Save the Drama for your Mama

Brianna is in her 4th week of kindergarten and let me tell you, I had no idea there would be so much drama. At the end of her second week she got in trouble for touching a boy where you're not supposed to. I was really surprised and she completely denied it (no teacher saw it, the boy just said she did it). We had the whole weekend to talk about keeping our hands to ourselves and about lying. So on Mon. when she went back, I told her teacher she denied it and her teacher said, she also denied it when she was caught almost pinching a boy's bottom. Now that I could see happening. Aunt Shan knows all about "Pinchy, Pinchy". :) So then we had a talk about what is Ok at home, may not be Ok at school. She has done really well since then and hasn't gotten in any more trouble. Yeah! It was very humbling. Now her only issue is the fire alarms. She is scared of fire alams to the point that we had to take her smoke detector out of her room because she couldn't sleep. There is a huge alarm in their very small bathroom in their class. So, instead of going in there, Brianna holds it all day long. We are working on that. Oh the drama!! Alyssa is doing OK at preschool. She wasn't too sure about it at first but is getting more used to it. She cried one morning when I dropped her off. Since then, Bill has taken her and she's been fine. Her big issue is pinching. Yesterday we went shopping and she pinched and scratched the back of my arm. OUCH! I wasn't very happy. Don't you love those temper tantrums in a store?? Any suggestions on how to stop pinching will be much appreciated. For the most part we are having fun and enjoying each other's company. Bill and I got to go on a date about a week and a half ago. He showed up at the door with a dozen red roses. Then we went to dinner and a movie. It was great. He's such a good husband and dad. I was listening to the radio yesterday morning and they were asking, "If you had to do it all over again, would you still marry your spouse?" Almost all of the callers said, no. It was pretty sad. I would marry Bill again in a heartbeat. I couldn't imagine anyone else!

School Girls

Brianna started kindergarten a week ago and loves it. She said, "Kindergarten is way better than preschool." Well, we won't tell Alyssa that because she started preschool today and was quite excited. I've gotta tell you, I'm pretty excited too. You wouldn't believe how much I've gotten done around the house in just 2 hours. I must admit though, that it is really quiet. Too quiet. I guess I just have to get used to that. Alyssa is going to go 3 half days. 2 of the days I'll be sleeping and the other day is for meetings, errands, etc. Her collarbone is doing much better. She is wearing her brace all the time. She has adapted well to using just one arm. A couple of times she has fallen on it and I'm sure that it hurt. She is a little trooper. We've been doing lots of walking - taking Bri to school and back. The morning walk is nice but the afternoon is way too hot. I can't wait for fall. I was talking to Brianna's teacher this morning and next year her school is going to traditional instead of year round. Yesterday we celebrated my dad's 70th birthday. We had a surprise party for him at their clubhouse. There was a wonderful turnout. He was pretty surprised too. We had fun singing karoeke and playing games. Well, I better go give the dog a bath before I have to pick up Alyssa.

Our First Broken Bone

Last night I was getting ready for work and Brianna and Alyssa were outside playing. I was getting Alyssa's clothes ready for her first day of preschool when she came inside crying. I picked her up and noticed a little dirt on her shoulder and a small scratch. I didn't start to suspect anything until she wouldn't stop crying and she said her shoulder hurt. I felt her collarbone and it didn't feel quite right. I called Bill into the room and asked him to feel it. He couldn't really tell but I thought it might be broken. Then we asked Brianna what happened. They were playing on their Little Tikes slide when Alyssa pinched Bri and so Bri pushed her off and she landed on her shoulder. I called work and told them what happened and that I might not be in tonight. They said no problem, they had put someone on call. So off to the ER we went. We got some X-Rays and sure enough, it was a broken clavicle. They sent us home after 2 hours and said give her Tylenol and Motrin as needed. It wasn't until I was washing her hair last night that I noticed the big bump on her head. So much for her first day of preschool. Today has been quite a challenge. Alyssa has been in quite a lot of pain and needing a lot of attention. Twice Brianna has told me that I love Alyssa more than her. Then I have to explain that Alyssa needs more attention today. So next thing I know, Brianna has a broken leg and has to lay on the couch next to Alyssa. It a good thing she starts kindergarten tomorrow. I called Alyssa's doctor to see if they could phone in a prescription for something stronger but they said they have to see her so we're going there in a little while. Above is a picture of what Alyssa has been doing all day- laying on the couch watching TV. Please send up some prayers that this heals fast!

Messy Fun!

These pictures are proof of what happens when you leave 2 little girls alone outside with paint. Not a good idea. However, they had a great time! Today we went to the Botanical Gardens at UCR. I didn't even know they existed until my friend, Bernadette, suggested we go there. After we found the place (we both got a little lost), we felt like we were no longer in Riverside. It was quite pretty. We had a little picnic, the girls played on the grass and we went on a little hike. It was around 100 degrees outside but tolerable in the shade. It might be better to wait until Fall or Spring to go back. We were all sweaty. So I told you in my last blog that my babysitter gave her notice (it was a 3 week notice). Well yesterday she told me she won't be able to come back at all. So we went down to La Petite and got all of the paperwork to sign Alyssa up and she will start on Monday. I think Brianna will just hang out with me on Mon. when I get home from work. She's pretty good about keeping herself entertained while I sleep, then she starts school on Tues. It's amazing how everything can change so quickly. It's a good thing that Bri is starting school on Tues., I think she is getting bored at home and then tends to act up. We made some house rules a couple of weeks ago and today was the first time she got the punishment for breaking them. They always get a warning first. So now there is no dessert, no TV for the rest of the day, and 3 toys go to the give away bag. Hopefully she'll learn her lesson. I really don't like discipling and being the bad guy. It's a lot of work. Well, enough rambling, I better go get some things done around the house while the girls are sleeping.