Friday, September 10, 2010
Labor Day Part II
On Sunday after I had an exchange student event at Fort Foster, we used the pavilion for a get together for some of our friends who have similarly aged kids. It was so great to see them and I look forward to the days when our kids are a little older and we can all sit back and eat great food together while our kids run around together entertaining themselves (is this a fantasy or what?) It was awesome, though I was pretty wiped out and didn't make it that long. A lot of babies getting a lot of love and unfortunately I had the camera on the wrong setting for most of the day before I figured it out, so the pix don't capture how truly beautiful it was that day.
Labor Day Part I
We had a very full weekend with friends and family. It was lovely and I have so many pretty pictures to post. I'm still working on the preschool situation which I hope to have resolved to a happy point today, but I have to start getting some of these pictures up. Our good friends Ryan, Jess and their daughter Rachael were at our house when I got home from work, so we went to the beach and made an awesome meal from the garden. It was really lovely. 
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Happy Birthday Honey.
It's my guy's birthday today. Look at that cute smile. Aren't I lucky to share these hills and valleys with him?
(Even though for his birthday we are going to see Avatar. Insert finger down throat now.)
We don't always share interests or common opinions or clear communication, but fundamentally I like this guy so much it hurts.
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Instead of Pretty Pictures
Well, Makili started preschool this week. I wouldn't describe it as a raging success. I'm actually pretty bummed about it at the moment. It is a new program and I thought it would be a good fit. The teacher's kid went to the Waldorf school and so that influenced the environment, which I thought looked great. And it was affordable (a nice way of saying cheap.)
(Raph just told me that I'm going to be "the worst mother ever when our kids really go to school.")
Makili was excited about school yesterday, but he didn't want me to leave, and despite the pressure from the teacher for us (the parents) to leave, I stayed hoping that Makili would feel comfortable enough for me to take off without too much drama. It didn't help that there was a kid curled up in the fetal position in the corner for the entire time I was there or another kid who was trying to break down the door to get to his mother - behaviors that of course Makili was absorbing. The teacher kept trying to console the sobbing boys while keeping the rest of the kids sitting in a circle waiting quietly for the teacher to be ready. You can imagine how well that went. Finally I told the teacher she needed to get a song or something going to distract the sobbing kids and engage the other kids, which she finally did. Makili warmed up and after I took him to the bathroom (even though I asked the assistant teacher to ask him if he needed to go - the potty dance being a pretty good sign that he did - and she forgot) I slipped out without saying goodbye as he settled in to play. I felt bad about leaving without telling him and waited in the hall to see how he was doing. Next thing I knew the teacher marched them to the bathroom, and she was holding Makili, which of course made me feel like crap. BUT, when I picked him up at the end of the day, he was having a great time on the playground and when I asked him what he wanted to do in the afternoon he said "go back to school."
Then this morning, he did NOT want to go to school. I decided that we were just going to do it. And I took him there and promised him that I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. Today they started on the playground because the teacher decided the really awesome big playground was too big, and the kids needed to stay on the little tiny playground with a sandbox with no tools/toys, and what not, and the headstart program has the little playground in the afternoon so the preschool had to use it in the morning. So the teacher wasn't outside to greet the kids nor did she even show her face until 9:00, when the program is scheduled to start. The fetal position kid wasn't there today, so it was just the screamer and another kid sobbing about his momma leaving. (Why are we doing this to our kids again?) Makili was definitely hesitant, but I stayed and he played eventually. Then they started lining the kids up to "march" inside. The assistant teacher was telling them to make "a train" so I tried to get the unruly kids more into it by singing a train song, and then a marching song. I thought we were just headed inside. The screamer was still freaking out and so the teacher told the Assistant Teacher to have us march around some more. Seriously? THE TEACHER I PAY FOR PRESCHOOL MADE MY KID MARCH! for no reason to go nowhere. It was busy work for 3 and 4 year olds. And the kids were over it in about 4 seconds. At which point the teacher called out the window to have us go back to the playground for a while "or something" This led to me getting the kids to do the hokey-pokey in a circle while we waited for it to be okay to go inside.
I could go on and on here (like I have been to Raph and my mom) and I know that if I pressed the issue that Makili would be okay there and would even enjoy it, but I don't want this sort of experience for Makili. I guess I've decided to pull him out. I wish there was an option that I was more excited about. Waldorf and Montessori school are too damn expensive and require you to attend too many days a week. I'd really like him to get to play with some other kids on a regular basis, but this just doesn't feel like the right fit.
(Raph just told me that I'm going to be "the worst mother ever when our kids really go to school.")
Makili was excited about school yesterday, but he didn't want me to leave, and despite the pressure from the teacher for us (the parents) to leave, I stayed hoping that Makili would feel comfortable enough for me to take off without too much drama. It didn't help that there was a kid curled up in the fetal position in the corner for the entire time I was there or another kid who was trying to break down the door to get to his mother - behaviors that of course Makili was absorbing. The teacher kept trying to console the sobbing boys while keeping the rest of the kids sitting in a circle waiting quietly for the teacher to be ready. You can imagine how well that went. Finally I told the teacher she needed to get a song or something going to distract the sobbing kids and engage the other kids, which she finally did. Makili warmed up and after I took him to the bathroom (even though I asked the assistant teacher to ask him if he needed to go - the potty dance being a pretty good sign that he did - and she forgot) I slipped out without saying goodbye as he settled in to play. I felt bad about leaving without telling him and waited in the hall to see how he was doing. Next thing I knew the teacher marched them to the bathroom, and she was holding Makili, which of course made me feel like crap. BUT, when I picked him up at the end of the day, he was having a great time on the playground and when I asked him what he wanted to do in the afternoon he said "go back to school."
Then this morning, he did NOT want to go to school. I decided that we were just going to do it. And I took him there and promised him that I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. Today they started on the playground because the teacher decided the really awesome big playground was too big, and the kids needed to stay on the little tiny playground with a sandbox with no tools/toys, and what not, and the headstart program has the little playground in the afternoon so the preschool had to use it in the morning. So the teacher wasn't outside to greet the kids nor did she even show her face until 9:00, when the program is scheduled to start. The fetal position kid wasn't there today, so it was just the screamer and another kid sobbing about his momma leaving. (Why are we doing this to our kids again?) Makili was definitely hesitant, but I stayed and he played eventually. Then they started lining the kids up to "march" inside. The assistant teacher was telling them to make "a train" so I tried to get the unruly kids more into it by singing a train song, and then a marching song. I thought we were just headed inside. The screamer was still freaking out and so the teacher told the Assistant Teacher to have us march around some more. Seriously? THE TEACHER I PAY FOR PRESCHOOL MADE MY KID MARCH! for no reason to go nowhere. It was busy work for 3 and 4 year olds. And the kids were over it in about 4 seconds. At which point the teacher called out the window to have us go back to the playground for a while "or something" This led to me getting the kids to do the hokey-pokey in a circle while we waited for it to be okay to go inside.
I could go on and on here (like I have been to Raph and my mom) and I know that if I pressed the issue that Makili would be okay there and would even enjoy it, but I don't want this sort of experience for Makili. I guess I've decided to pull him out. I wish there was an option that I was more excited about. Waldorf and Montessori school are too damn expensive and require you to attend too many days a week. I'd really like him to get to play with some other kids on a regular basis, but this just doesn't feel like the right fit.
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
No Good Excuse
I have lots of excuses for why I haven't been in this space lately, but none of them are that good really. Just life. So much going on and until this heat wave, we've been spending the majority of our time outside. My kids are at such magical ages, so cute and so maddening at the same time. The are either fighting over toys or rolling around giggling together. At one point in the car the other day when Remick was screaming, Makili asked me, "What would happen if Remick got dead?" Yikes! I didn't really know how to respond to that except to tell him I would cry every day for the rest of my life. I also assured him that I know how frustrating it can be to have a little brother sometimes (no offense Blair. just kidding). I don't know what really caused him to ask that?
Remick actually is a complete and total menace for his part. He is such a cute little trouble-maker and is clearly positioning himself as the family joker. He cracks himself up. And he tries to make everything into a joke, which works a lot of the time. He is also a little diabetic in training - he loves bread and sugar and would eat them for his entire diet, maybe punctuated with some grapes for garnish.
We've had a terrific summer, but I have to say I'm done with 90 + degree days. The last two days on my own with these two have been long. And the waves have been big, which is good for surfing, but not so good for babes at the beach. I took them to Plum Island on Tuesday, which might as well have renamed itself Young Child Deathttrap. Big waves, steep beach. I was trying to help each one get in the water to cool off, but when I took Makili in, Remick tried to follow us. I was watching him, but a huge wave came just as he crested the top of the beach hill. The wave was very shallow when it reached him, like 2 inces, but it was very fast and it scared him. He turned aorund and tried walking back up the hill, but the wave started receding just as fast, and knocked him over. Water, still very shallow, washed over him while he was screaming, and he got sand caked in every inch of him body. We might not get it all out until next year. He was fine but I was COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED at the end of the day. Now if we could only get market cancelled on Sat for the hurricane, I might recover my exhaustion!
Remick actually is a complete and total menace for his part. He is such a cute little trouble-maker and is clearly positioning himself as the family joker. He cracks himself up. And he tries to make everything into a joke, which works a lot of the time. He is also a little diabetic in training - he loves bread and sugar and would eat them for his entire diet, maybe punctuated with some grapes for garnish.
We've had a terrific summer, but I have to say I'm done with 90 + degree days. The last two days on my own with these two have been long. And the waves have been big, which is good for surfing, but not so good for babes at the beach. I took them to Plum Island on Tuesday, which might as well have renamed itself Young Child Deathttrap. Big waves, steep beach. I was trying to help each one get in the water to cool off, but when I took Makili in, Remick tried to follow us. I was watching him, but a huge wave came just as he crested the top of the beach hill. The wave was very shallow when it reached him, like 2 inces, but it was very fast and it scared him. He turned aorund and tried walking back up the hill, but the wave started receding just as fast, and knocked him over. Water, still very shallow, washed over him while he was screaming, and he got sand caked in every inch of him body. We might not get it all out until next year. He was fine but I was COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED at the end of the day. Now if we could only get market cancelled on Sat for the hurricane, I might recover my exhaustion!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Garden Triumphs
What a growing year this year has been! I ate the first (and sadly only) canteloupe out of my garden earlier this summer which was pretty amazing! and watermelons! I have a bunch! I have tomatoes coming out of my ears and well you know about the flowers. Today is tomato canning day, which to be honest isn't my favorite day of the year, but it can't be put off any longer. You can only eat so many tomato mozzarella salads, tomato pies, etc. Canning tomatoes is a lot of work and really the only part of the process that I find fun is the winter day when you crack the jar open and get "your" tomatoes into a meal. Every other part is a pain!
Monday, August 16, 2010
32
My birthday was Sunday and it was LOVELY! Raph surprised me with a SURFBOARD for my birthday which was a shock and SO exciting. He actually gave it to me on Sat. night, and on Sunday we were awakened by the beeping phone telling us we had a text message, which turned out to be from our dear friends, John and Gwen, telling us, "Surfs up!" And by 8:30 I was in the water off of Long Sands surfing. It was great! I have a new wet suit, and even though I am quite self-conscious about it, I decided not to let that stand in the way of my time in the water. It took me a long time to figure out where exactly I wanted to be on my board and I was exhausted about four seconds after I went in, but I had SO much fun and can't wait to surf more. The day was pretty much like a blast from the Hawaiian past, since that is where John and Gwen live, and some other friends we know from Hawaii (who now live in CT) also showed up. It ended up being a great beach bash with a bunch of friends, followed by a motorcycle ride with my sweetheart (babysitting services provided by Ann and Larry - thanks!), followed by an outstanding dinner shared with friends and family. It was such a perfect day! I am so lucky.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)