Let me back up and start from the beginning of this new season :)
So for weeks leading up to Kindergarten, mommy had been checking the mail daily for the postcard that would tell us who the boys teacher was (I’m not sure why I was so excited….I couldn’t pick any of these teachers out of a line up!) Either way I was so excited when the postcard finally arrived (the day before “meet the teacher”) – the boys would have Ms. Hardy…..
The following day, Mason, Jace, mommy and daddy all loaded up the car and headed to learn a little more about kindergarten. We started in the multipurpose room where we talked briefly about general school stuff…you know “Hi, I’m the principle….”, this is how you do drop off, this is how pick up works, lunches cost this much etc. Then it was time to head down to the classroom.
We met Ms. Hardy – mommy’s initial gut was a good one. She is young, energetic and looks to be very organized and really big on communication with the parents. It was just a short meeting, filling out some paperwork, dropping off supplies etc and then we were done, headed home to wait until Monday. Pretty painless right?? Ok….So here’s how it really went (from the perspective of a first time kindergarten mom)
It’s four days before my oldest babies first day of Kindergarten. I’m nervous and already a little in denial that they could possibly be old enough for school already. I just found out who their teacher was yesterday. I’m still not sure that we made the right decision going with public vs private school (somewhere deep down, I can’t seem to shake the feeling the they are going to go to school with all future felons who hate Jesus and their parents and speak only in cuss words – I didn’t say it was a legit fear)
So, I take off work early, rush home, don’t even have time to eat lunch – but that’s ok because part of me wants to vomit anyway (Kindergarten…seriously??!!) We load up the car with the four of us and approximately 300 pounds of school supplies (thank God Mackenzie could keep Easton so we didn’t have to lug the 2 year old with us too). They herd us like cattle into the multipurpose room (ie – a giant room with rows of folding chairs that echos) along with EVERY OTHER FAMILY THAT IS STARTING KINDERGARTEN THIS YEAR (fyi – there are 11 – yes I said ELEVEN kindergarten classrooms…approximately 20 kids per class….plus at least one parents, often two, plus various numbers of siblings….you do the math – there were a lot of us!) If you are picturing chaos, you’ve nailed it!! Everyone started out quiet but as the time went on, everyone, especially the small people got more and more antsy and more and more loud. In said multipurpose room the kindergarten teachers gave a short little presentation about important information that us as kindergarten parents needed to know. This is what I walked away with :
-Don’t drop off your kids before 8 am
-Lunches are cheap (ie – why the HECK am I packing lunches?? I certainly can’t pack a lunch for $1.80!!)
-They are going to try really hard to not loose any of the kindergarteners during the first week since the school is HUGE and none of them know where they are going
-There are 400 different ways to pick up your kid……you need some sort of paper, card, ID, funny hat, red sequin shoes (think “There’s no place like home) etc for each of them….make sure you pick up said props today and remember which one you need for what, I’m sure you’ll figure it out, good luck…Just follow the 3000 other parents who will likely have no idea what they are doing either and eventually you’ll get your kids in your possession and be able to move on with your day. Oh, and make sure you do that before 3:10 or they will be sent to the office…..
After what seemed like 3 hours in a large echo-y room with 4000 of my closest friends we all pushed and shoved our way to the classrooms. Well, we had decided, since we had 300 pounds of school supplies (times TWO) to leave our stuff in the car, so Stephen runs out to the car to get them, while Jace proceeds to have a meltdown (tears and everything) because the PTA table, which we just happen to be standing next to had a wheel you could spin for a prize (aka – a piece of candy) but his failure of a mother had no cash so he didn’t get to spin the wheel. (In his defense – he was SO nervous and that is often how his nervousness comes out – he is not usually a total brat when he doesn’t get his way)
So, daddy gets back with the entire Walmart school supply section and we head down to the classroom. Mommy was not aware that the time in the classroom was going to be a short presentation by the teacher (honestly thought it was going to be more, walk in, say hello, drop off supplies etc) so, because Stephen had walked out to the car, by the time we got to the classroom Ms. Hardy had already started talking which means, first impression was that we were late and interrupting (if you know me, you know I HATE to be late to anything!!) So, we cause a ruckus walking in after everyone is already in their places. We fill out some paperwork – mostly how best to contact us and then some labels about how our kids are getting home the first week (see – we are going to try not to loose any kindergartners above). After Ms. Hardy was done (she essentially went over the same information from the multipurpose room) we said hello, took the required picture and headed home.
Mommy felt like she needed a drink! Suddenly I was worried about stupid things like
-Are they going to get to drink out of a water bottle during the day or only from the water fountain…if so I need to make sure I send them one
-Are they going to have nice/good kids in their class?
-Should I have put them in separate classrooms?
-Am I going to be the blubbering idiot on the first day (cause I sort of teared up randomly like 4 times at this silly event)
-Is Jace going to be the only kid crying on the first day?
After getting over the completely overwhelmed feeling that Thursday left me with, I was determined to make this the “BEST WEEKEND EVER.” I’m not sure why I felt so much pressure to make it a good one - like this was their “last weekend” as a little kid or something – who knows….But I gave it my best shot…..
Friday we had an awesome day with our good friends the Campbells – Dara and I had been planning our day for weeks!
We rode the people mover (think low budget monorail), went to story time and craft time at the main library (think 50 toddler-aged kids, most probably too young for story time, all stuck in a room that was way too small, while a library employee tried to engage them in some “exciting” (read: stupid) book about making vegetable soup….then move that same group to another too-small room and imagine us trying to string pasta and paper “vegetables” onto a vegetable soup necklace), lunch at Subway (where at one point Jace announced to most of the restaurant that he had to poop), a visit to Sweet Pete’s (a fancy candy shop), playtime in Hemming Plaza (with the bully kids who kept trying to push Easton’s walker away from him – this momma almost lost her s***!!) and finally throwing money at the huge shark in the fountain….Now remember….This adventure included me, Dara, 5 children who are 5 and under, 2 strollers, one walker, several encounters with homeless and/or drunk people (gotta love downtown Jacksonville), a giant candy story with everything at small people level and 90 degree heat…..Remember that drink I talked about needing after Meet the Teacher – I didn’t just need one after Friday….I EARNED one!! The boys had a BLAST and several times on the way home I was told that it had been the “best day ever.” (2 points for mommy!!)
Saturday we had a “pool party” – which was just a trip to the condo pool where we swam – with the cousins – and ate dinner. Nothing too special (there were Publix cookies on the menu) :) but fun either way. Sunday was more low key – well that was the plan…..We went to church and when we picked up the kids, Jace was acting a little puny – low grade fever :(. We prayed a nap would do his body good…..so after lunch everyone settled in for some rest time. Mommy did some grocery shopping (had to by all the fun lunch packing ingredients) and when I got home, Jace was pathetic. Fever and really puny. We decided a trip to the walk-in clinic was warranted – since Daddy had had strep throat earlier that week. Daddy stayed home with the healthy kids to enjoy some of Mason’s requested “last night of summer” spaghetti dinner while mommy snuggled with a very pathetic, very feverish Jace. Positive for strep :(. A shot in the bottom (mommy’s ear drums will NEVER be the same), an offer of ANY treat he wanted (which he decided to take a raincheck on – that should tell you how crummy he was feeling) and a LOT of prayers for a miraculous recovery, it was early bedtimes for everyone.
Sunday was our first go at “night time routine” that involved real school in the morning (They went to VPK last year but it didn’t start until 9…that just didn’t seem like the same). We laid out clothes, mommy packed lunches and after showers we read books. Grandma and Papa Dogan had sent the boys some books about Kindergarten that we had been reading over the last few days so Sunday night we finished it off with “Twas the Night Before Kindergarten” – I cried my way through it……Goodnight kisses and lots of prayers for poor Jace.
The Lord does still work miracles (and so does a shot of penicillin) – because Jace woke up Monday morning with only a very low grade fever (still within the OK range for school) so the first day of Kindergarten was a GO! Mommy was up crazy early – the boys too actually. I think they woke up at 6am – about an hour earlier than usual! Everyone was dressed and ready, a good healthy breakfast (no promises this will every happen again kids), more pictures than mommy will know what to do with….grab the lunches, grab the backpacks and load up the car! Stephen and I got to walk them all the way into to school on the first day. We actually decided to park at Grandma and Grandpa Diehls on that first day to try to avoid some of the traffic. Mommy was dosing Jace with some Mortin as we stepped on to school grounds (just to be safe), they had their cousin Barrett as additional support (he started Kindergarten too, just in a different classroom). We walked in, took the required picture with Ms. Hardy, they sat down and never looked back!! I actually had to walk up to them to get a kiss. I walked out, ate a doughnut (at the Boo-Hoo Yahoo Breakfast) and headed home….WITH NO TEARS!!
Daddy had to work (boo) but mommy enjoyed a celebratory “first day of school” lunch with Dara (who’s daughter also started Kindergarten). I folded some laundry etc and then it was time for pick up….back to Grandma and Grandpa Diehls again….Pick up wasn’t nearly as bad as I had pictured. Actually, it was very simple….I had my big kids back in my arms just a few minutes before 3:00 – both feeling awesome with big smiles on their faces!! They had a GREAT first day they said! They got to see Barrett on the playground (a highlight for sure) and they had gotten a skittle for being good listeners!! After a snack and some chill time at grandma and grandpa Diehls it was time to head home for dinner and then to do it all again the next day!!
Now that we are two weeks in, this is what I have learned…….
-pick up is pretty simple…but 5 minutes difference in when you arrive can make 30 minutes worth of difference on your commute to work!!
-every parent wants their kids to love school, but when they jump out of the car in the morning, wave and never look back….it’s really bittersweet!
-they are so tired – and unfortunately that doesn’t mean they are sleeping in later on Saturday mornings or wanting to go to bed earlier in the evening….it just means they aren’t coping with life as well as they used to (ie – they are often grouchy)
-I HATE PACKING LUNCHES
-Kindergarten homework is no joke already! (this weeks packet is crazy!)
-car line SUCKS
-all they are concerned about after being in school all day away from you is not seeing you….but finding out what you brought them for a snack
-they think Safety Patrol kids are THE BEES KNEES!!
-I’m never going to get any info about what they did during the day other than “we had recess”
All in all, school is going great! They love it!! Morning routine is working itself out – mommy is having to get up a little earlier and make sure she is a little more organized but I’m coping. (Talk to me in a month) We are figuring out an afternoon routine too….a little down time and then we are able to get homework out of the way before dinner time! They are going to learn so much!! We are already working on sight words J I cannot wait to watch how much they grow this year – and hopefully next year, the first day will go just as well (maybe without the drama of a sick kid the night before though!!)
Thanks for all the prayers
(lots of First Day of School pictures on the pictures page) :)
Love and Hugs.