Summer Vacation, Starting Off on the Off Foot

Dear Friends and Family,

I feel like I need to take a moment and re-group. My emails have piled up. I'm forgetting things. I'm losing things. This isn't good. And, I think I know why I'm a hot mess.

Well, it's two things. I need to finish off a photo book for school that is due in two weeks and I'm going to effectively lose next week because P doesn't start camp until the following week. So, I've been using my mornings and days to work on the book instead of keeping up with my life.

And, the second is a little more subtle. Due to poor scheduling, we haven't had house cleaning in close to a month and the house is a mess. I think it plays with the mind when the bathroom is not as clean as it usually is, when the floor is not as clean as it usually is, when the house isn't dirty, but it is not as clean as it usually is. I think my mind starts to degrade.

Anyway, I'm going to present P with a list for today of five things I want to do. I'll let her add five things she wants to do and we'll go from there and hopefully enjoy our day in spite of my feelings of being off. And, tomorrow, I'll try and finish the photo book and find the things I've lost and catch up in general.


Cheers!
mouse

Last Day of School

Dear P,

It's your last day of junior kindergarten today. If you make it through the day, you will have gone to school every day that school was open this past year. They used to give out perfect attendance awards when I was a kid, but I don't think they do that anymore.

P, I am so proud of you! You're a big kid now who does big kid things. You text Daddy on the phone. You try to clean up your own spills. You notice things and quickly extrapolate and interpolate other things that should fit the pattern of the world you see.

And, while I'm not sure if you've learned a lot in the traditional sense, I think you have learned a ton in school this past year and I'm so impressed. You're less shy. You're more independent in your play. You're better at solving problems and taking turns. And, you're better at controlling your emotions and letting us know when you're upset.

To be honest, in a way, I think that's more important than if you learned your letters (which you already know) or learned your numbers (which you already know) or learned how to use scissors (which you already know). Those are all important skills, but they're more discrete, they can be taught anytime.

Learning life's lessons, that seems like it should be on the critical path.

I'm looking forward to summer vacation with you. You've never had summer vacation. And, it'll be your longest break ever. We'll have lots of fun doing things only we can do together. I'm glad I switched my work to have this time with you. Hopefully you agree.

Well, I need to get ready now since we're headed to school together for one last drop off.


Love,
your Mommy

05.27.14: 39 Thank You Cards Later...

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Tuesday, and P is back in school for three more days. Where did the year go?

Saturday, P and I got haircuts. Then, we headed over to a friend's house for a play date. Fortunately, the weather was nice and we spent a couple of hours in the park. Then, we went back to their house for time on the deck. Our friend has a gorgeous place, and I was a little intimidated the first time I went over. But, as I've gotten to know her better, I realize she has the kindest of hearts, and I love her for it. The play date extended into dinner and by the time we got home it was time for bed.

Sunday, we went to a baseball game. It was blistering hot out and P spent most of her time away from the seats. She got her face painted. She got a balloon animal. She ate ice cream. She ran the bases. She was entertained. And, I got to watch the game.

Monday, we tackled the rest of the thank you cards. P's gotten a nasty habit of procrastinating. She'll put up a fight before we get down to the business of doing work. It's a royal pain in the neck, dealing with it. This time it was close to two hours for two cards.

Mr. mouse and I didn't want to deal with any more procrastination so we plowed through all 14 cards for P's teachers. Add in the 25 cards P did for her birthday, and we've painfully worked our way through 39 cards in a little over two weeks.

The next time we get this procrastination thing going, it's not going to be pretty. I've lost all patience for it and so has Mr. mouse. There's not enough hours in the day as it is. We don't need to be blowing up free time we have watching P roll on the floor doing anything but what we ask of her. It's not going to be pretty, but the alternative is even less attractive.

Well, it's Tuesday and I've got a meeting at 10:30 so I need to get started on the day.


Cheers!
mouse

One Week of School

Dear Friends and Family,

We have one week of school left before summer vacation. It will be P's longest vacation ever. She has a little over thirteen weeks off during the summer which is more than she's ever had in her entire life. Yep, she started at her first school when she was twelve weeks old, so she's never has a stretch of thirteen weeks off.

I'm excited. I hope she's excited.

That means, until she starts camp in June, yesterday was my last "normal" day at home. Today, I have someone coming over to help me get my house in order. Monday is Memorial Day. Tuesday, my organizer is coming again. Wednesday, I'm at school for lunch. And, Thursday, I'm at school for a field trip. Friday, P and I have a quiet day planned to kick off summer vacation.

Perhaps we'll ride her bike. Or, we'll do a science experiment. Or, we'll work on her Brazil kit mystery. It'll be so much fun. I'm excited!


Cheers!
mouse

Big Nows

Dear Friends and Family,

I've been tackling some "big nows" from the to do lists. "Big nows" are different from most nows in that they take an inordinate amount of time. So, purchasing teacher presents might be an errand I can squeeze into some part of my day, but going for the 40,000 mile check up on the car takes a full day. It feels good to get some of the "big nows" off of the list. I must be making progress.

Today, I've got a lot to do because yesterday I spent the whole day at the dentist getting a filling redone. I'm a little annoyed because if it had been done correctly last February I wouldn't have lost a day to getting it redone. It might be time to find a local dentist. Either way, I need to have an action packed morning to get this week back on trajectory.


Cheers!
mouse

05.19.14: Big Kid Bike

Dear Friends and Family,

Saturday, outside of a quick eyebrow appointment and interminable thank you cards, we had the day free and to ourselves. It was wonderful. I think I'm going to make a quick rule of thumb. I am no longer going to schedule both days of a weekend, if I can help it. That means if we have something going on on Saturday, then I'm going to try and block out Sunday. And, vice versa, if we have something going on on Sunday, then I'm going to try and block out Saturday. It's ambitious, but I'm going to try anyway.

What did we do with our free day? We went bike shopping and P got her big kid bike with pedals. She's outgrown her balance bike so we may be taking it down to her nephew on our next trip down there. P's been busy getting her bike ready for a bike parade that she read about in Highlights magazine. We got a bell. Mr. mouse has been looking at streamers. She's been building a basket from a shoe box. And, there's more. I need to look at the article to understand.

Sunday, we had church followed by a lightening quick lunch. Then, P had back to back birthday parties that ended in her bawling in the street and having an accident when the pinata freaked her out, again. She passed out on the way home and slept until 8:30. I hope she's finally getting over her cold. We're trying to narrow down the reasons she's been impossible lately. It may be being sick. It may be allergies. It may be getting bored. It may be anticipating the changes that come with summer vacation. It may be being five.

Welcome to parenting.


Cheers!
mouse

Mom of the Year

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm ashamed to admit it, but last night I lost it and yelled at P. She was tired and fidgeting and dwaddling and bossy, but I should have been a bigger person. I was anxious to get her asleep so that she would be less tired, fidgety, dwaddly today. And, I was anxious because my new work has been trying. And, as a result, I lost it.

We were in the bathroom, and P was doing her usual thing wasting time, and I started jumping up and down and yelling at the top of my lungs. It wasn't my finest moment.

I apologized. I held her. I told her stories. She was asleep in less than 15 minutes.

I still feel bad. But, I've promised myself I will have better control going forward.


Cheers!
mouse

40k Mileage Work

Dear Friends and Family,

I've got to go in five minutes to get ready for the day. I've got a 7 am appointment at the auto dealer to get the car looked at. I'm bringing my laptop, but I'm not optimistic I'll be able to get online while I'm there. Hopefully I can get online and be productive. If not, I'll be stuck between watching bad TV or heading out in forty degree rain to run errands by mass transportation. Wow, do those two options sound not appealing.

Welcome to my new world.


Cheers!
mouse

Wednesday is Still Hump Day

Dear Friends and Family,

You'd think now that I'm working from home the days might be different. But, they're not. Wednesday is still the middle of the week. Sunday, I organize my week and set expectations. Monday, I try and get as much done as humanly possible to set myself up for the week. Tuesday, I sometimes go easy on myself after a busy Monday. Wednesday, I try to get more progress. Wednesday seems to be the day that defines how much progress I make in a week. Thursday, I finish off things I started earlier in the week. Friday, I intentionally leave blank.

This week, I wanted to do two things:

1. recover from the party: I felt like it's been two months of "one thing after another" and I wanted to use this week to get the house back in order. There's things that need to be put back. There's things that need to be returned. There's things everywhere.
2. get contol of the nows: In addition to the house being a disaster, my to do list became a disaster. So, I wanted to use this week to get that under control as well.

Let's see what I can accomplish today since Wednesday is hump day after all.


Cheers!
mouse

Transitioning to Normal

Dear Friends and Family,

There's a light at the end of the tunnel. Today, my mom heads home. We have swim class. We have P's five year old appointment. P has a cold she's working her way through. One of her friends is coming over because her babysitter is unavailable and her parents are traveling. Doesn't sound normal at all, does it?

But, it's a start. And, most importantly, between now and two o'clock (when I leave for pick-up) I can begin to transition back to normal daytime activities. It's a start.


Cheers!
mouse

05.12.14: Birthday Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

We woke Saturday morning to a birthday double header. P's friend's party was in the morning and P's party was in the afternoon. All the parents dutifully got their kids ready for back to back birthday parties and the parents and kids were troopers in getting through the day. Fortunately, the weather was great, so we had a little after-party in the park and an even longer after-party on our deck.

I enjoyed P's party thoroughly. The only tough part was trying to find time to spend with all of the disparate groups of people. There's P's school friends, her old school friends, one friend whose parents work with Mr. mouse, one friend whose parents I used to work with, one friend whose parents I used to work with but not at the same time as the other friend I used to work with, and the list goes on. If they all knew each other then they can all talk together. But, since they don't, I felt a little like a person at a wedding trying to get a few words in with each group. Still, I enjoyed it and I'm hoping the kids and the parents did as well.

Sunday was a quieter day. We went to church and the park. We opened presents and let P play with her crutches. We went out for dinner. We forgot to do her hand prints, foot prints, and height chart. I guess we'll have to do those this week.

And, now, we have a five-year-old in the house. She's a big kid now. And, I've got a semi-normal week ahead of me. Actually, it's not really a semi-normal week. It's actually quite packed. But, it's more normal than any week has been since mid-March so I'll take it. Time to try and catch up from the mountain of stuff I've been putting off.


Cheers!
mouse

Five Years Old Today

Dear P,

P, you're turning five today. In five years you'll be turning ten. Then, in ten years you'll be twenty. I know that seems like forever away when you're five, but from my end it looks like it could happen in the blink of an eye.

I still remember falling in love with you that night holding you in the hospital. I remember how small you were and how trusting you were and how much help you needed. And, while you're so much bigger now, you're still so trusting and you still need help, although it's a different kind of help now.

I can't help feeling like we're closing the chapter on "little kid" and opening a new chapter on "big kid." The next five years will hold lots of fun, but I can't imagine how they could possible compare to the first five. Actually, you know I say that, but in reality, each time I thought that, I've been wrong. Each time, it does compare, in a different way, and in hindsight I wouldn't change it for the world. But, at the cusp, I always wonder how it could possibly compare.

I'm looking forward to the summer together. I'm looking forward to time spent on the beach building sand castles. I'm looking forward to hearing about camp. I'm looking forward to having time together to work on academics. I'm looking forward to play dates. I'm looking forward to dinner together on the roof. I'm looking forward to cuddling together with you on Friday nights. There's so much we can do together. And, then, before you know it, it'll be September and you'll be off to kindergarten.

I hope you like kindergarten as much as you've liked junior kindergarten. Unlike a lot of moms from your old school, I'm not as scared. We went through the big transition last year together - new school, new teachers, new schedule, and most importantly, new friends. And, fortunately for us, we had a great year.

P, I feel like I need to take a moment to tell you how proud I am of you. You're gentle and trusting. You're generous and kind. You're open and honest. You listen. You learn. You're adventurous. You're happy. You're smart. You're fast. You're strong. You're everything I could have ever asked for in a kid. And, I am honored to be your mom.


Love,
your mom

PS: If I seem a little sad today, it's only because I sometimes wish we could slow down time and enjoy each moment for just a little longer.

Understanding Inefficiencies

Dear Friends and Family,

I never understood how productive an office environment is compared to a non-office environment until now. In my former life, I could have 8 one hour meetings, 4 thirty minute meetings, 4 hallway conversations, and maybe a few good email threads worked into the mix. That means, in any given day, I got about 20 things done. Now, on a good day, I get three to five things ticked off my list.

What happened? Well, a lot of things happened. First, my day shrunk. My effective day starts at 9 am and ends at 2 pm because outside of that I am spending time with P. While I like spending time with P, it's not realistic to think I will be productive in working through other tasks when I'm with her. Otherwise, I'm not really spending time with her. I'd be doing my thing and she'd be watching me do my thing.

So, five hours instead of ten. That alone will take twenty items down to ten.

On top of that, there's the travel element. I know it takes two minutes to walk to a particular conference room. I don't leave until two minutes before the meeting, I walk, I show up right on time, zero wasted time. Now, I might be headed to a place 20-30 minutes from where I am. Since I'm not sure of the time, a 30 minute trip can take mean leaving 35-40 minutes before hand. Add one or two travel times into the mix and my effective day goes from five hours down to four hours, or eight tasks.

Then, add in dead time because I'm no longer sure of how long each task will take. An oil change can take 30 minutes or it can take an hour like it did last time. A doctor's appointment can take 30 minutes or it can take two hours like it did last time. Dead time is a productive black hole. Add in 30 minutes of dead time per trip and four hours is down to 2.5 hours easy. Now, it's easy to see how I get three to five things done a day instead of 20. Welcome to my new level of productivity.

My three tasks for today? Get mail. Pick up party supplies. Wrap presents. I had to wait until now, 10:30, to get mail, to avoid traffic. I'll get the mail by 11:30, party supplies by 12. I'll be home by 1, wrap presents by 1:30, and then I'm off get P by 2. See, three tasks. I'll squeeze in gas to get it up to 4.


Cheers!
mouse

Gearing Up for the Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Thursday. P's party is on Saturday. And, we've still got a ton left to do which is not typical of us. Normally, we have this stuff buttoned away weeks in advance. But, this year, somehow April slipped away from us and we're now in scramble mode.

Wait. I know what happened to us. P had spring break. I lost my job. I quit my job. I spent a week catching up from two weeks of break and two weeks of drama. My parents came over. And, now it's two days before the party.

I also know what else happened. Mr. mouse and I do not do well in planning events together. We get mired in administrivia like what exactly goes in the favor bags. Will it be m&m's or dark chocolate m&m's? Really. Brown chocolate frosting or black butter cream frosting took WAY longer than I thought it should since P made clear she wanted a chocolate cake. How did black butter cream even make it onto the ballot? It must be because it looks better with the design P wants. Still. She wants a chocolate cake so anything that is not chocolate shouldn't even be part of the discussion. Now, if we had a choice of black chocolate or brown chocolate, I'd choose black chocolate. But, I digress.

We're two days away which means we need to start getting to done on some of this stuff. All I know is that between now and Saturday it will all get done and we will be able to enjoy the party.


Cheers!
mouse

Little Fish, Hopefully

Dear Friends and Family,

P had her first swim class yesterday. And, it went swimmingly.

She went in the pool. She did all the things the teacher asked of her. She enjoyed it. I have to say, it makes me a little giddy. I grew up loving the water and to see P in the water... well, I couldn't be happier.


Cheers!
mouse

Day Full of Opportunity

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Tuesday. It's sunny out. P is on her way to school with Mr. mouse. And, I've got the day to myself. It feels like a day full of opportunity.

No time like the present to dive into the day.


Cheers!
mouse

05.05.14: Reunion Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

Because there's not enough going on in my life, I had reunion this past weekend.

Friday morning I had breakfast with a friend. Then, I had lunch with a friend. Then, I was ready to skip the evening events. But, my friend from lunch convinced me to go. And, I'm so glad I did. A lot of my friends from school were out for dinner and at a bar afterwards. It was SO good to catch up with them.

Saturday, I went to a couple of classes, heard the dean's update, took the class picture, and went to the reunion picnic. P came out for the picnic and got the fanciest face painting possible. We actually let her sleep in it for one night, but it had to come off for school today. I skipped the dinner on Saturday night and spent the time with P and Mr. mouse. I think I was reunioned out after Saturday.

Sunday, I went to church. Then, we went to the museum for the day. P ran into a school friend at the museum. We spent the evening watching ants eat ant bait. It was fascinating in a gross kind of way.

And, now, we're in for the big push. This weekend is P's birthday. This means we have to finish preparing everything and order the rest of P's presents. I wish we were a little more organized. I blame old work and grandpals day and reunion and over-scheduling. I'm still glad we went to reunion.


Cheers!
mouse

Overscheduled

Dear Friends and Family,

I just need to get through today and some sanity will return to my life.

Yesterday, I dashed out the door with P and Mr. mouse. We went on our field trip which was awesome. I stayed for lunch duty. I dashed back for lunch with a friend. I dashed back for pick up. We had dance.

Today, I have breakfast with another friend. Then, I need to dash to pick up mail. Then, I need to dash to lunch with a third friend. Then, I need to dash to school for a sing along special in the classroom. Then, I can relax for the afternoon. Except, I need to figure out when to order P's birthday present. Then, I can relax for the afternoon.

Next week and the week after will be hectic with P's birthday and my mom visiting. Then, then, I think I can get a break. Then, I can really relax.

I need to learn to not over schedule. Then, I can really relax. Except I like to see my friends and they seem to come in waves.


Cheers!
mouse

Field Trip!

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm going on a field trip! I'm going on a field trip! I'm going on a field trip!

Can you tell I'm excited? It's the main thing I was upset about with leaving old work. I thought I had missed all of the field trips. But, fortunately for me, there's two more and I'm going on one today.

Sometimes, you need to focus on the positives like today's field trip and not on the negatives like the missed field trips.

I'm going on a field trip! I'm going on a field trip! I'm going on a field trip!


Cheers!
mouse