Game Face

Tonight the girls were winding up their sillies as we finished reading a chapter in Little House. I warned them that they better get to bed quickly before Daddy got back. (He was on a Sonic run--he had a coupon for a free Rt 44 and likes their diet dr peppers with rasberry). Somehow they got on the idea that Daddy doesn't spank, at least they couldn't remember a time when he did. I couldn't either, we don't have to use that often, but I was sure he had done it. When he got home he took a quick shower and I was in the bath when he walked by, "Are the girls having a slumber party in Je's room?"
"No, are they both in there?" I could then hear the giggling over the attic fan when I stopped to listen.
I mentioned to him the girls earlier conversation, but said I didn't think he needed to do it just as a kind of funny incident.

He said, "So I need to get my game face on? Cause I'm not feeling it"

I nearly bust a gut, it was pretty funny when he said that. He went in to calm down the chaos. Je started out of control laughing. The kind kids do to get away with noise but still have a plausible "can't help it" quality. She got a swat which seemed to quickly settle her down. I heard a second girl get her swat (which is good since sometimes the second child distracts her father...just ask my sister about the time she got out of it). I checked on the girls after I got out of the bath and they were both much subdued. I bet they'll sleep now and not giggle.

Quiet

I've learned today that I need some quiet. Before you all start laughing hysterically, hear me out. I picked Jo up from school at 11:30. At 1:05 my head tried to explode. Why you ask? There hasn't been a quiet second since. I had to run an errand after picking her up and she talked about the errand, the car, the lack of Jeep, the friends we say on our way. At the store she asked about the movie playing in the bookstore, the books she saw, the coloring sheet they gave her...Now we are home and she has asked about what I will have for lunch, what time her sister will be home, is it early release day, why does she have to nap, when am I goig to eat, the microwave is beeping, five little pumpkins and finally she is talking about the Muffin Man. Wait, she discovered that Cookie Monster is teaching letters on her placemat and that is taking her off on a new tangent of made up verse. Ya'll thought I talked a lot? I am really becoming the quiet one. If she wants to know why she naps at age 5. It isn't always because she needs a rest, but Mama's ears NEED a break! Seriously!

My mother is probably muttering something about kids and payback for my own past behavior. Okay I really get that. EEKS!

In First Grade Already?

Je mentioned that she needed to bring candy for a boy in her school or he was going to give her a "paperclip shot".
Screech!
What did you say?...
No, you do not have to bring him candy, nor should you.

As we asked a few questions it turned out that this boy intended to bring a paperclip from home and use the end to poke her in the bottom. Thus the "shot". She seemed a little scared but sure that she had to give in. We all tried to explain that she didn't have to, no one can make you do this. By this morning she seemed to get it. I got a little more information out of her, and it seems that the incident happened on the bus. So I walked across the street to tell the bus driver that this had happened. She immediately knew the little boy in question, another first grader. She promised to take care of it. I had already emailed Je's teacher and she responded quickly that she would look into the situation. By noon, Je had talked to the counselor as had the little boy and the email said that his parents would be notified. I don't know the family or even their last name so I wonder how that will go. The bus driver told me when she dropped Je off that she and the principal had spoken to the little boy and that should encourage him not to repeat his threat. I was impressed by how seriously they take this at Je's school. They jumped right on to the problem and responded to my communication quickly. It is problematic that this little boy is only in first grade and already doing this. After school, Je told me that she knew of another little girl who'd been told to bring him candy or else. So far no one did, but this morning, Je was picking out some candy from her stash of parade candy. I made her put it back.
We've all been bullied at one time or another. I worry about it especially with Je because she is so tenderhearted, and reserved. She doesn't always stand up for herself. Jo probably will stand up for herself and tell the bully to leave her alone. Je hopefully will learn to do the same. She heard the same message from her parents, Nana, her teachers, the counselor and bus driver. Maybe it will sink in if she hears it from several directions.

What Have I Done?!

I eagerly went to PTO last fall for the first time. I volunteered cautiously for things, and added ideas to the discussion over the months. So I knew the other mothers a bit from that. The PTO president lives down the street across from my mom and knew that my kindergartner got off the bus there a couple afternoons a week. We had become friendly through this. So when she left a message on my machine yesterday, I wasn't alarmed. I was dreading the call a bit because, I knew, she needed volunteers for PTO. The last few years, the same group of moms have done the jobs in PTO because no one else would volunteer. Many of them are now burned out, and several have moved to other schools, or even out of district, and their kids have moved on to the middle school. So finding a new crop of parents has been a challenge. I think they had most jobs filled until recently when a sudden flurry of moves changed that. She had a list of PTO positions that needed filling. The easiest job on the list...PTO president. Seriously. I am the PTO president for my daughter's elementary school. On the bright side, I know from experience that the person in charge has an easier job than the person who does the pancake feed, or some of the other jobs. Thanks goodness. If I didn't have enough to do before...well I do now.

The Box

It seems we are concerned a lot about sleeping around here. it isn't that I think they are cuter when asleep but over the weekend...Daddy was out of town and it was only reflecting on moments like these that kept me from infantacide. My mom gave the girls the box from her new chair, and they decided that it would be a great place to sleep. Since Friday was a teacher work day and it was a girls only weekend, they had a sleep over. They did it both Thursday and Friday night and are planning another sleep in the box night for tonight. Since tomorrow is Kindergarten Round up, Jessa has another Friday off.

So she really doesn't like her bed

This is the sight that greeted me as I went upstairs at halftime. I had to step over her to get the camera. Notice the lovely 4th of July sock on her one foot. Classic really. She's been particularly hard to get to bed recently. Maybe I should have offered her the kitchen floor days ago.

New Look

I tinkered with the colors and picture for my header. That is the girls on Easter morning before church. I rolled their hair in sponge rollers the night before (just like my mom used to do with my sisters and I) It really curled well. A few years ago, I tried to roll Je's hair, but by morning the rollers all came out. Jo had curly hair until she cut it last year. Now it is pretty straight. My sister and her family were in town for the Easter weekend and Friday the girls stayed over with their cousins at Nana's for a slumber party. Big fun! Nana rolled Jo's hair and the cousin hair. She didn't have enough rollers to do all three girls' hair, and said if she had done Je's hair, she wouldn't have had enough rollers to do anyone else's hair. I went out last Saturday and bought enough little rollers to do both my girls hair. They loved it so it will be a treat for them.

When I look at the picture above, I am struck by how classic it is of my two. They are pretty joyful little girls. Jo likes hats and fancy shoes. Je does too, a little, but her hats never stay on long. We signed Je up for softball at Ken Berry League this year. She was dead set against it until we told her she had to try it this year, and if she didn't like it she didn't have to do it again. She is anxious of new things. She has had two practices and found a little girl from her school is on her team. It is growing on her. She is trying to talk Daddy into helping coach. We will see how that goes. Jo already said she wants to play next year.

I've been a bit under the weather today. I've had a little cough and congestion for a couple days then, last night around 12:30, I got so cold I was afraid I would bite my tongue with the shivers. Shan piled four down throws on me to warm me up. By 3 am I had to kick them all off and turn on the fan. Needless to say I didn't sleep well. Hopefully tonight will be better, I am supposed to substitute in Jo's Sabbath School class tomorrow. Her regular teacher will be in Shawnee for her son's installation as a Deacon. I grew up with her son. He has been a good friend,and was an usher in our wedding. But when I think about him being grown up enough to be a deacon it shocks me. Of course, he's been married for over 10 years, has three kids and a doctorate so what's up with that.

I just heard my husband return with dinner. Saturday is pizza night at our house.

My sister, a brand new blogger, chided me yesterday on the lack of postage around here. It has been either feast or famine in the material area. Either I have nothing to post, or too much to post and no time to do it. I thought I would share this little story and the lesson I learned from it.

Last week, my friend e- had a minor urgent need for childcare after Bible Study. I had plans that could easily include a couple more so I agreed to take one boy with me to pick up the other boy at home on my way to help my mom with a rental house. As we drove over, Jo asked me if the truck next to us was a chip truck. I looked and sure enough it had Doritos on the side. The three children began talking about a love of Doritos. Typical conversation for the younger set. Older boy said that he can't stop eating them until they are all gone. Which led to a discussion of how sad that is. Then he remembered that "if you are a Christian you can ask God and He will give you more Doritos" I am not making this up. He is six. He said that he is a Christian so he just asks God for Doritos. Jo said, "I am a Christian so I can do that, too" This conversation went on for a bit. (Neither Older Boy or Jo sees a need to say things once when 25 times will do) Then Youngest Boy (he's 3) chipped in, "I a Christian!" So I guess he can get Doritos too.

Now the lesson I learned here is a reminder of faith like a child. They believe that God will provide for them. They believe that all they have to do is believe and ask. Nothing more complicated than that.

Can't it be as simple as I believe: I am a Christian. For those kids it is. I doubt that any of them will remember that conversation. I will.

Snow Shoveler

Shan spent almost 4 hours cleaning the driveway with a little help. She came in a couple times to warm up, have hot chocolate, eat lunch, dry off. Daddy worked steadily from 10-1:30 -1:45. The driveway looks great, and the kids helped. They enjoyed their snow day with Daddy.

Tenderhearted

We use Keys for Kids for our family devotions. It is a bi-monthly publication that has been around for a while. My folks used to get it when we were growing up and it has updated a bit, but for*** the most part is very much the same. On Wednesday, we were reading it with the girls in shifts due to other things. I pulled up the right day and read through it as I waited for Je to get dressed after her bath. My first thoughts were that I couldn't read this with her, and can we skip it tonight...

This is a hard week in my family. Eleven years ago, Shan and I were newlyweds. I was anticipating my student teaching semester, settling into our first home, and getting ready to return to Manhattan for part of each week for three weeks for classes. Friday night, the floor furnace in our $100 a month farm house wouldn't stay lit. Early Saturday we called the landlord. He was a teacher who farmed on the side, so he was already out working. It was January and very cold so we were concerned when his wife indicated that he wouldn't want to put any money into the house and maybe we should look for a new home. We did a little looking that day but didn't really find anything we liked. We decided to go to Shannon's folks for the rest of the weekend to stay warm. My mom had called while we were out, so on our way west, we called her. A letter had come, confirming my student teaching placement, and since Dad wasn't feeling well they were being lazy, watching basketball. I thank God that I called home that day. My mom knew where to find me at 2 am when she had to tell me that my father had a heart attack and died. We'd been married three weeks, my sister had been in DC for just two weeks working for our Congressman, and my youngest sister was a senior in high school.

...I powered through and read the devotional with Je the other night. The whole time tears streamed down my face. She sat close, snuggling up with me as we read. When I finished reading, I used the discussion questions to talk with her about it. She remembers when GiGi, my grandmother died last summer, so we have talked about death before. As we talked I was crying a little, explaining that one of my biggest regrets is that she and Jo will miss knowing my dad. (Who BTW would have been over the moon for the kids. I know he would have loved the girls so much but I also can say that he would have been really nuts for my nephews, one is his namesake and looks like him) Je ran off in the middle of our talk and I wondered what she was doing. She returned quickly with my little pillow. When she is sad she wants her bear, her lovey. She thought Mama needed her lovey too.





***If you scroll down you can read today's entry or select an entry to read. The one that made me cry was January 9. You can also sign up to receive it in the mail or print out a PDF version of the whole month.

My kids crack me up

Me: I said add a little bit, that is more than enough.

Jo: Mama, did you know that I'm just little and sometimes I don't know what a little bit is?


Oh my goodness. That made me laugh out loud. Isn't she funny?



Letter from Je:

Dear Mom and Dad,

I have been good this ye!

Love Je***

Mother of the Year Committee? Call me.

Oh yeah I absolutely deserve this. I had both girls crying at the same time. I am soooo good at this. NOT. After a daddyless day I snapped. It doesn't help that they are tired and were naughty. Maybe mama needs a nap. I would like to blame it on being alone with them all day, but my mother spent the day with us. We went to the mall. I am so glad I didn't need to buy anything, cause it was crazy out there. More incentive to start shopping early, like January. Seriously.

A New Road

I've had to learn to take a new route to Bible Study this fall. A few weeks ago as we were driving down a certain street in town, my four year old asks me, "Mama, when are we going to that owl place?" I racked my brain to think about what she could mean. I don't know any owl places, and I couldn't see any that seemed to fit that description at the intersection. So I asked her to show me. Ya'll, she pointed to the H**ter's restaurant that opened in the past year or so. Seriously. How do you answer that one folks? I am sure the food is fine, and I doubt it is the den of iniquity that it is portrayed as being, but still. I told her that we weren't going to go there. And of course she wanted to know why. I stuttered and stumbled to come up with a good reason that would make sense to her. I think I said it wasn't a kid place. I didn't think any more about it until the next time we were going by there on our way to Red Robin, one of their favorite places to eat. She asked again. Shan was with us and he didn't have a better answer for that than I. This went on a couple more times as we went places. That intersection is on the way to the east bound interstate and softball games, etc. I no longer drive down that street if I can help it, at least with the kids. I am finding new roads.

She finally did it!!!!

I've learned that life is never going to give me a chance to catch my breath. It seems that we are flowing from one project into another. I can't keep up.

I do want to make a comment in regards to the email my sister sent me. The photo is too gross to show on this blog, (It looks like a Jayhawk had a toxic accident with a Powercat--the horrors!) She thought she was funny but I, not so much.

I am so proud of Je today. She tied her shoes by herself for the first time this evening. We have been working on this for a while now, since that is an important kindergarten skill. Not having a lot of luck. I saw in the book order from Jo's preschool, a book that would help teach shoe tying. I decided to splurge. It is a two sided board book. On one side it teaches the bunny ears method, with laces to practice with and a step by step photo guide for the whole process. The other side is called the Rocket method. It has a weird lacing style but you tie the laces the regular way, cross the two, bring one under, make a loop and finally go around the loop and through. That is more advanced tying. Je started playing with the book tonight and the first time through was a bit frustrated. I left her alone to see how she handled it. I could see her over there working the bunny ears method. She was looking at the pictures and doing the steps. She brought the book to me with the laces she had tied. Ta da! Then she put on her shoe and tried again. It was a bit loose and floppy, but it was tied!!!!!! Hooray!!!! She used the pictures in the book to remember the steps. The best $10 bucks I ever spent. Yea Je!!!



***I will post some pictures of the redecorating we did at church in the next week or so after we are all done. We have painted two rooms and most of another, we just need to move the bookshelves. It is looking good.

Happy Birthday Belatedly

some of you know that October is birthday extravaganza at our house. In the first four days of the month we have three birthdays. I am going to blame that for why I am so tardy posting my daughter's birthday post. Sorry Je! Really we've been BUSY! I'm not kidding. Six years ago, I was so ready to welcome you to my world. I remember looking around the house in the few days before you were born and wondering how my home would change. I didn't see any evidence of impending parenthood in the family room where we were watching football. I thought if someone came over, (unless they noticed the huge pregnant me) they wouldn't know these people are expecting. Less than a week later I looked again. The whole room was babied. We had added a cradle, a diaper changing basket, some toys (although why I can't say), the carseat carrier sat in the corner with the diaper bag. A boppie rested against my chair. Most of all, you were there, making us a family. You looked so cool in the tie-dyed shirt from Aunt Ne-Ne. I remember laying you out on the mat to change your diaper, and crying. You were not even a week old and I was mourning the day you wouldn't need diapers anymore. (Seriously hormonal folks) Your red hair was a surprise from the first. The nurse told me it was red during delivery. Where did that come from? I have loved it from the first.
I remember how sweet you looked on your first Sunday in church in the special dress a very pregnant Aunt Mindy and Uncle Seth looked so hard for, because Nana thought you should have a dress for church. It is upstairs in the baby chest; you were so tiny you wore it until you were six months old. Both you and Jo were baptized wearing that dress. We have loved watching you grow up with your cousin, and be best friends just five weeks apart. The day she was born, you weighed exactly the same thing, you were still so tiny.










You were such a climber, we had to teach you how to get down stairs since you often found yourself upstairs and stuck. You learned to walk early, wanting to get places. I can still see you crawling inside the Jefferson Memorial when we visited Washington, DC.








You have always seemed to like your baby sister and we are so glad you two play together so much.

Now you are off at school. Kindergarten is such a big step. I still miss you during the day and wonder about what you are doing. I am thrilled to see the big kid come out, but I am so glad when my baby crawls back in my lap, or wants me to tuck her in.

Stressed out and Hivy

I've learned that when Je is quiet and doesn't tell me about stuff, that she might need some help talking through it. I posted a while back that we were getting into the school routine. And we are, now, but then I might have spoken too soon. Like the very next day, Je broke out in hives. We decided that it might have been nerves with starting school. This would fit with the symptoms, and with the family history, we are a hivy bunch. Frankly, stress upsets the delicate balance our systems have and makes us sick. Cold sores, rashes, etc. So it isn't too surprising that my daughter has similar problems. What is surprising, is that I missed her uneasiness. She was pretty quiet about school, and I thought with all the new she just needed some time to process, so I didn't pry. I let her approach me to talk about things rather than sitting down with her and pushing gently for her to talk. In hindsight, I can see she was a little overwhelmed and wanted some special attention. The day she broke out in hives, I spent a lot of time just asking questions and letting her tell me about whatever she wanted. I didn't hear much new info, but I did get the sense that she needed to tell me. Now, it pours out of her everyday. I know about the kids in her class, recess, lunch, and the "wall." This is the place you spend your recess if you talk when you are supposed to be quiet. Je says she hasn't spent time on the wall but she is worried about it. I told her that I was glad she hadn't lost recess, and that I hoped she listened and was quiet appropriately. I told her that I would be sorry if she had to stand on the wall, but I would understand if it happened and not be angry. What else could I say when I lost untold minutes of my recesses all though grade school on the wall. I would talk to a rock ya'll. I doubt this is a startling revelation to anyone who knows me, I like to talk. And in grade school, I hadn't yet mastered the skill to know when not to talk. Some of you probably wonder if I have to this day. I think Je is getting acclimated and isn't as overwhelmed as she was. Kindergarten is a big transition, and there are a lot of new routines and things to remember. Parenting is a process. Now maybe I have learned something about my daughter that will help me help her as she get older and confronts other new situations. Jo on the other hand will be completely different, I am sure. Isn't God great!

We are Settling in

Well, we've been in school for two weeks. I think we are getting the hang of it. I am getting up, dressed, bed made, lunch made, breakfast served (x2), and one child on the bus by 8:30 in the morning. A new record for me. And y'all, I even have my shoes on. Gasp! I know it's amazin'! Before school started, it was a good day if I made it out of the bed before 8:30. The joys of stay at home motherdom. My kids slept in, I slept in, it was a win win situation. Now on the days we had Bible Study it wasn't too hard to get out the door by 8:30 or so, but we usually stopped for the essential donut on the way. Back to the shoe issue. I only wear shoes when absolutely necessary. Like really hot pavement, actual street pavement, or going out in public. Even in the winter, I wear socks around the house, not shoes, unless I have to go outside to get the mail or paper and it's wet or snowy, if it is just cold but dry, slippers or socks. So, I have to think each morning to remember to put shoes on before I step outside to get the paper, and wait for the bus. Je will not cross the street to get on the bus by herself. I have to hold her hand until she climbs on the bus. Seriously! She tells me she will do it when she is six. I hate to break it to her, but that is sooner than she thinks. She gets off the bus, and crosses the street by herself in the afternoon. The bus driver is great and they are so careful with the kids, I know she would be fine if she would let me wait in the driveway. It's just that I have to find shoes to cross the street. You never know when you will encounter glass or other icky stuff on the road. We will see how she does on Thursday, when a friend puts her on the bus. I have to make a run to the airport, and need to leave before Je gets on the bus. So we have asked a friend from church to come and stay with her till the bus picks her up. Miss C is a favorite of the girls, and they love having her come, so maybe Je will do better with her than me. She is a retired 2nd grade teacher, so that should help.

Family Fun

When I uploaded the pictures of the first day of school, I ordered some prints of our vacation. One sequence stands out to me. It is so typically Jo that I laugh whenever I see the three pictures...










"Everyone's going on that, great, count me in, let's get buckled here."









"I don't think so! Get me off now!"










"That's better. Y'all go on without me."







And they did!

We Survived-- No We Thrived!

I promised a post on our first day of Kindergarten.
Here she is waiting for the bus...












When it got here, she got on so fast this is the best picture of her getting on I could get...







Here she is coming off the bus at the end of the day...












And finally telling us about her first day...She came home tired but seemed to enjoy her day. Jo did well also. She colored in her new coloring book, helped with laundry, watched a DVD and when she got restless, we took a trip to Walgreen's to pick up the first day of school pictures I uploaded and ordered online. We stopped for a quick slice of pizza for lunch and ran an errand for Nana. By the time we got back home at 2 o'clock she was ready for a book and nap. She fell promptly asleep and slept till 4:30, when she woke up worried because we were all outside meeting the school bus and she was too groggy to figure out how to open the door. Je went to bed early but was still awake when I got home from Bible Study but fell asleep quickly after that. Jo stayed up a bit since she had such a long nap, but she too slept quickly and they both woke up ready for another day.

What to do About Jo

I have obessessed about Je starting kindergarten for a while now, and have the butterflies to prove it. She is upstairs sleeping away but I will be up for hours yet. And the thought occurs to me today, not really for the first time but kinda smacked me in the head, that while Je is off at school, Jo will be here. With me. By herself. Without her best playmate. Yikes! Preschool doesn't start for a few weeks for her, and even then, it is only two mornings a week. The afternoons are covered, she will try not to sleep during nap time. The mornings will be long. I am not planning on accomplishing anything tomorrow. I will give over my day to helping Jo adjust to her new daytime schedule. I got her a new coloring book and crayons, (aren't back to school sales great! Crayons for 20 cents and markers for 78 cents!!) Hopefully that will be a treat. We checked out new books at the library today, and a couple new DVDs. We might even try some computer games for preschoolers. I am sure that at some point, we will make a trip to Nana's just for the distraction. I think now I am more anxious about a three year old left behind than I am a five year old off to school all day.