1 Mother 2 Another

Maddie came. Maddie saw. Maddie kicked
school’s butt.


Oh yeah, oh yeah, un-hunh, un-hunh.


That’s my Happy Victory Dance.


In case you hadn’t guessed, the first day of school went
really well. And let me tell you, for the amount of prep and
cross-checking and background-laying that went into it, it should
have been as smooth as a shuttle launch.


I spent most of Sunday working frantically to finish Every Little
Thing that needed to be done before Monday. I put labels on her
things; made sure she did her “homework”; packed and
re-packed her bag; helped her lay out her first-day-of-school
clothes; and I cooked.


Boy did I cook.

School is starting on Monday for Maddie,
and we’ve been spending the past month getting her ready:
buying school bags and new clothes and lunch containers, labeling
everything, talking endlessly through her fears and concerns about
the Great Unknown Also Known as Pre-K. We’ve waged an intense
campaign to instill familiarity and excitement, which culminated
yesterday in a sneak peek at her new school.

I know I’ve written about href="http://www.woot.com/" target="_blank">Woot, the
website that sells a different item every day, all day. Sometimes
it’s awesome stuff, like a computer or awesome printer, and
sometimes it’s yet another Roomba. But every day I have to
check, just in case they’re carrying something like an
iPod-like MP3 player for fifteen bucks that I can snatch up for the
girls.


Last week, Woot launched target="_blank">Kid Woot, which is all things
child-related. The first day they offered a very comprehensive pack
of Thomas track pieces and stops like the Watertower and Windmill,
for an incredible price. They’ve also offered Little Mermaid
toothbrushes that sing while you brush, video games, and more.


Remember, you have to check back every day, and that in itself
becomes a little addictive – what crap do I not need that is
on sale that I can’t live without? But the deals really are
extraordinary, and as Christmas looms closer you’ll be glad
you keep looking in.


And yes, I’m ashamed to say that my husband did buy the
singing Mermaid toothbrushes. Can’t wait.

Maddie and Cora had friend over yesterday,
and they were playing relatively quietly upstairs for a bit so I
took advantage of the calm to finish the breakfast dishes. By the
time I’d hustled myself upstairs to check on the “too
quiet” quiet, I was met at the top of the stairs by Cora who
gleefully exclaimed, “Elise put the dolly inside her!”


Now, when I’d left them, they’d been assembling and
disassembling Maddie’s Russian nesting dolls, and Cora has
shown a great fascination towards the smallest nesting doll, less
than an inch long. In fact, Cora’s come close on more than
one occasion to sticking the poor doll up her nose or giving the
small thing a tentative lick. So when I heard Cora’s news, I
feared the worst, and envisioned having to explain to Elise’s
mother that the girl would be pooping out a Russian nesting doll in
the next day or so and no, thanks, I don’t want it back.

A trip to the hair salon. A leisurely
lunch, with a decadent dessert. Shoe shopping. Sounds like a
heavenly day for any mom, right?


Ish.


Maddie starts school next week, and we’ve still got a few
things to finish up on her to-do list. First and foremost was a
haircut, because – there’s no easy way to admit this
– she’s never had one.

I’m back from my weekend away
– which was not, by the way, a trip north to help a relative,
but east to surprise a girlfriend with a new baby. I had to throw
her off the scent with my blog, since she reads the dang thing.


I have to confess (and it feels so wrong I almost think I should be
telling this to a priest) that I had a REALLY great time being by
myself for 48 hours. I mean a REALLY great time. I was stuck in the
airport when my flight on Friday was delayed four hours, and I
spent the whole time reading. Books without pictures. And eating.
Without sharing any of my food. When it began to look as if the
flight would be delayed so late it would need to be canceled and
rescheduled for the next morning, I never once considered going
back home and was trying to calculate if I could afford the cost of
a hotel room at the airport. In my home town.

I’ve got a family member who needs a
little extra help this weekend, so I’m soon to be winging my
way north to help out for a couple days.


Yep, you read it right. Time to Par-Tay without the kids.


I leave today and get back Sunday afternoon, and this’ll be
my first time away from the girls since, well, Cora was born. And
as much as I know my trip is going to be about helping out, I
can’t help but look on it as a major VACATION!!!!!!

I spent yesterday evening setting up for
today’s shop and swap, and as I was laying out all the cool
gear and stuff that people had brought, I pointed out a cute little
children’s desk and chair to a friend of mine. Made of a nice
old wood and in a cute rolltop style, the desk had obviously been
in a family for years, and I pointed out that it would be fun to
re-finish and spruce up to match a child’s room.


“Yeah, all that crafty/handy stuff went out the window when
child number two flew in,” she said, and I knew exactly what
she meant.

I’m organizing another shop and swap
for my neighborhood, and I have to say, I’m really looking
forward to it.


This past spring I had all the moms in my community bring in their
unneeded kids’ clothes and baby gear, and we spent a morning
“shopping” through all the stuff for what we needed. I
was astounded at what some moms gave away – car seats,
jogging strollers, huge toys, and rooms full of clothes – and
felt great watching Maddie and Cora’s old stuff get new
homes.

I don't have anything nice to say, so I
won't say anything at all.

Thursday night, Cora started whimpering in
her sleep – waking up and crying fretfully a minute or so,
then going back to sleep. She’d spent the week getting me up
a few times a night, looking for a cuddle and a respite from her
nightmares. So as I lay in bed at midnight, having not yet fallen
asleep, I listened to her whimpering and became a bit crabby,
anticipating another such night ahead.


A few minutes into it, Brian nudged me and said,
“Shouldn’t you go in there?” I shot daggers at
him in the dark and hissed, “I only go in if she specifically
asks for me! I’m not running in at every little whimper!
She’s got to sleep without me – she’s TWO YEARS
OLD!”

I’ve had a few people write in and
ask what solutions I found for providing a preschooler with a meal
she can unpack herself. Because I’m a bit of an eco-conscious
mom, I was looking for an alternative to baggies, while still
finding something my four-year-old can handle on her own.


Here’s what I found.

Maddie’s ballet class started back
up for the fall yesterday, and someone in this household was
particularly excited that the big day had finally arrived.


Cora.


I’m telling you, this girl is absolutely in love with ballet.
At Maddie’s school, the three-year-olds wear all pink, and
the four-year-olds wear lavender. So all last year, Maddie wore
pink and watched the next class come running in after hers, wearing
the so-much-more-sophisticated lavender. When summer ballet camp
rolled around, Maddie put her foot down and refused to wear her
pink togs; after all, she reasoned, she was four now! So we went
out and got her the four-year-old purple getup.


Which is the moment that Cora declared, “I get to wear pink
now!”

In our continuing efforts to Get Maddie
Ready For School, we recently went shopping for a couple more items
– the school bag, and the nap mat. And if you’ll
recall, I’d already stated my determination to stand fast and
refuse to buy a Disney bag. Was I successful?


Ish.

As part of a massive campaign to get
Maddie excited about – heck, just willing to go to –
school, I sent her over to her friend Elise’s house for a bit
of a practice day last week. The result?


I’d have to give it an A plus.


Elise is going to be in the same class as Maddie, and a week ago
her mom called me and suggested a practice lunch time. She
remembered how hard it was for Elise when she first started school
a year ago, and thought that giving Maddie a glimpse into the day
might take some of the mystery – and hence, the fear –
out of the day.

Maddie’s getting better at keeping
secrets than she used to be. In the old days, you’d be
guaranteed that anything you told her would be shouted from the
town square within minutes, but she’s learned the thrill of
surprise, and so now actually at least makes the effort to keep
something to herself.


Cora, though, still doesn’t understand secrets. She
understands “ambush” – she’ll tiptoe up to
someone to jump on their unknowing belly – but she
doesn’t get the long-term secret thing. Which is why,
yesterday, when I stood trying to make my mom a birthday cake in
the wee hours before I thought she’d be up and before the
kitchen got too hot, my mom stumbled blearily into the room and
Cora shouted happily, “Gamma! We’re making you a
birthday cake!”


Fortunately, I have not told her what we got Gamma for her
birthday. I’m hopeful, but not entirely unrealistically
so.

I’ve been running around during
naptimes buying supplies for Maddie for school, and much to the
dismay of my wallet, I’ve reached that feverish stage where
I’m throwing money at anything I see that looks as if it has
a remote chance in interesting my daughter in attending school.


We’ve determined we’re going to buy a messenger bag
instead of a back pack, and I’ve been scouring the city
trying to find one she’ll like. Maddie’s already
decreed that the only bag she’ll even consider taking to
school – IF she decides to go to school – will be a bag
with either Ariel or Tinkerbell on it. I am digging in my heels
here and trying to avoid letting any more of my money go to Disney
for a while, especially since I’m guessing (ok, hoping) that
she’ll be over the Ariel phase soon. So I said no to the
Ariel lunch bag, sticking with her very nice butterfly one for
right now. And I’m trying to find an uber-hip, totally cool
messenger bag that will make a four-year-old forget all about that
stupid mermaid and her purple shell bra. So far I’ve brought
home a couple bags, none of which have been accepted, and I have to
admit I’ve started sneaking looks at Ariel bags online. You
know, just in case I cave.

I’ve been a bit scattered in my
blogging the past couple of weeks – largely because during my
kid-free “down time”, I’ve been ingesting copious
amounts of alcohol.


Kidding.


A little bit.

I, know, you must think I’m making
this up, but I swear, my fantasies do not in any way involve
repeated vomiting and daily doses of Omnicef.


Yes, Cora woke up Friday morning after a second restless night in a
row, thirstily downed a bottle of water, and then threw it up all
over my bed. I sighed, cleaned it up, and settled in for the long
haul.