Life Lessons

Last week The Girl started kindergarten. On her first day a classmate had an accident on the gym floor. My 'mom' heart immediately went into spasms. I felt heartbreak all at once for the poor child who peed in gym class and for the parents who knew that their baby's first day of kindergarten was not all it could have been. Then the guilt rolled in when I admitted to myself that I was secretly relieved that it wasn't my child.

I had a little talk with The Girl about how accidents happen sometimes and that it is okay. We talked about how it is important to treat people with love and kindness especially when something bad or embarrassing happens.

It got me to thinking. I can see her school career stretched out before her and it’s a virtual minefield of social and emotional traps and pitfalls. I know there’s no way for me to protect her from it. I know she can’t learn through my mistakes. I know she has to navigate this sometimes treacherous journey on her own. But if I could, I’d want her to know this:

• Befriend the nerds, the geeks, the weirdos. When everyone grows up, these are the people great husbands, wives, and best friends are made of.
• Don’t be scared of the bullies. Mean people are everywhere and they feed off fear. Be the kid who stands up. Be the kid who protects the little guy.
• Don’t exchange what you know in your heart for what you think others will find cool.
• Know who your real friends are.
• Peer pressure is stupid, and anyone applying it to you is not worth your worry.
• Whatever it is that is breaking your heart today, I promise that it’s not that important. Let it go and move on.
• Your life is so long ahead of you, all of this daily drama is small in the big picture.
• Don’t let yourself be labelled or pigeon-holed. People will try. You can be as many different things as you want to be, and you can always change.
• It’s okay to be different.
• It’s okay to be popular. It’s okay not to be.
• It’s okay to be into sports or theater or music or math.
• It’s okay to work hard and do well.
• It’s okay to struggle.
• It’s okay to be embarrassed once in a while.
• It’s okay to have friends in different cliques.
• It’s okay to have a lot of friends. It’s OK to have a few.
• It’s okay to do and be whatever it is you want.

I can’t put all of this perspective into the head of a girl who has no perspective yet. I can’t wrap her up and shield her from all the stress, angst, and worry that she will need to suffer in order to gain this perspective for herself. All I can do is sit by and watch it happen, and be here to catch her when she falls.

Free Friday

The summer seems to have put a crimp in my Free Friday entries. Now that school is back in session so are the deals!

Cardstore.com:

Grandparent’s Day is Sunday, September 9th! The Cardstore is making it easy to celebrate by offering a free personalized card. Beginning today, use coupon code: CCK2248 through Sunday, 8/26!

Click here to get yours

Lowes:

Lowe’s Build & Grow Clinic: on Saturday (8/25), from 10 – 11 am, visit Lowe’s to build a free Shrek Onion Carriage.  The workshops are geared for children from 1st-5th grade, and parents need to remain with their child. The first 50 kids to sign up get a kit, work apron, and safety goggles for free.

You should register for the workshop to ensure you will receive a kit

 





Rue La La:

Hurry over to Rue La La and sign up for a new account today and get a $10 credit added to your account. Cute stuff on this site is added daily.

A possible cheap item to spend your credits on is under the Stylishly Done Dorms & Aparments Sale. They have Lilly Pulitzer items for as low as $11.

Head to Rue La La to sign up for this daily deal site and get a $10 credit.

Credits take 48 hours to appear. $10 credit offer runs until 8/31/12. Credit expires 9/30/12.

Note: I love the shipping concept of this site. Purchase an item, pay for shipping and for 30-days never pay for shipping again!

Old Navy:

Head to Old Navy now and save an extra 25% off your online purchase!  Just just code ONTAKE25 at checkout to get this discount.   Not valid on Everyday Steals, jeans and uniforms.

TV Guide:

In case you missed this a few weeks ago, the great deal on TV Guide Magazine is still going on. Right now you can get a one year subscription (56 issues) to TV Guide Magazine for just $20. That’s 90% off the list price.

Plus, they are running a special promo right now so  when you subscribe to the print magazine, you’ll get the Kindle Edition FREE! That means you can access all the magazine’s content for free on your Kindle device or any Kindle reading app. How cool!

On The Border:

There is a new On the Border coupon available.  Enjoy your FREE Queso when you try an On The Border Classic Combo!  Click here for your coupon.

Cold Stone Creamery:

You can buy one creation and get one free at Cold Stone Creamery through  8/31. This could be a nice after school treat for our little ones headed back to school. In fact, I might take The Girl this afternoon.

Click here for your coupon!