The Golden Moment

TD is a rather mercurial child.  If you ask her how her day is going she is probably going to reply with an exasperated, "I don't know!" that is akin to a sullen fifteen year-old. Five=fifteen in attitude it seems. Then she is off singing in her polly pocket world as happy as a clam.  That is changing now that she has entered elementary school.  When I used to pick her up at preschool she was sullen.  She didnt' want to leave friends.  Kindergarten has changed all that.  I like to call this new stage, the golden moment.

As soon as she spies me waiting for her at the bus stop each afternoon her face lights up. She runs off the bus, arms outstretched to me yelling, "Mommy!"  I get tunnel vision and see only her.  She is like this little drop of sunshine. I know, I know, I cringe just typing that but it is true.  The look of pure happiness and love that is all over her face is so fantastic I can't describe it any other way.  I love it.  It is such a departure from how she used to interact with me on school days.  The happiness. It is contagious. 

Some parents are afraid to send their kids off to school on the big yellow bus.  Others can't wait.  I was definitely in the latter category.  While the moment is fleeting, it is there.  Each and every day I get that golden moment to share with her and everything is worth it.

It's the rain.  It's making me ridiculously sentimental and a touch melancholy as of late.  Just wait until tomorrow when I post about some long-dead relative who had a voice like butterscotch. 

The First Day of School, Knives Included

I'm no different than anyone else. I cannot believe that I have one child in Kindergarten now. Each day that I see her get on that bus I am surprised that we are already here.




Then The Comedian says to me yesterday morning, "I have my knife in my purse. I'm ready for school, Momma!"

Oh, Indeed.


Preschool has begun. The knife stayed home.

The Letter K

This month should be brought to you by the letter 'K'.  It started with worksheets, then checklists arriving home in TD's tote.  Is your child ready for the big K? 

Emails piled up regarding orientations, question and answer forums and registration for the upcoming year.

TD talks about it on an almost daily basis.  When will she be ready to ride the big, yellow bus?  When she turns five in two weeks will she be going right then and there?

Are you ready for the big K?

K I N D E R G A R T E N

When did she get so big?  When I started this blog (just one of those insanely banal family only blogs, mind you) back in 2005 she was but a being in my belly.  Kicking me non-stop as I sat my desk estimating widget costs and arguing with engineers about hardware prices and software contracts.  When I think about how long ago it seems that I worked there it feels like a month of eons. 

When I turn and look at her little blond, curly head or watch her sleep I cannot believe the time is one in the same.  She's ready for the big kid bus her Pre-K teacher said.  She herself cannot wait to go and join the other half of the block that waits at the bus stop daily.  She feels left behind and I completely understand it. 

Soon, I will be the one who is left behind.

Let the School Year Begin!

Can I get a big "WHOOHOO!!" TD's last year of preschool (four precious days this year!) started today.  It's a big sigh of relief and contentment for everyone in the house.  She's happy.  The Comedian is happy to have some TD-free Momma and toy time and I'm happy.  It's, like, wicked quiet in my house right now. 

She is beside herself with excitement.  School!! Also, brand-spankin' new tattoo to start off the new school year right.  Playground cred in check. 

That face is just too cute.  I'll miss it today but it's time.

Back to School

New Shoes? Check.

Purple nail polish, hair bow and socks? Check.

Lunch box with non-nut snack included? Check.

Incessant whining about not being able to watch Super Why! and Curious George this morning? Check.

A two hour absence of answering questions like, "Why is that an umbrella?" CHECK!

Future as a hand-sign throwing sorority girl or gang member? A high possibility.

Marking the Day

Yesterday, as I was going through some old photos in a dusty bin that will soon be heading to the nether-regions of my MIL's attic I found an old photo of myself from my first day of kindergarten. Turning it over I noticed the date, September 11, 1981.


Yeah, I know, it made me feel old too. Twenty-seven years ago I was headed here, not knowing that I and my Dorothy Hamill haircut would be missing the bus because my mother wanted to take so many pictures of me.


Today, TD started preschool and while I did take my share of photos of her we were not late. I didn't cry until I got in the car and realized the station was observing a moment of silence. It's nice to have today be the anniversary of something good now instead of one that never fails to make my heart feel incredibly heavy and weary.

Wait! What?! You are going to send me where?!

I'm over here and here today as well.

Green Nail Polish is Not Cool for School

I'm going to visit another pre-school today, where I hope the words "intense", "competitive" and "schedule your child into therapy from the stress of this uber-expensive learning center" do not spill out of the administrators mouth.

I just want a tour and not to feel like I have to buy a time-share or something.

I think it is safe to say though that I should remove the yellow and blue makes green nail polish I slopped onto my fingernails on Sunday night in a fit of boredom. When your toddler calls you "silly" and so does the three year-old next door, it might be time to change the polish color. I'm probably being checked out just as much as my kid, if not more, while touring these bastions of tiny education.

Does this mean I have to be a room mother at some point? I only do cupcakes, people and I hear those are 'out'.

Now here, go make your head explode. Look at the ad too. Is it just me or is that the heiress herself in a few short sun-filled years?

Ah! The Excitement of Youth

I was feeling sort of pissy today what with the oppressive humidity, lack of sleep (ambien? anyone?), and general feeling of doom I sometimes have (I blame it on the fact that I'm from New England and thus partly Puritan or that French gene in me -we piss on a lot simply because we're Frrrrenccch). ANYWAYS....

Then, I got this email from my cousin. Her daughter is going into the big pond of middle school next year. When Mom asked her how it went this is what came out.

"AWESOME!! Their computers are soooo much better than ours and the teachers are all really nice and the principal Mrs. Shaver-Hood, is really cool too!! I can't wait to go there next year and the lunch room is set up really cool Mom, they have snack huts, but good snacks, like yogurt and nuts and cereal and some junkfood but not too much, and you get to choose from 4 different lunches everyday!! Then there's the lockers, they're not very big but I think big enough to hold all our books, I can't wait!!! I already have my schedule for next year, want to see it? I have it right here look!! See? I even have summer homework to be ready for next year, I don't like homework but I like this."

That's straight from the babe's mouth. All in one breath I might add. It made me laugh and smile and remember how exciting making that transition was. Going into the "big" school. Having lockers. Eating with older kids. It seemed so exciting and as if anything could happen. All good of course. Like at any moment there would be dancing in the halls like Fame! I'm so old.

I just have to add, like my cousin did, what middle school teacher keeps that name? Shaver-Hood? Eeesh. That's brave.

PBN-School Zone Product Review

The arrival of the School Zone Discovery Cards was a big deal in our house. It’s my first product to review for the Parent Bloggers Network and of course, new toys are always welcome. I was not prepared however, for the enthusiasm that spewed forth from my one-year old daughter when I took the brightly colored packages out of the shipping box.

Her little eyes lit up and her tiny hands reached out for the parcels. She started squawking and begging for them immediately. I got only halfway through the instructions on how to use the Peek-a-Boo-Bunny (I didn’t get the bear one) when the cries that translate to “GIMMEE! NOW!” became too much. I handed over the Peek-a-Boo-Bunny first. In mere seconds, she had the cards out of the box and all over the kitchen floor. She inspected the bunny’s magnetic hands that easily play Peek-a-Boo and found it highly amusing as she laughed loudly. She really wanted to figure out how the magnetic bunny hands played peek-a-boo. It was quite serious work. I sat on the floor with her and attached the cards one by one to the magnetic bunny board. We flipped them over and over again asking questions like, “Who likes honey? The bear likes honey.” After a short time, she caught on and figured out that by pulling the flaps down the cards reveal more pictures, like who lives in a nest or web. While she seemed to enjoy the cards with their brightly colored pictures and flaps at first, they did not hold her interest for very long after that initial playtime. I have tried to engage her on numerous occasions to play with them on her own or with us. It might be that she is just a bit too old for them since the cards are for 9 months on up. I think the price of $10.99 is fair. The product is packaged nicely and would travel well. It would probably do well on a road trip and definitely as a gift.



Next, we broke out the Fuzzy Animal Friends Clever Baby Cards. Her little hands couldn’t tear apart the packaging fast enough. The colors on these cards are very bright with lots of foil, fur, and crinkly bits protruding from them. My kid loves textured toys like this. The googly eyes on the snake and crocodile cards were mesmerizing to her. She has spent the last few days playing with these animal cards over and over again. She wants us to review them with her too. We read the cute sayings to her, such as, “slither and shake purple snake”, time and time again. She likes to chew on the crinkly legs and tails and look at the how the foil colors change when she waves them around. This product has held her interest for far longer than the Peek-a-Boo-Bunny set. We have spent a lot of time going over the different animals, their colors, and the various textures such as furs and feathers. She loves to rub her hands on the cards and point out the varying grades of sensations. I like this toy for precisely that reason. While it’s geared for ages six months and up it is a hit in our house and the $15.99 price tag makes it a good buy. I will keep this toy in mind to give as a gift and keep for our next child.

For us, the Fuzzy Animal Friends fared the best in our house. The cards kept her engaged with their bright colors, different textures, and appendages. While she liked the Peek-a-Boo-Bunny magnetic cards, they just didn’t hold her attention for as long as the animal cards did. I do overall think that the School Zone products are well made, educational and make excellent gifts.

You can check out more reviews for this product by other bloggers and various other goodies at the PBN
site.