There is a song stating that Christmas is the “most wonderful time of the year.” No disrespect to Andy Williams, but I disagree. For me, the most wonderful time of the year is when the girls return home after summer vacation with their mother. From Gabriella having her birthday to prepping for their return (the house and car are spotless right now), or to just me smiling and getting that spark of life back again, this is the best part of the year for me.
A little over a year ago, I wrote a post about some of the difficulties of doing my daughters’ hair and how I overcame them… it is pretty much a ten-minute read on how to do a pony tail. One thing that I briefly discussed was that I was absolutely terrible at (even attempting) braids at that it would be a while until I tried again. Well, Gabriella asked me for a braid the other night after her bath, and even though I feared the result, I acquiesced to her polite request. And succeeded.
Conveniently, the girls had their dental appointments scheduled right after Elaina lost her two bottom front teeth. Unfortunately, their appointments were cancelled due to COVID-19. After Arizona started easing some restrictions and the dentist’s office had put the necessary safety and social distancing protocols in place, I was able to rescheduled their appointments. And crazy enough, the girls were really excited to go.
(Note: Some of these pictures were from before COVID-19, and thus before the safety protocols were in place)
It comes time in every child’s life that they lose their first tooth, and Elaina hit that milestone a couple months ago. And while Elaina had to get over the fear of losing a baby tooth, Dad had to step into a new role: Tooth Fairy!
While kids worldwide are ecstatic about school being cancelled for the rest of the year, parents quickly found out that they were not quite off the hook. Instead of just helping their kids with their homework and reading to them at bedtime, we became their primary teachers overnight (Note: This is in no way a slight to actual teachers, as they still have to assign and grade the coursework. They also miss their kids like crazy). It was a little difficult at first, but like all things with single parenting, you eventually get the hang of it.
Gotta get that “G” right, otherwise all hope is lost
So by now, most of us are probably bored out of our minds being stuck at home. While I still have to go in to work (being mission-essential and all), the girls are definitely getting tired of being cooped up in the house most of the weekend. But, pandemic or not, good parenting never stops and we are still driving on with our routine (albeit a safer one).
Swimming, Trampolining, and Cookies are where it’s at!
About two weeks before COVID-19 changed everything, we were busy preparing Elaina for her talent show at the Seifert School Age Center (SAC). She was planning to sing “Into the Unknown” from Frozen II with some of her friends, so we brought out the karaoke machine that she got for Christmas and started practicing. Yep, it is another post about taking time away from your busy day at work to support your child and their activity.
During this time of uncertainty, sometimes it is really tough to think positive. But we must carry on and try to find the silver lining in all this. In the Army, we call this “Hunting the Good Stuff.” In essence, you may be in a bad situation, but try your best to look on the bright side. And we do, because that is how the Calkins Family does it.
I got served the same food right after this picture was taken (and I ate all of it, I swear!)
Here is another short post from our support of Read Across America Week earlier in March at Elaina’s school. They had a Fox in Socks Day, where every child was encouraged to wear crazy socks to school. Elaina, being the perpetual overachiever that she is (so proud), wanted to wear socks on her hands as well. Done.
The Eiffel Tower socks are due to her love of Fancy Nancy
This meant that we had to take a trip to Hobby Lobby (Yes, I will take any excuse!) to find her some new pairs of crazy socks. As luck would have it, they had a three-pair set of French-themed socks covered in Eiffel Towers, macarons, and birds for Elaina, while Gabriella went with the more traditional mermaid-themed socks (Gabriella, of course, wants to participate in any activity that Elaina is a part of; as much as they fight, and they do, Gabriella loves her sister and wants to be just like her). Not much to it other than that, but any activity that gets my girls excited about school is a win. And now they have a ready supply of fancy socks, so double-win, I guess.
Yep, we do matching hair ties as well in our family
As part of Read Across America Week earlier this month, Elaina’s teacher asked parents to volunteer as guest readers for her class. As busy as I am at work (even pre-COVID-19), there is always time to support Elaina and her school, so I volunteered to read two books to her class.
Elaina’s Book Choices (her teacher denied me reading The Dresden Files or Game of Thrones)
The hardest part of this was determining what books we were going to bring. Elaina ended up choosing The Sneetches and Fancy Nancy, but Dragons Love Tacos and Fox in Socks were definitely considered. After that, it was easy: Show up to Elaina’s class at the right time, read both books (with the voices, of course), and answer a dozen questions from inquisitive kindergarteners (Child: “Why does Nancy want to be so fancy?”; Me: “She watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s one too many times. Next question please.”). It is always a great idea to volunteer to support your child’s class when available. It makes your child very proud that their Dad is participating in a school activity, and a plus is that they get to see you during the school day. It also lets the teacher know that you are an active participant in your child’s education while being supportive of her program and activities. Improving my daughter’s education and putting a smile on both of our faces… yes, please! So, if you get the opportunity, volunteer to support your child’s class as a guest reader, chaperone, or by making or donating something to support their activities; you will not regret it.
Elaina’s Words to Live by: Volunteer for your daughter!
