Get My Feet Wet

I put my name on the sub list at the ENP Elementary School this year.  Before school dismissed on the first day, I had my first call.  The secretary gave me a few options.  I could teach two mornings of Special Education, two mornings of 3rd grade or two days of Kindergarten. Well, Kindergarten was out of the question.  I wasn't sure I should attempt that since I haven't subbed in 8 years! I explained this to Ryan and the kids earlier.  "I am going to stay away from Kindergarten for the first couple of months until the kids get used to their new routine, and I get my feet wet teaching other grades." 

When someone would ask, "are you subbing this year?" or "what will you do now that the kids are both in school?" DD and Dig would tell them.  "She's not going to teach Kindergarten until she gets her feet wet."  My mom asked them if they knew what that meant.  "No!" It was so cute.  Some times you don't realize how funny something sounds, until you try explaining it to 7 and 5 year-olds!  It's kind of been one of our jokes for the past few months.

Mom and Dad surprised me that morning to take

my picture on MY first day of school.  =)

So, I worked Tuesday morning.  Wow!  I got home at noon and just sat on the couch, like, "what just happened to me!!??!!" I ignored the dishes, I ignored the laundry, I ignored everything.  That night, I slept like a rock.  But, I got back up the next morning and did it again.  Originally, I was supposed to be done around noon, but was asked if I could stay the rest of the day.  After a call to cancel my cleaning at the dentist, I took a few minutes to mentally prepare, fill in the empty lesson plans...and BAM!  There they were...23-teacher-eating-third-graders.

Let's just say, it was an interesting group. A BIG, interesting group in a HOT room. 

I called Ryan to let him know I was going to be at school all day.  I also text my dad so he would know I wasn't going to be at lunch like we had planned.

Dad text me back... 'Are your feet wet yet?!?'

My reply...  Drenched!!

Kissing Hands

We ordered the book Kissing Hands for the kids before DD was in Preschool.  It's a story of a little raccoon that didn't want to go to school.  So his mother kisses his hand and tells him when he is missing her, he can put his hand on his cheek and feel his mother's love at school.  He, in return, gives his mom a 'kissing hand' and she is able to feel his love when she's missing her little boy while he's at school.  Little did we know at the time we purchased the book, how much we would use it in the future!  We've read it often, I still choke myself up everytime we do. 

When DD was having a hard time going to Preschool, I would draw a heart on her hand and kiss it.  Some days after school...two and a half-hours of school, mind you, the heart would be almost worn off and her little lips red as if she'd applied lipstick.  This was the routine almost every morning before preschool.

The following year at Kindergarten, we'd do the same.  We got fancy.  We'd use different colored Sharpies and as the year progressed, DD could read more words so I'd write 'love' or 'ubba.'  We did this until at least Christmas break and sporatically after that.

First-Grade was no different.  Colorful Sharpies, hearts, smiley faces, little messages. 

Now, both kids are in school.  The night before Lane went off to Kindergarten, he took it upon himself to grab a Sharpie and write "MOM" on his kissing hand. 

(the next morning, Lane had a black "M" on the side of his face from sleeping on his hand)  =)

He also gave me a kissing hand.

(From Dig, he wrote "Lane" first, then a heart, then "MOM." 

Translation:  "Lane loves Mom.")

The next morning, Drue asked for one...

 then gave me one, too.

(My kissing hand from DD, "Ubba DD!")

So far, Lane has had very little trouble transitioning to school.  He seems to really be enjoying it and hardly has time to kiss me good-bye before running up the stairs to find his friends on the playground. 

Drue, on the other hand, has decided to stick to her old routine...shuffling around with a sad face before leaving for school, showing Mom a few tears at drop off...

and making sure she has a "Kissing Hand."

::Reminder::

This is a post I wrote before school started... I finally got the picture to load so I thought I'd still share. 


Tues. Aug. 23, 2011
Mom sent this to me this morning.  She has kept it for 21 years.  She's always known just what I needed to hear and always has the best mothering advice.  She has had to remind me often to enjoy each season in my life as it all changes so quickly.

She's the one who cross-stitched the poem about "cleaning and scrubbing can wait til tomorrow, so quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep.  I'm rocking my babies and babies don't keep."  She also gave me one called "Excuse This House...."Some houses try to hide the fact that children shelter here...for when at times I'm forced to choose the one job or the other; I want to be a housewife - but first I'll be a mother."  I have it framed in our kitchen.  Mom  has kept this comic for 21 years as a reminder to herself and has shared it with me often. It is so appropriate as there are many days I feel like I clean one room, move on to the next and when I turn around the once clean room is back to tornado conditions. 

(hard to see but this is from Feb. 4, 1999.  The mom asks "When will all these toys ever be put away properly?"  Then she imagines herself an elderly lady and the toys are 'properly' put away... in the attic.)

Mom has always made it clear that being a mom was her most important job and that is why there is no other job I have ever wanted.  I'm so extremely blessed for many reasons ~ for a husband who works his tail off and has made it possible for me to stay home for nine years to be with Drue and Lane and who wouldn't want it any other way ~ for our parents who have been wonderful examples ~ and for my greatest gifts...my MONKEYS!

I'm getting a little too sentimental here...I feel sorry for you all as I'll have more time to blog after school starts tomorrow.  =)

Twas the Night Before Kindergarten

Selfishly, I've dreaded this and all posts related to this post.  I get emotional just re-living the events of the past few days.  I've procrastinated, knowing my heart will pound, my fingers will shake and my eyes will flood.  In fact, I've already written one post that I can't bring myself to finish.  I'm sappy. What can I say?

For crying out loud, it's "just" Kindergarten... but these aren't "just" any ol' kids...they're MINE.

Dig has always been an outgoing kid, so I knew there was nothing to worry about when it came to school. He's a friendly guy and loves to make people laugh.  He also, proudly attracts a lot of attention from "the ladies." 

He never voiced any concerns about going to school. Going to Preschool was Easy-Peasy-Lemon-Squeezy. He did well and loved it. I had no reason to think Kindergarten would be any different.  Thankfully, it hasn't been much different at all...for him. 

The night before the first day of school, I, admittedly, was a wreck.  I tried to hide this from the kids, but they can see right through me.  Heck, they know my better than I know me.  Lane started to get a little nervous.  He was doing his "penguin walk" (self-explanatory) and quieter than normal.  When I would say something to ease my nerves like, "are you so excited? It's going to be so fun,"  Lane would answer then say, "I wish you wouldn't talk about it."  I took my cues and sat quietly. 

I gave Dig his allergy meds, Singulair pill, nose spray and eye drops.  We sat back on the couch and he said,

"I wish I was still 4."
"Why Bubs?"
"Because when I was 4 you'd rock me to bed" (disclaimer:  I still do when ever he lets me, trust me, he couldn't get me to stop just because he was 4!!)
"awww! I would love to rock you!"

We snuggled a bit without saying a word, then he points to his eye.  I smiled, not really knowing what he was doing. He did it again, but this time says, "this is not from my eye drops."  He was pointing to a little tear in the corner of his eye. 

That was it.  I lost it.

I assured him it was ok to cry and ok to be nervous, but that everything was going to be so fun and exciting.  I was trying to reassure myself, too.

I tell you what.  This little guy knows how to pull my heart strings.  He told me, "you're the best momma in the whole world and I'm gonna miss you so, so, so much tomorrow."  {I'll hear his sweet little voice forever.}


Then he pointed to his picture on the wall and said, "if you get sad tomorrow, momma, you can look at that picture and kiss it if you need to."  Wow.  For a mom who was trying to "be strong," I was failing...miserably.

We pulled ourselves together and got a drink, then Lane escaped to the kitchen, I followed him and he had a black Sharpie in his hand.  This is what he wrote. 

He wrote it so if he missed me he could kiss it and know I was missing him, too. I drew a heart on DD's hand every morning for most of Kindergarten, (and some of 1st grade!) too. =) So, Lane knew just what to do!

I'm so in love with this little guy.

We're ALL proud to say, the first day of school went off without a hitch...
like we ALL knew it would! Pictures of that to come!

{Back} To School!

Our 2nd-Grader & Our Kindergartner!

Ubba, DD & Dig!

What's Up, Doc?

If you don't have kids who watch Cartoon Network, this post may make no sense to you.  That's ok.  I just have to document it as part of my motherly duties.

In case you haven't heard, the Looney Tunes are back.  They aren't as good as they were when we were kids, or when my dad was a kid for that matter.  I remember many Saturday mornings when Looney Tunes were the only cartoons on t.v. I wasn't a  fan as a child.  In fact, I despised that stinkin' Road Runner and Wylie Coyote.  No words? ugh. But, I grew to love those cartoons.  Dad knew most of them by memory.  "Oh, this is the one Foghorn Leghorn does such-and-such."  "Which way did he go, George? Which way did he go?"  Dad even has most of the voices down.  But, like I was saying, the new ones are...just that...new.  Not the same. 

Cartoon Network has been promoting the new shows with a commercial containing two of their most famous characters, Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny.  I think they are in some sort of game show format.  Someone asks Daffy, "what's your best friend's CATCH PHRASE?" 

Daffy, of course, can't come up with the correct answer.  "Um. I don't do Mondays?"  On and on with silly answers.

For over a week Lane has been asking, 

"Mom? What's a SKETCH-RAY?"

"Huh?"

"What's a SKETCH-RAY?"

"Um, Bubs.  I don't know."

Finally, last night, I figured it out.

"Mom? What's your SKETCH-RAY?"

"Uhhh. I don't think I have a SKETCH-RAY?  Do I??  I don't even think I know what a SKETCH-RAY is." (Talk about feeling like an old lady.  I had no idea what he was talking about!) 

"You know, like, Bugs Bunny's SKETCH-RAY is 'what's up, Doc?  He calls everybody Doc!" {giggles!}

"OH! Catch phrase!  I don't really have a catch phrase.  Do you?"

DD piped up. "Mine's I Don't Do Mondays!"

Dig yells, "Mine's When am I Getting a Bunny Rabbit?!" 

Long story short.  Dig wants a bunny.  Hasn't stopped asking for one since the fair.  I guess that's the new SKETCH-RAY until he decides he wants something different! 

Where We've Been...

Obviously, I'm not a very good "Summer Blogger!"  There just aren't enough hours in the day right now! We are busy having fun and enjoying ourselves and, as usual, I have a long list of  'Things-to-Blog-About' when I finally have more than just a few free minutes...BUT, do you wonder what we've been up to this week?

I'll let this group of pictures fill you in...

blurry...but you get the idea!

Stay tuned for more details of all the new adventures we've had this year at the FAIR!