I just looked at the clock, thinking it had to be close to 10pm (my usual get-in-bed-and-read-for-a-bit time), but it's only 8:30! So I guess that basically sums up this entire post. I'm tired! There you have it.
Yesterday was the first day of school. It went great, but I literally have ZERO energy left. I think I have a really good class, and the questions about why I was still here were really minimal. My standard answer (which is the truth!) is that we had planned to move this summer, but that the house we had been trying to buy since February ended up not working out. And that we have an offer on another house, which is also a short sale, and we have no idea if/when that will work out. Everyone has seemed content with this answer, and the feedback I've already gotten from the parents has been overwhelmingly positive (their kids are so happy I'm back and they get to have me as their teacher, etc.). No mention whatsoever of the teacher who was all set to replace me, though he was certainly well-loved by this group. Long story short, I was INCREDIBLY nervous (sick to my stomach, even) yesterday morning, and it was all for nothing. So... I can do this!
In the meantime, my own little darlings have had a BLAST this week! Despite Nikos initially wanting to stay home with me, he has quickly realized how much he loves spending time with his buddies at daycare! I practically have to drag both kids home now, because they are having so much fun over there. They've really grown up a lot this summer, and it becomes a lot clearer when I see them run to their friends, play these elaborate pretend games with them, etc. And I love listening to Maya tell me about her day, especially when she makes a scowling face and tells me about kids who were naughty and needed a time-out. She even tells on her brother, haha! But honestly? They are having so much fun, and it's made the transition back to work a lot easier on me. I am so thankful for that.
Oh, and the fact that there's a hurricane currently headed straight toward Central Massachusetts. Right now, I am glad we are still here. Yikes!!
Anyway, we are here, and we are mostly alive! I just have to make it through tomorrow, and then I can rest for a few days. This weekend calls for some serious sleep!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
The End.
Well, this is it! Tomorrow marks the end of my summer vacation, and then it's back to work on Monday. In some ways, this has been the best summer ever. Both kids are old enough that I really do enjoy their companionship and conversation. And, since I hadn't planned to return to work, I really, truly left all of that behind this summer and just lived in the moment. Yes, there was (is!) all the moving drama, but the nice thing is that I didn't have to spend the summer packing. Right?? Always look on the bright side of life (insert Monty Python whistling).
Anyhow... I've been kind of depressed the last few days, and haven't done as much fun stuff with the kids as I normally would have. It just weighs my heart down so much, having to go back to work on Monday when it wasn't in the plan. Nikos keeps begging me to stay with him. He loves going to Bonnie's house and seeing his buddies, and I know he will readjust quickly, but he does love spending time with his mommy. And that just breaks my heart!
At any rate... I decided to get my act together today and do fun stuff with them, before our long days together are over. We played, we went to Home Depot and Costco (always fun!), and we did a messy art project after nap. I have also decided that I really need to focus on my photography again. When I'm stressed/depressed, I don't focus on growing in that area, and I find that the quality of my pictures actually starts to deteriorate. I can see it and point out what's wrong, but I don't have the energy to correct it in-camera. At the same time, photography (like blogging) is a HUGE outlet for me and my sanity. So I NEED it! Yesterday, I decided to reacquaint myself with my super-awesome flash. I used it to take all of these pictures today, and I have to say I am pretty pleased with my improvement. Having cute subjects always helps, though. :)
Without further ado, how about some pictures?
Oh, and did I forget to mention that Costco was selling superhero costumes? And that Nikos has said for MONTHS now that he wants to be Spiderman for Halloween? Well... Guess who got his costume today? And guess who has it in bed with him tonight? :)
Anyhow... I've been kind of depressed the last few days, and haven't done as much fun stuff with the kids as I normally would have. It just weighs my heart down so much, having to go back to work on Monday when it wasn't in the plan. Nikos keeps begging me to stay with him. He loves going to Bonnie's house and seeing his buddies, and I know he will readjust quickly, but he does love spending time with his mommy. And that just breaks my heart!
At any rate... I decided to get my act together today and do fun stuff with them, before our long days together are over. We played, we went to Home Depot and Costco (always fun!), and we did a messy art project after nap. I have also decided that I really need to focus on my photography again. When I'm stressed/depressed, I don't focus on growing in that area, and I find that the quality of my pictures actually starts to deteriorate. I can see it and point out what's wrong, but I don't have the energy to correct it in-camera. At the same time, photography (like blogging) is a HUGE outlet for me and my sanity. So I NEED it! Yesterday, I decided to reacquaint myself with my super-awesome flash. I used it to take all of these pictures today, and I have to say I am pretty pleased with my improvement. Having cute subjects always helps, though. :)
Without further ado, how about some pictures?
Oh, and did I forget to mention that Costco was selling superhero costumes? And that Nikos has said for MONTHS now that he wants to be Spiderman for Halloween? Well... Guess who got his costume today? And guess who has it in bed with him tonight? :)
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Rock On!
This is sort of a drive-by post, but I just wanted to quickly share these three pictures from yesterday! The first two came about because Nikos announced that he wanted to "play rock 'n roll!" And, on a whim, I thought it would be entertaining to dust off my old Guitar Hero guitar and show him the video game. And of course, Maya wanted in on the fun. They couldn't play the game to save their lives, but at least they looked cute trying! And in their jammies, no less! :)
We also made a trip to the dollar store, and Maya came away with this little baby doll "food" set. Total junk, but it was what she picked out, and she put it to good use (assembly-line style) when we got home, hehe!
We also made a trip to the dollar store, and Maya came away with this little baby doll "food" set. Total junk, but it was what she picked out, and she put it to good use (assembly-line style) when we got home, hehe!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Accepting My Fate
So... We (the kids and I) went to my classroom today! I'd been feeling kind of sick about the whole thing lately. I hadn't planned to come back to teaching this year, and a very good teacher (a friend) was hoping to take my position. But because of our house situation, I simply need to keep working for the time being. And I do, in fact, love my job, and I love the kids... but I had just wanted to make a clean break, you know? A lot of my coworkers already know what's going on, but I still feel... I don't know. Embarrassed? It's hard to describe. But going back today was actually kind of therapeutic. I left my classroom in great shape, and there is something satisfying about handing out textbooks, etc. And it was made even better by having the kiddos with me, who LOVE my classroom. Maya was singing songs on the microphone, Nikos helped me pass out books, etc. It was fun to have them there. And I got a lot done, too! It's pretty much all set to go now. We were done by 11am, at which point the kids got to play on the awesome kindergarten playground. And then we went out for a celebratory lunch at In-N-Out, which was fun. I have to say, I love their current ages most of the time. Both of them are pretty independent and well-behaved most of the time, and they were delightful lunch companions. So, yay for that!
Anyway... Blogging has taken a major back seat lately, which is sad! And unhealthy for me, since this is one of my outlets for stress (and Lord knows I have enough of that going on!). I have so many pictures that are piling up and may never make it on here! So, without further ado, here are a few from the past few days.
Anyway... Blogging has taken a major back seat lately, which is sad! And unhealthy for me, since this is one of my outlets for stress (and Lord knows I have enough of that going on!). I have so many pictures that are piling up and may never make it on here! So, without further ado, here are a few from the past few days.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Play Ball!
Baseball fever has suddenly taken over the body of our (almost) four-year-old, and it is pretty funny! I've never been particularly athletic, and Gus was a swimmer/water polo player back in the day. So where does baseball fit in? Who knows. But the kid sure does have a passion for it!
Grant and Melissa got him one of these (a pitching machine/tee) for his third birthday, and it sat unused for quite a while. All of a sudden, as is often the case with toys, it was the BEST TOY EVER! Nikos played with it all the time! And he actually got pretty skilled at hitting the balls it flung at him. So much so, in fact, that he eventually lost all the balls it came with. He hit the last one over the back fence earlier this week-- doh!
Anyway, he was so sad about the loss of the baseballs that I made it my mission to find some replacements. I couldn't find the right ones, but thought (hoped!) that traditional t-balls (which are lighter/spongier than baseballs) would work. I found a bag of them at the store. While we were looking, Nikos saw the selection of gloves and told me that he really, really needed one to play baseball. There was exactly one tiny little t-ball glove left and, coincidentally, it was meant for a left-handed thrower. I took that as a sign that our little lefty needed the glove, and got it for him. And he hasn't let it out of his sight since! It eats dinner with him, watches TV with him, and sleeps with him. He even sets it on the bathroom floor when he has to go potty, haha! The boy LOVES his baseball mitt!
What this means, though, is that we have been playing baseball in the backyard every waking moment. Sometimes, he has me pitch to him and he bats-- not badly, either! When this happens, Maya likes to put on the glove and field the balls. And other times, we just play catch. The glove is still a little bit big for him, but he's really getting the hang of it. Who knows-- maybe we really do have a little baseball player on our hands??
At any rate, he's really enjoying it, and it will be fun to watch him improve. In the meantime, I need to find MY old glove, which is buried somewhere in the garage. I guess I'll find it when we move!
Anyhow... here are a few pics from last night and today. Yup, it's all baseball, all the time. Funny kids!
And, before I forget... An update on our paci-free household! Maya woke up this morning at her usual time, as happy as ever (that's our girl-- always happy in the morning). I heaved a huge sigh of relief, thinking I had made it through the worst of it. Ha! Of course not. Naptime was miserable. Every time I laid her down, she would start wailing that she NEEDED her paci. She was fine the rest of the day. Not a mention of it! But naptime didn't happen. She would not calm down enough to fall asleep, so I gave up after a while and just brought her back out. She was fine the rest of the day. In fact, she ran around like a wild child until about two minutes before "The Lion King" ended-- and then she just fell asleep, haha! So tonight was easy. Here's hoping that tomorrow's nap is a little more successful!
Grant and Melissa got him one of these (a pitching machine/tee) for his third birthday, and it sat unused for quite a while. All of a sudden, as is often the case with toys, it was the BEST TOY EVER! Nikos played with it all the time! And he actually got pretty skilled at hitting the balls it flung at him. So much so, in fact, that he eventually lost all the balls it came with. He hit the last one over the back fence earlier this week-- doh!
Anyway, he was so sad about the loss of the baseballs that I made it my mission to find some replacements. I couldn't find the right ones, but thought (hoped!) that traditional t-balls (which are lighter/spongier than baseballs) would work. I found a bag of them at the store. While we were looking, Nikos saw the selection of gloves and told me that he really, really needed one to play baseball. There was exactly one tiny little t-ball glove left and, coincidentally, it was meant for a left-handed thrower. I took that as a sign that our little lefty needed the glove, and got it for him. And he hasn't let it out of his sight since! It eats dinner with him, watches TV with him, and sleeps with him. He even sets it on the bathroom floor when he has to go potty, haha! The boy LOVES his baseball mitt!
What this means, though, is that we have been playing baseball in the backyard every waking moment. Sometimes, he has me pitch to him and he bats-- not badly, either! When this happens, Maya likes to put on the glove and field the balls. And other times, we just play catch. The glove is still a little bit big for him, but he's really getting the hang of it. Who knows-- maybe we really do have a little baseball player on our hands??
At any rate, he's really enjoying it, and it will be fun to watch him improve. In the meantime, I need to find MY old glove, which is buried somewhere in the garage. I guess I'll find it when we move!
Anyhow... here are a few pics from last night and today. Yup, it's all baseball, all the time. Funny kids!
And, before I forget... An update on our paci-free household! Maya woke up this morning at her usual time, as happy as ever (that's our girl-- always happy in the morning). I heaved a huge sigh of relief, thinking I had made it through the worst of it. Ha! Of course not. Naptime was miserable. Every time I laid her down, she would start wailing that she NEEDED her paci. She was fine the rest of the day. Not a mention of it! But naptime didn't happen. She would not calm down enough to fall asleep, so I gave up after a while and just brought her back out. She was fine the rest of the day. In fact, she ran around like a wild child until about two minutes before "The Lion King" ended-- and then she just fell asleep, haha! So tonight was easy. Here's hoping that tomorrow's nap is a little more successful!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Operation: Bye-Bye Pacifier
Well, it wasn't exactly intentional... I had planned to wait until after we moved to get our little junkie off the paci. After all, I didn't want to throw too many big changes at her all at once (moving across the country, etc.). That, and I was afraid of the consequences. But the disappearance of the last pacifier tonight gave us little choice... She had to go to bed without it, because we simply couldn't find it!
The good news: She didn't even cry! She did ask for it repeatedly, but I told her I couldn't find it and assured her I would look for it (which I did). She stayed awake playing for longer than usual, but is now peacefully asleep. And she is generally a very sound sleeper, so I would be surprised if there's an issue during the night (*knock on wood*). But still-- it went way better than I ever expected! Now I just need to actually FIND the pacifier and throw it away. I hope I get to it before she does!
In the meantime... I've been feeling really positive about this second house. I feel like it's really going to happen (*knock on wood* x 1,000,0000)! Which has sent me into panic mode. If it all works out as planned, we'll be arriving in Massachusetts in the fall. Which means that winter won't be far behind... which means I really need to figure out what we need to survive things like, oh, SNOW! haha! Snow pants, snow jackets, snow boots, mittens/gloves, hats, thermal underwear, snow blowers, salt, sand, etc. And frankly, my wardrobe is woefully inadequate for living anywhere but San Diego, land of the endless summer! I'm thinking flip-flops aren't the best choice for snow. Or rain. And neither are my Converse, for that matter! So I've been doing some shopping, and attempting to do a wardrobe overhaul (for myself) on a limited budget. I dragged the kids to the shoe store and bought the cutest boots today. I am ready for fall weather... Let's hope we actually make it there in time to see some of that!
Anyway, that's what's been going on around these parts. I've resigned myself to the fact that I am NOT a stay-at-home mom yet... I will be going back to teach in a few weeks. And with that in mind, I plan to make the most of these moments I have with the kids... Like this one the other day, where they were playing Leap Frog and Maya decided to just sit on her brother. That's what little sisters are for, right? :)
On a side note: Nikos has announced that his favorite letter is "W," and his favorite number is "4." He wants to be a racecar driver when he grows up, and Maya wants to be a "rock 'n roll star!" They crack me up!!!
The good news: She didn't even cry! She did ask for it repeatedly, but I told her I couldn't find it and assured her I would look for it (which I did). She stayed awake playing for longer than usual, but is now peacefully asleep. And she is generally a very sound sleeper, so I would be surprised if there's an issue during the night (*knock on wood*). But still-- it went way better than I ever expected! Now I just need to actually FIND the pacifier and throw it away. I hope I get to it before she does!
In the meantime... I've been feeling really positive about this second house. I feel like it's really going to happen (*knock on wood* x 1,000,0000)! Which has sent me into panic mode. If it all works out as planned, we'll be arriving in Massachusetts in the fall. Which means that winter won't be far behind... which means I really need to figure out what we need to survive things like, oh, SNOW! haha! Snow pants, snow jackets, snow boots, mittens/gloves, hats, thermal underwear, snow blowers, salt, sand, etc. And frankly, my wardrobe is woefully inadequate for living anywhere but San Diego, land of the endless summer! I'm thinking flip-flops aren't the best choice for snow. Or rain. And neither are my Converse, for that matter! So I've been doing some shopping, and attempting to do a wardrobe overhaul (for myself) on a limited budget. I dragged the kids to the shoe store and bought the cutest boots today. I am ready for fall weather... Let's hope we actually make it there in time to see some of that!
Anyway, that's what's been going on around these parts. I've resigned myself to the fact that I am NOT a stay-at-home mom yet... I will be going back to teach in a few weeks. And with that in mind, I plan to make the most of these moments I have with the kids... Like this one the other day, where they were playing Leap Frog and Maya decided to just sit on her brother. That's what little sisters are for, right? :)
On a side note: Nikos has announced that his favorite letter is "W," and his favorite number is "4." He wants to be a racecar driver when he grows up, and Maya wants to be a "rock 'n roll star!" They crack me up!!!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Want to see more?
Here are some more pics from the inside of house #2 (AKA our dream house). I was limited to 24 photos, so there aren't any of the million closets, the garage, the guest room, play room, etc. Fingers crossed that this one is "the one"!
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