First Day of Kindergarten

At 7:15 this morning she ran into our bedroom dressed and ready to go and said,  “Mom, I’m ready for my first day of school!”  Matti was nothing but excited to start her first day of Kindergarten.   With the older kids at school, Matti and I have had lots of time together this past week.  She is definitely a “momma’s girl”.  She still sits on my lap and runs lots of errands with me.  But, as attached as she is, she also sports an independent side.  At the sound of the bell, she fearlessly lined up with the rest of her peers and walked into her class with nothing but poise.  

Student of the Week–Wyatt Bancroft

The kids were surprised when they heard Wyatt’s name over the loud speaker first thing this morning during Monday announcements.  Chosen as this week’s Student of the Week for First Grade, Wyatt’s teacher said he was a great listener, obedient and kind.  He is already a great reader and writer and she likes his smile.  What a fun surprise!        

Ready, Aim, Fire!

I’ve tried to avoid them my entire life.  Guns in general make me nervous.  Toy guns were not allowed in our house for a long time.  I didn’t even allow them in video game play.  But now I have a son who really enjoys going shooting and since has learned gun safety through scouting.  As happy as a kid in a candy store, Cam was giddy when Justin took him up into the hills by our house for some target practice.   

Back to School 2011

This morning couldn’t have gone any smoother.  The kids woke themselves up, showered, got dressed, combed their hair, fed themselves breakfast and were ready for school on time with beds made and rooms straightened.  Was I dreaming?  Part of our success was because clothes and backpacks were set out the night before (and we did supervise to keep things moving).  Even though the girls’ blow drying their hair was Wyatt’s alarm clock (we heard him tell the girls they were being too loud), there were no complaints, no fighting, no tardiness.  

Since we had a good morning, I wondered if the day continued to be as good for the kids as it was for me (haha).  Everyone had someone to sit by at lunch.  Good.  Everyone came home hungry and happy.  Good.  During their after school snack, I asked the kids what their favorite part of the day was and they all had something they liked about the day.  Good.  Here’s what they said:

Wyatt:  “Recess”  (I expected this to be Cam’s answer since this has been his favorite thing about school since Kindergarten)

Brooklyn:  “All the art we made” 

Brit:  “Everything” 

Cam:  “Getting to know everyone”  (Cam has always been really good at making friends.  It truly is a talent of his.  This year all of his friends are in other classes, so I am happy to hear that he met some new people)

As Justin yelled “goodbye” to Cam, we got a “nod”.  Surprisingly, it was watching Cam head into 6th grade that brought tears to my eyes today.  What a great start to the school year!  It’s gonna be a good one! 

“H” is for “Hee Haw” Farms

As we walked up to the petting zoo, Grandma Carmen glanced over an saw a brand new lamb.  The little newborn was still wet and hadn’t even gotten up on all 4’s yet.  In fact, the workers on the farm weren’t even aware of its new arrival!  We unexpectedly got to experience a once in a lifetime event!     

Mama sheep and her newborn baby…

My filthy animals:  Wyatt the goat, Brooklyn the sheep, Brit the horse and Matti the piggy.   Notice Cam isn’t with us.  We have officially hit the tween years with him.  He would rather stay home and play with his friends than go on all these fun adventures with us. 

Dear Blog,

I originally started you because it was my first winter at home with 6 kids.  I had spent the previous 2 years staying busy with my teaching career.   I have to admit, going from 3 to 6 children was (and still is some days) a shock to my system.  In the dead of winter I started having a hard time finding the good in each monotonous day filled with cooking, cleaning up messes, cooking again, cleaning up again, entertaining, watching, teaching,helping and disciplining children, trying to keep my house clean, repeating myself over and over and just plain being cooped in through a long cold winter.  It was driving me crazy.

I wanted to use you, dear blog,  as a catalyst to look for the good, positive things each day, and it has served its purpose, for nearly 6 months now.  However, now posting every day has become more of a chore than fun, so I am happy to say that I am moving on to a new chapter.  That chapter is going to create a new and improved me.  Through this period of adjustment and change, I have learned that in the process of trying to be the perfect “supermom” of 6, I have become exhausted, cranky, tired, boring, stressed, and unhealthy because my life is totally out of balance.  The turning point was going to the dentist this summer.  Even though I go every 6 months, since I had been last, he had noticed my worn away teeth.  I had started grinding my teeth in my sleep as a result of stress which resulted in waking up with daily headaches and still feeling exhausted, even after a full-night’s sleep.  

So…I am going to try to seek balance emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually.  I am going to take care of my body by eating well and taking the time to exercise.  I am going to make time to hang out with friends and neighbors.  I am going to learn some new things and find some new hobbies, and I am going to make scripture study a priority.  I am going to get a babysitter when I feel overwhelmed.  I am going to wear the cute clothes and jewelry I already own and not sweats and t-shirts.  I am going to put makeup on every day.  I think I will be an even better mom and wife if I learn who I am, feel good and love life again.  I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

Please don’t feel abandoned.  I am still going to post and share, just not every day.

Love,

Kari