Preschool Tuesday

Today, my four year old is at preschool!  Yay!  That sounds awful but it truly is a godsend for both him and myself.  He gets to play and interact with other children and I get to recharge a bit.

I have also arranged for a cleaner to clean the house on a Tuesday and she starts next week.  Yay for me!  I can't wait!  This means on my days that my boy is at preschool I can spend doing what I like and the cleaning will be taken care of.

He attends preschool twice a week so on these days I can get other things done that is a nightmare when he is with me.  I'm not saying he is crazy or anything but four year olds get very bored doing mundane chores like grocery shopping etc and his favourite thing whilst we do groceries is pick up anything shaped like a cucumber and pretend its his 'winkie' as he calls it.  I just can't help but laugh when he does it, which is probably why he does it every time we're in Coles or Woolworths.  I laugh because you have to admit it, its funny and because of everyone elses faces that look on, some look in disgust and probably think I'm a bad mum for letting him do such a thing but the majority laugh. 

So Tuesday and Fridays I go grocery/clothes/make up shopping and catch up on my recorded foxtel shows, my favourite at the minute being all the reality stuff.  I particularly like The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Real Housewives of Orange County.  I just love the extravagance of these ladies lives and seeing how the other half lives.  I've also previously watched The Real Housewives of New York and loved Bethenney from the show, she later brought out her own reality show following her through her wedding plans and up until she gave birth to her baby.  I have also watched The Real Housewives of New Jersey and am really loving The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills at the moment.  The women in these shows are so funny and can be quite bitchy to eachother, which is always good to watch the drama.  I really think an australian version of these shows should be made in each state.  It would be so good to watch The Real Housewives of Sydney, The Real Housewives of Perth, The Real Housewives of the Gold Coast etc etc.  It would be such good viewing!  How do we get tv producers to listen to our ideas?  One of these shows could also be filmed in the mining suburbs of Western Australia, say Kalgoorlie, it would be so good to see how these women live and what they spend their mining cash on.  Don't you think?  The city housewives out lunching at Darling Harbour and the Surfers Paradise mums chilling on the beach. 

It also means on these said preschool days my nine month old baby girl gets to have her full twice a day naps without being rudely awaken by a grumpy, bored four year old!  She is so happy to see him at the end of the day though and must miss him in her own little way.  If we're out shopping and she sees another little boy resembling her brother she gets so excited and waves her arms and legs, its so funny to watch!  To be honest, I do miss him myself towards the end of the day and always love walking through the preschool gates and sneak a peak at what they are up to and love it when he spots me and comes running for a big kiss and a great big squeeze cuddle!

At the beginning though, I made a rod for my own back, as when I first left him at daycare the first time I always returned to pick him up with a 'surprise' in the car, that being a small toy or sweets.  This was probably just to make me feel better as he was fine and loved daycare straight away but I felt guilty.  Even though I don't work I just thought at the time he was eighteen months old, he needed some other kind of stimulation other than just being at home alone with me all day.  I think this is a good age to start a child in daycare or nursery as they need other kids to play with and be around.  Its a good thing to get them used to.  We also attended our local playgroup and mothers group once a week, but I think he needed just that extra little bit of time apart from me to grow more independent.  So, yes, getting back to the 'surprise' he now expects a little something every time I pick him up from preschool.  I've got no one else to blame but myself!