kindergarten and a musing mama

Magdalena and Henry, mugging for me

Tuesday was our first day of Kindergarten. Kindergarten. Wow. Our first day. Did I mention it was our first day of Kindergarten? Can you tell what's been on my mind? It was also our first day back at the pool, swim lessons with Kerry, and we have the fortune of being in class with Henry. It's all a bit daunting for me, and a bit exciting for Magdalena.
We picked up some early readers recommended by the divine Miss Marie at the Main Library. We were at our first day back to regular Friday story/art time at the downtown library the week before the official opening of school, and Magdalena said to Miss Marie, who we have not seen since May, "I'm five. I'm starting kindergarten on Tuesday". To which Miss Marie, ever the savvy art teaching librarian said, "oh really? Where are you going to start kindergarten on Tuesday?" looking at me with a raised brow. "At home, at homeschool kindergarten." said my gorgeous five year old daughter.
Miss Marie then proceeded to introduce me to the "early reader" section of the library and Oh Wow! We fell in love, at once, with the BOB books and their whimsical line drawings and simple sentences and Magdalena was reading by that afternoon. Not scientific text mind you, but she read all on her own - Mat sat. Sam sat. Mat sat on Sam. Sam sat on Mat. You get the picture. But maybe you don't because the pictures are really darling and make the books so funny. And maybe you don't get the picture because you weren't sitting there, you didn't see Magdalena sound out each letter - Ssss...aaaa....mmm. Ss..aa..mm. Ssaaamm. SAM! and over and over and over until She. Read. The. Entire. Book. And you didn't see the look of pure joy, of such accomplishment after she figured out each word.
Wow. What a feeling. Man, if this is what homeschool is about, I love it I love it I love it. Give me more baby. I know I know, there will be the hard days and the challenging days, but boy this has been awesome.
I can see so easily what a gift our life is. Sometimes, when I'm perusing other blogs, I'll get a bit flummoxed and wonder, why aren't I that fabulous? Do those people sleep? I could do more if I fit it in between 2 and 5am, I mean, I'm not really doing anything those hours, just sleeping. And then I have a day where how blessed we are is hammered home over and over and over.
Last Friday I picked up a friend of mine whose car had a hole in the windshield from T. S. Fay and she had to do some running around to get her car in order, so I gave her a hand. Then I ran into a homeschooling mama at the library who really needed a bit of support and just an ear, I believe, and we talked for a while. After the library I went and hung out with my dear dear dear friend who is experiencing major upheaval and life changes (and doing it with style, I might add) and just needed another mama, cooking in her kitchen, side by side with her. And meanwhile, I had Frida a couple of extra hours because my darling sister, Cookie aka Tita aka Jeanna was admitted to the hospital with Mastoiditis, not a minor event.
So I looked around Friday, at my little family in our sweet casita, and I thought, ya know, there are better things in life and there are worse things in life, but nothing, nothing on this earth is as perfect and beautiful as it all is right here right now.
Last weekend we were swimming like crazy in the huge surf, all of us, Ethan, Augustus, Magdalena, Jeanna, David, Frida, my mom and Anthony (Suzanne was holding down the fort at the sand castle). The surf was all over the place with an incredibly strong current and washing machine waves. Magdalena was swimming in the breaking waves like I have never seen her swim, jumping into oncoming waves and going under and coming up laughing and Ethan was holding on to Augustus for dear life, literally, so he didn't get swept out to see with the waves and he was jumping and wriggling doing the happy dance. I was coming out of being tumbled by this huge wave and when I surfaced the sea foam was fizzing all around me, popping and fizzing little bubbles, popping all over my face. Like perfectly carbonated water, it was fizzing. I had never felt anything like it. Isn't that something? I grew up on this beach, in this water, every time of year, every kind of wave, every kind of surf. And yet here was something so magical, so mermaidy, so perfect and so entirely new, I was amazed and awed and, well, you know, in love with the moment.