You know, I thought I knew quite a bit -- I've been around for 30-some years and I have had some life experiences. Nothing too drastic in my life, no large trauma, no crazy family dynamics (for the most part), just a good life. But, boy am I in for some life lessons as Big Sister progresses in school.
First grade has begun and I am learning more and more each day. For instance, did you know that some boys are 'the boss' in class and you can't wear certain colors to school because then 'the boss' won't like you? "The boss" won't let the boys play with the girls, but I'm so proud of Big Sister -- she stands up to "the boss" and she has begun her own classification of a color system and she's been 'taking that color from the boys and giving it to the girls to wear' (not sure how this all works, but I'm learning).
Also, did you know that "everyone has to participate in dress down day", I "just have to" -- there's no room for discussion on that one, huh? What about "You know I don't eat xxx", despite eating that item just 2 days ago and loving it.
I feel that in the span of 2 weeks I have lost my little girl and she now is battling the social injustices of acceptable color schemes, how to stand up to peer pressure and choosing food battles. Where did the time go when it was okay to be friends with both boys and girls, where children didn't care about what they wore and just ate what was packed for them in their lunch boxes?
I guess that was Kindergarten, huh? Well, Big Sister -- I sure hope you like your Big Bird apple juice box I packed for tomorrow -- too bad if you don't, sorry if you're embarrassed. But, I know secretly she will drink it and love it and not really care what the other kids think -- because she's my daughter and she's got a strong head on her shoulders and she's going to lead some great progress in her lifetime -- even if it's just 'allowing' the girls to wear boy colors!
1st day of 1st grade! with her new teacher Getting ready for the first day! SO excited -- Little Brother just can't wait for it to be his turn to go to school!
So, I know I haven't been on this blog for a while -- summer has gotten the best of me and has eaten me up, just like the 1,000 mosquitoes in my backyard!
I was struggling today -- a Monday -- with several things:
1. mosquitoes in my backyard -- I started complaining because all I wanted to do was tend to my garden, enjoy some quiet time out there picking green beans and getting the vines ready for cucumber and maybe even some pumpkins, but all I could do was swat at buzzing mosquitoes trying all their might to bite me -- it was definitely NOT an enjoyable experience! (I even had bug spray on and it didn't help one bit)
2. my 2.5 year old son has a new-found interest in using scissors and cutting anything from paper, straws, yogurt tubes...pretty much anything that is able to be cut, he will cut! He has asked this past week, "mommy, I cut hair?" "NO, not hair, we cut paper", "mommy, I cut kitty?", "NO, we cut paper". So, it shouldn't surprise me right, when I leave my son for 2 minutes as I use the bathroom -- that he had enough time to get the scissors out of the drawer and proceed to cut his hair. I saw clipped hair on his shirt and asked, "did you cut your hair?", with a smile he says "yes". Luckily it doesn't look that bad -- he's a boy and his hair is short, so no big deal....but, all the scissors are now up in a cupboard high where he can't reach!
3. I get a phone call from the security department of our credit card and they inform me that there is a questionable charge from yesterday for $98.14. I call my husband to see if it sounds familiar to him? "No"......so, now our credit card number has been stolen and someone (or some robot computer) attempted to use it on the internet to purchase something for $98.14. So, we are now cancelling that account and getting a new number tomorrow. If anyone knows anything about me, you know that I don't carry cash and I use the credit card for EVERYTHING.....puts a little damper on my day....at least I have a 1/2 tank of gas in the car and I did grocery shopping yesterday.
4. I need to complete some paperwork for one of my side jobs that I do -- home health therapy and I received an email telling me that I needed to complete some paperwork from my visit with a patient on 7/18/11 -- the Medicare paperwork is a NIGHTMARE at times and this is one of those times....so, I sit down and attempt to complete the paperwork....not getting paid for this time at all.
5. All my grey hair -- I mean really, I'm only 34 and I have a TON of grey hair! When am I going to find time today to color my hair -- I guess during nap time.
6. But, then if I 'waste' that time during naptime to color my hair -- when am I going to vacuum and mop and dust and do the dishes (and play on the internet?)
7. Then, there's that lovely stress for the past 1-2 months of my husband's job -- he leaves for work at 5:30AM and gets back home between 6:30 and 7PM and then works again at home on his work computer from ~8PM - midnight (maybe -- I don't even know what time he comes to bed, I'm already fast asleep!). When will THAT end? Will his job get better/less stress? Will he be forced out of a job because of the economy? It's all the unknown that is so stressful.
As I sat writing my Medicare paperwork and thinking about my Monday morning and how crazy it has all begun and just wanting to slow down a little and spread the 'stress' out over the course of a week and not all in one day, I hear a song:
and that's when I realized that:
1. I have a yard -- yes, a YARD and for that I am so grateful and blessed.....even with the mosquitoes and I have a garden with fresh veggies that my family can share and eat -- that's a wonderful blessing!
2. I have a healthy son who is developing on the right track and has learned a new skill -- cutting. He is so happy when he's cutting paper, so even though he cut his hair -- I am blessed to have a son who is learning and exploring -- a wonderful blessing!
3. I am so lucky to even own a credit card and be able to earn enough money to pay it off each month. I am even more blessed to have a credit card company that is 'looking out for me' and didn't approve that $98.14 charge, but called me first to make sure it was legit. And, yes, now it's going to be a hassle to change all our bills over to the new credit card and it's going to take time to make sure all our auto-pay companies have our new number so we don't get a fee when the old number doesn't work -- but, I own a credit card and that is a wonderful blessing!
4. Despite the 'over the top' paperwork that Medicare requires for each patient and each visit, I am blessed to have several options for work to earn money -- (to pay that credit card in #3) and it's good money -- a wonderful blessing!
5. Okay, so grey hair isn't that bad -- I have my hair and that's a wonderful blessing!
6. You know what, the cleaning will ALWAYS be around -- it's one of those never-ending chores, right? So what if I don't mop today or dust....I have a beautiful house and the ability to clean it and I am so blessed to be able to live here and pay my mortgage each month and THAT is a huge blessing!
7. Yeah, the hubby's job is so stressful, but we are so blessed that he HAS a job, even if it's one with long hours.....it's not always fair, but then again, neither is life -- nothing is fair. But, we love each other, we have a strong marriage and we are making it work -- THAT is a wonderful blessing! He is a wonderful blessing to me and our family!
So, despite the stress of the day and as I began to sit and doubt my life and question what karma was in my home....I realized after hearing that song, that I am beautiful and my life is beautiful and my family is beautiful and my job is beautiful and THIS DAY is beautiful!
Little Brother is a golf fanatic! Every night when daddy gets home, Little Brother says, "Daddy, pay bolf? Daddy pay bolf?" (Daddy, play golf?) So, we decided to take the kids to mini-golfing and Little Brother was saying "Mickey Bolf?" He was in heaven!!!
What was more fun? The golf or the animals?
We only lost one golf ball over the fence....Little Brother hit it a little too hard....
Big Sister enjoyed the animals much more than the golf....
Papa Bill and Grammy have introduced us to what is called geocaching where you travel the countryside looking for small 'treasure' boxes. These boxes are either so small they only fit a small piece of paper in which you sign your name or they are large enough to hold small treasures -- you take a treasure and leave one for the next person to stumble upon the 'cache'.
Big Sister calls it geo"catching" and I sort of like that name -- 'catching' a treasure and then leaving it for the next person to find. The above one, daddy found -- it was under a light post box right next to our church parking lot!
The first "catch" we found was at the local cemetary and it was a box big enough for treasures!! What fun! There was even a 'travel bug' (plastic key chain with a code) in there -- we got to take it and will leave it in another treasure box someday.
Big Sister has our summer all planned out: waterpark for swimming and geo"catching"!
Well, it's been a whole school year since the first day of Kindergarten and a lot has happened since that first day....but, here we recap the final day and ceremony of 'graduation'. The kids were complaining that they had to wear "those dresses" and Big Sister said, "well, I'll wear one, but I know the boys will NOT be happy about wearing dresses!".
On stage with a friend....this was a 'special' friend who has some sensory integration difficulties and it was a trying year for Big Sister. She has a heart of gold (sometimes --when she wants to) and she would either be on one side of the fence (he's my best friend or he really bothers me and I don't want to play with him ever again). It's hard to teach a 6 year old about how everyone is "different" without being offensive to other children. It was a hard year for some because this little boy 'looks' normal, but he has a hard time with self-control. Big Sister was a true sport during the ceremony and gave her friend extra room on the stage so he would 'flap his wings' and dance around.
Kindergarten graduates ready to take on the world!
A very special teacher's aide -- it was a wonderful school year with 21 children in Big Sister's class and 2 teachers!! What a blessing!
Big Sister's Kindergarten Teacher: Mrs. Peterson -- a wonderful, caring, authoritative instructor.
One of Big Sister's best friends in Kindergarten -- they either are best friends or fighting like brother and sister -- both strong-will first borns!!
and of course, who could forget about Little Brother? He's just waiting his turn to sit in that desk and go to Kindergarten! Well, buddy, you've got a couple years to until it's your turn.....
So, Big Sister decided to play soccer this year -- we usually give her a choice to pick one activity to do -- she's chosen golf, soccer, t-ball, gymnastics in the past, but this year she choose soccer. This is the first time she's played on a 'team' -- in years past it's just been sort of like 'learn how to play soccer' team with a game at the end of the 'class' where the kids play against the parents.
We weren't sure how she was going to do....but, I had hopes that this might be her 'thing' -- you know, that one thing your child excels in and then the parents spend all their money and free weekends doing????
She looks ready to play......
She's really, really good at standing on 'defense' with her arms out and ready.....waiting for the ball to come...but, in reality, when the ball comes her way she just jumps up and down and flaps those wings of hers and dances around the field -- timidly attempting to kick the ball, only if no one else is around. If there are other players around, she steps back and lets the other kids kick the ball. Pretty much whenever the ball comes near her, you can hear her coach yelling, "go ahead and kick it, go after it, big kicks, kick it toward the other end of the field, don't kick it toward our goal, the other way!" We just sit and smile......knowing this isn't her thing after all!
She does like to play goalie -- a lot of standing around and waiting -- she gets lots of opportunities to jump around and flap her wings!
But, if the action were to come near her -- you never know if she'll be brave enough to stop that ball....
For Easter this year, we headed up north to Door County for a couple of days of rest and relaxation. Since Easter was late this year, one would think that the weather would be a bit warmer....but, not so for us this trip!
Kind of wet....winter coats!
@ the beach with Grammy -- the cold weather didn't deter little ones from wanting to get outside!
Searching for treasures....
Digging, digging....
Found one! A tiny shell.
Heading back 'home'...
We had a great time -- the kiddos slept in the bunk beds. Big Sister always LOVES visiting Mae Mae and Papa Bob in WI -- they have bunk beds!! This was Little Brother's first time sleeping in a bed -- he took the lower bunk. Mommy & Daddy slept in the bunk room too -- how lucky were we? (note some sarcasm...)
Can someone please tell me that they will get along like this more often? Maybe when they get a little older? I can handle anymore sibling rivalry......we need some sibling love at this house!
Like I've said before, it's been a looooong winter. I am now recovering from a perforated ear drum and severe ear and sinus infection.....lovely! But, we are counting down the days to warmer weather -- Even if we have to wear winter hats, we will STILL be outside -- as long as that sun is there to greet us.
The kiddos are itching to get out too -- Little Brother begs and begs and BEGS to go play golf....but, when it's really cold, we make him play in the garage.....poor thing, huh?
YES -- we are ready to grill! "I cook" as Little Brother says.
1st day of 1st grade!
with her new teacher
Getting ready for the first day! SO excited -- Little Brother just can't wait for it to be his turn to go to school!
