A Date with my Girl

It was just Alyssa and I on Friday.  Chris wasn't coming home for lunch and the baby I keep during the week wasn't here, so I wanted to take advantage of one-on-one time with her. 

It's crazy how I'm a stay at home mom, and still struggle to find time to just stop and enjoy life with my daughter.  I mean, isn't that the point?  This August, we are planning on putting her in preschool.  Not just day care, where I can keep her with me when I feel like it. This is real school.  This is the school she will be attending in kindergarten and beyond.  I took her to the school yesterday because she has been begging to go, so I figured I could take her to see it, and I could get some info on their 3 year old program while I was there. 

I'm really torn about it, to be honest.  I want her to go to this particular school.  It is not private, but it is charter.  Most kids that go there wait for years before they can get in.  The best way to guarantee her entrance is to take her when she turns 3.  I have someone who can hook me up with a spot for her, so it's ideal for me to just take her.  But at the same time - she's my baby.  I hate the thought that when she is enrolled, I can't decide to just keep her for 1 or 2 days a week.  When the rest of the school has early release days, she is stuck there until 3 pm.  I know it's really the best option, but it just seems so final.

Anyways.... so I have been feeling like I only have a few months to really enjoy mommy-daughter time, and want to make the most of it.  I don't want her early memories to just be of me cleaning, or paying bills, or being on the computer, I want her to remember me taking her to the park or the library, or Disney, whatever.  So I have really been making a point to do those things now.

 

On Friday, I decided that I wanted a stay-in-Auburndale sort of day.  The weather was perfect.  It was warm under the sun, but cool in the shade, and the breeze was blowing just right.  I knew I was going to take her to the A-dale park, and really let her blow off steam.  First we went to the Auburndale Pizza Company.  They sell pizza by the slice, and have a nice little outside area (that is actually screened in, so it keeps the bugs away).  We sat out there and enjoyed our pizza and antipasto.

Then we headed to the park.  I love this park.  It's divided in 2 sections - one for 2-5 year olds, and the other for 5-12 year olds.  The only problem is that the big kids seem to migrate to the little kid section, and they run all around them and aren't careful.  But during a weekday when school is in, it's not a problem at all.  Of course now Alyssa wants to go to the big kid side, so I really can't complain about it at all.  I have a hard time getting her to play with the other kids out there.  She is so shy.  A little girl came up to her and said "Hey, do you want to play with us?"  Alyssa very frankly says "Nah".  I don't want to be too pushy with her, but I did finally talk her into playing.  She ended up having the best time, and didn't want to leave.  She also overcame her fear of going up the ladder, which is really high, and going down the big slide which is also very high, and dark inside.  Once she went on it the first time, there was no talking her into anything else out there.

After that we went to the public library.  I have not hung out in a library since I was in Jr High.  We both got our library cards.  Of course, I picked out a cute little bee card, and she picked out an adult design.  This library is cool, because there is a separate room for kids.  This way they can go in, and don't have to worry as much about being quiet.  They have computers there with learning games.  She thought she was really cool playing on a real computer.  I will be blogging more about this library, because I learned recently that they have a kid's program every Thursday with crafts and music and stuff.    Plus it is just for 3-5 year olds, so it will be nice for her to get to know a few other kids her age.  I am looking forward to meeting some new people.

Of course she would pick up the book with a scorpion eating a lizard on the cover

I love days like Friday.  I hope for many more like this before she goes to school.  Of course there is always spring break and summers. 

What types of things do you do with your kids?  Leave a comment telling me all about it!

Tata,
Emily