Wrote this awhile back. Definitely how I feel about my upbringing, myself and our life. I'm thankful every day for the lessons I learned, the family I grew up with and share life with still, for my grandparents, for parents that loved me...and for a way of life that some may not always understand. I've always teased rural upbringing is different and the older I get the more I see it is. Our girl knows where her food comes from, grows it in the garden and knows family means a safe place to take your shoes off,have a meal and have a laugh. I'm thankful for family that keeps her in the fold, that loves her and the knowledge that is being passed to her :)
Some people like to talk about the royal linage back in their bloodlines or financial tycoons in the family...for me I can honestly say there is very little of that. But what I come from is dirty workboots and sweaty farm hats, lightening bugs on a warm summer night, glasses of sweet tea and tables of food, cousins laughing and enough memories to fill a book. There's not too much make up and rouge but lots of elbow grease, creativity and the ability to make a feast from little,and turn a field into profit.I come from canning jars, knowing your eggs came from the hen house and what signs to run for your garden. I came from grandparents that meant/still mean the world to us kiddos, from aunts and uncles that were second parents, from cousins that we may pick on each other but let someone else mess with one of us and the whooping starts LOL From men that talk rough but can bandage a boo boo on a kid's knee. From women that knew exactly how to be strong women and good Moms. I come from hand me down clothes and the joy of new school shoes mixed with "UGH WE GOTTA WEAR SHOES??" because we've ran barefoot all summer. You won't find too many CEOs or names that appear in the Times but you'll find the people that make my world go 'round, a group of nutballs far richer than any millionaire. You may not find mansions but you'll find more love than you could ever imagine and anyone at the house is given a plate and a seat. I come from home remedies and back wood cures, almanacs, nature telling you the weather and the fact that you should be thankful to have the luxuries of cable/running water and air conditioning. I came from the belief that you can do whatever you want to do if you work hard but remember where your roots are planted. I've always told Kaya to be proud of what she's made of and where she comes from. I sure am.
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Seems like the weekend flew super fast and before we knew it ...Monday had arrived. Monday, the first full day of kindergarten. Kaya quickly informed us she would NOT be getting a ride from us, not even on the first day because "I ain't no little ole baby".
Her days pretty much went like this:
1.Kaya bounds out of bed happy and excited.
2. Hair is braided up ("not too tight. Not too loose. Make sure my hair ties match my outfit Mamma")
3.We are doing hangers...she picks out five outfits on Sunday night and puts them on hangers. She hangs what outfit she will wear on the door knob the night before. So she gets dressed
4.Shoes and socks are the biggest obstacle so she likes to push them till last. She HATES socks. Hates them. Seams, material, length...hates them.
5.Breakfast is had
6. Teeth brushed
And she's ready to go. She usually is ready in time to chill a bit before walking to the bus stop (So thankful that we can walk her to the neighbors drive for the bus pickup ..our drive comes out on the side of a hill and is just too scary for her to try and use for a bus stop!!)
How did the first week go?Actually great for all 3 of us. She had two days she got her clip moved down one color because she was talking to a friend during quiet time and because she was counting blocks with her hands (picture a bear walking on all fours lol). A quick reminder that the teacher is boss from us as well as the reminder that if she gets moved down in color 3 times she loses a toy of OUR choice for a week....and everything was smooth sailing on the talking front ;)
We did pretty awesome too. It was hard. Very hard. Super hard. Did I mention it was hard?? 9 hours give or take without my shadow, my sidekick, my partner in crime. A quiet house. Just odd. I can say this first week I haven't strayed too far from home. Yes the school has my cell number but the newbie kindergarten parent in me fears not hearing it if I'm out or being in a non signal zone (happens a lot around here) and her needing me. Guess that is what it really all boils down to huh? Her needing me. My fear of her being hurt, scared or just needing me and I'd miss the call. Thankfully we never had that issue this week. And she found the right bus every day (they do have teachers to help ;) )
I know this is our first week of MANY new adventures. Just one of the many times her wings will spread, her confidence grow. Just one of many that our hearts will skip a beat in excitement mixed with our own worry and fear. And just one of many times that she will simply ROCK IT OUT!!!
Very proud of her. She's doing great, super excited and looking forward to her school year and even her long (35 to 40 minutes!!) bus ride. So here is to a school year of fun and learning!
**** Hanger system works awesome but I have found to just let her pick the socks that morning. Our house has constant sock issues lol so it's just easier if she picks them right then.
****I'm using the tips I've got from other Moms for her hair. I mix tea tree oil straight into her shampoo, shake well and use. Tea tree oil smells strong in the shampoo but doesn't once her hair is dry.And it deters lice. I also keep it in a mister bottle because with curly hair unless it's super hot out and she's sweaty...you can't wash it every night or it dries the curls out. So we use the mister bottle on those days. I am also spraying her hair everyday with hairspray. Tames the frizzies and flyaways and once again..lice hate hairspray. The smell and they can't cling to the hair. Call me paranoid if you want but with her curly thick hair..I do NOT want to battle lice. Granny always said it's not a sin to get it but it's a sin to keep them. I am going to try my best to NOT have to battle them
**** Love too how backpack matches her lunchbox (super cool she says). Hate how the sticker part of her lunchbox came loose the first day. A little duct tape secretly stuck on the back of the sticker worked miracles and you can't tell. She has a back up lunchbox but dang it we just bought this one LOL so glad that tip worked well.
Each class today met at a certain time, for one hour, to meet their classmates and us parents to meet the teacher and get her outline for the year. I was probably more nervous than Kaya. I come from a small school district and to be honest I was just nervous period lol
The teacher was instantly nice and I didn't get that odd vibe off of her. She outlined her class and I like her way of thinking. She says a student shouldn't lose recess to punish bad behavior when most times it's extra energy that causes the problem to begin with. Instead they lose fun things they want to do in the classroom, may have to walk laps at recess those sorta things. She also said that every student is just themselves and the focus needs to be on positive and that students needs. All around I liked her. She will be gone the first week due to it's her last week of maternity leave (she just had her 5th baby). She has a teacher assistant that I liked as well. They both came off as kid first and realistic which is how it needs to be with kindergarten kids in my opinion.
We had everything on her supply list but they asked for us to bring in a regular size towel for rest time. Easy thing to do.
So orientation went well, Kaya was sad to leave lol and we found out that there are at least 2 in the class that Steve or I one know the kid's parents. So that was nice.
Now one weekend till the big day. I feel excited, proud, antsy...and I did not tear up today LOL
For one hour this evening was meet and greet the teacher, see your classroom and the school. To say Kaya loved it was an understatement. She was busting at the seams when I got home to get there.
We went straight back to her class ( I didn't tear up at the tiny little coat hooks). Her teacher met us at the door, dropped her supplies into the right tote (compared to some our list was small). Viewed the classroom (I didn't cry over the tiny little chairs and tables). Saw a few of her classmates and read their names aloud on the chalkboard.
Then we ventured out into the hallway to find the gym and listen to her tell us what they do there. Then we saw the library, the music room, the cafeteria and the computer room. (I didn't tear up over the tiny water fountains, tiny sinks).
We purchased a school tshirt and Kaya was in heaven.
So we took our first strides towards her first big day. I liked the school (Steve went there for awhile and he liked it as a kid), the layout and the staff. We had did a mini tour on registration day but most rooms were closed so this time we could see in them, see the teachers etc.
And I didn't tear up ;)
We all want our children to be thankful, gracious, kind, well mannered, humble...the list continues on...little creatures. We often speak of these lessons over and over to our kids. But how many times ourselves do we practice what we preach?
I was humbled this afternoon when we took Kaya down to my Dad's. Dad lives on the small family farm where I grew up as well. Kaya absolutely loves it down there. Running with her Pappaw's dog, hunting frogs, checking the garden and playing with her chickens. We raise chickens at my Dad's and it's her fave thing to gather eggs and feed them. She especially likes that she now has a baby chick she has named Luna :)
Anyways...we pulled up in the drive and the house was locked tight, no note nothing. So we decided to wait around and see if Dad showed up. He often helps neighbors out so we usually give him a bit if we arrive and he's not home. We busied ourselves feeding the chickens, checking the garden. I noticed his water jugs for the chickens and garden were empty. Dad puts buckets out to gather rain water from his gutters for the chickens and garden. We had some massive rainstorms that morning and his buckets were to the brim. The sky was dark and another round of rain was predicted. So Kaya and I grabbed up the empty jugs and proceeded to fill them from the buckets. My logic was if we filled them up and another rain storm came before Dad got home...he'd not lose water to an overflow and be ahead of the game. Kaya sat on the porch step watching me. Then she said something that not only humbled me but also made me think.
"Mamma you do nice stuff for Pappaw without ever being asked. You knew he'd want that water for the chickens and the garden and you just did it. That is just really nice and kind". She grabbed a filled jug and sat it on the porch.
After we got home I got to thinking about what she said. Here we all as parents worry so much how your children will turn out when in reality WE mold them and how WE do things is what they will learn. I've never told Kaya to gather the water or that we should just do it when we see it needs done. I just do it and she helps. My 6 yr old reminded me how important empathy for others is and how far kindness goes. She not only heard us say at some point "Be kind and treat others how you want to be treated" and "Sometimes we just do for those that need it" ...she has also seen us put that in action. That made me feel like a proud parent.
I'm not bragging on us, I'm not patting myself on the back. Just glad that our kiddo saw our words in action, We cannot teach our kids to be kind, thankful and grateful for what they have if we constantly want more, never turn our hand for others or show thanks.
Presenting 2014 Kindercamp Graduate Kaya :) To say we are proud is an understatement. She completed four weeks of fun and learning.
Four weeks ago we entered into this deal nervous all around. Kaya's never had daycare or preschool but scored well on her roundup tests and plays well with others. But it was worrying her because she didn't want to attend school, didn't want to be away from us and worried about riding a bus and not having Daddy right there with her. We worried about the first day of "big school" as she calls it because other than when I'm at work we are rarely ever without her at our side. And it's scary trusting your precious cargo to another handler. So all 3 of us entered into this a bit nervous and unsure but we put on our happy you can do it face and at 8:35am June 30th Kaya started camp.
Camp consisted of a bus pickup, a small breakfast at the local middle school, recess and a mini school day complete with teachers, assistants,volunteers. They did mini work stations, played and had fun while being tested the first week and the last week to see how well they did. The last half hour they went back to the middle school for lunch (our local school does free lunches all summer long to help offset kids that do not get to eat. The camp program incorporated the meal to teach the kids how to do the cafeteria. And honestly some children in the program would not have received lunch without it.) then the bus ride home...nearly an hour for Kaya. She was one sweaty girl every day lol when she got off that bus.
I can say all four weeks she got right up on time. We had her get up at what would be her normal time for big school so I could do her hair, outline her day and then Steve took over making sure she was dressed, brushed her teeth and had her supplies. He walked her to the bus stop as well. She never missed one day and honestly loved every single day.
At the end of her program she brought home her alphabet book they made and I loved that they had to use items found around their homes. For H she used happiness and for L she used Love. I'm very glad she sees that so much around her home :) They also did a daily journal and it cracked me up. She had interesting thoughts each day. One was her drawing of me breaking beans. One was of her Dad making her laugh. Very neat book. I have kept a folder of all her work she did and I'm going to try my best to keep doing that for her main work and art during her regular school years.
The program is definitely beneficial for children in the community that needs that extra boost due to lack of parental involvement, lack of options for preschool. But it was great for our little family because it gave Kaya the confidence to see she could make friends outside of her cousins, that she could do school, be away from us for a bit and not be worried and scared. That she could master the bus ride, that teachers do care.
Did we answer some hard questions? Yes. She was very worried about a fellow classmate who told her that he had to get rid of his dog and slept in a tent. It's hard at that age to know if he meant they were camping or if he honestly was living in an tent. It was hard to hear the worry in Kaya's voice when she said some of her classmates didn't get a snack when they got off the bus and why would they not? That we have one for her. Why didn't all the kids Moms and Dads help and care for their kids? We answered them as truthful as we could even though it broke our hearts. We all know that out there in our communities families are struggling, some trying hard but just can't make that extra to have enough to have a snack for their kids or extra milk or whatever.
The program showed us that we can let Kaya spread her wings without so much fear. That others do care about our child like we do and even though we can never let our guard down fully....that we can do it and so can she. That even though we run life one way here at the Hacienda and the real world is raw and hard...we can guide Kaya. That our morals, our beliefs and our way of seeing and doing things will still be instilled in our daughter while she spreads her wings.
I will admit I cried when I left that bus stop on the first day and I teared up when she showed me her diploma on the last day. She's my heart walking around, my reason, my life...and I'm so proud of her :)
The 29th we register her officially for Kindergarten. So hard to believe......
