It All Started With a Makeout Mix

Even before our first date, Boyfriend gave me a mix CD titled "Makeout Mix, Volume 1."  I remember thinking that 1)That is very presumptuous to assume we would be making out at some point and 2)He anticipated we would be together long enough to have more than one volume of mixes.

We were just babes when we fell in love.

While we haven't quite gotten to volumes that Now That's What I Call Music has (currently at 55 and counting) we have had quite a few volumes between the two of us.  We even created a special one for our wedding favors, which sadly never got passed out so we had 200 homemade CDs in our garage until their recent demise on the last clean out.

During one of our moves, I had lost the original Makeout Mix and have been trying to recreate it over the last year or so.  It was so frustrating, I listened to that CD literally hundreds, if not thousands of time, but I was having the hardest time remembering all 13 tracks.

Just recently, I remembered the very last track that had been missing and am happy to share with you the Makeout Mix that started it all.

As I listen to each one of these songs, memories come crashing over me-driving around in my Ford Escort blasting Dashboard's Hands Down or listening to Question by Old 97's and wondering if he would use that song for our future proposal (he did).  Each one of these songs are so intrinsically intertwined with the foundation of our relationship, I can't help but feel a bit more love towards Boyfriend when I listen to them.

As much as I love Spotify and all of our electronic options for music, I am so glad that I grew up in the age where the art of wooing a girl could start out with a mixed CD.

First Day of School: Tears, Blood and Teachers Calling Home

So based off my title, it may sound like Evelyn's first day of school was traumatic.  The title may be the slightest bit dramatic, but it definitely wasn't the first day I had hoped for her-that is for sure.

We woke up extra early to make sure Evelyn had enough time to wake up and desire breakfast.  On any weekend day, my kids typically don't want food until at least 10 am so I was worried she wouldn't be interested.  I should have known that just telling her she needed energy for school would get her going right away.

After a pancake breakfast (shared with sister) we got her dressed in her uniform.  She is just so stinking cute! The night before Boyfriend and I discussed where we would take her first day of school pictures, I wanted to do it in the same spot every year.  Originally I didn't want to do the fireplace because I'm praying we don't have that ugly thing for the next 12 years but it was dark outside so its the only spot in the house that seemed to be the right spot. Also, total Pinterest fail on the chalkboard sign, next year will be better!

After we dropped off Penny at daycare, we headed to her school.  Evelyn was bouncing around in her car seat with excitement as my throat was tight and my eyes were stinging with tears.  Evelyn asked me not to cry at school so I wouldn't embarrass her.  Not even officially in school and she was already worried I would embarrass her!

Once we arrived at the building, we had Evelyn walk us to her classroom-surprisingly she remembered exactly where to go (as I totally didn't).  Spoiler alert-this is an important fact later on in the story. We were only the second family to arrive and her sweet homeroom teacher, Mrs. A greeted us enthusiastically and this is where Evelyn deflated like a balloon, shrinking in both personality and size.

We walked her to her desk and she sat, refusing to take pictures with us.  I could tell she was totally overwhelmed, especially as the third student came in and didn't stop talking for one second.  Boyfriend and I stood around somewhat awkwardly, we had only been there for two minutes but both of the other kids parents were gone so we weren't sure if we should leave yet (at this point it was probably still 30 minutes until official school start time) or stick around.  I had no desire to extend an already difficult goodbye, but I also could tell that Mrs. A was preoccupied with attending to other things so I didn't want to leave Evelyn totally alone, unaware of what to do next.

Luckily Mrs. A took charge and advised us we were going to move the girls over to Mrs. T's (her co-teacher) room because she was going to step out and help with directing parents to their classroom.  We walked Evelyn one classroom over and the girls all sat down on a rug, which Evelyn was excited because it was "cute as a button" (the very loose theme I had desired for Penny's birthday).  

Once in the room, they started coloring so I took this as my time to say goodbye.  As I was hugging her sweet body I started to tear up but upheld her request to not cry.  The tears finally broke free as soon as we left the classroom, I could just tell how nervous and shy she was feeling-it broke my heart she was feeling scared.  

Once I got to work, I was feeling better because it would be only a short while before we could pick her up, they are offering early release for Kinder kids this week and all of next week so they get an opportunity to adjust.  Around 11:00 I started to worry about her again, and then my phone started ringing around 11:30, so I suppose it was mom's intuition something was up.  I missed the first and second calls (from different numbers) because I was on a call at work but moments after the second call I had a voicemail, 

"Hi, this is the nurse at Evelyn's school.  She is JUST FINE but I do want to let you know she is experiencing a pretty severe nose bleed and we are working to control it.  Please give me a call as soon as you get this message."

I immediately called back and spoke with the nurse (who was SO nice) and she explained that Evelyn's nose bleed was pretty bad though they finally did get it under control, but all of her clothes, shoes included, were covered in blood so she needed a change of clothing.  I guess it isn't kosher to hang out in blood soaked clothes in school. Boyfriend and I had carpooled in order to do drop off/pick up but my mom was in for the rescue and was able to bring her a change of clothes.

The nurse and I talked for a bit, I explained to her that Evelyn gets nose bleeds, and often.  I apologized for not notifying them earlier but I didn't see a spot where I could fill out generic "need to know" information.  I promised to continue to send her with a change of clothes each day just in case this happens again in the future (which it will, she gets between 3-7 a week).

My mom called after she left, she said Evelyn seemed ok but was pretty sad when she realized that my mom wasn't taking her home.  Evelyn told my mom she was having fun and my mom said that she got her to laugh once (which when she is really shut down, is impossible to do) so I felt much better after speaking with my mom.

Once we pulled up to school, Mrs. A caught us and seemed really scared to talk to us.  I know nosebleeds can seem pretty scary (especially with Evelyn) but I soon realized that she wasn't telling us just about the nosebleed, she was explaining to us what caused the nosebleed to occur.  

I had assumed it was due to playing but apparently during their bathroom break, Evelyn was the last to use the restroom and was left behind by herself so she walked back to her classroom but the entire class was actually down the hall.  She explained to us the circumstances that had allowed this to occur and what is going to be done to make sure it won't happen again but she said that due to this, Evelyn became quite emotional (crying hard) because she thought she was lost and alone and her nose started to bleed.  Mrs. A was obviously devastated and you could tell she felt terrible.

While Boyfriend was a bit upset over Evelyn getting left behind, I wasn't honestly.  First off, it will teach Evelyn to hurry up and stick to her business in the bathroom but second of all-I get things happen.  After talking with Mrs. A I could just feel how poorly she felt and I know it won't happen again.  

Evelyn finally made it to our car and when she saw me she started running and jumped in my arms.  I buckled her in her car seat and before I could even buckle up myself, she was talking about what a fun day she had and she can't wait for her second day of school!  I tried to talk to her about the getting left behind/nosebleed incident and she got a little upset and wouldn't talk about it so I tried to focus on the good stuff, like her learning some new Spanish words and what she saw the other kids eating for lunch.

I'm glad to have the first day over with.  I am excited to see what we have to work hard at and what areas she shines in.  She already decided which girl is going to be her BFF and that she has to have a certain type of chips in her lunch because the other kids were eating them.  Tonight we have our first Spirit Night at Chuck E Cheese, I can't believe we are officially in the world of school!

Twas the Night Before Kindergarten

My baby starts school tomorrow.  I have equally dreaded and looked forward to this and now that we are here I don't know how to feel.

I know the size of your kid doesn't necessarily indicate if they are prepared for something but looking at my teeny, only surpassing the 30 pound mark after a big meal girl just doesn't look like she is ready to start school. 

 

Despite my hesitations, she is embracing this change with an open heart and mind.  Tuesday night was Meet the Teacher night and as we were walking through the seemingly endless hallways, navigating ourselves from classroom to classrom, it hit me what was about to happen.  Evelyn held my hand tightly and I could tell she was nervous but she was being so brave.

As I predicted, Evelyn struggled with meeting her teachers even though she was so excited to meet them.  She shut down a bit (ok, a lot) and refused to talk or even look their way but of course after we had left she told everyone how nice they were and how much she liked them.  I just hope her teachers (Mrs. A and Mrs. T) recognize what a sensitive soul she is and takes care of her heart.  I know that is a very typical mom thing to say, "My daughter is a special snowflake!!" but she is my precious snowflake and I want only the best for her, as any mom would.

I'm having to put a lot of trust into these two women I know nothing about, and it is hard.  Kindergarten is a formative experience and if she walks away this year with distrust and pain, it will take a lot of work to get her to where we are tonight, on the last eve of her naivety, completely and utterly thrilled to be going to school.

Boyfriend and I both took today off to spend her last day as a non-student (EVER!) together.  We had a wonderful day with a new back to school haircut, lunch at her favorite restaurant (Gloria's), Build a Bear and of course, ending the day at her favorite place-Target.

Throughout the day we would be talking and she would just interrupt our conversation with a, "I'm just SO excited!"  We talked about how to make friends and what types of rules she can expect.  We discussed what she wanted to bring for lunch.  She requested turkey, carrots, celery and strawberries-Michelle Obama would be so proud. 

I mentioned in my Dallas Moms Blog post that one of the things that makes me so nervous is that I am losing what little control I had over her environment.  She is going to be introduced to so many wonderful things, but with that comes the things I don't want her to see or experience.  I know I can't shelter her forever, nor do I want to, but five still feels so young to me.

Before getting her to bed tonight, she had to sign a student commitment form for her school.  We read over each bullet point, and it was an opportunity to discuss how to be a good student and person.  She is inspired and as I type this yelling to me that she is just too excited to sleep.

 

I don't think either of us will get much sleep tonight, to be honest.  Tomorrow morning, I am going to take a lesson from my strong girl and put on a brave face.  Hopefully I won't cry too much but I did purchase a brand new waterproof mascara, just in case.

Not a Secret Anymore...

About six months ago, I discovered Boyfriend had been keeping a secret from me.  He had been taking pictures of our life together, without me being aware, and had been posting them for all the world to feast their eyes upon.

Luckily it was just food photos and I was happy to jump on the Just Eat Dallas bandwagon.

I may have reinforced a wife stereotype, because as soon as Boyfriend told me what he was up to I took over because he wasn't doing it the way I would.  To be fair though, he welcomed my partnership and it has been really fun collaborating on something other than our children.

I recently went to a happy hour with other Dallas Foodies and I was asked what our goal was for the account.  Honestly, we have no aspirations for financial gains (but if you want to give us free food, holla at JustEatDallas@gmail.com), we just love talking about the food we eat.

Just Eat Dallas has also gotten us to be more active in our city which is an added bonus.  Instead of going to the same reliably tasty spots, we are hitting up different and new places.  Variety is the spice of life, right?

While we aren't a major Dallas Foodie Instagram account, we have built new relationships with other food lovers in the area and it has been really, really fun.  I'm definitely enjoying our new creative venture and can't wait to see what new food adventures await us.

Daycare Nana

A little over three and a half years ago, our live in nanny abandoned us (she got married and decided she would rather live with her husband than us, rude!) so we had to find another solution for childcare.  At the time, Boyfriend and I were not working traditional schedules and knew we would need to find an individual vs a center with strict hours.  Little did I know contacting a home daycare I saw on Craigslist would be one of the best decisions I ever made.

I was hesitant at first, finding someone off Craigslist because of all the horror stories.  I consider myself a good judge of character and we had just been successful with our live in nanny (found on care.com) that I figured it wouldn't hurt to go at least meet her.  Her driving attraction was location, less than two miles from our home but the moment we met her, I knew she was "the one."

At our first meeting, the grandmotherly (but not old) woman explained to me that the kids she takes care of are her family and everyone calls her, "Nana."  Boyfriend and I laughed, knowing this would make my mom, another Nana, jealous.  Over time, Evelyn started differentiating my mother as "Regular Nana" and the other Nana as "Daycare Nana."  Instead of using her first name, we too have started calling her as Daycare Nana because she is truly the additional grandmother in our lives.

As a former nanny, I really do get how much your charges mean to you.  You love them and adore them and miss them.  Daycare Nana goes a step above the norm and pretty much lives her life around her kids.  She spoils them rotten-she has Santa personally come to her home each December, she bakes each one of them THE.BEST.CAKE.EVER. for their birthdays, she cooks them meals every day based on their preferences.  She is just the best.

One thing all of the parents of the other kids and I agree on is that Daycare Nana doesn't mess around with attitude or misbehavior and I am so appreciative of it.  Sometimes when things are really rough at home, instead of saying, "I'm going to call your father!!" I just have to say, "I'm going to call Daycare Nana" and Evelyn will straighten up real quick.  I wish I had the level of respect and boundaries Daycare Nana has, but I also know that kids will push their mother in that oh so special way.

Daycare Nana is about to have a turn over of several kids, they all start Kindergarten this year.  To celebrate she took them all out to lunch at Gloria's, for popsicles at Steel City and then to Barnes & Noble for each kid to pick out a book.  Evelyn is going to miss seeing her every day so, so much but luckily Penny will still be going to Daycare Nana's so there will still be the occasional visits.

I don't know what Evelyn is going to do without seeing the woman who loves her as much as her blood family does.  She is going to miss her doing her hair, her yummy lunches, and hugs when she isn't feeling well or sad.  The only thing Evelyn is sad about when it comes to school is not going to her house every day.

We love you Daycare Nana!

Allergic to Running, Version Two

This past weekend Boyfriend was meeting some friends to play tennis so the girls and I decided to join him. Evelyn asked Boyfriend to teach her how to play so he patiently taught her some basic skills before his friends came.  Her lessons were totally unlike mine, she was still smiling and looking forward to her next one.  After my first (and only) lesson I was crying and wanted a drink.  Luckily dads can be more patient with their kids than their spouse.

While Boyfriend was playing tennis, Evelyn decided that she wanted to run around the track.  Evelyn took off, running the entire distance of one loop-Boyfriend said it was a quarter of a mile, but no matter what it was I was super impressed.  Penny was devastated she couldn't join her sister.  

I continued to ignore Penny's heartbreak so I could get a selfie with my new haircut.  Bad mom.

                                      

When Evelyn finished (and not even out of breath I might add!) she sat next to me and started scratching.  And the scratching eventually led to her clawing at her skin, all over.  I thought maybe it was the grass so we moved back to the tennis courts and I couldn't see any sort of skin irritation, beyond where her scratch marks were.  Then she started freaking out, slapping her head and screaming that she was itchy from the inside.  I started to get really worried because she was FREAKING OUT.  

I grabbed both kids and told Boyfriend I was going to go get her some Benadryl.  About 20 minutes after taking it she seemed much better and within 30 minutes she passed out.  Boyfriend was done playing tennis by this time and I was telling him about what had happened.  I told him it was just so confusing that she was so itchy when he made a joke about how maybe she was allergic to running like I am.

Once he said that, I knew he was right.  The way she was reacting is exactly the same way I react when I start itching.  It is this deep, internal itch that makes you feel like you are going to lose your mind.  I feel terrible she inherited this, but at least she is my artistic one and may never be all that interested in running distances anyway!

Mommy Daughter Day

This past Monday Evelyn and I played hooky and spent the day together, just the two of us.  I told her we could do anything she wanted to do, she picked swimming and school supplies shopping.  Easy enough!

Originally I was going to take her to a city pool but after finding a coupon for free kids entry with adult purchase for Hawaiian Falls, I decided she would have so much more fun there.  My  hunch was spot on-she had a blast! I had to beg her to stand still for just 30 seconds to take a picture before letting her jump in the water.

While we were at Long Cove the weekend before, she was swimming on her own without a life jacket for the first time.  She can go quite a distance but once she is out of air, she is done.  She haven't quite mastered the skill of being able to get more air to continue on further.  She can swim and float on her back now too, which surprised me considering we hadn't taught her how to do it.

After we swam for several hours she told me she was tired and ready to go school shopping, but first she wanted to relax.  We sat hand in hand next to the pool, eventually she laid on the ground because it was warm and she was freezing.  We stayed there for another 20 or 30 minutes in silence, people watching.

On our way out of Hawaiian Falls, texted Boyfriend at 1:36 pm telling him we were on our way to Target (which was five minutes away) to get her school supplies.  We got there and I should have known how tired she was because she asked to sit in the cart, which is something she never does!

At 3:26 pm, yes nearly two hours later, we were finally checking out.  I don't know if it was because I was a first time school age mom or if it really does take that long but I was so over it by the time I was done. Luckily they had everything I needed except for one thing (apparently bullet point tip, washable dry erase markers are a rare item) so I won't have to go through that again.

Everything we need for her to succeed in Kindergarten.  The My Little Pony blind bag was not included on the supplies list, just an extra for being such an awesome kid. I seriously can not believe that Evelyn is about to start school.

I'm so thankful for these calm days before school starts.  We will have one more this coming Monday, but Penny will be joining us as well.  My oldest girl is just so, so sweet and loving.  As we were leaving Hawaiian Falls, she told me to turn around and drew me a picture with her soaked towel drippings.  

I am so lucky.

#LifeGoals

I love being a contributor for Dallas Moms Blog.  While the relationships I have built with the other moms have been the best part of my experience, there are a lot of built in perks.  Like visiting Long Cove located on Cedar Creek Lake.

Our entire group was invited out for a "day in the life" of a resident.  I left Saturday night scheming with Boyfriend on how we could become actual residents, even if it required buying into 1/10th of a house with ten other couples. Long Cove is truly something unique and you could say I was smitten.

Long Cove isn't far from Dallas-located only far enough for Evelyn to ask me, "Are we there yet?" four times and she normally asks twice on the way to our local Target. I felt immediately transported once we were on grounds, driving through stunning landscaping, complete with three longhorns (that I later learned their names-Betty, Wilma, and Pebbles!) greeting us.

  

As all the contributors gathered around the pool we overlooked the lake and knew we were in for a fun day.  

We enjoyed boat rides, swimming, a fantastic lunch and was provided an opportunity to view one of the model homes.  Can I just move in now?  Seriously?

The community of Long Cove truly thinks of everything for their residents. You truly have the ability to pick up on Friday evening after work and head to the lake.  They will stock your fridge before your arrival and get your boat ready if you own one. They even have a toy barn so that you don't have to worry about bringing recreational equipment to play with.  All you have to do is show up with your family.

Yes, it is not inexpensive (which is why it is a #lifegoal right now for us, not a reality) but the idea of having a home where I can completely put away real life and just BE with my family is priceless.  Cheesy maybe definitely but even with my young kids I am realizing how hard it is to have quality family time, even when we are all home.  There are just too many distractions, too many things that end up on our lap when all I want to do is sit around eating Summer fruits and playing outdoor games at the lake with my kids.

I know that for these PR type events you are often given the best of the best but I can tell you, without a doubt, our experience wasn't just for show.  It was the real deal and it was obvious that all the residents we mingled with felt that every single penny spent on their gorgeous home was worth it, and more.  If you are a little more "established" than my family and looking for a second home for weekend getaways, you couldn't go wrong at Long Cove.