Wordy Wednesday

Meet Lyla and Rowan's dad, Headless Dan. At ECFE today, he was in charge of the boys while I took the girls outside to play. While I was gone, there was apparently some deep conversation (and some cuddling). We're okay with it.

On the way to ECFE today, Anja and I had the following conversation:

Anja: Mommy, what is that?

Me: A car.

Anja: Why is it a car?

Me: Because that's what somebody made.

Anja: Somebody made? Oh. Look at that little girl. What's that little girl doing?

Me: Going to Caribou.

Anja: Oh. Caribou coffee place? Why she go to Caribou coffee place?

Me: To get coffee.

Anja: Oh. Why she want to get coffee?

Me: Because she likes it.

Anja: Why she...(continues list of random questions about clouds, boats, water towers, Ian, school, etc.)

(5 minutes later)

Anja: Mommy?

Me: (exhausted by all the questions) Yes, Anja?

Anja: Sometimes I like to talk.

Knitting Circle

Ah, yes - that reminds me that I forgot to wash out his wrist crevices today.

On another note, let me first state that I openly admit I am not cut out for stay-at-home-mom life. In fact, I've decided that daycare providers are crazier than people who want to teach middle school. And that's coming from someone who chose to teach high school. But since I had/have 6 straight months of being a stay-at-home mom due to maternity leave and summer break, I decided the best thing to do was to schedule at least 1 thing a day for at least 4 days out of the work week. It's basically to insure that I have adult human contact. So we have swimming lessons every Monday and ECFE classes every Wednesday. The other days' activities vary drastically, but we try to get out of the house as often as possible.

Anja loves her classes, especially ECFE, which she calls school since it's in the same building that her preschool will be in.

I talked Lyla's Daddy into signing up with us. Little did he know that he would be the only dad and that there would be an hour of separation time, during which the moms (and dad) go to another room and kibitz about poopy and pee pee and bed time rituals and the most effective way to wash a lovey. He likes to refer to this as the women's knitting circle. So when he discovered Wednesday when we met him and his kids at the pool that I had met another ECFE mom and her daughter at the pool the previous Friday, he asked how our sweaters were coming. I wonder what he'll think when he hears that I was there with 2 ECFE moms and their kids today. We finished the sweaters and started on matching hats.

1st Day of ECFE

Today was Anja's first day of ECFE. We talked Anja's best friend, Lyla, into going, too. Her dad too more convincing than Lyla. But since Anja and I have a weekly tradition of going to Caribou for oatmeal, coffee, and milk, we added it to today's activities. So after a quick trip to Caribou, where we like to take funny faces pictures to send to Daddy, we packed back up in the car and headed to "Anja's school."

I have deemed the entire class a success for two major reasons.

#1 - There was no crying or complaining. At least not from Anja. Ian's crying and complaining was minimal.

#2 - She left in the same outfit she arrived in. Considering there was snack time with little cups, painting, and she's potty training, I am quite pleased.

Anja and Lyla were definitely 2 of the most independent kids there in a class of all 2 year olds. There were a lot of thumb suckers and kids scared of a bear song. Whatever. Our kids are so much better than your kids. ::sticks out tongue:: I was a bit surprised that they played individually and weren't always stuck like glue to each other.

In the car after leaving, I asked Anja what her favorite thing about school was.

"My fav'ite thing's my friend. Lyla is my best friend."

And after lunch with Daddy and a quick trip to Target (is there such a thing?), Ian and I headed home for a much needed nap before Anja's "mermaid" lesson tonight. (Did you know that Anja will scream if you try to get her to float on her back during a swim lesson, but if you tell her the mermaids do it, it's suddenly cool?)