The first week of school

Some moms look at the start of a new school year with saddness and despair. 'Where did the summer go?' they ask as a salutation upon greeting fellow moms in the school hallways. Me? I know where it went...each day of it. Over two months...day by day...it was spent playing with my three kids, swimming with them, jumping on the trampoline with them, painting, reading, watching movies, roller skating, visiting friends, riding bikes, playing hide and seek, trying to get them to write just a few sentences so they wouldn't forget what English looked like for goodness sakes. Oh...and lets not forget breaking up fights, wiping tears, covering boo boos with band-aids, mopping up blood, lecturing to young boys on the need to have compassion for others when they are hurt, keeping wrestling bodies from rolling on top of almost 2 year baby girls! That is where my summer went...day by day...for two months. I enjoyed 'almost' all of it and wouldn't trade it for anything (well maybe one or two of the slow weeks for a spa get away or even a boring cruise...). But all good things come to an end right? =)

And so this week the boys went back to school. =)

The most coveted part of the first week back in school for me is the "room meetings" held on Thursday night. Just enough time for the teachers to figure out a little about your kid so when they greet you at the door they know where the kid got it from.. I was so relieved that Ian didn't get any 'monkeys pulled' this week so when I shook his young and beautiful (did I mention young--- 27 years young) and not married and no kids (can we say over devoted teacher at the moment) teacher I could confidently introduce myself as "Ian's mom" and see her smile. You always have to compliment them right off from the start. I like to state how my child has talked about how much fun he has had or how sweet his teacher has been this week. You are just sharing information passed down from your child so it's not like you are brown nosing or anything.

Then you go and sit in those tiny little chairs for an hour and try really hard not to squirm too much as your back starts aching and your feet go numb. I also smile a lot at the teacher as she is going through her power point of expectations for the class and educational goals she has for their little brains. I nod a lot in agreement and try really hard not to let my well known facial expressions for confusion and "oh, please...come on!" thoughts show through. Then Nate and I write a cute little note to hide in our child's desk for a nice surprise in the morning.

Of course the worst part is at the end. The teachers always hold up those dreaded sign up sheets. You know the ones if you've walked down this path with an older child. "And whoever would like to volunteer in the classroom please sign these sheets before you leave." All the moms - those devoted ones that truly love their child and of course have nothing better to do then stay all day in the classroom and give their free hours to cutting out paper and gluing bulletin boards together - run to the sign up sheets. Ohhhh...who is going to sign up for the Fall party and who wants to be in charge of scrap booking for the whole class? Just like approaching a Chinese buffet my eyes are so much bigger than my actual available time. So, I humbly write down my name for "helping" out with seasonal parties and sign beside the "busy work at home for teacher" but then say a short prayer, 'please God don't let her send a stack of apples for me to cut out with Ian next week'. (Last year I ended up cutting out 20 full size bodies and drawing all their facial features on them for Ian's kindergarten class until 10pm for a few nights in a row...I almost killed someone!) I've finally realized I should just relish in the fact that right now I have a good excuse for not being at the school throughout the week because I have a toddler at home. Although you KNOW I would love to sit their all day in my kids' class and grade math worksheets for those teachers...I REALLY would!

The third grade meeting moved a little more quickly with a lot less information. She knew what she wanted and didn't feel the need to take up our time explaining all of her goals for the kids (we could read the hand out later she said)it didn't really involve much parental help anyway (I'll e-mail you all when I need a few volunteers for a science project and then the first three that reply will help me...) in other words...your kid is in 3rd grade so turn off the hover-copter mode and find something else to do with your time...like cutting out apples for the 1st grade teachers.

I did enjoy reading a new sign up sheet that went around all the rooms this year asking for help from parents during an 'R and E' (review and enrichment) hour the school was implementing each day which would involve the help of lots of adults working with small groups of students. It asked for your "area of expertise" and you know I didn't bother signing up but I did tell Nate to put his name down and under expertise write "aerodynamics and fluid mechanics"(knowing full well my man can't give up an hour a day but at least they would know that his offspring had some good genes for them) but still...they needed to know just in case a child needed help in that area. Then Nate and I got a big laugh out of the fact that another mom we know in the class wrote under that same column..."anything you need." Well....I'm so glad someone out there is an expert in everything and so willing to share it! =)

You will be proud of us though. Nate didn't hug anyone (please Nate not the first week of school) and I didn't go home and bake any brownies for the teachers to celebrate their first Friday!

And so I know that Ian is happy and challenged in a room full of first grade monkeys with his very single very perky teacher. And Eli is feeling safe and loved by a very motherly teacher who is obsessed with Star Wars and has decorated her room with Yoda and Jedi warriors! And Elizabeth and I? We are enjoying a little bit of Q and R (Quite from screaming and wrestling and Relaxation of three hour naps during the middle of the day)before we pick up the boys and then play hard together until bedtime!