It’s over and it went just fine. Nia is now all set to be shunned by the private/home schoolers! Whatever. It’s not them that I have to worry about – it’s that our little girl makes the most of her education, no matter who’s teaching her.
Now, on to the next stressful thing we face as parents!
I have been dreading this day for quite some time now. Just thinking about it ties my stomach up in knots and makes me need to take deep breaths. I’m scared. Worried. Stressed. Doubtful. Questioning. Nervously excited. Scared. I know I already wrote that feeling. I felt it necessary to repeat it since it’s the one consuming me.
In a few hours, I will be registering Nia for Kindergarten. I have already downloaded, printed and filled out the forms. I’ve paper clipped them all nice and neat with all the other forms they require you to show them. Her birth certificate – check. Her social security card – check. Proof that we live in the school district – check. Proof that I am who I say I am – check. Proof that she’s had all her shots – check. My sanity and peace of mind – ah – yeah, nope. Those are pretty far from getting a check.
I’m just so apprehensive about so many things when it comes to this big step. I know I felt the same feelings when I registered her for Pre-K but now it’s official. Our baby girl is starting school- that’s difficult enough to deal with – but then there’s also all the judgments that surround school. I hear it all the time from other mothers…”We would definitely not send our child to public school. Private school is the only option for us.” But then there’s the… “I don’t trust any school system to teach my child. We are homeschooling them.” I know I shouldn’t care what they say but it’s hard not to let their attitudes put doubt in my head.
All I can do is deal with it the best I can and not let Nia sense my feelings. I want her to be excited and happy about starting “big kid” school. So far, she is and that’s really the one thing that settles my stress. I’m just going to take it one day at a time and that starts today. Wish us luck!
You know you don’t have a social life when your 5-year-old gets more phone calls and has more “play dates” than you do.
Just today two little girls called Nia on the phone and asked her to meet them to play. How cute is that? It’s so funny because sometimes I have to look at the calendar and schedule the play dates! Today, I had to tell the one mom, “Oh sorry, Nia can’t play because she’s meeting another little girl to play. How about tomorrow?”
I think it’s the coolest thing that other kids have a blast with Nia. She is so fun and sweet and I can only hope she will form friendships as easily during kindergarten.
Now, if only I could make a few more friends…
Now, give us money so we can give you a prize.
Yep, that’s pretty much what Andrew heard after actually being “Caller Number 10” on a local radio station and answering the question correctly.
First of all, how many people can actually say they’ve been “Caller Number 10?” It’s frustratingly hard to even get through on those contest lines let alone be the 10th one through! (I would redial until I was almost asleep during my New Kids on the Block crazed days. What my life could have been if only I won those backstage passes!)
So he gets through, hears that he’s the caller, answers the trivia question about Stone Mountain and then is told he needs to pay 130 bucks in order to get a three night free stay somewhere in Florida, plus we would still have to pay for our plane tickets! HA!
He told them no and they couldn’t believe he was rejecting them. I told him I’ll get him a t-shirt that says, “I was the 10th caller and all I got was this stupid t-shirt. (From my wife.)” Sure it’s not original, but it still made us laugh.
He’s 26 years old, he’s super short and wobbles when he walks.
He needs a tan and needs to learn how to handle his beer.
His fingers are incredibly long and one of them can glow.
He has a limited vocabulary, usually repeating the same words/phrases over and over again.
You know, like “E.T. phone home.”
Nia was introduced to the little alien this weekend and hasn’t been able to stop talking about him since. She loved every minute of the movie, laughing out loud at parts (the “phone home” part really made her giggle, especially since E.T. was dressed up) and even crying toward the end saying, “I don’t want ET to die Momma.”
It may sound incredibly dramatic but the whole thing made me tear up because of how precious it all was. I was Nia’s age when I first watched the movie and now I get to experience the feeling all over again through her eyes. The movie captivated her heart and imagination and there is something touching in that. She’s becoming a little sci-fi/fantasy lover and I think that’s so cool. From Lord of the Rings to Narnia and now E.T., I’m so excited for her to discover there’s more than just Disney princesses out there!
*If you were wondering, Andrew and I both really liked the play and the movie my mom and I saw was Made of Honor and we both enjoyed that as well!
Blur of Excitement
Yep. Nia’s face in that picture pretty much sums it all up. Her 5th birthday bash was a blast! There was plenty of jumping, screaming, prizes and junk food for everyone but there was also a significant amount of stressing on my part prior to all that. The forecast of “isolated thunderstorms” really had all of the outdoor party plans up in the air. The sun teased us throughout the afternoon but then finally came through for us as you can see!
Happy Birthday Jumping Bean
It’s actually kind of funny because in the end, I think the chance of rain helped make the party a success because we had to hurry to make sure everyone got to play the games and that kept the party from lasting forever and ever. Although, I think that would have been just fine with Nia and her friends!
They couldn’t get enough of the fun and loot. A few of them kept asking me, “How can I win more prizes?” They each walked away with bags full of popcorn, candy and toys, plus cotton candy. Andrew even let one family take a whole box of pizza home with them! I bet you want to come to our next party right? We might have to charge admission though!
The kids certainly weren’t the only ones who had a great time. My mom (“Honey”) found some super cool clown gear during one of her party supply shopping sprees and we just couldn’t pass up the chance to be goofy too!
She definitely deserved to have as much fun as possible after creating Nia’s adorable and delicious cake. She even made it two flavors and made the icing from scratch! It was hilarious watching her ice it with the vultures, I mean kids, hovering. Nia kept leaning over it and putting her fingers too close for comfort. Every time Nia or Nate got near it, we would gasp. When it was finally finished, Honey actually shed a few tears of relief and joy!
Nia’s party even had a little bit of Savannah at it. Our good friend Paul’s arrival at the party brought huge smiles to Nia and Nate’s faces and it was so wonderful to have the Heidels celebrate all weekend long with us. It means the world that they were here through all of it (thanks for not slapping me silly when I kept stressing about the rain) and I’m very happy that Miss Cami had a nice time. (Minus the moonwalk though. Poor sweetie. She just wasn’t having it.)
Soothing her sweetie's moonwalk stress
Now, it’s on to planning the next party. I’m thinking I’d like to have it somewhere where I don’t have to worry about mother nature or decorating. Then again, none of that stuff mattered to Nia so why should I let it worry me? As long as Nia and Nate are happy, that’s all that’s important.
I think she had fun. What do you think?
Who? What? When? Where? Why? Oh yeah, and How?
They’re asked while I’m talking on the phone. They’re asked if I sigh or think out loud to myself. They’re asked, of course, if I say no to a prior question that’s usually about going somewhere or doing something. They’re asked while I’m driving. They’re asked while I’m taking a potty break. They’re even asked while I sit in silence.
All day long. Questions. Questions. Questions. Sometimes, I don’t even have the answers to them. Other times, I think I have the answer but then Andrew very sweetly smiles and shakes his head and then tells her the correct reason two positive ends of a magnet don’t stick together (or whatever).
I read somewhere that an average 4-year-old asks about 440 questions a day. I just don’t have that many answers.
Who needs a busy body policing the neighborhood when you have a 4 year old?
Today, Nia made it known to me and the neighbor across the street that she disapproved of how he was dressed. This “he” is a teenage boy who is constantly working on his car that has one of those deliberately loud mufflers on it (speak of the devil – I hear the car now) and one of those “systems” that he decides to blare at odd hours of the night.
Anyway, today Nia announced out her brother’s open bedroom window, “Momma! That boy who’s our neighbor is outside and doesn’t have a shirt on!”
I’m not sure if he heard or not and I really don’t care anyway. I know I’m supposed to “love thy neighbor” and I keep telling myself that but every time I hear his annoyingly loud car I feel the urge to cuss under my breath.
Maybe I should get Nia to give him a piece of my mind. The G-rated version, of course.
Want to get the kids to come inside after playing outside for long enough?
There’s bribery – “If we go inside now you’ll get a treat after lunch.” No takers.
How ’bout health reasons – “You are really sweaty sweetie. I don’t want you to get too hot.” Whatever mom.
Maybe you should just go straight to the big guns – Totally freak out (I’m talking screaming and bobbing and weaving) when a bee/wasp buzzes around you.
Yep. That should get them inside real fast.
Are You Zhazha? 
Say what?