Type B.

I tell the parents in our PTA that I am "type B" all of the time.  Type B meaning that I am not one for details.  I live for creativity, flying by the seat of my pants when I need to, and the big picture. 
I love to take a step back and to think about how my decisions as PTA president will affect the future of our school.  I love to do large scale painting projects in the school building knowing they will be there for years to come. 
I do not love spreadsheets, counting anything, or exact details.  I want to hear that you got a special glue to make XYZ craft project work but I don't want to know what it was called, where you bought it or how much you paid. 
I think that my type B'ness is paying off.  There are so many type A's in our PTA.  These parents really have it all together.  They know how many bottles of water we need, what we did with the leftovers last year and where they are located in the school building.  They make sure that everyone has the size and color of shirt they need for our fundraiser day.  They keep the PTA machine running. 

I have run into just a little push back from some parents who are married to "how we always did it" as an action plan.  For instance, we planned our "Fall Festival" for AFTER Halloween this year.  Revolutionary!  A few were upset with me for changing it up but we want to try it this way this year and see how it goes.  Maybe there will be less schedule conflicts.  Maybe we will be able to get some good stuff on sale for our festival the day of!  I will let you know!

Easy to print and carry around caper chart, promise and law for Girl Scout Troops.  Add your troop number.  Font=Curlz MT

First PTA meeting.

We had our first PTA meeting last night before curriculum night in the gym.  We allotted 30 minutes to:
Introduce ourselves
Go over the mission of our PTA
Approve the last meetings budget
Approve the 2013-2014 budget
Announce the next meeting
Receive a donation from the local Jaycee's.

We got it done in 16 minutes.  Woot!  One of the teachers later commented to me that maybe we will see more attendance at our meetings if people think they will be quick! 

I never thought that I would love being PTA president but I do.  I love being in the hub of what is going on at the school.  I love being able to make a difference.  I love talking with other parents about our school.  #winning!

Open House/First day of School.

Last Tuesday was the first day of school for Kat.  It was my mission as PTA president to ensure that the day went smoothly and that the children and their families felt welcomed.  We started the morning by hanging out a banner that read, "Welcome to {the school I am PTA president of.}" As students began to congregate outside of the front door of the school many parents took pictures in front of our banner.  It was very cute!  We bought the banner using a Groupon deal for VistaPrint.  Only $10 for a large vinyl banner.  Good deal and we can use it again and again.
After the first bell rang we welcomed parents into the gym for coffee and doughnuts.  We had about 40 people come and mingle, it was nice!  We spent about $70 on the refreshments. 
Once everyone cleared out, the PTA executive board and I got to work on the Open House.  We had it planned that the PTA would have tables set up in the gym for different activities that go on throughout the school year.  There were booths for:
PTA membership
Spiritwear
PTA reflections
Green Club
The local public library
Box Tops for Education
Scrip
Girl Scouts
Enrichment (our lunchtime clubs that are run by parent volunteers.)
Science Fair

We also had a sign up wall where parents could add their names to lists of activities they might like to volunteer for. 

We created a scavenger hunt and placed signs around the school with sheets of stickers attached.  Once students found the locations listed on their scavenger hunt cards, they were able to add a sticker.  Once their cards were full they went to the front door and were given a prize.  We had leftover pencils, highlighters and school buttons to choose from.  It was a really popular activity and mostly free!  I bought sheets of stickers from the Dollar Store and made copies on the school copier.  It was less than $10 for the whole school to participate. 

We ran our Open House for 90 minutes and it was the perfect length.  Just long enough to feel like an event but short enough to not overwhelm.  The PTA was able to present the information we needed to share and teachers were able to meet families.  No one much liked having it on the first day of school logistically but it was nice to do it right away and have it DONE by the second day of school. 

Learning to accept what I cannot change.

I feel like I am caught up in a funny test of some sort.  The universe is "just checking" to see how tolerant I really am. 
Back before I had children I would look at stories of LGBT people and internally shame their families for not accepting them.  I would say, "Of course we will continue to love our child if s/he is gay." 
Well, the universe threw us a curveball and gave us an atheist.  I have been running through the gamut of emotion on this one.  What have I done wrong?  How did I fail my child?  How can I "fix" this? 
I have tolerance for and acceptance for people who are gay.  I've basically ignored atheism but when it comes down to it.  I want to change atheists into a believer of any kind.  Jesus, Mohammed, the universe, nature, pick a deity and we're good.  This not believing in anything thing kind of freaks me out. 
I am learning acceptance and it isn't super comfortable.  I want my child to believe what they believe because it is important to them and it feels right.  Not because I drill it into them.

(These are my preliminary thoughts on this topic.  I will add more as time goes by.)