BadA**ness, Not Itchy, Only Wet Babies Like Change & Circle of Moms

Has there ever been a stranger blog title??!!

It's past midnight on a school night, I should be asleep after a hard night's work of lessoning planning...none of that sentence is applicable.  My mom is headed on a trip and has an early flight tomorrow so she is spending the night with us to be close to the airport.  We were chatting and somehow got on the topic of my younger years and my bada**ness.  Laugh now, but I am dead serious.  When I was in elementary school, I knew without question, I was the coolest girl that had ever walked the halls of Helen Keller Elementary, home of the kangaroos (insert joke here).  Our school colors were blue and hot pink (insert joke here).  I am unsure of why I thought I was such a bada** but every morning I would put on my tragically terrible late 80s-early 90s  awesome outfit, comb out my frizzed out thick hair with winged sides and waved bangs (because all the cool junior high girls were doing it), meet up with the 2nd coolest girl at HKE, my bestie Lindsey, and we would march around the playground like we owned the place.  I promise you I was the worst four-square athlete and snails could run circles around me during the game of tag but I somehow convinced people that bada**es didn't play those games but instead wore Hammer pants and later in the 4th grade, reenacted Kris-Kross's "Jump Jump" music video by the monkey bars.  My mom and I thoroughly enjoyed that time machine journey this evening.  What makes it so funny to me is that if you know me now, you know I no longer have that personality trait.  I'll have to try to dig up some pics and let y'all see just how bada** I was.  

So, its been a big week at the Dolan household! Monday was Left-Handed Awareness Day! Congrats to me! Seriously, on Monday at work, I had multiple people commend me for my left-handedness.  Hysterical, but actually Monday was a big day because it was Back to School for me and First Day of School for Miller.  More importantly, Andrew and I celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary!  Sunday night I asked him if he was itchy, he looked at me like I was asking if he hadn't showered.  He had never heard the expression "7 Year Itch".  We've actually been together for 12 years, since high school, but it was funny trying to explain that expression to him.  Oh and can I say that Someecards makes anniversaries so hilarious!!!  Seriously though, we are so lucky to have each other.  We have decided we like each other even more now than we did 7 years ago, not saying we don't have moments, but goodness I just love the guy!!  We celebrated with dessert and drinks at Theo's after M went to bed and two of my sweet students came to babysit.

Now, onto the more dramatic part of Monday, back to/first day of school.  Miller and I were tied for first place with our level of anxiety which I know does not help him to see me nervous but I was and I'm fine with admitting it.  If you haven't noticed yet, I can't get enough of the little guy and it is was breaking my heart to not see him all day long.  Especially when the last image I have of him is screaming!!  My friend Liz rode with me for moral support to drop him off  and also for my safety so that if I was crying so hard that I couldn't see the road, she would drive us to school.  I welled up a few times but stayed fairly composed over my Starbucks and our giggles.  Thanks Liz, you saved my morning.  Today in a meeting, our speaker was talking about something...and he said "the only people who like change are babies with wet diapers"  I have to say, I haven't liked the change but Miller is going to a fabulous school and we both seem to be less anxious. He's now having a great time, who wouldn't love dance parties, painting, ice cream trucks and water days?!  Maybe he and I could switch schools for a day, I bet he could whip up some awesome lessons!

Really what has made the transition easier on my heart is the school's director, M's teachers and the Circle of Moms, which is my next story.  The original Circle of Moms came about in junior high when Anna, Megan, Kasey, Barrett, and I would get into some sort of hijinx in 8th grade PE.  I swear 8th grade PE could have been a sitcom or at least a cheesy show on Nickelodeon. The coach was comical, snails could still run circles around me and the "Garden Club" (members consisting of all above mentioned names) was grateful forced to sit on the bench and ooo and ahh over the stars of 8th grade girls basketball.  At one point our Garden Club held a meeting in the storage closet i.e. we wouldn't be quiet and so the coach had us sit in there the remainder of the class. It might have been the best day ever but don't you know all our mommas knew about it before we even got home...this is when I met my first Circle of Moms.  We had them all through high school; there had to have been at least 15 members and we didn't really ever get away with much.  But now, I have a new Circle of Moms and they have made this week so much better.  M has some buddies in his class and at the school whose mommas' are my friends.  After a tearful talk with the director one day asking what I could do to make the transition easier on M, the director told me he had been getting lots of love and hugs, not only from the teachers, but from a bunch of mommies.  She said she had noticed them sitting with him when they dropped off their minis and giving him lots of hugs.  I know my heart swelled when she told me that.  Isn't it truly amazing how we all want to help each other and our kids?!  All week, my mom friends have been sending me texts and telling me "Miller looks so happy today" "Miller is smiling", etc.  It has been those messages and knowing the other mommas have been checking on him that have made this a lot easier.  Not to mention all my friends who have checked on us every morning, and celebrated with me over text message that Miller didn't cry in the parking lot this morning.  His teachers are awesome and as we are closing in on the first week, I couldn't be happier with all the new people in our world and our new normal.  Maybe change isn't so bad afterall?!

 Day One: Yep, the Happy Camper shirt was on purpose, I figured it would work for optimism or sarcasm.

Yesterday, pick up is super fun.  I love seeing him and getting big old snuggles!

Did I mention I should be sleeping or lesson planning...

Have a fabulous weekend!

Ali