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You would think that our biggest news was that Leo started kindergarten this week. In fact, the bigger event was that Leo’s new Lego Chima lunchbox arrived in the mail yesterday.
One day this week he was so sad that I had piled his snack and lunch into the same lunchbox. So I found one with two compartments, ordered it online, and it arrived yesterday.
All is right with the world.
How did Leo enjoy his first week of kindergarten? Well, when he asked me whether he had school the day after tomorrow, and I told him that it was a “home-with-the-cousins day” instead, he said, “Waa. I was hoping tomorrow was a school day with my teacher.”
Since he adores his cousins, I suspect he really likes kindergarten—and especially his teacher.
And he’s learning, too. When he climbed in the car after gym day, he said, “Mama, I learned something from my gym teacher, and I bet you and Baba never learned it.”
Then he told me that if you run with your fingers straight instead of curled up, you run faster and better.
“You’re right,” I said. “I never learned that in gym class.” And I didn’t. But that’s because the only thing I ever learned in gym class was that I would never enjoy or excel at gym.
A few weeks ago I had a weird allergic reaction to a mango popsicle, so I went for allergy testing this week. It turns out that it was likely related to seasonal allergies I never knew I had. I came home with a list of allergens I should avoid.
I’m on board with staying away from mice and cockroaches, but the trees, grasses, and weeds are everywhere. Oh, and the dust mites.
Flickr Creative Commons / arkhangellohim
It’s a good thing I keep a spotless home without a speck of dust. When the doctor said I should wash our sheets every week or two, I thought for a second he was joking. Then it occurred to me that maybe everyone else already washes their sheets every week, and I’ve been living in slovenly disgrace.
So, the cousins are visiting from out of town since they haven’t started school yet. By “the cousins,” I mean my sister Maureen’s two girls and two boys who are some of the coolest, most imaginative children we know.
Our boys absolutely love having the cousins here—and since we are living with Grandma and Grandpa while we are between houses, we are enjoying a wonderfully full house.
I am starting to wonder whether moving to our new house is going to be a bit of a letdown for Leo and Daniel. Around here, there is always a board game or a creative Star Wars spin-off in the making, and there are so many people ready to play, play, play.
The Maryland State Fair is this week, and I did a terrible job planning our visit. We went with the cousins and arrived two hours before the rides and games opened.
We had time to visit the animals, which is the best part, right? Daniel loved that, too. He especially liked the sheep.
And I loved that we got to see the horses up close.
But Leo had his heart set on the rides, which weren’t open.
Luckily we were able to talk our way into playing games, so my boys were distracted with their prizes.
They were also hungry and, even though I have been known to feed my children unhealthy food, there’s something about expensive, unhealthy food that you’ll be feeding your children while they stand on the midway.
So we skipped out just minutes before the rides would have started to go get some lunch elsewhere.
Tonight I asked Daniel which were his favorite animals, and he said, “I liked the pigs in the pig races best.” Of course, we didn’t see the pigs or the pig races, but if we had, they would have been his favorite.
When Leo and I went to kindergarten orientation and I listened to the instructions for regular pick-up from school, I vowed never to do it. It sounded so complicated, and I couldn’t follow the instructions about lines and where the bigger vehicles shouldn’t go, and when I should get out of the car.
“I will just never go at 3,” I told John. “I will go at 2 and say I need him to leave early, or I’ll get him from after-care at 3:30. I just can’t handle it.”
Then this week I decided the full day was so long that I really wanted to pick Leo up on time and have him skip after-care. And I was sure I’d botch it.
But I sailed right through. There were people who directed me on which way to go. In fact—and I know this may be astonishing—I think I could have done it with hardly any instructions at all.
The best part was I got to talk with some of the other mothers and learn key information that I’m sure the school sent me and I never read. So I’m set. Now that we have a Chima lunchbox and I know how to handle pick-up, Leo and I are virtually unstoppable.
I have no idea whether Leo’s school fundraiser is actually awarding a remote-control moth, but my mother reminded me that I have twice won random prizes in school fundraisers.
I got the sense that my prizes were her equivalent of the remote-control moth.
When I was a student at St. Pius X, my fundraising efforts—and the luck of the draw—won me an enormous stuffed Bugs Bunny.
Another year I won a Sugar Daddy that, in my memory at least, was about three feet long. My parents must have been so thrilled.
So maybe everyone has an awful fundraiser prize story. How about you?
Check out other quick takes at Jen’s blog.