This could have been the scene at my house this weekend.

Yes... I had a frog in my back yard and mice in my garage. Yuck! Not much I can do about the frog. They are a problem with the irragation canal so close. The mouse (turned out to be mice) on the other hand are another story. I think that the mice showed up this weekend, as I have seen no traces of them and saw only a few "indications" of their presence on Sunday. It was Sunday morning when I was going out to feed the dogs when I flipped on the light and saw the gray furry hind end of the little rodent scampering away. EEEEK! Well, traps were set (thanks to my stepdad, who so kindly gave up Monday Night Football) and mice were caught.

Unfortunately, the seal at the bottom of my garage door has an opening at one end. As the nights are getting colder I am afraid that more mice will try and find refuge in my garage. My hope is that word has spread among the mouse community that while entry may be easy you may never come out... at least not on your own four feet. Traps will remain set, and the garage door company may be called to replace the seal. I just can't live with mice.

T'was the night before preschool....

UPDATE: The day went great. Meigan was a little hesitant in the beginning. By the end of the preschool day she gave her stamp of approval by saying, "I want to come to school tomorrow." Kate was excited beyond words from the moment she saw her backpack sitting by the door. I had bus duty this morning, so the girls had to stand outside with me as the kids filed off the busses. Kate was so excited when she saw the busses that she turned and waved at me and wanted to load the closest one.


I wish that I could say that not a creature was stirring. But no, Meigan is tossing and turning and telling me how very hard it is to go to sleep when you are so bored.

Well, tomorrow starts a new phase in life, as well as a new routine. Both of my girls will be attending preschool, and so ends the journey to Grandma's each morning. Seems hard to believe, wasn't it just yesterday that I was carrying Meigan around on my hip... oh, wait a minute, that was yesterday. But it does seem like just yesterday that I brought her home. Now she is heading off to school, and I am already missing the "baby" days. Kate has been home only 9 months, and it doesn't seem nearly as strange to be sending her off. She came to be my daughter as an older toddler, ready for school when we first met. So while my heart is not sad about how quickly the years have flown, it is very sad for the years that I missed with her.

God has been good to us. A month ago I had plans in place... girls enrolled in separate preschools and a Friday daycare lined up. Well, at the last minute, and in a matter of a few short days those plans were totally turned upside down. Neither girl will be attending the preschool they were enrolled in last Spring, and our Friday arrangement have changed, as well. I worried so much last Spring, trying to get everything in order. God had other plans, better plans. The girls will now be able to come with me each morning, and go to preschool in the same building where I teach. I can't even begin to tell you what a blessing this is. Just to have them in the same building with me make my heart happy. This means they come with me to work, and on some days I might even get to see them after their preschool session ends. My mom will pick them up each day, and have them in the afternoons. On Fridays, they will go to a neighborhood daycare that is unbelievable. It will be nice for my mom to have a day to help my grandma and just catch up around her house. I know that daycare is not ideal, but what this woman is doing is amazing. The girls will be well fed, cared for, played with, and taught about God's word.

Well, we are moving on... whether I am ready or not. Tomorrow the first day of preschool, and before I know it the first day of high school. So, for now I will let that little ache in my heart serve as a reminder to make the most of each day that I have with my sweet little ones.

P.S. Stay tuned... cute first day of school pictures to come soon.

Five Days Down

Yep, 5 days down and 175 to go. School had a very good start, probably the least stressful in 5 years. I am back to 1st grade(no more combination classes for this teacher), at the school I love and have no plans of adopting... should be a piece of cake, right? I am grateful to have a job that provides for us, and allows me more vacation time than most. I am also grateful for an administrator that is "family friendly" and supports and encourages me not only as a teacher, but as a mother. But after a nice long weekend with my girls, I was really not very excited about returning to work this morning. I have never really minded working outside of my home. As a single mom it is just something that must be done. In fact, much of the time I really do like the structure that getting up and going to work brings to my life. This year feels different, I wish I could be home with the girls more. I try to make our evenings meaningful family time, but it is hard to do when you only have 4 hours to work with. I am not sure why this year feels different... maybe it is that this is the last year before my girls enter Kindergarten and it feels like they are growing up too fast. Maybe it is that I have seen such growth and change in Kate over the last week and know that much of that is simply because we had more time together. Maybe I am just sad that my girls get my last few hours of the day rather than my first... and that saying about saving the best for last doesn't always happen. Whatever the reason, my heart feels torn and a little bit sad. Lots of prayer needed here.

On the brighter side, my girls will be starting preschool next week. This will allow them to come to school with me four mornings a week, and they are able to attend the preschool that is housed at my school, what a blessing. I hope that just having with me more in the morning and in the same building will help.

Every wonder what the first week of 1st grade looks like from the teachers perspective?

This really is what it feels like at times. Soooo, if a cat happens to cross your path next week remember to pray for me. Thanks

First day back...not bad at all.

Today was the first day back to school for teachers. I have been trying for a couple of weeks to get back into the early morning routine...seems silly, since I really had only three weeks off between summer school and today. All and all the day went fairly well. We got out of the door on time, although it did look like a tornado had cut right through my house. The girls went to Grandma's with no problems at all (Kate has been a little teary lately, so I was a little worried). My day at work was good, but I did way to much visiting... I love catching up after a busy summer.
What I was most proud of today, was our evening routine. The last 9 months have felt terribly disorganized, and I very much did not want that to become a way of life at our house. I been reading a lot of stuff written by the FlyLady , especially about not living in a state of CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome). Anyway, she is big on routine. I don't think that I will every be as over the top regimented as she promotes, but I have certainly gleaned some worthwhile things. So, tonight we tried out our new routine, goes something like this...

• Arrive home, get dinner started.
• Bath girls while things are cooking.
• Sit down for dinner.
• Girls read on the couch for 10 minutes quietly, while mom picks up dinner dishes and throws in a load of laundry. I really set the timer for 7 minutes with the hopes of building up to 10. I was quite pleased when the timer went off and Meigan asked if they could PLEASE!!! read some more.
• Fifteen to twenty minutes of chores with mom... girl helped me fold laundry and clean up the playroom.
• Reading books.
• Brushing teeth.
• Off to bed... at 7:30 on the dot.

No TV... just family time. The girls had a good evening, and I feel less stressed. Now, if only I could get my girls to go to sleep without having to have me sit in their room. Although, I do make good use of this time sitting in the dark, it has become my time to check blogs and make posts.

Meigan is worried!

Tonight while reading books Meigan began playing with my hair. She so lovingly announced, "You have gray hair mom." Jamie, you missed a spot near my ear :) I didn't pay much attention to her comment until I heard her begin to whimper. I asked her what was the matter. She began to cry and said, "I don't want to be a mom." Meigan has had a small obsession with me becoming a grandma lately. She is making connections... she knows her grandma has gray hair, and she knows that she has to be a mommy in order for me to be a grandma. So of course, if mommy has gray hair she must be becoming a mommy soon. My poor baby!

All went well

Kate's implant was successfully activated Monday afternoon. The only real problem of the day was that our appointment was not really scheduled until Wednesday. The office staff was great, and knowing that we had driven in from out of town and stayed in a hotel worked very hard to accomadate us.
The actual activation was a lot different than I expected. Kate had very little response to sound, except for some tears here and there. Although you could tell by the look in her eyes that she was hearing something.
Since coming home, I have already been able to move her volume level up a few notches very comfortably. She has also pointed to her ear several times to indicate that she has heard something. She also seemed to have found her own voice last night. She had been doing a little crying, I was watching her and all of a sudden her eyes got a little puzzled look and then she began to play with the sound of her voice. She had a little grin on her face the whole time. It was fun to watch.
The only trouble she has had has been when the device is first turned on, or when it falls off and needs to be reattached. There have been some tears, but even that is getting less and less. In fact, this afternoon it fell off, and she reached right around and reattached it herself. She looked pretty proud of herself. I have been surprised at how quickly she has gotten used to all the things that are now attached to her... something on her ear, her head, and her shirt. She has not seemed bothered by any of this at all. She has also been very tired, even though we have tried to play it very low key. Her little brain has got to be on sensory overload.
I am so proud of my girl... she has been such a trooper through all of this. I am so excited to see what the coming month and years hold for her. It will not be easy, but this little girl has got lots of fight in her.