Kindergarten Diaries: Sept. 1

If you know my children, you know they share many similarities with Scott and I. They certainly have bits and pieces that are all their own, but it’s no secret that Claire got a healthy dose of Scott’s DNA and Grace has quite a bit of mine. 

If you know Scott, you know he’s pretty forgetful. One time, when we lived in Wichita, he was driving home and missed the exit … and then drove for another 20 minutes before he realized his mistake. I can’t count how many times he has lost his wallet or his keys. In fact, he once put his keys on top of my car, forgot they were there, and we didn’t find them until I saw them flying off the back. On. The. Highway. He can be, at times, spacey. 

So, Claire. Sweet, sweet, Claire. This chick is bright. There is no doubt about it. She’s been able to count to 100 since she was four. She can do simple addition and subtraction. She knows her letters, her sounds and is starting to read. She’s a smart kid. But she’s a total space cadet. 

Most days it takes me reminding her three and four times to get things done. It’s not that she gets distracted (although that happens sometimes, too). It’s that in the time it takes between when I tell her to do something and her walking to do it, she forgets. Yesterday, I asked her to go upstairs and get Henry a diaper. She said “Ok, Mom!” and ran up the stairs. About 10 seconds later, she was back down, saying “What was I getting again?” 

I put her name on her lunchbox and backpack, knowing that one day those will get left somewhere. I don’t worry too much about these things because for the most part, Grace wouldn’t let her leave anything behind. Grace is rarely absentminded about things like that. When Claire misplaces a book or stuffed animal, Grace is the first person I turn to — even before Claire. 

So, back to what happened today. Claire got off the bus and is filling me on the day’s happenings when she says, “Mom, I had to eat hot lunch because I forgot my lunchbox in my backpack. But I didn’t like the burrito, so I only ate my apple and milk.” 

I asked why she didn’t just tell someone that she forgot her lunchbox and it turns out this isn’t the first time this has happened and she was worried she would disappoint her teacher again. 

I know this spacey behavior is not intentional and it’s not a result of her not listening — these types of things just don’t stick in her brain like numbers and letters do. So, we talked through some techniques to help her remember to grab her lunchbox before heading to the cafeteria. She seems to feel better about the whole thing, so I’m hopeful that our ideas, plus just talking about it so much will help her remember tomorrow. 

But I do know her Dad, so I’m hopeful, but not holding my breath. Let’s cross our fingers that tomorrow’s hot lunch is better than today’s. 

Supermom ... or Something Like That

What a week. I started back to work on Monday. It wasn’t easy, but I have a lot to be grateful for. First off, my company has a very generous, very kind, very thoughtful parental leave policy, so I had the luxury of being off work the whole summer. Well, at least off from my paying job. I was certainly working my butt off this summer. 

And then there’s the huge perk of getting to work-from-home and keeping Henry here with us. We don’t have good routine yet, but with the help of my Mom and Scott and the girls being in school all day, we made this week work. 

It meant early mornings to feed Henry, get the girls up, rush around for an hour getting them ready, rush to the bus stop, rush home to work, work all day until it’s time to get the girls from the bus stop, come home, work some more and crash. Oh wait, hahaha. I mean rush to make dinner, rush to give baths, rush to bed and crash. Oh wait again, I mean rush to feed Henry, put him to sleep and then crash. And crash I did. For six hours. Wake up. Repeat. 

But then yesterday as we were walking back from the bus stop, I could see that glassy-eyed look in Grace’s eyes. And her whining was spiking and her body was dragging. I reached over and felt her head. Just as I suspected — she was burning up. 

Claire begged me to take her temperature, too. She deplored the idea of going to school while Grace stayed at home. I imagine that she was picturing Grace having a swinging-from-the-rafters, blowing-party-horns, eating-cake kind of day. Or maybe it was just the one-on-one Mom/Dad time she thought she’d be missing out on. But she was good to go — no fever. 

Grace was distraught that she would be missing school — Fridays are library day and this would have been her first time. She cried for about 20 minutes because she didn’t want to miss it. Poor little school-loving chick. 

But then we woke up this morning and Claire had that same glassy-eyed, body-dragging look. Just as I suspected, she had a fever, too. I wouldn’t be surprised if she begged Grace to breathe on her or something last night. I kid, I kid. Probably. She did announce that today was going to be "the best day ever."

To top it all off, Scott and I both went to bed feeling sick. I woke up fine. He didn’t. 

So, after being off work for the entire summer I had to call in today as I managed 3/5 of our family being sick. 

Thankfully, and completely unlike him, Henry took some monster naps today. Although now that I think about it, maybe that just means I’ll be looking at 4/5 by tomorrow. 

Hang on while I go find my cape.

P.S.: Every Supermom needs a Superbaby sidekick:

Kindergarten Diaries: Aug. 24

Watching the girls develop their social skills and navigate the sometimes scary world of making new friends is one of the more interesting parts of this Kindergarten experience. They went to preschool for two and a half years before this, but that environment was very safe, for lack of a better word. Kindness permeated the class, both a product of the teachers emphasizing the importance of treating each other nicely and the kids just being nice kids. The class size was also small, so there weren’t many corners for meanness to happen without a teacher seeing it. 

Grace told me last week that while she was coloring, the teacher said they were allowed to chat with their table mates. So, she started to tell them about her Dad. Here’s her version of events:

“My Dad is big. And really funny.”

“Your Dad is fat??” 

“No! He’s not fat. He’s big.”

According to her, the boy whispered to the other boy in a taunting tone, “Her Dad is fat! Her Dad is fat!” 

Clearly, this really bothered Grace. I asked her how she responded and she said, “I told them my Dad is NOT fat!” 

We talked about how it’s not nice to call someone fat and how people come in all sizes. And although I despise that these little boys made her think that being big was something bad, I was so proud of her for not backing down. 

But before we get all afternoon-special on you, there is a funny part to this story. 

Grace was telling us this as we were walking back from the bus stop. Scott told her, “Maybe those boys were just trying to get your goat.” 

Claire, remembering my advice the other day to fight jokes with jokes, said “Oh Grace! I know! Maybe you should just tell them their Mom is fat!” 

Scott was biting back laughter, while I started to explain why that isn’t the best approach in this situation. But I know we were both thinking the same thing: Claire just made her first “yo mama” joke. 

Pictures of the Week: Aug. 21

These pictures, quite literally, take my breath away. Today, on my last day of maternity leave, I’m feeling so grateful for these kids and the joy they bring. 

Growing Pains

As a very wise person once put it: having kids is like having your heart walk around outside your body. 

I have felt it time and time again when they fall and scrap a knee or are sick and don’t feel well. Their pain is my pain. But yesterday it occurred to me that in Kindergarten (and the years to come) they will experience a different kind of pain that I’m not not ready to experience. 

They got off the bus yesterday, talking simultaneously about how great their days were. What they liked, what they didn’t. How much (or how little) of their lunches they ate. How they got to play at recess with each other despite being in different classrooms. Grace said the P.E. teacher was super nice, but the games they played were “a little boring.” Claire told me her headband was hurting her at rest time, but she didn’t want to move to take it off because she was afraid her frog would get bumped from green to yellow. (Maybe I should get some frogs for our house.) 

They both had great second days, but then Claire told me a story from their bus ride home. 

“Mom, these girls LIED to us on the bus!” 

“What’d they say?”

“They said when no one is looking, they turn into planes and cars. But they were LYING!” 

I held back my smile. I asked her how she knew they were lying. She said they had the “lying look.” 

Which tells me they were probably smiling or giggling at this joke they were playing on a couple of rookie Kindergarteners. And although this is all very harmless, it did get me thinking about how there will be times when it isn’t harmless. Times when they get laughed at or teased. And I’m soooo not ready for that kind of pain. 

In the meantime, though, I told Claire to try joking back with them. She liked that idea and decided she’s going to tell those big girls that when no one is looking, she turns into a puppy. And considering she spends most of home time “being a puppy,” I think she’ll nail that joke.

Catching the Bus

Second day of school. You’d think it’d be a breeze considering yesterday was full of about 1,000 emotions, including wild excitement. 

But you probably didn’t oversleep. I had it all timed out last night before I went to bed. Get up, pack lunches, feed Henry, wake up girls, make breakfast, help them get ready and walk to our bus stop. 

Henry had other ideas. He normally sleeps through the night, but last night he skipped his last meal of the day and instead woke up at 4 a.m. This wasn’t a problem except when my alarm went off a couple hours later, I turned it off and got out of bed. 

Except I didn’t really get out of bed. 

At 7 a.m., I woke up like a shot. For the next 45 minutes, I was running around the house trying to get everything done and the whole time dragging two 40 lb kids around my ankles. 

Despite going to bed at a good time, they were a touch on the tired side this morning and “quick” was not in their vocabulary. But we had a bus to catch. 

So, I summoned every bit of patience while hurrying them through the morning. 

We made it — with five minutes to spare. And no one was crying. Well, until the bus pulled away. 

But those left quickly, too, when I walked over and saw this guy. That look says “I swear I was in my warm bed about 10 minutes ago. WTF, Mom?” 

First Day of An Amazing Adventure

Well, we made it. 

Today’s the first day of Kindergarten and the first day of an amazing adventure. 

The morning started pretty early when Claire came to wake me up at 4 a.m. She had a bad dream and just wanted to tell me. I tucked her back in and she fell back asleep. Then again at 4:45 with another bad dream. Then Grace at 5:15 with a bad one of her own. 

Claire dreamt that she was on the wing of a plane and fell off. Grace’s involved her getting run over by a car. I think their subconscious was running wild with all of the anxiety of the first day. 

At breakfast, Scott asked them if they were going to Kindergarten today. Grace smiled and said “Nope! College.” I think she knew what I needed to hear to put everything in perspective. (Sorry parents of college kids. My heart is hurting for you.) 

After breakfast, we snapped a few quick photos (it was raining outside, so we’ll have to snag our traditional outside ones later) and with minimal rushing, we made it to school. 

And it rained. And rained. And rained. I told the girls rain was good luck. Here’s to hoping I’m right.

My parents and Scott’s Mom (Scott’s dad had to work) came to wish them a happy first day. The girls were so excited to see them, but unexpectedly, I felt equally as grateful. The emotion kept welling up inside and trying to find its way out through my eyes. I needed my parents there for me, too. 

We walked them inside and they were simultaneously nervous and bubbling with excitement. We watched as they lined up with their class and step by step, walked to their future. Or less dramatically, Kindergarten.  

In honor of today, I decided to take a moment and ask the girls a few questions. 

Grace, Age 5

Favorite Color(s): Pink, Blue, Purple, Red

Least Favorite Color(s): Green, Yellow, Orange, White

Favorite Food: Steak, Chicken, Tomatoes, Salad, Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Corn on the Cob

Least Favorite Food: Green Beans, Tacos, Burritos, 

What do you want to be when you grow-up: Farmer, Rockstar, Ballerina Teacher, Pet Shop Girl who takes care of animals and takes them to the hotel and sorts outfits for them

Favorite Book: Aurora, Princesses, Ballerinas

Favorite Game: Dress-up Games and hide-and-seek

Favorite Restaurant: The pancake place, Old Chicago and Sonic

Favorite Animal: Cows, horses, ducks, sheeps, kangaroos, baby deers and cute rabbits and dogs and kitties 

Favorite TV Show: Littlest Pet Shop, Strawberry Shortcake, Horseland

Favorite thing to do: Hang-out with my family: wash dishes, do laundry, pick-up the house, make the beds

Favorite thing about Dad: When he dries my hair crazy after bath time and he gives us big hugs and he’s very funny. 

Favorite thing about Mom: I like it when she snuggles up with me. Hugs and kisses before bedtime. And in the morning, she’s great. 

Favorite thing about Claire: She’s kind of funny. And we argue a lot. I like it when she says yes and I say no. 

Favorite thing about Henry: When he talks a lot. When I give him hugs and kisses. 

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Claire, Age 5

Favorite Color: Orange and yellow

Least Favorite Color: Black and gray

Favorite Food: Spaghetti & Green Beans (and salt)

Least Favorite Food: Tomatoes, Corn and Meat

What do you want to be when you grow-up: Do you mind if I tell you that later? It’ll take awhile. Take care of puppies and dogs and cats and kittens. A hotel to dress-up baby and grown-up animals. My salon will be at the pet shop (not Grace’s) and I’ll take the bus and a pet jet. (Do you want to know one of my hobbies? Be a farmer.)

Favorite Book: Princess, snow books, cook books, even cookie books. Candy books. Ice cream books. Cake books, too. 

Favorite Game: Candy Land and matching and puzzles and playing with stuffed animals and real animals. 

Favorite Restaurant: Old Chicago

Favorite Animal: Puppies, kittens and other kinds of baby animals (horses, cows, all kinds of farm and house animals. Except for bugs. I don’t like bugs)

Favorite TV Show: Strawberry Shortcake, Horseland and other horse movies and all kinds of puppy and cat movies. I like snow movies with cookies, cakes and ice cream in it. 

Favorite thing to do: Throw bones for Zoey. Do you want to know my responsibilities that I want to do when I’m a big kid? Feed the cat and the baby.

Favorite thing about Dad: He’s so silly.

Favorite thing about Mom: She has a baby and her heart.

Favorite thing about Grace: That she laughs like this (buzzes her lips).

Favorite thing about Henry: That he is so cute and he talks and smiles.