Two whole days without a tear at the bus stop, woohoo! J actually gets excited to tell me bye from his seat. They still object a bit when they know they have to go again the next day (& have some cracking voices the night before about it) but when they wake up and are at the bus stop we are okay. My voice cracks a "little" as I wave and tell them bye, but at least my heart isn't hurting after.
I've been sort of productive in my days. I have had to do a few errands lately (which seem to eat up all my time!) but at least I'm getting out & enjoying these last of these nice days. I cleaned a lot of the house yesterday & today did a couple of errands & had time to do some crochet & go on a bike ride with Mike when he got home from work. We discovered two new parks & saw some "whoa big" houses that are close by. Who knows, maybe some stuff off the "to do" lists will get crossed off soon ;)
Wednesday 10 September 2014
Monday 8 September 2014
First Full Week of School!....
Welcome to our test week. Since the school staggered them in last week this is the first time the boys have had to go to school everyday (let alone 5 days in a row).
On Friday (first time getting on the bus by themselves to school), J had some mini meltdowns. He was fine in the morning, until it was time to put on our shoes to go to school. He started crying right then and all the way to the bus stop. The lady whose house we stand at is super nice (& her daughter helps direct my wee ones on the bus) went inside and got some tissues for all of us (I say all because he even got some of the other moms crying). When I asked him why he said because he was worried about me. What a great boy! He went on the bus anyway when it came (with the chapstick in his backpack) and would just turn around and between crying hiccups say "I love you mommy, I'll miss you". Ugh, I had a hard time keeping that together. They all sat side by side and the bus pulled away. My heart was torn.
Fast forward through the weekend (& some runny noses, bleh) & last night we had 2 in tears that didn't want to go (E & J). Not what I needed. I hoped by morning time they would be better. My hope was crumbled as I woke them them up & they immediately start crying after finding out they have to go to school. Being by myself in the morning is rough when I have wee ones crying & trying to get their lunches ready but somehow we pulled through this morning. I found 3 pictures in my purse that had their dad and me in them and asked who wanted what pic and then we put them in their backpacks. Whenever they wanted to "see" us they could just look at it. We brought tissues this time and they did pretty well. J looked back a little in line and said he'd miss me but without nearly the same amount of hiccups. E didn't cry at the bus stop but he had a frown on his face which I tried to distract out of him by showing him the crew that was working on the house next door. That cheered him up some (I also did much better and only had a slightly cracked voice instead of tears). When they came home later, they were in better spirits and they all said they had a good day. J said he got to play with playdough & they all got to paint (which is the main thing they all wanted to do at school). When it came time to go to bed and get our things ready for school the next day they replied with "I already went". So far G is the only one not really complaining but what I gather (my boys are not too talkative about school and I think I'm missing some key information on what they do share) is that he is actually playing with other kids while E & J are not. E & J are sitting during recess and acting miserable (which I think is weird because that's the time to run). I went to the school today to see what happened during recess (& hoped to see them) but I guess I wasn't on the right recess shift. I did see the little kids and big kids on the same playground (not the smaller one I envisioned) which made me happy. I also saw hundreds of kids just running around and chasing each other & hoped my 3 were doing the same but I guess not. Hopefully it continues to get better for them, especially once they have all the supplies in their room that they're supposed to have (like the sand box and water stuff that the other classrooms have).
On a side note, the boys got new bikes on Friday! Their poor legs were just getting too long for their tricycles.
Wish us luck for tomorrow's bus stop!
On Friday (first time getting on the bus by themselves to school), J had some mini meltdowns. He was fine in the morning, until it was time to put on our shoes to go to school. He started crying right then and all the way to the bus stop. The lady whose house we stand at is super nice (& her daughter helps direct my wee ones on the bus) went inside and got some tissues for all of us (I say all because he even got some of the other moms crying). When I asked him why he said because he was worried about me. What a great boy! He went on the bus anyway when it came (with the chapstick in his backpack) and would just turn around and between crying hiccups say "I love you mommy, I'll miss you". Ugh, I had a hard time keeping that together. They all sat side by side and the bus pulled away. My heart was torn.
Fast forward through the weekend (& some runny noses, bleh) & last night we had 2 in tears that didn't want to go (E & J). Not what I needed. I hoped by morning time they would be better. My hope was crumbled as I woke them them up & they immediately start crying after finding out they have to go to school. Being by myself in the morning is rough when I have wee ones crying & trying to get their lunches ready but somehow we pulled through this morning. I found 3 pictures in my purse that had their dad and me in them and asked who wanted what pic and then we put them in their backpacks. Whenever they wanted to "see" us they could just look at it. We brought tissues this time and they did pretty well. J looked back a little in line and said he'd miss me but without nearly the same amount of hiccups. E didn't cry at the bus stop but he had a frown on his face which I tried to distract out of him by showing him the crew that was working on the house next door. That cheered him up some (I also did much better and only had a slightly cracked voice instead of tears). When they came home later, they were in better spirits and they all said they had a good day. J said he got to play with playdough & they all got to paint (which is the main thing they all wanted to do at school). When it came time to go to bed and get our things ready for school the next day they replied with "I already went". So far G is the only one not really complaining but what I gather (my boys are not too talkative about school and I think I'm missing some key information on what they do share) is that he is actually playing with other kids while E & J are not. E & J are sitting during recess and acting miserable (which I think is weird because that's the time to run). I went to the school today to see what happened during recess (& hoped to see them) but I guess I wasn't on the right recess shift. I did see the little kids and big kids on the same playground (not the smaller one I envisioned) which made me happy. I also saw hundreds of kids just running around and chasing each other & hoped my 3 were doing the same but I guess not. Hopefully it continues to get better for them, especially once they have all the supplies in their room that they're supposed to have (like the sand box and water stuff that the other classrooms have).
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| front to back: J, E G |
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| front to back: J, E, G |
Wish us luck for tomorrow's bus stop!
Wednesday 3 September 2014
We Survived!!!
The first day of school is finally over and I'm happy to report we all survived!
I first started waking up around 6:15, worried that I'd oversleep or not have enough time to do everything. I would go back to sleep but would look at the clock every now & then. I finally got up at 7:10 and started getting myself ready for the morning. If we were taking them in the van I'd have to look semi-presentable at the school. G woke up after me all smiles. I asked him if he was ready to go to school and he said yes. I finished getting ready and then woke up the other 2. They were all smiley and happy that they were going to go. I got their lunches all ready & made everything fit. They ate all their breakfast and got dressed. We were early in getting ready so I was able to take a few pictures at the house. We even saw the kids getting on at their bus stop. Gaby started worrying that he wasn't going to school since he didn't get on the bus. I had to keep explaining that today was a special day & that mommy and daddy were going to take them so we could meet their teacher.
We finally piled in the van and were on our way! I asked if they were excited and all said yes. We found where all the other kindergartners were and waited patiently. They were still okay at this point. The problem came when the bell rang to go inside. Jacob had a meltdown. "No mommy don't go" "I don't wanna stay" "I'm done" (of course, all while screaming & tears in his eyes). I tried to calm him down and get him back in line but he wasn't having it. Luckily the other 2 were good and weren't really paying attention. I asked if I could help him get in his class and they said yes. This calmed him down some but he was still really nervous. I helped him in and after the anthem and prayer got his backpack hung up. He then went back to meltdown mode (especially since there was another little girl that was having one with her mommy too). I racked my brain for something that could calm him down and finally settled on giving him something of mine to hold on to. All I could find in my purse (that I would be willing to lose) was chapstick but it worked. I asked him to keep it in his pocket and if/when he was sad he could hold on to it and remember I love him. He calmed down enough to sit down with the other kids on the carpet. He looked back and I waved at him from the window & he waved back & seemed OK.
We drove home and relished in the quiet for a bit while we ate breakfast & filled in both grandmas as to what happened in the morning. We got ourselves ready for a day out on the lake since the weather was warm and we were kid free for 6 hours! We spent it at the Burlington/Hamilton Harborfront biking from one side to the other. We went from one side to the other (about 20km total) and then had lunch at Barangas. So happy for nice days!
They came home and were still in one piece as they came off the bus. Mike heard one of the girls from our neighborhood tell the boys that it was their turn to get off. I started asking them how their day was and E told me that Jacob whined because he missed mommy. I told him it was okay & that he'll get better the more he goes. I tried to ask them more and more what happened during their day and they didn't say much. J said he did "I spy with my little eyes" with his teacher. When I asked what they thought of the bus ride they collectively were in agreeance that it was great (J's exact words to be exact).
This is their first artwork for the fridge :)
The poem is so sweet:
The kissing hand poem
It's my first day of school,
and I'm thinking of you.
I made this precious handprint,
so you'll think of me too.
On my first day of school,
"The kissing hand" is what we read.
It's about a raccoon named Chester,
who did just as his parents said.
Like the raccoon's first day of school,
I was scared and a little shy,
but because I thought of you,
I was brave and got by.
All through the year,
I'll make more things for you,
so as I change and as I learn,
you can share in the fun too!
All in all the main thing is that we survived. I know they know what to expect so I won't be as worried. They will always know that I am home waiting for them.
I first started waking up around 6:15, worried that I'd oversleep or not have enough time to do everything. I would go back to sleep but would look at the clock every now & then. I finally got up at 7:10 and started getting myself ready for the morning. If we were taking them in the van I'd have to look semi-presentable at the school. G woke up after me all smiles. I asked him if he was ready to go to school and he said yes. I finished getting ready and then woke up the other 2. They were all smiley and happy that they were going to go. I got their lunches all ready & made everything fit. They ate all their breakfast and got dressed. We were early in getting ready so I was able to take a few pictures at the house. We even saw the kids getting on at their bus stop. Gaby started worrying that he wasn't going to school since he didn't get on the bus. I had to keep explaining that today was a special day & that mommy and daddy were going to take them so we could meet their teacher.
We finally piled in the van and were on our way! I asked if they were excited and all said yes. We found where all the other kindergartners were and waited patiently. They were still okay at this point. The problem came when the bell rang to go inside. Jacob had a meltdown. "No mommy don't go" "I don't wanna stay" "I'm done" (of course, all while screaming & tears in his eyes). I tried to calm him down and get him back in line but he wasn't having it. Luckily the other 2 were good and weren't really paying attention. I asked if I could help him get in his class and they said yes. This calmed him down some but he was still really nervous. I helped him in and after the anthem and prayer got his backpack hung up. He then went back to meltdown mode (especially since there was another little girl that was having one with her mommy too). I racked my brain for something that could calm him down and finally settled on giving him something of mine to hold on to. All I could find in my purse (that I would be willing to lose) was chapstick but it worked. I asked him to keep it in his pocket and if/when he was sad he could hold on to it and remember I love him. He calmed down enough to sit down with the other kids on the carpet. He looked back and I waved at him from the window & he waved back & seemed OK.We drove home and relished in the quiet for a bit while we ate breakfast & filled in both grandmas as to what happened in the morning. We got ourselves ready for a day out on the lake since the weather was warm and we were kid free for 6 hours! We spent it at the Burlington/Hamilton Harborfront biking from one side to the other. We went from one side to the other (about 20km total) and then had lunch at Barangas. So happy for nice days!
This is their first artwork for the fridge :)
The poem is so sweet:
The kissing hand poem
It's my first day of school,
and I'm thinking of you.
I made this precious handprint,
so you'll think of me too.
On my first day of school,
"The kissing hand" is what we read.
It's about a raccoon named Chester,
who did just as his parents said.
Like the raccoon's first day of school,
I was scared and a little shy,
but because I thought of you,
I was brave and got by.
All through the year,
I'll make more things for you,
so as I change and as I learn,
you can share in the fun too!
All in all the main thing is that we survived. I know they know what to expect so I won't be as worried. They will always know that I am home waiting for them.
Tuesday 2 September 2014
To My 3 Little Monkey's Before You Start School...
Today is the last night before you go off to Junior Kindergarten tomorrow. As I watch some of our home movies from the times before you were one, I have mixed feelings.
I am super thrilled for all the new experiences you will have. I know you'll be great boys in the class and have a lot of fun playing with all the new toys and new friends that you will make. There are so many new things for you to learn; about the world; about yourselves. I know I can't keep you home forever. I know each of you will grow up so quickly now; especially with all the learning you'll do. I hope for all of you to find a good friend, outside of your brothers, too. You 3 have a very special bond & I don't think anyone can break it but it will be good for you to find your own friends too.
I'm trying not to be "sad". Really, I am. I try to focus on the positive & know this is the right step for you. It's been such fun being able to be home everyday for the past 3 1/2 (almost 4 years). I've seen all your "firsts" & will witness yet another "first" for all of you tomorrow. I'm just thinking of all those funny moments that I will be missing from now on (& can't get recorded!). I have to admit, that there were some trying days (today was actually one of them) where everyone took a turn being bratty or cranky or whiny & I was really looking forward to having some time to myself. And then I got the sweetest hugs & the sweetest kisses and all of that melted away.
Bottom line is...I Love You. I will be here for you always, whether you're in school or whether you're home. I can't wait to hear all the fun stories you're going to bring home.
I am super thrilled for all the new experiences you will have. I know you'll be great boys in the class and have a lot of fun playing with all the new toys and new friends that you will make. There are so many new things for you to learn; about the world; about yourselves. I know I can't keep you home forever. I know each of you will grow up so quickly now; especially with all the learning you'll do. I hope for all of you to find a good friend, outside of your brothers, too. You 3 have a very special bond & I don't think anyone can break it but it will be good for you to find your own friends too.
 |
| They Make Me Smile! |
I'm trying not to be "sad". Really, I am. I try to focus on the positive & know this is the right step for you. It's been such fun being able to be home everyday for the past 3 1/2 (almost 4 years). I've seen all your "firsts" & will witness yet another "first" for all of you tomorrow. I'm just thinking of all those funny moments that I will be missing from now on (& can't get recorded!). I have to admit, that there were some trying days (today was actually one of them) where everyone took a turn being bratty or cranky or whiny & I was really looking forward to having some time to myself. And then I got the sweetest hugs & the sweetest kisses and all of that melted away.
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| LOOK OUT WORLD, HERE WE COME! |
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