Not a Moment Too Soon

Well, kindergarten happened.  Thank goodness!  The last few days before school started had me hanging on to my sanity with an increasingly tenuous grip.  But I have to say, this back to school thing?  Is kicking my butt.  Phew, I'm pooped!  Z, on the other hand, is not.  School seems to have revved her engine!  Um, yay?

So, here's a breakdown of first day adventures:

• We had to park several blocks away and walk to the school.  When I got Z situated in the cafeteria with her class, my normally intrepid offspring turned to me with big scared eyes and attached herself to me like a leech.  Wha... huh?  My girl who isn't scared of anything CRIED!  I ended up sitting cris-cross-applesauce with the kindergartners until the morning assembly was finished.  The only reason I was able to escape was because the principal dismissed the parents.  When Z started to cling and cry, I told her I had to go - the principal said so!
• School bus = fail.  Not that Z rides it, but I thought it was funny:  The school bus didn't get the new parking memo.  It got trapped in the inside lane and had to make a sharp right turn.  It missed.  And hit the school.  Turning the already crazy morning drop off into a total fuster cluck.  Welcome back to school!
• Clearly, lunch in the cafeteria wasn't explained to Z.  (Or she wasn't listening, a distinct possibility.)  She followed her classmates to the table then noticed that she didn't have anything to eat.  She reported indignantly, "I had to go get it myself!"  Poor little princess!
• Do they make hearing aides in kindergarten size?  At the end of the day, parents putt-putt through the pick-up lanes while the teachers radio ahead to your kid's section and yet another teacher escorts them to the cars.  I made it all the way up to the front of the line and still no Z.  We ended up holding up the line for five minutes or so while they tracked her down. (Spoiler alert: The same thing happened again the second day of school!)
• End of the day report?  She. Loved. It.  Yay!  They had big fun on a scavenger hunt/tour of the school!  There are several kids from her preschool in her class/grade!  She got to drink pink milk!  Just like Lola!  She got a good behavior stamp!  She needs a new full-sized backpack to carry all of her important kindergarten homework!
• Yep, homework.  You have to expect that the talented and gifted magnet would be big fans, huh?  Though on the first day?  I had WAY more homework than she did.  I swear they sent home a dozen forms for me to fill out.  I am getting writer's cramp just thinking about it!
• Last words before she went to sleep:  "Oh, boy!  I get to go to kindergarten again tomorrow!"

Speaking of going to sleep, I need to head that way myself.  The 6:45 alarm comes so. very. early.   Zzzzzz.