First Days

Kindergarten and preschool have both officially started for my kids, so we are trying to find our rhythm with this new pace of life.  I know I'm not the first mom to say this, but there is quite a bit of shuffling to be done when there are no school buses involved and kindergarten is only a half day.  Yes, you heard me right.  Half day kindergarten.  Forgive me if I've already bemoaned this fact to you, but it's just never what I expected when I imagined what my life might be like as a mother to a school-aged child.  But I guess that's life right?  Often times it's different than what we expect.  I'll be the first to admit I'm not the best at gracefully handling the times when my expectations aren't met.  All that to say, my kids and I will be in a similar boat this year--all with lots to learn and plenty of room for growth!

Kindergarten is obviously a big milestone, and I'm just really proud of Wade.  He had plenty of challenges in his early years and there's been no shortage of change and transition in his little life.  And yet, he has embraced this new season.  Really, I could stand to learn a lot from him.

Sometimes the thought of him being in elementary school makes me feel teary and nostalgic and my throat begins to tighten.  Other times I really enjoy what life is like with a five year old, and I am thankful for the many ways mothering this boy for half a decade has shaped me.  We aren't without our hard days, but there are also more rewarding times with an older-ish child.

Wade is in a Montessori program which is offered through our neighborhood school.  He tends to be a man of few words when it comes to these sorts of things, but he seems to like it so I can't complain.  His class is a blend of kindergarten and first graders, which I actually think is a pretty cool thing.

Most days we walk and/or ride bikes to school.

This is a pretty sweet little tradition.  Our walk is about ten minutes (if we are efficient :)

After I drop off Wade, I take Holland to preschool.

Holland barely made the cut off for pre-K, so she's actually doing the curriculum Wade did last year even though they will be two years apart in school going forward.  She thrives in school and is generally just a delightful little lady.

She loves to do art, and try as I may to provide lots of creative opportunities at home, I think she and I are both happy that preschool will fulfill some of that interest too!

Holland and her snaggle tooth buddy, her special friend Lucian. 

After school drop offs, I rush home to get my tired baby down for a nap.  

{clearly post nap}

Then I hope and pray (like, literally) I get a couple hours of quiet time to regain my sanity and perhaps get a bit done around the house so that I am ready to be the patient, engaged mother I'd like to be.

We arrived to pick up Holland from her first day at school, and she was so immersed in her book, she had no idea I was sitting right in front of her with a camera :)

Speaking of being patient and engaged,  I really feel like time to myself helps me more than anything with this.  I'm curious as to how you fellow mamas build time into your week for yourself?  A regular sitter? Preschool for your kids?  Time to exercise?  I'd really love to take a painting class.  I've also been thinking of getting involved in some sort of volunteer work that combats sex trafficking in the Sacramento area (it's something like the second largest city in the US for human trafficking.  Horrifying.)  Time while I'm at home and my baby is napping is great, but in order to thrive, I just feel like I'd love a little something outside of all of that.  What are your thoughts?