Off to School

At 6:25am, my sweet Andrew slipped onto my side of the bed and curled up beside me. I don't think he was awake just yet. I enjoyed the few moments of quiet before the loud vibrating of Mike's cell phone startled us out of dreamland. (Seriously, who knew that a phone could vibrate loud enough to wake one up?)

6:45am and the morning routine began. Our new routine. My baby is going to school today. I realize he's only in preschool, and it is just 3 hours, 4 days a week, not the whole day, but this is monumental. We brushed our teeth, did hair, put on clothes (checked to make sure he could button and unbuton his shorts himself), checked and re-checked the backback (breakfast money- check, I love you note from Mommy- check, no sneaky cars in the little pocket- double check), filled the brightly colored Cars waterbottle, took a few first day picures, said a morning family prayer, and we were off by 7:35.

As we rushed, hand in hand, to the little fenced-in playground, the rain gently drizzled down. I kissed my baby goodbye, smiled and told him to have a wonderful day. He gladly got into line with his little classmates and smiled a big boy smile. Only for a second did I see that look of uncertainty when I kissed him and he knew I wasn't going inside. Then he was gone into his room, in an instant. I was brave. I didn't cry, although I admit that I am just a bit as I sit and type this. Maybe the sky mercifully spilt a few tears so I wouldn't have to on this most important of mornings.

He's off to his first adventure in academia without me as his guide.

I have been preparing the both of us for this day for over 4 years. Up until now, I have been the navigator in his learning. I have been the captain of the ship, the encourager, the fellow discoverer, the cheerleader of each new skill mastered. From smiling, to sitting up, to self-feeding, to walking, to talking, to potty training, to buttoning buttons, to writing his name and learning the abc's and 123's, I have been the teacher. I must now pass this torch to another and stand in the background as the support system (although I will never truly give up my role as a teacher). I have to admit, this is difficult. There was a time where I felt I could continue to be his teacher forever. After all, I have the training and experience. A quiet voice assured me that I needed to share this wonderful boy, and I knew this was the right choice now.

I still want to be there, but I realize that for my boy, no longer a baby, progress is best now in a new classroom. He needs the experience of learning with others, the chance to resolve the little conflicts with his peers, the chance to experience the joy of learning with a new guide. Those things will allow him to stretch and grow. I know it is something that I could not give him alone. I am so blessed to live in an area with wonderful schools and good teachers. Sometimes your chicks just need the chance to fly. How grateful I am that I could be central in his learning for his first few years. I know I will continue to be there to share in his journey, learning apart and together, for many years to come.

Too Much Love

(Image from milliemotts.blogspot.com)

Yesterday, in the middle of cooking a large meal, in the midst of pots and pans and things in the oven, rolls that didn't want to rise, and impatient and hungry little boys, my husband wrapped his arms around me, dipped me and kissed me. I stopped worrying about dinner and kissed him back.

Doesn't every woman want to be swept off their feet?

In the middle of a giggle from me as Mr. Croft kissed my neck, Andrew proclaimed, "You guys have too much love in there!"

Too much love? Mike said, "Mommies and Daddies can't have too much love!" and kissed me again, with our boys looking on.

Is there such a thing as too much love? In a world declaring the need for me, me, me, there seems to be no room for "we". We would all be better off if we just took a moment and thought about fulfilling another's needs instead of our own. In the middle of the hustle and bustle of life, we all need to be reminded that we are genuinely loved, and soak up those moments. (Thank you handsome husband!)

Dinner will still get ready on time. The kids will get fed. You'll always have the dishes to clean later. The difference is that you and your spouse will have fed your marriage, and you will have taught your children that there can't be too much love in your home.

Love is taking time to recharge your relationship, even if it means ignoring dinner and letting the dishes remain dirty for a bit.

Now That's Talent!

I have always felt that my children were filled with talents galore.

As a "totally unbiased mom" I know this is true. (All moms understand this truth.)

I find it amusing that Ben's latest talent is turning any mealtime into art time. Do you know a toddler who can get one tablespoon of peanut butter to spread from the top of his head to the tips of his toes?


Now that is talent, baby!

Back to School Read Alouds

This week's prize picnic topic is storytelling. I am not a great make up your own story person, but my family loves read alouds. With my big boy starting preschool next week (!!!) we have been dedicating reading time to some great "get ready for school" books. Here are some of my favorites.


The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn (be in the right state of emotion for this one, I almost always cry...)


Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes


Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes


Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
(can you tell I really love Keven Henkes books?)


Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London

David Goes to School by David Shannon


Margaret and H.A. Rey's Curious George's First Day of School


If You Take A Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff


Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester


Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus


Lastly, we have been LOVING the Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park. We are currently reading number three in the series. I only read a few chapters a day, so it's not overwhelming. Then, before we read the next day, we review what was going on before. Even though Junie B. is a bit naughty, it has actually been a springboard into some great discussions about what we should do to behave.

Reading aloud is a great way to bond with your children. It encourages them to talk about their own feelings and emotions. It shows your children that you love reading and encourages them to read on their own. Little ones can read favorite stories by turning the pages and retelling the story in their own words. Those starting to read can follow along and read a special word with you (for example, have them read all of the "my's" in the book), or stop an sound out one or two words along the way. Chapter books are a great tool for encouraging sharper listening skills and promoting imagination as they have to see the pictures in their minds. Happy reading! Hop over to ABC's and 123's for more storytelling ideas.

Hop, Skip and Jump Picnic Post

Today's picnic post is about getting out and being active. Getting OUT... AND being active...


It's summer here in the lovely state of Arizona. Summer here means it needs to be at least 100 degrees as the LOW temperature in the evening or early morning. It is "blazing-burn-your-fingers-on-the-steering-wheel, avoid-the-outdoors-as-much-as-possible" hot here.

The only real physical activity we do at this time of year involves either being in a pool, being inside or running really fast to get inside so you don't fry.

Seriously, we do really love the community pool here and try to use it frequently. Swimming is great exercise. I actually have been participating in a weekly water aerobics class this summer. I had no idea you could get such a great workout in a pool... My kids beg to go too, but it's mommy time, no kids.

When we were in a better economic situation, we enrolled in swimming lessons during the beginning of the summer. Not this year. Oh well.

I go walking at night with a friend for about 30 minutes, three to four times a week to get some exercise in. (Well, we try...) Even though we go at 9 pm, it is still pretty toasty outside, but bearable with the sun down at least.

I try and cover my eyes as my children jump on the furniture and run in circles around the house to work out the energy. Sometimes I even encourage it by turning on some fun music (shh... don't tell Mom!). One can only do so much with no yard...

We "dance along" to So You Think You Can Dance every Wednesday and Thursday. That counts as exercise, right?

When it's not so terribly hot (think below 115...) we use our Zoo membership. The fabulous thing about the Phoenix Zoo is that they have two water areas for the kids, so you can get wet and walk around and not be so terribly hot the whole day.

We dash from the parking lot to the air-conditioned grocery store when we have to restock the fridge. We also have our daily walk to the mailbox. Sometimes we wander around the mall or the library just to get out of the house. All of these activities necessitate an Otter Pop afterwards.

I am a little jealous of everyone who lives in a part of the world where summer is a magical, outdoor paradise. I may be roasting now, but our winters are fabulous...

Honestly, being active is really NOT my area of expertise. Really, I'd rather just read a book than work out, but I'm trying because I know it's important for me and my family. Head on over to ABC's and 123's for some real advice on hopping, skipping and jumping...

Bracelet Refashion

Apparently, this little technique is a big thing because I have found tutorials on two blogs that I frequent, so I figured I'd give it a try.

I have several beaded bracelets that have been pulled apart by my boys and way too much ribbon for a mom with two boys. So, I took one old bracelet's worth of beads and a length of ribbon I had on hand and transformed it into a new bracelet, using this tutorial as a guide.

Not bad for a first try. There are two things I would change from the tutorial if I attempt this again. One, I would make the ribbon longer so that I could tie it in a bigger bow. Two, I would not sew the ribbon together first, so that the ends would be just the wide ribbon.

One thing I did differently from the tutorial. I folded the ends in and slip stitched it closed (I didn't have any fray-check) and I think it finished it nicely. There's nothing like a new piece of jewelry that doesn't cost a penny! How do you refashion on the cheap?

Picnic Post, Organization

I love organizing, so I don't even know where to begin on this post. I have seen so many wonderful posts on this topic, so I'm feeling a bit intimidated posting any of my not-so-brilliant ideas on this subject. I just like having a place for everything. Here are a few ways I organize the stuff that my boys use on a daily basis:

Books:


I have a lot of books... I had my books sorted by theme (Valentine's Day, transportation, etc.) while teaching and it worked for me there, so I just kept the system going at home. I divide my themes with a manilla file folder half that I wrote the theme on running down the side. Then I file all the books in that theme behind the divider. I rotate my books by season or theme we're studying, pulling only those books out and putting them in a basket for my kids to pull from. This makes it easy to keep my books in order and helps me read a variety of books to my kids, so we don't get stuck reading cars books over and over, and nothing else.


When we go to the library, I also make sure that library books stay in our library tote so they don't get mixed up in our personal books.

I also have a whole shelf of board books in no particular order for my toddler to go through. This way, he has his own books that don't need to be "organized" and he stays out of the more destructible paperbacks (well, for the most part...).

Toys:


I have two words for organizing toys- sweater tubs. I love my labeled sweater tubs. They are just the right size to hold a "collection" of toys, yet manageable enough for my kids to pack, lift, stack, and put away by themselves. I put the word and a picture on the label so anyone who was picking up toys (read "friends playing over" here) will know exactly where to put them.

Art supplies:


I keep a little pencil box (with scissors, glue stick, crayons and pencils), coloring books and activity pages, watercolors with a water cup (a plastic fruit cup container), and stickers in a portable handled tub, so when my kids want to do an art project, everything is in one place.

I think the real key to effective organizing is to just do what makes sense for your family. It shouldn't be too complicated, and it should be simple enough that your even your toddler can help clean up. Then, keep at it!

If you are looking for more great organization ideas, head on over to ABC's and 123's for more inspiration!