School Begins (for most)

Today is the first day of school in Ontario, and my facebook has been flooded by back-to-school posts. I've been one of the flooders, in fact (and yes, I know I just invented a word there. Creative English language, baby!)

Elijah is going back to school for senior kindergarten, and he is so excited. He's been asking how many sleeps until school starts for weeks now, and started counting down himself once the number got manageable. Apparently drop-off today was so completely normal, it was as if there was no summer holiday! I'm so glad. I hope he doesn't miss his SK (now grade 1) friends too much.

Abigail starts school this year, and I am so excited and nervous for her! I'm excited because I know she will excel. She will love the structure, the play time, making friends, playing games, playing on the playground. I'm also excited because I know it's what she needs at this point, developmentally. She needs more opportunities to learn what it means to be a good friend. She needs to learn to listen to a teacher rather than her momma, and she needs to get out of these same 4 walls and be stimulated more than I'm able to do, especially with a little Lizzie who needs to be home for naps these days.

I am still so nervous though! She just started pooping on the potty 2 weeks ago. Will she take her pants right off and have trouble putting them back on, like at home? Will she know how to put on her own running shoes? Will she be kind to the other kids? Will she feel lonely?

There is just so much uncertainty, and I tend to shy away from change.

Today she is home. Tomorrow she goes to school with me for 45 minutes to meet her teacher and see what it's all about. Then Thursday she starts full time, all-day kindergarten. For at least the next 14 years, until she finishes highschool, this will be her life, and until now things have been very very different.

I want so much to give her a good last day home with me. So much so that, in spite of how much I dislike cooking with my kids, I asked her if she'd like to make muffins with me. She was so excited! And you know what? It was actually really fun! Messy. Way messier and slower than when I bake on my own. But she was so happy, and it made my heart melt to see how seriously she took her tasks, and how proud of herself she was when I told her she was doing well. I'm so glad I made the effort to do that with her today.

***It is important to note that, in the middle of me typing the last sentence of this post, Abby ran over to me to give me a hug and as I was leaning down to pick her up, she jumped and hit my mouth so hard that my teeth are now bleeding. I'm rather proud of myself for not getting mad, and instead, going to the freezer for a teether to keep the swelling down. I totally credit that chill reaction to the fact that I was sitting down and feeling happiness towards her in that moment!***


So tell me, what has made you happy today??