Friday...ahhhh

I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am that it is Friday. The last 3 weeks since school started have been like rush week for a new sorority/fraternity in college.....it's been hell on one hand and good on the other! Man oh man, between Bob working late almost every night for one reason or another, the kids being back in school for their first few weeks and my working to get my relatively new biz off the ground, I am exhausted, exhilarated, excited, extremely ready for it to all calm down.

Xander has been complaining about his ankle hurting for almost a month now. Well, he is also the boy who cries wolf every time he wants to get out of his chores or some other mundane task that we ask or require him to participate in around the house. So, I have just basically chalked his hurt ankle up to growing pains or "wolfitis". He finally told me the other day that I "needed" to make him an appt with our pediatrician. He hates our pediatrician because he calls a spade a spade and doesn't provide a lot of fluff and filler. So I knew he really must be in pain to have asked for an appt. We go and the Dr. tells me that he has a fairly good case of Achilles tendinitis. Oh great, so all this time he really wasn't faking it....hmmm, I was feeling kind of small at this point however, I will not accept all the blame because if he didn't have "wolfitis" (boy who cried wolf syndrome) then I might have actually believed him. Now he is sporting a heel cup and has to stay off of it for 10 days, ice it and take lots of Advil to ease the pain. That's his drama for the month, he's used his quota....

Hannah has been doing great in school and I have just started volunteering in her classroom. I am really enjoying it. I never really got to volunteer in Xander's classes when he was little because I was working full time so this is new for me. I have been class mom for his room however as they get older, the classrooms are more independent and the teachers don't want or need you hanging out in there. I will NOT be volunteering to be class mom for Hannah this year and probably not next. I have way too much on my plate plus the fact that there are a few really gung ho moms in there that have a first child going through kindergarten and really want to take on the job. Great, go for it, I am good with just participating and not organizing for once.... Working in the classroom has been great and they even allow me to bring Christian with me on occasion since he is so well behaved and participates instead of whines and cries. They almost don't even know he is not part of the class, it's been fun and he's learning too. It made me feel like it was all worth it today when Hannah leaned over to me while she was working on a project and said, "mom, thank you for helping out in my class, I like you being in here". I almost cried and it was a gentle reminder as to why I do what I do and why I was there! Thank you Hannah, I love you too!!

The moose FINALLY had a great day at school. When I dropped him off on Thursday he was about to be clingy until Emily, a girl in his class, invited him to play with all the safari animals (his favorites). He was enjoying the hippo when they brought out the real mouse and the live fish (class pets) and that made him squeal with delight. He was busy interacting and playing that he didn't want to give me a kiss or say good-bye, so while that was bittersweet and a change from the last few days, I was very proud of him and comforted by the fact that he is finding his space and learning to like it. I think part of the reason why he did so well was because we scheduled a play date with our good friends the Gilman's at the park on Tuesday (the pictures are in a Smilebox scrapbook in a post below). Hannah and Faith were in pre-K together and Christian and Aubrey are in pre-K together now. They all really enjoy playing together and I really enjoy the mom's company, Wendy is a great person and we get along wonderfully!

So, why was it hell you ask? Three kids, three different schools, 1 week of car pool duty for my 3 kids in 3 schools plus 3 more kids in Xander's middle school. Sounds easy enough then factor in those darned "back to school nights" and early release days and late start days that the wonderful state of CA allows the schools to factor into the schedules and you end up with kids in schools for very few hours plus moms struggling to get all the kids from the said schools all at the same exact time. It's hard to be in 3 places at once. Now add in homework, sports (incl all weekend), Boy Scouts, music lessons and down time so that kids can just be kids, no dad around because he is working late, mom running a new biz plus an old one, laundry, breakfast, lunch and dinner and everything else that needs to be accomplished......well, it's been......hell! I will be glad when Bob is back on a more normal schedule and can actually help out around here some more. I am not really complaining even though it sounds as I am or am I being a martyr as I knew what I was getting in to when it came time to sign up for all this however, I am stating facts right now, that it all sucks and I am ready for a break, albeit even a small one, I am ready for a break. I love my kids, I love what they do and I am sure tomorrow I will feel differently however, tonight it is late and I am venting, I am getting this off my chest. We all have days like this (at least that's what I tell myself) and today is my day!

Okay, just when I get done whining and venting I go in and read about Evan Cousineau and realize that I should be thankful and feel so blessed for all the small inconveniences in my life. Evan is an amazing young man and someday when I grow up, I hope to be as strong as he is. You can click on the Caring for Evan link on the left to learn more about him. His family is from here in San Clemente and he and his brother both play on our arch nemesis water polo team, SET. He is beautiful, his family is probably the strongest family I have ever come across and I learn something new from him each day.

http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/inputSiteName.do?method=search&siteName=EvanCousineau

So now, I will "suck up", stop complaining and be grateful for my children, my life and my family. I am blessed, we are all blessed. I wouldn't change my life one bit. Thank you God!I should get off the soap box now and go to bed, it's probably best for everyone......wink!XOXOXOKimberly