Preschool: The first two weeks

Here's a news flash: waking up at 6:30 AM every day is hard! But except for having to drag myself out of bed in the dead of night, preschool is going pretty well. The girls cooperate in getting themselves ready to go every day, and complain every afternoon when I pick them up that, "it's too soon, I'm not ready, no you go away mommy and come back later."

I kind of cleared out the entire month of January thinking it would take at least that long for all of us to adjust to our new schedule, and that it would probably take Monkey another month after that to stop crying when I dropped her off or for her sleep to get back on track. But - shockingly - I think we are already used to our new routine. The other day Monkey was complaining because she didn't want to stay home on Saturday - she wanted to go to school! Now that's a girl after my own heart. I loved going to school, hated to stay home, and dreaded summer vacation.

Since preschool is all peaches and roses, I'll tell you about something slightly more interesting. During the Christmas break, Turtle and Monkey finally watched their first movie! Don't get too excited. It was at home, recorded off the television, and watched over three nights with me controlling the remote. But I'm happy to say that some portion of The Sound of Music is currently showing in our home every single day, is in the CD player in the car, and at least one movie scene is being performed nightly by the girls. Tonight, we acted out the scenes where the kids put a frog in Maria's pocket (Turtle shoved her Lovey in my waistband), and where Maria sits on a pine cone (Monkey put her Yoda doll in a chair for me to sit on). They most like to play Leisl, telling everyone who will listen that they are 16 and singing "I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne." The Sound of Music is one of my absolute favorite movies of all time, so watching it every single day and memorizing all the songs and dialog is a real treat.

I have to say, I totally love acting out the scenes with them. It reminds me of my tween years, when I basically did exactly the same thing: memorize movies and act them out. But having a couple of always-willing actresses/sidekicks to direct is even more fun. I can't wait to introduce them to my other favorite pastime of my tweens: choreographing dances to 80s music. They'll be rocking down to Electric Avenue before you know it.

Chapter 2

This morning Turtle and Monkey started their new preschool: a Montessori school about 15 minutes from our house where they will go every day, 8:30-2:30. They were very excited, and they both left their Lovies in the car with a cheerful "See you after school Lovey." In the past, Monkey has literally had to be peeled off me, screaming, every other time we've left her somewhere for the first time, and clung to her Lovey for dear life. Today she gave me a hug and kiss and waved good-bye, then went about her work. Turtle was just as quick to say good-bye. Twin Daddy and I were surprised and absolutely thrilled. We went out for a taco and then came home to tackle the piles that have been accumulating on the office desk for the last three years. I just took artwork from the daycare the girls went to for a short time in 2008 to the recycling bin.

I thought I might have more mixed feelings today, but I've been preparing for this since early October and I think I've already shed the few tears I had. I tried to make myself really pay attention to my feelings, so I wouldn't just gloss over this transition, and this is what happened:

I stopped by a stay-at-home mom friend's house today around noon to drop something off. In her front yard was a double stroller not quite unpacked from a morning walk, a soccer net in the driveway, and a few toys strewn throughout the yard. I shuddered at the thought of what she'd been up to all morning and thought, "Well, I guess I really am ready for them to be at school every day."

So right now I'm happy they are happy, and I'm ready to face the next stage in all of our lives, whatever that may hold. For me it will involve getting some sort of part-time paid employment relatively soon, and trying to sort through our house in the meantime. Of course, I reserve the absolute right to bemoan this change in a few months or a year or two years, and to do a complete 180 and say how much I miss having them at home and to long for the days when my every morning was filled with toys and strollers. But for now, we're all good.

Lotion, anyone?

This afternoon the girls were so involved with their play in the playroom that I thought I could take five minutes to get online in the office and pay some bills. Five minutes later, I realized it was eerily quiet. Then the phone rang and as I ran around looking for the phone I saw no sign of the girls in the living areas - - a sure sign they were Up To Something. I answered the phone (it was Aunt V.) and was headed towards my bathroom (the place they always go to get Up To Something) when Turtle came running out, guilty look on her face and hands covered with a thick layer of lotion. I quickly got off the phone, pulled the lotion off her hands and rubbed it into my own, and sent her on her way. Then I went into my bathroom and saw Monkey standing there, her hands even MORE thickly covered with lotion, saying, "Mommy, I want to wash my hands." I glanced at the counter to see which lotion they got into - the body lotion? The hand cream?

No. It was my tiny $36 jar of Origins Night-A-Mins. "No, no, no," I groaned as I realized that Monkey had a good $12 worth of expensive night cream on her hands, and that I had just rubbed a few more dollars worth into my own. "I want to wash my hands, Mommy," she said again. "I don't think so," I thought to myself. I pulled it off her hands and desperately slathered it all over my neck and décolletage, trying to soak in every bit and cursing myself for having the nerve to get on the computer in the first place.

Catching up

I thought I'd better post something before you decided that I've given up by blog altogether. Every day something funny, amazing, and mortifying happens and every day I think "wow I should put that in my blog," and now I'm so behind that I've gotten overwhelmed at the thought of catching up.

So, rather than even try to catch up, I'll just tell you this one funny little story from September that has stuck in my mind.

I took Turtle and Monkey to the Carter's (children's) store for fall clothes. Normally I wouldn't take them with me, but when I brought home summer clothes for Turtle earlier this year, she pretty much refused to wear anything I bought. So, I figured I should seek her input this time.

I picked out a dress from the rack and called her over, "Turtle, come here!"

She ran over. "Yes, mommy?"

"Is this something you think you'd like to wear?" I asked, holding up the dress.

Turtle looked at the dress, transformed into a 13-year-old before my eyes, looked at me like I was a moron, and said, "Not EVER!"

I put it back on the rack and moved in the other direction so she wouldn't see me burst out laughing.

Diversity 101

On Halloween night, after we went trick-or-treating, Turtle and Monkey helped me pass out candy at our house. One of our first visitors was a large group of Hispanic children ranging from babies to pre-teens, along with a couple of adults. After I closed the door behind them, Turtle said, "Mommy, those were your cousins!"

I explained that while their skin was dark brown like lots of people in my family, they were not OUR cousins but were other Mexican-American people, of which there are quite many.

Shortly after that, a young-ish Chinese couple brought their 2-year-old daughter to the door. When they left, Turtle said, "Mommy, I didn't like them. Their eyes were closed."

We spent the rest of the evening in cultural awareness training.

Happy 3rd Birthday Turtle and Monkey!

We have been celebrating the girls' birthday for the last two days! October 22 was the actual day, and today was their birthday party. This was the first real birthday party we've had for them, and it was a smashing success if I do say so myself. We had a pumpkin decorating craft project, followed by playtime, then pizza lunch, cake and singing, and then a pinata finale. There were no meltdowns by anyone as far as I can tell (out of 17 kids!), and no one got hit in the head by the pinata stick, so I would say it was a pretty darn good party. The girls have really enjoyed all of it, and are looking forward to tomorrow, when the birthday celebration continues with leftover cake and more than a dozen unopened presents left from today's festivities.

I really enjoyed all of it myself, too, and I feel that I'm maturing and relaxing (just a tiny bit) into my role as the mother of preschoolers.

Trip Review: Cameron Park Zoo

Last Friday, I drove Turtle and Monkey to Waco to meet up with Mimi for a birthday lunch and a trip to the Cameron Park Zoo. It was the farthest I have ever driven the girls by myself, and it was kind of a test to see if I could actually manage that kind of trip. I did. The biggest hassles getting there were dealing with a finicky portable DVD player (including a stop about 20 minutes short of Waco because I couldn't handle the screams resulting from the malfunctioning player), and stopping to go to the potty three minutes after I pulled out of the gas station north of Georgetown. This happened despite my asking repeatedly during the gas stop if anyone needed to go potty. I'd forgotten to pack drinks for the trip (which didn't seem to bother anyone), so I believed them when they said they didn't need to go potty. Then as soon as I got on the highway, Turtle said, "Mommy, I have to go potty." I clenched my teeth and looked for a good place to stop and . . . surprise! There is a really awesome rest area just south of Salado! It has great parking, a playscape (unshaded), a very nice bathroom, a designated dog walking area, vending machines, and even a storm shelter. It is officially called, "Bell County Safety Rest Area," and I was glad Turtle's delayed potty request allowed me to "discover" it.

If anyone is counting, yes, that is three full stops - one for gas, one for potty, and one for DVD player troubleshooting - in the 100 miles to Waco. That doesn't count the stop at the bank on the corner as we left the house, and the trip back to the house after the bank to get my forgotten sunglasses. So a mere 2.5 hours after we left our house, we pulled into the Ninfa's parking lot for a yummy lunch.

The Cameron Park Zoo was a very short drive from the restaurant, and we arrived around 12:45PM. Right off the bat, I was surprised by how easy it was to park. There weren't many visitors, I guess since it was the middle of a rather warm weekday, and the walk from the car to the entrance was easier than dealing with my local HEB on a slow day. It was that easy to get in. There was one small family in front of us in the one line to get in, and a pleasant and competent ticket seller to assist us. At that point, I was still under the delusion that this was a rinky little operation, so while I was pleasantly surprised with the speed and ease of entry, I didn't expect much in the way of animals.

Three Galapagos Tortoises, two giraffes, three lions, two elephants, two rhinos, a few orangutans, a tiger, a Kimodo Dragon, and a visit to Lemur Island later, I declared it the best zoo I'd ever visited. It's not just because you are so close to the animals in such lovely, natural habitats. It's that it is very thoughtfully planned, with play areas for children, well-placed air-conditioned bathrooms, a simple circular path, and an apparent focus on featuring a smaller number of animals really well. We went through the entire zoo in less than 3 hours and saw the whole thing, which gave me a real sense of satisfaction - I don't think I've ever been able to see every animal in a zoo all in one day, even before I had kids, much less in three hours. I would call it a "boutique zoo" and it was really lovely.

Of course, in retrospect, and after allowing the flames of passion to cool a bit, I have to admit that other zoos I've visited (the San Diego Zoo and the National Zoo, for example), are probably objectively "better" zoos and so maybe Cameron Park isn't the best zoo on earth. But it is really excellent when you're pulling two almost-three-year-olds around in a red Radio Flyer wagon. The girls were pretty blase about the whole thing, but I'm still excited about my new favorite day trip from Austin.

Details:

Cameron Park Zoo

www.cameronparkzoo.com

1701 North 4th Street, Waco, Texas, 76707; (254) 750-8400.

Open Monday through Saturday – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and the last Friday and Saturday of June.

ADMISSION FEES:

Adults(13+) – $9

Children 4-12 yrs – $6

Sr. Citizens (60+) – $8

Children 3 years old and under – free!!!

Strollers & wagons are available for rental in the gift shop. Strollers are $4 each and wagons are $6 each. (Note: we brought our own (covered) wagon and it worked just great).

There is a small, air-conditioned cafe at the entrance and one in the middle of the zoo (which was closed the day we were there). We had lemonade at the cafe, and it seemed to have a reasonable variety of decent food choices, so you could definitely eat lunch there. No outside food or drink allowed.