One Fine Day: LIFE'S LITTLE DETAILS

"THE DETAILS ARE NOT THE DETAILS. THEY MAKE THE DESIGN." — CHARLES EAMES

Happy Tuesday, m' dears! My sincerest apologies for the radio silence. I had EVERY intention to blog this past week since Max began preschool last Wednesday and I got a few extra hours of free time, but it turns out adjusting to our new routine was a little bit rougher on Team Fine than I'd envisioned. I mean, I anticipated the first day would be tough (especially the drop-off portion—woof!), but the moment I left him with his class, it's like I went full idiot and had NO clue what to do with myself when I was finally alone. The time we spent apart dragged on, and while I knew there were a handful of productive things I wanted/needed to accomplish, I just made my way around town feeling confused attempting to pass the time. Doesn't that sound ridiculous? To make matters worse, I was missing my kid all morning long, but as soon as he got home, he took his frustration out on yours truly and then I REALLY felt crazy about not taking advantage of him being at school. He was driving me NUTS!! A lot of people have said this is totally normal, so we'll just have to weather the storm. Thankfully, his behavior has been fantastic at school, so I'll chalk that up as a win and roll with the punches for now. Aw, motherhood—you're a wild ride!

With a week of pre-k under our belt and a relaxing weekend to boot, I feel better prepared for the week ahead and I've got a plan as to how I'll utilize the new schedule. Yassssss! Change has never been my bestie, but I'm certain that once we get the hang of our new normal, I'll be very pleased with the weekly breaks. Now, a few details worth noting...

I contemplated the whole picture sign thing for Max's first day of preschool like all the other adorable parents but ultimately decided against it because we certainly didn't need to add any more pressure to the day. Honestly, I was just REALLY happy our kid smiled for a picture. Keep the expectations low, right??

I didn't ugly cry on his first day like I thought. I locked it up and shed a few tears in the car, but I surprised Flyboy and myself. My mom kept coaching me and encouraging me to be strong for Max. It worked! Ha Ha!

Naturally, I had to document this freakish behavior and really cute outfit with a selfie. Then I realized that I must have been confused when I got dressed that morning. Was this lewk more Hamptons than Safeway?

It may be 80 degrees, but you better believe that we're ready for all the Fall things in Delaware. Hello, September! I still refuse to drink anything pumpkin-spiced until the temps drop a bit, but that won't stop us from picking apples or eyeing piles of pumpkins at Terrain. While I did buy six mums for the backyard berm last Friday, it's probably best to pump the Autumn brakes for at least another week or two. Right??

Because Max loves to be assertive (cough, bossy, cough), he lives for assigning me a toy to "babysit" when he's at school. Hey, whatever it takes right now, you know?? I'm not entirely sure how long I can keep this up because the list of instructions he gives me is getting to be a bit lengthy and absurd, but yesterday I ran errands with three-foot T-Rex who goes by the name Sue Brainer. Don't ask. Lucky for me, Max used two rubber bands to secure her snout—just in case she tried to bite me in his absence. I'm not a professional dinosaur trainer like my son, so he told me this was necessary.

One aspect of Max going to school that I really appreciate is him coming home with crafts that I had nothing to do with. Eek! It's not that I don't enjoy creating with him, but it feels like a little gift to have him bring home his artwork to share with us. I don't plan on keeping everything (you know my disdain for clutter), but it's nice to have something cute to hang on the refrigerator.

Speaking of creativity and supplies, aren't these crayons a piece of art? I don't plan to actually use them, but instead, hope to find a way to display them. Perhaps in a Lucite box on a shelf or gallery wall?

Finally, if you ever get the chance to eat an apple cider donut with ice cream, caramel, and candied nuts, don't hold back. I'm not sure why we waited 1.5 years to indulge in this delicacy, but it was heavenly.

Alright, enough rambling for now. I'll leave the rest for Thursday.

What have you been up to since we last touched base? I'm dying to know.