Shanah Tovah

Tomorrow is the start of the Jewish New Year and the beginning of the High Holy Days so none of us have to go to school (gotta love the East Coast). I'm glad I don't have to get up early, but I like my job, so I'll miss not being there. I got all sorts of great news today. The 9th grade vice principal (who is also Boricua) and I are staring a Latina mentoring group and we learned that it received funding! Unsolicited no less! Now we'll get to take the girls on trips and buy bait, I mean, pizza. Today I found out I will receive an award too. I had a great day today, even if Wall Street did not.

We went to Michael's to buy supplies for Chayla's 2nd Native American Project: the Pueblo Kachina Doll. On the way there Mateo asked me, "Mami, where we going?" When I told him his response was "Holy cow, I like it Michaels!" He's never been to Michael's before. Chayla is in heaven at the craft store so she took off in one direction and Mateo in another. I finally got Mateo into a shopping cart by telling him a monster was going to get him. Little did I know that there actually were scary figures throughout the store in prepapration for Halloween. I guess now he'll listen to me when I ask him to sit in the carrito.

My good friend, Stacey, invited us to have Rosh HaShannah dinner with her tomorrow. It'll be Chayla's 1st Jewish celebration and she's prepared by reading a kid's book I got for her. Mateo is just excited to see Stacey's adorable dog, Clooney. Mateo was in a corner playing quietly, when all of the sudden he blurts out, "I can't wait go to Stacey and Clooney! I can't wait!"

Also of note is "Chayla and Will". Last year she tells me she knows that Will likes her. I asked her how she knew and she said because he looked at her. Well, I laughed, but I guess it was true. When we went to meet the teacher, he followed us home on his bike. Two weekends ago he came by with his dad in their mini-van, but we were out. I told her she could tell him to call beforehand next time he wanted to visit. After checking with me, this morning she gave our number to the neighbor who is still at the same school with Will. Chayla's got game! I'm pretty sure I never had game like that.

I tried to "potty-train" Mateo tonight (not that it can be done in one night). I knew he hadn't gone #2 yet so I took off his wet diaper and slipped on his Spider-Man underoo's. I kept checking him, and reminding him that he needed to use the potty. Afer a bit he came running to me saying "ca-ca". I ran over to him in delight thinking he had given me sufficient warning and he was going to use his potty successfully on the first try. He hadn't pooped on himself...only peed all over Spidey and his Amazing friends.