I�m trying to get back in the groove and am having a very difficult time. It�s one thing to go back to your office after a holiday. It�s probably a little depressing, but thanks to the office structure, you probably buckle down and get to work pretty soon. Or at least I did when I had a job with an office. It�s harder when you work at home. There are so many distractions, reminders that the fun is over. The Christmas tree is still up. The Christmas cookies (or the crumbs thereof) are still in the cupboard, poorly hidden behind the breakfast cereal. AJ�s new toys are still to be found in various stages of disarray all over the house. There is a dramatic looking plane crash under the Christmas tree. It appears that the plane dramatically lost altitude, flipped over and lost its tail. The few people who escaped were then visciously attacked by a gargantuan grey cat, who is now crushing them to death with her mammoth sleeping body. Oh, the horror!

There is also a half-finished sculpture made of magnets in the middle of AJ�s floor, which I never fail to trip over when returning his laundry to his dresser. Fortunately, I have been doing this while he�s at school. Because the language that flies out of my mouth every time I trip over this thing is probably not best suited to five-year-old ears. I�ve already got enough problems trying to explain why AJ periodically shouts out, �I saw her naked TWICE!� (see yesterday�s music review for an explanation).

AJ was very excited to go back to school again today. There is a new boy in his class, �His name is K. AND,� he announced proudly, �he�s sitting at MY table.� The idea of a new kid entering school in the middle of the year is tantalizing to him. I think he kind of wishes he were the new kid.

I spent most of my childhood being the new kid. It was usually really hard, but secretly, I liked it too. It was easier than trying to find your own way in the middle of the rest of the mob. When you�re the new kid, you get personal introductions and escorts. You might get called to the principal�s office �just to chat.� He might even give you a cookie (although in my case, it was a cookie and an IQ test, which probably constituted bribery).

I�m glad school�s back in session too. I start volunteering in AJ�s classroom later this month. I had a lot of fun working with the kids at their Christmas party. I�m looking forward to spending more time there, getting to know AJ�s classmates, and seeing how things work in the classroom. I have a feeling I�m going to have renewed respect for anyone who takes on the task of trying to teach anything to 24 five- and six-year-old kids.

[Second entry today; Click back to read about my new project.]

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