The First Day of Camp

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Today was the last day of school. It’s the beginning of summer. Yippee!

It was a good year. The kids did well, but it was quite a ride. The last couple weeks have been jammed pack with school events, illness, and projects. But we survived!

I have no concrete plans for the summer. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have a wish list of all the things I want to accomplish.

For now, though, I’ll just rest.

We always celebrate the last day of school with a family lunch at a restaurant. Today we went to California Pizza Kitchen and talked about our favorite things this year.

Jumpshot’s favorite thing about school? P.E. And of course Diva said Art. Then we went to the bookstore and got their summer reading books and a treat for each. Diva got a Disney Princess art set, and Jumpshot got Scrabble Slam. It’s pretty fun.

I got the best treat of all – a very long nap.

Tomorrow, an update of all our happenings.

The last two weeks have left me with whiplash from all its ups and downs.

First, let’s get the downs out of the way. I lost two beloved family members, my Great-Aunt Tootie and my Uncle Norman. They were both lovely people, and they will be surely missed.

We celebrated some milestones as well. Manchild has learned to spell his name, and I learned he can recognize a lot of letters. Diva is reading on her own, and I think we’re turning a corner on those pesky phonograms that seem to give her trouble.

Finally, Jumpshot went on a retreat with his class. It was the longest he’s ever been from home. He did get homesick, but he did enjoy himself. It was like a little hole in our family while he was away. Manchild kept asking for him. Reunited, Diva immediately began irritating him, and Manchild ran up to hug him. Then the wrestling commenced. You’d thought they were a pack of wild puppies so happy to see each other.

I’ve got a lot of projects in the works. The PTO fundraiser is going great. Teacher’s Appreciation Week and Mother’s Day are right around the corner. And we’re spending some quality time with the family today.

Have a great weekend!

I’m finally relaxing after a whirlwind week. Here’s what’s been going on:

I spent last Saturday shopping for the “Easter Bunny.” I’m so bad about waiting until the last minute. The store was crazy, but I was able to find everything I needed. Victory!

The children were out of school last week, so their sleep schedule was a bit off, Jumpshot especially. He couldn’t go to sleep Saturday night. I wonder if it had anything to do with not knowing what his present was going to be. So I asked him if he wanted to help set out the baskets for the first time ever. Sniff.

He loved it, and he loved his present, one of those NERF dartguns. Not surprisingly, he was asleep five minutes after playing Easter Bunny. He also helped the next morning getting batteries in the toys.

Diva was sweet enough to leave a note for the Easter Bunny, offering him her chocolate bunny she got earlier in the week and some flowers she picked in the yard. He was nice enough to take her tokens and leave her a thank you note and notes for the boys as well.

Then we went to Mass and to my brother’s for lunch with the whole family. It was a very nice time, and the food was great as usual. The only thing that was missing was James. His allergies were bothersome, so when we got home from church, I gave him the only allergy medicine in the cabinet – Benadryl. Twenty minutes later, he was out of it. So he slept for a few hours.

On Monday, the kids were still on break, so James stayed home with them. While Jumpshot was cutting the grass, he came across a young king snake, which freaked him out. My boy is not a fan of nature. And even though James was right there with him and no harm was done, he was upset for a couple hours. They called me at work, so I talked to him and reassured him the snake wanted no part of the lawnmower. James said they spent the rest of the afternoon learning about snakes on the web.

We went back to reality on Tuesday and was greeted with a ton of homework. Jumpshot was also forgetting to bring home things. Plus all year, he’s been losing pencils on a daily basis. James and I were quite perplexed. But at the end of the week, things became quite clear. Jumpshot is the go-to guy. He gives his pencils away to those who don’t have one, and he’s helping other kids with their homework, neglecting his. I applaud his generosity, but – and I told him this – it’s important to get his stuff taken care of first before he helps others.

Diva missed art class this week because of a sore throat. I checked her out of school early and took her back to my office and made her take a nap. She was much better after that. The pollen is driving everyone crazy.

Diva’s enjoying her homework, which is hilarious because for years she declared how much she was going to hate homework and never do it. Her handwriting is getting better, and she’s not reversing some of her letters and numbers as much. I did some math homework with her this week, and I got the pleasure of witnessing a lightbulb moment. When I would ask her how she would write 14 for instance, she would say 4-1 instead of 1-4. So I had to explain to her the tens place in essence. And she got it. It was fantastic!

Manchild hasn’t developed any new skills, but he’s getting goofier by the day. We were watching cartoons together Friday night, and he would repeat the lines from the show and put his face in mine as he did it. He let me hold his little hand and snuggle him. I cherish those little moments. He’s also pushing his boundaries. He told me he wanted some chocolate milk and to make it snappy. He thought it was funny. I did not. I gently informed him that wasn’t going to cut it. That’s happening a lot lately. He’s trying out phrases, and I let him know if it’s o.k. or not. Most of the time, they’re not.

James and I had another good date night. I like this ritual of ours. I am so appreciative of the drop-off center. I’ve learned parents need time together too. Don’t worry, I’m taking some time for myself. I got some workouts in this week and a couple naps.

Remember all you Supermoms out there: Cherish the special moments with your children. Make time for you and your husband, and take time for yourself. Enjoy your week!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! We certainly did!