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Thursday, August 29, 2013

Apple for the Teacher

I saw this pattern on Ravelry's homepage the other day and knew as soon as I checked it out that I HAD to make it for my friend A. She's a primary school teacher and a truly amazing one at that. She deserves an apple. Plus, she's vegan so I have a thing for giving her "vegan" forms of craft work. Wait and see the quilt I'm working on!!
I was surprised that Ravelry didn't link directly to the pattern's author, but I followed all the appropriate links and found the free tutorial here from Linda at Natural Suburbia. Very cool blog over there in South Africa :)  She designs the coolest knit stuffies and my little A wants them ALL!
 I am feeling very anxious about school this year. Been choking up and having a good cry over the past couple of nights. Very silly I know, most parents are counting down the seconds. But I'm just not ready. My sweet, darling N turned six today and will be starting the first grade. Which is the first time he'll be in all-day school. I already know I'm going to miss him.
 At the beginning of the summer we got out a calendar and counted all the days between the last day of school and the first. N was inspired by the theme song from Phineas and Ferb (he mostly wanted to know if there were really 104 Days of Summer Vacation). Turns out here in Toronto we have 67 days of summer. And like Phineas and Ferb we made the most of every one. We went to the cottage, we went to the zoo, we went to Centreville, twice, we went camping (in the rain), we went to the movies (A finally big enough to sit through one!!), we painted great works of art (still drying), we went to quilt shows, we went to the beach, we went swimming, we went to camp. I can tell this week my kids are tired. They just want to hand out around the house and play quietly. And that is awesome too. 

I love having my kids home. I'm not disciplined enough to home school and I think school is very important - after all I met Mr. Ed there! - and we live where we do for the excellent school that our kids go to - but half days was perfect. They went out and made friends, learned a few things and then I got them back. Next year Little A will go to all-day kindergarten and then I'll have no one to play with. Is it possible to suffer empty-nest syndrome when you kid is still in pull-ups??? 

I remember this winter spending a day at the zoo. We went on a Wednesday afternoon and the weather was overcast. But we went because the boys were stir-crazy and just needed to run. And run they did. We were almost the only ones there and they ran and ran and ran. And I didn't have to worry because there were no crowds, no school groups, no people. It was just free space to run. And we happened to get there on the handlers' schedule so we saw the Cheetas being fed, the elephants, the hippo and the white lions. The lions especially are boring most of the time. They sleep 23 out of 24 hours a day and often waaaaaaay on the other side of their enclosure. So to get to see them leaping for their steaks and tearing them apart and running and playing and such was pretty awesome. Now we get to go on the weekend. Sigh. Weekends are busy. I like Wednesdays. On Wednesdays I just run along after them. On weekends I'm stressed out and worrying about losing them and scanning the crowd and yelling a lot. We may have to play hookey. Mother of the year. School hasn't even started and I'm planning on playing hookey.
I'm okay now. A came over last night for our weekly Rookie Blue session and talked some sense into me. It's very helpful having a Grade 1 teacher as your best friend when your baby is starting the First Grade. They tell you all sorts of comforting things about class placement and social development and learning to read and making friends. AND they remind you of those Tuesdays in February where you've locked yourself in the basement with a cup of coffee and the laundry and plans to stay there til they stop being two and five. They remind of you why school is so important and why GOING to school is so important. And why getting your kid to an appropriate reading level to really LOVE Harry Potter is mandatory. 
All will be well. Don't worry Mr. Ed. I don't have to have another one ;)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The days go by fast, there are lots to keep busy with. I walk the dog by the school conveniently at recess to say hi and smuggle a Hersey kiss thru the fence. I take them out randomly for a special lunch with mom and we play hooky to go to a movie, or the arcade, or to come home and hang with me. And volunteering in their class or school is such a privilege. They love it so much too. and at the end of the day they are happy to see you and run into your arms again filled with stories of their day. Oh ya, all the learning and new things they come home with is so fun! It balances out the missing them. School is important but so is playing and memory building. It just seems scary cause its different.. Its all good.