Those Kindergarteners are bananas!

Apparently Peter's new teacher is pretty strict.

It sounds like she spent much of the day yelling at the kids and taking away bananas.

Each kid has a monkey and they start the day with 5 bananas. If you break a rule you get a reminder and if you break it again, you get a banana taken away. If you do something good (saying thank you, helping someone, etc.) then you get an extra banana.

At the end of the week, if you have 23 bananas or more you get to go to the prize chest. Peter kept all of his bananas on Thursday and then managed to get an extra one on Friday.

He was pleased with his prize - a little imitation Hot Wheel. It looked like the teacher probably got a pack of 50 of these for $1.00. I think going to the prize chest was more exciting than the actual prize itself.

Peter said almost everyone lost bananas on Friday and that he and Colton (Jennifer's son) were the only ones that got an extra banana.

I am assuming that his teacher is trying to get everyone used to the rules. Hopefully it will calm down over the next few weeks.

He got his extra banana for saying thank you.

Apparently I need a prize chest around here.

Oh. And the boy with the really long name? The one Peter couldn't pronounce?

It wasn't Tom as I had predicted.

It was Gilberto.

Miss Potato Head

Recently Sarah and I made chin faces.

My friend just Jennifer made them with her daughters and they turned out so cute. Doesn't Cheyanne look just like a Cabbage Patch doll?

We didn't get quite the same results because Sarah insisted on pink eyes, purple eyebrows and and a green nose. And she laughed the whole time I was trying to paint so everything looks a little wonky.

She also wouldn't let me make a little pony tail out of her hair so in one picture she looks sort of like a crazy homeless person in need of a hair cut and in the other one she looks a bit like a potato.

But she's my little potato head and I love her - purple eyebrows and all!

Happy Medium

Yesterday after Peter was safely on the school bus, Sarah and I went to Wal-Mart.

We headed straight for the toy aisle and looked at every pink toy until I couldn't stand it any longer. Sarah asked for most of them but after I said no, (what felt like a hundred times) was content with just putting them on her Christmas list.

Later on the hair dryer aisle, Sarah decided that I needed the pink hair dryer. I decided that I needed the white hair dryer. Lots of foot stomping and fake whining occurred as I put the white hair dryer in the cart.

Fresh off of her defeat, we headed over to the greeting card section where Sarah demanded that she get to choose the card. Of course, she picked a card that cost $4.99 and sang songs when you opened it. I thought $4.99 was a little excessive for a card (and it was not even very cute) so I told her to put it back.

There was more foot stomping, fake whining and fake tears and a battle ensued between mother and daughter.

Here in the aisles of Wal-Mart for all the bargain shoppers to witness, Sarah was displaying several qualities that I love about her but that also push my buttons.

I love that Sarah is opinionated, stubborn and strong-willed. These qualities will serve her well when she makes her way out in the world. I can rest easy knowing that she is going to be able to make her voice heard and that she will be able to stand up for herself.

However, at this point in time, these qualities are what cause lots of mommy-daughter disagreements.

It was only 9:00 AM and I was already weary of the battles, so I told her that she had made a beautiful choice and put it in the cart. I also put a more affordable (and much cuter) card into the cart.

At the checkout, I slipped Sarah's card to the cashier and whispered that we weren't going to get this one. Sarah never noticed and we were all happy.

I'm sure many people reading this are shaking their heads. But I figure that Sarah and I battle all day long and usually, I win. Every now and then, it's probably o.k. to let her think she won.

I hope I'm not wrong because I don't want a strong-willed, opinionated spoiled brat but I figure there's a happy medium somewhere.

I hope I found it in the card aisle at Wal-mart.

First day highlights...

Well, Peter's first day of Kindergarten is in the books.

Here are a few of the highlights from his first day:

He was excited because he had a Tootsie Roll in his backpack that the teacher said he could have when he got home. That was the very first thing he told me when he got off the bus.

He got to play at the Lego table but was a little disappointed that it had Duplo blocks instead of real Legos. "Duplo blocks are for little kids!" he told me.

A little girl cried and then threw up. I'm not quite sure whether she was crying so much she threw up or whether her stomach hurt so she was crying and then threw up. Either way, that's not exactly the best way to start Kindergarten.

A little boy basically cried whenever he didn't get his way and was disruptive to the class. Not sure yet whether he was upset about his first day or whether he was just a spoiled brat. I guess time will tell.

And this little boy's behavior may change when he realizes he's going to get some bananas taken away and not get to pick a prize from the prize chest at the end of the week. Apparently punishment in Kindergarten is serious stuff!

Peter said he made a friend at the Lego table but he can't remember his name because it's too long.

I can't wait to find out this kid's name. It's probably Tom.

Before bath time tonight, Peter told me that the two best things about Kindergarten were riding the bus and lunchtime.

I was hoping he would say his favorite things were learning to read really long words and writing cursive but I guess we'll save that for tomorrow.

Oh well. At least he didn't throw up.

Although as I was tucking him in, he said his stomach felt like he swallowed a tooth. Then he said he was nervous that he couldn't find his class.

Tomorrow may be his day...

Go, Peter, Go!

Well, today is the big day! It is Peter's first official full day of Kindergarten!

He will be in school from 8:00am - 2:30pm. And I will easing my fears and worries with a little retail therapy in Wal-Mart.

I would go to Target but it's much further away and I want to be close by in case there are any problems - which I don't anticipate - but just in case.

And while I am in Wal-mart I will be getting a new hair dryer. Because even though it still runs, it only blows out cool air. So Sarah and I will be nervously pacing around in Wal-Mart, wishing we were at Target.

And Peter will be in Kindergarten away from his Mommy for 6 and 1/2 hours. But I know he will do great.

I've already written teary posts and this morning I'm more excited than sad. So instead of more maudlin words, I thought I would share some pictures with you.

This is Peter on his first day of 2-year-old preschool and he's wearing a cute little striped shirt.

This is Peter on his first day of 3-year-old preschool and he's wearing a cute little striped shirt.

This is Peter on his first day of 4-year-old preschool and he's wearing a cute little striped shirt.


And this is Peter on his first day of Kindergarten and he's not wearing a striped shirt.

He refuses to wear striped shirts any more. He has a closet full of them that he won't wear. I guess I like striped shirts more than he does.

And I guess I'm lucky he's wearing this plain shirt because he really wanted to wear a t-shirt with skulls and crossbones on it.

Here we are at the bus stop, nervously waiting. Isn't it cute how he was clutching my hand? I gave him a big hug after this picture and then the bus approached.

Jennifer's two oldest kids crossed the street and Peter grabbed my hand. He hung back and my heart sunk. I thought for sure he wasn't going to go.

So I said, "Go, Peter, go! I know you will do great!"

And he went.

And he will do great. And I'll try not to be sad.

Because I know that this is only the beginning for him, even though it feels a little like the end for me.

Cherry Nice!

Sarah was in the bathtub and I was beside her trying to paint my toenails.

I love it when my toenails are painted a bright vibrant color but I hate doing it.

It's much easier when they are bare, clear or even a pale pink. Mistakes aren't quite as noticeable.

But I was getting tired of glancing down at my feet and seeing bare toenails and here in the South there are plenty more flip-flop weather days ahead so I decided to paint them again.

I thought a nice bright red would be just the right color since we are on the verge of fall so I chose Sally Hanson's "Cherry Nice".

Sarah looked over at my toenails and started laughing.

"Mommy! Your toenails don't look very style-y. You better not use that silly color."

But I stand by my color choice.

Because I'm just not ready to take fashion advice from someone that wears lipstick on their eyebrows!

Meet The Teacher Morning.

Yesterday was the first day of school in the local school system but for the kindergartners it was Meet The Teacher Morning.

We had two choices of times to attend. We could go at 9:00 or we could go at 10:30. I decided on the 9:00 slot and that was a mistake because all of the other parents in Peter's class chose it as well.

So imagine my delight as I found myself surrounded by 23 kindergartners, many of their younger siblings and one to two parents each as we all crammed into Peter's classroom.

And when I say crammed, I really mean crammed. Think sardines.

There were large adult-sized rear ends squished into child-sized chairs, or squeezed on the floor beside child-sized chairs or hovering worriedly over kids in child-sized chairs. (If an adult rear end can hover that is, but you get what I'm saying here. There were too many adult-sized adults in a kid-sized room.)

And to make matters worse, we were expected to fill out paperwork! And all of the information was redundant to information that I had already filled out when I signed him up in the first place. I was not a happy sardine.

So there I was sitting on the floor beside Peter who was sitting in his little chair looking nervous. I was trying to listen to the teacher talk about fees, where the kids should go in the mornings, lunches, snacks, supplies and bus schedules while trying to fill out forms, ask questions and constantly reassure Peter who kept saying, "I want to go home. I don't like it here. I want to go home."

But then he saw it. Sitting near the front of the room was...

A LEGO TABLE!

It was if the clouds parted and the sun started shining. I think I even heard the angels begin to sing the Hallelujah Chorus.

But then all Peter would say was, "Can I play on the Lego table? Can I play on the Lego table? Can I play on the Lego table?"

I was finally able to take my adult-sized rear end out of the classroom. All of my questions were answered, all of my forms were filled out and my sanity would soon be restored.

When we got home I asked him what he thought about his classroom. His response was, "I didn't like it. It was too crampy." I have a touch of claustrophobia and I think Peter may have it too.

But I'm not going to worry yet because he then said, "But did you see that Lego table? I want to play on that Lego table!"

Peter won't go back until Thursday which will be his first real day. They split the kindergartners into thirds. So 1/3 of the class will go today. 1/3 will go tomorrow and the final 1/3 will go on Thursday. And then on Friday ALL of them will go.

Hopefully on Thursday when the room isn't as "crampy" he will be able to relax and actually get to meet the teacher. Because after we got home from Meet The Teacher Morning, I realized that Peter didn't actually even get to meet the teacher!

I'm sure Thursday morning will be fine. I'm sure he will do great. I'm sure he will relax and enjoy himself.

I'm starting to worry though because even thought there was a Lego table there, I didn't see any actual Legos.

Miracle Monday

Happy Miracle Monday everyone!

This morning I wanted to highlight the very first miracle Jesus performed in the Bible. It occurred when he turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana.

This miracle allowed Jesus' disciples to see firsthand his power and if they had any doubts that he was the true Messiah, they were erased.

John 2

1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there,

2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

3When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."

4"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."

5His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

6Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

7Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.

8Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so,

9and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside

10and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

11This, the first of his miraculous signs

This was the first miracle Jesus performed on earth, but it certainly wasn't the last!

Please share a miracle Jesus has worked in your life so that if others have doubts that Jesus is the one true God, they will be erased.

It's easy to participate. Just post a miracle on your blog and link it back here using Mr. Linky below. Please mention "A Mom's Life" and my URL in your post. And if you want, you can use the Miracle Monday button in your post as well.

PLEASE NOTE - when linking make sure to link to your Miracle Monday post. Do not link to the front page of your blog. If you have any questions, email me and I will be glad to help you. My email address is in my profile.

Have a great Miracle Monday!

This edition of Miracle Monday is now closed. Please come back next Monday if you want to link to a miracle. Thanks!

Chickatees Boutique Giveaway Winner!

For once, 13 can be considered lucky. I used Random.org and it returned 13 as the lucky winner of the Chickatees Boutique giveaway.

I would show you the screen print (which I have) but I can't figure out how to turn it into a .jpeg file or and I really don't feel like trying to figure it out today.

The afternoon is much to nice to spend it geeking away in front of the computer!

So....

Keyomi is the lucky winner of an item of her choice from Chickatees Boutique.

Keyomi, please email me (address is in my profile) right away!

Thanks to everyone for entering the giveaway and have a great rest of your weekend.