Someday I Will Miss This Chaos: Parent/Tot

Back when Riley was 2 and Jeremy was just born, I was going stir-crazy. Add to that the fact that Jeremy was a colicky baby and that I was now a stay-at-home mom, and I was a bit out of my mind. We had been receiving the school district newsletters, and in the newsletter was information about a Parent/Tot program that was held at one of the elementary schools. It was free of charge and available during the school year.

Somehow I survived the summer with the kids, with the help of many park visits and stroller rides, and in August I trekked over to the elementary school to check out this program. And I fell in love with it. It became my refuge on certain days, and both the kids and I looked forward to heading over to "Miss Carla's." Miss Carla is the name of the woman who was in charge, and she soon knew our family by name. We made a habit out of going once a week, and it was there where Jeremy would practice walking. It was there where Riley made some friends. And it was there where I found some dear friends myself.

Once Riley turned 4, she could no longer attend. So Jeremy and I would go on days when she had school. He enjoyed having time to himself where he could play and not have to be in her shadow. And I enjoyed spending time with him. Last year the Parent/Tot center moved to Riley's school (it was at another elementary school), which made it more convenient for us.

We made it our goal to try to meet up with our friends Ryan and his mom Cheri every Thursday. The boys have sisters who have become the best of friends, and the boys love playing together. And Cheri and I really enjoy chatting about anything and everything. The boys just lit up whenever they'd see the other. This year, they spent one day completing almost 100 puzzles, and another day they spent more than an hour trying to catapult every Little People character through a hole in a caterpillar tunnel. A month later, Miss Carla told me that a parent came up to her to ask what those boys were doing that one morning with all the Little People!

I'm so grateful for such a service that the district provides. Miss Carla came to be one of our dear friends, and she knew how much Jeremy loves hockey. She would ask him the scores on the days that we came in, and would love to hear what he's up to. Sadly we won't be attending anymore, but I may just have to pop in and see her whenever I'm at the kids' school.

Here are some pictures of our last day at Miss Carla's.