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A New Year Begins

I have always thought of Labour Day, rather than January 1st as the mark of a new year. Perhaps this is because I have been in school for the vast majority of my almost 36 years and because my birthday is right around the same time.

This year there are many significant changes occuring in our household the day after Labour Day. First, Little A starts full-time daycare. I am keeping my fingers crossed she settles down quickly and stops the biting/pushing/hair-pulling behaviour. Big A starts kindergarten and begins at a new daycare. She also starts Hebrew school on Sunday mornings at the JCC from 9:15am until 11:45am - which seems like a long time for a 4 year old.

Because Big A starts school, she will no longer be able to spend Wednesdays with my mother-in-law as she has been doing since she was a baby. I am sad for her and wondering how she will handle it. They did a grandparent/grandchild program at a local synogogue for a few years and then when Big A graduated, they took cooking classes and began baking together every Wednesday. Now Little A will go every other Wednesday with my mother-in-law to the program at the synogogue (my niece of the same age will go the alternate weeks) and I wonder how this will make Big A feel? I think she is really going to miss her bubby.

Yesterday we sold our double stroller. This also marks a new beginning. Absolutely no more stroller for Big A - she must either walk or bicycle everywhere. Fortunately, her new school is a 10 minute walk, but I am sure I am going to get a lot of resistance from her, especially in the winter time.

Even though my new course - Ethical Standards for Mental Health Service Providers - doesn't officially start until next Tuesday, they posted to course syllibus yesterday so I kind of have to start working. They recommend you work one week ahead and besides, with our trip to Kingston this weekend to visit my parents and my birthday party next weekend, I don't have a lot of spare time to work. The first assignment is due September 12th too!

I caught Little A's cold and once again I'm reminded how precious health is and how deeply connected are the mind and body. Yesterday I felt awful (very sore throat, headache and bad congestion) and I was miserable and depressed. Today I woke up feeling somewhat better (just bad congestion now) and my mood is markedly improved. I just hate to think what kind of icky bugs the girls are going to pick up this fall in their new environments and pass on to Adam and I. I never used to get sick before I had kids...

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