Riley and Avery

Oh, so back to just the girls and me. Rudi's days off are really hard on the apartment. I guess I really don't want to clean when he's busy sleeping until 3pm. So a really serious cleaning day today. And sewing day.

So I really did jump the gun worrying about Riley's school next year. Turns out, three half days a week are only for three year olds. So she'll have to go for a minimum of four half days. No problem. They continue to insist that it's not worth it to pay for an afternoon since the afternoon class includes a nap, since I don't work and really don't need childcare. But I'm beginning to think that Riley would benefit from being away from me for at least one full day a week. Plus, making her a lunch would make me feel more like a parent. I really don't feel like a grown-up or a parent, so I really like doing things that accentuate my parenthood, make me feel like a good mommy. Like if Riley notices that her stuffed horse doesn't have a mouth, I embroider one on. Makes me feel maternal. Or if she plays in the snow and I have hot chocolate with marshmallows and dry clothes warm from the dryer waiting for her. Yeah, I like that stuff. So last night I was envisioning a box lunch with grapes and carrot sticks with pita pockets filled with hummus and bean sprouts, and maybe five gummy bears thrown in. I want her to have one full day a week just so I can make her a lunch. So I got the enrollment information for Riley yesterday. So it's time to pay deposits and such for next year. Good timing.

We went to Pikes Peak Community College today to start the whole application and enrollment process for me for the fall. Colorado offers a stipend to every Colorado resident who is attending college. So my tuition should be about $950 a semester, and I'll be recieving $860/month from the VA. Talk about extra money! Wahoo. Bye bye, bills!

I had an interesting conversation with Riley yesterday. She got a hold of the book I'm currently trying to read, The Jesus Papers. She was looking at the pictures and was particularly interested in the one depicting Jesus being put (or taken from) his tomb. This is how the conversation went:
R: What happened to that man's tummy?
Me: He got stabbed.
R: Who stabbed him?
Me: A soldier.
R: What soldier?
Me: A Roman soldier.
R: Why did he do that?
Me: He wanted him to be dead.
R: Why did he want him dead?
Me: Because he's a different kind of person.
R: How is he different?
Me: He's jewish.
R: It's okay to be different. People can be different and not match. That's
okay. That soldier shouldn't have done that.
So does Riley really know about soldiers and stabbing? I hope not.

And then in the car on the way home from the college, she tells me to get something for her that I clearly can't reach while driving. She says, "Mom, when I say it, you do it! What's the matter with you?" You know, I've really tried to keep my temper with her lately, and we haven't had any yelling or anything for weeks now. But she still remembers everything. I just can't win.