Tag: School

Dear Blogary: School days, school days . . .

~ Lenore Diane ~ 2 Comments

Dear Blogary,

I woke up at 2:55 this morning, because I had to be at my boss’ house by 4am. Listed under ‘other duties as assigned’, I took my boss to the airport. Blogary, I’m tired. And, I was afraid, with the lack of sleep, I would be more emotional for Joe’s first day of school.

As it turns out, I did not shed one tear. Not one. Yay, me! I took pictures of Joe in his school clothes and gear, but the pictures were blurry and quickly deleted. Perhaps I’ll take a picture of his ‘second’ day of school tomorrow. In any case, when I attempted to take his picture, I felt myself becoming more excited for Joe.

Blogary, this isn’t a sad time. Joe starting Kindergarten is an exciting time! My friends were lined up, ready to console me if I needed help. I even had a friend suggesting I pre-plan the day with Tylenol, due to the headache that would follow my predicted sob session. Again I say, I did not shed one tear. Not one. (I cry at Hallmark commercials. Me not crying on Joe’s first day is highly irregular. Irregular, irregular.)

Perhaps, if the situation were different, I would have cried buckets. But, Joe was excited. And, when we went to his classroom, he was beaming! Beaming!

Pick-up time today was 11:30, just a half day to start off the school season. As I watched Joe come out of his class, I saw he was still beaming. He was quick to tell me about everything he learned, and he said he wanted to go back again and again. [Oh, how wonderful it would be if he felt that way throughout his entire school ‘career’.]

Once we were home, Joe called Suzann to tell her about his day. And, he made a point to talk to Charlie on the phone, too. “Charlie! I went to school today. It was great!”

Yes, today was a wonderful day. Now, here’s hoping I can muster the energy to stay awake long enough to make it through Parent Orientation tonight. Having been up since 3AM, I am dragging just a bit.

Up before the dawn’s first light –
Joining creatures of the night.
Tackling duties as assigned.
Getting paid, so I don’t mind.
Nervous with Joe’s teacher in sight.
Yet there he goes, shining so bright!

Love,
Me

He said “Yes.”

~ Lenore Diane ~ 2 Comments

Rob told me he would express his final vote on the Montessori idea on Saturday. Well, good morning blogosphere – today is Saturday! While we all sat at the table eating breakfast, I kept my eyes on Rob, smiling when he looked my way. Growing tired of it, he asked me to stop looking at him like a child begging. “Well,” I said. “I am begging.”

The boys finished their breakfast, excused themselves from the table and went to do their own thing. Though Rob and I had finished eating, we continued to sit at the table. Rob looked deliberate, while I sat sometimes pensive, fearing a ‘no’ from him. He continued to deliberate, and I continued to bat my eyes, wince a bit and speak of the positives. With the anxiety over his pending vote and two cups of coffee in my system, my heart was racing. Then the phone rang.

Our neighbor’s son was calling to see if our boys could come to his house to play. Our table discussion was put on hold, as we got the boys ready to go next door. I then took to the computer, and I printed out our budget spreadsheet. I created a ‘draft’ worksheet to account for the cost of Montessori. Once the boys went next door, Rob and I sat on the couch, and I gave him the spreadsheet to review.

Though he claimed the spreadsheet didn’t sway him, I know seeing the numbers on paper helped put his mind at ease. Shortly after reviewing the numbers, Rob looked at me and uttered the three-letter word I was waiting to hear: sex. Oh wait, no. Sorry, wrong post. Rob said, “Yes!” And, me? I said, “Woo hoo!”

Of course, Rob saying yes, does not mean Joe is definitely going to Montessori. But, it does mean I can move forward with the application/testing process. On Monday, I will drop off the application and admission fee, and I will wait for them to contact us with a testing date. Although we registered Joe for Kindergarten within our local public school, we are now entering the phase of private school enrollment. I am excited. Very excited. And Rob? Well, Rob noted I’ve had too much caffeine this morning.

Doogie-whompers and Wee-honked

~ Lenore Diane ~ 3 Comments

Two of my very best friends made up words I will never forget: Doogie-whompers and Wee-honked. Though I can’t define the words in the traditional sense, I will tell you that ‘doogie-whompers’ is most commonly used as an interjection and ‘wee-honked’ is most commonly used as an adjective. Of course, I say ‘most commonly’ as if these words are widely used by everyone, when in reality the words are mainly by the three of us.

Today, I am thinking ‘doogie-whompers’ over and aver again, as I anxiously await for kindergarten registration to take place. As I type, I have one more hour until we head to registration. Ding dangity, I am nervous! Better yet, “Doogie-whompers! I am a nervous wreck!” And, my nerves are leaving me with a feeling of wee-honkedness. We-honked is the exact opposite of balanced. When we-honked, I am most vulnerable to my junk food cravings. Case in point – RIGHT NOW. I want to eat the pint of Ben & Jerry’s in the freezer, but I don’t have enough time! What’s worse is the fact that I won’t have time to console myself with junk food today at all. ACK!

Today, I am actually having to experience the wee-honkedness in all its glory, without a handy numbing affect. I know I will make it through the day, but “Doogie-whompers! I want to submit to a crutch!” Plus, when feeling this we-honked, it allows one to become overwhelmed with other bits of anxieties. Oh, and add some PMS, and you’ve got a perfect storm brewing. Yes, life inside our house may be challenging tonight. I’ll be sure to do my breathing exercises and step away for a bit, if needed.

Happily, Rob liked the Montessori school we checked out today. [A double whammy kindergarten kind of day.] It was my second time taking the tour at this particular school. I loved it at first sight, and I am glad Rob loved it, too. Rob believes in Montessori and understands the value it offers. His biggest concern with starting Joe at Montessori is the financial commitment. He, like me, worries about our budget, making ends meet and the sacrifices it will bring. And, because of his uncertainty (and the uncertainty of Joe being accepted into a Montessori program), we are registering Joe for public school today. Um. Have I said “ACK” yet? ACK!

Twenty more minutes until we pick up Joe and register him for kindergarten. And, I realize there are bigger issues in the world – bigger fish in the sea – bigger battles being fought. However, my awareness of those realizations is not calming the butterflies in my stomach. Again, the wee-honkedness I am feeling and the PMS rising is an invitation to the many other anxieties I have. So, thank you very much, I’ve just added the above mentioned anxieties about the bigger battles being fought, bigger fish in the sea and the bigger issues in the world to my state of wee-honkedness. Doogie-whompers! I think I’m gonna need a bigger bowl.