Let's Get Silly


Monday, August 22, 2011

Run DMC & Snow Cones

It's been a bit since I've blogged.  During my time away so many important things have happened.  The end of an old regime in Libya, the Kardashian wedding took place, and Nora started Kindergarten.  I put those in no particular order of importance.

The kindergarten kick off began last week when I attended both a "Parent Night" and a "Meet the Teacher Shindig" on Friday night.  The second was the most exciting because there were snow cones.  The addition of the snow cones officially made it the most exciting Friday night I've encountered in awhile.

You always picture moments like this in your life and they just never are quite the way you thought they would be.

I pictured heading to my child's school and feeling very adult and motherly.  

What really happened is I drove the 5 minutes to Parent Night while listening to Run DMC's You Be Illin'. Very loudly, I might add. It's just so rare that I'm alone and NOT listening to the vacation bible school CD, Pandamania.

Once there I was once again blown away by education today.  I mentioned in this post that I was a Catholic school girl.  So I'm used to an excellent education being accompanied by leaky ceilings and peter pan collars.  

During my meeting I was told to download the local school district's app to my iPhone so I could check my daughters grades, view calendars, sports schedules and add money to her lunch account.  Um...wha?  They also mentioned they will not be sending out report cards via mail and to make sure the school has our correct email address so we will receive them.

Someday my daughter will read this and be horrified at me for thinking such technology was anything but a given.  Thus, I want to take a moment to assure Nora that I did not stand up and yell "Shazam!" while slapping my knee when they told me about the app.  So future Nora, calm down.  Also, quit rolling your eyes at me and clean your damn room.

All of this led to today, when we finally dropped our girl off for her first day of elementary school.  A lot of mixed feelings were felt, some of them made more strongly by the fact that we are still new and a bit lonely here.  It hasn't escaped me that I should be having coffee with my old friends on this day.  The ones who have known Nora from day one.

But mostly I can't believe all we've been through together in her nearly six years.  And I can't believe how lucky we are, as her parents, that we get to watch her take this new step, along with all the other new beginnings Nora will have in her life.  

Life is full of this very bittersweet kind of stuff.  Thank God, because it keeps us grounded.  You don't get this kind of reflection from trips, cars or other "things".  

Now I'm off to figure out how to make some friends here in this town.  Because this is my new beginning too, and my 11 month old and I have a lot of things to do yet before I drop her off, all fixed up in a dress and wearing a back pack three sizes to big for her body, to her first day of school.



8 comments:

Megs said...

Another blog that makes me belly laugh and tear up at the same time. I bet you some mom heard you blasting the Run DMC and it made her wonder "who is that awesome mom? I must be her friend". Technology scares me. You are light years beyond me and if you're intimidated I'm in trouble. I liked the shout out to future Nora, I can totally see her. It was very cool of you not to yell "shazam". Seriously though, I love that you wrote about this whole experience so eloquently.

My Inner Chick said...

---I ALWAYS love reading your blogs. I've missed you.
----- SO much happening in your universe.
bittersweet, huh?
That first day of School is sort of sad & happy at the same time.
--DBC? Is that rap?!! HA HA.
you are one cool mama. xx

Anonymous said...

Oh my, I love a good laugh early in the day! I'm glad that I'm not the only mom who likes to crank it up once in a while. The other day Ice Ice Baby was on the radio my 13 yo had a look on her face like she wanted to find a rock to crawl under.

Julie said...

Oh my god my kids start middle school tomorrow and I'm totally going to drop them in front of the auditorium in the morning, get out of the car, and shout SHAZAM!

(Captain Marvel was totally underrated as a super hero.)

But seriously? I remember the first day of kindergarten for both my children so vividly - 7 and 8 years ago, respectively.

I can still picture my baby girl in her tiny blond pigtails and her white white white shoes skipping across the yard to her room ahead of me.

She hasn't stopped skipping yet. (Figuratively, of course.)

Time flies.
Soak it up, my friend.

SHAZAM!

Karryn said...

Seriously Amanda, why are you not a world-famous author yet? It's been so long. I actually considered it when Herbie's company asked him to think about relocating to Texas. I would already know someone. :)

Ixy said...

Whenever I'm by myself in the car, the volume and swearing go way up. Can't be in mommy mode all the time!

The Schweitzers said...

Ahh technology. Pretty soon they won't even have to bring home books, it'll all be ebooks. They won't teach handwriting, they'll teach texting. Urgh!

Jim Lochtefeld said...

Holy $%&*#, that brings back memories. Of course, I felt much the same last year, when we sent Fiona to college. Parenting never ends, it just evolves. Enjoy the ride.