Virtual Coffee :: The Back To School Edition

Good morning.
Good morning and Happy Last Day of Summer Vacation to us!
Tomorrow is the big day for us, somehow... I mean how on earth is it time for school to start again already? Didn't Summer just start?
So, grab a cup of coffee and make yourself comfortable... there's lots to talk about.

We are in full Back To School mode around here....

I am happy to report that this year I am starting off the year without that kinda sick feeling I did last year... and that is a very good thing.
I was just thinking last night, you know, while I laid there and couldn't fall asleep forever, that it's so funny and interesting how your feelings
change from school year to school year.
Last year we were changing to a new school and my baby was starting Kindergarten, that was a rough year-- a rough transition for me anyway,
not the kids. But it was a really great school year for all of us.

I can just see myself when the Middle School years arrive and changing schools later and High School, switching classes, class schedules,
driver's ed ... sigh.
It's so hard letting them go, but at the same time it's so cool to see what they learn, to watch them grow and see them as little people away
from you. Do you know what that means... does that make sense?
This parenting business just ain't so easy, that's for sure.

*Oh- and by the way, look how yummy my coffee looks this morning.

So,  the school supplies have been bought and labeled, first day of school outfits have been picked and I even shopped ahead of time for things
to pack in their lunches this week. How awesome am I, anyway?
I pinned some good lunch ideas here, fyi.
I can't say I was ready for Summer to end, because really the kids weren't even driving me all that crazy, but still there is a bit of excitement about
the beginning of a brand new school year, don't ya think?
And speaking of brand new school years... am I the only one that kind of loves buying fresh school supplies?
Crayons, pencils, markers, colored pencils, notebooks... it's a bit of a guilty pleasure for me.

So tonight we will be having our little Back To School Dinner after our Open House.
I think this will be the third year we have done this, I let the kids pick the menu and we have a family dinner together, complete with candles
and sparkling apple cider in wine glasses.
It's a fun tradition and the kids look forward to it, I think I might look forward to the decorating part of it the most-- I know it's not the actual
cooking part anyway.

So, if you have kids in school tell me what you think about the beginning of the new school year...
Have you been counting down the days?
Dreading it?
Are your kids excited?
If you don't work, how will you spend your kid's first day back to school?

I'm not too worried about being too bored once I am home by myself again.
Of course I have enough projects on my imaginary To-Do List in my head to keep me busy for a year, plus helping out at school and... GASP....
looking for a part-time job.
Yep, I think I'll be plenty busy and I had better start knocking out projects until I do find said job...
Well, I think that's it for me today, there's still lots and lots to do today... the day before school starts is a very busy one for a procrastinator like me.

Hope everyone has a great day... I'm listening to this(again) because someway, somehow I'm not sick of it yet and I think my crush on Jimmy Fallon
may have just tripled for sure.

Go ahead and watch it, it's the clean version, I promise.


::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Link up your own Virtual Coffee post below... we'd love to come have coffee with you, too!

Coming Clean

So.
It's time to come clean.
I don't know why I am hesitant to say this, I think it's a little like what I talked about here, but anyway....
I do not really know what to do with myself now that school has started.
There, I said it.
I can't believe I am even saying that because I did not expect to feel this way at all.
Not at all.
Don't get me wrong, I knew it would be weird for me and emotionally I knew it would be tough to
know both kids were in school now and that we would never go back to the days of just being home together, but I did
not know that I would have a hard time figuring out  what to do with myself.

In the past I had even heard other people say it-- they were lost, didn't know what to do with themselves
now that their kids were in school, where they fit in...
And you know I was rolling my eyes.
Really?
I could give them a list of about 100 things I would do as soon as my kids were in school.
Please. Give me a few days to myself, I will show you what to do with them!

I am still just not sure how to spend my days and knowing I have four full days to do whatever
I want with(I watch my nieces one day/week) makes it really easy for me to procrastinate and do nothing.
Way too easy.
And when I say nothing I mean I am doing all the usual home stuff but just not any of the huge
projects I imagined I would do once I had big chunks of time to myself.
It's really just kind of dumb.

Here's another thing--
I didn't imagine that I would be the one to feel this way because I didn't think I was the person that
did not know what to do with myself outside of my kids.
You know?
My kids and my family are my life, everything I do revolves around them in some way or another.
BUT, at the same time, I have always felt like I was also my own person with my own interests and friends and needs
outside  of being a mom.
I know a lot of women/moms who don't, whose whole identity is wrapped up in mothering and they never take time for
themselves or their interests.
If you are that person I am not criticizing you at all, but I am not that person.
I have always needed and craved, and not felt guilty about wanting, my own time away from my
kids to do things that I wanted to do, that made me happy and were fulfilling to me.
To me, that is one of the most important ingredients in being able to BE a good parent.

So, I guess I will figure it all out...right?
What to do.
What I want to do.
I also think that I probably need a little time to get adjusted to all of this but then I will start looking
for a job.
Just a little something to do a couple of days a week during school hours.
I don' t think it's probably real good for my mental health to have too much fre time.
Too much time in my head = cukoo.
But not enough time in my head = cukoo.
It's all about balance, baby.

I'm kind of over all of this and a little annoyed and sick of myself now.
I think I had better be over this mini-crisis by the time next Tuesday rolls around and the kids are back in school.

>>>>>>>>>>

Happy Friday!
Hope you all have a great weekend.
We have a long, holiday weekend ahead of us and I am looking forward to it!

What A Week

Yesterday was better than Wednesday.
Thank you so much for all of your comments and encouragement, I really appreciate it.
It's really nice to feel like I have my very own little cheering little section, it makes me feel better.
This is all just a big change and we will be fine, I just keep telling myself that.

Yesterday morning I decided I needed to get out of the house for a while.
First I made a quick coffee stop, then a couple of thrift stores where I found a couple of really good things
that I was excited about.
Then a drive through the cemetery, camera in hand.

After that I came home and picked up around the house and did a little shop work.
I listened to music and edited pictures and took pictures of some things to go in my shop.
I tried to enjoy my quiet time and not worry about what was going on at school.
I watched Tv... like grown-up Tv.
I never, ever watch Tv until about 9:00 at night after everyone is settled into bed and I don't have to
worry about what they might see/hear.
I watched/listened to a few episodes of American Dreams while I worked because I LOVE that show.
Did anyone else out there ever watch it? I think I was the only one maybe .
Oh man, it is such a good show. Love that time period and the clothes and music...all of it.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

And now a few of my FAvoRitE instagrams form the past week...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

OH, The Guilt + A Mama Meltdown

{Today's Mini-Breakdown Is Brought to You By : The 3rd Day of School + Too Much Time To Think}

The guilt of a mother, it never ends, does it?
This is one thing I have learned for sure over the last 7 1/2 years.
We feel guilty after our first baby is born and we wish we could pop them back inside to cook just
a little bit longer because maybe being pregnant was good enough after all.
We feel guilty because all we want to do is to be able to sleep when they are tiny babies and cry because they just really never do at the right times.
We feel guilty when we want to run out of the house and down street away from that same
crying baby.
We feel guilty when we can, can't or don't wanna nurse our babies.
Guilty when we drop them off at daycare and return to work.
Guilty when others cannot get pregnant or lose babies when we know they would do anything
in the world to be a mother.
Guilty for losing our temper.
Guilty for not having enough patience.
Guilty when we need a night away so badly that we would consider sacrificing our first-born
just for the chance at it.
Guilty when we miss our 1st graders presentation where he is Abraham Lincoln and wears a top
hat and tie and says his lines perfectly, because we got the day wrong(that was ME. remember that? awful).

It never ends, this guilt.
Usually I feel it, I tell myself I am doing the best I can and even if I really wasn't today, tomorrow is another day and I have a
chance to do it all over again...then I let it go.
I have to and I usually can pretty easily.
But this morning while folding laundry I could hear the kids playing on the playground over at school
and I had to fight back tears and was hit with an overwhelming sense of guilt.
Guilt because we switched schools.
Oh and the fighting back tears part? That actually means crying on and off all morning.
I think I have been focusing so much on Charlotte starting kindergarten and the big change for
her and how she was going to do---
that I haven't been thinking as much about the fact that my boy switched schools, after two years at
his old school...a school we really liked, where he had friends, where his cousin went ...
where he knew everyone in his grade....
to knowing no one and not having any friends and it all being new to him.

I realize this is just Day 3 of school and in case you hadn't noticed, here is the break-down
we have all been waiting for, folks.
Ta-da.
I am emotional and doubting myself and wondering if these choices were selfish or right or wrong
and if we made a huge mistake and if Wyatt will make friends.
I am worried.
Yesterday I asked him what he did at recess and he said he went down the slide and just kind of wondered around
by himself on the playground and then thought to himself;
"Man, I gotta get some friends."
This is kinda funny if you know Wyatt, he wasn't even complaining but just being matter-of-fact.
He is sweet and funny and wild and busy and has a great sense of humor, that boy.
I don't care if my kids have ten friends or one friend and they don't need to be the popular kid in
school, invited to every birthday party.
I'm not the mom that pushes the whole "best friend" thing for their kids or the mom eager
to set up play dates.....I just want him to have someone he can play with at recess.
That's all.

Ahhhhh....
Sometimes it's just tough, isn't it?

Eeeeeeek!

This was last week.
Now we only have 5 days.
Five days, folks.

A Confession :: I'm That Stay-At-Home Mom

Hi there.

Good morning and happy Tuesday.

Every time I post on a Tuesday I feel like I should be having Virtual Coffee here and I plan

to again-- I'm thinking the first week in September will be a good time to get it going.

So last week Kim talked about the whole working while your kids are in school thing and I outed 

myself about what I really used to think about that.

I have to say, it's funny how a change in perspective and circumstances makes all the difference, 

huh?

>>>>>>>>>>>>

So I have been staying at home full time with the kids for about 3 1/2 years now.

Up until that point I as working about 13 hours a week, that was part- time for my position with

our school district.

Before I went to part-time I was working full-time which was about 27 hours a week.

So I have done full-time, (which wasn't nearly a full 40 hours), part-time and at home.

Now my youngest starts kindergarten in one week and both of my kids will be in school.

Hmm...now what?

Well, I will be the stay-at-home mom whose kids are in school.

I have to tell you that when my kids were much younger- maybe around 1, 2, 3-- I wondered just

what the stay-at-home moms did if their kids were in school?

I mean, didn't you just go back to work when your kids were in school, unless of course you

had no financial worries and you never had to work in the first place?

Isn't that how it was supposed to work?

And what in the world did those people do all day?

I might have rolled my eyes, or just mentally rolled my eyes, when they called themselves
stay-at-home moms.

I might have imagined those moms getting their nails and hair done, shopping because they had

nothing else to do and lunching with friends every day.

Like I said, I may have been a little judgey and I might have been wrong.

I have a feeling I won't be doing a whole lot of the above....I still won't have a huge income 

and my other sahm mom friends still have their kids at home or work themselves...so lunch dates?

Probably not a whole lot of those.

I see a lot of time to help out in the kids classrooms and to get involved in our new school and the parent co-op there.

I see myself walking over to sign the kids out so they can come home for lunch.

I see getting my errands and shopping done during the day by myself.

I see myself watching my two nieces one day a week.

I see myself working a lot on shop stuff.

I see myself not having to take off work every time someone is sick and not having to miss

things at school.

I see myself being the one that is responsible for all school things, for all appointments, for all 

volunteering and the one that has to be home to get the kids to and from school every single day.

Eric works long days and commutes to work so he is never home to help out with these things.

So roll your eyes if you must, I won't blame you, but I am the stay-at-home-mom whose kids are
in school. Yep, that's me.

I am looking more forward to this school year than I did when Wyatt started school.

It makes me sad and a little mad that time goes so FAST but I am also excited this time around--

Charlotte is so excited that I can't help but be, too.

And knowing they are right across the street and that I will be able to see them out on the 

playground with binoculars(they think I am kidding, I am not) gives me a lot of comfort.

For some reason the closeness is really giving me a little peace in this big change.

When I stop to think about it I could get completely overwhelmed--
My baby will be in school, I am entering a whole new phase of MY LIFE and I don't know if
I am ready for it....we are starting a new school and I hope(!!!) we made the right decision....
BUT, I am trying to focus on the positives and not stress myself out over all of it.
We are really excited about both of the kids' teachers and the possibilities + plans they have
at our new school sound really cool.
It is exciting.
BUT.
Parenthood is hard.
Motherhood is hard.
Change is hard.
Letting go is hard.
Trusting is hard.





and just because i love this video so much...
the sign language is amazing.
gives me goosebumps every time.

Have a great day!

preschool

we both survived wednesday.

and today, in case you were wondering.

my girl is officially a preschooler now.

she did great.

she's ready for it, i know she is.

she's excited about school and her teacher and looking like "a school girl".

i'm a little sad, i can't help it.

but i'm happy for her and proud of her.

i am so very grateful that my kids like school (so far!) and have no problem adjusting

 at all, it would be so, so hard on me if they did.

:: funny story about the first day of preschool ::

wyatt and i dropped charlotte off at school wednesday morning and you pull up and wait in a line
 and they come to your car and get your child (you can go park and walk them in if you want 

to but they encourage you to do it this way because of limited parking space)

well, there are two teachers and the kids split time between both rooms/teachers.

charlotte doesn't have the teacher wyatt had, she has the other one.

so we were the last ones in line at drop off (naturally) and after giving char kisses and hugs
goodbye we got to sit there a minute and watch her talking to the teacher and assistant before
going in. after they commented on her outfit and asked her a couple of questions she stood
there for a second and then handed the apple to the teacher (not hers) and then
seemed to stare at the apple for a minute like wait-what did i just do? 

wyatt and i both let out a small audible gasp because we knew she didn't really intend to do that,
that apple was meant for her teacher. she picked it out herself at the store the day before and
 was so excited to give it to her teacher.
i could totally read the expression on her face and it made me laugh in a moment where
 i really could have cried, watching my baby walk into school for the first time.

before we pulled away, wyatt looked at me with a serious look on his face and said;

"mommy? let's just not mention the whole apple incident to charlotte later, okay?"

my lips are sealed.

* someone asked if i curled charlotte's hair with a curling iron, i had to laugh at that,

the answer is no, i rag-rolled it the night before.

 we are lucky if i ever even curl/fix my own hair and plus, this is not toddlers & tiaras, friends.

******

it's been a long, busy, crazy week. 

i am ready to forget about all school related things until next week.

i am so ready for the weekend.

{Virtual Coffee}

Good morning.

It's another Tuesday that doesn't really feel like a Tuesday since yesterday was a holiday.

But it is Tuesday and I am ready for coffee. 

How about you...what are you having this morning?

I will be having my hillbilly latte again, just like last week.

Oh and speaking of coffee and hillbilly lattes, last week someone asked what kind of espresso

 machine I use and I never answered, I am so bad about that. 

Anyway, we have a janky Mr. Coffee espresso machine that has seen better days. 

Really I need a new machine and if anyone would like to send me a super fancy machine to be

 reviewed or tested out or something I think that would be pretty awesome. 

Who gets those jobs, anyway? Because I would be oh-so good at that.

So, if we were really meeting for coffee this morning...

I would tell you that it is about time to share some back-to-school pictures of my 

big first grader considering he has been in school now for two full weeks. Ooops.

 So, I  mentioned a while back now that my nie-nie style Back-To-School dinner pictures

 would be coming soon...and they would be, if I hadn't accidentally erased them from my camera.

I thought I had already uploaded them onto my computer and I hadn't yet. Ughhhh.

Anyway, this is about all I was left with, which weren't the good ones, but oh well.

Charlotte and I worked on the table decorations while Wyatt was at school. 

We filled jars with chalk, crayons, pencils, paint brushes and rulers for our centerpiece.

I made us little place cards using library cards I cut in half then stamped our names on.

*Someone asked in this post what "kid's champagne" is and I just meant sparkling apple juice, 

7Up, anything bubbly or fizzy that they get to drink only on special occasions.

*******

My boy is a first grader now...and I'm not sure I like it.

Sigh...it all goes so fast, that might just be the truest cliche ever.

That cliche made me roll my eyes on the inside, especially with my first baby...

 hearing that from mother's of older kids, grandma's...all the time and thinking; 

Really? fast? 

because being up all night with a non-sleeping baby doesn't seem to be going at the speed of light...

But they were right and knew something I was yet to know.

I emailed these pictures to both sets of grandparents and my mom replies by saying,

"Cute, but did you know you cut his head off?"

Ummm...yeah mom, I meant to do that.

I am so thankful that Wyatt has made the adjustment to school well again this year, it makes it so

 much easier on all of us if he likes going to school and there are no meltdowns or tears 

or anything. He loves his teacher and is excited that he gets to take Science and Social Studies

 this year, although he thinks that means he will be doing Science experiments, complete 

with beakers, any day now.

I had to remind him that this is only first grade and he is six.

Charlotte was excited to see Mrs. Boyd's extensive book collection in her classroom and even found

 a Little Critter book we do not own.  What!?? I seriously thought we had them all. 

We love Mercer Mayer at our house!

Ours is a late-start school, the bell does not ring until 9:15. I didn't think I would like the hours at first

 but now I really do and it will actually work out good with Charlotte's preschool time. 

And speaking of that, my baby starts preschool tomorrow you guys.
Tomorrow. How in the hell did this day get here so fast?
It always seemed so far into the future. Tomorrow might be ugly for me, really.

*********

So that's the school low-down for my little guy.
I feel like we are into the swing of things now although we will be throwing a whole
new element into it starting tomorrow with preschool now, too.
The transportation part of all of this is definitely not my favorite part, that's for sure.
Well, I hope everyone had a great weekend...for those in the States, hope you enjoyed your holiday.
We had a nice laid-back weekend and I am still trying to get over a sore throat and a
super annoying cough, it was nice to be able to sleep in and do lots of hanging out at home.
Tell me what you are up to today...how was your weekend...what is going on in your
 little corner of the world?

{Ps- my husband just painted the porch...no more lovely blue backdrop for my pictures anymore!
The porch looked straight-up white trash but I did LOVE that blue...sigh...
but my porch does look really nice now}