Good lord. Mac's school is doing some sort of family project. The word of the day today was "father" and the homework included "bring In a baby picture."

Mac's sentences for word of the day: "I don't have a father." And "He does have a father."

I have asked that family projects be avoided. Why do they have to do one every g-d year? Seriously. Are family trees that crucial to elementary education?

So now I write the note to school explaining that he has no baby pictures and that he may have some issues if this is an ongoing project. And I wait for the at home outburst that will come from "being different than everyone else's project" and "thinking about my other moms make me sad".

ION

Weekend should be good and low-key

Halloween party at YMCA, then karate (now as a first yellow belt). I'd also like to get our pumpkin, so maybe a trip to a few bodegas to choose one.

Sunday church and then I am hoping we'll watch football.

Oy vey, msbelle. That's good news about the belt, though!

{{{mac}}}. Poor little dude -- having the best of all possible families now doesn't make the project not suck.

We are talking about it now. He may show his whole family, I am going to show him how to diagram all 3 mommies. I guess I'll be doing some online research.

America is safe--I've finished my eval. Of course, the country might have some issues, since I did a rather half-assed job on it, but considering there's a very good chance we'll all be laid off before next year's eval, I really don't care much right now.

Now I just have to submit my PTO for the week and I can run over to Michaels for some more DMC floss for Xmas cross-stitch project #2 (Mom's present), which won't be done on time but that's her fault for wanting to exchange presents in mid-November instead of December 25th.

How strange--I just called my sister and left a message with her voicemail, and for some reason I decided to review it before sending. I hadn't listened to myself on a personal message recently (just work ones), and boy, do I sound like a cross between my mom and my sister!! It's strange hearing the similarities in my own voice to theirs. I've always known I sound a lot like Sis, but hearing Mom in there too threw me off.

A triple post--a very cool one-take video from France.

Ah, poor bewildered and sad mac. I swear, in this day an age, you'd think they'd know what a minefield this topic can be and approach it accordingly.

msbelle- I had a traumatic family tree experience when I was little, too, and I am OK. But they seriously should be avoided. I am so glad they "let" you diagram all his mommies. Our project was to draw ourselves and our families in houses that the teacher cut out of construction paper. Mom and Dad went in the door, and the students and our siblings went in the windows. I was an only child who lived with my mom, her parents, my uncle, and a dog, and the teacher wouldn't let me draw anyone except my mom and I. I was upset enough that I lost all the crayons except the purple one, and had to draw my mom and I in purple. I hated that sad lonely house that wasn't my house at all. That was one of the first times I felt like my family wasn't right because I didn't have a dad. I think nowadays, it is so much more accepted, and that is great!