Saturday, January 12, 2013

From Here to There



Breath Nine


 “From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!”

~ Dr. Seuss

Tuesdays and Thursdays are our busy days.  We are always flying from there to here, and here to there.  From drop-off at elementary school for my big kids, to our morning routines of a nap, snacks, and lunch, to Frederick’s drop-off at preschool and then pick-up Jane, Lee, and our friend Kathleen at school, and finally to pick-up at preschool.  Yep, I usually need an extra cup of coffee on these days, a deep breath, and a prayer of patience.
This Thursday at pick-up after greeting my lovelies and/or having backpacks tossed my way, I quickly checked in with James’ mom (a friend and teacher at Lee and Jane’s school).  I turned to wrangle in Lee, Jane, and our friend Kathleen from the playground.  We needed to book-it to Frederick’s preschool!  Instead of staying close, however, they decided to go sledding. Ugh!  So I hollered to Jane and Lee to hurry over (it may surprise you that I can really project my voice)! Kathleen was already close by.  Jane raced to down the hill towards me, and Lee looked at me, and then proceeded to plead with his pal to hurry because he wanted to go down one more time.  A little irritated, I once again hollered, “Let’s go!”  He looked directly at me… and still went down the hill on his sled anyway.  I marched over with my blood boiling and firmly shouted “I am furious!” Needless to say, he decided to hustle my way.  I am okay with giving my children frequent reminders…not with them blatantly ignoring me. Well, several parents turned my way in surprise and we raced to the van. 

Mom flipping out is one quick way to get children moving; however, it is not a pleasant way to get from here to there.  I understand that my nine year old will test me and challenge my requests with questions of why.  I suppose parents of older children will attest to this as being only the beginning.  Well, I personally would like it to be the beginning and the end of this behavior.  However, that is a blog for another day.  My children are indeed exceptional, and I say that from a completely biased perspective. (I could, however, provide evidence from current and former teachers, friends, and family that would confirm this statement.) But I digress.  I hate to be late, and I hate to rush my children. With our busy schedule, we are never on time- we are either too early or we are late.  I travel with a pack.  There are always negotiations, stuck zippers and lost mitten search parties.  We are bundled up for Wisconsin winter.  It is difficult to determine the best time to gather our gear and suit-up with a pack.  It is also just as difficult to calculate the time it will take to get from here to there with the pack.  We try to walk to school daily.  Most days it works out.  Some days it just does not, and since we are flexible, or teaching children to be flexible, we roll with it.  Again, I wander. Wandering, moseying, and shuffling, one way we get from here to there. How do we get from here to there when there are funny things everywhere?  And how do we get there on time without freaking out on our children?
  
The following are ten strategies I have used, for how to get from here to there, (aka school) and enjoy the funny things everywhere:

1.) I utilize a large jogging stroller to get from here to there.  It provides space for two small, pokey children, holds backpacks that weigh children down, and provides space for sticks collected along the way to school.  My children are avid collectors of sticks.  They frequently morph into weapons, walking stick, whacking sticks, or more recently writing tools for the snow. Each stick we collect on our walk must be saved, so in the stroller it goes.  A stroller is a wonderful thing!  I’m not sure what I will do when I don’t have one.

2.) On Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays, my children ride their bikes to school.  They can race way ahead of me and we are not usually late unless we have a bike problem.  We have predetermined spots where they ride and wait for me to catch up.  This is the quickest way we get to school other than driving.  Warning: The challenge is dealing with who is the lead rider and how far they get to ride as the leader.  Yep, these negotiations can slow us down.  Riding to school allows them to move at a speed they crave, and investigate their surroundings while waiting for me to catch-up. 

3.) While a rarity, Jason sometimes has off on days we have school, and I get to stay home with James while he takes the children to school.  With Jason’s long legs, and no-nonsense manner, the children walk briskly to school and Frederick gets what we call a giraffe ride (a shoulder ride and views the world from a different perspective).  I do not do the giraffe ride; I prefer the monkey-on-the-back rides. This is very difficult while pushing a stroller, but it can be done. Frederick is typically the receiver of this ride; however, Jane has had short monkey-on-the-back rides at times.  Poor Lee has to walk, or it might be monkey-breaks-mom’s-back.

4.) In spring and summer, we race to wipe dew off the grass, jump in puddles, and search and rescue worms. Each of these activities proves to be highly motivating and rewarding.

5.) In fall, we kick and crunch and collect leaves.  Rocks, acorns, and pine cones, are other treasures we hunt.  Wading through piles of leaves on the way to school, may not endear us to our neighbors, but encourages great physical challenge.  Our frequent conversations of colorful trees and busy squirrels keep us trudging along and occupied.  And, everyone knows that occupied and interested children fuss less, making it a successful walk to school.

6.)  In winter, we trek on the snowy mountains piled high from the snow blowers and plows.  We crunch ice from the puddles of yesterday, and we kick ice chunks deemed, hockey pucks across the sidewalk.   

7.) Sometimes a song and walking to the beat us moving.  My children really like Good Morning, by Phil Joel 


8.) One trick I have learned for a speedy walk is positioning Lee in front. With his long legs and fast movements, Frederick moves quicker to keep up, while Jane holds onto the stroller or my hand.

9.) Sometimes we play “I spy with my little eye” on the way to school.  This is a useful game for times when distractions from disagreements are necessary. We play youngest to oldest as in most children’s game boards.

10.) Divide and conquer is a tried and true strategy for happy trails.  We frequently bring a scooter and each child takes a turn on the scooter.  Again, negotiations on who goes first and distance each for each rider is determined prior to leaving the house.  Then I have two walkers and one rider and a stroller.  Divide and conquer!

(While our walks from here to there are brisk on the way to school, our walks from there to here are usually much more leisurely!)

Honestly, not all of our mornings run smoothly.  Sometimes I get fed-up and bark orders, I huff and puff about hurrying up, or I holler, “I am furious!”  It’s crucial, however, that my kids have a calm and kind mother most mornings to arm them for battle (oops…I mean prepare them for school and equip them to deal with, negotiate, and learn from other people’s children.) Similarly, greeting my children with compassion after school as we huff-it home is necessary, because after laboring all day, I want to be a haven for my children. It is from there to here they can share and rest in knowing they are loved and heard.  And, as we stroll to and from school, it is these small moments from here to there that teach us to appreciate and find funny things everywhere.  

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