Year One of Preschool: Over

As many of you know, Aidan was in his first year of preschool at St Anthony this year. He is one of the younger children in his class, as he will not have his birthday until August. Which brings me to start asking questions about Kindergarten. Will he be ready? I asked a friend today and she said that out of three moms she knows with kids with August birthdays, two held their children back and the other wished she had.

The issue is really not academically will he be ready, but socially. And Aidan does well socially, but there are the issues of self control, sitting still, and the always popular plays well with others when you get to the big K. He will be continuing on to the second year of preschool in the two-year program that St A offers, after this year, with a teacher change mid-year and all, went well. His teachers had many good things to report, including a love and vast knowledge of how things work, many stories and ideas to contribute, and an ability to stick to it (sometimes rearing its head as stubbornness). So, the issue is not weather he is smart. So, we will see how next year goes. He will increase the number of days from 2 to 3, which I am looking forward to the most. Coleman and I will likely take Cole's first he and I only ECFE class during one of the days that Aidan is at school. With Cole's birthday in July, we will likely come to the same crossroads in 2011 when he goes to K.

I am excited to take an ECFE class with Coleman alone. And the good people that plan the St A schedule make it a point that the classes coincide with preschool so you can.

Today we had a preschool picnic at Central Park in St A where there is a lovely pavilion, covered picnic area, park, and water park. The water park is a small but super fun series of fountains and conical water-dumping mechanisms that enchant and delight children. It is not at all scary, too large, and there is no pool for drowning. This is good for the mothers (and dads, too), because there is virtually no poolside worrying involved and you never need to roll up your pants to get in and save the ball that went too far. Needless to say, I love it. And so does Aidan. He has gone from circling the whole thing and not getting wet at all last year to letting the water cones dump on his head and the fountains splash up from under his feet. He is becoming a brave little boy.

On being brave, I am reading an excellent book titled The Last American Man by author Elizabeth Gilbert. It will take a place as one of my top ten favorite books. I do not not fancy myself a book snob, and my top ten is not a list of Pulitzer prize winners. But I do like a certain kind of book, and I know within the first ten paragraphs if it will garner a purchase of the title.
I used to buy all my books, until I realized how silly I was for doing so, since there is this perfectly useful institution called the public library. And not just that, but the libraries' book request system, that I have come to adore. Ooh! An email from the HCL--what book will be waiting for me this time?

I have started writing. I am a writer, some would say. Not just the blog but writing essays and articles for publication. I was encouraged by a friend who writes for a living to do so. I find it exhilarating. Which is a pleasant surprise. I don't think I have ever said that about anything and my current SAHM status means that I do much of the same day in and day out. And parts are fun, even inspiring, but this feels like it is purely for me. And that is the best thing ever.