Thursday, October 20, 2011

Ethan Starts Preschool!

Ethan started attending a 2-day-a-week Mother's Day Out at the school that Caleb attends.  I had originally decided to keep him home all the time this year, both for financial reasons and because I didn't want to be doing four different carpool lines in one day, but Ethan and I were driving each other nuts without Caleb around.  Ethan is super-social, and I did not realize until Caleb went to kindergarten just how much of Ethan's social energy Caleb normally absorbs.  

After several days in a row of thinking that one more "Mommy, watch this!!!!!" was going to make me lose it, I started looking into preschools again.  When I found out that I could enroll Ethan in an MDO program at Caleb's school and drop them off and pick them up at the same time, I was sold.  Now, for the first time since Caleb started kindergarten, I feel like I have my head above the water.  I am getting my housework and grocery shopping done during the two mornings a week that Caleb & Ethan are at school, and I also get to enjoy some one-on-one time with Lydia on those days.  The other three mornings each week that Caleb is at school and Ethan & Lydia are at home, I am able to give Ethan a lot more attention since my housework is mostly taken care of.  And Caleb gets plenty of attention in the afternoons, with practicing baseball skills, doing homework & reading with me, all one-on-one activities.  

I feel like we are in a workable rhythm for the first time since kindergarten started.  Both boys enjoy their time at school, I'm getting my stuff done, and I have good "protected" time with each child.

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