This is Connor on the morning of his first day of Kindergarten.

This is his Spiderman lunchkit. He picked it out himself.

Little brother had to have the same.

We were getting ready to walk to school; the sun was bothering Connor's eyes.

Benen was walking big brother to school.

Connor, inside the school, waiting none too patiently to get into his classroom. What a process!!

Finally made it! Connor is at Kindergarten. I had to crop the picture to cut out most of the other kids. I don't want any angry phone calls from other parents.

K-Day

Well, this is it. Connor's first day of Kindergarten. I'm sitting here on the couch at 8:09 a.m., waiting for the time we can leave the house. Me. Not a morning person. Up since 6:00 a.m.

My stomach is tied in knots, my heart is thumping and I'm nervous about a two minute walk to the school. Did I mention that I live right down the street from the school? I can see the building from my living room window and could, in fact, watch Connor walk the entire way until he disappeared into the doors. And I'm sick-anxious.

Connor keeps asking me if it's time to go yet. This is the child who, last year, had nightmares before playschool! Now he can't wait to get out the door and on his way. They sure grow up fast.

Well, it's time to pack up the baby and head off. I'll let y'all know how it goes.

********************

I'm back. Well, that was interesting. The letter I got from the school said I had to have Connor to his classroom by 8:35 a.m. We made it a few minutes early and proceeded to stand around in the hallway with the other parents and kids until 9:15!! They were admitting the kids one at a time, attaching name tags and escorting them to their lockers. There were questions for the parents to answer.

"Does he have allergies?"
"Is he staying for lunch?"
"Is he riding the bus or being picked up?"
"Whose picking him up?"
"How do you spell your name?"

I'm trying to keep one eye on my baby who I have, by this time, freed from the restraints of the stroller. He can only stand being strapped down for so long. My son Benen keeps asking if he can go in the classroom, if we're going home yet, and can he have a snack? By this time it was 9:30 and I'm thinking it's almost over when the lady passes me a handful of papers and a pen.

"Here. These need to be filled out."

I stare at her. I look at the papers. Something begins to niggle at the back of my mind. Seems to me I filled out these same colored forms back in May. I look at the lady again.

"These are the registration forms. They want you to fill them out again."

O-kay.

I ushered my other two children into the kindergarten room and let them go at it. I pulled up a miniature chair and proceeded to balance half my posterior precariously on the seat while digging through my purse for Connor's health card and madly scribbling in the same information I'm sure is lurking somewhere in the school office.

My cell phone rings. I quickly whipped it out and quietly informed the person on the other end that I would call them back when I was out of the school.

Kindergarten is well underway at this point and I'm the last lingering parent. My two other children have managed to pull out the toys the other kids had neatly put away. I tore off the colored sheets, handed them to the teacher, strapped my baby back into the stroller, threw my phone and purse in my big purse/diaper bag, and turned to leave the room.

"Mom? Where are you going?"

I turned to see a frown of concern on my son's face.

"I'll be back to pick you up at the end of the day. You have fun and remember to listen to your teacher. I love you."

The tears welled up. I spent a few extra minutes assuring Connor that he'd be fine, that I'd be back and that he would have fun. Then I left.

I got home sometime after 10:00 a.m.!! Crazy!

Shower Cap Confessions

I have a confession. I've gone over to the other side. That's right, I no longer use a woman's razor. Why would I when I get a much smoother shave with my hubby's Gilette? I decided it was time to give up and I went and bought my very own Gillette Fusion Power with its smoothe comfort of a five-blade shave. Five. Blades.

For some women this wouldn't be an issue. They're happy with their ten pack of no-name disposable razors. Then there's the rest of us, where shaving is more like hacking a trail through raw jungle and scratchy underbrush. Sometimes you don't get it all on the first swipe. If given the choice between a jacknife or a machete, which would you choose?

Now, this razor not only has five blades, but it vibrates. When I told my girlfriend the news she said, "It vibrates!? What, exactly, are you doing in the shower??" No, nothing like that, I assure you. Supposedly the little electrical impulses sent by a single AA battery are enough to cause the hairs on your legs to stand at attention, resulting in a closer, smoother shave. All I know is I haven't cut myself once.

Oh, and if you turn the razor over, on the top is this tiny blade for shaving the hairs beneathe your nose. I haven't had to use that blade.......yet.

Happy Anniversary!!

WHOO-HOOO! 8 YEARS!! WE MADE IT!!! LOLOL!

Actually, the last 8 years have been amazing! And all because I'm married to the most wonderful man! He is living, breathing proof that God loves me. I'm dead serious. There's nothing this man doesn't do. And he's a hottie! The fact that he fell in love with me is evidence that miracles do still happen!

So, I love you, honey, more today than when we first fell in love! Each year just keeps getting better and I can't wait to spend the next 8, 10, 20, 30 years with you! Happy Anniversary!

GRAND OPENING!

The big Grand Opening celebration is going on over at the Long and Short Reviews website! Click here to head over and check it out. They will be announcing the winner of the pre-Grand Opening contest as well as listing some other contests you can get in on. There's also an interesting interview and many other delights to enjoy!

**Sticky Note**

There's a contest goin' on and you need to get in on the action!

I recently shared about the blog Long and Short Reviews that Marianne and Judy started. Since the launch of LASR, we have been flooded with review requests! Things are hopping over there!

In addition to the review blog, Marianne and Judy are launching The Long and The Short of It, the website. It will officially launch on Monday, August 27 with a big Grand Opening party! So be sure to mark your calendar!

For extra excitement, and to kick off the celebration, they are running a special pre-Grand Opening contest to give YOU the chance to win some amazing prizes! Click here to find out how to play.

I'll give you a hint. Leave a comment on this blog and you'll automatically be given one entry. *wink* And don't forget to leave an e-mail address or some way that you can be notified if you win.

Also, this is a sticky note. If you're looking for new blog entries, you will have to scroll down.

Kids

My son, Connor, asked me today, "Mom, do you know what glass-see-ass means?"

Huh? Now, as a mother of boys I have been asked all kinds of things, but this one left me clueless. "What?"

"Glass-SEE-ASS."

Okay, the emphasis wasn't helping. I was still completely stumped. "No."

"You know, like in Spanish."

Okay, it's early morning and I haven't had my coffee yet, but very dimly there's a light bulb flickering. Hmmm. Spanish. Glass-see-ass...glas-ee-ass.....glasseeas.....gracias. Gracias! "It means thank you. Gracias, thank you."

And thank you Dora the Explorer!

********************

Last night I was laying in bed awake at 1:00 a.m. unable to sleep and once again crying and worrying about Connor starting school. What is it with this?? This makes three nights that I have lost sleep over him starting kindergarten. For some reason I am finding it really hard to let go. There's a strong part of me that wishes God would reach out his hand and stop the world from spinning and time from moving on. I'd like to freeze the present for a few years so I can just enjoy this a little longer.

And you wanna know what I was worrying about, besides the normal my-baby's-growing-up stuff? I was worrying about my son needing to use the facilities and, when he had finished his business, being unable to reach waaaaay up into the t.p. dispenser to find that elusive end. Makes me want to rush him to a public bathroom and teach him what to do. 'Course that's not practical with three small children.

********************

Yesterday was a loooong day. The kids didn't sleep well in the afternoon, which always makes for a difficult last few hours till daddy gets home. Couple that with the fact I ran out of coffee and couldn't have any in the afternoon and the fact that planning worship for Sunday was NOT coming together, and by three o'clock I was done. Done, done. And then the baby woke up screaming. Great.

So later, when my DH was home I was letting off steam.

"You know, I just don't get it. I made the boys clean up all their toys downstairs. It's spotless. There's a whole big empty floor for them to wrestle and run around in, yet they choose to jump off the living room couch where I'm trying to catch five minutes of down time!"

"Well, yeah," he deadpans.

"That's it? That's all you've got to say? 'Yeah?'"

He grins. He grins!

"It's not about the wrestling. It's about you watching."

He just said that like I should know what he's talking about. "What?"

"They're wrestling infront of you to show you. They want you to be able to see them. It's no fun wrestling if there's no one there to watch. I remember doing the exact same thing when I was a kid."

O-kay. Must be a boy thing.

********************

I just had to teach my baby a lesson. Lesson: You cannot pull mommy's books of the bookshelf and chew on them.

Needless to say, he's not a happy boy right now.

********************

I have a question for you. Is it normal for an almost-four-year-old to constantly spill his food? I'm talking great big messes, this kid couldn't stay clean to save his life. He's constantly dropping food off his fork or spoon, spilling over the edge of his plate or knocking over a glass of water.

The most common one is cereal. Every, and I do mean EVERY, morning he spills some of his cereal and milk on the table. It's like he can't help it. He's distracted and not watching what he's doing and...oops, tipped the spoon. In his defense, he's more than willing to clean it up himself. He'll get a napkin and wipe it up to the best of his almost-four ability.

But is this normal? I know they say not to cry over spilled milk, but really!

Can't Think

I know I haven't been blogging much lately. My excuse: I can't think. It's been a long, hard summer and my brain is feeling pretty much fried. What little there is left isn't holding many nice thoughts. And my mom always told me "if you can't say something nice...."

Which got me to thinking, I'm sure glad no one can see inside this head. Not pretty. And I'm not talking anatomically. I mean, there's all this nastiness inside, swirling around. I'm sure it would shock my Christian friends and probably send my mother to an early grave. (tee,hee)

And that got me to thinking, isn't it amazing God loves me despite this? I mean, I'm barely tolerating myself, yet somehow God finds something redeemable about me. Hmmm, bears some pondering.

So, if these blog posts are sparse for awhile, at least you'll know why. I'm keeping all the nasties to myself. ;-)

A Season of Forgiveness by Brenda Coulter

A SEASON OF FORGIVENESS by Brenda Coulter

Available in stores September 25. Order now from Amazon.

(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0373874537 )

Read most of the first chapter at BrendaCoulter.com

If you haven't read anything by Brenda Coulter then you are missing out! This fabulous inspirational/romance writer brings stories to life in a jump-off-the-page way. Her characters will make you laugh, cry and love with an intensity that's unique to Coulter's writing style. This is one author I highly recommend!

Ups and Downs

Isn't this just every mother's dream?? Now when someone asks how the kids are and I say they're "climbing the walls," it'll be for real! I have proof! And I'm serious when I say I'm proud of them. Isn't it great? I mean besides the fact my trim isn't on the door frame.

My oldest son, Connor, asked me a question the other day. "Mom, do you like superheroes or barbies better?"

This may appear to be an innocent question, but I knew I had to handle it with delicate honesty. After a few moments of thought I replied, "well, when I was a little girl, I used to play with barbies. But then I grew up, got married and had three boys who love superheroes, so now I like superheroes, too." He just beamed.

Also, my baby started walking last week. It's like he grew up overnight. All of a sudden my sweet, cuddly boy has decided to become independent. He no longer crawls anywhere. If he falls, he gets back up and goes again. It's soooo cute and he's soooo proud of himself. He's become quite the little man.

However, his pride was a little stung this evening when he took his first tumble down the stairs. I have tried explaining that if he plays on the stairs he's going to get hurt, but he's a determined little guy and I learned after my second son, Benen, that you just have to let go. So, I choose not to look. When he's going down the stairs, I turn away so I don't have to watch what appears to be an Evil Knievel stunt.

Anyway, this evening he was sitting on the stairs and his blanket was on the step below him. He leaned waaaaaay over to get it and lost his balance. He gently slid down four steps on his nose and landed in the porch on his forehead. No harm done, it didn't even leave a mark. But it shook him up. I had been watching him and told him no less than five times to "turn around backwards," which he understands. He just didn't want to listen. The tears were few and before a minute had passed he was on his way....downstairs, going backwards.

Changes

I cried myself to sleep last night. Great headache-inducing sobs. My life is about to change and I am NOT ready for this new phase.

My oldest son, Connor, is starting kindergarten. I have been counting the weeks, anxious for this difficult summer to be over, when it dawned on me that summer's end means my oldest will be marching off to school. How did this happen?? How did I end up here, faced with this enormous change? My son, whom it seems was a baby only yesterday, is suddenly growing up right before my eyes.

His life will no longer be under my constant care. For five years I have watched over him, protected him, dried his tears and scared the nightmares away. Now he'll be making new friends, going on new adventures and learning new lessons. And I won't be a part of it. Yes, I know he'll still need me and he's going to come home and share those new experiences with me, but I won't be there. And sure this is only kindergarten, but really it's the beginning of his independence and a time where he will discover who he really is. The next thirteen years will be a time of developing, growing and changing.

I know this is going to happen. I can't stop it, nor would I want to. But I'd like to pause it, maybe put it on hold for another five years. I know there are lots of parents who anxiously wait for the school years to begin, but I'm feeling like it's come too quick. The years of wanting to marry mom and be a superhero are drawing to a close. Not today and maybe not tomorrow, but soon, much quicker than I'd like.

I know I'm a bit of a control freak and this post just proves it, but I'm finding it a little hard to let go and let God. My head tells me that these kids are His and they're in His hands, but my heart is screaming they're mine! I'm feeling anxious wondering what friends will he make? will he find his way to the classroom? will he make it on time to the bathroom? will he remember his homework? what do I make for gluten-free lunches? Stuff like that.

But I'm working on it. I'm praying and I know that they're making it past the ceiling even if it doesn't always feel that way.

On a lighter note, it looks like Chad and I will be heading to Edmonton for another dinner theatre this weekend. We're going up, without the kids, for his mother's birthday. We're going to do another show like last time, just the six of us - in-laws, brother-in-law and his wife and Chad and I. I'm really looking forward to it. I loved the last one we went to and I'm excited to go again. However, there will be no dancing on the stage this time...for me. Watch out mother-in-law! It's your birthday and I'm making sure they know it! LOL! And I'm bringing my camera!!

Excuse for not Blogging #13

I'm sick. My throat is burning, my head is pounding and my chest is aching.

I'm medicating with peanut butter smarties and coffee. Protein for energy and something warm to soothe my throat. My Advil cold and sinus, decongestant and throat drops are on their way.

And now I'm gonna go get some sleep while my baby naps. 'Night.

Breast Cancer - What You Didn't Know

Many of us have been touched by breast cancer. You may have fought the demon yourself, or perhaps you know of someone who has been, or is, in a battle for their life.

Jenster posted a message sent by Whymommy at Toddler Planet about an unknown, rare type of breast cancer. The information is shocking. I encourage anyone who reads this blog to click here and get informed. You can never be too cautious. Early detection of cancer is critical for survival. So take a few minutes and get armed.

The Crazy Lady

You know how you see or hear of those eccentric old ladies with rollers in their hair, house coats always on, pacing and ranting. Well, that was me the other day.

We're staying at friends' house while they're out of town and it just happens to be down the street from my parent's place. So, I decided to let my boys walk to Grandma's to pick up their Veggie Tale's movie. It'll be good for them, I thought. Connor is five and Benen is almost four.

The tricky thing was crossing the street. We're on the corner and my parents are across the street on the other side, across the road on the next block and about five houses down. So while I can see their house from here, my boys had to cross two streets, which turned out to be the cause of disaster.

Things started out fine until they reached the corner. They stopped and looked both ways, held hands and started across the road. Only, they went diagonal - J-walking. I was standing on the front step shouting at them to go straight. I could see it click in with Connor and he began to swerve his course, dragging his younger brother with him. He made this wide loop, never quite reaching the other sidewalk and then continued to the other side. I was holding my breath and praying no vehicles would happen along during my children's swaying, winding run. Did I mention they were running?

As they neared the other side safe and sound, I started to breathe again when Benen, being dragged along, tripped and fell in the mud. He got up and stood on the street corner, mud dripping off his hand and crying to wake the dead. Connor looked at him, but he was on a mission and took off running for Grandma's, leaving Benen deserted on the corner, hurt and heartbroken.

I realized that I was going to have to go get him. Here's where it gets interesting. I was wearing a navy blue satin nightie that came to mid-thigh over a pair of baggy grey comfy pants. It was mid morning and I hadn't showered yet. This means my hair, which I had cut short, was sticking out in a hundred different wavy directions. Think mad-scientist and you'd be close. Also, I didn't want to stand on the step indecent, so I had wrapped around myself a yellow towel that has shoulder straps and velcros shut in the front. And on my feet I was wearing my green fuzzy slippers. Yup. I was a fright!

But, being the devoted loving mother that I am, I swallowed my pride and started down the grass to the street corner where I beckoned my screaming child to come to me. I was praying that none of the neighbors were watching and that no vehicles would venture down our block. Benen looked both ways (good boy) and then shook his head. Still sobbing he choked out, "truck." I looked back over my shoulder and sure enough there was a huge dump truck ambling down our street. The temperature outside rose a few degrees, I'm sure.

The driver, being a polite observant woman, stopped to let my child cross in front. So, another J-walking incident later, I had Benen safe by the clean hand and I led him inside where I washed the mud off his hand and foot.

Connor made it back safe, movie in hand. Benen was distraught that he didn't get to go to Grandma's. And me? I put the movie on to entertain them and decided that before I shove them from the nest again, I better teach them how to cross the street.