Before I commence with the randomness I have 1 item of business that I need to take care of.
I need to announce the winner of the Riley Blake fat quarter bundle.
And that winner is….
Sandy (who’s favorite color is lime green).
Sandy (who’s favorite color is lime green).
Ok. Now onto crazy talk.
Another year of school has started. I didn’t post about it. On purpose. It makes me too sad.
My husband reminds me that when I used to teach school this was my favorite time of year…all the students coming back, redecorating a classroom, a whole year of lessons and learning and fun ahead of us…yea, I ADORED this time of year.
But now…I kind of dread it. I hate sending Simon to school. Sure he loves it and sure it’s good for him and sure I believe in it. But I still hate it. I’d rather have him home here with me. I’m just selfish like that.
Here’s Simon on his first day of school.
He was so excited. He couldn’t wait to go. I on the other hand could have had summer last for another few months.
(Yes. That really is how Grace went to take Simon to the first day of school. Yes. She really wore those goggles until we returned home. She dressed herself and Simon liked it so we went with it. Who am I to squelch creativity? And don’t say a responsible mom because judging by her appearance we all know that is not the case.)
I cried all the way home after dropping him off. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to telling my kids goodbye…or growing up.
Speaking of which yesterday was Grace’s first day of preschool.
Fortunately for me I teach a preschool here at home in a classroom that we built into our house and so I get to keep her here with me. Unfortunately for me that didn’t stop the ache in my heart this morning when I realized that this is the last year I got to keep her all to myself.
Here she is waiting for everyone else to arrive.
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for me. I don’t do well with change. I wish I could freeze my family in time and stay like this for awhile. (Actually, I think I would be happy to stay like this indefinitely.) But I can’t. And somewhere between Simon and Gracie starting school I came to another sad realization…I won’t be the Dos Equis most INTERESTING MAN in the WORLD forever.
AAAGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
Right now, I am that guy. My kids think all my stories and tales are awesome. I’ve done and seen more than anyone else they know.
Anything I tell them becomes legend…anything…from running marathons to dressing up like a tornado one year for Halloween…anything…they love the stories…the time I fought a boy at recess or the time I blew up the drink machines at Subway…pick a story and they eat it up, and want more.
But for how much longer will that last?
I don’t know.
I’m afraid that one morning (very soon) I’ll go from the being the Dos Equis guy to…
Lane Meyers mother!
(And let’s face it…I’m not that far off.)
I’m not really sure what to do about it. So I figure I’ll just make the most of it while it lasts.
And hopefully when I turn into that mother I’ll at least be wearing a better looking outfit.
Now, I better go…today Grace and I are playing beauty shop and while I’m still an authority on all things fashionable this is an important appointment.
Stay thirsty my friends.
-liZ
PS–Now that I’m done writing this I feel like it was kind of a downer of a post. I didn’t mean it to be. As sad as I am to watch them grow up, I’m equally thankful that I get that chance to be a part of it. I love being a mom and wouldn’t miss this for anything in the world. I really have nothing to complain about…except for the fact that “I want my $2!”…and I’m just a big baby.
Are any of you as big of a baby as I am?
Please tell me I’m not alone…
Hey liZ,
I read this post right away this morning and it really hits home for me too. My oldest is in first grade this year and I am having a worse time then Kindergarten because it is full time and she doesn’t want me to walk her in or come in to pick her up anymore. 🙁 It is heartbreaking watching her walk in all by herself and my baby is four (no preschool) so this is my last year with her. I pretty much hate it and can totally relate to everything you wrote.
I’m a big baby too– and my kids are much younger than yours! We went though their outgrown clothes again yesterday. Why do they have to grow?
Not a downer post at all, I can totally relate! I don’t know where or when it starts, but suddenly some ‘friend’ will come along and they become the most interesting, and know-it-all as fact person in the world. And when your kids say to you, but so-and-so said they own a flying unicorn therefore it must be fact and I want one too for Christmas. Well…in the blink of an eye you become Lane Meyers mother. It is so unfair and uncool. And it is generally around that time I feel the compelling need to take out the playdoh and remind them of my mad skills.
Yay, I think that was me that won the Riley Blake fabric giveaway! Thanks so much 🙂
I do know how you feel. School wasnt as big of a deal for me as I homeschooled for a couple years and wasn’t doing great at it, and knew that putting them back in our church school was best. What I think was very hard this year is watching my daughter(7) go to our church camp and be a camper instead of a visitor with me. She slept in her dorm with all her friends. All week I kept asking her if she wanted to come stay with me. 🙂 she wasn’t convinced that was a good idea, tho. And them coming home saying well they said this, and this is how they do it. That gets annoying. Lol we were letting my two oldest hang out with some family friends off and on over the summer last year and after about a month my kids came home repeating what the teenagers said like it was gospel… I had to stop it. Lol it took months!!! But as they get older it’s neat to overhear them talking to their friends, “well, my mom said this, or this is how my dad does it.”
im still crying too…i just want them home with me and little forever. i had tears in my eyes this morning just seeing him so happy and loving school. yes i am glad, but so sad at the same time! my aunt sent me this book…if i could keep you little, by marianne richmond. it is so true, but i still cannot get through it without crying.
I sobbed like a baby when I sent my kids off to school this year, both of them go to school ALL DAY now. I miss them so much, I started talking to the deer that amble through our yard. (You can see a transcript of that on my blog. http://www.qwendykay.com ) I hope that one day our kids will read what we wrote and feel good knowing their mom didn’t want to send them off to school, that she liked having the kids around.
My husband was so worried about me that first day of school he had the elderly neighbors stop in and check in on me. I thought that was sweet, but I then I had that moment where I thought… “oh no, if he is that worried about me, I must have looked like a fool sobbing into his shoulder on the playground.”
I’d rather keep them at home too.
Your kids are so cute! That’s super awesome you have a preschool! Wish I lived closer and could send my daughter b/c you’re really cool. Anyway, I had a fb friend post this status “Motherhood: When the days (and sometimes nights) are long and the years are short. When you aren’t sure how you’re going to make it through the next few hours, but you want to do your job forever. :)” and it’s so true!!
Awww – I know exactly how you feel!! Even though mine are older I still have a hard time sending them off. And it is so smart of you to realize and want to enjoy every single moment with them. I think when mine were little I was too caught up in just getting through the day to really appreciate everything. And now that we’re just a few years away from them being on their own, I am really feeling like I need to appreciate the time we have!
You are too funny! I throw in the $2 dollar thing all the time. My only child just started kindergarten and had her first loose tooth. They grow up too fast!
I’m about to send my baby (14) to Japan for 2 weeks without me, now that’s hard. I have to say though I love sending my kids back to school, as much as I love them I do have 5 of them so things run much smoother when the school system gives me 6 hours off a day 🙂
I just sent my oldest to high school and my second oldest to middle school this year and I still had a good cry over that after they had left. I still have one more home with me and everyone can’t believe I won’t send her to an all day preschool. I’m selfish like that:)
I feel your pain, but the worst of it isn’t coming as soon as you think. My 12 year old just told me that I “always dress really good” I immediately hugged her and gave her 5 dollars (jk). Anyway I have noticed as my kids have grown it hasn’t made me as sad as I thought it would because I have LOVED seeing them learn and grow. Of course I am already thinking with dread about my last little one going to kindergarten next year 🙁
Awww…I know exactly how you feel too. Even though mine is 20 now and going to college and looking for a job. I think of the little boy he used to be and I miss that little boy sooo much but I love seeing this young man in front of me. And I treasure every moment I still have with him and now I have to stop before I start crying too….
Been sending my daughter to nursery for 1 year now and still feeling heart pain every time I drop her off at school… I thought I was the only clingy one 😀
Just read this in my hotel room, after dropping my only child off for college yesterday. {sniff}.
You WILL become the Dos Equis Man again! When they get their learners permits, they will suddenly notice what an amazing driver you are. They’ll say things like, “that was an awesome left turn, mom!!!” and “wow, you got the car in that tiny little parking space!!!”
Continue to enjoy them!
My blog post yesterday was along the same lines…of I wish we could freeze time and how hard and how good it is all at the same time to have kids grow up. My oldest graduates from high school this year and I am going to have to do some major letting go soon.
My baby is for months old and I’ve cried twice in the last week because someday he’ll be too big for me to carry him. We mamas are crazy.
P.S. Grace is cute in anything she wears. More power to her for the goggles and galoshes. If anyone can pull it off, it’s her.
Oh, I am right there with you. I cried like a baby when my oldest started school, and I couldn’t help but feel like five days a week was too much for them to be gone at this amazing age! For the past two years I’ve taken the cheaters way out, we put them in a hybrid program, so they go to school two days a week and homeschool three. I also had a bunch of kids, brewing #5 at the moment, so I could hang on to those baby/toddler years a little longer! 😉