Gallery Night

It was "Gallery Night" at Ruth's school. There was a nice little spaghetti dinner followed by an art viewing. There were pieces on display from some of Jollyville's best up-and-coming artists. Here is Ruth with her "Wild Thing On Blue." Fabulous, isn't it?!

Ruth's Day In The Sun

We began the day a little earlier than normal so we could go up to the school for the Jaguar Pride Assembly. Ruth was awarded one of these Jaguar Prides back in the Fall, and she received another one a couple of weeks ago for contributing positively at her school. The assembly was extra-special for Ruth today as she had 2 parents, 2 brothers, 2 grandparents and a great-grandparent there. (I might add that it was nothing short of a miracle getting us all up and ready and out of the house by 7:15)! Ruth was absolutely beaming with pride when we left her this morning! And we are all as proud of her as she is of herself!

Ruth's day continued to be special when I took her out for a girl-only night tonight. We went to see Horton Hears A Who, which was a really fun movie that we both enjoyed. Then, we went out for dinner (just the two of us) at Jason's Deli. She was thrilled to have me all to herself, and I was overjoyed at getting to have some one-on-one time with her. I know I won't have these days forever, so I cherish every minute of them while I do have them.

Please DON'T Be Mine!

Well, this post isn't likely to make me very popular, but I'm not that popular anyway, so I'm going to go ahead with it.

I admit it: I am definitely a Valentine curmudgeon. I just can't get behind a Hallmark holiday whose focus is to show a little love to those we love. I mean, shouldn't we be doing that everyday?! Do we need an occasion for that?! And is it really a true expression of love if we're doing it from some national social obligation?! I just don't get it. And I especially don't get it in the context of public school. You go to the store and buy these pre-made cards with some character or other expressing general cheesy fondness for the reader. You stick a sucker (or some other sugar-laden treat) on it. And then you pop one in every single (this is a rule) homemade bag without even bothering to put a name on them (also a rule), because that makes the process too inefficient. What's not to love? When I read the rules, I was tempted to take Ruth out of school today, but then I realized that she genuinely does love all her classmates and teachers and wants to give them things anyway. She does this all the time, without needing a special day for it. So, I did not attempt to transfer my feelings for this holiday to her in any way. And at least she, of her own initiative, made cards for all her classmates herself-- although she was quite put out when I told her she couldn't put individual names on them. And, she wanted to know why she had to give one to every kid. I told her honestly that I didn't know.

If there is one positive thing about this forced holiday, it's that GAC is devoting an hour to love song music videos, which are always fun to watch, even when everything isn't bathed in pink and red.

Indian Princess

Ruth's school hosted a "Thanksgiving Feast" today, which they invited all parents to attend. Her class made Indian headbands, and each child was given an Indian name. Ruth was "Red Leaf." And, of course, no self-respecting Indian princess would dare show up to a traditional Thanksgiving feast in anything but full costume, making her the envy of all her classmates. Ah, to be five again!

Patriotic Night

It was Patriotic Night at Ruth's school tonight in honor of Veteran's Day. The children sang some beautiful patriotic songs with all their hearts. It was lovely.

I Haven't Slipped Off The Face Of The Earth, I Promise.

So sorry I've been out of touch lately. Nothing's wrong, but thanks to those who have expressed concern. Body Dulce has been in full production mode in the last week, getting ready for this little trade show tomorrow and the next day and filling some big orders as well. I have been up to my elbows in sugar scrub (literally), not to mention all the other stuff that goes along with selling that I never even thought about before. I've pretty much been at it from early morning until late night every day, and by the time it's time to sit down and blog, I usually vote for bed instead. Here are some highlights from this past week:

• Jeff had a birthday.
• We all got to go to an assembly at Ruth's school on Friday where Ruth was recognized, along with other kids from every grade, for her Jaguar Pride Award.
• Weston is doing a great job with the potty. His whole calendar is covered with stars!
• We went to Houston on Saturday for a little overnight trip. We decided to experiment with Weston in a big boy bed. I ended up being his bed partner, and I can say without a doubt that I don't want to do that again any time soon.
• Today is Weston's first day of swim lessons.

I will try to be a little more connected after the trade show is over. I'll be back Wednesday night. Wish me luck!

When Was The Last Time You Rode On A Yellow Dog?

For me, it was today. Before that, who knows--and who even wants to remember that?! I accompanied Ruth's class on a field trip to the Elgin Christmas Tree/Pumpkin Farm. We got to go on a hayride, listen to a story and lecture about how pumpkins grow, have a picnic lunch, decorate mini pumpkins, pet and look at a wide variety of farm animals, go through a corn maze and a hay bale maze, race rubber duckies and play on the farm's playground. It was a really fun day! The weather was perfect and the kids were well-behaved, for the most part. I don't think there is a Kindergartner at Jollyville who won't sleep well tonight--or a chaperon, for that matter!

So Much More To Smile About

• My meeting with the spa went very well today and I got my biggest order, to date. Very exciting stuff!
• I'm told the website could be up by the end of the week.
• We met with Ruth's teacher yesterday afternoon, and she couldn't say enough nice things about Ruth. She was encouraging Ruth to pursue more challenges on her own and was also promising us that she would do everything she could to ensure that Ruth continues to be challenged at school. She was also suggesting some special projects for Ruth to do at school like some extra research with a couple of other kids for their focus on Korea next month and entering something in the science fair in January.
• I had a wonderful opportunity to visit with a good friend of mine yesterday.
• We haven't had to run the air conditioner all week because the weather has been so lovely.
• Mangia pizza for dinner.
• Going to bed earlier tonight than last night.

Ah, Irony

Ruth woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning and was grumbly, grumpy and generally grouchy all morning. She was disrespectful and uncooperative, and consequently we were a bit late to school. (Incidentally, after we dropped Ruth off, Weston caught the grouchy bug and I immediately put him back to bed when we got home). By 8:00 am I had had it. And it was right about then that the phone rang. "This is Mrs. Harris in the Jollyville principal's office." I was blown away. I knew Ruth's day hadn't started off so great, but I never imagined she would act up at school--especially enough to land in the principal's office. "We just wanted to let you know that Ruth has been awarded the Jaguar Pride Award for showing respect, responsibility, compassion and empathy." What?! Wait a second. That's not the kid I sent school today. The secretary put Ruth on the phone, and I was so very thankful for the opportunity to praise her and congratulate her on a job well-done after the rocky morning we had. She got a little certificate and gets to have her picture in one of the main hallways of the school and be recognized in the morning announcements. I'm really proud of her, and I'm so glad that we had that ray of sunshine in an otherwise dismal morning.

Volunteering

On Thursday afternoons, I leave Weston with some friends for a few hours, and then I spend some time up at Ruth's school. I am the "folder stuffer" for Ruth's class. And when I finish with that task, I go down and vounteer in the library until the end of the school day. My job consists of reshelving books, checking books in, checking books out and answering questions for the kids. It's so fun to interact with the kids and get to know more of the people up at the school. One thing that does disturb me, though, is how very many scary books there are, and how those are the most sought-after books--and I'm only there when the 2nd and 3rd graders are there. First of all, I just don't think those books have much educational value. And further, I just don't think kids that young (or really any age) need their heads filled with such scary thoughts. What is the benefit of that? If you're just looking for entertainment, surely there are better choices. So, now you all know where I stand on scary books. I didn't really mean to turn this post into a rant, but it's just so disturbing to me and I couldn't help myself. I do relish my time up at the school, though, and I'm so thankful that I have that opportunity.

Popular

When I dropped Ruth off at school this morning, kids were calling her name from every angle. They all wanted to be the first to say good morning to her and they all wanted to sit next to her in the hall before the bell rang. Then, as I was giving Ruth a hug, one of the little girls in her class came up for a hug of her own. After I hugged her, she began telling me all kinds of fascinating details about her life. (Like, "Oh, your having a baby?! Well, my mom is going to have twins...and we already have one baby! It's really going to be busy!) The whole experience sent me home with a smile on my face. Then, when I picked Ruth up from school, the same little girl (now my best friend) about lost her arm in a waving frenzy. It's fun being popular.

Kindergarten Envy

Weston has really been sad to leave Ruth at school everyday...or at least sad to leave her backpack at school. So, I thought I'd be really clever and let him take his own backpack. He very proudly slung it over his shoulders and marched into the school like he owned the place. When we got to Ruth's classroom, I told him to give Ruth a hug and say good-bye. He hugged me and dutifully said "good-bye," and then took his place in the hall with his sister. That's when I realized that it wasn't leaving Ruth or her backpack at school that was making him sad. It was the fact that I wasn't leaving him at school.

Hooray for Homework

All week, Ruth has been beside herself with excitement at the prospect of bringing home homework today. So today, the minute she walked in the door after school, she exclaimed that she had homework to do and she immediately got to it. She was so excited the whole time she was working on it--although she did admit that it was very easy. She wasn't supposed to turn it in until Monday, but she finished it all in about 30 minutes, so we just slipped it back in the backpack for her to return to school tomorrow. I really hope her enthusiasm for homework holds up over time, but I seriously have my doubts. I just can't see her coming home from high school doing a homework chant and dance.

First Day Of School

Well, we made it through the first day, and it should be downhill from here. The only crying came from Weston, and I'd love to tell you some sappy little story about how he was crying because he was going to miss his sister, but it wouldn't really be true. He was still sleeping very soundly when it was time to take Ruth to school, so I just scooped him up out of bed and popped him in the car with a cup of juice. This pacified the dazed little boy until we got to the school building, but that's when the juice ran out. In it's stead, Ruth gave him her backpack to carry, which thrilled him. ("Backpack" is his new favorite word). But when we got to the classroom and he had to hand over the backpack, he went into meltdown mode. So, that's what all the crying was about. Jeff and I both made it through the morning without shedding a single tear, and Ruth gave us each a quick hug and then never looked back. She had many things to report at the end of the day:

• Her favorite thing of the day was running around outside on the track, even though it was hot.
• Her new best friend is Brodie.
• She got to sit by a little boy she already knew from preschool (both in class and at lunch).
• One little boy named Bennet was very "distracting."
• The teacher rubbed her back for a while during naptime, and she actually fell asleep.
• They did counting, and she didn't like that part at all. Why? Because she already knows how to do that.
• Etc., etc.

I'm so glad everything went well today and that we don't have to have another first day again this year!

This Is Important:

I DIDN'T CRY FIRST!!!

A subtle sadness settled over the adults in our house this evening, in anticipation of our big day tomorrow. I refused to talk about it and tried to drown myself in other activities. I really wanted to cry, but I kept myself under control. But when Jeff was tucking Ruth into bed, she admitted to him that she was feeling kind of nervous and scared about her first day, and Jeff admitted he was feeling the same way. And then he lost it. I'm not really trying to expose Jeff or his emotions, but I can't tell you how much comfort I took in the fact that this is an emotional time for even the most unemotional among us. We just can't believe our little girl, our not-so-long-ago-baby, is so big now. We are truly and completely excited for Ruth. That isn't where the sadness comes from at all. It's just the first time we've really had to let go, and it's hard. --Well, great, now I am crying!-- If we can all just make it through tomorrow, I think we'll be o.k. And I think it will be a wonderful year of growth for all of us.

Meeting Mrs. Towler

We got to go up to Ruth's school this evening to meet her teacher and drop off her school supplies. Ruth immediately fell into her role as "teacher's helper." She was absolutely thrilled...and she didn't want to come home! Her teacher is really nice and very experienced, and we heard from quite a few people that she is simply the best kindergarten teacher at this school. The other bonus to the evening was finding out that Ruth already knows two of the other students in her class. After this evening, we are all the more excited about that big first day on Monday.

Let's Play School

So, we decided that we definitely needed to practice the school schedule before the big day in just over a week. Since the tardy bell for Ruth's school rings at 7:45, we decided that best time for Ruth to get up is 6:40, meaning I need to get up even earlier than that. It has been really hard for Ruth to get up and get going in the morning (not to mention her mom), and she'll be the first to tell you that the new schedule isn't much fun. (I'll be the second)! We've been timing her breakfast-eating and her getting dressed, and I think the schedule we've chosen is the right one. She definitely couldn't get up any later and get to school on time. We've also adjusted the afternoon rest time to be a bit more like what it will be like at school, meaning Ruth isn't really getting much rest at all. And of course, the bedtime schedule has become a bit more ridgid as well. The decrease in sleep has definitely caused an increse in behavior problems--not helped by the fact that we were on vacation for 10 days just before this little experiment I'm sure--but hopefully by the time school starts, we'll have all the kinks worked out and things will run smoothly. I had a horrible dream while we were on vacation that we were late for the first day of school and the teacher wouldn't let me sign up for any of the classroom helper things because she said if I couldn't even get my own kid to school on time, I couldn't be trusted to do anything with any of the other kids. I'm definitely trying to avoid that scenerio!

One Step Closer To Kindergarden

Ruth and I had an opportunity to visit her school today. She got to attend a storytime with the Kindergarden teachers, while I went into a parent orientation with the principal. And afterwards, we got to take a good look around. In her giving way, Ruth made a point of drawing pictures for the teachers before we went. She was absolutely thrilled with everything about the school, and she came home and immediately began playing school. She can't wait for school to start, and I can't believe we're just months away from that important milestone. I didn't cry today, by the way...but that doesn't mean I didn't want to. Such mixed emotions, I tell you!

Big K, little k. What Begins With K?

Kindergarden, krying, K, K, K. (Work with me here, o.k.)!

Today was RRISD's Kindergarden Round-up, where they invite incoming Kindergardeners to the school to register for the upcoming school year. So this morning, with much enthusiasm, we entered Ruth's elementary school for the first time. We filled out the forms and found out some useful information and then got back in our van to come home. And for some reason that I can't quite explain, I noticed some moisture forming around the corners of my eyes. I know it couldn't have been tears, because I have always sworn that I would never be one of those moms--you know, the ones who cry on the first day of school and [gasp] on the registration day for the first day of school. Now don't get me wrong, I'm so excited for Ruth to go to school, and I just think it's going to be so wonderful. But I will admit that I did feel a twinge of sadness as we pulled out of the parking lot today. I just can't believe my little girl is growing up so quickly. And I think I'm going to miss her, cheesy as it sounds.

Tonight, when I was tucking her into bed, I was telling her how proud I was of her and how excited I was that we had signed her up for Kindergarden today, and she said to me: "Yeah. It's funny because it seems like I'm still a little girl, but I'm not really." And that pretty much sums it up. I want to watch her fly, and I want to give her the freedom she needs to do just that, but I have to say that just the thought of letting her go is harder than I ever thought it would be.

A Picture Ruth Colored At School Today