Showing posts with label First Day of School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label First Day of School. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Friday, August 29, 2014
On Orientation
Today was kindergarten orientation for the Little Lady.
And all of a sudden I have two kids in elementary school.
I think it is safe to say that I operate on a daily basis with a fair share of anxiety. I think it is also fair to say that all the unlike two years ago when I took the same bus route to the same school with the Lady, that some of the anxiety was lessened today.
Yes, the Little Lady is my second, is a different personality than her big sister, and this isn't her first time in "school" or away from home. She started in a 2s program, made her way through pre-school, summer camp, drop off playdates and parties. She warms up a bit sooner to new experiences and people, but she has also been exposed to more situations than her sister ever was at her age.
I know that the amount of concern/anxiety/typical mom craziness I feel about sending my kids out the door is the same as it was for her sister. I am still anxious for her, for those mornings on the bus trying to find a seat, for a classroom full of faces and names she doesn't yet know, for all those hours where she will be part of something much bigger than she ever has. Will they know that even though she is quick to anger that it is fleeting? Will they know that behind a sometimes stubborn stance is a very sweet, incredibly funny, little girl who brings me such joy?
Her teacher seems super nice. She is experienced, she has a guitar, there are yoga poses hanging on a poster on the wall, she screams kindergarten, but will she cherish my little girl? I still have all those questions and we will see how this year plays out, but the thing that is different this time around is me.
I am no longer new mom. I am seasoned mom. I am (dare I say it?) confident mom. When the Lady started school, it was like I started too, I had to find some mom friends, I had to figure out how the school and the bus and the schedules worked. I fretted over packing the right snacks and how many things I should volunteer for. I wanted to do everything I could to make her transition smoother, but at the same time I was having a hard time orienting myself.
It was all so unknown.
And now its not. And that makes a huge difference.
Today, I gave a mom sitting next to me my phone number when she asked if she could call me with any questions. I have no idea what her name is, but her daughter sits at the Little Lady's table. Will she call? Probably not, but I am sure it makes her feel better knowing that there is someone she can if she needs too. I am happy to make things easier, to ease another mom's anxiety, to describe what my experience has been so that they don't have to start off feeling so untethered.
"It is hard giving up your children," the Little Lady's teacher said this morning. Indeed it is.
I will still cry in the car as I follow the bus to school on the first day because it is a new beginning and my babies! My babies! But I know I can handle it. I know they are in an environment where they can thrive, and I know that I have given them what they need in order to do so.
I like being this kind of mom.
And all of a sudden I have two kids in elementary school.
I think it is safe to say that I operate on a daily basis with a fair share of anxiety. I think it is also fair to say that all the unlike two years ago when I took the same bus route to the same school with the Lady, that some of the anxiety was lessened today.
Yes, the Little Lady is my second, is a different personality than her big sister, and this isn't her first time in "school" or away from home. She started in a 2s program, made her way through pre-school, summer camp, drop off playdates and parties. She warms up a bit sooner to new experiences and people, but she has also been exposed to more situations than her sister ever was at her age.
I know that the amount of concern/anxiety/typical mom craziness I feel about sending my kids out the door is the same as it was for her sister. I am still anxious for her, for those mornings on the bus trying to find a seat, for a classroom full of faces and names she doesn't yet know, for all those hours where she will be part of something much bigger than she ever has. Will they know that even though she is quick to anger that it is fleeting? Will they know that behind a sometimes stubborn stance is a very sweet, incredibly funny, little girl who brings me such joy?
Her teacher seems super nice. She is experienced, she has a guitar, there are yoga poses hanging on a poster on the wall, she screams kindergarten, but will she cherish my little girl? I still have all those questions and we will see how this year plays out, but the thing that is different this time around is me.
I am no longer new mom. I am seasoned mom. I am (dare I say it?) confident mom. When the Lady started school, it was like I started too, I had to find some mom friends, I had to figure out how the school and the bus and the schedules worked. I fretted over packing the right snacks and how many things I should volunteer for. I wanted to do everything I could to make her transition smoother, but at the same time I was having a hard time orienting myself.
It was all so unknown.
And now its not. And that makes a huge difference.
Today, I gave a mom sitting next to me my phone number when she asked if she could call me with any questions. I have no idea what her name is, but her daughter sits at the Little Lady's table. Will she call? Probably not, but I am sure it makes her feel better knowing that there is someone she can if she needs too. I am happy to make things easier, to ease another mom's anxiety, to describe what my experience has been so that they don't have to start off feeling so untethered.
"It is hard giving up your children," the Little Lady's teacher said this morning. Indeed it is.
I will still cry in the car as I follow the bus to school on the first day because it is a new beginning and my babies! My babies! But I know I can handle it. I know they are in an environment where they can thrive, and I know that I have given them what they need in order to do so.
I like being this kind of mom.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
End of Summer and Start of School
We packed up and headed out to the beach on Friday night. I just wanted one more day to spend on the beach. It was a gorgeous beach day and also a magical one.
Behold. . .
QT stepped foot in the sand! Granted, it took him a while to ease into it, but after playing with trucks on his sand-covered towel, he ventured down to the water's edge with bare feet.
The Ladies got one last day to run and play and we ended the night with some ice cream and a full-on meltdown by the Lady, but really isn't that what the end of summer is about? Ice cream and sheer exhaustion.
The next morning we got up and out early and headed over to Mystic to meet up with some friends. It was another beautiful day and I was charmed by the New Englandness of it all, and I live in New England.
Everyone got a new book from the local bookstore and some more ice cream. We watched the bridge go up a few times then got back in the van and headed home to prepare for the Lady's first day of first grade. On the trip home she lost her second tooth, which is great because when I have to drag her back to the dentist next week they won't have to pull it.
One good thing about the start of this school year was that it was a delayed start. There was no mad dash to get out the door. I made homemade pancakes. I tried to do something Pintrest-y and make the pancake into a shape of a 1. It looked more like a penis than a 1, so I scrapped that idea and had the Lady make her own sign to mark the day.
We were all up, dressed and ready to go. However, there was confusion about what time the bus would be coming and what time school really started. The letter from the elementary school said that they would start at 10:45. The letter from the city said that they would start at 11. We took a guess and headed out. The Lady was 30 yards ahead of me walking out of the driveway, QT and the nanny were behind her in his little red car and I was trying to catch up while at the same time encouraging the Little Lady to maybe hurry up as she tried to maneuver on her Barbie scooter.
After the Lady got on the bus I obviously ran back to the house so I could jump in the van and meet her at school with a giant bag of school supplies, which included four boxes of Kleenex (each with a box top on it and four additional box tops on the outer plastic, which I debated taking for myself, but figured the teacher would put them toward the class total), two rolls of paper towels and an assortment of crayons, markers, pencils and glue sticks.
I rushed the Little Lady into the van and headed out. I knew that the bus was ahead of me, so I was worried that I might miss the Lady getting off the bus. I was super psyched when I pulled through an intersection and saw the bus sitting at a red light while I went through on the green. After it turned the bus ended up being two cars behind us.
As we approached the school, you could see that things were not in order. Buses were lined up at the top of the entrance and cars and buses were backed up onto the main road. I like to think I channeled my husband here as I made a quick move into the church next door, parked totally illegally and got out. The Lady's bus was stopped at the flashing yellow at the entrance to the school waiting to make the turn.
The Lady's school is down off the main road about 100 yards or so. There is one entrance/exit road with two lanes total. The Little Lady and I started walking. People were stopped all over the place, cars were beeping, buses were idling, it was like we were on our way to Max Yasgur's farm. The Little Lady didn't like that the grass was wet, so I lifted her, the giant bag of school supplies, my camera and my purse, and weaved our way down to the front entrance.
The Little Lady could have walked backwards and through molasses and we would have gotten there before the Lady's bus. To say that there was some first day confusion would be an understatement. This year kindergarten orientation was in the morning, so all the parents who had gone with their kindergartners were now trying to make there way out of the school. Chaos ensued.
Ten minutes after the Little Lady and I got to the front entrance, the Lady's and three other buses pulled up. Good thing I met her because at that point they were technically late and all the aides that usually help with directing the students in the morning had already made their way into classrooms.
Gone was that comfortable bubble of kindergarten. I didn't know where the Lady's classroom was and neither did she. But we grabbed hands, made our best guess as to the direction to go and ended up in front of her classroom. I was incredibly relieved that as soon as she walked in I heard another student call her name. I kissed her goodbye, grabbed the Little Lady, stopped and signed up for a few less volunteer spots than I did last year and hoped that the Lady would have a great first day in first grade.
Behold. . .
QT stepped foot in the sand! Granted, it took him a while to ease into it, but after playing with trucks on his sand-covered towel, he ventured down to the water's edge with bare feet.
The Ladies got one last day to run and play and we ended the night with some ice cream and a full-on meltdown by the Lady, but really isn't that what the end of summer is about? Ice cream and sheer exhaustion.
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| End of summer fun |
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| The Little Lady's new pose. Gone is the cheese face. It has been replaced with the ballerina pose. |
The next morning we got up and out early and headed over to Mystic to meet up with some friends. It was another beautiful day and I was charmed by the New Englandness of it all, and I live in New England.
 |
| Drawbridge in Mystic |
 |
| The Lady outside the bookstore |
One good thing about the start of this school year was that it was a delayed start. There was no mad dash to get out the door. I made homemade pancakes. I tried to do something Pintrest-y and make the pancake into a shape of a 1. It looked more like a penis than a 1, so I scrapped that idea and had the Lady make her own sign to mark the day.
 |
| Best first day of school sign ever! |
We were all up, dressed and ready to go. However, there was confusion about what time the bus would be coming and what time school really started. The letter from the elementary school said that they would start at 10:45. The letter from the city said that they would start at 11. We took a guess and headed out. The Lady was 30 yards ahead of me walking out of the driveway, QT and the nanny were behind her in his little red car and I was trying to catch up while at the same time encouraging the Little Lady to maybe hurry up as she tried to maneuver on her Barbie scooter.
 |
| The Lady before boarding the bus. |
After the Lady got on the bus I obviously ran back to the house so I could jump in the van and meet her at school with a giant bag of school supplies, which included four boxes of Kleenex (each with a box top on it and four additional box tops on the outer plastic, which I debated taking for myself, but figured the teacher would put them toward the class total), two rolls of paper towels and an assortment of crayons, markers, pencils and glue sticks.
I rushed the Little Lady into the van and headed out. I knew that the bus was ahead of me, so I was worried that I might miss the Lady getting off the bus. I was super psyched when I pulled through an intersection and saw the bus sitting at a red light while I went through on the green. After it turned the bus ended up being two cars behind us.
As we approached the school, you could see that things were not in order. Buses were lined up at the top of the entrance and cars and buses were backed up onto the main road. I like to think I channeled my husband here as I made a quick move into the church next door, parked totally illegally and got out. The Lady's bus was stopped at the flashing yellow at the entrance to the school waiting to make the turn.
The Lady's school is down off the main road about 100 yards or so. There is one entrance/exit road with two lanes total. The Little Lady and I started walking. People were stopped all over the place, cars were beeping, buses were idling, it was like we were on our way to Max Yasgur's farm. The Little Lady didn't like that the grass was wet, so I lifted her, the giant bag of school supplies, my camera and my purse, and weaved our way down to the front entrance.
The Little Lady could have walked backwards and through molasses and we would have gotten there before the Lady's bus. To say that there was some first day confusion would be an understatement. This year kindergarten orientation was in the morning, so all the parents who had gone with their kindergartners were now trying to make there way out of the school. Chaos ensued.
Ten minutes after the Little Lady and I got to the front entrance, the Lady's and three other buses pulled up. Good thing I met her because at that point they were technically late and all the aides that usually help with directing the students in the morning had already made their way into classrooms.
Gone was that comfortable bubble of kindergarten. I didn't know where the Lady's classroom was and neither did she. But we grabbed hands, made our best guess as to the direction to go and ended up in front of her classroom. I was incredibly relieved that as soon as she walked in I heard another student call her name. I kissed her goodbye, grabbed the Little Lady, stopped and signed up for a few less volunteer spots than I did last year and hoped that the Lady would have a great first day in first grade.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
The Little Lady's First Day
Here are some pics of the Little Lady's first day(s) at nursery school.
We were all set to start in the afternoons and I even made an effort with some moms in the class to meet up and get together, however at the last minute (Thursday) she was switched to the morning class. I was a little disappointed because the other moms actually seemed really nice and I had prepped her for the afternoon class.
However, yesterday the nursery school director told me that the "stars must have been aligned for you." I guess the a.m. is when all the cool kids hit the scene.
So, Monday morning my mom took her to meet the teachers and get acclimated (for a full 45 minutes) and then yesterday I took the morning off and brought her to school.
I am so used to the Little Lady just going with the flow of things. She is definitely my more adventurous child and is used to keeping up with the bigger kids. I will say I was a little taken aback when she got upset when I was leaving. I was surprised at how upset I got to leave her. I guess that since we have gone through separations before that this I thought this time it would be easier.
It wasn't.
This isn't the Little Lady's first "school" experience but it is a new experience for her and I hope she has a great year.
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| Meet the Teacher Day. Here's to hoping that the water she spilled down the front of her dress while brushing her teeth dried in time. Also, not sure if any of you watch the Glee Project but she is doing that same weird self-hug thing that the choreographer always does when he is happy about something. See below. |
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| Thought it was necessary to make a "funny face" |
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| The official first day shot! |
We were all set to start in the afternoons and I even made an effort with some moms in the class to meet up and get together, however at the last minute (Thursday) she was switched to the morning class. I was a little disappointed because the other moms actually seemed really nice and I had prepped her for the afternoon class.
However, yesterday the nursery school director told me that the "stars must have been aligned for you." I guess the a.m. is when all the cool kids hit the scene.
So, Monday morning my mom took her to meet the teachers and get acclimated (for a full 45 minutes) and then yesterday I took the morning off and brought her to school.
I am so used to the Little Lady just going with the flow of things. She is definitely my more adventurous child and is used to keeping up with the bigger kids. I will say I was a little taken aback when she got upset when I was leaving. I was surprised at how upset I got to leave her. I guess that since we have gone through separations before that this I thought this time it would be easier.
It wasn't.
This isn't the Little Lady's first "school" experience but it is a new experience for her and I hope she has a great year.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
The Lady Starts Kindergarten
If any of you follow me on Twitter, are friends with me on my personal fb page, or if you saw the photo of the Lady on the Three Bean fb page yesterday, you know that the Lady has started kindergarten.
Deep breaths Bean. Deep breaths.
Yesterday was kindergarten orientation. My husband and I rode with the Lady on the bus, we were able to bring her to her classroom, we met the teacher, we had a Q&A, we sized up the other students, checked out where the bathrooms were and tried to get the Lady and ourselves acclimated to elementary school.
It was a great day. We left there feeling positive and not at all echoing the sentiments of one of the Lady's new classmates, who blurted out when they were all sitting down for circle time "This is the worst class ever."
Fast forward to this morning.
We weren't riding the bus.
There wasn't going to be two kindergartners and three parents on the bus.
There were at least 10 kids at the bus stop.
The Lady was nervous.
I was nervous.
The bus pulled up. It was pretty full.
The Lady got on. There were no seats until the back of the bus.
The bus started to move before she was seated.
I started crying.
The babysitter started crying.
I got in Minnie-Ru and headed towards the school.
After sitting in a bit of back-to-school traffic and driving behind an incredibly slow blue Nissan Altima, I finally pulled into the Lady's school. The place was packed. I inched my way down the long line of cars and as I pulled into a packed parking lot, I saw the Lady getting off the bus and running through the rain.
I had a moment of panic because I wasn't sure if she would know where to go and I was too far away to get to her.
I finally found a parking spot. I grabbed the raincoat she "forgot" and headed into the school.
There were people and backpacks everywhere.
I found her classroom.
She was sitting in her seat, coloring a rainbow.
I kissed her once. I hung her raincoat. I kissed her again.
I walked away.
I then bought one of those car magnets that says her school's name. I also perused page after page of sign-up sheets that lined the table outside of the entrance. I was surprised how many times I found my name. Yesterday, in my quest to be as involved as I could be in the Lady's school, I pretty much signed up for any event that said it was ideal for working parents. I have no idea what these events are or when they may occur, but I will be there, for the Lady.
Deep breaths Bean. Deep breaths.
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| On the bus for kindergarten orientation |
It was a great day. We left there feeling positive and not at all echoing the sentiments of one of the Lady's new classmates, who blurted out when they were all sitting down for circle time "This is the worst class ever."
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| With the school mascot |
Fast forward to this morning.
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| Waiting for the bus on the official first day |
There wasn't going to be two kindergartners and three parents on the bus.
There were at least 10 kids at the bus stop.
The Lady was nervous.
 |
| Looking kind of nervous |
I was nervous.
The bus pulled up. It was pretty full.
The Lady got on. There were no seats until the back of the bus.
The bus started to move before she was seated.
I started crying.
The babysitter started crying.
I got in Minnie-Ru and headed towards the school.
After sitting in a bit of back-to-school traffic and driving behind an incredibly slow blue Nissan Altima, I finally pulled into the Lady's school. The place was packed. I inched my way down the long line of cars and as I pulled into a packed parking lot, I saw the Lady getting off the bus and running through the rain.
I had a moment of panic because I wasn't sure if she would know where to go and I was too far away to get to her.
I finally found a parking spot. I grabbed the raincoat she "forgot" and headed into the school.
There were people and backpacks everywhere.
I found her classroom.
She was sitting in her seat, coloring a rainbow.
I kissed her once. I hung her raincoat. I kissed her again.
I walked away.
I then bought one of those car magnets that says her school's name. I also perused page after page of sign-up sheets that lined the table outside of the entrance. I was surprised how many times I found my name. Yesterday, in my quest to be as involved as I could be in the Lady's school, I pretty much signed up for any event that said it was ideal for working parents. I have no idea what these events are or when they may occur, but I will be there, for the Lady.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Finally, The First Day!!!
The Lady, wearing pants--pants!!!!!
Getting excited for school!
Well the first day is over with. It was pretty smooth sailing on the Lady's part. We walked into the classroom, and while I signed her in the teacher distracted her with stickers and I left. No tears on her part. Very few tears on my part. I got a little misty eyed as I drove away, but was happy that she was starting something new.
I will say that yesterday's meet and greet with the teacher, was a good thing. We got to see the classroom and twice the Lady told me "I love school." We will see if this attitude and the pants wearing continues. . .
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