First Day of School Memories

Joey started Kindergarten camp today at her new elementary school. She has been counting down the days all summer long. She was so excited this morning and when I picked her up, she looked really happy. I wanted to hear all about what she did and here is what she told me:

The other kids lied--but she didn't because she knew it was wrong.
The other kids called one of the teachers names and laughed--but she didn't laugh because she thought it was mean.
The other kids are a lot shorter than she is--she thought they were four but then realized that they are all in kindergarten too. "I'm really tall."
She doesn't have to know how to read or do math yet (looks like I may have to sign her up for Kumon after all).

Okay, so I have a goody-two shoes for a daughter. And she may not become the most popular child in the class since she won't participate in rude behavior, she's freakishly tall, and she is advanced in her studies. I am okay with that, and I'm trying to encourage her to find a friend in class that is as prudish as she is so that she will be a good girl all through adolescence and not date until she's 25. But I also love that she appears to have a strong distinction between right and wrong and isn't afraid to stand up for herself.

The other day at the park, these boys were making a game out of running away from Sam. Joey perceived it to be mean and told me what they were doing (these boys are about Joey's age). I told her it was just a game and that it was okay. But she went up to them and said, "Please don't do be mean to my little brother." The boys listened to her and stopped their game.

We got the girls desks at PBK. Ever since I mentioned getting her a desk for kindergarten, Joey has been waiting with bated breath. Chang picked up one desk and assembled it today. It was like Christmas in August. I was talking to my mom about Joey's excitement about school. She asked me if I remembered how excited I always was about the first day of school. I do--I remember lying awake at night going through the next day in my head. Who would be in class? What would my teacher be like? How excited I was about my new Hello Kitty pencil case or my new burgundy backpack. Even in college, I could never sleep before the first day of classes. I always loved getting my backpack ready, laying out my favorite new outfit, trying to figure out a new hairstyle--I get a big smile on my face just thinking about it now. I guess I should get Joey and Elysha a new outfit for the first day of school. That would make me, I mean them, so thrilled!

Cashing in at PB

Remember the reason why I wanted to work at PB? It was so I could get furniture for the kids. But I also want to get new furniture for pretty much every room of the house. I am tired of the wood-ish furniture we have--purchased at bargain basement prices. Kmart, Ikea, furniture stores going out of business, stuff that we bought for Chang's mom but now she doesn't need. Our home looks like a thrift shop. People keep telling us to wait until the kids are older to get the good stuff. That was fine when people got married and had kids in their 20s. By the time they turned forty, they were marrying off their children. By the time we marry off our kids, Chang will be ready to retire. So I'm supposed to wait until our 60s? Um, I don't think so.

I was able to get a floor model of the exact couch I wanted and it is arriving next week. So now I am getting ready to paint the living room and decorate it. Yes, as in Martha Stewart decorate. I want to put in vases with fake flowers, inanimate objects with absolutely no function or purpose but just because I think it is purdy. And then I am going to build an invisible force field around the room so that if any of the kids even think about going into the room, they will be shocked, just mildly, of course. No milk stains, no crayon marks, no cheerios that roll itself underneath the couch or into the crevices of the cushions.

So I guess all the hours that I slave away for practically free at PB have been worth it after all.

Kisses for Mommy

These days I feel loved. Chang and I are happy together. Joey is in a mommy phase right now so she always wants me (sure it can be annoying but at the same time, it is nice to know that I haven't screwed her up so much that she wants nothing to do with me). Elysha goes hot and cold with both of us, though she is showing a preference for daddy these days. And Sam appears to have gone over to the dark side too. On the weekends, he loves Chang and wants to be held by daddy over mommy.

But at night time, Sam generally wants to be put down by me and I just revel in being able to hold him while I give him a bottle (yes I need to wean him but I have a ton of formula and bottle liners). Sam plays with his blankie, rolling it around his thumbs or drawing it over his eyes, and slowly drifts off to sleep. I like to hold him just a little bit longer than is necessary because these days, I feel like he is growing up too fast and I want him to stay my baby just a little bit longer (thus the bottle).

Anyhow, I had to work today because we were doing inventory at PB, and they needed all the able bodies they could get. I didn't come home until right before the kids' bedtime. When the kids saw me, they all ran to give me hugs and kisses. Usually Sam will run right into my arms and rest his head upon my shoulder. Today, he came up to me, and cuddled just a little bit. Then he looked up at me with his big black eyes and leaned in to give me a kiss. Then he cuddled and decided he had to give me another kiss...and then another. It was the cutest thing.

I Must Be Good

So you all know about my PB job. I was having a lot of fun working in the beginning and it still is fun. But then it started to get annoying because they kept scheduling me. During the holidays, they were putting me on 8 hour shifts both weekend days. Needless to say, it made me miss some holiday gatherings and family time. Now that the holidays are over and things have slowed down, I figured they would schedule me once a month, maybe twice. Nope...they keep scheduling me. It might be just four hours once a week, but we're busy these days! Birthday parties to attend, Superbowl to watch, and we want to go to on a couple more ghetto snow trips.

When I first started working there, my A.R. over-achiever self was in full gear, "Do you mind if I organize this area? All the towels are not folded the same way. Is there a broom anywhere? I noticed some lint of the floor. Is there Windex? I noticed some streaks on this glass." Plus, my general manager made the comment that if I kept selling the way I was selling (we DON'T get paid commission btw), then she was going to want me to work all the time. Then my W-2 for the year came in. I think I must have worked 500 hours and it netted about $50 in pay (minus a couple thousand in furniture and Christmas presents). So wow, it really is just not worth it.

Now, my strategy is to become a slacker employee. At least I tell myself that. But it is just no use. I'm a nerd--a sit-in-the-front-row-middle-of-the-class-and-wave-my-hands-in-the-air-yelling "I know, I know" nerd. Damn, it is hard being this perfect.

Who's Naughty or Nice?

I'm tired. My face shows it with pimples and bags under my eyes. I'm trying to do too many things. But at the same time, I get excited when I start new projects. Sustaining them is a different story...

Even amidst my extreme fatigue, I have been making a concerted effort to be nicer to my kids. I still growl at them like Cujo when they are being insolent, foam dripping from my mouth because my fuse is short when I am this tired. But at the same time, I am trying to be a little bit more fun. Sometimes I feel like I am like Captain von Trapp from Sound of Music, before the singing nun came into the picture. No humor, all business...but these days, I hear singing and music!

Or maybe it is because I have been getting a break from them every weekend while I work my high-powered job at PB. I come home, exhausted, but more willing to deal with the kids again. And because I haven't been around, I try to make up for the hugs I haven't been able to give them all day. When I get up to the front door, I can hear Joey and Elysha scratching on the other side, so excited that they are about to see me again. It is nice to be missed and feel loved. I am really loving my PB job, for so many reasons! And I thought I was just doing it for the discount...

Another Part-time Job

Well, it looks like I will become a City Editor for The Savvy Source blogsite. I'm very excited but nervous about how I am going to juggle yet another ball. I just got off a five hour shift at PB and boy, oh boy, the holiday spirit was NOT oozing out of the customers today.

In any case, I fancy being able to call myself a professional blogger now. Yup, I'm moving up in the blogging world.

Just wanted to share the good news...though this will definitely cut into my personal blogging time. Sorry folks, but it is nice that I can get paid (a meager wage) for something that was/is a hobby. Besides, I need another job to support my PB habit.

Oh, and also shameless self-promotion (he he), please click on the link for Savvy Source DAILY for local activities ideas and information on preschools all over the country. There should be new posts coming soon for the West LA site.