Band-Aids and Black Eyes (Warning, lots of complaining ahead...)

I seem to be on a once weekly posting schedule...lots has happened in the last week though.  The biggest event was that Kiley started Kindergarten.  This was a three pronged approach to kindergarten.  Wednesday night we went for "registration."  Kiley met her teacher, saw the room, and us parents were supposed to feel a little more relaxed upon leaving.  Not so.  Thankfully, the desks/chairs were in small groups of four rather than the rows we saw when we first visited the school over the summer.  The teacher seemed nice and the room was, well, kindergarten.  I was hoping for a nice printed out schedule of what the kids would be doing each and every minute of the day.  You know, circle time, math, science, art, music, snack, lunch....no such schedule greeted me.  We went home a little bit disappointed and worried about sending our first out into the the world.

The second prong was a two hour special on Friday morning which was highly disorganized.  We arrived and hung out in the foyer until someone noticed us and said "Oh, didn't you know?  You are supposed to go to the cafeteria."  We would have stood there all day because the letter didn't say anything about reporting to the cafeteria.  Once in the cafeteria, we were encouraged to eat breakfast (this was not in the schedule).  After about 45 minutes of waiting in line and eating deliciously healthy school food, the principal introduced the staff and each kindergarten teachers began calling their children to come stand in line.  This took FOR-EV-ER.  On the letter we received, it said that each teacher would be wearing a special sticker (Kiley's teacher would have a rainbow sticker) and Kiley was also sent a rainbow nametag.  This is how she was supposed to find her teacher.  Instead, we waited, and waited, and waited for her name to be called.  Meanwhile, everyone else who wasn't being called or whose child had already been called was talking...loudly....you couldn't hear a thing!  After the kids left, we were introduced to everyone again and treated to an extra-special PowerPoint on making school a success though positive parenting.  Let me tell  you, the people listening were the ones who didn't really need the lecture.  It was the groups of moms/aunts/grannies/whatevers that were talking over the presentation that needed to hear it.  Of course, no one said anything to them.  Sigh.  We finally were released and we went to the classroom to pick up Kiley.  Every other kindergarten teacher EXCEPT Kiley's had their classes lined up by bus load and waiting in the foyer.  Kiley and her classmates were still wandering around the classroom slinging book bags and forgetting forms.  We made it to the bus, and onto the bus, where the driver proceeded to tell me that Kiley was not on her list....finally her name was located and we made it home (to the baby sitter's, where Kiley will get off the bus in the afternoon).

Oh yes, there is a third prong.  The actual first day of school was Monday, August 23.  Since this was Greg's first day of school too, I graciously/stupidly offered to take Kiley in to school because no one had told us where the kids report to in the morning or what time they are allowed to get there.  Dropped the baby off, no problem, get to a parking spot at the school no problem...walk up to the school...Hmmm...where are all the teachers?  Why are there kids milling around without supervision so close to where giant yellow buses are coming and going.  I went in, clutching Kiley by the hand.  I was greeted by people wearing Happy New Year hats and blowing noisemakers.  I was not amused.  Kiley, on the other hand, was thrilled.  (Try to remember, Leah, they do these things for the kids.)  The problem, though, was that they were telling all the kids, with the exception of Pre-K to go back outside to wait.  For what?  Some child napper to snag them????? I don't think so.  I walked Kiley to her classroom where her teacher greeted her with her meal pin number (six digits, mind you) and her name was spelled wrong on the card.  The teacher then asked me if we had been practicing the six digit pin number.  Ah, no.  we have been working on the three digit bus number so the kid can make it home.  Screw the the six digit pin number, she can give them her name if she happens to get lunch.  I was beyond irritated at this point, but I left Kiley and went to the car, where I cried and contemplated quitting my job, homeschooling, and no schooling.  Then I remembered that Greg and I are sort of in the business of public education, as are numerous relatives...so, the home school/no school thing probably wouldn't go over well.

I held off calling the school, the school board, the central office, a lawyer (just kidding).  I did call the sitter at 3:15 to make sure Kiley had made it there, and wonder of all wonders, she had and she wanted to chat!

"Mommy, I went to the nurse because I hurt my arm!"  Where's the lawyer's number!!!!! Okay, breathe.  "What happened?"  I asked, trying to raise my voice in alarm.  "I slid down the slide on my elbow and I have a band-aid."  Okay, stand down.  Not a big deal.  She seemed to be happy and even said she shared her snack with a kid that didn't have a snack.  That's our little girl. 

And then I pick her up.  Her left eye is red with purple speckles.  "What on earth happened to your eye???"  I said, not able to keep the panic out of my voice.  "A boy named A.J. hit me."  LAWYER!!!!!!!  SPEED DIAL!!!!  "What did he hit you with?"  I ask.  "His lunchbox."  Well, at least it wasn't his fist, I think.  She then explained that he was swinging his lunch box around while waiting for the bus and he accidentally hit her....whew.  So now I have to worry why the nurse didn't call me and I didn't get a note in the folder saying what happened. 

So many things to worry about...Seriously, all you people reading that don't have kids...just wait.  You think the pregnancy and the giving birth is bad?  And then the handing over to a babysitter?  No.  This has got to be the worst so far.  And then she'll grow up and go away to school or get married or something.  AHHHHH!  Oh, and I still have no idea what Kiley is doing in school.  I still don't have a schedule.

I'm just little Miss Sunshine today, huh?