First Day of School

Okay the first day of school was over a month ago. But, I'm finally done posting about vacation and now on to school!

Mr. P is in 5th grade, Moses in 3rd, Sis in 1st and George in K!! It's going to be a very fun year with all four kids at THE SAME SCHOOL!!

Tuba is back at the high school and has transitioned into job skill training. He is loving his first job. He delivers inter office mail at the school district headquarters. 

George is off to a wonderful start. He is loving K. He goes half day so then spends his afternoons with me. It's nice to have some one-on-one time together. It's also a little boring for him some days. He should probably be doing the all day class but it is expensive ($3,000) so we opted for half day for free. Free school Becky...that's the mantra Cam kept repeating. After seven years of paying for preschool it is exciting.

Sis is having a fantastic year!! She has an amazing teacher that is a perfect fit for her. Last year was a hard year for Sis. The K teacher last year was not a good fit and Sis struggled all year. This year is like a complete turn around. She is loving school and is blossoming. She won an academic achievement award last week!!

Moses is enjoying school too. It's hard to get details out of him. So far I know that he goes to lunch and recess. Seriously! So glad conferences are right around the corner.

Mr. P is thrilled to be in 5th grade....the big kids. He loves his teacher. He has signed up to be a mediator....helping younger kids solve disagreements on the playground. 

I'm excited for my time volunteering in the kids' classrooms. I truly love my time at the school.

Now that I'm practically caught up with blogging I'm at a loss for what to post next. I do want to share my new deck, my new art station, and fall inspiration. What do you want to read about. I do miss my lists of favorite things and Kairos moments. Is there an old post that you enjoyed? You pick it....I'll blog it. Leave it in the comments. 

Works For Me

I will be regularly sharing something that Works For Me. I love to organize and I thought I'd share with all of you ways that I keep our lives/house/car/schedules/accessories/junk in order...or at least try to.

When school started back up I began using this little white board to detail the afternoon. It really helps me have things ready when the boys get off the bus. They come home hungry (are kids ever not hungry?) and need a snack while doing homework. And...It helps me to have a dinner plan. Ever have one of those nights when it's time to eat and everything is still frozen. Uh-huh.

It is great for the kids too. Mr.P and Busy Guy come in and look at the board. I change it up a bit each day....different colors, new greetings, I might tell them to hug a sibling instead or do both. It has really eliminated everyone wanting a different snack. I rarely have to use my stand-by phrase of, "I'm not wearing a name tag that says Flo and this is NOT a restaurant!". :)

Also, the standard, "what's for dinner" question is already answered. Now when they ask I just point to the board.

Works for me!

What tips do you have for keeping the after school time organized?

 

 

 

Back to School

The kids are back in school! Yeah! I love school. My kids love school. Summer is fun but the last couple weeks were a bit rocky. :) Everyone (ME) is really ready for school to start and the routine of the year. I love my kids' schools!! And the teachers are amazing!! And everyone is doing very well. Tuba is a sophomore this year. Looking handsome! He is officially as tall as me (not hard) but weighs 105. For the record that is 25 lbs. less than me.
Busy Guy was the MOST excited about school starting. Kindergarten!! He loves it! He is in the am session and has the same teacher that Mr. P had in K. BG is rather lonely and forlorn in the afternoon when his brother and the neighbor boys are still at school. He has begged us to send him to all day K. But, it's $300 a month for all day and free for half day. :( We've been playing games in the afternoon and that is helping him feel special.
Mr. P is a big 2nd grader. He LOVES his teacher. His reading is really taking off. I constantly find him lying around with a book. Captain Underpants is his favorite right now!
The wee ones are also in school!! Woot! This is the first time in 8 years that I've had a morning free while all the kids are at school!! I have appointments for dental, mammogram and yearly check all booked....and I don't have to hire a sitter! They go two times a week for 2.5 hours. I use one of the days to do my volunteer time at the Elementary school. Love that time!
Sis was VERY excited for school. Baby brother....not so much. He got more excited after open house and seeing all the cool toys. But, the first day was rough. He clung to my shirt and we had to unwrap each of his fingers so I could go. He didn't cry but looked rather scared. I faked a big smile, waved goodbye and then ran to my van and had a good cry! Whaaaa! What is wrong with me? Wasn't I supposed to be excited. Well, I am but it was a bit sad. The second week of school was much better and they are both loving it!

One of the coolest things for me this year is that my big kids ride the bus! Yeah! No more spending HOURS a day in the van. I walk a few blocks to the bus stop in the morning, then the afternoon bus drops BG off at our door. At the end of the day Mr. P either walks up with a neighborhood mom or we walk to the stop and get him. Tuba is picked up and dropped at our house. Heavenly!! It's a short ride and it's working well for everyone. Yeah for the bus! Yeah for school! Yeah!!!

Back in the Classroom

I got to volunteer today in Mr. P's Kindergarten classroom. So fun!!! I love school and I love to spend time in a classroom. Especially one of my kids' classes. It reminded me how much I love teaching and why I got my degree in education. I haven't taught in a school in a long time but I do still love it. The kids were all adorable and sweet. It's very fun to listen to them chat and work on their projects. I was at a station where the kids made Oreo spiders...Yum! I came home smelling like frosting:) I'll be spending time in his class every other week. Thanks to my awesome MIL who is watching the youngest 3 for me!!!

I Love Routine

I thrive on routine and because of this, Fall is my favorite time of year. I can't wait for school to start (only 5 more days for the oldest and 10 more for the pre-schooler!!!). I love school, I loved it as a child and I still love it. It's no wonder I became a teacher? I love getting the school supplies, new school clothes and getting the house in order. I love seeing all of the projects my kids make at school. I love laying down with them at night and listening to the days events. I can't wait to have some quieter one-on-one time with baby guy. I've been "purging" and cleaning out the house. I'm much more a Fall cleaner than a Spring cleaner. The garage is full of bags to go to charity. I'm itching for the leaves to turn, to get my jeans and sweaters out and to get into "casserole" season. I've got my down comforter ready for the cleaners too. I want my favorite shows to start their new season. I want to get out my pumpkin/gourd collection. I want to make apple butter and smell it cooking on the stove. I'm so excited for the routine that the school year brings.