The other night, the boys started singing for their supper while telling me I had to put money in their bucket. Five pennies later, they were still singing, saying it wasn't enough. Their song had much to be desired, but I added five nickels in the hopes the song would end. Two quarters and four dimes later, my little extortionists finally walked away...
One year ago we were getting ready for preschool. Will even went a day a week, which turned into two near the end. We'd been in our newly built house for a few months, and life was starting to calm down finally.
Two years ago, we had just put our house on the market and were spending most of our days at the park to avoid realtor showings. Will was tiny, nursing around the clock, and the big kids were going to preschool two days a week. Life was crazy, and we were [all] tired!
Audrey and Will started preschool today after a summer of freedom; Jack had his second day of Kindergarden. The kids rose early and dressed in their new first-day clothes opting not to eat their waffles, much to my horror. Apparently their bellies like to eat later in the day, they said.
Off to the front steps we went, which I guess will be our annual picture-taking spot, before rushing to drop off Jack. We cut through the woods again, Audrey and Will in tow, walking right to Jack's classroom door. Jack's teacher whisked him away from me so quickly, we didn't even get to say our good-byes, but I suppose that's best. Will wanted to go in with Jack and was quite upset we where leaving him behind.
From there we headed to preschool. I thought there might be a bit of clinginess but they both jumped right into the toys. They do love it there and they were happy to see their old friends. Will has changed quite a bit in the past few months, there's no baby left for sure. Audrey said she'd watch over him, and I have no doubt she will. He didn't want me to leave, but I snuck away after a few thwarted attempts. The phone hasn't rung yet this morning, so I'm pretty confident he is happy and content.
And so I have a few hours to myself, to catch up on whatever I want (you know it's going to be laundry, how I hate to have that hanging over my head) and I've got a bunch of shows taped, too, to watch while I fold. Plenty to do, plenty to keep me busy. I miss them and it's way too quiet, but my mother is right -- 2 PM comes very quickly!
Jack's first day of Kindergarden went swimmingly. We set his (and my) alarm for 6:30 AM, and were dressed and out the door by 7:30 AM. But not before breakfasting on bagels and cream cheese (his favorite) and taking a few pictures of our new Kindergardener. He picked out his outfit last night, choosing this new shirt because of the surf scene on the front.
Parking is crazy at our school, so Jack and I took the car down the street to neighborhood cul de sac, then cut through our woods. He never let go of my hand, and I was a little grateful, too, when we came upon this crowded scene. Moms and dads everywhere!
Jack and I walked over to where the Kindergardeners were lining up, and we greeted his teacher. He was a bit pensive while checking out things, but there were no tears. I assured him that I'd be right there at 2 PM for pick up, and he seemed to accept it. Unfortunately we don't really know any other families in his class, but I know he's going to love school once he gets used to everything.
And so he was off! I stayed for a PTO welcome back coffee, then returned home for Audrey and Will, who were breakfasting with my mom, and we'll be off shortly for lunch at McDonald's (Audrey's pick) before getting Jack. Cannot wait to hear how his day went. I'm so happy for him -- he's on his way!
4:30 PM Update: Jack enjoyed his first day, though we missed him terribly. Okay, maybe not terribly but there was a feeling of someone missing. He said he really likes his teacher and that she read two stories after lunch. He didn't eat his healthy snacks because there wasn't time before recess, and that he thought it was better to eat the sugary ones first so the healthy ones will be on top of the surgary ones (and I thought I had taught him well). Jack also told me that he worked hard all day and that they didn't play at all, which cracks me up. It's not preschool, Mom.
I held it together, too. No tears on my part, but it was all I could do not to sneak a peek through the window!
It's insane here! Simply insane. In less than two hours Jack and I have to be at the school for Kindergarden Orientation and we're all still in our jammies. I've been racing around paying bills (argh - It's already the 2nd and more than a few are due on the 1st), doing dishes leftover from last night's sushi-making experiment (Eric and Beth's effort -- Matt and I just sampled), and creating the little 'tease of a gem' you see above for one lucky set of grandparents (yes folks, Grandparents Day is this Sunday and as usual, I'm way behind).
Of course I started my day off with the usual BIG intentions of getting a lot done and once again, I'm way behind. Jack's clothes aren't even out of last week's shopping bag! And in all my preparations for Jack, I nearly overlooked Audrey and Will, who start preschool again this Thursday! We have outfits to iron (for the first day only, after that we return to our slovenly ways), diapers to mark (with Will's name) and papers to sign! It's crunch time at our house! Breathe, Sue, breathe!
PS -- And because my mother will wonder why I am blogging instead of dressing (or at least hopping into the shower), I'll answer in advance that I haven't got a freakin' clue! ;)
Two more days, two more days! The countdown is a constant in my head. I know Jack's going to love Kindergarden but I am really going to miss him and the casualness of our days -- we've pretty much done our thing together for the past five years and soon we'll be beholden to a clock! Argh!!!!
Uncle Matt and Beth are still here and we've been having a great time. We've hit the beach a few times, though it was on the cool side, and the Red Sox yesterday afternoon. Sox lost, enough said.
As usual when family visits, we have been eating and drinking up a storm, especially Saturday when we took the train to a neighboring town for lunch. The kids loved the ride and we grown-ups loved the restaurant's Bloody Marys. Later that evening we got a babysitter and Matt, Beth, Eric and I went out for tapas at a new local spot, dining on an assortment of treats and summer drinks. There was a great singer who sounded a bit like Ben Lee (at least to me), and it was fun hearing some new music.
Since Friday (when Eric and Matt went fishing) we have been feasting on fresh tuna (no surprise there), and Eric and Beth prepared some treats last night after the game. First up was a tuna carpaccio salad on buffalo mozzarella with watermelon (!!! -- I know -- but it really was delicious) followed by tuna tartare on potato gaufrettes (chips). So good. The kids enjoyed it all, too, but they really prefer their tuna raw with soy sauce.
Today will likely bring in the last of the beach and more eating. I will be happy to get back to Spaghettios and hot dogs after such riches. The kids are talking about school, and I think their excitement's beginning to build. And I have so many projects in mind for my [semi] free hours.
Belated birthday wishes to our cousin, Alaina, who turned one yesterday! We don't get to see you often, but you're in our thoughts constantly, especially considering Audrey's favorite doll is named... [what else] Alaina Claire! Hope you had a great birthday!! Auntie Sue messed up the timing of your call because of the time change, and your present is in the mail!
See Audrey up there -- the little wisp in white? She got my mail yesterday... Alone... And she was so very proud...
The past week or so, I've allowed the kids to walk to our mailbox (at the end of a small private road) to get the mail. Until now, they've traveled in threes, but yesterday when the boys showed no interest, she set off on her own. It was a good thing I saw her grab our 'mail bag' before leaving, otherwise I probably wouldn't have known what she was up to or where to find her. Yeah, we have a bit of an 'independent thing' going on here.
I waited on the porch, with my heart in my throat but so proud of my girl, until she came into sight, strutting along, with a BIG smile on her face. Mission [happily] accomplished!
Oh, and do you see those diapers at the bottom -- she keeps them in our mail bag 'just in case' Will needs them [for the two-minute walk]. Always prepared, that's her motto.
A letter from Jack's new Kindergarden teacher welcoming him to Elementary school and her class, along with a list of items to buy. He was so happy and excited to get mail from her, he wrote right back!
A happy visit from Eric's brother and his wife, whom we adore. Shhhh... They're sleeping right now (and it's killing the Littles not to go wake them up).
The return of Gossip Girl -- my favorite new show from last season. Yes, I know it's geared towards 15-year olds and that I'm nearly 42! What do you want to make of it???!!! You know you can't wait for the new 90210 either! Oh so happy!
This happy bounty from our patio garden -- it was small, but we finally have tomatoes and peppers and basil and other delightful herbs to enjoy. I made a Bolonese sauce last night from scratch last night, along with a basil pesto. Too bad Eric took his brother and sister-in-law out for dinner!
So happy the living room is finally sorted out and set up -- we've been in the house for a year now, and I'm tired of the delivery people asking if we've just moved! It's not perfect and I have hopes [someday] for new furniture and a rug, but for now it looks sparingly complete.
These three make me so happy, and they're happy to be enjoying an early morning TV show while we wait for our auntie and uncle to wake. There will be no TV on school mornings, so they're soaking it in while they can!
Every once in a while you find a blog you really like and you continue to visit. It doesn't matter if you know the people in real life, because they become 'friends of sorts' over time. Stephanie is one such friend. We met randomly through her blog, the Nie-Nie Dialogues, during Audrey's early baby days. I was trapped in the house (at least that's how it felt) with two little ones and her posts sometimes kept me company following those tortuous midnight feedings (I was never one to fall quickly back to sleep). I read because I loved seeing how happy she was just being 'in the moment' with her family, which always provided a subtle reminder to me that the small things count. I emailed a few times in the hopes of having her create some wonderful silhouettes of my kids, but never got around to sending their profiles.
Now she and her husband Christian (pictured above) are in a fight -- their private plane went down and they suffered tragic injuries. It'll be a long recovery. I already miss her posts. And I wish them well. If you'd like to follow their journey towards healing, you find find updates here.
Today, I spent the day (literally six hours, was supposed to be three) at our local Chevy dealership having maintenance work done on our Suburban. It's four years old now and only has 32k miles on it. They actually chastized me for the low mileage saying my short shopping trips were wreaking havoc on the engine until I reminded them that with three small kids, Target is about as far as we get most days and that I doubted our car was in the shape they stated.
Losing the entire day was frustrating, but I'd planned ahead and really used the time to my advantage. I brought a cookbook and flagged different pages for fall recipe ideas, creating a loose menu plan, trying to take advantage of certain food items so stretch my time and our budget. For instance a roast chicken one night might become part of the next night's tortilla soup. It's not a new concept, but it's one I really haven't pursued before.
I also brought my much-used yellow folder stuffed full of news clippings, organizational tips, magazine articles, newsletters, etc. I don't know if you're like me, but I save everything and often run out of reading time. So into the yellow folder it goes, until such time that I can pull it out and give it the attention I originally planned. I had articles in there from April's Earth Day, and it felt good to read and then purge. I followed this system while a working girl and it's served me well, though I'm pretty sure my folder won't be quite so full going forward seeing that I have car pool lines in my immediate future!
The biggest bonus of the day was filling out my new pocket calendar. I didn't really need a new calendar but noticed a great pink one in Staples the other day that had my name all over it! Gotta have my pink! I've mentioned before that September is the start of things for me... much more so than January, and so I tend to use an academic calendar to keep my life under control. I've gone back and forth for years debating electronic verses paper, but find paper fits my life (and purse) right now (though I do miss my old Palm Pilot every so often).
Left with extra time (six hours is a long chunk of time) and the boredom setting in, I cleaned my purse, purging old receipts and lollipop wrappers and discovering nine (yes nine) Hot Wheels at the bottom (it is a big bag, but really!). In between people watching (oh, the people watching I did) I made a list of Fall goals, which included creating a formal playroom, fixing up Will's big boy room, and switching out some bedroom dressers (anyone want to help me move them?). I even read some chapters while peeking at a few classic Law & Orders (my all-time fave).
The day felt wasteful and was definitely frustrating, but I accomplished small tasks that felt good. I reminded myself, while sharing space with a newborn and her first-timer mom, that it wasn't that long ago that I couldn't leave my nursing baby [whichever one it was at the time] for more than an hour or two and that this still rare solo time was meant to be enjoyed. And so I did.
And now I wonder, what would you do if temporarily trapped in one place away from home? Would you read, would you knit, would you chat on the phone? And would you like it?
