That is not for kisses

Thomas turned 4!!! So now I get to tell people I have 5 kids ages:8,5,4,1,and 6 months. Haha-- imagine those faces-- imagine mine. Thomas has been so eager to go to preschool, and has talked of little else since we moved here. I didn't really want him to go this year because he won't be going to kindergarten next year and will have to do another year of pre-school, since I stay home with them it seems extravagant to send him to two years of pre-school. Plus, I thought he would really enjoy hanging out with me and being the oldest during the day. Nope. He wanted to be big like his brothers and go to school. So, we finally relented and Thomas started pre-school today. Twice a week/all day. Oh, the excitement when he was able to pack a lunch in his batman lunchbox, and he got to wear the backpack both Jack and Luke used in preschool. We were a bit rushed this morning because his school day starts an hour before his brothers, and the adjustment was hard for me to make. He was ready though, he slept in his clothes(a tank top because he is Thomas the Tank and tank tops are his favorite), he brushed his teeth no arguments, and he just waited for me to get it together. 

Back home in crazyland, Pete decided this morning, about 20 minutes before time to walk Jack and Luke to school, that he would cut their hair. They were already dressed for the day- a massive feat. I was just finishing up their lunches.  Luke's hair was done about 5 minutes before time to walk out the door. He calls Jack in now!!! I will say that he got it done, we ended up driving the kids to school instead of walking, and it was a very stressful way to start the day, probably because even though I woke up at 6:30am and it was 8:40am I still hadn't had my coffee. 

Last night I was lamenting the fact that Thomas would be gone all day, which I found odd because with Jack and Luke I was eager and excited for them to go school, learn, and make friends. Pete reminded me that for the first time in a long time I would have consistent days when all the kids still at home would actually be asleep for more than 1 hour. While this may be true here are a few things that happened before nap time.  Meg came over to me with her finger out cry/moaning so I kissed it. Nope. Parent advice- Don't ever just kiss a finger that your kid is holding out to you. NEVER DO IT!!! Poop finger. Yup, she gave me a poop finger, and I just blindly kissed it. No, Meg you don't kiss that. 

I gave Meg a Gatorade bottle this morning, a little later I couldn't find it, but there wasn't gatorade down her shirt so I just let it be and forgot about it. I walk in my room 20 minutes later and guess what? I found the gatorade bottle.

I guess I don't realize how much I rely on the older kids to help me parent. If Thomas were here that would not have gone down. 

I took some time this morning to empty the garbage, the recycling, pay bills, and fill out paperwork I received from Thomas' teacher this morning. Turns out that I put the paperwork in the recycling bin outside but kept a neat pile of all the stuff I meant to recycle. I had to go outside and dig through the recycling to find the forms. After I signed the forms I made a new pile so I would remember to put them in Thomas' folder. Nope. I was just a few second from throwing them in the garbage this time. What is wrong with me?? I realized it was now 10:30am and I hadn't had my coffee yet. I stopped right then and made my coffee. I think I will have two cups just to catch up.

So now I am sitting here realizing that the oldest kid in my house today is 19 months old. What in the world are we going to do all day? I have totally forgotten how to play with and entertain toddlers. Jack was the last child that I really entertained as a toddler, after that I sort of let the siblings take over that part. I worked on the feeding them, cleaning their messes, driving them to the store or library, and stuff of that nature. What am I going to do with her and Robert?  I tried to watch Dora with her and she got excited and said backpack, but then she was done. She got up and left the couch. So I decided maybe I should just turn on Veep and check out that show because I have heard it is good and Meg obviously doesn't want to use the tv right now. Can I finish my book because it is really good? Letting them learn to use their imagination and play without adult supervision is actually really good for them, so I am doing her a favor by ignoring her, right?

The thing with Meg is that she is too clever for her own good. She went into Pete's bag, found a smaller bag, unzipped it, took out the markers, and drew all over her arms and legs. She also has decided that she is a big fan of Coke- just like her mom- and she goes around the house looking for Coke cans and every time she finds one she checks to see if there is any left.

I think I need Thomas back in the house to help me out and give me stuff to do. I feel like today I might be both overwhelmed and bored- a parenting paradox.

Some Weigels go to school and some stay home

Back to school time! I am so excited! We moved and that was lovely, but we didn't really do anything once we moved. We didn't have money saved up so we didn't have money to spend, and moving costs money, so we just kept close to the house.  We went out (spent money to visit some attraction) once a month over the summer just to vary the routine but that was about all. This also meant no summer swim lessons, tennis lessons, or even taekwondo for Jack (other than trying out a few schools). I found that while over scheduling your kids is bad for them not scheduling them at all for 2 or 3 months is also bad-- take my word for it.

So a new school year has been much anticipated in our house. A chance to break up the monotony of the day, meet new friends, perhaps find things to get involved with, and a chance for dear old mom to once again become a lovely person; not the evil, yelling, overwhelmed, and edgy lady that my kids now think I have permanently become. It also gives me the chance to leave the house without all 5 kids, and perhaps I will stop hearing: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, she has five kids, how many kids do you have?, how do you do it?, that's a lot of kids, are they all yours?, do you have any twins in there?, must have Irish twins, and you are blessed. Every single time I went anywhere! I have never experienced so many people having so much to say about the number of kids I have. * I did go to the store this AM with just 3 and I still heard : You have your hands full, no kids in school. That is when you look forward to nap time, huh? 

Anyway, back to the first day of school. We live very close to the school so we walk. Actually a lot of people walk. The crossing guard knew right away we were new, asked where we lived (she knew the house because she lives just down the road), and introduced herself. Jack's teacher also knew where we lived because she walks the path by the pond and saw three boys playing outside and knew they would be attending the elementary. She also lives just down the road. So there is definitely that small town feel about it.

Luke is in kindergarten this year! The first 3 days were half days so hopefully he adjusts well to full days this week. He wasn't scared at all. When we asked him what his feelings about going to school were he simply said he couldn't wait to make friends. Here they keep all the kindergarteners together for the first two weeks, they test and observe them, and then they divide the kids into classrooms. I asked him about school and he liked making a handprint with paint, he liked the story the teacher read at story time, he liked the singing, but he didn't not like all the waiting that was involved. The first day Pete spiked Luke's hair and on the second day Luke wore a button up shirt and tie so this means Superman hair. I guess at recess a boy liked Luke's hair better spiked so he ran his fingers through it and messed it up. Luke was very upset and even took all of us to the exact spot on the playground where it happened. It didn't completely ruin recess though because he did end up playing Superhero tag with a few kids. He isn't super chatty. He gives a brief run down and then asks if we can stop talking about it.

Jack is in 3rd grade. I was worried for him the most because he was the one that had to switch schools, and that is always hard. So far though he really seems to like it. He said he likes it better than his old school. Everyone asked if it was his first day, but not in a mean way (so he says). Everyone was nice and even if you could tell you didn't have a lot in common no one was mean. He wore his St. Louis Cardinals jersey and the music teacher said: Oh, I see you aren't a Cubs fan. Well, I don't think we are going to let you back in the building after today. Jack liked that she was funny. He said a lot of people in the school are goofy and he likes that. His said at lunch there is a spot for gluten sensitive and nut allergy kids to sit and he liked that the school cared enough about the students to do that. He sits at a table with another boy that has become his friend, and on the first day they were talking about how other people can fill your basket and how do you do that? The teacher asked Jack about it and Jack said he wasn't a basket filler. So the teacher asked the class if Jack had filled anyone's basket that day. The boy he has befriended said- Jack filled my basket today because he found things I liked and then asked me about them. Jack was really excited about that.

 Thomas has had a really hard time. Where are my brothers, why can't I play with my brothers, why can't I go to school, when can I go to school?  We played a lot of board games, we've gone to a playground/playgroup, and just chilled at home watching tv, but I am not enough. He and Meg aren't at the same playing level right now so she is fun for like 10 minutes and then that is it. We are thinking about sending him to a 3-year-old preschool twice a week.

Meg entertains herself. She is definitely her own girl. She may also be a little bit crazy.

Robert is starting solids, scooting, and has begun waking up more often in the middle of the night. He is still chill most of the time.