Kiddos

School Drop Off Road Rage

Let’s discuss school drop-off for a minute.. some of you with school age children, especially elementary age, will know exactly what I’m talking about. Some of you will remember the days, and know all to well that I’m talking about. Some of you aren’t there yet, and trust me.. one day you’ll know what I’m talking about. What am I talking about? The people who can’t seem to grasp the ‘drop off’ part of dropping your kids off at school.

The struggle is real, people. I posted a mini rant on Facebook today and there are so many people who have the same views I do on this subject.

Here is my post from this morning:

I need a whistle and a badge because the morning drop off’s at school need some direction. I am suffering from severe, acute, school drop off road rage. How hard is it? You pull up.. little Johnny or little Judy gets out and you MOVE ALONG! Nooo, there’s always someone.. someone who decides to give a life lessons talk just as the kid tries to get out. I get it, things happen.. you forget after school instructions, money needing to be turned in, etc…. but these are repeat offenders I’m talking about. The ones that you see them pull in just before you and you’re like “crap nuggets!!!” because you know how it’s going to go. Like this one guy… we’ll call him Clueless Clyde, his kids can’t manage to put their own backpacks on (or so he seems to think) they are also completely incapable of opening the door to the school themselves. Which is fine.. what’s not fine is that he pulls directly in front of the door (where all kids are dropped off)… get’s out of his truck.. opens their door, get’s them out.. puts BOTH of their backpacks on for them… then walks them to the front door. He doesn’t even try to hurry. Nope, he just takes his sweet arse time while everyone else waits for him to move. Here’s the thing… if you want/need to do that for your kids. Yay… go you! But pull into a flipping parking spot and let everyone else who’s kids ARE capable of those things go about their day. This happens ALL THE TIME!!! I even try to time it where I’m not getting there the same time he does. Some times that works, sometimes not. I have started to give him ‘the look’ as I drive by though. He’s clueless. GRRRR!!!!! And today.. this lady drops her kids off, then pulls up BLOCKING the way out and just stops. No reason.. just stops and doesn’t move.. I need a drink and it’s only 8:30.

Surely people can NOT be this clueless to the standard drop off procedure… or maybe they just think their time is more important than everyone else’s. If you can’t manage to drop your kids off within 30-40 seconds, you need to pull out and try it again from the back of the line… or park your car.. in a parking spot. Ugh!

I invite you to vent your drop off/pick up frustrations in the comments. I know you have them! Vent! Let it all out.. you’ll feel so much better. 😉

My Little Boy Is Growing Up…

Family

Pass the tissues… my little boy is almost GROWN. Ok, well not really… but it sure seems that way. I can honestly say that I did not cry on his first day of Pre-K. He was so excited to be starting school and making friends, that I couldn’t be anything but happy for him. It didn’t hurt that it was only for a few hours a day and kept telling myself that “it wasn’t ‘real‘ school”…. so I’m really NOT turning loose of my boy just yet. Today was a different story completely! I blubbered like a baby watching the video of all the kiddos throughout the year with the sappy songs playing, like ‘let them be little’ and ‘thank God for kids’… yep, blubbering FOOL!

This year has literally flown by.. and it really has me thinking that tomorrow I will be attending his high school graduation. That causes the tears to flow and my chest to tighten… Hold on, I feel a panic attack coming on………………………………………

Ok, I’m back. I’ll be the first to admit that I never saw this coming. I was so proud of myself and the way I handled him going to ‘not real‘ school…. but here’s the problem… Next year he will be gone ALL DAY long. What will I do?

As a Mother, I worry about everything under the sun. What if he needs help going to the bathroom? What if he doesn’t remember to wash his hands? What if he gets a tummy ache and they can’t get a hold of me? What if he is being bullied by some big ole’ meanie? What if…? You see where I’m going with this. I’m sure it is the same stuff that Mothers have worried about for generations. I guess this is the beginning of learning to let go and trusting that what you have taught them so far will be put to use.

I am so thankful for Lane’s Pre-K teacher. She really is a wonderful example of everything a teacher should be. Lane absolutely loves her, as do I. It takes a special person to do what she does, and she does it with such enthusiasm… you can tell that she really cares about each and every child that she teaches. Lane has learned so much this year, and has grown beyond my imagination. She really is responsible for him loving school as much as he does.

So here’s to the ending of one adventure… and the beginning of another.. and as they sang today “Kindergarten here we come, we know we’ll have lots of fun!”

What Are Little Boys Made Of

Family

Dr. Seuss Week

Family

How much fun was Dr. Seuss week? I know we had a ton of fun with it at our house. Lane thought is was hilarious to be able to dress all silly for school each morning.

Monday was Silly Hat Day

Tuesday was Green From Head to Toe Day

Wednesday was Wacky Wednesday

Thursday was Silly Sock Day

Friday was Pajama Day

I have to say, I got a little worried when I dropped him off on Wacky Wednesday, when I didn’t see many kids wearing their wacky clothes. I saw a little apprehension on his face too when I was letting him off at school. The look said “Mom, are you sure I’m supposed to be dressed this way?” All was well though, when I picked him up he was all smiles. The teachers had on their wacky clothes, and many other kids did too. He giggled this morning as he put his shoes on while still wearing his Spiderman jammies. It’s good to be silly sometimes. 🙂

His ‘Wacky Wednesday’ outfit. The one boot and one shoe was his idea. 🙂

A day at the ranch…

Family

A few weeks ago we went for a long overdue visit to Uncle Ronnie’s ranch. He invited us out to give Lane a little taste of ‘ranch life’.. and boy that’s all it took. This little boy wants a ‘ranch’ now so bad he can hardly stand it.

Lane watching the horse get warmed up so he can ride.

Gotta hang tight to that hat!

Well, after riding for a while, Uncle Ronnie tells him that it’s not all about having fun…

you have to work too, if you’re going to be a real cowboy.

Feeding time!

And the horse stalls need cleaning…

He had entirely too much fun cleaning poop… goofy kid.

Overall, we had the best time! Like I said, it was a long overdue visit. This little boy has got it bad…. he went from only wanting a horse, to thinking he needs a couple of cows… a sheep… a pig… and a goat. I would have to say, this Mama would be just fine with that. Something about seeing him do all of these things just makes my heart smile. The responsibility is teaches a child is priceless. Now, we just have to convince Daddy… 😉

Rudolph Goodie Bags

Crafts • Party Ideas

I made these for Lane’s classmates, along with the Rudolph Hot Chocolate Bags. They turned out really cute!

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You will need:

Lunch size brown paper bags

Paper Hole Punch

1″ Red Pom Poms

Brown Pipe Cleaners

Wiggly Eyes

Step 1

Glue eyes and red nose on the paper bag. Be careful not to place them too high up because you will need to fold the bag in following steps. Allow to dry completely before proceeding to Step 2.

Step 2:

Fill bag with ‘goodies’, then fold bag twice about 1 1/2″ folds. Then use a hole punch to punch holes in both corners of bag.

Step 3:

Fold pipe cleaners in half with one side slightly longer.

Step 4:

Stick loop end of pipe cleaner through hole and then pull long ends through the loop. Play around with it until you get the shape of ‘antlers’ that you like. I just looped the ends and staggered them out a little.

That’s all there is to it!

Sure to make the kiddos happy!

Rudolph Hot Chocolate Bags

Crafts • Party Ideas • Recipes

I got this idea from a picture I saw on Pinterest, which led me to the blog Little Wonders’ Days… This blog has a lot of absolutely adorable ideas for crafts. Check it out for directions on making your own Rudolph Hot Chocolate bags, and much more. 🙂 If you haven’t experienced Pinterest, you are really missing out. You need an invite to join, so leave a comment with your email address if you would like one!