Our township has a youth recreation center(the rec) for kids in middle school.  It is also open to high school kids, but they would never be caught dead hanging out with middle schoolers.  The rec is really for sixth grade students because seventh and eighth graders are too cool to hang out with sixth graders.  In March, the fifth grade students are invited for a night of their own to see if they want to join the following year.  It is a minimal cost of $5 a night and snacks are available for a few dollars.  I think there is also a one time join up fee. Tonight is the night that the fifth grade class is going.  Olia is SOOO excited!  She can't wait to go hang out with her girlfriends.  The girls dance and chat; the boys play basketball and video games.  It is a chance for the kids to socialize in a chaperoned, safe and friendly environment.  Today is also class picture day; the the entire fifth grade class photo.  Since the fifth grade class "graduates" to middle school, they have a photo taken.  I think it is just another way for photographers to make more money.  But Olia wanted a photo, of course, so we ordered one. 
   Olia lost her computer rights again until Monday.  Olia has a spelling test every Friday.  We practice half the words on Wed. night and then the rest of the words on Thur night.  I always tell her to really study them before she gives them to me because she has to write the misspelled words ten times each.  Olia is stubborn and insists on doing things her own way.  She looked at the list for all of two minutes and handed it to me.  I reminded her that she was going to write the misspelled words ten times each and suggested that she study longer.  She refused to do that.  She misspelled 8 words which meant she had 80 words to write, She went crazy screaming and yelling and saying she wouldn't write the words.  I told her that she lost her computer for the rest of the night and the more she ranted the longer I took it away for.  I threatened to forbid her from going to the rec, so she finally calmed down and wrote the words.  She then spelled every words perfectly.  I kept telling her that it is better to put the time into studying ahead of time than to waste it having to write the words.  Olia needs to suffer the consequences to learn a lesson.  Hopefully, she will spend more time studying next week. She knows I follow through so I am not sure why she doesn't just get with the program!
   Renee called today!! I was glad to hear from her because she has been hiking and camping in the Florida Everglades.  She has been having a great time and I am glad she is safe and sound!