Day in the Life, June 2013

Cora's kindergarten year is nearly over, and  I haven't yet compiled a "Day in the Life" post. Better remedy that now! Presenting Wednesday, June 5...

6 a.m. - Alarm goes off – time to wake up, get coffee, have quiet time on patio under bird serenade.

6:40 - Cora comes out of her room, 10 minutes before her alarm is set to go off. We started using her alarm a couple of weeks ago, because she fought me so much when it was time to wake up. It’s made a big improvement in our mornings. 

6:50 - We pick out Cora's clothes and I get her breakfast started before hopping in the shower.

7:10-  Cora’s eating breakfast, I’m dressed and getting her snack ready.

7:20 - Cora plays with her really wiggly bottom front tooth for at least 5 minutes

7:30 - I get Violet up – she says she’s flossing her teeth, with what looks like a long hair strand.

7:45 - With peanut butter toast for Vi's breakfast-in-the-stroller, we’re off! Cora rides her scooter to school every day. 

Today, John walks Ave and Johnny to school,

so we chit chat as we wait for a green light with Richard, the crossing guard. Cora entertains the Roberts with her loose tooth before the light changes and Cora races off.

7:57 - A quick kiss good-bye and Cora goes through the gate to her line. Violet and I chat with another parent, who’s invited us over for a pool playdate Thursday.

8:10 - Violet and I take our morning walk, a loop that takes us down the paseo, through the neighborhood, along the creek bed and back around. Violet chats with me most of the time, about the animals and birds we see.

I ask what she’d like to see this morning. “Uh… A squirrel. Owen likes squirrels. But Owen likes red, too.”

Later, we see a lizard on the wall and two ducks on a front lawn, before finally spotting a squirrel. “Hello, Squirrel!” Violet shouts. “Hey Squirrel, why are you talking to me?”

8:50 - We’re back home. For the next 2 ½ hours, I tidy up the house, vacuum and prepare our picnic lunch; Violet plays, first with the princess Duplo set, then the kitchen, then the Calico Critters, and then the magnet doll set. I am very blessed - this little one plays so well on her own, and most of the time doesn't mind cleaning up after herself.

11:30 - We run out the door to get Cora – literally running, since I’m leaving a few minutes late. But, as usual, Cora’s class is a good 5 minutes late getting out, so we wait in the shade and chat to other moms before her class comes out.

11:40 - Cora comes through the gate, wearing a necklace – a TOOTH-shaped necklace! Yep, she lost that second front tooth. She wants to show me the tooth; I say she should wait because she lost her first tooth in Genia’s front lawn. 

She doesn’t listen, and sure enough, the tooth pops out of the necklace when she breaks through the tape, and it’s a goner too. We look for 5 or 10 minutes – feels like hours – to no avail. Maybe we'll manage to hang onto Tooth No. 3 or 4 for her "First Tooth" trinket box.

11:50 - We make our way to the park for our standing Wednesday lunch date with Genia and her boys. 

Cora and Johnny play ninjas for hours, while Owen and Violet play hide-and-seek. Owen counts: “1, 2, 3, 4, … 19, 20, 2010, 2011, 2012…” 

Then they make birthday cakes, with a pinwheel they found as a birthday present. (“This is the cake factory. I’m making a squirrel birthday cake, for Owen,” Violet tells me.)

Another mom joins us, we talk, the children play. Life is good. Suddenly it’s 2:38 and I’m way late for Violet’s nap, and Genia must head back to school to get Ave.

2:40 - Genia takes Owen back to the school, while I take Johnny, Cora and Violet home.

2:55 - Violet and I wash her feet and hands and put her to bed, while Johnny and Cora begin playing an involved game with the Duplo castle.

Violet falls asleep – she doesn’t do that every naptime these days, though she’s usually happy enough to listen to her music and play in her crib until it’s time to get up.

4:15 - Stacey comes home, Johnny goes home, and Cora gets ready for a trial fitness/dance class at My Gym that her school friend Sophia invited us to.

4:30 - Cora and I leave for the class, while Stace stays with Violet and preps our dinner – salad with leftover steak. He loves chopping salads (no joke!).

4:45 - Cora likes the dance class well enough, though her leg is bothering her. She loves the last 5 minutes of the class, when the girls are able to around the gym.

Meanwhile, Stace takes Violet to Walmart to check out camping gear, and to the park.

6 p.m. - After stopping to fill the car up, we’re home. Time to finish getting dinner on the table.

6:30 - Dinner! We discuss our day and look at photos on the computer of Cora’s 1^st grade classmates acting in their version of The Wizard of Oz, a big school tradition that Cora can’t wait to do next year. She’s hoping to be cast as Dorothy.

7 - The girls have chocolate pudding with fresh strawberries for dessert.

7:20 - Cora shows Stace the dance/aerobic moves she learned in class, and teaches them to Violet.

7:40 - Time for vitamins, teeth-brushing, jammies, toilet.

7:50 - I read a few minutes’ worth of "Little House in the Big Woods," while Cora writes a note to the Tooth Fairy.

"A girl at dance class had a chipped-off tooth," she tells us. "I bet when she loses it, she doesn't get a lot of money for a chipped-off tooth!"

8 – I take Violet to bed.

8:10 - Cora and I say prayers and say good night; within 15 minutes she’s sleeping.

8:45 - Violet needs a wee and complains of her leg hurting; an hour later she’s still awake, singing in her crib.