I have a secret. I love politics. And election season. I love these two things so passionately for a number of reasons.
Election season makes people dig deep and figure out who they are and what they believe. And the really brave ones put these beliefs with their names attached on the internet. I love the self-confidence these people have.
Politics can bring about intelligent conversation. I love that politics get people talking about important things. I love that these conversations are happening. I love that people have different views, and I especially love having these conversations with people who don't share my views. I learn a lot. I appreciate the differences because these people are aware of and passionate about people, things, situations, and circumstances that maybe I'm ignorant of.
Recently a friend posted a meme. A pretty controversial meme. And it was done so beautifully, it needs to be talked about. You really can't post something political on social media with the conditions of, "don't comment if you don't agree or I'll delete you" or "don't comment at all". That drives me crazy. But this friend put a lot of thought into posting before she did, and she lives her life in such a way that those who did disagree felt safe to say so and express that they were a little hurt by the posting. (Politics are full of emotion. And they should be.)
-Now here's where it gets good.-
This friend addressed every single person and concern, and did so in an amazing way. She let every person, one on one, know that she valued them. They were important. Their thoughts were important. Those friendships and relationships were important. Real conversation and discussion was allowed to take place with specific articles and information. Just about every post began with, "I see what you said, and here's what I have to add to that". It was beautiful.
Unfortunately, so rarely do conversations unfold the way this particular one did. I love that we can be bold and share things online so easily. With everything ramping up, keep in mind that people are important. Their opinions and thoughts do matter. But by all means: Be bold, but be kind.
Monday, October 17, 2016
Monday, September 26, 2016
The Lovelands do The Dells.
We've had a lot going on in our family lately and when I'm off, everyone's off. A quick family getaway was long overdue. we really just needed some actual family time away from distractions and chaos. I was scoping out things for our family to do. Museums, Aquarium, Zoo... but then I remembered a theme park not too far away often had deals. Turns out for $50 we could have a room with 2 queens plus a bunk bed and two days at the park for a whopping $50. SOLD. This past weekend it happened. And it was glorious and just what we needed.
I spent a couple days prepping with cleaning, grocery shopping, packing, and planning. It's the Type-A in me. And I'm not even ashamed. I'm a control freak. Ross handles it perfectly. Everyone should give him a pinch and tell him he's fantastic. Ross got home, we threw everyone in the car and ate sandwiches on the way and it was great.
We got all checked in and settled in our room. And immediately the fighting over who was the blessed child that got to sleep on the top bunk commenced. We diverted by reminding them about the water park awaiting them.
We've been to this park only once before, when we first moved here almost 4 years ago, but we didn't stay the night. They have a great little kid's area with a pirate ship and little slides and some 'splash paddy' things. Perfect for kiddos. I was looking forward to taking them down the big water slides and before we arrived they were excited about it, too. But then they got distracted by the kids area. Neither of the girls wanted to go down the big slides that you ride tubes down. So being the great parent I am, I grabbed Tiegan and hauled her kicking and screaming up the 10,042 stairs in one arm and our tube in the other. There's no way I was the first parent to do such a thing. The lifeguard gladly pulled our tube from the waiting area to the opening of the slide with my clearly abused 2 year old in tears as we started down.
We made our way back to Ross and the older girls where she told Ross she did it and lied through her teeth when she said it was fun. We didn't make her go again, but after she did it the older two were interested and took turns going down with either me or Ross while the other authority figure held Emms and watched the other kids play.
Emma was fantastic. She was bug eyed the entire almost two hours and just enjoyed sitting in the water with whomever was holding her. She was silent and content and my little dream baby. The second we put her in her car seat she was out. It was magical. We played for almost two hours before heading to our room for second dinner and bed.
Once the girls were reminded of our room and the single top bunk the blessed child debate commenced. Claire ended up winning because she cried the least. Aoife cried more upon hearing the verdict. It didn't help her case.
Claire said our family prayer before bed and added in, "And please help me go on roller coasters..." It took the girls a while to fall asleep. Claire was on the top bunk with Aoife on the bottom. Emma and I were in one bed for a while until I called room service to have a pack and play brought over. And Tiegan and Ross snuggled. At one point, Tiegan was laying in bed in the dark singing primary songs to herself. Claire sat up and got really angry. (She gets it from me.) There were giggles and tears and eventually all four children were sleep.
Claire talks in her sleep. And it's hilarious. Except she was having water slide nightmares. "No, Dad. No. PLEASE!!!" We know her dreams were about water slides and not another form of torture because of other things she said, but I'm grateful she was dreaming that she was going down them with Ross and not me.
The parks don't open until 10 AM. Which is great for lazy mornings, but it's a long morning with little excited children. I walked the halls with the girls while Ross watched soccer and Emma napped. We got everything repacked and into the car and headed out for the day.
The roller coasters are right by the entrance. Which is great. We threw Claire on one before she could even second guess it. Going to theme parks in the off season is fantastic. There weren't really lines for anything. Claire went on the roller coaster with me. And she had a blast. When the ride pulled back up, the attendant asked if we wanted to go again, so we got to go for another round without even getting off.
Most of the little kid rides weren't open, which was a huge bummer for Tiegan and Aoife. We found a smaller roller coaster that Aoife could go on and she and Claire rode together too many times to count. Tiegan could go on go karts with an adult, so Ross and I switched off with Tiegan while the other sisters rode the roller coaster together and the other adult hung out with the stroller.
Then Claire wanted to go on this swing ride. It went up stupid high and spun around. Ross doesn't do heights and argued that it was my turn to go on a ride anyway. So I went. Normally I love rides and have no fear. However, in the past my life was not dependent on a chair with no sides, hanging by only four chains. We went up. And it was windy. And we started spinning. Claire giggled the entire time and said "This isn't even scary!" While I said my farewells and prayed the chains were stronger than the wind. We came down and Ross laughed at me and I vowed to never go on that ride ever again.
At the car we had lunch before checking out the indoor rides. Tiegan could go on all of these and I'm so grateful we checked them out. It was the best time watching her squeal and grin and go on ride after ride after ride. I guess that's when you hit official parent status: when a vacation is great when you see your kids having the best time. She was so funny, though she did not like the bumper cars. tea cups, hot air balloons, planes, and swings that you would not die from if you fell off. Maybe mildly injured, but still alive. It was a blast. We spent another couple of hours there before grabbing a snack and finishing up at the water park again.
It was a lot more crowded than the night before, and the girls weren't terribly interested in the tube slides. We each went down once, but spent most of the time in the kid area. I'm not sure what the best part was. The girls giggling going down slides, Aoife shamelessly picking wedgies after slides, Claire being a mermaid, Tiegan just prancing around and splashing, it was awesome. And we were exhausted.
Once we got back home, Ross unloaded everything while I pumped and had a quiet minute to myself. Emma was still asleep in her car seat, the older girls watched a movie. We lit a fire and enjoyed for a while. Emma went down at 6 and didn't wake up again until 7:30 the next morning. The other girls went down a little before 7, I crashed at 8, Ross read by the fire until late, and it was amazing.
We were only gone for 25 hours, but it was so great to have so much time together, having fun and taking a break from everything going on. Now we're back to Monday and back to reality. Ross is leaving Wednesday for his grandfather's funeral and I'll be solo parenting until late Monday night. Everyone wish me luck.
I spent a couple days prepping with cleaning, grocery shopping, packing, and planning. It's the Type-A in me. And I'm not even ashamed. I'm a control freak. Ross handles it perfectly. Everyone should give him a pinch and tell him he's fantastic. Ross got home, we threw everyone in the car and ate sandwiches on the way and it was great.
We got all checked in and settled in our room. And immediately the fighting over who was the blessed child that got to sleep on the top bunk commenced. We diverted by reminding them about the water park awaiting them.
We've been to this park only once before, when we first moved here almost 4 years ago, but we didn't stay the night. They have a great little kid's area with a pirate ship and little slides and some 'splash paddy' things. Perfect for kiddos. I was looking forward to taking them down the big water slides and before we arrived they were excited about it, too. But then they got distracted by the kids area. Neither of the girls wanted to go down the big slides that you ride tubes down. So being the great parent I am, I grabbed Tiegan and hauled her kicking and screaming up the 10,042 stairs in one arm and our tube in the other. There's no way I was the first parent to do such a thing. The lifeguard gladly pulled our tube from the waiting area to the opening of the slide with my clearly abused 2 year old in tears as we started down.
We made our way back to Ross and the older girls where she told Ross she did it and lied through her teeth when she said it was fun. We didn't make her go again, but after she did it the older two were interested and took turns going down with either me or Ross while the other authority figure held Emms and watched the other kids play.
Emma was fantastic. She was bug eyed the entire almost two hours and just enjoyed sitting in the water with whomever was holding her. She was silent and content and my little dream baby. The second we put her in her car seat she was out. It was magical. We played for almost two hours before heading to our room for second dinner and bed.
Once the girls were reminded of our room and the single top bunk the blessed child debate commenced. Claire ended up winning because she cried the least. Aoife cried more upon hearing the verdict. It didn't help her case.
Claire said our family prayer before bed and added in, "And please help me go on roller coasters..." It took the girls a while to fall asleep. Claire was on the top bunk with Aoife on the bottom. Emma and I were in one bed for a while until I called room service to have a pack and play brought over. And Tiegan and Ross snuggled. At one point, Tiegan was laying in bed in the dark singing primary songs to herself. Claire sat up and got really angry. (She gets it from me.) There were giggles and tears and eventually all four children were sleep.
Claire talks in her sleep. And it's hilarious. Except she was having water slide nightmares. "No, Dad. No. PLEASE!!!" We know her dreams were about water slides and not another form of torture because of other things she said, but I'm grateful she was dreaming that she was going down them with Ross and not me.
The parks don't open until 10 AM. Which is great for lazy mornings, but it's a long morning with little excited children. I walked the halls with the girls while Ross watched soccer and Emma napped. We got everything repacked and into the car and headed out for the day.
The roller coasters are right by the entrance. Which is great. We threw Claire on one before she could even second guess it. Going to theme parks in the off season is fantastic. There weren't really lines for anything. Claire went on the roller coaster with me. And she had a blast. When the ride pulled back up, the attendant asked if we wanted to go again, so we got to go for another round without even getting off.
Most of the little kid rides weren't open, which was a huge bummer for Tiegan and Aoife. We found a smaller roller coaster that Aoife could go on and she and Claire rode together too many times to count. Tiegan could go on go karts with an adult, so Ross and I switched off with Tiegan while the other sisters rode the roller coaster together and the other adult hung out with the stroller.
Then Claire wanted to go on this swing ride. It went up stupid high and spun around. Ross doesn't do heights and argued that it was my turn to go on a ride anyway. So I went. Normally I love rides and have no fear. However, in the past my life was not dependent on a chair with no sides, hanging by only four chains. We went up. And it was windy. And we started spinning. Claire giggled the entire time and said "This isn't even scary!" While I said my farewells and prayed the chains were stronger than the wind. We came down and Ross laughed at me and I vowed to never go on that ride ever again.
At the car we had lunch before checking out the indoor rides. Tiegan could go on all of these and I'm so grateful we checked them out. It was the best time watching her squeal and grin and go on ride after ride after ride. I guess that's when you hit official parent status: when a vacation is great when you see your kids having the best time. She was so funny, though she did not like the bumper cars. tea cups, hot air balloons, planes, and swings that you would not die from if you fell off. Maybe mildly injured, but still alive. It was a blast. We spent another couple of hours there before grabbing a snack and finishing up at the water park again.
It was a lot more crowded than the night before, and the girls weren't terribly interested in the tube slides. We each went down once, but spent most of the time in the kid area. I'm not sure what the best part was. The girls giggling going down slides, Aoife shamelessly picking wedgies after slides, Claire being a mermaid, Tiegan just prancing around and splashing, it was awesome. And we were exhausted.
Once we got back home, Ross unloaded everything while I pumped and had a quiet minute to myself. Emma was still asleep in her car seat, the older girls watched a movie. We lit a fire and enjoyed for a while. Emma went down at 6 and didn't wake up again until 7:30 the next morning. The other girls went down a little before 7, I crashed at 8, Ross read by the fire until late, and it was amazing.
We were only gone for 25 hours, but it was so great to have so much time together, having fun and taking a break from everything going on. Now we're back to Monday and back to reality. Ross is leaving Wednesday for his grandfather's funeral and I'll be solo parenting until late Monday night. Everyone wish me luck.
Monday, September 19, 2016
Three Months.
There's a lot I want to say, and I'm going to cram it all into one post and hopefully tie it all together. Emma turned three months old last week. Let me tell ya, that month 3 was rough on everyone. But last week a magic switch was flipped and she sleeps through the night more consistently. And we didn't even sleep train her. She's a dream baby until about 2:00, usually when I have to wake her to get ready to pick up Claire from school. I love living close enough to the school to walk, but it would be amazing if a bus came and picked her up and dropped her off so naps wouldn't be disrupted.
It takes some work to get Emma to sleep for the night, but gratefully it's happening earlier, like, around 9 or 10. And then I'm home free until about 7ish. Maybe. And she doesn't cry all the time anymore. At 2 months I was losing my mind. If she was awake, she was crying. Inconsolable. And she was awake all of the time. Doc reassured that within the next month she'd figure it out and we would survive. And he was right. She smiles a lot. She's content to just play on her mat. She rolls all over the place. And she sleeps. In her crib. Life just got so much better.
On the flip side, it's been three months and I'm having some postpartum complications and my abs are still split below my belly button. They're coming together, but four kids in five and a half years has put my body through the ringer. I had some tests done last week and will hopefully have some answers this week.
I feel like I've wasted the last three months worrying about my body. And food. Breastfeeding makes me want all the carbs all the time. And for the first couple of months, I probably needed them. Next baby, if there is a next time, I'm just going to snuggle and soak up that fourth trimester rather than waste it hating myself. The past three months have been a total blur. I feel like I haven't been an awesome mom and I know I haven't been the most awesome wife. I decided we needed a little getaway and booked us a weekend in the city of roller coasters and water slides. I was checking out different things to do in Milwaukee since we haven't really been anywhere except the airport there, but hotel and two days at the theme park for everyone for $50 won. This Friday after work the Loveland's are headed to the Dells.
Problem is my swim suits are from Victoria's Secret and not intended for postpartum bodies. Last week Aoife and I went on a date and she helped me find a swim suit. I highly recommend bringing a four year old swim suit shopping. First off- her selection. While I appreciate her help, girlfriend was grabbing the most hideous suits because of the colors. It was fantastic. My fault for going shopping when swim season is over, but the selection was minimal. While trying them on, Aoife beamed and glowed and told me how beautiful I was with every suit.
I've always made a point to not body shame myself in front of the girls. I want them to love their bodies and have the confidence I've never had. We always talk about what their bodies can do and how strong they are rather than whatever shape or size they are. They love to work out with us, but because they think it's fun and know exercise is important. They're always talking about how big and strong they're getting or how fast they are and it's fantastic. Hopefully I can do my job as a mom well enough that they never lose that.
I'm really glad I decided to take Aoife shopping with me. Because if she wasn't there. I probably would have hid in the dressing room and cried, but instead I buckled down and bought a swim suit. I don't love it, but I'm really excited to take these babies down water slides and swim and play with them. Later in the car Aoife said, "Mom, I saw a really pretty girl, but you were more prettier than she was." It's pretty awesome when you kid thinks you are the prettiest thing on the planet. (I won't let it get to my head, promise. And I'm working on everyone being beautiful. And I'm sure later I'll tackle being pretty isn't everything and there are other great qualities to strive for, but for now let me enjoy her calling me pretty.) For whatever reason, my four year old telling me I'm beautiful and "more prettier" than whatever girl she saw hits home more than Ross telling me the same thing.
I think I'm getting the most out of our family theme, "The Joy of Trying Again", than anyone else. Probably because I'm falling short on so many levels, but I'm really looking forward to some family time just having fun this weekend. I think we could all use it. With a new week, and a new month coming up, there are so many opportunities to do and be better. It's amazing what you can accomplish with a new day, a little sleep, and caffeine.
It takes some work to get Emma to sleep for the night, but gratefully it's happening earlier, like, around 9 or 10. And then I'm home free until about 7ish. Maybe. And she doesn't cry all the time anymore. At 2 months I was losing my mind. If she was awake, she was crying. Inconsolable. And she was awake all of the time. Doc reassured that within the next month she'd figure it out and we would survive. And he was right. She smiles a lot. She's content to just play on her mat. She rolls all over the place. And she sleeps. In her crib. Life just got so much better.
On the flip side, it's been three months and I'm having some postpartum complications and my abs are still split below my belly button. They're coming together, but four kids in five and a half years has put my body through the ringer. I had some tests done last week and will hopefully have some answers this week.
I feel like I've wasted the last three months worrying about my body. And food. Breastfeeding makes me want all the carbs all the time. And for the first couple of months, I probably needed them. Next baby, if there is a next time, I'm just going to snuggle and soak up that fourth trimester rather than waste it hating myself. The past three months have been a total blur. I feel like I haven't been an awesome mom and I know I haven't been the most awesome wife. I decided we needed a little getaway and booked us a weekend in the city of roller coasters and water slides. I was checking out different things to do in Milwaukee since we haven't really been anywhere except the airport there, but hotel and two days at the theme park for everyone for $50 won. This Friday after work the Loveland's are headed to the Dells.
Problem is my swim suits are from Victoria's Secret and not intended for postpartum bodies. Last week Aoife and I went on a date and she helped me find a swim suit. I highly recommend bringing a four year old swim suit shopping. First off- her selection. While I appreciate her help, girlfriend was grabbing the most hideous suits because of the colors. It was fantastic. My fault for going shopping when swim season is over, but the selection was minimal. While trying them on, Aoife beamed and glowed and told me how beautiful I was with every suit.
I've always made a point to not body shame myself in front of the girls. I want them to love their bodies and have the confidence I've never had. We always talk about what their bodies can do and how strong they are rather than whatever shape or size they are. They love to work out with us, but because they think it's fun and know exercise is important. They're always talking about how big and strong they're getting or how fast they are and it's fantastic. Hopefully I can do my job as a mom well enough that they never lose that.
I'm really glad I decided to take Aoife shopping with me. Because if she wasn't there. I probably would have hid in the dressing room and cried, but instead I buckled down and bought a swim suit. I don't love it, but I'm really excited to take these babies down water slides and swim and play with them. Later in the car Aoife said, "Mom, I saw a really pretty girl, but you were more prettier than she was." It's pretty awesome when you kid thinks you are the prettiest thing on the planet. (I won't let it get to my head, promise. And I'm working on everyone being beautiful. And I'm sure later I'll tackle being pretty isn't everything and there are other great qualities to strive for, but for now let me enjoy her calling me pretty.) For whatever reason, my four year old telling me I'm beautiful and "more prettier" than whatever girl she saw hits home more than Ross telling me the same thing.
I think I'm getting the most out of our family theme, "The Joy of Trying Again", than anyone else. Probably because I'm falling short on so many levels, but I'm really looking forward to some family time just having fun this weekend. I think we could all use it. With a new week, and a new month coming up, there are so many opportunities to do and be better. It's amazing what you can accomplish with a new day, a little sleep, and caffeine.
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Kindergarten Day 3.
I was really surprised when school started before Labor Day. In Oregon, it always started after. It was actually really nice to get a taste of school and routines before the holiday weekend. And it was an awesome weekend. With Claire in school and me working a couple nights a week, I really look forward to weekend time with the family. This weekend was filled with farmer's markets, walks scoping out garage sales, the outlet mall, and of course, ice cream cones. It was an insane busy weekend, but so great.
Monday night I was laying in bed a little sad that the weekend was over and in the morning we'd back back to the "normal" routine. (I still don't know what that even is.) Claire would be back to school, this time without early release which she had all last week. I was bummed she wouldn't be around all day.
Then morning came and I had three, maybe four hours of sleep and I couldn't get her backpack and shoes on her fast enough.
I think she likes it. I mean, mornings are crazy here but we talk up school and help her get excited for the day. Day 2 Aoife wanted to go to school and we had to have a little chat. Day 3 (yesterday) Tiegan howled and screamed and cried when Ross went to take Claire to school and left Tiegan standing by the door all dressed for school in her t-shirt, diaper, and Elmo slippers. School is pretty cool and the sisters want to go, too.
I picked Claire up yesterday and she was frustrated that they do the same thing in Kindergarten every day. She brought back a sheet with the alphabet on it and said it was for her to learn her letters, but since she already knew them and that Aoife could have it. Aoife knows it, so Tiegan inherited the piece of paper.
We talked about the other things she did during the school day: what she had for lunch, what she did in gym class, and what kind of math she's doing, and then I asked about her friends and we got to the juicy stuff.
One girl in her class was naughty and went into the yellow zone on her color coded behavior chart. (I guess yellow is bad, but not as bad as red. If you're in blue, it's a good thing, and when you get to purple you get a prize. Green is neutral.) I asked where she was on the chart. She said she's not even on the chart. I have no clue what that means. Let's all hope she's Switzerland.
And then she went on--
"Well Natalia loves this boy, I don't know his name, and me and Mason are trying to break them up. It didn't happen today, so we're going to try again tomorrow. Because Natalia and him are in love and she's just a kid so it's NOT okay."
-So, uh, you and Mason are just friends too right? (I felt like it was my duty to Ross to make sure our daughter, who is playing homewrecker, wasn't also "in love" with someone in Kindergarten.)
After more questions I discovered that neither Natalia or this Mason kid are even in her class. News travels fast, folks. And it starts in Kindergarten. We might have to have a talk on gossiping, but for now I'm celebrating that she's not in love with anyone.
Today is Day 4 and I'm looking forward to picking up Claire and hearing if her "break up plan" was successful.
Monday night I was laying in bed a little sad that the weekend was over and in the morning we'd back back to the "normal" routine. (I still don't know what that even is.) Claire would be back to school, this time without early release which she had all last week. I was bummed she wouldn't be around all day.
Then morning came and I had three, maybe four hours of sleep and I couldn't get her backpack and shoes on her fast enough.
I think she likes it. I mean, mornings are crazy here but we talk up school and help her get excited for the day. Day 2 Aoife wanted to go to school and we had to have a little chat. Day 3 (yesterday) Tiegan howled and screamed and cried when Ross went to take Claire to school and left Tiegan standing by the door all dressed for school in her t-shirt, diaper, and Elmo slippers. School is pretty cool and the sisters want to go, too.
I picked Claire up yesterday and she was frustrated that they do the same thing in Kindergarten every day. She brought back a sheet with the alphabet on it and said it was for her to learn her letters, but since she already knew them and that Aoife could have it. Aoife knows it, so Tiegan inherited the piece of paper.
We talked about the other things she did during the school day: what she had for lunch, what she did in gym class, and what kind of math she's doing, and then I asked about her friends and we got to the juicy stuff.
One girl in her class was naughty and went into the yellow zone on her color coded behavior chart. (I guess yellow is bad, but not as bad as red. If you're in blue, it's a good thing, and when you get to purple you get a prize. Green is neutral.) I asked where she was on the chart. She said she's not even on the chart. I have no clue what that means. Let's all hope she's Switzerland.
And then she went on--
"Well Natalia loves this boy, I don't know his name, and me and Mason are trying to break them up. It didn't happen today, so we're going to try again tomorrow. Because Natalia and him are in love and she's just a kid so it's NOT okay."
-So, uh, you and Mason are just friends too right? (I felt like it was my duty to Ross to make sure our daughter, who is playing homewrecker, wasn't also "in love" with someone in Kindergarten.)
After more questions I discovered that neither Natalia or this Mason kid are even in her class. News travels fast, folks. And it starts in Kindergarten. We might have to have a talk on gossiping, but for now I'm celebrating that she's not in love with anyone.
Today is Day 4 and I'm looking forward to picking up Claire and hearing if her "break up plan" was successful.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
The First Day Feast.
We did it! Our First Day of School Feast. While Ross and I were discussing what we wanted this tradition to be for our family, he contributed by bringing Harry Potter into the mix. After all, at Hogwarts, there is always the Start of Term Feast. I decided to break out the ol' Harry Potter Cookbook and plan our feast.
The goal of this feast is to eat as much food as possible, talk about the kiddos' first days, and reveal our family theme for the school year. (and conclude with s'mores and watching the first Harry Potter movie) I was having issues uploading it to have printed, and our home printer wasn't registering, so unfortunately, my wall hanging for the dramatic reveal didn't turn out, but tonight was still a success.
After Claire got home from school, we chatted, had a snack, and then I rushed the girls off for quiet time while I set to work on the feast.
I was pretty into decorating and setting up, I got started cooking a little late (whoops). Girls helped with the cooking until it was that last few minutes when everything was finishing and all burners were being used and I had no counter space to place anything hot and I lost my cool for a little bit. (everyone handled it quite well.)
Girls were pretty impressed with the spread and bellies were filled. We talked about tricky things and making mistakes and how great it is that we can always try again. Claire mentioned something that was tricky at school today (perfect) and we talked about how sometimes when we make mistakes, we learn the most and this year is going to be about learning and trying and having joy while doing so.
In cased you missed it, our Family Theme for the school year is part of a quote from President Thomas S. Monson
^The joy of trying again
I brought out the charms I had made for the girls. Unfortunately, I forgot a part to make them into necklaces for the girls, so that will come later, but each year we'll pick a new theme and they'll get a new charm to add.
honestly, I have no clue if they were even listening, they were just excited to get a present and go watch the movie, but the idea will be reinforced throughout the school year. Hopefully by May or June we'll have it down.
The goal of this feast is to eat as much food as possible, talk about the kiddos' first days, and reveal our family theme for the school year. (and conclude with s'mores and watching the first Harry Potter movie) I was having issues uploading it to have printed, and our home printer wasn't registering, so unfortunately, my wall hanging for the dramatic reveal didn't turn out, but tonight was still a success.
After Claire got home from school, we chatted, had a snack, and then I rushed the girls off for quiet time while I set to work on the feast.
I was pretty into decorating and setting up, I got started cooking a little late (whoops). Girls helped with the cooking until it was that last few minutes when everything was finishing and all burners were being used and I had no counter space to place anything hot and I lost my cool for a little bit. (everyone handled it quite well.)
Girls were pretty impressed with the spread and bellies were filled. We talked about tricky things and making mistakes and how great it is that we can always try again. Claire mentioned something that was tricky at school today (perfect) and we talked about how sometimes when we make mistakes, we learn the most and this year is going to be about learning and trying and having joy while doing so.
In cased you missed it, our Family Theme for the school year is part of a quote from President Thomas S. Monson
^The joy of trying again
I brought out the charms I had made for the girls. Unfortunately, I forgot a part to make them into necklaces for the girls, so that will come later, but each year we'll pick a new theme and they'll get a new charm to add.
honestly, I have no clue if they were even listening, they were just excited to get a present and go watch the movie, but the idea will be reinforced throughout the school year. Hopefully by May or June we'll have it down.
Claire's First Day.
We live walking distance from Claire's school, which I love. What I envision as a lovely stroll crunching leaves, wearing sweaters while pushing the stroller and sipping from a thermos is in all reality hefting along a stroller, wiggling it in odd directions to keep Emma happy, tipping it backwards to keep Tiegan from trying to jump out, and begging and pleading with Aoife to not stop scootering right in front of the stroller so I don't run her over. We still crunch leaves, and it's fantastic. I love the chaos and we will make the trek on foot until I deem it too cold to do so. Aoife scooters along and Claire's scooter is tucked under the stroller so she can scooter home, too.
I was excited to pick up Claire from school and hear about her first day so we arrived pretty early. The bigger girls played on the playground while I fed Emma and waited for Claire. Other parents arrived and pretty soon the kindergarteners came bopping out. She had a couple students from her 4K cclass in her class, and apparently made a couple new friends on her first day. A few girls hugged her before leaving. (We~re still working on showing affection to other people. She usually just stands there and maybe smiles, or looks terrified and honestly, I'm okay with the awkward coldness. You do you, Claire.)
Claire is really excited about one new friend in particular. The two of them came up and Claire asked if her new friend could come over and play. (Maybe another day, that sounds fun.) The older girls hopped on their scooters and I wrestled Tiegan into the stroller (in tears), and we set off for home. Claire told me about her day, yelling so I (and the entire neighborhood) could hear.
There's a hill when you first leave the school, Aoife was going pretty fast and ended up biffing it right in front of the crossing guard. I'll be wearing running shoes from now on so I can keep up, but when I reached her, she sputtered that she wanted to keep scootering so she could do the rest of the the hill and go fast again.
Obviously traumatized.
Claire yelled about her day. She had cheerios for breakfast and a duuper yummy sandwich and oranges and tots for lunch. (Her school has free breakfast and lunch for everyone, which is super fortunate.) Her new friend sat by her. Her teacher liked her flower pants, and she wore a really pretty blue dress. They did math and had quiet time and she colored in coloring books. For choice time she did some more math and read some books. When we finally got home, she handed me a big stack of papers and asked if any of them were for her. (nope) "ugh that was a really really lot of school" -it was even early release day this week. We'll see how she handles next week.
Safe to say she loves school, is making friends, and will have a great time. And will probably need a nap.
I was excited to pick up Claire from school and hear about her first day so we arrived pretty early. The bigger girls played on the playground while I fed Emma and waited for Claire. Other parents arrived and pretty soon the kindergarteners came bopping out. She had a couple students from her 4K cclass in her class, and apparently made a couple new friends on her first day. A few girls hugged her before leaving. (We~re still working on showing affection to other people. She usually just stands there and maybe smiles, or looks terrified and honestly, I'm okay with the awkward coldness. You do you, Claire.)
Claire is really excited about one new friend in particular. The two of them came up and Claire asked if her new friend could come over and play. (Maybe another day, that sounds fun.) The older girls hopped on their scooters and I wrestled Tiegan into the stroller (in tears), and we set off for home. Claire told me about her day, yelling so I (and the entire neighborhood) could hear.
There's a hill when you first leave the school, Aoife was going pretty fast and ended up biffing it right in front of the crossing guard. I'll be wearing running shoes from now on so I can keep up, but when I reached her, she sputtered that she wanted to keep scootering so she could do the rest of the the hill and go fast again.
Obviously traumatized.
Claire yelled about her day. She had cheerios for breakfast and a duuper yummy sandwich and oranges and tots for lunch. (Her school has free breakfast and lunch for everyone, which is super fortunate.) Her new friend sat by her. Her teacher liked her flower pants, and she wore a really pretty blue dress. They did math and had quiet time and she colored in coloring books. For choice time she did some more math and read some books. When we finally got home, she handed me a big stack of papers and asked if any of them were for her. (nope) "ugh that was a really really lot of school" -it was even early release day this week. We'll see how she handles next week.
Safe to say she loves school, is making friends, and will have a great time. And will probably need a nap.
First Day of School From a New "School Mom".
The real report on Claire's first day and our First Day of School Feast will come later.
My kid went to kindergarten today. And I didn't even cry. (Psh, got that out of the way last night. just for a second.) She was so excited this morning. We were all up at six, I helped her get ready and throw the last couple things in her backpack and take the obligatory First Day of School pictures while Ross whipped up bacon and eggs for everyone else. She asked who was going to take her. Last year the whole fam went, but now we have a baby. When I told her Dad probably would she sat for a minute and then replied, "Uhm okay, but what if someone else took me? Like Mom?"
VICTORY!!!
Guys. She loves me. She claims Ross is her favorite (not that we support having favorites) but here she was wanting ME to take her to her first day of school. ME. Evidence that I, deep down, really am the favorite.
Ross still took her. Aoife tagged along while I stayed home with Tiegan feeding Emma. When Aoife walked back through the door, I made a big deal and told her I was so glad that we were going to spend the day together. Last time we sent Claire to school, Aoife had a hard time dealing and decided to protest by refusing to poop ever again. And that was when Claire was only gone for half of the day. So, yeah. I'm pretty worried about how Aoife is going to handle having her other half gone for a good chunk of the day.
Tonight is our First Day of School Feast. (More on that to come.) We have a lot to do to prepare. The remaining girls and I climbed in the car to set off on out to-do list. First stop: Diet Coke.
We went to a local farmer's market for some produce and snagged some cider donuts and a jerky stick for Ross. After, we walked across the parking lot to a craft store to pick up some necklace chains to complete the girls' family theme charms for tonight. (they don't know about them yet.)
Then we grocery shopped and by the time we were back home it was only 10 AM. Everyone was dressed, hair done, I'm even wearing make up, we ran all of our errands and were back inside by 10 AM. What?
Emma ate and I laid her in her crib and she as out fast. Aoife and Tiegan have spent the rest of the time outside. Aoife on her scooter, found a girl across the street (also on a scooter). The two of them have been chatting from across the street for the last almost two hours. (I guess her mom has a stay on this side of the street where I can see you rule, too.)
Every now and then Aoife will run inside to tell me something she found out about her new friend. "Mom! She is SO nice!" I brought her out a sandwich and about 10 seconds later Aoife came in to tell me her friend was going home to get a PB&J sandwich, too. Good thing I'm not pregnant, because this is exactly the kind of thing that would have me tearing up, it's so sweet.
My house is quiet and sort of clean and I'm all like, do I really have to start walking to the school in 45 minutes? School might just be the greatest thing on the planet. When can I send the other three?
My kid went to kindergarten today. And I didn't even cry. (Psh, got that out of the way last night. just for a second.) She was so excited this morning. We were all up at six, I helped her get ready and throw the last couple things in her backpack and take the obligatory First Day of School pictures while Ross whipped up bacon and eggs for everyone else. She asked who was going to take her. Last year the whole fam went, but now we have a baby. When I told her Dad probably would she sat for a minute and then replied, "Uhm okay, but what if someone else took me? Like Mom?"
VICTORY!!!
Guys. She loves me. She claims Ross is her favorite (not that we support having favorites) but here she was wanting ME to take her to her first day of school. ME. Evidence that I, deep down, really am the favorite.
Ross still took her. Aoife tagged along while I stayed home with Tiegan feeding Emma. When Aoife walked back through the door, I made a big deal and told her I was so glad that we were going to spend the day together. Last time we sent Claire to school, Aoife had a hard time dealing and decided to protest by refusing to poop ever again. And that was when Claire was only gone for half of the day. So, yeah. I'm pretty worried about how Aoife is going to handle having her other half gone for a good chunk of the day.
Tonight is our First Day of School Feast. (More on that to come.) We have a lot to do to prepare. The remaining girls and I climbed in the car to set off on out to-do list. First stop: Diet Coke.
We went to a local farmer's market for some produce and snagged some cider donuts and a jerky stick for Ross. After, we walked across the parking lot to a craft store to pick up some necklace chains to complete the girls' family theme charms for tonight. (they don't know about them yet.)
Then we grocery shopped and by the time we were back home it was only 10 AM. Everyone was dressed, hair done, I'm even wearing make up, we ran all of our errands and were back inside by 10 AM. What?
Emma ate and I laid her in her crib and she as out fast. Aoife and Tiegan have spent the rest of the time outside. Aoife on her scooter, found a girl across the street (also on a scooter). The two of them have been chatting from across the street for the last almost two hours. (I guess her mom has a stay on this side of the street where I can see you rule, too.)
Every now and then Aoife will run inside to tell me something she found out about her new friend. "Mom! She is SO nice!" I brought her out a sandwich and about 10 seconds later Aoife came in to tell me her friend was going home to get a PB&J sandwich, too. Good thing I'm not pregnant, because this is exactly the kind of thing that would have me tearing up, it's so sweet.
My house is quiet and sort of clean and I'm all like, do I really have to start walking to the school in 45 minutes? School might just be the greatest thing on the planet. When can I send the other three?
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