Positivity

Yesterday, I wrote about being frustrated with school and routines and expectations and we’re only two weeks in at school.

Rather than dwell on that (and because I got a wonderful email from O’s teacher yesterday that laid quite a few of my worries to rest) I decided to concentrate on the positives that are happening right now.

• Libarary books. Olivia brought home a library book from school the other day. She was so proud. She told us how she picked the book out all by herself, she went up to the counter all by herself and she handed the book to the librarian…ALL BY HERSELF. She felt so grown up and mature. When we sat down to read that library book the night she brought it home her smile was blinding, even with the missing tooth.

• Canning. Tom’s been a canning maniac lately. He’s canned about 70 quarts of green beans, over 50 quarts of salsa and about 20 pints of blackberry preserves. He makes me tired every time I look at him standing in the kitchen, watching a timer, or blanching tomatoes or chopping onions. And don’t even get me started on snapping green beans. I’m so lucky that he’s willing to do this stuff. I love eating things that have been lovingly preserved at home but I don’t want to do the work to preserve them. I’d rather buy them at Walmart than go through it all. Thank goodness Tom feels differently.

• Fifth grade. Alyssa loves fifth grade. She’s already had a quiz, for which I helped her study. She got ten out of ten correct on that quiz. She’s awesome. And she still thinks I’m awesome, so hey, win/win. She is having so much fun having a locker. She feels so grown up being on the other side of the school, away from the ‘little’ kids and near the junior high and high school. I look at her and sometimes she seems so grown up and other times I still see my little girl, the one who hid behind a rocking chair when she was two and a half and cut six inches off each side of her hair. Her laugh is so contagious, so beautiful. I hope we always get to be a part of what is making her happy.

• Weather. The weather here has been amazing. Well, amazing if you like temperatures in the 90s, which we do when we want to hit the lake just one more (or three) time before the end of summer. We were there last weekend, Tom wants go again today after school and work and we might even manage to make it again either Sunday or Monday. What a way to spend the long weekend, huh?

• Gymnastics. Both girls are loving their gymnastics classes. I know I said I was going to put Olivia in ballet but we live in a very small town and I couldn’t find a class at a convenient time for us. When I saw that the gym where Alyssa takes her class had added a class for O’s age group I was excited. When I saw that it was taking place on the same evening at Alyssa’s class, I was thrilled. When I saw that the time was right in the middle of A’s class, as in, A’s class is at 5:30 to 7:30 and O’s class is from 6:30 to 7:10, I might have down a back handspring. (I also might not have done that.) I was already going to be at the gym on that night at that time and more often than not (read, ALWAYS) Olivia was going to be with me. It was a no brainer to sign that girl up.

And she’s loving it. Her class only has five girls, including Olivia. Two of those girls are twins, which thrills Olivia to no end. She’s obsessed with those girls and it’s flipping adorable. I feel so lucky that they added this class so Olivia has something to do too.

Yeah, all in all, there is definitely way more good than not so good.