In keeping with the "all first day of school" theme...

Today was Sam's first day. The kindergartners go in on a staggered basis (about 6 kids a day) which is why he didn't start two days ago with Kamryn. This morning went well. He's been asking when his turn would be for a week now. Daniel and I met him at the school (he took the bus) but it was so obvious he didn't need us. Although I suspect if we weren't there he wouldn't have gone and found his teacher - content to just run around the school yard.

Here are some pics...

All "first day of school;" all the time.

Spent some time playing with the computer last night.

More First Day of School News

Kamryn's 2nd grade teacher is an adoptive Mom. She has a 5 year old daughter, who was adopted from China. We've never shared with the school the fact that the children are adopted because I can't see how it's relevant (if it becomes relevant we'll bring it up). All of a sudden though I want to rush in and tell Maya's teacher and become her instant best friend. Technically it's still not relevant but I still want to (not that I'm going to but if it comes up casually ... ;))

First day of school and I'm obsessing over someone else's child.

Ugh! Well at least I'm not worried about my own who went off happily. My neighbour's son – let’s call him Max, started at my children's school today. He's been in a private "bilingual" Montessori school for 4 years. He's a very bright, cheerful and vibrant child with some issues/delays related to ADHD. When his mother called me last night and told me she wasn't going to accompany him on his first day because he asked her not to I told her it was a bad idea not to go (in the end maybe it was a good idea – with his mother there, there may have been some tears -- although I sure do think he could have used his mother this morning). Anyway we told her we would look out for him and make sure he got to the right class etc. He's good friends with my Kamryn but they're in different grades (she's in 2nd and he's in 1st; they are 6 months apart in age) and I don't think he realized he couldn't just stay with her all day. When we got to the school it was so obvious how overwhelmed he was.

The school is a French-language school and only French is allowed to be spoken. Poor kid got on the school bus and before it even pulled away I heard the school bus driver explaining to him how he is not allowed to speak English on the bus. Max’s father is francophone but his mother like me is Anglophone (I don't think I've ever heard her speak French.) They speak English at home, as far as I can tell, exclusively.

Daniel and I have spoken French with our kids since they were infants. Daniel ONLY speaks French with them and the kids flip back and forth from one language to the other with relatively accentless ease. I worried so much in the early years that they would have difficulties in school because of language - neither of them do. They correct my awful French quite regularly. They really are francophone kids – I say this because they think in French. I know this because Kamryn translates obviously in her head when speaking English. She will take a French expression and just change it to English and it doesn’t work – but it’s terribly cute and her evil mother doesn’t correct her (“One chance…” = une chance or in English, “isn’t it lucky”; “It makes nothing…”= Ca fait rien or in English (very loose translation), “it doesn’t matter” oh how I love hearing her say things like that).


Most of the kids at their school come from households where the only language ever spoken is French. I don't think I've ever heard Max speak French; certainly not this morning. Whenever I said anything in French to him he looked at me with this blank uncomprehending look on his little face. He’s had as I said 4 years in a bilingual Montessori but that doesn’t hold up against his classmates who’ve been in class morning and afternoon in French for two years now, who play in French on the playground and who go home and speak French with their parents.

It was so hard to leave him with his class – all of whom knew each other and were chattering away and ignoring the new kid who didn’t speak the language with anywhere near the facility needed. I introduced him to his teacher (a wonderful teacher my daughter had last year and who is fully aware of his situation) and told him to stay with her; he followed me away. I brought him back; he followed me again. Finally his teacher took his hand to make him stay with her.

I hate it that his parents have done this to him (its takes discipline to speak two languages in the home but it’s not hard; he didn't have to start school so far behind). I've been worried about him all day. Our neighbours across the street did the exact same thing (only worse because there was no bilingual school first) to their son. At 4 years old they took this English kid and stuck him in an all French jr. Kindergarten. He lasted until December when they HAD to take him out because he was so miserable.

This isn’t necessary. There are good immersion programs around – everywhere here. You don’t have to subject your kids to this misery just because you as a parent don’t want to do the homework. Yes, they will speak better French in a French-language school rather than in immersion but that’s the trade-off you make when you decide that your pre-schooler really doesn’t need to speak French yet.

Daniel and I were at the school last week helping to set up classrooms (the school moved campuses over the holidays – don’t know if I’ve mentioned this already and I’m too lazy to check.) We were mentioning to some teachers that we know well that our neighbours children were transferring from their private Montessori to the school. When we mentioned that they didn’t speak French at home – the expression on their faces said it all.

I knew Max would have some trouble but until this morning I don’t think I ever realized how little French he actually spoke. His sister is only 4 and will have an easier time of it as she’s had the bilingual Montessori and will have some extra time to pick up the language skills before it matters since she’s only in Jr. K. But poor Max has been dumped into the fast moving waters of grade 1 and I don’t know if he can stay afloat. I’ve worried about him all day. I really hope he had a good day.

P.S. Can you tell I'm back to work? I'm going to make a real effort to continue posting regularly. I enjoyed my little spree this summer. Its a nice stress release (not that I was all that stressed while on vacation lol).

Can I brag just a little?

This really is the worst kind of bragging because I personally haven't done anything. Sam has some God (and birthparent!) given talent none of which I've contributed to. I did, though, go through all the uniforms before distribution to make sure he had the best fitting one.

The other night at soccer I was taking pictures of my little soccer star (the one's where the kids are wearing red) and a grandparent commenting on my little photography session asked me if I'd gotten a shot of the goal Sam had just scored. I hadn't but unfortunately I engaged mouth before brain and responded "no, but that's all right; he does that all the time." It was true but I didn't mean to be that flippant and rude. I try to show (and teach Sam) a little humility. It's hard though. ALL the other parents marvel at his skills. People whisper about him on the sidelines - he's that good! He plays like a kid MUCH older than he really is (as evidenced by the fact that last winter at 4 he was moved to the 5/6 indoor soccer class because the coach said if he didn't move him he'd use the other kids as pylons). I know he's only five but I'm excited to see what comes next.

I want to be a dentist with gloves

Edited to add the photo. Obviously this was written before the blessed event. He is VERY proud of himself.

Sam is about to lose his first tooth (if it doesn't come out today it will most definitely come out tomorrow). He's freaked out about it and started to wail (with no warning) jump up an down and exclaim that his tooth was going to fall out. Ummm... that's what it is supposed to do dear. I asked him if it hurt and he said no. So I asked him what he was wailing about. He paused for a moment and then continued to wail and jump up and down. Based on previous Sam experiences I thought it best to walk away.

Kamryn on the other hand is VERY excited. She's giving advice and directing his wiggling efforts and keeps trying to pull the tooth out herself. I think I've asked her three times to keep her hands out of her brother's mouth. She has a declared desire to be a dentist. She has now informed us she wants to be a dentist with gloves because its so yucky. Ummm... keep your hands out of your brother's mouth!

Meanwhile, I'm frantically searching online for a store near here that stocks "tooth fairy books" because in our home on the first visit the tooth fairy leaves a book about herself. With Kamryn I had weeks of warning. Sam has kind of taken me by surprise. I think I've found a good one and will run out and get it when (ironically) I get back from taking Sam to the dentist this afternoon. He has an appointment today because at his last appointment a month ago, he refused to open his mouth. Definitely a boy with oral issues.

I still owe you 13 more things about me.

13. I'm a good cook (not perfect by far and have had some real train wrecks). I like to plan elaborate meals. I'd like to take some real cooking classes one day. Maybe this winter.

14. I love the card game euchre and am really good at it. I miss playing but I don't have a group of friends who are equally enamored of the game. The neighbours around here once chatted about having a little neighbourhood tourney but kids and obligations got in the way. I'm equally maniacal regarding scrabble but have found an online outlet for that obsession. Online euchre doesn't cut it - the social aspect just isn't there.

15. I hate not knowing something - anything. Google was invented for me. Cracks Daniel up.

16. I'm not a physically demonstrative individual. Hugging etc. freaks me out a little and I hate that that is what social conventions (i.e. on reconnecting with good friends) demand. I have no problem being affectionate with my children and my husband but anything beyond that (including extended family) and I'm kind of lost.

17. I'm also terrible at goodbyes. I just feel ackward and socially backward. I much prefer hiding out and pretending that it isn't happening to goodbye lunches, dinners, parties etc. When I was a kid at the end of summer camp I just needed to be somewhere else as everyone had their tearful goodbyes. Again I wonder if I'm somehow abnormal.

18. I have a number of serious allergies (and a ton of more boring ones). I'm reckless about them (within reason). It annoys me a little when people fuss. If I'm not freaking out; others (my husband, my parents, my friends) shouldn't be. I do believe people with allergies need to be responsible for themselves (there was more to this but I deleted it because I started to rant).

19. I consciously go out of my way to admit when I am wrong. I don't think people notice because I don't think I'm wrong very often. ;)

20. I have never really gotten over the infertility thing. I enjoy being a mother to my kids more than anything but I still question my worth as a woman because of infertility.

21. People I can't remember from high school are always finding me. Its a constant embarrassment to have to continually admit (or work hard at faking otherwise) that I have no flipping idea who they are.

22. I often don't have breakfast or lunch not because I'm not hungry but because I cannot for the life of me think of what I want to eat. Today is one of those days.

23. If I could pick any super power it would be the ability to fly. I've always wanted to be able to fly.

24. I really love musicals and fondly remember all that I've seen from my very first (Annie Get Your Gun performed by the local middle school when I was in elementary school) to the last (Spamalot, last winter).

25. Pre-kids Daniel and I had gotten into a nice routine of "hanging-out" with my parents on a regular basis as adults. The dynamic completely changed when the kids got out of the baby-stage (as babies they were just along for the ride and not really participants so no real change) because my parents focus swivelled completely to the grandkids they had waited so long for (my kids will be their only grandchildren). They have no interest in activities that don't include the kids. I miss the pre-kid adult interaction.

I'm bored

Who would have thought I'd had enough of "nothing." I've been sitting reading on the couch for an hour and I don't want to do that anymore. Can you believe that? Pretty much what I did all day yesterday though. Daniel went to help an out-of-town friend's daughter find and apartment for university and I stayed home trapped (read: carless) with the kids. It was a wonderfully hot day and I set a new kiddy pool up for them on the front lawn. I then sat in the cool of the living room and read, did a puzzle, played Sims on my laptop while they had a whale of a time in the water. Today I guess I could do more of the same but I so don't want to. I just don't know where to start.

After 5 weeks of vacation we've done A LOT. The house looks as good and put together as its going to be. I'm sitting in my freshly painted and organized family room right now. We've visited Museums, zoos, parks and libraries. We've ridden bikes and roller bladed. We've swam and we've picnicked.

A bike ride might be nice but its a little warm (oh how wonderful!) for the kids (let the whinning commence!). I guess with adequate water we should just go for it but maybe that's a smarter activity for after dinner when it cools a little. Kamryn wants to have a friend over. I can't emphasize how much I hate watching other people's kids. Despite that I believe we've fufilled our social obligations to her school friends and its their parents turn to watch my kid for a bit. We owe a few neighbours a reciprocal visit but the neighbourhood is pretty quiet today - many friends are away.

I guess, its going to be a quiet day. In a few weeks I'll be begging for this I know. Right now though I want to be busy.

"I want to be a walking noodle!"

Summer has finally arrived. Alleluia! I had given up. It’s been improving SLOWLY but I can’t remember the last time we went a day without rain. Even yesterday, which was pretty perfect was not without an errant sprinkle. It seems though that everything is coming together – temperature, precipitation, sun. And it only took the entire summer to get there. Ah well.

Yesterday we spent a splendid day at Mont Cascades, a water park that is normally about a half hour from home. It took us over an hour to get there due to construction. The kids were impatient. Daniel was grumpy. All of this made me stressed. Before even leaving home I was dreading it – the crowds, the over-excited out-of-control children and the trifecta, the grumpy husband who forgets what its like to be an excited child.

In the end though we all had fun. The weather was perfect. Not too hot that waiting in endless lines was onerous (and there were endless lines!), not too cool that you were cold when wet. Because of the traffic we didn’t get there until noon and all the picnic tables were taken (people dump their things on a picnic table and take off to enjoy the park.) We found a group (sitting in beach chairs NEXT to their table) that was willing to let us use their table to eat lunch – had a quick picnic lunch, stowed our stuff under another “unused” table and then hit the park. The quote of the day had to be Kamryn who declared “I want to be a walking noodle!” She was referencing the long lines of people obscured by the giant inner tubes they were carrying up the mountain. It really did look like the inner tubes were walking up the mountain unassisted.

Kamryn continues to be a daredevil wanting to try anything and everything which means I have to be a daredevil to as I’m not going to allow my 7 year-old to risk her life unaccompanied (and it seems she always asks it be me that goes with her – flattering but still... The same was true at the fair last week. Oh look another ride that you normally wouldn't be able to drag me on blindfolded and gagged. Yippy!) One of the slides shot you down this tube at breakneck speed, on reaching the bottom you spiral around a bowl until you shoot out the bottom. Its completely disorientating and then you literally SHOOT out the bottom (I expected it to be more of a plop) so you end up at the bottom of a 8 foot deep pool. My first thought on hitting the water was “oh my Lord how did Kamryn handle this?!?” (I had sent her first) My second thought was “I’m about to drown” (I’m not the strongest of swimmers). As I struggled to the edge of the pool the bored and unenthused life guard asked if I was all right. Only my pride, only my pride ... Kamryn didn’t want to go again... Alleluia!

Sam was like barely controlled raw electricity all day but – with fun things to do all around – there were no timeouts so I guess a good day there too. It helped that at 2:30 pm a good 700 patrons piled on to the school busses that had delivered them from various day camps and left. The lines contracted considerably. Even Daniel (yes, even the adult) didn’t have any real tantrums – ‘cept for traffic on the way home, which really was AWFUL (in the end though our GPS saved us). Thanks to traffic we got home much later than we expected and there was dinner to be had (take-out) and showers to be taken (wash off the icky park water). When I climbed into bed at 8, I was weary to the bone. And sore! (the park is on a ski hill; much climbing involved).

Right now – I’m washing swimsuits (was too tired to even think about that last night) so I can put the kids back into them for our own private and much less exciting home water park today. After the jets and shoots of Mont Cascades I’m not sure the sprinkler and kiddy pool will cut it today but it’s all I have on offer. ;)

Well they only pick up trash ONCE a year you know.

Today is Garbage Day so last night Daniel put out the garbage.

I came downstairs this morning and found a little pile of roasted salted almonds sitting on the counter in the kitchen - not in a bowl or on a napkin or anything, just sitting on the counter.

Odd, I thought. So I asked Daniel what was up with the almonds. "Oh I put the container in the recycling," he explains. Uh hunh, so he thought it was appropriate ot simply leave the remaining almonds (about 10) just sitting in a pile on the counter?!?

Yes my brow is still wrinkled in confusion over this one.

Three Cheers for Customer Service

So today was a day of contrasts.

FIrst - Sock-gate! The kids need VERY little for school. They wear uniforms and school uniforms were bought back in April (except socks which we don't have to buy through the school - this is important; you'll see in a sec.). Their supply list was short and I took care of that a week ago. Today we just wanted to kill some time so we headed to the mall. I thought perhaps the sock supply from last year needed stocking up a bit. Did you know that navy blue socks are impossible to find in mid-August? Impossible.

Gymboree has a waiting list! The saleslady offered to put me on it and I told her not to bother. It was too incredulous. A waiting list for socks?!? Children's Place was sold out. Gap had a pair or two but I don't like the quality of their dress socks. I guess I should have bought them in April. I think I'll just get some from Land's End (edited to add: guess who is also out of blue socks?).

Speaking of Land's End. I called to have Sam's backpack from last year replaced because the bottom wore out (it had help!). The customer service rep pointed out that if it was dragged the warranty didn't really apply but that she could replace it as a courtesy. Big cheer for a reliable company. She could have fought me on it. I would have folded easily - she had a valid point but the next knapsack I purchased would probably come from LLBean (also a good company) but her attitude (fair - they didn't owe me ANYTHING - but generous) means I will likely come back to Lands End next year and buy Kamryn (who will need a bigger bag than she has now) one of their more high end bags.

Okay, back on track with my day of contrasts. There aren't a lot of places to go in this town to buy kids shoes. If you don't want to hit a big department store - Sears, Walmart, the Bay, Zellars - there are few independent stores that sell children's shoes. Kiddy Kobbler though has been around since I was a child. They tend to be a little more expensive than other options (generally the shoes they stock will run you > $60) but their selection is extensive and their staff are well trained. They give good advice and will just as soon tell you not to buy a pair of shoes as talk you into a pair. This is important for us. Kamryn has "difficult" feet. Sam can get his shoes anywhere but Kamryn really does need expensive shoes.

Get to the point you're saying? This year rather than our normal Columbia sandals Kamryn convinced me to buy her crocs. We got her Mary-Jane style. It took them 6 weeks to completely fall apart. The back-strap broke. Then the buttons that hold them together fell off (and were lost in the grass). I was not impressed. We didn't buy them from Kiddy Kobbler because Crocs are crocs are crocs whereever you buy them but walking by a Kiddy Kobbler (there are several in town but they are independently owned) I mentioned they had fallen apart and asked if they could help. The clerk told me she could replace the buttons but that the back strap wasn't replaceable because Crocs sold the straps seperately. Today we headed to a different Kiddy Kobbler to get the new buttons. The clerk looked at Kamryn's shoes (all I asked for was new buttons) and replaced them with a completely new pair. No questions asked. I'm still a little dumbfounded.

And once again - customer for life! Going back to his store next week to buy > $60 school shoes. I think they too may sell blue socks.

The most boring, short, and depressing post ever.

So I wrote this post about six times. It wasn't short when I started. Basically I just wanted to register my frustration. I have come to the realization I don't have to write a lot to do that. Thus I guess the brilliance of Twitter.

Irresponsiblity and Painting

It's a holiday (nothing to celebrate just a generic holiday in the middle of summer because we deserve one!) The kids are at my parents house (until Friday morning. Woohoo!). I'm in my Pjs -- at noon. I've been out of bed for about an hour. I've only had coffee and yogurt for breakfast because I can't decide what to feed myself.

I've moved the couch two feet forward in our family room to facilitate Daniel and I playing video games (Raving Rabbits) without having to stand up to get closer to the TV. Did I mention in a previous post that we weren't teenagers? LOL

Today is about total irresponsiblity. See I can be fun too. To be honest it's really nice to be able to think only about me for a little while (between work and homelife I've been feeling a little overwhelmed - buy a plane ticket for Fiji without telling anyone overwhelmed -- for the past 8 months or so. If I hadn't had 5 weeks vacation coming I would have taken some stress leave.). Although I also have to admit that I spoke to my parents 3 times this morning (baby steps).

Daniel is completing the levels in Raving Rabbits that I can't so I will blog while he rides a Warthog around a rain filled course.

Tomorrow the fun ends (well slows anyway; there will still be sleeping in and unhealthy meals). We need to buy paint. The family room needs some serious help. When Sam was about 18 months old he took immense pleasure in taking a small hard dinosaur toy and hacking at the wall - destrying the paint AND the plaster. Kamryn thought his actions delightful and cheered him on the whole way - nothing like sibling support. The wall was wrecked before Daniel (I wasn't home) noticed what was happening. It's stayed that way for over 3 years because this was their playroom and we expected (and were not disappointed!) more damage. In April, we gave them a whole new room to wreck and the family room is more of an adult den/media room now.

So three of the four walls in the room are FINE - protected by furniture as they were. The question of the day is: do we stay with the current red and only paint the wall the kids destroyed or do we go with a whole new colour (I'm thinking a light green) which will mean a whole lot of work (covering the red won't be easy - oh and did I mention that we have 14 foot walls in this room). Daniel is concerned that our olive green couches won't match. Truth is I don't care whether our ten-year-old, need-to-be-replaced, ratty-looking-couches match or not. At some point we will have the money to buy nice new brown leather couches and whether the couches match right now or not they look universally terrible. I'm a little tired of the red (the room is open to the kitchen and the contrasting walls in the kitchen are a café au lait colour. My only worry is that the green won't be enough of a contrast. I should ask my brillant interior designer neighbour.

Anyway - new level on Raving Rabbits to conquer, more jevenile activities await me.

Laundry

So its 4 am and I've given up on trying to get back to sleep -- something I have been working on hard since about 1:30 am. Now I'm doing laundry and considering making cookies and of course blogging. I was truly wiped out when I went to sleep at around 11:00 and then I woke up (the first time; it was 12:30 or so) and Daniel was not in bed (when I fell asleep he was watching the news next to me). This is not unusual. He often gets up and out of bed when I pass out and heads downstairs to watch TV, play video games, surf etc. It annoys me but just because I'm tired doesn't mean he needs to be. So at 12:30, trying to be adult and not be an annoying wife, I rolled over and went back to sleep. At 1:30 when I woke again and noticed he wasn't in bed it wasn't as easy to roll over and go back to sleep.

I lay there and thought about how the kids would be up at 8:00 and good kids as they are they would amuse themselves and wait for us to get up for an hour or so... so 9:00 and then they would amuse themselves some more. I have good kids. But after 9:00 there is no way they should be amusing themselves. Its not fair to them for their parents to sleep until noon - we're not teenagers. We have responsibilities.

Its also not fair to me to have to get up with the kids while my husband sleep til noon either. He always does this; if we drag him out of bed he is moody and resentful for the rest of the day. It drives me nuts. And that got me annoyed that he is jobless and apparently not doing much about it (he is going back to school in the fall using magical money that will fall from heaven to pay his tuition. What he is not doing is finding a part-time job to help with expenses.). And then I started thinking that the ceiling in the basement is still lacking a coat of paint. And that I had to nag him to cut the grass this week. And that while the kids are with my parents this week I would like to paint the family room and he's already dragging his feet about that. And well there went sleep for the night. I was just laying in bed being mad.

So then I told him I was mad/annoyed and that it was preventing me from sleeping (this was some sort of therapy for me that I hoped would bring on sleep). It probably would have worked if we could have had an arguement but we've never had an arguement because Daniel doesn't argue. In this case he mumbled a half hearted apology and rolled over and went to sleep. I'm sure you can understand how infuriating it is to have the cause of your insomnia snore contentedly next to you. So I just got more and more angry and more and more awake. May I mention that almost nothing keeps me up at night except being angry with Daniel (infertility heartache was the only other thing - I would get up in the middle of the night to cry - good grief).

So here I am. 4:30 am. Doing laundry.