Monday, November 1, 2010

Up in the mornin' and out to school...

...the teacher was teaching the golden rule
American History and practical math
You studyin' hard and hoping to pass
-School Day, Chuck Berry

As you might imagine, as one who enjoys writing this blog, I am also an avid blog reader. A couple of blogs that I like are doing Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - posting about something they are thankful for each day in November. Every day?! Can I really do that? I know it's a lot of blogging, but heck, I was posting twice a day for several weeks, so it shouldn't be too hard. (Famous last words!) Some posts may be pretty brief, but I'll try to at least come up with a song and a brief paragraph to share something that I'm grateful for or something that makes me happy.

A number of people have commented that they don't know how I kept going through some of the really tough days we faced, how I managed to keep a positive outlook. Let me assure you that I didn't. Some days, I want to be a total grump. Some moments, I allow myself to be a total grump. But it's generally not a fun place to be, wallowing in self-pity. So I don't. I force myself (and sometimes it takes some serious forcing!) to think about the good things in my life, the million and one ways that I am so blessed. I think this Thirty Days thing is going to be good for my spirits, and maybe it will help you to think about some of the things you have to be thankful for, too.

So, to start things off --today I'm thankful that my kids are both so happy to go to school.

Today was Jay's first day at school on his own, and my first day at work. To quote the song lyric inspiration, we're "up in the morning" all right. The morning routine with 2 kids can be a little (ummmm, yeah) chaotic. Wild & woolly on a good day. Out of control chaos on others. But this morning went incredibly smoothly, thanks to some serious prep work the night before.

I was a little worried that Jay would be unhappy being left in his class, but he was completely content for us to leave him. He asked "You going to your class, Mommy?" I said, "Well kinda. I'm going to work." "Okay, go there." I guess there's no need to drag out the inevitable. I gave him a hug and a kiss and left, and there were no tears.

Similarly, Luke is all smiles when we leave him in his class just two doors down from Jay's. He loves the snuggles he gets from his teachers, and hasn't shown the least bit of separation anxiety. I'm grateful for good teachers who care about young kids, and I'm grateful for kids that enjoy the structure and routine of a daycare center environment. But most of all, I'm glad for a morning drop-off routine that is (at least for today!) tear-free.

4 comments:

Jamie Blackburn said...

I am glad when I turn on my computer to find a new blog posting from my cousin! It is one of my favorite things to check out on the interwebs! but mostly, I am thankful that I ended up with such an awesome cuz.

Sush said...

I am grateful that these two lovely girls have been and continue to be part of my life!
Love you...

Anonymous said...

Susie, you said it best - how blessed are we to have each other in our lives!! I love the idea of Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - perhaps 365?? LYTB, AJ

Chillin' with Lemonade said...

i love reading your blog!