Transition to a Toddler Bed: Take 2

After a very unsuccessful bedtime last night, I realized that there was just no way to get O to see the benefits of staying in his crib.  So I gave up, climbed to the attic, dragged down the conversion kit, and I no longer have any cribs in my house.  (sob)

He was super excited to hear that he wold have a "big boy bed", but kept insisting, "new orange bed!" (Maybe I shouldn't have shown his the pics of Amy's kid's bed...)  Since it was already past bedtime, I was hoping the conversion would be quick and possible with just one adult & two small helpers people.

JD was a helpful screw counter.

It was easy and quick to convert the bed, and O didn't seem to mind the lack of orange (Grandma is getting him some awesome orange bedding for his birthday.)

In the end, the night was pretty much a success.  There were a few minutes of O knocking on his door to get out, but he made his way back to his bed and fell asleep faster than I expected.  I did, however, check on him before I went to bed and saw him sleeping like this- very similar to the antics his brother pulled, but more uncomfortable than comical.

I did pick him up and tuck him in after I took pictures.

I was hoping I could put off this transition until after we adjusted into our work/day care routine, but this kid works on his own schedule.  Hopefully today's nap will happen, because I'm looking forward to taking one myself!

Making Myself At Home At Work

Although I am going back to teaching the same subject to the same grade level at the same school, I did have to set up in a new classroom.  I knew that making it as welcoming as I could would not only ease my students into a new year, but me, too!

I've spent several days over the past few weeks rearranging, unpacking, and decorating, and I can't wait to start fresh here next week.

The before:

yuck

blah

And the after:

I always put my desk in the back of the room, so when I'm not teaching, I can hide back there.  Plus, being behind the kids during a test is awesome because they don't know if I'm looking at them or not.

Now I just need to fill up those boards with student work!

My favorite part of my new room is the picture JD drew of me.  This IS what I will look like on the first day.

My helpers weren't really into helping.

Did you have a favorite classroom to hang out in when you were in school?

Wordless Wednesday: More Sesame Place

I've already given you my tips, and Suzanne did a great recap of our trip, so here are some wordless pics of our trip to Sesame Place!

she's adorable even when she's miserable

typical: big boys up to no good, O trying to get his straw up his nose & Caroline snuggling

Squeezing the Last Drops Out of Summer

Tomorrow I report back to work for the first time since June 2009.  One week from today, I will start teaching again.  I've known these days were coming, but I'm still left scrambling to fit it all in.  We've spent the past couple weeks doing all our favorite summer things, and I can't wait to share our adventures.  (You can get a sneak peek at a future post over at Suzanne's blog today.)

My parents have a camper that they park at the beach just about every other week in the summer, so we get a lot of mini beach "vacations" throughout the summer.  I've already shared tips for camping with babies, so now I'll just dump pics of all the fun we had.

collecting

A ton of (live) clams washed up on shore.  It was sad and stinky.  O helped some other kids who were determined to save them by throwing them back.

Ava wanted to be friends.

Grandpa Bob is the best at burying toddlers in the sand.  They love it!

The water is pretty calm compared to other ocean beaches, and they have no fear!

We're hoping to spend at least one more solid beach day there this year- I need something to look forward to!

Wordless Wednesday: My Flirt

And just as cute: JD having a blast in the background, totally oblivious to the beautiful lifeguard.  My boys are so different.

I AM a Good Mom

I think my boys are awesome.  Of course I do.  I'm their mom.  And one of the things keeping me up lately has been worrying about how they will stack up against the other kids at day care.  I think they're brilliant.  I think they're lovable. I think they're sweet and sensitive to others.  But what will their teachers think?  It's not that I want them to be the head of the class or the teacher's pet, but I want that validation that I DID MY JOB.  That during the three years that I've been a stay-at-home mom, I haven't let my boys down.

In my job as a teacher, I am observed and evaluated.  There are test scores and growth that can be measured.  I can read teacher evaluations from my supervisors and from my students.  I can look in my file and see my accomplishments, accolades, and failures.  As a mom, I have to do that on my own.  There is no boss to make the tough decisions.  There is no core curriculum to stick to.  There are a million decisions each day and SO MUCH second guessing and guilt.

JD and O have started day care part-time this month- just 2 short days a week- to ease us all in.  By the second week, my heart was at ease when I saw that their teachers enjoyed them.  Both sets of teachers have commented that they can't wait until my boys are there full time.  They tell me that JD & O listen and say "please" and "thank you".  That I have good boys.  O's teachers genuinely look sad when I come to pick my smiley baby up.  They like my boys.  It's such a huge relief.  (Although there is a tiny voice saying, "give them time...")

They may be teaching them new things, but I laid the foundation.  As much as I've made mistakes and doubted my decisions, I didn't royally screw up.  And knowing that is totally worth the cost of daycare. Maybe.

Crazy Legs

JD has been coming home from school raving about the "crazy legs dance". Today I asked his teacher about it, and she told me the music they dance to. It blew his mind when I played it at home!

Of all the things he will learn at daycare this year, silly dances may be my favorite.

The Best

I have less than one month left of being a SAHM, and I am determined to make the best of it.  And this past weekend, the BEST was visiting Suzanne and her family at her home in CT.  I thought it may be a little awkward to actually be inside a home I have been peering into through my computer for the past three years, but it wasn't at all.  Suzanne, her bebehs, and E are even more awesome than you see in her posts, and we had such a great time that we planned another trip together for a little later this month!

Our visit was the perfect blend of relaxing/getting-to-know-you-better play time and a fun-filled trip to the Roger Williams Park Zoo. 

And to ensure that we don't miss a single moment of fun this month and are ready for a healthy & happy back-to-school season, I'm prepping my kids' defense systems with Culturelle probiotic packets.  Not only does it support their natural defenses, but it also alleviates occasional digestive distress that can go along with traveling.

Just thinking about animal crackers dipped in ketchup gives me digestive distress.  Caroline didn't buy it either.

Disclaimer:  I was compensated for this post and provided with Culturelle samples.  All opinions provided are my own. I really DO love gingers.