Summer is Here!

Last day of school today.  Bittersweet, as I no longer have a third grader and a kindergartner.  Here they are on their last day:

It's been a really great year for both boys.  Will had a great team helping him be the best that he could be and it looks like fourth grade will continue to be great!  Don't get me wrong, it'll still be hard sometimes.  It just feels so good to be supported.

And kindergarten....man, Sean hit the jackpot.  The teacher sent out an email yesterday to all the parents saying thanks for sharing your great kids with me, that it was a pleasure.  One thing that she mentioned is that this class really accepted each other for who they are, that everyone genuinely liked each other, was one of the most polite and respectful classes, etc.  One kid summed it up:  "There are lots of good friends with good hearts."  It warmed this mom's heart.

On to summer:  tonight is the boys' last karate class for at least two weeks.  Because they are headed to a fun-filled week with Grandmom and Grandpop on Saturday! And after that.....vacation with us!  Summer's full of fun plans--robotics camp, karate camp, trips to Six Flags, etc.  We'll make it a great one.

End-of-Year Gifties

Believe it or not....it's almost time to think about the end of the year for school.  I'm talking about making plans for summer camp, what the heck we're going to do between school ending and camp starting, etc.  And most of all.....teacher's gifts.

I asked Will recently if he would like me to knit his third grade teacher an end-of-year gift and he said yes.  He wanted a scarf, and it should be colorful because she likes lots of color.  Well good....because I already have a ZickZack scarf knitted up and it is quite colorful!  :)

I asked Sean the same question and he readily agreed.  However, when I asked him what I should make he surprised me.  "How about sweaters for her kids, Mom?  She has a 2 year old and a one-year old."  So sweet.  I pondered on it for a little bit and you know what?  It's a great idea.  Not only is it a kind and generous gesture on Sean's part, it's not a typical "teacher" gift.  In talking to my friend Jen (who's younger son Pat is in Sean's class and happens to be one of his best friends) she loved the idea and offered to make one of them.  Awesome!  So I took the 2-year old (girl) and she took the 1-year old (boy.)

After poking around on Ravelry a bit, I picked the Gidday Sweater.  It comes in a multitude of sizes and is really cute.  I decided to stick with the gray with red stripes, after "agonizing" for a while over colors.  (Navy blue and white?  Purple?  Pink?)  It's a unisex sweater, so her little brother can wear it later.  It'll be adorable with a pair of jeans and a white tee underneath.  

Now I'm just waiting for my yarn to arrive!  

Thank-You Hell

Sean's birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and we haven't sent out the thank you cards yet.

I have a love-hate relationship with thank you cards:

 I'm an overly polite person.  I think that taking a couple of minutes to write out a card to say thanks is sweet and respectful.  Wedding thank-yous are a must.  Showers, whether they're wedding or baby, must have thank you cards.

I hate the idea of writing thank you cards to Sean's entire kindergarten class. Finding time between work,  22 Thank you cards, 22 stamps, and what feels like 22 hours of me writing out "thanks for coming to my party, and thanks for the gift" and having (cajoling) Sean to sign them.  The task is daunting.  Plus, I know that the lollipop-shaped cards that Sean picked out at Target may go on someone's fridge for a day or two, and then get thrown away and forgotten about.  But not sending them would be rude.

I'm not a rude person.  So I will sit down and write them out this weekend.  Blerg.

Comedy of Birthday Errors

Sean's birthday is coming up, and it just hasn't been my week.  Anything concerning his birthday has been nothing short of disastrous.  

First up....for some reason Sean's birthday always sneaks up on me.  It's not that I don't know when his birthday is, I mean I was there when he was born!  It's just that Christmas has just passed, and that whole "I can finally relax" feeling sets in and I underestimate how many days there are between Christmas and Sean's birthday.  Poor kid.

He's going to be six this year (sniff) and we promised him a party outside of the house for his 6th birthday.  He chose a popular playplace nearby that has inflatables to play on.  I booked the party and they sent me the invitations in the mail.  A few days after Christmas, I settled into my comfy recliner with a Harry Potter Movie and the invitations and wrote them all out.  I invited all of the kids in his class, something like 23 of them.  I mailed them out almost two weeks in advance, and used my cellphone for the RSVP so people could call or text.  The first text I get:  "Charlie is very excited for Sean's party!  I'm confused though....you wrote Saturday the 10th and the 10th is a Sunday.  What day is the party?"  UGH, you see where this is going, right?  So far fifteen kids are coming and I've had to clarify fifteen times.  

Then last night, I realized after dinner that we were busy every other night this week so I needed to go birthday shopping.  I chose Walmart because it was something like 10 degrees out and that's not far from home.  I walked around for two hours, trying to settle on birthday presents from us and worrying about party favors.  I hate giving out party favors!!  I'm so not the mom that has it together in this category, and cannot possibly pull off party favors that are Pinterest-worthy.  I don't like giving a bag of junk that's going to end up in the junk drawer or at the bottom of a closet, broken and forgotten, either.  So after much hemming and hawing, each kid is getting a box of crayons and a little tub of play-doh.  (Hey, that's a lot better than some of the favors we've gotten, even) 

   I get through the register and start heading to the car.  As I was wheeling the cart towards the car I hit a bump, sending half of my purchases flying into the air.  I'm frantically scooping up crayons and birthday cards and toys, practically on my hands and knees.  Then a car comes near me and is making motions for me to get out of the way, they want to park there.  I finally scoop up the last box of crayons and wonder (out loud and with much cursing) why this guy can't park in one of the thirty other spots available.  Whatever.  I get to the car, only to find out that I can't get the back door open.  Nope....that door is staying shut come hell or high water.  This is when I melt down into something resembling a toddler throwing a tantrum.  It's freezing, my feet hurt, all of that crap fell out of my cart and what's worse, I've just spent TWO HOURS IN WALMART.  I wanna go home!!!  That's when I started throwing (literally) everything in the back seat and cursing like a sailor.  (Believe me, I know sailors)  I'm glad I didn't see anyone I know, I may have been unrecognizable.

So.....that's all done and I'm putting it behind me.  I'm ready for Sean to have a lovely 6th birthday.  As soon as I order the cake this afternoon, which I hope will go without a hitch.  Fingers crossed.

Wordless Wednesday: EarlyHoliday Pics

Literary Character Day

We got a notice from Sean's school that November 9th was "Dress Like Your Favorite Literary Character Day."  Sean was completely apathetic over the whole thing, stating that he wasn't interested and didn't want to dress up.  And I was on board with that, I wasn't going to make him put on a costume and be miserable for the day.

 Then we see a picture of his best friend on Facebook.  Best friend is dressed as Skippyjon Jones.  Suddenly, Sean is very interested.  Naturally, it's  5pm on Sunday (the day before the event) and after I had been at the New England Fiber Festival for the day, So, since he doesn't really have a "favorite" character and I have no time to shop and am too tired to be really creative, he went as MY favorite literary character....Harry Potter!  The one caveat--Sean doesn't really LIKE HP.  He's a little scared by it, which I can understand because of his age.

Dress-up was a snap, using Will's old Halloween costume.  The morning of the event, Sean's too scared of makeup application to let me draw a scar on his forehead with eyeliner, so I left him alone.  He boarded the bus in his Hogwarts Robe and the scarf that I had knit, and was surprisingly cool about the whole thing.

And for the kid that didn't want to participate?  He was still wearing the costume at the afterschool program, running around and playing in the gym.  He told me that him and his friends were coming up with their own spells that didn't need wands, since I didn't give him a wand to take to school.

The Harry Potter fangirl inside of me is smiling and jumping for joy.  Perhaps there's hope for Sean to be a fan after all!

And I Didn't Cry....Much

The big yellow bus came today and took my boys to school.  My younger one for the first time.  And I didn't cry.  He was a bit apprehensive and needed a "Go ahead!  You've got this."  for encouragement.   He was excited right up til that point.  The big kid, well....he was anxious to start a new school but was taking solace in the fact that it's a new school for EVERY kid there because last year it was a middle school and not elementary.

 Here they are, and yes, if Big Bro is wearing a Minecraft shirt then you can be sure the Little Bro is wearing one as well!

Right after the kids got on the bus and we walked home, Hubby grabbed his bags and headed for a work conference in Texas.  There may have been a couple of tears.  And they MAY have been that I don't have my own ticket on the plane, and am running the show this week.  Nah....I'll miss him.  That's the first reason.  The second is jealousy of his nice hotel room all on his own.  I had my turn in Vermont last May, though.

So it's "Friday Night Fun Club:  The Extended Edition" until (you guessed it) Friday.  There will be lots of pasta, school fundraiser, karate class, etc etc.  Oh, and that pesky thing called Work.

School Bell's Starting to Ring

School starts in less than two weeks.  Which is strange, because our town is going back almost two weeks later than the others around us, due to construction and restructuring.  Karate camp ends tomorrow....and I'm just as sad this year as I was last summer. It's been a good one and I know that the boys have loved going every day.  

We're hurriedly finishing the summer homework, and the emails and robo-calls have started rolling in with school announcements.  I got Will's back to school supplies the other night to the tune of $85!  Dry erase markers, 48 sharpened pencils, a slew of folders, a bunch of highlighters (chisel tip ONLY).....and that's not even all of it.  He still needs a pair of earbuds and I told the boys that I'd treat them to new lunchboxes this weekend.  I'm thankful that there's no supply list for kindergarten, but am SO LOOKING FORWARD to shopping for supplies for both kids next year.

It's great to have good friends.  Especially friends who offer to take your younger son to Kindergarten Orientation with their son!  I'm stuck working today while Sean's meeting his teacher and taking a ride on the bus.  Ah well, I'll get to meet the teacher next week at open house.

It's a bit of a whirlwind, with some longing and happiness mixed together.  We'll get through it.

Fun Stuff!

Big things this week.

First--this guy went to kindergarten screening.  In his own words when I picked him up from preschool, "Mom, I'm half excited and half terrified."  Poor kid was worried they were going to ask him things that he didn't know.  It went well, and it still amazes me how two kids with the same parents can be so completely different.  No anxiety, just "OK, let's go!" when the teacher came to take him to the classroom.  This is really bittersweet, sending the "baby" to kindergarten.  Which is surprising as well, considering I dreaded sending the big kid.  This just feels natural.

And then last night was "date night with this handsome fella.  The school puts on a "Boys night" every year, this year was a dance and a comedy show.  We grabbed a quick dinner at the Golden Arches and headed over.  The dance was what one would expect with a bunch of boys ranging in age from kindergarten to fifth grade:  little kids dancing with their moms, middle kids hanging around with their friends, and the bigger kids causing a ruckus.  Still, we had a good night and I love this time with Will.

The One-Upper

I'm such an overachiever.  Apparently, when my family gets sick, I feel the need to trump whatever they've had.  I started to feel crappy after the Superbowl, and then woke up with a fever and burning in my chest.  And here comes another Snow Day.  (Mondays are shot up here in New England.  We've had something like 75 inches of snow in a two-week time period, it's crazy.)  It was my turn to stay home with the kids and I was sick besides.  Then another snow day for the little kid the following day.  I finally rouse myself out of my bedroom around lunchtime and decide:  it's time to go to the doctor.  So off we go to the urgent care place in town where I get a big, unpleasant surprise.....THE FLU.    Awesomesauce.

So that's a week's worth of missed work, snowed in and feeling like death.  Good times for everyone.  I don't wish it on anyone, it's pretty damn awful.  I'm getting myself back on track, and hoping that it stops snowing long enough to get some normalcy back in our lives.

In other news, the only place I was able to drag myself out to last week (once I wasn't contagious) was to register Sean for kindergarten.  That's right, the "baby" is heading to Big Boy School in September!  I feel like I just did this with Will and I guess in a way, I have.  But the difference this time is that I'm looking forward to it.  I'm thrilled with the idea of both boys being in the same town and going on the same bus, albeit to different schools.  And man, this kid is READY.  He's bored with preschool and can't wait for the next thing.

So that's how life goes in our house.  Hopefully soon we'll all be healthy again!  I'm really looking forward to it.

The "True" New Year

September has always felt like the beginning of the year to me, much more so than January 1st.  I'm sure that it stems back to going back to school myself, and now it's my kids' turn.

Will actually started second grade last week, our town goes back EARLY!  He was pretty apprehensive the night before but was all smiles at pickup from the afterschool program the next day.  He wasn't really chatty, but did tell me that his new teacher is "Great!,  She's really great, Mom."  Considering I had already gotten at least one phone call home at this point, I'm already feeling more positive about this year in general.  And honestly, I think that he is, too.

Seanie's in his last year of preschool.  Where has my baby gone??  He's thrilled to have moved up to the "Big Kid" class and tells me all about his friends and what he's doing in school every day.  I cannot believe that this time next year he'll be in kindergarten.  It just doesn't seem possible.

This week everything goes back to the full swing of the fall schedule.  Karate, soccer, yoga classes for me, volleyball....it'll take a few weeks to get there but we will arrive in our own fashion.

Another thing that September brings....Christmas knitting!  I've got my list sorted and am in full force, with one item almost completed.  I smited the Knitting Gods by proclaiming this one item "Quite Possibly the Best thing I've ever knitted!" when it wasn't quite complete.  Now eight rows need to be frogged and started over because I was paying more attention to "Rizzoli and Isles" than I was when counting the number of stitches that I was picking up.  It still has time to be the Best Thing.

First Sleepover

About a week ago, we allowed Will to have his first sleepover.  He doesn't seem quite ready to sleep at someone else's house, but was thrilled to have someone sleep at HIS house!  He invited his friend "Sam" from his old kindergarten class, which was cool because they get along like peas and carrots and he doesn't see Sam all that often.

Brian and I picked Sam up on our way home from seeing "Man of La Mancha" at the local theater.  (Which we almost forgot about.....)  Spending just a few minutes with Sam made me realize why he and Will are such good friends.  Sam loves to talk, and he's right up there with Will on vocabulary.  We talked about Minecraft, something I know nothing about and Sam expressed his love for games like Angry Birds, informing me that "Bad Piggies" is a good game because it's also educational.  Brian had to agree with him, I know that he's a "Bad Piggies" fan too.

Sleepovers have changed a bit since I had one.  Instead of movies, they played games with swords and were really good about letting the Little Brother play, too.  Then they had a good time playing computer games, like "Let's type in a word and add .com to it and see if a real website pops up!"  followed by "Let's jump off the top bunk!"  Had to put the kibbosh on that.  The boys decided that instead of sleeping in the family room, we would make a bed for Sam on the boys' floor.  After chocolates and popsicles (the junk food piece of the sleepover still remains) they went to bed at a reasonable hour.  Will came out of the bedroom at ten, stating that he couldn't sleep, but Sean and Sam were passed out cold.  So I made a makeshift bed for Will on the floor next to Sam and all was peachy keen.

So first sleepover was a rousing success!  May they always be like this....though I think I got spoiled on the first one. :)

"It's All Over...There Isn't Any More...."

Last day of kindergarten!  It's a bittersweet week, with the last day of school for Will today and moving on Friday.  With hindsight being 20/20 and all, it's not how I would've planned it.  But hey, something about best laid plans and all that.

Will's kind of sad today but was happy to snap a couple of pictures to see how much he's grown from the picture that I took on the first day.  Let's compare, shall we?

Wow.  You don't realize just how much a kid grows in a school year because you see them every day.  But I'd say that looking at these two photos the growth is irrefutable. 

And what would the last day of school be without a little portrait of Mom and kiddos?  Probably the last picture to be taken in this particular kitchen.

  So really, a mixed bag of emotions this week.  Excitement of summer and a new house, sad to leave school and the house that we've been living in for the past 11 years.  These two kiddos have never lived anywhere else.  But we'll get through the week and there's lots of memories to be made in the new house.  After all, we've pretty much decided we're going to live there forever.  :)

Show Us Your Spirit!!

Ah....Spirit Week.  AKA the week that gives me heartburn.

I forgot that this week (starting on Tuesday and not Monday, natch) is Spirit Week at Will's school and that Friday is Field Day.  Did he bring home a notice?  Yes.  Did I affix it to the front of the refrigerator?  Yes.  Did I forget anyway?  Yes, yes. 

We were of course running later this morning than usual, and I finally managed to get the kids' raincoats on them and were jogging out the door. As soon as our feet hit the front porch I saw the girl across the street in a Bruins outfit. It struck me as odd, because she's normally in pink or purple and ruffled/bows/bedazzled. Then it hit me.....crap! It's spirit week and today is "Favorite Team Day." So I tell the boys to stay on the porch while I run back into the house. Searching frantically, I locate Will's soccer jersey from last fall and said "Here! Change into this when you get to school!" Whew. Crisis averted. Could've been worse, tomorrow is "Wacky Wednesday." That would've been tough to pull off at zero hour.


I'd like to blame this on the upcoming move next week or the fact that I haven't been sleeping well.  But I know all too well that when it comes to Spirit Week I always manage to have it sneak up on me.  (Sneaky spirit week....)  I know that it's fun for the kids, but it's stressful on the parents.  Coming up with an outfit to match each day's "theme" is a bit maddening.  Normally I hate this kind of thing.  But I'm bending over backwards because I know the end of the year is upon us and not only is he finishing up kindergarten, his friends are moving on to first grade while he's starting over in a new town and a new school.  He's feeling a bit sad and wishing that he was staying at the same school with his buddies next year.  And I'll of course do anything to cheer him up.    So stay tuned....tomorrow is "Wacky Wednesday" and tonight Will and I will come up with a "wacky" plan!

A Love for Books

I love school.  Not as much as Will loves school, but I do love it.  I love the excitement that Will still shows every day about getting to go, the weekly emails from his teacher telling us what the kids are up to, and the fact that he is READING!  His teacher has even said that he's reading as well as the kids do at the end of kindergarten instead of in the middle.  We've started reading longer books at night, like the Wizard of Oz.  (which he absolutely loved.  He kept rolling onto his stomach and shutting his eyes, and I was worried that he was scared.  Those Flying Monkeys are terrifying.  But it turns out he was doing that so he could "imagine it better.")  While at the library last week, I found the "Tales of Wayside School" series that I read as a kid, and checked them out for something to read every night.   Perhaps he'd enjoy my favorite "Little House" series if we read it together....and Lord knows that I would love to read them again.

 It is SO COOL to read books with your kid that you read when you were a kid yourself.   

Holiday Randoms

How about a random post for the last day before vacation??

1.  The kids have been wild all week.  I blame the holidays coming, and the absolute lack of sugar.  ;)

2.  That being said, so far today I have had two cups of coffee, some Christmas cookies and am now working on a Coke.  The company also sent out an email that we can leave at 3PM today to kick off the holiday season.  I am ridiculously wired and ready to go off like a rocket!

3.  I've procrastinated on finishing the Christmas shopping.  Which is making me thankful for the early release from work, now I'll be able to cruise down the toy aisle at Target alone.

4.  What is it about going to Target alone that makes it feel kind of like a vacation? 

5.  This morning as I was helping Will put some gifts for his teachers in his bag, I had a big D'Oh! moment and realized that we didn't get anything for the afterschool program teacher.  With five minutes before bus time to spare, we wrapped up a Yankee Candle snowman votive holder and a new votive  from my candle drawer.  Score one for quick thinking!

6.  That being said, I am probably going to be a wee bit upset if Will comes home with all of the gifts still in his bag.

7.  The holiday knitting is complete.  I am quite glad that I reined it in this year, I cannot remember a year where I haven't been knitting til really late on Christmas Eve. 

8.  Christmas Eve is still three days away...hope I don't eat my words.  :)

9.  Christmas Eve is three days away.....and we're starting the wrapping tonight!  I've got a Netflix movie to keep Hubby and I company....if we could knock it out tonight I would be one happy lady.

10.  Why is it still not 3pm?  Seriously, a girl can only fool around with her Ravelry queue for so long. 

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Blur

Things have been so busy lately, in a good way.  It's been leases, and new tenants and all the busy things associated with being a property manager in a brand new building.  Lots of kinks to work out but so far, I love it here and I think that the residents do too. 

We all need a little fun, not "work work work" all the time.  This past weekend, I went out with my college girlfriends for our annual "Salve Girls Night" trip.  This year it was in Newport, and I had forgotten how much I love Newport!  I hadn't been there in the summer since I was a kid, and it was certainly bustling with activity.  It's always so great to see my friends, and I wish it could be more than once a year.  This year we included kids (though mine stayed home) and made an afternoon of it.  At the end of the day, we decided that it should be Newport every year.  :) 

Then on Saturday, it was a knitting retreat.  I invited all of my knitting group friends to my mom and dad's cottage in Woodstock, CT.  Three came down to spend the night with me and Mom, and we grilled dinner together and knit til midnight.  The next day another person joined us and we had coffee and pastry by the lake and enjoyed some more knitting.  It was so wonderful, knitting for hours, sleeping til waking naturally.  I came home refreshed and relaxed. 

And then WHAM!  Back into another hectic week.  Will started a kindergarten orientation program this week, and so far he loves it.  Anxiety has not reared its ugly head, and this is a blissful thing.  In fact, he's so thrilled with his "taste" of kindergarten that he's ready to make a whole meal of it.  This was Nana's explanation to him when she picked him up yesterday, and I think that it's perfect.  Sean is jealous of kindergarten and every morning tells me how much he'd rather go to kindergarten too.  Poor buddy, wants to be just like his Bubby.  They are certainly in such a hurry to grow up. 

In a nutshell, things are crazy.  It's a good crazy though.