This notion of having a child in school is turning out to be quite the new stage of life. And I’m not talking about Anna–she’s already adjusted to it–I’m talking about Jen and I. First of all, it’s a new thing that our child has to be somewhere every weekday at a given time. We’re just not used to that sort of rigidity. Further, there are all sorts of school-related activities–PTA, volunteering, fundraising… all the stuff that my schools used to burden my parents with. I suppose I should be thankful that the fundraising consists of writing a check and sending it to school. I’ve always thought the selling of candy bars/magazine subscriptions/gift-wrapping paper was a big waste of time and money, not to mention being a burden on one’s friends, neighbors, and co-workers. I remember going door-to-door selling greeting cards; cute as a button though I was, I don’t remember raising enough money to offset to the amount of humiliation and rejection I endured. I suspect it was all a ploy to build character.

Anna continues to love kindergarten and her teacher, and she’s been excited about becoming friends with the other kids in school. Most of all, she’s very anxious to learn how to read.

Tara continues to love reading as well. At bedtime, we read Goodnight Moon as well as Mercer Mayer’s “All By Myself”. Both books have mice on just about every page, which Tara points out at the turn of each page by pointing and saying “Mou.” The pages of Goodnight Moon which do not have the young mouse pictured she quickly assists to turn the page. No time to waste, there are mice to point out.