First Day Of School

Well, he's off to first grade. School from 8:40 till 3:20 every day. What a weird thing. I just don't know what to do with myself and Miss I. My sister suggested that we should go to the play gym once a week which is a GREAT idea! Miss I could use the interaction with other kids and ... maybe I would make a new friend? Not likely. But we might try it in a few weeks.

Bubba was stressed, nervous, excited but all under a veneer of calm this morning. He actually slept until almost 7, which is great, got up, got himself dressed, ate breakfast, and off we went to Grandmas to drop off Miss I so I could do the first day of school thing with Bubba. We found his classroom, met his teacher, put away his lunch (yeah, I had to make a lunch for him) and then emptied out his backpack.

I tell you their list-o-stuff for school was long. Fifty bucks worth! Crayons, pencils, scissors, erasers, notebooks, composition books, markers, twistables, a school box ... HEY! Remember those hard cardboard boxes with the lids that lifted up and eventually broke off? They don't make them like that anymore. Now everything is cheap plastic that is gonna break in just a few weeks. It was the most disappointing part of back to school shopping! They also have to take kleenix, disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer. Times sure have changed!

His teacher, Mrs. W seems nice. I actually remember her from church youth group back in high school. I wasn't sure if she remembered me or not, we kind of ran in different circles (because our youth group had different circles if you can believe that, but thats a whole other post) but I think she remembered me once she knew my name. There were just a few kids from his kindergarten class in his new class, so that might be a little hard for him, but he will be alright. There were at least 25 kids in the class, way more kids than 18 last year and it looked like the girls outnumbered the boys again, in his desk-grouping there were 2 boys and 3 girls, it looked like that at the other 4 groupings too.

After I dropped him off, I went and picked up Miss I from Grandmas and we went to the park to pick black berries. I had heard that there were some on the Loop Trail so we went to check it out. Sure enough, we found tons without trespassing on private property. I should have had my camera! We came upon a cluster of three different kinds of berry bushes. It was pretty cool. Next time. I have no idea what to do with her tomorrow.

All of a sudden she seems really tall. Her legs are getting longer and thinning out. My little baby is growing up. She is also saying things much clearer. (This is good and bad!) Soon she will be potty training too. I have kind of given up. She will decide when shes ready just like everything else. I will keep offering it to her, but it's not really worth the fight. Speaking of which...

My Honey and I were talking about that a few weeks back. Miss I was doing something and one of us asked her to quit whatever it was. She kept on and we asked her again. Somewhere along the way we decided it wasn't worth fighting about so we quit worrying about it. I looked at him and said "Are we choosing the right battles?" and his answer "If I thought I could win one ..." pretty much sums up Miss I. We try, but we just don't win.

Last thing, my sister posted a rant about her new pets. It is totally hilarious to me! It is just so her! Take a looksee if you want.

And then it cooled off

Now its not so much a decision. Now its just back to chores. Laundry must be done. The weather broke, the highs are only in the 80's and I am glad I put the soft top on the jeep, it was 58 degrees this morning on my way to work at 0445.

I ended up entering two photos in the fair:


I hear they earned a blue ribbon and red ribbon... it wasn't worth it.

Priorities

I can't decide:
Clean laundry or the air conditioner?

Why do I have to make such choices? Because the downstairs A/C is hooked to the same fuse as the washer/dryer (one or both I have not figured out) so one has to go. I am choosing A/C today. When the highs are 110 and the lows are 80, its just too damned hot NOT to have every bit of A/C available. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this weather, I just wish I didn't have to make such silly choices.







I want to enter some photos in the county fair this week! Well, I have plans to, I still need to get them prepared and all that... just two days left is all, I better get on it.

7 minutes

Bubba and Miss I are eating dinner.
My Honey is golfing.
I have approximately 7 minutes to write.

They are trying my very little patience tonight. Why must a 6 year old go into the kitchen for a .... scratch that, I have a juice emergency ....

Sheesh. So much for 7 minutes. So where was I? Oh yeah, how is it that a 6 year old goes into the kitchen for a (oops had to serve seconds) he went into the kitchen for a towel to clean up a little spilled juice and had to take the long way around to get back to the table and while cleaning up the small juice spill he manages, well I guess it was THEY, managed to spill the whole dang cup of juice. Which I had to clean up, then the phone rings, Bubba needs seconds, Miss I is having a fit about a shoe (that isn't even hers) and so much for my 7 minutes.

Bubba was treated to a movie today, "Journey to the Center of the Earth". He described it as scary and good, "I liked it, we had 3-d glasses."

Miss I didn't get a nap today so she is a mess. Bed time soon! Holding her off till 6:30 if I can...

I read a great book last week "The Shack". Essentially its about, hmmm, how would I describe it? A man named Mack's interaction with God. Yeah, pretty much. Only not what you would think. Kind of in the way that "The 5 People You Meet In Heaven" isn't what you think its going to be. Very interesting, very applicable in many ways in my life right now. A good read if you are looking for one.

I am also reading a book (for the second time this summer) called "Why you do the things you do". Much more a psychology book than an easy read, but there were some "similar threads" as my friend put it. We are actually reading the book together and discussing it as we go along because it is so full of stuff that needs discussing! It hasn't been a read and digest book for me at all, its definitely one I needed to talk about at length with a trusted friend. I am thankful for her right now.

Which brings up Rose Colored Glasses. I know, PUHLEEZE...

But think about it, when you look at the world, even a small part of it, through nothing but negativity, then everything becomes negative. Try looking through those RCG's and everything (albeit slowly) becomes brighter. You know its true. Its just easier to be all crabby-ass about everything. To complain rather than look for the good in stuff, like say a juice emergency thats interrupts my blogging or a 2 year old that hasn't had a nap or a 6 year old that must take the long way around (every time). Really, in the grand scheme of things how bad are these things? Uh, not so much. Even the shit at work isn't that bad. Its just the same ol', same ol' with a different name this time. It all works out in the end.

Bubba is learning that there is more than one way to get into and out of the kitchen, Miss I is asserting her independence and showing us that we don't have to hold to a nap schedule EVERY day, and work, well, its family that is there for you in the end, right? So give work your 8 or 10 or 12 hours a day then leave it at the door. I know its all easier said than done, I failed miserably at seeing through RCG's when the juice spilled, I actually made a very loud, pissed off sound (but no swear words) that made the kids jump then laugh nervously, but I can see it now ... does that count?

I could go on, but not tonight, I have been given a strict bedtime of 7:30 (although theres no one here to make sure ...) so I must shove off. Just remember folks, try to see through your Rose Colored Glasses... maybe just once a day, take one little situation and think to yourself "it could be worse". Because we all know it could.