Nothing like the last minute

So, hectic work week, lots of school activities wrapping up at year end, especially for the 4th graders.

Mission Project? Check
Science Fair? Check
Explorer's timeline? Check
Walkathon? Last week
Cub Scout graduation? Last night
Restaurant fundraiser? Tonight

And after childcare pickup tonight, Teddy FINALLY gives us the handmade invitation to the "Wax Museum" display at 9:30 tomorrow morning that his class is putting on in the cafeteria. The Wax Museum project is one in which each student picks a famous person to dress up as, and pretend to be. When visitors to the museum/cafeteria "activate" the pretend-wax statues, the students will give a short speech. Many students have picked cultural icons, like Bruce Lee, etc.

"How long have you been carrying around the invitation in your backpack?"

Teddy: "Oh, probably at least a week..."

DH and I both have work meetings in the morning, of course.

"So, since you aren't going to be Barack Obama now (having previously walked through the inappropriateness of blackface for a school project), what other famous person did you decide to depict?"

Teddy: "President George Bush"

Us: "Why George Bush?" DH and I are both taken aback. We're Liberals in our house with a capital L.

Teddy: "He was our first president!"

Ok, so you start to see the problem here. Upon further questioning, we discover that Teddy did at least, understand that he needed a suit. He thought he would just wear the one he wore to the weddings last summer. Umm, those weddings were 2 and 3 years ago, and he wore TUXEDOs that were rented...in NEW YORK. And the dress shoes he planned to wear...from the wedding 2 years ago. Odds of them still fitting--ZERO percent. Oh, and he needs a podium. STAT.

So, off to Goodwill after the fundraiser dinner, where we found a checked jacket with sleeves that only need to be pinned up 5 inches. He has dress slacks, white shirt, tie already from the choir concert earlier this year. And this young boy, whose feet outgrow socks while I am still knitting them, will wear my black oxfords. They are still too big on him, but look a lot better than his sneakers for this costume.

OK, now for that short speech. DH is the history/politics buff in the house. He runs Teddy through a quick summary of who George Bush really is (NOT the guy who chopped down the cherry tree, honey...) and has him write out sound bites for the wax museum. Teddy won't be doing a stellar job, but he will have something to say and wear that looks reasonable.

I guess we'll be making a podium in the morning...

SIGH. It is a good thing school is almost done for the summer. Can't take much more of this.