Tomorrow it all starts up! Maternity leave is officially over. Which reminds me…maybe I’d better call EI and tell them that, eh?  HEH

I went into work last week for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, so the kids have already gotten to know their daycare lady (who rocks, by the way.)  It was excellent to get in last week and do some set up.  I feel ready, but a part of me feels like I’m naive to feel that way, and it’s just an illusion because I forget what it’s really like. And also, I think I have no concept what another year of education cuts and working in tight conditions have done.

I’ve got a great load: 3 guitar classes (all a mishmash of folks, of course.  No beginner/advanced split!), 3 ESL classes, and 1 block for Grad Transitions.  For all of my classes, I feel more prepared than ever to teach well.  Now the question is: do I remember how to teach?  The Tuesday night work nights have been really helpful, but I feel a lot like a student just leaving university, with marginal teaching experience and a head full of ideas that look really good on paper.

The kids are in daycare with a greek lady and her husband.  I found them on Craigslist.  They seem excellent — very confident and no-nonsense about the kids, and incredibly experienced. PLUS, there are only 4 kids total and they charge a very reasonable fee.  Add to that the fact that they are less than 5 blocks from Tupper, and what is there to complain about?

Last week, Warren had a great time at daycare. He played well with the other 2 kids and obeyed Nana and Papa very well.  Xavier put up more of a fight though.  He fought naps in the playpen or the crib, and cried a lot on the first 2 days.  On Friday, they said he had a much more relaxed day and he even chose to wander around and play instead of just sitting around crying. Smart move, my dear son.  Choose happiness over misery.

It’s the night before work.  The lunches are ready. The bags are packed. The outfit is laid out. The table is set for breakfast. We’ve got a week’s worth of groceries in the fridge and all of the laundry is up to date.  Whatever I missed will make itself known soon enough. Good night!

I tweeted that Warren skipped his nap two days in a row.  It took that long for me to reflect and realize that I didn’t need to let him do that. So today, when he bounded out of his room less than 20 minutes after going down, I marched him back to bed.  And he stayed.  It’s a lesson for me — I often think something is going to be harder than it will be. And it’s MUCH better parenting to do the hard thing anyways!! It’s a major thing for me: I’d really like to help my kids feel secure in obeying me first and wondering why after.  My mom succeeded — it must be possible.

I’ve been giving Warren time outs a lot lately — mostly for pushing other people over and stuff like that.  Whenever I do it and a buddy is over, they invariably say “I can’t believe he stays put! My kid won’t stay in a time out!”  It makes me laugh because, yes, he stayed where I tell him to, but he usually has no clue why he’s there. The time out is more to give the kids a chance to forget what they were fighting over more than anything. But maybe the repetition is helping — this week, he’s been WAY less pushy/grabby/bully-ish.  I think.

Dreamer?

Mundane Maternity. The new title for my blog.

Today, I went into to work with the kids.  I need to set up my classrooms and get all my stuff organized.  It was a bit hairy with the kids there, but Alita came with her son too, and they played with Warren for most of the morning. What a good friend! There’s a ton to do still.  I was telling Andre that I could make every night Project Night and still not feel well-prepared.  I think the major issue right now is how much I forget how to do my job.

Along with this is the pendng start of daycare for my two boys.  I think it will be a good thing for them — Warren can learn how to be kinder to people, and the lady certainly seems experienced.  And uncomplicated.  The biggest thing on my mind right now is how much organization and just plain … STUFF I’ll have to have ready to go every morning.  Being a working parent looks like a ton of work.

And though we’ve been playing with potty training, I really do think it will be up to this lauded daycare lady.  She certainly seems up to the task, but you’ve got to know a major part of me feels like it’s my responsibility and I’m shirking it to go to work.  Truth be told, I’m not an incredibly dedicated potty trainer, though. I’d just rather head out into the world rather than hang in our small (and shrinking) apartment long enough to make any progress. And progress on the road is a little beyond me at this point!

What else?

This week, Xavier’s been sick — I took him to the doctor on Monday morning, and he said it was a mild case of croup. Barking cough overnight and yucky breathing. He’s already doing much better and (wonder of all wonders!) he slept at least 11 hours last night.  Warren has just been a little bit out of sorts – I was thinking he may also be sick, but maybe not.  He’s also covered in mysterious bug bites.

How are you?

1.  I found a partner in..hatred.  Yes.  A friend who hates the line “I’m tired” just as much as me.  I’ll try not to rant here, but believe me — so often when someone says “I’m tired” it’s their excuse for not engaging. Not giving their best.

2.  Quinoa in granola.  NO!!! I thought I had a good thing! I made my own granola this week. My quinoa cookbook had a recipe (obviously involving quinoa).  I looked up a few more recipes on the Internet and they all said the same thing: add it uncooked to the mixture for a healthy, nutty crunch. But this I know FOR SURE:  you get NO health benefit from undigested quinoa.  If I see the quinoa again in my kid’ diaper that evening, it was a waste of quinoa. Ridiculous! What were those wackos on the Internet thinking?

Andre and I are in a Star Wars season of life.  It seems Andre had never seen the movies in their entirety, and after that, we just kept going. The NPR radio drama (awesomeness in every way) and now the Clone Wars animated series.  It’s a ton of fun.

We’re still working on potty training with Warren. It’s a slow and messy process, and I adore that little boy more than anything else.  Except maybe his little brother.

And speaking of Xavier, he CRAWLS. Like an expert. And pulls himself up on furniture. And today, he went up the stairs at the playground. Amazing and terrifying. He’s 8 1/2 months old.

I feel like life is full of interesting yet mundane little bits all the time. It’s a delicious season of life.  I’m sure to miss it next month when I go back to work.  This year has just been full of so much quality time.  We take our days at just the right pace — however fast or slow the kids feel like going. And in the mean time, life is full of quality.

Andre and I have been doing our Work Nights once a week. It’s going really well and as a result, I’m getting prepared for school and Andre’s exploring training at work.  I think Andre is a totally neat person. I feel really good about going back to work, but I don’t look forward to all this time away from the kids.  The thing is, I think the time in daycare will really bring about a change in Warren’s communication.  He’ll have to start making himself understood!

That’s all for now!