May. Kids. Much.

I'm tellin' ya.  May is going to be the end of me.  I remember feeling this way last year too.  I thought it was mostly because I had 2 kids at 2 different schools so the end of year activities were doubled and in no way coordinated.  I found out that having them at the same school only means that the venue is the same, but the activities are still doubled, and still, in no way, coordinated.  When you add on the overlap of summer activities that start in May (volunteering regularly at Galloping Grace, swimming lessons, etc.) with what we had already committed to do each week (regular volunteering for me at the school, evening lessons, church activities, etc.)  You have a recipe for... a flaky mom, a house that could be featured on Oprah (not in a good way) and sheer exhaustion every night.  It's pretty rare that I fall asleep in the FIRST show we start watching at bedtime.  It's happened every night for at least 2 weeks.

Actually, I don't say it all to complain.  I relish in all of the hustle and bustle.  I am grateful that my kids are active and involved and that we are spending our time doing things like this instead of what some of the alternatives could be.  I usually don't feel too overwhelmed, and I'm getting better at letting less important things slide (sorry babe - grocery shopping and making dinner DID make it to that list too.) 

Enough said - here's the first installment for May (second to follow later, complete with Talent Show, Kindergarten Graduation, etc.)

Kindergarten Zoo Field Trip:  This really was a trip of a day.  We spent the day with the little girls Harriet likes in her class.  Gracie, Ava, Christiana, Emma, and Hannah.  The girls were so funny about getting their picture taken at every turn.  They were quite the little supermodel posers.

 Look at the cute mommy chimp cuddling her baby chimp in the background:

 funny girls - held hands as they walked and skipped

and, of course, the rhyming and clapping games

 

The kids were supposed to inspect the animal habitats to see if they were similar to the habitats they studied in science.  Harriet's assigned science habitat was the abbysopelagic layer of the ocean.  No "abyss" at the zoo, so we settled for watching the sea lions.

We had such a blast seeing all the animals though and even got some special treatment from a kinder parent who is also a zookeeper in the elephant enclosure.  She gave the kids a special lecture about elephants and then showed them how the elephants get treats and stuff during the day.  We were supposed to go on a "backstage" tour, but there were too many kids to do it.  

 The polar bears rarely disappoint with their cuteness.  I know this guy could swipe me down with one paw and eat me for breakfast, but I kind of still want to snuggle with him on the couch and watch a movie.

 Harriet ended the day with a splash.  Literally.  Seconds after I took this picture, I turned my head to talk to another mom and then heard a scream.  I looked back to see Harriet running towards me, soaked from head to toe.  She fell in the duck pond.  Apparently, a lady walking by was right there, and grabbed her and pulled her out.  David and I kind of wonder if she accidentally bumped into Harriet and knocked her into the pond since she pulled her out and disappeared without trying to find me in a matter of about 5 seconds.

  

It was seriously traumatic for Harriet and she scraped her arm and got a bad bruise on her hip.  She doesn't like to talk about trying to become a duck or swimming with the fish.  But, I hope it will be a 

fun memory for her later when she gets over being embarrassed and hurt.  

Then, onto the gym field days (play day.)  I am still peeling from my sunburns I got this week.

3 legged races

balloon stomp - I personally tied 120 ballons on 120 kindergarteners and then cut 120 strings off their ankles.  really?

Coach "D" spraying all the kindergarteners with the hose.  She is ruthless.  These poor kids are so tiny.  They were already soaked to the bone, blue lips, teeth chattering, had just dried off their best with their towels, and here she comes with the hose.  She is hard core - you don't mess with her.  Even the parents are scared of her.  I kind of like her actually.  I've grown to appreciate her, but she still scares me.  I was 5 minutes late this morning and a little afraid...

Both girls were chosen from their classes to serve on student council this year.  They really loved it and faithfully went to their early morning meetings twice a month.  I was particularly proud of Harriet doing something like this, being so shy as she is.  For the end-of-year service project, the council organized a giant food drive and were able to fill 3 giant bins with food to donate to the local food bank.  Then, to top it off, their advisor (also Harriet's kindergarten teacher) offered a field trip for the student council members to go work at the food bank.  I was seriously disappointed that out of 70 members (2 kids from every class) only 10 kids went to the food bank.  I was really proud of my kids for wanting to go and working very hard while they were there.  They felt so good about their service that they have been begging me to go back and also begging their dad to go with them too.  The administrator there did some math with the kids at the end.  They ended up sorting 10 pallets (500 pound bins) of sweet potatoes and feeding 6000 people dinner.  Not too shabby.  Grace said "I'm proud."  She is usually proud of herself (being the extrovert and center-of-attention girl that she is,) but I was really proud of her too and happy that it made her happy to do this work.  

(some of the sweet potatoes were seriously infected with black mold - hence, the face masks.)

Mrs. Johnson and crew:

Probably the highlight of last week was our ward mother/daughter activity-day-girl party.  It was a really rare moment that I got to spend some quality one-on-one time with Grace.  Even though she doesn't like the girly girl stuff, she had a great time making a bow for Harriet (I convinced her to wear it for this picture), giving ME a manicure, and making a few other fun crafts.  Hats off to our amazing activity day leaders - they really went all out and made such a special night for the girls and their moms.  Thanks Grace for taking me and doing all the stations with me!

Whew... it's the 20th.  We might make it to the last day of school on the 29th!!

Happy Mother's Day; 2012

I'm writing this post as I listen to Grace and Harriet beat the crap out of each other with foam light sabers. Harriet complaining that Grace doesn't fight fair.  Grace complaining that she is getting hurt (by her little sister with the foam light saber.)  Ahhh... the sweet sounds of motherhood.

I have very recently been reminded of one of the reasons I have chosen to remain a "stay-at-home" mom even though I rarely have kids in the house now, and let's face it - I rarely can be found actually at home.
I had such an anxiety attack when Harriet went to kindergarten.  I really felt an identity crisis and wondered if I should really go back to work or find a new career or at least try to make a little extra money somehow while the kids were at school.  I've definitely been a "working mom" before, whether working part or full time.  I worked when they were both babies and through the toddler years, and felt a little crazy not doing it when I didn't even have any kids at home anymore.  I've always loved working, why wouldn't I do it now that I have the time?  It seemed that no matter how I thought about it, I always came back to the conclusion that I wasn't going to try to find a job of any size or kind.

The past 2 weeks, I have found myself, literally, staying at home with my kids - 24/7.  We had the visitation of a very nasty virus (thank you, kindergarten child, for sharing.)  Harriet got sick first, missed 3 days of school before the weekend hit, and then Grace picked it up JUST as Harriet was getting better and missed 4 days of school the next week.  Even though it was a huge inconvenience to stay home and cancel my 50 things I had planned for both weeks, it was really great to not feel much of a responsibility to anyone or anything else but my kids.  (with the exception of Cowboy Max... I did have to cancel on Galloping Grace a few too many times and felt horribly guilty and bad about that.)  But, despite my guilty feelings,  I think the rest is what keeps me from working right now.  I love being available to my girls at the drop of a hat.  I really do.  It kind of feels even more important now that they ARE gone from the house for most of the day - that when they DO need mom, I'm there.  I am really glad that my number one job is "Mom" and that nothing eclipses that or pulls me in the opposite direction.  I feel very grateful and lucky that David does make enough to make ends meet and that we are both in agreement that the "extras" just aren't worth it for us.  I'm not saying I won't leave room to adjust things later, but for now, this feels right.

Well anyway, it was super sweet to open the hand-made gifts and cards from my kids this morning that they mostly made at school or church.  There's nothing like reading what your kids really think about you - that they've written all by themselves.  It's such a bonus that they still seem like they really love you even after just spending more than a week at home with you when everyone has been sick, ill-tempered, and short on sleep and patience.

Harriet wrote a card by herself at home and one at school.  They read:

but For mom,
mad by Harriet
my deer
mom
you are
so much
much
nis you
are the
best mom

and

Happy Mother's Day
You are the best.
(complete with portrait of Harriet and me holding hands in the sunshine)

I am really touched by the efforts that her teachers put into helping the kids make great gifts.  They took pictures of the kids, helped them make frames, floral arrangements of silk flowers in handmade vases, and a darling paper teacup with a real tea bag inside.  I've been in class when they do big projects like that - it's not for the weak.

Grace had an assignment at school to write me a letter.  It's laminated in a big card.  She drew a horse, a saddle, and a riding helmet on the front:

Dear Mom,
I hope you're having a great Mother's Day.  You are the best mom!  You take care of me when I'm sick, you, volunteer at school.  You're awesome!  When I said that you deserved a Coke I really meant it.  You are the best mom in the world!  Love, Grace

She also made me a coupon list at church today:

Mom,
Have the best Mother's Day ever!
You are awesome

Cupons
1.  1 free coke (I will buy)
2.  1 free muschue (massage)
3.  1 free bike ride with me
4.  1 free coconut lotion (I will buy)
5.  1 free day of dog sitting

all good till 5/14/13

To give a little background on Grace's letters:  I took Grace and Harriet to the pharmacy on Wednesday night, when David was out of town, to restock the medicines.  I was buying ginger ale for both of them because it seems to be nice to drink when you're sick.  We really don't drink pop anymore at our house, so it either has to be a special occasion or you have to be sick to get one.  We were walking down the drink aisle and I thought out-loud to myself "oh man, a Coke sounds so great right now!"  I hadn't slept much in days and the sugar and caffeine rush was very tempting.  I rarely drink it anymore because it really makes me sick, but I do love it.  I think Grace was feeling bad that she had been driving me crazy all day and begged me to just get one - maybe hoping it would put mom in a better mood.  I resisted and told her it was fine.  But, it must have made an impression on her that a Coke sounded really good to me.  How sweet of her to want me to have one.

The other reasons that her letters are really sweet is that she does not part with her money willingly.  She loves to save it for big things she has her eye on, so for her to offer to buy me something is pretty cool.  The fact that she offered to buy me coconut lotion is even more incredible.  This kid HATES the smell of coconut.  If I do use the coconut lotion I have, she shrinks away, gags, tells me to go wash it off, begs me not to use it, tells me she can smell it from downstairs, etc.  So, it's true love from my 3rd grader to have her offer me all these things - all on her own.

Bottom line.  I love these girls and I'm super grateful to be their mom and I hope I can do the job justice so that when they are grown I haven't ruined the awesome human beings that they are right now.  Thanks kiddos for such great Mother's Day presents.  They are perfect.  I love you, you little stinkers!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms I know.  

No matter how you do your job, it's a big one;  

I'm grateful for all you do to help me do mine too.