Common Mom

It’s Monday!

NEW BEGINNING #1 - MIMI
The first new beginning for us this week happened on Saturday morning. Jason’s birthday party was Saturday evening . . . an Army theme with 10 kids coming to play and eat pizza - fun! I got all the laundry ready Saturday morning and went in to the kids’ rooms to bring down their mimis and blankets (mimi is the ’special’ blanket each of them has slept with since day one). I found Keira’s where I expected . . . on her bed along with her gazillion babies, stuffed things, and books she takes to bed each night. But when I got in to Jason’s room, I could not find a mimi or blanket anywhere. It’s been a long time since he’s taken any of them out of his room, and really, in the past month or so, he hasn’t even “used” them - when I fold them after laundry and put them on his pillow, they stay folded and he mostly uses them as his pillow . . . but he still likes to have them there. So I asked him where his mimi and blankets were and he said “In my closet. The guys are coming over tonight and I don’t want them to think I’m a baby.” Ahhhh, the 7 year old peer pressure. My dude has officially shunned his mimi and blanket. Of course it makes me sad, but how exciting that he’s growing up at the same time. I think I’m OK with it because I still have Keira . . . but when her lisp goes away and she can say the letter R, I know it’ll be a sad day in the Boedie house. I was sad when my “yegs” started being “legs”!

NEW BEGINNING #2 - THE BUS
As planned, we all got up together, got everyone ready for school and work, and headed down to the bus stop. Jason was so excited to go that we left 20 minutes before the bus was due to arrive . . . it’s only 4 houses away! It was fun, though - we got to meet the other kids at the stop and their parents. And when his buddy Hayden came walking down the hill, Jason was beside himself. He ran up the hill to meet him and they skipped and hopped to the bus stop. I of course made them stand still for a picture - I couldn’t miss out on that! Then the bus shows up . . . without missing a beat, or stopping to say goodbye to his mommy or give any hugs (I hadn’t planned on hugs, but it would have been a nice surprise!) he fell in step behind Hayden, in between the older kids, and disappeared on to the ginormous yellow bus. He squished himself in to the front seat next to Hayden and one other boy about their age and was laughing and giggling - thinking he’s the luckiest kid on the planet to be on an actual school bus! And with Woody driving it! Yes, his bus driver is the same one that drove the route last year - a young 20-something named Jonathan who wears a cowboy hat . . . so the kids call him Cowboy Jonathan As the bus pulled away, I saw Jason’s arm stick up above Hayden’s head to wave furiously. Amazingly, there were no tears. I surprised even myself!

NEW BEGINNINGS #3 - NEW PRESCHOOL TEACHER
Keira started preschool today, also. She’s been there all summer in summer camp, but today she started in a new classroom. We decided to move her to a new classroom this fall when her other teacher left at the end of last school year. The replacement teacher has been at the school for years in one of the 2s rooms. We’ve heard nothing but good things about here . . . she’s sweet, she’s intelligent, she’s loving, and she’s very laid back. However, after having Keira in the classroom with her for the summer, we realized that it most likely would not work out well. Quite frankly, the main reason was that we thought Keira would eat the replacement teacher alive. My sweet, loving, caring, independent child can be a real pain if you don’t set boundaries. She’ll take anything she can get from you . . . in return, if you set firm boundaries and let her know the rules, she’s great and tons of fun. We had all kinds of fun last February when she decided that she was in charge instead of her teacher . . . so we had to work with her teacher a lot to get that all straightened out. So, we moved Keira to a different classroom with a teacher that had subbed for my son’s class as well as Keira’s before she became a full time head teacher. Keira is OK with it because it’s the P5 room . . . she always wondered why she was in the P3 room if she was 4, and we had to explain that the numbers had nothing to do with age. But now that she’s in P5, she thinks where she should be since she’ll be 5 in December I’ve always had the thought that there will always be teachers you don’t like or that your kids don’t like, but you have to live with it. It’s part of growing up and learning to deal with things. So maybe moving her to a different room wasn’t the best move, but she loves Miss Lupita and is very excited about it - and I feel better knowing that she’ll be learning tons and having a lot of fun.

So here’s to a new week with lots of new stuff happening!

Let the games begin! I’ve been trying to prepare myself for life dealing with the public school system. We live in a great school district, so I’m not at all worried about the education my kids will receive. What I do worry about is ME dealing with those that are supposedly “in charge.” I know I know . . . I have to just let it go and be prepared for a gazillion snow days, other random days off, and late starts for my son’s class so his teachers can help the 3-5 grade teachers with their “new grading standards” - no I’m not kidding - we actually got that letter in the mail on Tuesday. The K-2 kids will lose 2 entire days of school for Friday late starts throughout the year so their teachers can help the older kids’ teachers with new grades . . . apparently changing from A, B, and C to Excellent, Good, and Average is hard work.

But back to orientation! I called last spring to see if we could tour the school. They said no. School was already closed for summer, but hey, we’ve got this great ice cream social planned for the Thursday before school starts, so you can come in, get a tour, meet your child’s teacher, and get acquainted with the school.

So yesterday I leave work early and head home so we can all go to this awesome ice cream social. We get there and not only is there no ice cream (the horror!), but there is no tour. In fact, there IS NO TEACHER! Yup - you heard me right . . . no teacher. We found my son’s classroom by looking at the lists on all the 2nd grade doors. Very exciting stuff (really, I’m not trying to be sarcastic here). But, we notice that the room is void of an adult. Then we notice that the name plate on the door is void of a name! All the other rooms had adults in them - presumably the teachers, whose names were neatly printed on the name plate outside the classroom. So we look across the row of my son’s name and see that there is another classroom number and a teachers name for his TT Room. So we head down there. It’s a 5th grade room. Hmmmmmmmm. I’m thinking he’s accidentally been assigned to 5th grade . . . which is OK cuz that would be easy to fix . . . tell the admin. and he gets assigned to a second grade class. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The 5th grade teacher is his Thunder Time teacher - apparently this is the public school’s version of circle time in the morning. It’s actually a cool idea. So we meet his TT teacher and head back to the 2nd grade classrooms. We walk in to one with a teacher in it and start asking questions. The exchange went something like this . . .

Me: Do you know where the teacher for that classroom is?
Teacher: Um, no I don’t. But let me get an administrator to help you.
Me: Thank You.

Administrator of some sort joins us - she looks about 18! But she is very nice and helpful.
Me: We were just wondering where the teacher for my son’s room across the hall is.
Admin: Um, there isn’t one.
Insert crooked face weird look from Mommy here
M: There isn’t a teacher? Is she coming later?
A: No. There isn’t a teacher. They just created that new classroom 30 minutes ago. We’re going to hire a teacher tomorrow. Then we’ll set up some time for everyone to meet the new teacher.
M: But school starts MONDAY.
A: I know - it’s frustrating isn’t it.
M: Um YA!
A: Actually, let me go get someone to stand in that room for the other parents that have questions, too. Do you want to go walk around and meet me back in that room?
M: Sure. Thanks.

So we head out to the cafetorium that is filled with parents and students who have done this before - they’re all standing in line to get the required PE uniform (actually fairly stylish - nothing like the late 70’s early 80’s attire I was required to wear), their kids’ schedules, put money in the lunch accounts. We buy Jason’s student planner and then head to the Literacy table to sign him up for a testing time next week so they can see that yes indeed he can read. But of course, there is no sheet for his class because there is no teacher! The literacy lady tells me that they have to wait until they hire a teacher and then figure out how said teacher wants to do the testing. Well, let ME tell you how said teacher wants to do the testing . . . just like every other friggin’ elementary teacher in the school, there will be two pieces of paper with 1 hour time slots throughout next Thursday and Friday. We will write our kid’s name on one line and bring him to school on the appointed day at the appointed time so he can take a standardized reading test.

Back to his classroom, where we meet a VERY nice lady . . . Mrs. Mary (yes she has a last name, but I wouldn’t put it here even if I did remember it.). She is a TAG teacher and VERY helpful. She explained how this was indeed a nightmare for them, too, and she is sorry there isn’t a teacher, but explains that last year they did this new classroom thing 2 weeks in to the school year, which was much worse . . . I explain that I do understand why they did it, but we just need to make our little due (and MOMMY!) a little more comfy. Afterall, we’ll put him on the bus Monday morning and wave goodbye. Where does the bus drop him off? Where does he go when he gets here? We assumed his classroom, but were informed that is wrong - he goes to the TT room. What does he do with the 15 pounds of school supplies he’ll be bringing with him? What about his backpack? Is there a place for it, because this school is totally void of lockers or cubbies of any kind? What about after school and getting on the correct bus home? Mary very kindly gave us a tour, showed Jason where the bus would drop him off, explained how there would be teachers outside helping the first week, told him to go into the cafetorium and look for the big purple sign that his TT teacher Mrs. Boaz would be holding up, explained that she’d take care of them the first couple days until they find their way around the school, assured us that at the end of the day no bus is allowed to leave without it’s full roster of children accounted for.

THANK YOU MRS. MARY! The 10 minutes she spent with us, one of the new families, is all that we were asking for. A small tour of the elementary, an explanation of how the bus drop off works, and a little assurance to our little dude (who was very nervous) that he would indeed find his teacher very easily and would not be lost.

Whew . . . there you have it. I went home and talked to My Hubby and as always, said that I need to just expect this stuff, not let it get to me, and go with the flow. I’m really going to make an effort to do that . . . which for me will be tough

So, we’ll spend the weekend grilling Jason on his bus number, his TT teacher’s name, and his 2nd grade classroom number. He’ll remember, he’ll get on the bus, I’ll cry, and all will be well

Yesterday, I’m sitting in the office of a friend and coworker and we’re making meeting plans for a day next week. I mentioned that I’d be a little late Monday because it was Jason’s first day of public school and being the scrapbooking freak that I am I would of course have to take pictures of his big day. Heck, I’ll probably take pictures of him getting out of bed on the first day of 2nd grade, getting dressed on the first day of 2nd grade, eating breakfast, brushing his teeth, and tying his shoes on the first day of 2nd grade. I’ll take pictures of him putting on his backpack, walking down the hill, greeting his buddy Hayden at the end of his driveway, then disappearing down the hill to the bus stop, laughing, skipping, hopping, and giggling the whole way. I’ll take pictures of him being so excited about school, and then I’ll take pictures of him getting on the bus without a hug or kiss because he says he’s too old for that - we’ll have to use the secret signal instead. Then I’ll take a picture of his nervous smile in the bus window as he waves while they drive away. At this point, T and I both had that vision of our little Buddy sitting on that big yellow school bus waving out the window.

Then, the flood gates opened. We both started crying! Friggin’ crying in the middle of the work day in her office! She looked at me and said “What the hell is WRONG with us?!” It was an excellent question! I got on the bus my first day of kindergarden and made it to school, had a great day, and came home all happy. I lather, rinsed, and repeated for the next 13 years and turned out just fine.

It’s hard for us mommies to realize that our kids are MUCH less anxious about new things like the school bus and going to school than we mommies are. They are excited about all the new beginnings - we are afraid of the new beginnings for them. They are excited about things like riding the bus - we are afraid they won’t get on the right bus home that first day. They are excited about playing on the playground with all the new kids - we are nervous that those same new kids on the playground will be mean to our precious little ones.

Today we have orientation at the new school - it’s a brand new K-12 campus - so it’s big - much bigger than my little dude. I told him last night that his school “mascot” was The Thunder. He of course thought that was cool - then wondered what thunder looks like - excellent question dude! I guess we’ll find out later today when we have the opportunity to by Spirit Wear However, his main concern is when he’ll get to play on the cool new playground that we drive by a couple times a week!

I wonder why I never saw the worry, fear, anxiousness, and every other emotion in my parents when I was trying all those new things . . . I wonder if Jason senses those emotions in me?

No, I do not have breast cancer - soooooo thankful every day! I’m amazed at how much I’ve learned from other women since I started blogging. When I started the blog, I thought I’d be blogging about my daily challenges with my kids, offering advice on things that have worked for me in the past, and asking for advice on what to do next. I am AMAZED at how many people I’ve “met” through blogs and how much support you can get from a humonstrous group of people you don’t even really know.

I’m linking to a post from a woman with 2 small children who just found out she has inflammatory breast cancer. Read her post for more. It’s very enlightening and something I hope you all take to heart and keep in the back of your mind.

Jason is moving from Montessori to public school this fall - he’ll be in 2nd grade. So, we had our first experience shopping for school supplies - oh joy! I can’t complain that the store was packed or the school supplies area was a zoo - Target actually does an OK job with their layout so you’re not tripping on each other. What CAN I complain about? First, when I was in school (walking both ways up hill in the snow with no shoes), the supplies we brought were ours. We put our name on them and put them in our desk and that was that. My markers were MINE . . . little Tommy couldn’t wipe his snotty hands all over them and little Susie couldn’t push down so hard on them that the tips broke. I ws free to color as beautifully as I wanted. Now, the supplies are “community” - fine, but when they ask you to buy specific brands of some items, that’s ridiculous. For example, one item on the list was 24 Dixon brand pencils (SHARPENED!) - yes, capital letters and explanation point. Apparently Target does not carry that brand. But really? A specific BRAND of PENCIL? Come on people. They’re 2nd graders . . . lead is lead and a pencil is a pencil . . . unless someone who knows more about pencils can enlighten me. Basically, I refused to drive somewhere else just to get a specific brand of pencil. The ones we did choose do have the straight sides so they won’t roll - I did think that far ahead. But silly me . . . guess I’ll be “that parent” on the first day of school. The other item was a scissors . . . groovy, I can pick out a scissors at Target in the school supply aisle! Um, apparently not . . . specifically, Jason needed a sharp pointed Fiskars brand scissors . . . that’s exactly what it said on the list. We looked everywhere in Target and no such scissors existed there. Oh there were tons of scissors available for purchase - tons of $2 scissors. But alas, none of them had a pointy tip on them of the name Fiskars etched in to the steel blade of the cutting surface - safety first! So I went to Jo-Ann Fabric, and of course they had a pointy Fiskars brand scissors - I mean, they are the craft store to beat all craft stores! Do you know how much this lovely pointy Fiskars scissors was? $13! Really - $13! We got out of Target with every other school supply on the list (and it was big for a 2nd grader!) and paid only $26. Then, the friggin’ scissors cost $13! I couldn’t believe it. It’s still in the package, in the bag, with the receipt. I’m not sure we’ll keep it. Did I mention he’s SEVEN? Really, do they HAVE to have the $13 scissors for arts and crafts at school? And the ruler . . . they ask every kid to bring a ruler, which will then be community property. Shouldn’t this have to happen only the first year? Then they’ll have 30 rulers in the classroom for next year? Or do they hand them out at the end of the year to each of the students to take home? And if they do that, then why don’t they just let you label it and keep it in your desk all year?

And don’t even get me started on the “other” items on the list . . . hand wipes, a box of facial tissue, Ziploc bags, package of copy paper . . . I’m 100% sure those items were never in my school bag on the first day of school.

Apparently, all boys think the sound of a laser is cool. I took a long lunch break and went to Jason’s school for his continent feast. All the kids get to present their reports to the other kids and their parents, and then we get to eat the yummy food that each parent has prepared from their child’s country of choice.

Jason was so antsy waiting for his turn to present his report - he did, afterall, spend 4 hours creating the 12-slide PowerPoint presentation for it! After listening to the three written reports, he finally got to present his report. He did a great job, and I had to chuckle to myself when, after his first slide transition with the laser sound effect, the entire class went “oooooh, that’s COOL!” Jason just BEAMED! And really, wouldn’t you feel pretty good if the older kids in class were so impressed by something you’d done?

After all the presentations, 2 boys came up to Jason and said “Can your mom show me how to do that for our Australia report?” Without hesitation, Jason said “Na - but I can since I know all about making cool things in PowerPoint.” HA! The little turd . . . . at least he’s confident

What, exactly, is the computer age? I remember when I was a kid at school and the first experience with a computer was to copy two lines of code from a book to change some dots on a screen to a different color. I’d have to say I was in 6th grade. I do remember starting college and being amazed by all the computer stuff out there. We got Jason some fun preschool computer games when he was 3, and outside of having trouble with the mouse, he did great and loved them.

But just this past weekend, Jason gave me a wake up call. Now, I’m a technical writer and work with computers every day, so it wasn’t the computer stuff that was the wake up call. The wake up call came when he said “Mom, I really want to do my country report in PowerPoint this time. Can you help me?”

OK, first, he’s 6 and doing a country report on Zambia. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t doing THAT when I was 6. Second, he’s REQUESTING to do this report in POWERPOINT! I 100% attribute that the fact that last month, some of the upper elementary kids did their reports in PowerPoint, but still - a 6 year old asking to do a report in PowerPoint?!

Of course I couldn’t say no. So he runs downstairs “to turn the computer on” while I finish cleaning up the kitchen. When I get down there, he’s Googled Zambia, accessed the maps for Zambia and saved them to his My Documents folder, accessed the CIA country Web site, and started searching for the information he needed (population, land area, religions, etc.). Did I mention that he’s 6?!

I get him going in PowerPoint and show him how to type text and put graphics on the pages, etc. He spent 2 hours organizing his information and typing it - dang! Time for bed, so on Sunday we go down to finish. This time I decide to be nice and show him copy and paste - I have to tell you that at that point he believed I was the coolest mom on the planet - no more typing! And really, do you know how difficult it is for a writer to watch a 6 year old peck at a keyboard for 4 hours?! So he completes his 12 slides on Zambia and the African Wild Dog in a mere 4 hours. I then created a monster when I showed him how to change the text color and add transitions and sound to his slides. You would have thought I just told him he could eat candy and drink soda every day for the rest of his life!

He practiced his report over and over for me and Dan - I’m pretty sure the goal was to hear the “laser” sound every time he changed slides - but practicing reading large numbers is good

We’re very proud of Jason, just as all parents are proud of their children. I’m just amazed at what they’re doing in school, and I’m grateful that he’s excited about it and wants us to help him learn new things. This is just one more thing that makes me realize my little dude is growing up, way too fast for my taste!

Now I’m off to the kitchen to make some sweet potato cookies with lemon glaze from Zambia for the monthly continent feast at school!