That’s what I have. A Kindergartner and a 2nd grader.  Freaks me out!  They are huge!  Mouthy!  Lily even gets sort of bitchy!  Arden does everything by herself, even if that means destroying herself in the process!  They’re awesome, however - and so funny. 

Arden’s first day went splendidly and I remembered to take a bunch of pictures. I promptly forgot to take pictures of her exiting the bus, but let’s face it - I was obnoxious enough for 8 moms during the morning bus pick up.  At one point I was body blocking other parents from getting near the bus so I could get my final picture.  I want my girls to learn by example, yo. 

Lily has decreed that she DOES NOT love 2nd grade and WILL NOT love it.  She misses her old school and her old house and the fact that the old house didn’t have “those weird cricket thingies” in it.  She misses our neighbor and her children and she probably misses having her daddy around a lot.  This was evident when we had the fabulous awkward moment of, “Mommy, do you still love Daddy?”  This was spoken to me, in front of Mike.  I answered what i would have answered alone or with others - “Yes, and I always will.”  Unfortunately his answer, when she asked the same question a few minutes later, was not similar to mine, although it was probably more honest.  Frankly I just don’t believe that the kids really need to know anything other than Yes, I Love The Person I Made You With. 

The first day was great because Arden was so excited, and Lily was in full-on big sister mode, but having Mike show up to see Arden and Lily off was very hard on all of us.  He looked like he wanted to puke the entire time; I felt like I was stuck in a bad movie where only the two of you know you are divorcing and everyone else thinks you’re the new happy family who just rented the house “down the block”.  No one saw him driving off as soon as he could, or me going for my run with the music as loud as I could tolerate to drown out the thoughts in my head.  Seeing the girls cling to him and scream excitedly when they see him makes me always, without fail, want to wave a magic wand and return our lives to the way we all thought it should be.  My pretty house in Wyndham, made for entertaining.  My well-dressed children walking down a spotlessly manicured street to see their other well-dressed children, waving to the other kids being driven to school in their Lexuses (Lexi?) or BMWs.  Their pretty rooms, their new carpeting, the lush grass, the Labrador (oh wait, they still have that), their bikes and their play dates.  It kind of reminds me of how I feel about Thomas Kinkade paintings. 

(image source)
At first glance, they are pretty, if not completely expected.  You think, “Aww, how cute!  What an adorable cottage.  I bet fairies live in there!”  After about 2 days, you start to get nauseous because of the kitsch and goofiness.  After a week, you want to put the painting in the attic because your life looks nothing like that stupid glowy stone thing (perhaps the glow is a kitchen fire? NO!).  After a month, you consider using the painting as a floor mat in your car.  Not everything with a polyurethane coating on it is actually as glossy as it seems. 

Onward we march.  My own little cottage in the woods is really a brick rancher in the suburbs (but not overly suburban - let’s be clear about that).  Any glow inside it comes from my laptop screen, and there are no fairies here.  There is, however, a LOT of estrogen.  It’s total Girl Power up in this joint, and we’re all making it the best we can. 

In these pictures, you’d never know the girls had been through the most difficult year of their lives.  Although I’m sure it won’t be, I’d like to think that it’s going to be the worst year of their life so I can say “CHECK!  That’s done.  Now they can move onto happily ever after.”  If that’s the case, I’d be very, very happy. 

One of my dad’s favorite expressions fits oh-so-well with snow days.  This being my first year of life with a child in public school, I have already been indoctrinated on every holiday that must be celebrated by closing school, plus the constant “teacher work days”, “teacher inservice” and “teacher really needs a break from your bratty kids day” (that one I actually agree with).  Since the bulk of my youth was spent in Traverse City, the land of snow and gray skies, I associate snow days with pure, unadulterated joy.  Primarily because snow days in Northern Michigan are R-A-R-E. 

Now, though - not so much.  It is now Tuesday evening and tomorrow is yet another day the school will be closed “due to inclement weather”.  Mentioning again at the risk of being annoying that I am from Traverse City, the land where a snow day was NEVER called unless people were literally dying in their cars, buried alive in the 20 feet of snow that fell in a 2 hour period of time, combined with temps of -20 below, I have little tolerance for what snow days in Virginia mean.  The roads are clear and dry, but there’s a chance that some side road might have some crusty white stuff on it and someone might slip.  OH MY GOD CANCEL SCHOOL. 

Yeah, I’m bitter.

Which leads me to my analogy.  My dad has a saying.  In this case, it goes something like this.  “Snow days are like boobs.  One is not enough, and three is way too many.”  The original phrase inserts the word “Stinger” for “Snow Day”, one of his favorite drinks that my mom swears makes him “mean”. 

Three is way too many. The kids are cuckoo, there are no movies out they haven’t seen, we’re all tired of playing the snow, I spent $268 at the vet today so the expendable cash is a little low, and, according to my mom, too much tv causes asthma in kids.  Is that a wheeze I hear from upstairs?  I think it is.  God help me, they’ll probably cancel school on Thursday if all the snow doesn’t melt tomorrow.  Someone send me alcohol, and fast.  Someone also send me a rapid-acting inhaler for my children, because that asthma is a-comin’. 

More pictures are up on the March 2009 Snowstorm Extravaganza. 

I am officially the proud owner of one Kindergartner, and one preschooler.  Both girls started their new schools today, and both girls loved it!

I will only admit to a couple of tears, and even Mr. Cyncial (aka Mike) got a little misty. My mom of course was also crying and threatened to stalk the school bus, but we managed to contain her.  Lily woke up and was very excited.  She couldn’t really eat breakfast and couldn’t wait for us to do her hair and wear her new dress.  She looked cute, but of course I’m biased.  Arden got up right before we left for the bus stop, so we threw some clothes on her and didn’t bother with hair.  Lily did wonderfully right up until the moment it was time to get on the bus, but even then, I just gave her a little push and she was up the steps. Her bus driver is very nice and she got a seat right behind him with another Kindergartner (they make the K’s sit in the front rows, which makes me happy). 

I left soon after for work to keep my mind off things, and Mike and his dad dropped Arden off at the Village.  When I picked her up at 1 PM, Ms. Christine, Ms. Katie and Ms. Hannah, all previous teachers of her or Lily were surrounding her, hugging and kissing her.  She was eating it up with a spoon and said she had a great first day at the Village, and can’t wait to go back and open her locker.  She thinks having a locker is the bomb. 

Mike took the day off to hang and golf with his dad, so around 2.30 we took Delilah down to the bus stop and waited.  I took a little video of Lily getting off the bus, and it turned out to be quite humorous.  In our county, you have to show ID and your name has to match what’s on file for approved bus pickups, and until the driver gets to know you, you have to show ID.  They were very clear about this at orientation.  One of the neigbors forgot her ID and was picking up her Kindergartner, and the bus driver was giving her a hard time.  So, be warned - there is cursing in the beginning of the video, but for once it’s not me. 

I was surprised by Lily’s mood this afternoon. She’s very quiet (which for Lily is shocking).  She was pretty detached from all of us too, but turns out what she needed was not to be pelted with 50,000 questions about school and some time to decompress. She couldn’t articulate it, but she did tell me that she wasn’t mad, she just had a “very big day” at school and she’s tired.  I think she is on overload with all the excitement and new things she experienced today, so I’m biting my tongue and waiting til later to interrogate her. 

Now maybe we can all get some sleep tonight!

I already loved Lily’s school and was really impressed with her teacher, but I’m totally over the moon now. I just got a phone call from Mrs. Daniels asking me if I had any questions or last minute concerns.  I did have some questions, and was thrilled to be able get them answered.  She also put my mind at ease about the other things worrying me.  She is seriously on top of things.  Good thing one of us is!  Turns out I snagged a folder from school that I wasn’t supposed to take. It was in a pile by the door so I grabbed one.  Ooops!

She also LOVED Lily’s nap mat and said she threw it over her shoulder and wandered around school with it, pretending it was hers. That made me laugh.  It is pretty cute, if I must say so myself.  She said she was certain the other kids would see it and want their own!!!  I can help with that.

We have a housefull of people coming shortly so I’m off to start prepping some food.  Mike, Lily and Gramp went to the pool, and Arden is still with Grammy and Boppa waiting to head home.  She’s probably going to be sad to be back at home with us after a night being spoiled by Grammy, but that’s reality. 

Mike and I took Lily to Kindergarten orientation today with Arden in tow.  (Totally unrelated, but is it Freudian that every time I type the word Kindergarten it comes out as “Kinderfarten”?)  I was trying not to be emotional but I saw some other freaked out moms (and a few dads) looking more spastic than me, so that made me feel better. 

Mind you, I’m not overprotective in the slightest - heck, I’m the one who posted pictures of my daughter’s butt on Flickr for the world’s pedophiles to leer at.  My fear of Kindergarten isn’t about worrying that she is going to get lost on the bus or fall into the toilet or eat only ice cream sandwiches for lunch (okay, a little bit of the last one).  It’s not even really fear. It’s simply knowing that the first of my two kids is about to become a school-ager, and I’m a little bummed about that - and also very excited. It’s such a weird mix of emotions.  Seeing her with her new classmates and her awesome teacher today made me realize that she’s pretty independent, pretty smart, and pretty socialized.  I think she’ll have a great first year.  Now Mommy just has to get her heart out of her throat and wave goodbye to her school bus on Tuesday. 

A couple of notes about the orientation.  Even Kindergarteners have a dress code (!).  Damn.  That means I have to throw away those hot pants and crop tops I’d bought Lily for her new school year.  And for all those moms with Crocs fears, you’re right to feel that way.  The principal said that she wasn’t going to ban Crocs from school, but that we should know how many injuries happen to kids wearing Crocs on the playground due to mulch getting in through the holes and a lot of tripping and falling.  They did ask that we not send the kids in Crocs on PE day - too many accidents.  I told Mike that we’re just not going to let her wear Crocs to school period rather than trying to explain what days she can or can’t.  She’s already outgrown her first pair so I’m thinking we just won’t replace them. 

We also found out that the family of one of Lily’s best friends from Rainbow recently bought a house in Wyndham, so she’ll be attending the same school as Lily.  This was especially exciting when we realized today during Orientation that Lily and Sarah Rose are in the same class together.  It was adorable watching them hold hands and hug each other. 

During the Orientation, the kids went with their new teachers to their classroom to check things out and do a project.  Their teacher read them a book, and they did a little art project after it to give to us.  When we went to see the rooms, the kids were out in the bus line checking out a real live School Bus (remember when that was exciting?).  Lily’s teacher, Mrs. Daniels, showed us the book she read to the kids. It was called “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn.  It’s a short story about a Mom Raccoon and her “baby” Raccoon going to school for the first time.  The mom tells the son that she will kiss the inside of his palm, and her love will travel up to his heart and keep him warm and cozy all day.  After the little raccoon’s first day at school, he comes home and gives his mom a kiss on the palm so she doesn’t miss him when he’s gone.  I am not telling it as eloquently as the book did, but even the teacher got a little misty and I knew I wasn’t the only mom trying not to cry. 

Lily loved the book, and her art project was the palm of a hand decorated in rainbows with heart stickers and her name on the top.  My heart nearly burst when she said, “Mommy, on my first day, will you kiss my palm so I feel warm all day?” 

When I called Jennifer to tell her about it, we BOTH started crying on the phone.  I thought I was a sap - she’s still a few years away from Kindergarten and already all gooey and weepy!!! 

I did learn a lot today about the school, and was really impressed by the staff and the school itself.  It’s fairly high-tech, or at least it seems that way to me.  The kids each have a 4 digit code they punch into a keypad that allows them to pay for their lunches without carrying cash.  There’s an online site where you can monitor your account balance, but more importantly, monitor exactly what they are or aren’t eating. You can even “restrict” them from getting certain foods for lunches or the frequency of food (i.e., I can put my “ice cream sandwich for lunch every day” fear to rest). 

And finally, because I’m a big geek, I took her $7 tote bag (“strongly” recommended for Kindergarteners so they are easily identified by teachers and bus drivers) to the embroiderer’s today.  I have a great relationship with the owner (she does all of our nap mats), and I just couldn’t stand that Lily wasn’t going to be carrying her personalized backpack (that matches her nap mat) to school. The tote she has is plain white with the name of her school on it.  Terri, the owner of EmbroidMe, helped me pick up some really fun ladybugs to embroider on either side and they will embroider her name in big red letters on the side.  I added some bling to it.  It cracks me up that I just totally spent some bucks on gussying up a $7 tote, but hey, I figure it’s good for business if other parents like it.  Or it’s good for Terri’s business.  Either way, it’s all good. 

We were instructed not to cling to our kids on Tuesday morning and to save the tears for when they are gone.  I guess that means I shouldn’t clutch Lily’s ankle while she’s getting on the bus and scream, “Don’t leave MOMMY!!!!” while having hysterics.  So wish me luck - I think Mike and I are BOTH going to need it!

**Oh, and a note specially for my mom:  Lily’s teacher explained that the kids can go to the bathroom whenever they want - it’s there in the room, and they should not be afraid to get up and go.  Apparently the kids are a little nervous about asking permission. This of course made me remember Kindergarten for me, and how I was afraid to get up and go - and peed in my tights and all over my plastic chair.  I remember saying to my mom, “But the teacher told us to stay in our seats!!!”  It brought back some memories - ones that I hope Lily will miss