The Back To School Post

          This week has been a tricky one- so much has changed around here in the past few weeks- with the biggest change happening on Monday when our Littles headed back to school. The Boy of course was beyond excited to be back in the classroom- amongst his friends- even the girl who claims to be his girlfriend. He thrives in a structured environment like school- teachers shaping his days predictably in a way that is foreign to me- The Boy though loves knowing whats happening next and the moodiness that had been lurking has quickly disappeared.

      My girl- she started kindergarten- this has been though on us both- but if I'm being honest mostly just for me- I miss my girl so much. Miss Lo who is usually bursting with confidence and full of beans is a bit more subdued- particularly today when I dropped her off for her first day with the entire class- up until this point the class had been divided in two- today all twenty two children were together- my girl was a bit overwhelmed but went gamely ahead with no complaint up the stairs. She already has a friend who conveniently lives right downstairs.

         So with these littles safely squared away my days are about to change- the hours between 9:00am and 3:00pm are- for the most part- my own. Even today- which was a short day- I sat in a coffee shop- reading an actual magazine- the whole way through. One look around our apartment reveals a change is happening- most toys are away in their homes- the living room tidy- pillows on couch- no crumbs on the floor. Backpacks and shoes litter the front hall closet- our dining room table is covered in permission slips and library books- a change from the usual sea shells and sticks.

         When you are in the thick of raising babies- the tough days when you have had very little sleep or foul moods are catching- when you are sitting in the middle of a living room that looks like a tornado blew through- you think it will never end. We had our babies eighteen months apart- we had two babies under the age of two- it was intense- it was crazy- at times I have sat in the bathroom and cried- life is like that. I feel like we have come out the other end of that- I'm not saying that there won't be times when I want to scream- what I'm saying is I can catch a brief glimpse of a calmer and more tidy life.

       I am sad we are done with the baby stage and even with the trying toddler years- somewhere along the line I blinked and both my babies are kids- kids in full day school! So I guess what I am trying to say to all those Mommas who are in the thick of it- don't fret over the crumbs and finger prints- seriously before you know it your babies will be in school- your days will come back into focus again- stay present and as challenging as it may be- enjoy very little second.

        I'm not sure how my days are going to shape up yet- I'm hoping to take advantage of some dry weather next week to bike around Stanley Park- The Mr. and I have a standing coffee date and my friend and I are headed to a favourite cafe- kid free. As I struggle to find a sense of self without my children by my side every minute of the day I know they are learning- having fun- growing as little individuals- the important business of being a kid.

End of The School Year

          Here in British Columbia our school year ended much more quickly than we anticipated- our Teachers and our Government have come to a standstill in negotiations over job contracts which has resulted in a full scale strike. I know for many of my readers this is not news- we are in the same boat- school has ended two weeks early. As a first time school Mum I am a little sad- Kindergarten is special and friendships tenuous. Our Littles don't really understand what "job action" and "locked out" means- all they know is that school is finished and all their fun plans for the year end cancelled.

       Now I'm not going to get into a debate here in this space on the rights and wrongs of this whole situation- what I am trying to convey and search out is the good in this entire mess. There is good to be found at least from my point of view- then again I am Mum to a Kindergarten child and not a Grad- and then again I can always find a silver lining in nearly ever cloud.

     For me- I have missed my boy so much over the past year- I have missed having him as my constant shadow- my helper in all things I am trying to do.  I found the transition from Pre-school to Kindergarten very difficult- I actually really like spending time with my kids and I was left at loose ends last September when full time school started. For me I am secretly happy he is home- happy my Gal is still in school for another week (Pre school is private and there for not on strike) and I get a whole lot of extra time spent with my boy- just him and I!

         So of course to the beach we go- meeting up with friends along the way- an all boys outting- the Mums are just casual observers who happen to be sitting close by. Watching my boy I can see the subtle changes that have occurred over the past ten months- aside from the growth spurt- I can see how he has grown mentally- thinking not like a pre schooler but more like a big kid. He is no longer quite so quick to anger- working out disputes on his own- most of the time. A keen interest in electronics and gadgets and how they work is clear as he tails some bigger boys down the beach- they have a metal detector and are on a treasure hunt. I love listening to him and hearing his view of things- this too has changed over the past year- he speaks and thinks on his own now.

          I'm taking this whole job action in stride- it is what it is- a dispute between employees and their employers- nothing I say or do will hurry the process along- and at this point in our school year it would just confuse our kiddo if they headed back into the classroom. It is sad that his Kindergarten year happened to end on a total flat note- he missed out on the excitement of the last day of school.  As a parent all we can do is hope that a compromise is found before next Fall- that going forward we will all be back in the classroom- it's what the Teachers want- it's what we all want. Mean while there is the beach and a world of classroom at our feet for the Summer!

Back To School

        This week The Boy started his career in education- yes he officially started Kindergarten- while I had high hopes of home schooling these Chuckleheads it was not to be- they both decided they wanted to go to school. So last fall we went through the registration process- all Summer I fooled myself into thinking that The Boy would want to stay home and be home schooled- but it when it came right down to the wire- he wanted to try Kindergarten at a school with other kids.

           So on Tuesday- even though he had changed his mind yet again and decided he really wanted to stay home- he got up early and got ready for his first day of Kindy. We went together- all of us as a family- for our short introduction to the teachers, classroom and routine- it was only an hour. Then yesterday he got out of bed and settled into the couch for some cartoons- we had to get him going as The Boy thought Kindergarten was only a one day thing. "What do you mean I have to go back again?" he wondered out loud!

         Away we went at what I feel is an unearthly early hour- over to the school- setting our routine for the year to come. This time Miss Lo and I left him in line with the others and watched him go into the classroom behind his teacher- he did not complain- in fact he did not even look back- he will be fine. Shockingly I think I may be OK as well- I fully anticipated heart break and tears but I'm good- my baby is in Kindergarten- it's an exciting and happy time! I'm sure I will miss him next week when school is in full time- but I have a tea date with friends, plans for a run and Miss Lo starts Preschool- we will find our groove- eventually!

ps- I stand by my wish to home school if only because I really do not like getting up so early in the morning- I need time to hatch! If either of my Littles decides they want to try home schooling I am game!

Keeping It Simple

          I'm going to start off with a confession of sorts- in high school I was the year book editor- two years running- I loved it- feel free to mock me if you wish- as I know my sister surly will- but straight up I loved everything about that job. It was in the course of those two years that I learned one of life's greatest lessons- K.I.S.S.- or Keep It Simple Stupid- I have carried this little acronym through to my adult life and I find it can be applied to almost any situation. Buying a stereo- keep it simple. What to wear on my wedding day- keep it simple. Organizing my family- keep it simple.

       We are now on the brink of September- things are about to get super busy around here- and by super busy I mean for us- other families will look at our schedule and laugh at it's pettiness! Starting next week we have two kids in two different schools in two different ends of the city- it is going to take some serious time management on my behalf so no one gets left behind! We have intentionally left September free of all extra curricular activities like soccer and ballet- there will be plenty of time for that later- we need to get used to this new way of life first.

      So I bought an agenda- like an old school- write it out style family ledger- to keep track by the hour of everything we will need to do- I'm keeping it simple- I need things visually laid out for me and if I don't write it down I will most likely forget! I am excited and nervous going into next week- my little guy is going off to Kindergarten and we will most likely be that family who shows up late like four days out of five- I hear that is frowned upon.

     Friends it is Friday- of the long weekend- Monday is Labour Day- it is so difficult to believe the Summer has flown by to quickly! Oh and what a Summer it was! In spite of the rain we will be spending as much time outside as possible this weekend- my wish for you dear Friends is that your weekend is filled with the quite peacefulness that comes from a Summer well spent- fullness of the heart and of the mind- much love Friends!