You know when you have a lot going on in your life, and you just need all the other details to fall into place? Yes? So you know my last two weeks. There were so many major transitions (M to K, J to a new school, Nanny 911 the splendiferous Catherine leaving for college, Mommy back to work, and new to being a middle school teacher ALL. DAY. LONG). Everything has it's own weight in emotions, logistics, and whatnot.
First, the positive. Miles flipping LOVES kindergarten. Frankly. I love his teacher, and his school, and his nurse, and his principal, and the lunch room, and I want to go to kindergarten again. He loves going to Miss Allison's in the morning, but is less than impressed that mama gets out of work early enough to get him from the bus- he would MUCH rather hang at Miss Allison's with his buddies. J is tolerating his new school- he loves a lot of it, but is rather cranky about this nap time thing- my kids don't sleep- they just don't- so nap is kind of ugly. J wants to chat with his teachers and is less than impressed about the "Shhh!" that comes when he's trying to have full blown conversations with the few awake members of his class. Well, suck it up, buttercup. Nap time happens. I manage to make it to work on time so far, and work's going as smoothly as I could hope.
Then there's the shit show portion of life. Nothing insane, but the minor annoyances that you really wish you didn't have to deal with- like your car dying in the the 90 degree heat. And the battery being housed in the freaking wheel well, which necessitates a tow and a wait. ON YOUR KID'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (J) when all you want to do is see how it went and how much he hates you for sending him. So you send someone to pick him up, and you move on. You get a new battery and exhale, thinking alright! Glad this happened now and not the first week of school!
And then, it happens again. The first week of school. The first day of soccer practice. When it's 90+ and you sweat merely exhaling. Got M off the bus, navigate the "I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE MISS ALLISON'S!". Climb in to go pick up child number two- and have dreams of stopping and getting a nice bottle of wine. Crank the keys. NOTHING. Silently lose your mind, and climb back out of the sweat chamber. Call AAA. Let M go play with his buddies. Try to find a garage to deal with this issue- realize no garage can do anything until after Labor Day weekend. Then, a eureka moment. I paid a lot to have fancy pants extended warranties on this SUV. Call dealership. And like the parting of the heavens, life is easier. "Bring it in!" they said. "We'll have the rental here" they said, "at no cost to you!"
You send an amazing friend to get kid number two, to drop at an equally amazing neighbor's- you get to dealership, you get a rental. You uninstall two car seats and are appalled at the filth below- like really, really embarrassed. As in I am hoping detailing comes with service at the dealership. Detailing with bleach and commercial grade vacuums. Hop in your little tin can, albeit a red tin can that's brand new, and start to relax- for about thirty seconds, until the child in the back seat realizes that the doors aren't on "child lock" and opens his door WIDE open (thankfully in the parking lot at about one mile per hour). Commence heart palpitations. Remedy situation by activating child lock. FINALLY drive home. You feel like ok, I got this. The fancy mama car will get fixed, we have a safe vehicle to get to school tomorrow. I have dealt with extremely kind people, and have the support of astronomically amazing parents and friends. There are way bigger problems in the world!!! Pull into the driveway and you hear this little voice from the backseat... "but what about soccer?"
Well damn. Tomorrow is a new day...
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Transitions, also known as no more packing lunches!
It's been a bucket of transitions in my household over the past week. Y'all know how much I like change, so I have been PERFECTLY DELIGHTFUL. So, really, if I have had any contact with you in the real world over the past week, I am so, so, sorry. I'm not really that much of a jerk! J started at a new school, much to the chagrin of his mama- CK is an amazing school, with such loving teachers, and provided an amazing education to my nuggets. However, it's completely out of my way in the morning- and for me, needing to be at work by 7:15, that means a lot. So he started at a new center about a mile from our house. His transition has been going well, and his mama LOVES that they provide hot, scratch made breakfasts and lunches! WAHOOO! One less lunchbox to pack!
Our beloved nanny, Miss Catherine, went back to school, and all of a sudden tubs are totally on mama- this doesn't mean much to most parents, but my kids HATE THE TUB. It's a screaming trip on the misery train, complete with breakdowns, tears, and sometimes some unkind words (on the mama end)! Aside from the logistics, we miss her desperately, and our days feel kind of weird.
And then there's Mr. M. He's almost 6. He missed the cutoff. Which of course means kindergarten is calling his name. GULP. My nugget CAN'T be that old! He has been excited but I have been a mess- I am a teacher, and my reporting time is WAY earlier than his get on the bus time. BAH! How will this WORK? Nevermind the days that I work and he has no school! Enough to make a mama blanche. Thank goodness for Miss Allison- she's putting M on the bus every day, and is pretty much serving as my "oh sh&t" go to! I think he likes her almost as much as his mama, and I'm REALLY thankful for that! It doesn't hurt that I worked with her mama over ten years ago, and they're just good people- the real deal. So a big exhale.
Mr. M's school had a lot of events in the spring (most of which Miss Catherine took him to), and we were lucky enough to have his class assignment in May. All summer, he's been thinking about Mrs. Rubin. Would she like waffles? Does she sing funny songs? Will she play games? Has she ever been to the beach? Since I knew nothing, I just played the "I don't know card". Well, today was the "you're a kindergartner for one hour" orientation, and I have to say, I may love her as much as Mr. M! She's peppy, and fun, and seems to be a perfect fit for my guy. I was a bit teary (read: about to bawl like a baby, but the fabulous nurse gave me a big hug and reassured me. I LOVE HER). The kiddos got to ride the bus with the principal, and meet their new friends (be assured, M had his listening ears on- I checked!) Parents got to sit in a rather stuffy room (it was humid as heck today- not the fault of anyone) and pretend to not be nervous. I got to meet some awesome parents, and get all crazy over creating a contact list- right up my alley. We also met the PTO coordinators, and got some Zeh school swag- T-shirts, stickers, and a really cool book called "Hello, Stripes!" which is about a day at Zeh where Stripes, the zebra mascot, got to join in the fun.
Let me tell you, when it's bedtime the night before day one, that book was a lifesaver. Miles loved the story of Stripes' day at Zeh, and as his mama, I loved the messages that were infused. It appears that it was written by the Zeh PTO, and illustrated by Brad Vinson and Danny Moore. Not trying to plagiarize, but excited to share some of their words.
A zebra without stripes
Looks something like a horse.
Zebras really need their stripes,
To set them on their course.
The stripes are not a label,
Just a piece of who we are
The stripes we earn in life
Will help us to get far.
To get these special stripes,
We have to do our best.
And when it comes to learning,
We should put ourselves to the test.
We have to use our talents,
And improve those that aren't so good
But when it comes to getting stripes,
We have to think we could.
Our stripes could be a work of art,
Or helping hands we earn
So let's all get together
At Zeh we will learn!
WOW. Nothing about winning, or common core, or standardized testing. Doing our best, using our talents, having helping hand. YES, please. THESE MATTER! This was so reassuring in and of itself. Then a few pages in, this winner "Each child is as unique as the stripes on a zebra."
HECK YES. I am so thrilled that Mr. M will be a Zebra, and his brother can follow. Proud of my nugget, and even MORE proud to be in a school system that just gets kids!
Icing on the cake? M and I have reviewed the lunch menu, and HE WILL EAT IT ALL. Goodbye packing lunch stress! You got that right, this MAMA HAS BEEN SET FREE!!!!!
On a serious note, to all of those kiddos and mamas taking a new step- enjoy every moment, and relish in the excitement! And cry when you need to...
Our beloved nanny, Miss Catherine, went back to school, and all of a sudden tubs are totally on mama- this doesn't mean much to most parents, but my kids HATE THE TUB. It's a screaming trip on the misery train, complete with breakdowns, tears, and sometimes some unkind words (on the mama end)! Aside from the logistics, we miss her desperately, and our days feel kind of weird.
And then there's Mr. M. He's almost 6. He missed the cutoff. Which of course means kindergarten is calling his name. GULP. My nugget CAN'T be that old! He has been excited but I have been a mess- I am a teacher, and my reporting time is WAY earlier than his get on the bus time. BAH! How will this WORK? Nevermind the days that I work and he has no school! Enough to make a mama blanche. Thank goodness for Miss Allison- she's putting M on the bus every day, and is pretty much serving as my "oh sh&t" go to! I think he likes her almost as much as his mama, and I'm REALLY thankful for that! It doesn't hurt that I worked with her mama over ten years ago, and they're just good people- the real deal. So a big exhale.
Mr. M's school had a lot of events in the spring (most of which Miss Catherine took him to), and we were lucky enough to have his class assignment in May. All summer, he's been thinking about Mrs. Rubin. Would she like waffles? Does she sing funny songs? Will she play games? Has she ever been to the beach? Since I knew nothing, I just played the "I don't know card". Well, today was the "you're a kindergartner for one hour" orientation, and I have to say, I may love her as much as Mr. M! She's peppy, and fun, and seems to be a perfect fit for my guy. I was a bit teary (read: about to bawl like a baby, but the fabulous nurse gave me a big hug and reassured me. I LOVE HER). The kiddos got to ride the bus with the principal, and meet their new friends (be assured, M had his listening ears on- I checked!) Parents got to sit in a rather stuffy room (it was humid as heck today- not the fault of anyone) and pretend to not be nervous. I got to meet some awesome parents, and get all crazy over creating a contact list- right up my alley. We also met the PTO coordinators, and got some Zeh school swag- T-shirts, stickers, and a really cool book called "Hello, Stripes!" which is about a day at Zeh where Stripes, the zebra mascot, got to join in the fun.
Let me tell you, when it's bedtime the night before day one, that book was a lifesaver. Miles loved the story of Stripes' day at Zeh, and as his mama, I loved the messages that were infused. It appears that it was written by the Zeh PTO, and illustrated by Brad Vinson and Danny Moore. Not trying to plagiarize, but excited to share some of their words.
A zebra without stripes
Looks something like a horse.
Zebras really need their stripes,
To set them on their course.
The stripes are not a label,
Just a piece of who we are
The stripes we earn in life
Will help us to get far.
To get these special stripes,
We have to do our best.
And when it comes to learning,
We should put ourselves to the test.
We have to use our talents,
And improve those that aren't so good
But when it comes to getting stripes,
We have to think we could.
Our stripes could be a work of art,
Or helping hands we earn
So let's all get together
At Zeh we will learn!
WOW. Nothing about winning, or common core, or standardized testing. Doing our best, using our talents, having helping hand. YES, please. THESE MATTER! This was so reassuring in and of itself. Then a few pages in, this winner "Each child is as unique as the stripes on a zebra."
HECK YES. I am so thrilled that Mr. M will be a Zebra, and his brother can follow. Proud of my nugget, and even MORE proud to be in a school system that just gets kids!
Icing on the cake? M and I have reviewed the lunch menu, and HE WILL EAT IT ALL. Goodbye packing lunch stress! You got that right, this MAMA HAS BEEN SET FREE!!!!!
On a serious note, to all of those kiddos and mamas taking a new step- enjoy every moment, and relish in the excitement! And cry when you need to...
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