Kindergarten

When Paul, my oldest started K last year :)

I'm feeling a little emotional as we approach the beginning of the school year.  My youngest will be starting kindergarten. My oldest will be in first grade...which in my mind is REALLY school...real books, desks, homework... :).  I don't seem to be handling the transition as well as the rest of my family. I was lucky, because last year my then 4-year old got to go with me to my parents morning out program.  I got to teach her and it. was. awesome. It's going to be hard going back to teach without her there being my "lookout" and telling me when someone has arrived or being there to give me a random hug - right when I always needed it :).  She's always full of smiles :)

Maybe that's why I'm sad...or maybe its cause I will now be "alone" at home some days-which sounds nice-but will take some getting used to.  Or, perhaps it's cause my children are growing out of my area of expertise. I'm a prek teacher and am very educated when it comes to understanding and teaching young children. Now they are getting older and I'm not as experienced in dealing with that age. Will they still think I'm smart? Fun? Cool?  Nope. Probably not. Hard to swallow that sometime in the next few years I'm going to hear "I hate you mom" :).

Hard to believe my little baby will be in K in 2 1/2 weeks!!!!

I will cherish the moments I have though, and I pray constantly for strength and energy to enjoy my children and to create a God-loving, fun, silly, loving safe environment for them.  In addition, I pray for God's guidance in my life so that I don't lose sight of who I am.  I am not just a pastor's wife or my children's mother-although I am thrilled to be both. I am my own person and God has a plan for me. I have to make sure not to lose sight of that-which is easy for young mothers to do.

Do you have a little one starting Kindergarten?  I'm trying to make the transition fun and smooth (for all of us - esp me :)  We've started a prayer count down chain an idea I saw on pinterest, but the Happy Home Fairy added the "prayer" twist which I loved!  Any way we can bring God into our everday lives is super!  We'll start waking up a little earlier about a week out and we'll do a practice "getting ready" run through like we did last year :)  I'm also searching for cute and inexpensive little gifts to give their new teachers on the first day.  Here's a few I found on pinterest...

I'm going to be doing this with my prek kids at school and my own children.  Too cute!  :)