Comments (16)

By Mom Unplugged, January 7, 2009 7:18 pm

My littlest baby is now three. A “big girl.”

On Monday, just three days after her third birthday, she was scheduled to have her first day of Montessori preschool. After 8 and a half years of continuous togetherness with one child or another, I was REALLY looking forward to that first miraculous day of school for the last one, and the promise of several hours of solitude.

My imagination soared: loud music in the house (and NOT “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”), a good book, maybe even a trip to the bathroom without an audience!

But when I awoke on that much anticipated morning, what should I see out my bedroom window:

Snow. Lots of snow.

Mom of the Year Moment: Was my first thought of the day - “Oh, look at the lovely snowy scene!”

No. My first thought was: “OH NO - A SNOW DAY!!”

I had waited three years for this first day of school and it was going to be a Snow Day! Serves me right doesn’t it? The cruel irony of it all. I just wanted to put my pillow over my head and go back to sleep.

In fact it turned out to merely be a two hour delay, what a relief!

Despite my excruciating Mom Guilt over the depth of my joy on my baby’s first day of school, I was able to pull myself together enough to rock-out in the kitchen to some extremely loud music, unsuitable for children.

I can now set all guilt aside since it turns out that she loves school, and I love my mornings alone. So far, we both seem to be benefiting from the arrangement!

Comments (4)

By Mom Unplugged, September 4, 2007 10:14 am

This morning I opened my eyes to heavenly music, choirs of angels, and a feeling of my soul being lifted out of my body toward paradise above! My bedroom was even illuminated with a warm, golden glow. Was I on drugs? Did I die in my sleep? Was it The Rapture? No. It was THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!

My second-grade daughter started school two weeks ago, which left my kindergarten son home alone with the baby and me. I wish I could say that he spent his days engaging in quality, unplugged learning activities such as practicing his readers, building architectural masterpieces out of his blocks, running wild outside observing nature.

In fact, most of his time was spent rolling around in the middle of the living room floor with a bungee cord, getting up every now and then to tie certain oddly assorted objects together. Despite my repeated suggestions of fun things to do (mostly involving being in a place other than right in the middle of the living room floor), he preferred to just lie around with his bungee cord.

What is it with boys and tying things up anyhow? Is it just my son whose favorite toys are bungee cords, string, jump ropes, and dog leashes? Should I worry about what this means for his future? I suspect he is actually just being that mysterious creature that we call “a boy.”

As fascinating as it is to watch a 5 year-old lie around on the living room floor for two weeks, I have to make that dreadful confession: HOORAY FOR SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!! My hat is off to all you homeschool parents out there, and I know that there are a lot of you. How on Earth do you do it?

As a punishment for publicly outing myself as a Bad Mom, the baby has decided to spoil the tranquil day I had planned, by being in her very worst mood ever. Oh well. That will teach me to be honest in the future, won’t it!

Painting by Peter Paul Rubens, “The Exchange of Princesses” (c. 1622-1625) from the Marie de Medici Cycle. Louvre, Paris. From Wikimedia Commons.