October 15, 2009 by Barbara.

A few weeks ago, Ken and I went to the parent information session at Reid’s school. Reid went to Aunty Amanda’s house for supper and the evening, a very good trade-off as far as Reid was concerned. She asked if Nam’s mom and dad would be there, too, because they make very good rice and noodles and “not-Canada” food. I supplied the word, “Asian” since she seemed to need it and assured her that Nam’s mom and dad would be there. Reid responded, “Woo hoo! Rice and noodles and rice-noodles are the best food ever.” I made a point of telling Amanda that I hoped that she wasn’t planning to have non-Asian food on Reid’s account because Reid was anticipating Asian.

At the school presentation, we were among only five (out of 16) families that turned up for the Junior-Senior Kindergarten session and were the only parents of kids in Senior Kindergarten. I never understand how people can resist the opportunity to learn more about what their kids do all day and about the people with whom they do these things. There wasn’t any earth-shattering information given, though they did tell us where to find the kids’ workbooks if ever we wanted to see what they’re doing. There were other tidbits of information and then the meeting ended.

On the way out, one of the other dads stopped us to tell us that Reid was a sweet girl who took very good care of his son, who was having trouble adjusting to JK. He said that Reid was like “a little mother hen” and he wanted us to know that he appreciated her. Sometimes Reid takes the “mother hen” role over the line to “bossy” but it’s good to know that it seems to be what is required in many situations. Ken and I decided to take it as a compliment. And a lovely one at that.

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September 4, 2009 by Barbara.

Reid and I saw 21 balloons in the sky on the way to school this morning. I saw quite a few more while waiting for my bus, including a turtle and a skunk’s head (or maybe it was a black-and-white cat’s head). It’s going to be perfect weather for the Gatineau Balloon Festival and it’s not too late to decide to hop in the car and come to Ottawa for the weekend.

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September 3, 2009 by Barbara.

I received a call yesterday at 4:15, just as I was shutting down my computer. The caller said, “It’s M, from Reid’s school. Were you aware that there is not post-care tonight.” I was surprised and said that I’d checked the handout and it said that post-care was available until 5:30 on the third.” M maintained a non-confrontational tone as he said, “It’s the second today.” Oops! I rushed to a cab and then to the school. Reid and two other kids were playing while M tried to reach the other kids’ parents. Apparently I wasn’t the only mixed up parent.

Aunt Pam had taken Reid to school and so our car was at home, waiting for me to pick it up. I told Reid that we were going to take a bus home and, surprisingly, she balked. Since we had no choice, we walked to the nearest bus stop and waited. A few short minutes proved to be the length of time we enjoyed the wait. Okay, it was me more than Reid. She had fun looking in the news paper boxes, checking what wild things were hanging around in the bushes. I was focused on all of the traffic passing by on the busy road. I decided that we’d double our chances by going up a couple of bus stops where two buses would pass. The walk, itself, was a good diversion and we ended up taking the same bus that would have passed in front by the first bus stop. Two buses and one transfer later, we made it to the station near our house. Our walk home was meandering and I had lots of time to be grateful that we have access to a car on most days but grateful also that I have Reid to remind me to take notice of the things that I usually walk right by.

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September 2, 2009 by Barbara.

Reid was a bit trepidatious as we left for school yesterday but she didn’t say anything outright and neither did I. After the obligatory photos of Reid leaving the house, Aunt Pam drove us to school and I took a couple more pics of Reid going inside. We walked to Reid’s classroom - the same one as last year - and she asked me to walk in front while she hid behind me. This made me remember a middle of the night that I’d had. I leaned down and reminded her of how she’d been worried on her first day of junior kindergarten and then told her that there would be new kids or kids who were new to the classroom who might be sad. I asked her if she’d be extra-sweet to those kids. Reid seemed to straighten her shoulders and went into the classroom.

N (her teacher) greeted Reid enthusiastically and Reid was drawn in. We went to Reid’s cubby and put her things away. When Reid tried to put on her indoor shoes, they didn’t fit. Those same shoes that I bought in July, that were a bit loose, seem to have shrunk while sitting on the table waiting for school to start. Lucky for me, her teacher decided to waive the “inside shoes” rule just for the day. I had to ask Reid for a kiss when we went back to the main part of the classroom or she would have otherwise wandered off to play at one of the tables.

I had to wait about an hour for a group meeting with the principal. I’m pretty sure I was the only parent of a Senior Kindergarten kid to stay. The mom of one of Reid’s friends asked me why I was staying and I had to answer that I’m a bit of an overachiever. I’m glad that I attended as the principal covered some topics that I’d have learned about eventually but not before wondering what was happening for a while.

Reid was home from school and playing outside with the neighbour kids by the time I got home. She volunteered very little about her day, even when I asked leading questions. Some days Reid will talk and talk about something but she usually keeps her school life to herself. Her first day of senior kindergarten was no exception.

This morning I offered her the chance to spend the day with Grandma Joyce, Aunt Pam and Brianna instead of going to school. Reid refused, saying that she missed N. I’m hoping that this enthusiasm for school lasts. (Last year’s troubles are still fresh in my mind, though Reid didn’t mention them.)

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August 20, 2009 by Barbara.

One of the parents of a child in  Reid’s class invited us - and a few others - by email to a local park on Saturday morning. Three other families were there and then another classmate and her brother and father, who hadn’t been on the email, turned up as well. The kids were excited to see each other and we parents had lots to say as well. One of the fathers had brought along a 5-foot-tall inflatable rocket that was powered by water and air pressure. The kids “helped” getting everything set up and then took turns pumping the air in and then launching the rocket. We were all impressed with how high the rocket flew. After a few launches, the rocket was put away and the kids scattered.

Reid went to the splash pad along with a couple of others. It was the best choice because it was already hot. I took advantage of the opportunity to practice with my new lens.  For some reason my hand wants to turn it the wrong way to zoom. The results were pretty good, I think. When Reid was comfortable, I went to sit with the other parents while I watched Reid. After a couple of hours, some of the families decided to go swimming at a nearby pond but Reid and I needed to go home for lunch. I suggested that we should meet up again on the 29th to help the kids prepare for their first day of school. Someone suggested that I should organize it since I’m good at it. I’m anal, that’s what they meant. I’ll take on the challenge.

We had lunch with Ken and then headed for Grandmama’s. Before we got to the first exit, I realized that I’d forgotten to get gas. Which then reminded me that I’d left my wallet in out swimming bag. Back home we went. I asked Ken to watch Reid while got my wallet and a couple of other things. By the time I got back to the car, Reid was asleep. She slept for an hour and forty-five minutes and I was worried that I wasn’t going to have a chance to stop for wild blueberries offered for sale at the side of the road. We both appreciated the chance to stretch our legs and buy a pie to go along with the oh-so-sweet (and oh-so-expensive) tiny blueberries. We didn’t have too much longer to drive, though. When we arrived at Grandmama’s apartment, Reid commented on how short the drive had been. I suggested that her long nap had been the key difference but Reid told me that she had napped only briefly but rested for a long time. I hadn’t realized that she rests with eyes closed and her mouth open.

We spent an enjoyable couple of hours with Grandmama. Reid showed how she could solve the Camelot Jr puzzles - reuniting the knight and princess over and over. For greater effect, Reid brought them together sometimes and made kissy noises. The mix of princess fantasy and math skills is really odd. Reid inspected the pretty, little things on Grandmama’s window ledges and tables. She had questions and comments about nearly everyone. Having Reid play with them stressed me out but Grandmama didn’t seem to mind. After supper, we tidied up and then hit the road again.

Aunt Lisa was visiting at Grandma Barb and Grandpa Terry’s when we got there. Uncle Ron and the kids had gone to a Buffalo Bills pre-season game. We had a visit with her and then I shuffled Reid off the bed, congratulating myself on Reid’s nap giving us a bit of breathing room in terms of bedtime. Except. Except that Reid still wasn’t tired and I was more than tired. I told her we’d get up to see the stars in the middle of the night, planning to take advantage of the reduced noise pollution. I just couldn’t face waking Reid at 2:00 when I woke up but at 5:00, Reid’s eyes popped open and she asked it was time. I told her yes, and we hurried outside. For 15 minutes, we looked at the moon and the stars. Reid asked a bunch of questions and I said, “We’ll have to look that up” a bunch of times and then I took her back to bed before she noticed that the sky was lightening. It was pretty magical to be outside in the dark. We’ll have to do it again. Reid drifted off for another 45 minutes and then was up to greet the day.

Grandpa Terry and Grandma Barb cooked us a delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs and all the trimmings and then we climbed into the car again, this time on our way to Toronto. I asked Reid if she wanted to go the Rainforest Café or McDonalds for lunch and she chose McDonalds. That saved me a bunch of money. I’m so glad I asked.

We met Aunt Karin, Shea and Jordyn at their hotel and Reid visited the kids while we got checked in and then we all went to A&W - which is better than McDonalds in Reid’s opinion. Reid had initially said that she didn’t want me to stay for lunch. She said that she’d seen me lots for she hadn’t seen Aunt Karin for a “hundred days”. Reid is an exaggerator, a hundred is a popular number and also a million and a googol. I explained that I’d missed Aunt Karin, too, and I stayed for lunch. Reid barely looked up as I left and got in the car for my drive back to Ottawa.

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August 1, 2009 by Barbara.

Reid went to a birthday party of a little boy in her class on Sunday afternoon. When a present was first mentioned, she told me that J likes Spiderman and that we should choose something involving him. I’d already bought a chalk rake like we gave Dylan and always have a stash of book and so J got those instead. As Reid was signing the card and drawing a present, she asked if Ken or I could draw Spiderman for her to colour. I snorted at the mental image of what a Spiderman that *I* drew would look like and Ken also declined (though I bet he could have drawn something that could be recognized as Spiderman). Reid decided that a cat was “cool” and J likes cool. The fact that she can draw cats might have factored in ;+)

When it was time to put our shoes - or 5 minutes after we should have left - Reid paused in putting on her bejewelled Crocs. “J likes cool,” she said. I said that I thought her Crocs were pretty (especially since she was half-done putting them on) but Reid said, “No, these are pretty.” She chose some leather sandals from her bin and declared them “cool”. I somehow doubt that J noticed her sandals - cool, though they were. I don’t think 5-year-old boys think about such things. This 38-year-old mother doesn’t.

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June 15, 2009 by Barbara.

Reid and I went to Westfest - a street festival in the Westboro neighbourhood of Ottawa - on Saturday afternoon with M, Reid’s best friend from school. M was feeling shy and, by the time I parked the car, was complaining of a sore tummy. Fortified with water and distracted by Reid’s chatter about all of the amazing activities that awaited us, M walked along with us. I stopped the girls to get a pic of each of them, just in case we go separated. Reid was quite vividly dressed in a multi-coloured striped scooter worn under a t-shirt dress that was red, orange and yellow and topped with a flower-print sleeveless top. Guess who chose that outfit? M was less flamboyantly attired but I thought if I lost one of them, my memory and communication skills might be impaired by stress.

I was worried that we might have to go back home when M refused the first bouncy castle but she slowly came to the conclusion that there was fun to be had. The girls got balloons from the optometrist, though not eyeball balloons unfortunately, and lollipops from Mrs Tiggywinkle’s as we wandered down the street. We followed some Chinese drummers who accompanied three dragon dancers. M and Reid were entranced and moved more quickly in pursuit of these performers than at any other time during the day. We went to two other bouncy castles and Reid tried to climb a portable rock wall. She barely made the weight minimum for climbing the wall and wasn’t quite tall enough to reach the hand and foot holds. I helped her as high as I could reach and then, when she was high enough to tell me that she was scared, helped her back down. Reid was rightfully proud of herself.  At some point early in our adventure, M lost her balloon and we spent a long time looking for another. Finally, we retraced our steps only to find that the optometrists had closed up their balloon operation, as had the other couple places we’d seen giving them out. Fortunately, Reid spotted the Bicycles for the World booth, which still had balloons and helium. I’d already broached the idea that Reid would have to give up her balloon since M was our guest and she hadn’t liked the idea much. She had extra motivation, I guess.

We dragged ourselves back to the car three hours after we left it. I was ever-so-glad that I’d remembered our Kleen Canteen of water. The day was hot enough that having a Camel Back on my back would have been welcome. I was proud not to have lost either girl and kept them from sunstroke and dehydration. Since it was the first time I’ve hosted a playdate, it seemed important to avoid such outcomes. Next time, I think I’ll put stickers in the kids shirts with my name and cell phone number on them. Or maybe those rubber bracelets that were all the rage a couple of years ago. Any opinions on what would be better?

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May 29, 2009 by Barbara.

Fridays at Reid’s school are dress down days, or “wear anything” days as we call them. Reid takes a lot of care to choose just the right outfit. I try to keep her from wearing the same outfit twice. There are so many clothes in her drawer that I like to give them a fair chance to get. To complicate matters, the last Friday of each month has a theme for what to wear. We’ve had Hawaiian day and Wear White day and Inside-Out day, among others.

Today is Dress Like a Tourist day. And I have to say that I was stumped. We decided that a souvenir t-shirt, sunglasses and a camera would do. And it would have been great if we hadn’t misplaced the camera. I spent time searching last night and then found it this morning, boldly sitting on a shelf in Reid’s room.  I’d also considered sending her old passport - too much personal information - and thought we could have made binoculars if I planned ahead. Which, of course, I didn’t. I thought about plane tickets but by the time I thought of them, Ken and Reid were standing in the foyer were their shoes on. Reid wasn’t worried about her outfit and so all was good. I took a picture of Reid taking a picture of me before she went into pre-care. That seemed a very touristy thing to do. The first kid we saw was also wearing sunglasses and carrying a camera. I guess Reid fit in.

I worry way to much about these sort of things.

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March 31, 2009 by Barbara.

Reid has had a couple of show-and-tell activities lately for which Reid has had to bring items that begin with a particular sound.

I have to confess that I don’t always read Reid’s communication book as soon as she gets home. Thursdays are a particular challenge since we go straight from school to Kindermusik and don’t get home until after 7:00. I was feeling lucky one Thursday evening when I read the note in Reid’s communication book at home instead of at school the next day and it said that she needed to bring “a” sound things for show-and-tell the next day. There wasn’t any indication as to whether the discussion would be in English or French. Reid supplied the answer - French - and we gathered a few Playmobil people. Three kids in a Ziplock became “les amis” and some grown ups in a separate bag became “les adultes”. I added “une assiette” (plate), “un alligator”, a picture of “un athlète” and Reid was all set. At the last moment, Reid asked me to write the names of each item on a piece of paper. I complied after only a brief discussion of the fact that she can’t actually read.

Most recently, we were collecting “j” sounds and I was glad that they told us on Wednesday. “Jaune” was obvious and “jupe” came quickly but then I was stumped. It’s harder than you’d think, trying to brainstorm words that:
* begin with a certain sound;
* are spelled in a “normal” way, e.g. giraffe doesn’t work because it has the right sound but not the right initial letter;
* have physical manifestations, e.g. “jolie” has the required sound and letter but how do we put “pretty” into a sandwich bag? and
* are things known to Reid.

And all the while Ken and I are working in our second language.

Despite the fact - or maybe because of it - that we were running late, Reid insisted on writing the list of the things that she was taking herself. She patiently, precisely, though not necessarily accurately, formed each letter as I spoke it. Ken, meanwhile, fidgetted for a bit before resigning himself to being really late. On the bright side, Reid got to practice making her letters. She makes pretty much every letter in a manner contrary to the learn-to-print workbooks that I’ve purchased but never had Reid complete. I don’t know whether to speak with her teachers - maybe they are following a method that I don’t know of - or try and interest her in the workbooks. I don’t want her to spend 2 years developing bad habits that will then have to changed in grade 1. And, yes, I know I worry a lot but it’s part of my charm ;+)

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March 11, 2009 by Barbara.

On Monday night I made Hyderbadi Biryani chicken and rice with a new kind of spice paste. The kind I’ve tried before was too bland and so I was pleased to find a new kind that had many fewer four-syllable ingredients. Well, the chicken we had for supper that night was definitely not bland! Reid and I added yogurt to ours to calm it down some. Grandma Barb initially refused since she isn’t a fan of yogurt. She changed her mind, though, after her first bite.

Reid worked her way through her biryani chicken and rice, alternating bites and large gulps of milks. At one point, she looked up and declared emphatically, “This is hotter than curry!” And then she took another bite. Sometimes we have to keep her at the table to get her to finish her milk but, on Monday, Reid drank 3 times her usual amount and mooched some of mine.

If I ever need reminding of what a strong influence other people have over me, Reid’s attitude to drinking milk reminds me. At day care (I know) and at school (I think), the kids have to wait until the end of the meal to get their milk. I’m a sipper, myself, and really don’t like to drink a bunch of milk all at once. Ken and I prompt Reid to drink during the meal but she often doesn’t take our advice. We just don’t have the influence we used to have. The biryani chicken and rice, though, *it* has the influence we lack.

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