Feeling Happy.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Today I slept late.  No alarm clock, and strangely it felt good.  Of course, I've been burning the midnight oil as of late with things.  Still wanted to work out like mad, but with us running so behind it didn't leave time for me to break the moratorium on workouts.... yet.  I'm trying to be a good girl, but it's getting harder everyday.

Last night was the parent meeting for VPK.  We rushed to gymnastics - the girls and I - and they wandered on to class.  In the car they told me they do not want to do gymnastics anymore.  Soccer they say.  Really?  Soccer? Yes.  You all may remember that their idea of soccer was to hang out on the sideline running around the external portion of the field, refusing to play except with each other, leaving me every practice an irate parent based on behavior and a reminder that I actually cannot control my children's behavior they have to buy in to it too.  Even Mr. Darcy tried to convince them that they really want to do gymnastics.  But nothing could change their minds - even after having fun at class.  But at the same time, I'll save the $ per month if they don't want to do it.  It's expensive.  Now I am plotting their next activity - I am all about keeping these kids active.  I want them to avoid ever being out of shape... so I'm between pre-ballet and tap class (they LOVE to dance around the house) and karate (they love to pretend to do karate too after seeing the original "Karate Kid" with Mr. Darcy).  We'll have to see which (if any) of these they have an interest in.

Once Mr. Darcy arrived at the gym, we chatted for a bit and then off I went to VPK.  We weren't supposed to bring children with us, but there were plenty there.... including another set of twins!  These twins are known to us too - they were on the soccer team with Angelfish and Ladybug, but they actually played a little.  One will be in Angelfish's class and one will be in Ladybug's.  I talked to their Mom a few minutes as well as Holland and Connor's Moms.  I really like these two ladies a ton.  We're going on our first "girls' night" together and I am quite excited!!  We're going to have dinner and see a play... like real grown ups!

So back to VPK itself... the rules are the rules, nothing unusual.  The thing that struck me though was what a good job they did in placing my girls with the right teachers.  A friend's daughter had one and her Mom raves about her, and the other teacher is in with the owner's child so I figure she has to be good.  Their styles are totally different.  One is definitely a orderly kind of person, definite rule establisher and follower.  She talked to the parents in a group with a formal discussion, and the other was more of a come up to me and have a chat type of gal.  Angelfish is in with the more laid back kind of gal, which is perfect for her.  You try and force her to do something because it's a rule and she gets defiant... she'll be sweet about it, but she'll do all that she can to get her way.  So a softer approach works better with her.  Ladybug on the other hand does not need soft. If she gets soft, she tries to take charge.  So being with the rule establisher is good for her.  I left feeling happy... except for the fact that they want us to bring in a 2nd pair of shoes along with 2 changes of clothes AND they're requiring them to wear sneakers. 

I personally love sneakers, but my girls like to wear "dress" shoes.  After fighting with them for months, we realized that as long as we put them in good supportive mary jane's it really doesn't matter.  You should have seen the look on their faces when I told them they have to wear sneakers to school... not pleased.  We're going to get them backpacks this weekend.  Not sure they 100% need them, but at the same time it will be good to cart things back and forth from school.  Ladybug has to have a family picture and a folder too. I don't even think we have a recent picture that has all 4 of us in it.  Lots of pictures of the kids, but not too many with grown ups in it.  We may have to just take our own picture together this weekend...

VPK thoughts make me happy.

HIP Kids.  Things ironed out a bit.  The food bank made it so that while we couldn't get in to pack our packs, they will have volunteers do it for us. So at least we will have packs to deliver during the month of September! YAY!  Then I found a restaurant to do our 1st Family Night Dinner - I have to admit it helped that the owner of the restaurant is also a committee member and then she also had found someone to do the food for our 1st HIP Kids Club as well.  So we are rolling!    That made me happy too.

LLS (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society).  I didn't mention much about this yet and I'm not sure of all of the details yet either.  BUT, even though I can't do a TNT event because of time constraints and such, I'm going to be involved with them as a volunteer... not sure of my duties quite yet, but I'm excited!  I should know more by the end of next week.  I just couldn't give up the mission.  I want to erradicate cancer too badly!  So this too made me a happy girl!

Museum Day.  Okay this isn't until September 25th, but I still got excited and happy about it when I found out about it today - Smithsonian affiliated museums across the country are providing free admission for two people on September 25th.  To get your free tickets, visit: www.smithsonian.com/museum - they also have a list of participating museums across the country.  I got our tickets for the Polsek Museum & Sculpture Garden - I figured the girls would enjoy that (and so would we)!  YAY! Museums!

I guess I feel like in some ways things are finally coming together again.  I loved living in Atlanta and didn't want to leave because we had such wonderful friends and I was involved in my community.  Last year, I moved past missing Atlanta and started embracing Orlando.  And now I feel like I'm getting that sense of belonging again - I'm starting to make friends and get involved again.  I need the feeling of interconnectivity with my world.  And working from home makes that very, very, very difficult.  But now things feel better like I'm getting interconnected again.

And that makes me happy... and once I can start training again, life will be complete!