, OR the B64, which takes me to the Bay Ridge Pkway R station. I do have possibilities without a car. I just need to be creative.

Okay, doesn't sound too bad. I'd have issues because I hate buses. I'm somewhat afraid of them -- has to do with almost being killed by a few in Jamaica over the years. Well that and motion sickness. But you sound like my friend M, CW, and my brother who have no issues with them, actually prefers it to the subway, and doesn't understand why I don't take them too.

[cjlasky7]

This has not been a good class in general for P. this year. Yes, like herding cats. Obnoxious, unmotivated cats.

[shadowkat]

Well, from what you said about the yearbook signing party with the "parents" -- not surprising. Obnoxious, inconsiderate, grasping parents = unmotivated, obnoxious kids.