The first two weeks of school are done..... We did it this year without Mom which I felt was a huge accomplishment. It is funny, the way I motivate myself it to prove things to me! I look around and pick someone who appears to me to be doing it correctly and I make them my example. I tell myself, "if they can do it so can I". By doing this, it is funny but I honestly think I can accomplish ANYTHING! So, back to school. I was really nervous this year because I was putting Stephen in High School, and let me tell you that was an experience, and putting Elizabeth in Jr. High, and I still cant believe it, and leaving Sarah in elementary. Back to school at the high school left me with the distinct impression that if I hadnt taught him correctly by now, it was TO LATE! The variety of spectacles left to the eye was amazing. First boy I saw had a mohawk that stood 4 inches off his scalp. The next girl I saw had the most beautiful shade of lavendar hair. Hmmmmmm, left lots to the imagination, MY imagination. I took Elizabeth to her back to school night and all I could think about was how she was not old enough to actually be going here... We went through all her classes and I just kept telling her how wonderful and great she was going to do, meanwhile I think I was trying to console myself internally hoping that she will enjoy this new school and be as successful as Stephen was but wanting so badly to keep her as innocent, naive, and beautiful as she is. Sarah, she was such a trooper. So proud to be the ONLY one left in her school.
The first day........ I dropped Stephen off and watched as he practically ran to his crowd of "football" friends and trying not to lag to long so as to be an embarrassment. He is growing so nicely and I am so proud of him. He is loving seminary and loves to start his day each day there. We left the HS and moved to the Jr. High where it was very different. Elizabeth must have told me she loved me 20 times, and lagged in the car not wanting to get out to face the BIG Jr. High. What a sweet daughter I have. I hope she will always stay so kind, and gentle. If I could just put a big bubble around her so no one could hurt her, and she wouldnt be exposed to all the junk out there. Sarah couldnt wait to be dropped off.
I took her and we walked down to where her class is and we waited till she went in. I picked Elizabeth up after school and we went to her physical. Sarah had been fighting with me about how she is so big and why I wont let her walk home alone because she is a big girl. Well, that was her chance. I was a little late picking her up and missed her getting out of school. Boy did I get the business. She was mad at me the whole rest of the evening. I couldn't figure out why she was so grumpy and figured she was just very tired. When I laid down with her to put her to bed she finally started crying and wondered why I hadnt been there to get her after school. She understood that I was running late but didnt understand why I couldnt have done something so I was there when she came out from school. She was so cute. She wasnt such a big girl after all. She was also upset because she is sure that Elizabeth is going to forget to pick her up after school and she will have to walk home alone. So cute how much she relies on her sister. Ahhh the untold value of sisters. I love it.
So, this week, I went back to work. What a joke. I think this was the week that I was SOOOOOOO tired. We all got up at 6 am to try to be out the door by 7 am. It quickly became apparent that we couldnt all get up at the same time, so I started getting me up at 5:30 and Elizabeth at 5:45. Wouldnt you know it, the two girls have to get up first. We made it though, I didnt think Friday would ever come. We had a couple of days that the Ogre, the kids nickname for me when I am very crabby, was here visiting. We gladly sent the Ogre back to her land about thurs. and this mom actually got to the gym every day, yes most evenings it was almost 11pm when I finally got home and to bed, but we did it.
It was great to see the kids working together to try to accomplish our goals. It was cute, a couple of nights Sarah would say, "mom you dont have to lay down with me tonight because I want you to go to the gym". So thoughtful, but we still did it even when I got to lay down with each of them and take advantage of our talk time.
Thanks kids. Hopefully it will go smoothly with only little bumps from here out.