My New Job

Job Title: Parent Volunteer

Pay: ZERO
Hours: As many as you need in order to not feel guilty
Location: School (3 different classrooms)

I feel a little overwhelmed now that I am helping out in all 3 classes at school. I seriously haven't had time to get things done around the house let alone relax!! But, the kids just love having me there and who knows how long that will last, so I better take advantage:)

Ah, the Memories

When Mike and I were dating, we spent a lot of time at his apartment...which meant he would cook. He introduced me to "Hamburger Helper." This was our favorite and I haven't seen it in YEARS, so when I spotted it at Target I HAD to buy it. I cooked it for dinner tonight and the kids loved it:)

We Thought Wrong

This weekend we thought we could take a spontaneous trip without too much trouble...we thought WRONG.

It started off great.

We went to Rancho Oso, which is a quiet little ranch just north of Santa Barbara. We rented a little cabin (with a/c because it was so darn hot). We all had fun playing mini gold, tennis, hiking, swimming, feeding chickens, and the kids even got to ride horses. The perfect little family getaway.
We headed home Sunday afternoon.

About 15 minutes after we started driving, the Jeep started losing power and before we knew it, we were pulled off the side of the road waiting for a tow truck!! We had our car towed to Santa Barbara where the driver was nice enough to drive us to the closest hotel.

So we missed school and work on Monday. Mike talked to the mechanic and found out we blew a gasket which would cost over $2000 to fix. We rented a car and drove home, leaving our poor Jeep behind. We are still trying to decide if it's worth fixing.

(our bizarre rental car)

I am very grateful to have an even tempered husband who takes things in stride. If I had been dealing with this on my own, I would have been crying and moaning about how horrible the whole thing was. Instead, Mike let me enjoy swimming at the hotel with the kids while he dealt with all the drama (and even helped me laugh about the whole thing).

Even after all the ordeal of the car trouble. I can say it was a great little vacation. We will definitely do it again...hopefully without the extra day and broken car though:)

A Lesson Learned

As all of you know, Tyson has been having a hard time with Kindergarten. He has spent the past couple days crying off and on the entire day at school. This morning about half an hour before it was time to leave, Tyson started crying and saying he didn't want to go to Kindergarten. My heart was breaking. I tried reasoning with him any way that I could, but nothing worked. Finally I said, lets kneel down and have a prayer for Tyson. The kids and I knelt in our living room and I plead with Heavenly Father to help Tyson. We drove to school and Tyson was crying the entire time. We got to school and Tyson wanted me to hold him. When the bell rang Tyson cried harder. His wonderful teacher took his little hand and led him to their classroom. I walked back to the car, came home and cried my eyes out.

At around noon I got a phone call from Tyson's teacher. She said "I just wanted to let you know that Tyson hasn't shed a tear the entire day. He's doing great and he is so proud of himself and the progress he has made." When I picked that little boy up after school he was so excited to tell me about the great day he had. I was just thrilled. We got in the car and as we were talking about his day, Tyson said "It was the prayer, Mom, Jesus has all the power and he made it so I wouldn't cry at school." I couldn't believe that Tyson had remembered the prayer. What an important lesson we all learned today: Prayers are answered.

Okay, this is why I worried...

Tyson "seemed" to be enjoying school...but on Thursday when I picked him up he was in tears! His teacher told me he had a really hard day, but as soon as he was home everything was fine. He told me he just wanted me. Well, the next morning came. We got ready for school, but when it was time to go, Tyson wouldn't even get in the car! Anyways, I ended up letting him stay home on Friday because he was so sad. But now what?! Every time anyone mentions school, he says he doesn't want to go. I am dreading Monday:(

Tyson with one of his friends on the first day of school

What was I so worried about?!

The first couple days of school have come and gone and everyone is HAPPY!

Kya is in a class with a whole new bunch of kids and a new teacher, but she has no complaints. She loves her teacher and is making lots of new friends.

Jordan's class this year just seems like an extension of last year. She knows just about everyone in her class and her teachers are amazing!

That's right, Tyson started Kindergarten!! He knew about 4 kids in his class before school started, so I think that helped him feel more comfortable. So far, he has had a great time. He says his favorite part is "lunch time".
I am at home with NO KIDS now!! I can't believe how fast time flies. For right now I am just enjoying the extra hours to get things done that have been "un" done for a while. Eventually I will try to find something to do to make money, but for right now my days consist of: working out, running errands, cleaning the house and oh, blogging:)

Daddy's Dream Come True

Saturday was Tyson's first soccer game. Not to brag or anything, but he scored 4 of the 5 goals:) After the game one of the dads from the other team came up to Mike and I and said "Is your son #5? He's really good". I'm sure Mike was living out a dream!! We are so proud of our little boy (and we would have been just as proud if he hadn't scored any goals...well, maybe not quite).

A Mother Divided

As a mom of three kids, I often feel pulled in multiple directions. But, I have to admit, I feel like I do a pretty good job giving each child enough attention...until this coming Monday (it hasn't even happened and I am already feeling awful about it).

Monday is the first day of school. Jordan and Tyson are attending the same charter school and Kya is at their old public school. Last year Tyson and Kya were both at the same school and Jordan was at the charter school. It wasn't too hard juggling for drop off and pick up. One school starts at 8:15am the other 8:20am. The pick up for one is 2:35pm and the other 2:45pm. So normally it's not a big deal. But on the first day of school things are a little different. Normally I can stay and chat with the teacher and the other parents. This year I either have to have Mike take Kya or drop her off so quickly that I may not have time to even meet her teacher. Either way, I will feel like garbage. I just want to be there...for all my kids. It just kills me:(