January 20th wasn't just Inauguration Day. It was also The Bug's first day of toddler school. She could not wait to get there!
When we got to school she wanted me to carry her from the car to the classroom (which is standard procedure when we drop Sweet Pea off) and whimpered a little when I gave her a hug and a kiss and let her down onto her feet. She clung to my leg for about half a second, then looked around while Slipshod and I were talking to her teacher (Slipshod was home on Inauguration Day so we could watch the footage together, etc., so dropping The Bug off at school was a whole family affair). While we chatted with The Bug's teacher, The Bug wandered into her classroom, and that was it! Then we took Sweet Pea down the hall and chatted with her until her class started (though Slipshod and Sweet Pea both snuck back to The Bug's classroom to peek through the window and check on her before Sweet pea went into her own classroom), and home Slipshod and I went to watch the Inauguration.
When we picked The Bug up from school later she was very happy to see us, of course. Her teacher said she had done wonderfully on her first day, and it was as if she had always been part of the class. On her second day The Bug gave Sweet Pea and I hugs and kisses and walked right into her classroom without looking back. Last week, on her third day of class, The Bug reminded me on the way to the classroom that she would be going in "without you, Mommy!" Just in case I forgot, I guess. ha ha! She missed her fourth day (last Thursday) because she was sick, but she is very much looking forward to going back tomorrow. We're taking snack for her class tomorrow, too, though I don't know how exciting that will be in the toddler room (probably not as exciting as it is for Sweet Pea in her class of older kids). I asked some of the other moms how many children are in there and they said that those kids hardly ever eat the snack, so it'd be fine if I just packed enough food for five kids. ha ha!
You might be wondering how I am enjoying having a couple hours free two days a week. And I am wondering right along with you, because that hasn't really happened yet. Since The Bug's first day of school was Inauguration Day, Slipshod and I sat at home and watched TV, as I said. It was nice to be able to do that, but that was not a normal day around here and I've had these visions of having nearly 2 hours to actually work on cleaning house, preparing dinner, etc. so that I can have more time to play with the kids after school. Maybe next week? On The Bug's second day of school I spent the entire afternoon AT the school. Slipshod came to meet me and we observed in all of the Lower Elementary classrooms to get an idea for what they're like and where we might want to ask to have Sweet Pea placed next year (though they will not necessarily put her where we request, since they have to balance the classes). On The Bug's third day of school I spent a full hour chatting with a mom friend in the parking lot before going home and then spending my remaining 45 minutes of "free time" fighting with Evite to create an invitation for my sister's baby shower (I didn't even get lunch that day!). Then, on her fourth day of school, as I said, she was home sick with me.
So, I am hoping that tomorrow will be my first day of normal time for me while both girls are in school. And I already know that I will spend the entire time cleaning (assuming I get lunch before taking the girls to school; otherwise I'll have to start my time eating), because we're having one of Sweet Pea's friends over on Thursday for a play date. This friend has never been here and we don't even know the family all that well, but the two of them met at the park one day after school and became fast friends instantly. We found out that the other girl goes to the same school and will be moving up to Lower Elementary next year too, so her mom and I are talking about trying to have our girls placed together.
In all the anticipation before the play date I have been cleaning like crazy so that 1) I can regain some sanity, because I abhor living in a clutter pit, and 2) our newish friends don't think we're total slobs. Spurred on by my desire to live in a clean house, the impending play date, and my attempt to break the cleaning down into smaller projects, I have made a beginning of my own, which will be my first to share with you.
Remember my Plant Window O' Clutter?
When we got to school she wanted me to carry her from the car to the classroom (which is standard procedure when we drop Sweet Pea off) and whimpered a little when I gave her a hug and a kiss and let her down onto her feet. She clung to my leg for about half a second, then looked around while Slipshod and I were talking to her teacher (Slipshod was home on Inauguration Day so we could watch the footage together, etc., so dropping The Bug off at school was a whole family affair). While we chatted with The Bug's teacher, The Bug wandered into her classroom, and that was it! Then we took Sweet Pea down the hall and chatted with her until her class started (though Slipshod and Sweet Pea both snuck back to The Bug's classroom to peek through the window and check on her before Sweet pea went into her own classroom), and home Slipshod and I went to watch the Inauguration.
When we picked The Bug up from school later she was very happy to see us, of course. Her teacher said she had done wonderfully on her first day, and it was as if she had always been part of the class. On her second day The Bug gave Sweet Pea and I hugs and kisses and walked right into her classroom without looking back. Last week, on her third day of class, The Bug reminded me on the way to the classroom that she would be going in "without you, Mommy!" Just in case I forgot, I guess. ha ha! She missed her fourth day (last Thursday) because she was sick, but she is very much looking forward to going back tomorrow. We're taking snack for her class tomorrow, too, though I don't know how exciting that will be in the toddler room (probably not as exciting as it is for Sweet Pea in her class of older kids). I asked some of the other moms how many children are in there and they said that those kids hardly ever eat the snack, so it'd be fine if I just packed enough food for five kids. ha ha!
You might be wondering how I am enjoying having a couple hours free two days a week. And I am wondering right along with you, because that hasn't really happened yet. Since The Bug's first day of school was Inauguration Day, Slipshod and I sat at home and watched TV, as I said. It was nice to be able to do that, but that was not a normal day around here and I've had these visions of having nearly 2 hours to actually work on cleaning house, preparing dinner, etc. so that I can have more time to play with the kids after school. Maybe next week? On The Bug's second day of school I spent the entire afternoon AT the school. Slipshod came to meet me and we observed in all of the Lower Elementary classrooms to get an idea for what they're like and where we might want to ask to have Sweet Pea placed next year (though they will not necessarily put her where we request, since they have to balance the classes). On The Bug's third day of school I spent a full hour chatting with a mom friend in the parking lot before going home and then spending my remaining 45 minutes of "free time" fighting with Evite to create an invitation for my sister's baby shower (I didn't even get lunch that day!). Then, on her fourth day of school, as I said, she was home sick with me.
So, I am hoping that tomorrow will be my first day of normal time for me while both girls are in school. And I already know that I will spend the entire time cleaning (assuming I get lunch before taking the girls to school; otherwise I'll have to start my time eating), because we're having one of Sweet Pea's friends over on Thursday for a play date. This friend has never been here and we don't even know the family all that well, but the two of them met at the park one day after school and became fast friends instantly. We found out that the other girl goes to the same school and will be moving up to Lower Elementary next year too, so her mom and I are talking about trying to have our girls placed together.
In all the anticipation before the play date I have been cleaning like crazy so that 1) I can regain some sanity, because I abhor living in a clutter pit, and 2) our newish friends don't think we're total slobs. Spurred on by my desire to live in a clean house, the impending play date, and my attempt to break the cleaning down into smaller projects, I have made a beginning of my own, which will be my first to share with you.
Remember my Plant Window O' Clutter?
Well, check it out now!
Can you see the light beams shining down? Can you hear the angels singing? I can every time I stand at the sink and look in front of me. Ahhh, sweet peace. The orchid is even blooming! And now you can actually see the glass pieces I've put on display; I even moved a couple of the pumpkins to the living room and brought in different ones for a change of scenery.
You really should click on the picture to see the glasswork. One of our friends made the visually delicious pumpkins, one of his friends made the glass cupcake on the lower right, I made the little blue teapot on the lower left (out of clay, not glass), and the gloriously bright yellow pitcher with blue handle in the middle top is from Blenko Glass Company (from my childhood home state of West Virginia) which, to my horror, had to shut down production last week.
The drastic improvement of my clean windowsill, the continued impending play date, and my desire to live in a peaceful, clean environment are all keeping me very inspired to keep up the good work. So I need to go now, to clean up the kitchen and hopefully sort through some papers.
