photoOur morning has changed drastically since Mazzy started kindergarten two weeks ago. Mike and I used to leave both kids at home with our nanny when we left to go to work at 9:30am.

Now, Mazzy must be at school at 8:30am which means one of us has to leave the house at 8am to catch the 8:15am crosstown bus to get Mazzy to school on time.

Mazzy, who was used to lounging around in her pajamas watching Doc McStuffins well past when mom and dad walked out the door, now has to get dressed and ready to go as soon as she wakes up.

We don’t even let her watch television until she’s fully clothed with her hair done and eating breakfast. (Just so know, brushing Mazzy’s hair has become the absolute WORST— I threaten to chop it off every other day.)

In the morning, I always say the same thing.

“Do you want to wear pants or a dress?”

That’s my way of giving her a choice without really giving her a choice. We honestly don’t have time for Mazzy to pick her own clothes, unless she wants to do it the night before (she does not).

The advantage of picking Mazzy’s clothes myself is I have gotten her to agree to more outfits that aren’t pink— like this adorable Tucker & Tate striped dress from Nordstrom.

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photo 2Isn’t blue really her color???

She loved it on sight and I pretended it was no big deal that she was so excited about something of the non-pink variety, lest she realize what she had done and change her mind.

There’s something about Mazzy in blue that makes her seem so much older than my little girl dressed head to toe in bubblegum pink.

Maybe it’s also the backpack and the bus.

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photo 4No stroller, no scooter, no toddler board. Just riding the bus like a regular person with legs.

photo 3The bus comes every fifteen minutes so if we miss it, we are screwed and will be late for school. Yesterday, the bus came a minute early and we could see it taking off down the street as we turned the corner. I told Mazzy to run because if we were fast, we could catch up with it on the next block.

Bags in hand, we ran side by side, weaving in and out of pedestrians like we were in a video game. “Catch the bus or else you will be late to school!” They should put that on Nintendo Wii. (Rule #1: It’s important not to make eye contact with other parents while you are forcing your child to sprint down the sidewalk.)

We ended up passing the bus while running across 2nd Avenue and made it to the next stop before the bus got there. Oh my god, the laughter and happiness when Mazzy realized we had out-ran the bus.

I was pretty thrilled too. (After I caught my breath.)

I really love taking her to school. We get a seat, we say hello to other kids from her school who hop on, and it gives us fifteen solid minutes of time to chat. Sometimes we are quiet, sometimes she is distracted by another kid, but mostly, we are laughing and making mommy-daughter small talk.

photo (5)Do you have gym today?

What do you think you will do at recess?

Who are you excited to see in class?

Mike and I take turns taking Mazzy to school, because the commute fits into both of our schedules and we both like the extra quality time. Plus, I really like the commute from her school to my office which is a nice twenty minute walk. Mike likes riding the citibike up to his office.

photo (6)I’m sure the joy will fade when it gets cold out.

Another non-pink outfit I was able to sneak into rotation is this super soft kitty sweater with sparkly denim leggings. Mazzy went crazy over the sweater texture and wore it the day after it arrived in the mail.

photo 3aHave I mentioned that waiting for the bus creates the perfect picture taking opportunity?

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photo 1aWhen Mazzy first started kindergarten, I was way more apprehensive than I thought I would be. Would she make friends easily? Would she be able to keep up in her class as the youngest kid?

After two weeks, she has made friends already. When she arrives at school, she says hello to people, she talks about kids by name at home and she’s seems genuinely happy to be there. A lot of my uneasiness has faded in such a short time.

When she walked in on this particular day, I said goodbye as everyone gathered around to touch her sweater.

“It’s so soft,” the kids repeated.

“Yeah, my mom got it for me.”

It reminded me that she is still really small and for now, making friends is a pretty simple affair.

Speaking of small, Nordstrom sent Harlow a bunch of clothes too, like this Tucker & Tate Dress, cotton hoodie and polka dot jeggings. Unfortunately, Harlow is an itty bitty peanut and everything was way too big.

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photo 1 copy 2Now if only I could freeze time and keep her that way.

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This post is sponsored by Nordstrom but all thoughts, opinions and bus commutes belong to me. If you’d like to check out my curated Nordstrom shop, click here.