Cheerful Abundance

Cheerful Abundance

a field notebook of suburban life

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact

So This is Kindergarten

Posted in Family LIfe by KT
Aug 26 2013

Despite having the start of school marked on my calendar for the past six months, and despite having all sorts of Pinterest-driven resolutions regarding bento-box lunches, cute first-day outfits, and this insane idea that I would somehow start the school year with an immaculate home, I still managed to put every single thing that needed doing off until yesterday, which made the weekend a bit of a mad scramble.

Witchcraft!

I had this great idea a few weeks ago to make friendship bracelets for each of them, in their new school colours, and maybe to make one for my husband and I to wear as well. A talisman, of sorts, a reminder that, although they might be alone in a new classroom, with new kids and a new teacher and a new school, that we were always with them in spirit. Feel free to make fun of me now. Actually, wait, because the next part will give you more ammunition.

Three weeks ago I picked up the embroidery floss to make these bracelets. I haven’t made them in years, so I hunted down some internet instructions, and watch a YouTube video, and …. then the bag sat in my kitchen until last night, around 7PM. That’s right – all that big talk about making the kids a talisman to remind them of Mommy, and three weeks of looking at that bag sitting on the kitchen table as I made dinners and breakfasts and snacks, and I never made the bracelets, in part because I vaguely remembered that they didn’t take very long, a memory that turned out to be a giant fat lie, because I got one inch of one done last night, and my husband, who is making the second one, got about three rows in. I don’t get it. My friends and I used to make these in college, when we were drunk as sailors, and I swear it took us no time at all.

Feel free to commence making fun of me now.

Despite my failure as a mom to provide the kind of first day of school, PerfectMommy, Social Media friendly experience required to be a good blogger, my husband and I muddled through, packing lunches and spare clothes, and snacks, and iced-up water bottles. I also gave them a pep talk about not hitting people, doing what their teachers ask of them, and being brave. I talked to them about how they have so much experience with being in a classroom because they went to PreK, and how other kids might not know what to do, and that it was their job to help their classmates, and we talked about what to do if a classmate was crying or looked sad. I got them to brainstorm ideas on that last one. One of my daughters said she would, “tell that kid that it was okay to be sad, and we would be brave together” and the other said she would introduce herself, and “ask that kid to be my friend.” And then I had to excuse myself to the ladies room and dab at my eyes for a moment, because I was so proud of them. And because it makes me laugh that they refer to all other children as ‘that kid’ all the time. No names. Just ‘that kid’.

I let the kids pick out their first day outfits, but it isn’t an accident that they picked exactly what I wanted them to wear. I don’t know what I am going to do when they figure out how completely sneaky and manipulative I am, but hopefully that doesn’t happen until after they graduate from university. Hopefully! I am not quite a monster, though – they really love the shorts they wore, and the shirts are pretty plain, because both girls are adamant that they don’t wear anything pink, sparkly, dresses, skirts, or girl clothes. So I make them wear stuff that mostly doesn’t fall on that list, but that I personally find charming, that is very comfortable, and that does not impede monkey-bar swinging, and other shenanigans.

Starting tomorrow, they ride a bus, but today we both drove them to school, and stood in line with a lot of other parents and their children. We each took a girl to her classroom, got her situated, and then swapped so that we could each hug and kiss them before leaving. One of my girls had a moment of anger and frustration in the hallway, I think because it was so crowded and chaotic, but I pulled her out of the worst of it, and then she whispered to me that she was going to change her attitude, and she did, cheerfully hanging her stuff in her locker, and putting her lunch in the right bin, and finding her seat right away. She has been very nervous about Kindergarten, and I asked her if she felt okay, and she gave the  thumb’s up and said she was great, so I went to see her sister, down the hall, and she was fine, too. They were really fine with it all.

I did see a number of Dads with suspiciously red eyes, in the classroom, but only one child openly crying. A good start to the year! We went to the PTA coffee  afterward, held in what I like to refer to as ‘the crying room’, because of all the weepy Dads, and a woman came over and introduced herself. Turns out, she lives across the street from me, and we have kids in the same class. She and her husband seem like interesting, fun people, and I am looking forward to getting to know them better. This whole ‘making new friends’ thing is on my to-do list, and has been ever since we moved here. Hopefully, this is a start.

I have big plans to clean the kitchen today, and clear away the end of the summer mess that seems to have settled in every room. The school hasn’t called me yet, to tell me that one of my girls punched someone else’s kid, so that seems like a good omen. And those friendship bracelets, I decided, I will finish up tonight, and they can be ‘first day of riding the school bus’ bracelets, for tomorrow. They will be just as magic tomorrow.

Tagged as: bravery, kindergarten, milestones

We have a winner!

Posted in home by KT
Feb 24 2010

We have a winner in the sick days Olympics, and …. its Mummy, who in a stunning upset blew past M and her ear infection to pull off a Pneumonia/Sinus Infection combination! But we all know the real winner is Daddy, who gets to hear ALL about how Mummy SUFFERS.

G has many new tricks, and one of them is opening and closing doors. She is very proud of her accomplishments. So are we! Right after I snapped this picture, she slammed the door shut and started giggling like a fool.

Both kids have also gotten tall enough to reach past baby gates, and they have started working together as a team. Now, I try to leave things they can play with if they want to on my desk, trying to outfox them. Camera cases are a big win.  And no, that isn’t a cigarette in G’s mouth – she eats board books, and was in the middle of a good one when she spied M doing something that looked naughty and decided to jump on that bandwagon.

See you all on the other side of this Z-Pack!

Tagged as: milestones, naughty, sick

October Recap

Posted in home by KT
Nov 01 2009

Remember October? We don’t, exactly, because we were too busy not sleeping, and chasing after our super-mobile kids. We heard it was a nice month though, and since we have a tonne of photos on our camera that claim to have been taken in October, we decided to upload them.

Our sparrows are doing really well – they survived their 15 month well-baby checkup, are now caught up on all of their vaccinations, and weathered their flu shots like champions. And as always, we had a good laugh at their height/weight ratio: above the 95th percentile in height, below the 35th percentile in weight. Say hello to our lady basketball players, whose pants are either; long enough, but fall off their skinny hips, or fit around the waist and end at mid-shin. And their shirts are the same – either they fit, but don’t quite cover the tummy, or they cover to the hip, and are so sloppy big in the arms and neck that G just takes them off.  Dressing them is a big challenge, and those hanna andersson daydress/leggings combos are starting to make more and more sense to us!

2009.10.e

Many more photos below, included a number that answer that burning question, “what’s on your HEAD!”

(more…)

Tagged as: halloween, hats, milestones, pumpkins, recap, thanksgiving

Up On Her Feet

Posted in home by KT
Jul 27 2009

Yes, yes, we are woefully behind in updating, but today we have to skip ahead to what happened this weekend, because it was big, big, BIG! M is officially a standing up girl. And she is very, very pleased with herself. As are we! We knew it was coming, as she has been making great progress over the past month, strength-wise, and now does a lot of sitting up on her knees, and even putting one foot flat on the floor while resting her weight on her other knee, but until this weekend, she has done no standing.

But suddenly, it was like a light went off in her head, and she started planting her hands and head on the floor, or Mummy’s leg, or the dog, and then straightening out her legs, and … sort of standing. More… bridging, really.

7.29.09.4

But still – those are feet, flat on the floor. Those are legs, straightened. Thats a tushie, waving in the air. That’s kind of standing. 7.25.09.b

But the next day came the real deal – full on, vertical positioning, legs braced, knees locked, holding onto a baby gate for balance. 7.25.09.c

Check out that stance!7.25.09d

She is doing it! That is definitely standing, and all on her own – she got up by herself. And she is definitely noticing that the world looks like a very different place from such a high vantage point. 7.25.09e

We love her stance – wide legs, one leg behind the other. It isn’t an elegant stand, yet, but she is working on it. 7.25.09f

And best of all – she is so proud of herself, every time she does it. And so are we. 7.25.09g

Its a big, big accomplishment, and we cheer every time it happens – fists in the air cheering for her, which she loves.

Tagged as: milestones, standing

Surfboard Style: What happened on June 16th!

Posted in home by KT
Jun 26 2009

G. has been  pulling up to a stand by holding onto the edge of the couch. In related news, edge of couch is mysteriously very sticky.

1

Empty diaper boxes make excellent baby stands.

2

And of course, there is the classic – standing up in bed.

3

Pulling up to stand has been G’s greatest joy, and up until now, she has been content to hold onto things, and hoist herself up.

4

This was especially fun when she discovered windows, which show you outside, and also let you watch Daddy come home from work.

5

But then on the 16th, she sat up, stared intently off into space, clearly having a Very Big Thought, and did this. Stood up. In the middle of the room. With nothing to hold on to. You start on your hands and knees, and then pop your feet underneath you, while keeping your hands down. Mummy was very impressed, moreso after realizing how much money she spent on surfing lessons in her misspent youth, when apparently the basics of surfing are known by all toddlers, who can show you for free.  G has excellent surfing form as she starts to stand.

6

Then, you find your centre of gravity and pull yourself up by your core, using your arms as gentle balance. Apparently, G stands for GIDGET! This girl is going to be a serious surfer.

7

When you make it to your feet, throw your hands in the air! Cheer! Watch yourparents swoon with pride!

8

Continue practising constantly, day or night. Expect the same huge level of praise each time.

9

Naturally, there is video. Also, Mummy sounds like maybe she takes a few hits of helium during the day while watching the kids, which we know isn’t true, because it might interfere with her ‘breakfast scotch’ buzz.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPb7mO0kOgM]

Tagged as: cheering, g, milestones, standing, video

All Birthdays are cancelled

Posted in home by KT
Jun 25 2009

Nobody gets a birthday in this household anymore – they are cursed for us! G. is in the hospital, full of bacteria apparently, and sporting a fever of a 105, which is appropriate, given that that is the current temperature in Chicago, and in our apartment. It is wickedly difficult to bring down someone’s temperature when the air temp is that high, and she was pretty miserable this week – big molar coming in, nauseated from her new medication, and sporting a big fever. So now she is in the hospital, charming doctors and screaming her head off, and hopefully getting better.

Poor baby. I think we are going to cancel all scheduled festivities this weekend, and spend a quiet, family weekend snuggled up together in bed, in front of the air conditioner. No doubt, someone will throw up. That’s the kind of week it has been. We will leave you to guess who.

Not all the news is bad – big, big milestones hit last week (pre-bacterial infections), lots of cute photos to come, and hey – we are on a first name basis with the valet parking attendant at the hospital, so its not all bad. And despite the miserableness that is a baby in the emergency room, we also got some good news – G is officially over 20lbs. 5 oz over, to be precise. Which isn’t much to weigh, for a toddler, but 20lbs is the demarcation line for all sorts of things. 20lbs is the mystical weight at which the human body suddenly becomes better able to handle viruses and infections. 20lbs is a baby strong enough to weather an illness without it turning into a deadly crisis. Its a big deal, for internationally adopted kids, who generally do not have healthful starts in life, to break the 20lb mark. Its a really, really beautiful milestone.

Tagged as: birthday, hospital, milestones, sick
February 2019
S M T W T F S
« Mar    
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
2425262728  

Smart Ladies

  • Book Nook
  • Elements of Style
  • Faux Fuchsia Style
  • Filthy Commerce
  • Girl Crafts
  • It's A Dog Lick Baby World
  • Jillian Lauren
  • Lemon Drop Pie
  • Life Under the Big Top
  • Rage Against the Minivan
  • Second Blooming
  • Suburban Matron
  • Sugar Hero
  • That's Not My Age
  • The Bloggess

Tags

acquisitions adoption anniversary baking birthday books cake christmas cookies cooking crafty decorating design easter eating Ethiopia family first world problems games giggling gingerbread halloween hats holiday holidays house-hunting inspiration kindergarten milestones paperwork parenting photos poor me reading real estate school shopping sick sick days snow Target travel valentines video Xmas

Archives

  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • December 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
Powered by WordPress | “Blend” from Spectacu.la WP Themes Club