Enough with summer catch up posts

Ok - if I keep posting only about summer I will never get caught up. Here is a quick post full of random things.

1. Eve is in preschool three mornings a week. She loves it but wishes it were everyday and that it was longer - like all day. Basically she wishes it was real school with the girls, but at least she has something. Her afternoons must be filled with errands or play dates or else she drives me crazy. She is one extroverted girl. I bought her a new outfit for her first day of school. She calls it her school clothes and wants to wear it every time she goes to school.

2. School has us all getting up early. The girls elementary school is starting 30 minutes earlier this year due to busing issues. They kids bus comes at 7:48. Last year it cam at 8:22, so it has been a bit of an adjustment. So far, we are all handling quite well, with the exception of Jackie, who probably got up at 6:30 most days last year. She mush be growing or something. Anyway, she is BEAR in the morning. A bear that refuses to eat. I even bought some nutella to entice her. She was so excited last night when she saw it. She was sure she would be super excited and happy to eat it this morning. Not so. I hope her pleasant personality wakes up by the time she is at school.

3. Piano has started. This is the first year for Jackie. So far she is loving it. I think Alice will end up practicing more this year just because of the sibling rivalry. Jackie's teacher ( my friend Shaunie) is super positive and Jackie just drinks it up. Shaunie told her yesterday that she thinks she was born to play the piano...now to acquire an actual piano...our keyboard just isn't cutting it lately.

4. Basketball started last night for Alice. She is in U10 which means mini girls, so no boys on her team this year. We bought her some real basketball shoes this year and she was so excited to try them out. She is sure they helped her play better. There is enough girls in her age category to make up two teams. Last night was the assessment - which is really a try out, since they are dividing the girls into two teams based on ability. Her good friend Chloe is playing this year, and she has never played before. I was wondering what was more important to Alice - playing on the A team or playing on Chloe's team. Is it better to be the younger less experienced player on a really good team, or a star player on a team that isn't as good. Would you rather play with people you don't know or your friends? What would you pick? For Alice is was not even a question. She was hoping for A team all the way. I don't know if she will make it though - there are some CRAZY tall 10 year olds out there - but she ran her heart out last night trying. No matter what happens, Alice will be happy to play.

4. I am enjoying having Eve in preschool so so so much. I have a contract for work hopefully starting up soon , but in the meantime I am trying to kick start my fitness and weight loss goals. I have been exercising in the mornings with Jenny and Shaunie and today I went to my first TOPS meeting. TOPS stands for Taking Off Pounds Sensibly and it is a non profit that is more than a little corny - seeing as they give you a collar thing to wear and you get pins to decorate it with as you lose weight. I am prepared to take the cheese if it will give me some extra motivation and accountability and I think that knowing I will be weighed every Wednesday will give me that. Also, I don't want to let all those cute old ladies down. My friend Andrea is joining as well -- so hopefully I will be thinner by Christmas....