Sarah Jane is enjoying Second Grade. Her first morning was difficult with it being a new school and all. We both shed some tears, but once I left she settled right in and announced on the way home that day that she had made 5 friends. She is now quite comfortable with the campus, has made many more friends, and really likes her teacher too. She is in a split class (2nd and 3rd grades combined) and they work together in the mornings, with the afternoons spent separated by grade. They get to walk to the town library every Thursday and have short days (called Minimum Days) each Wednesday.
She is currently enrolled in the After School Program as we haven't been able to work out carpooling yet. She seems to enjoy the extra play time, although if we can find a family who can work with our schedule, getting her home earlier would be best.
Our days look like this- I'm up at 6am, Sarah Jane is awakened at 6:45 which usually results in the other two getting up also. We are all dressed, breakfasted, and ready to leave the house at 7:30. We arrive at Delta by 8am, with class beginning at 8:10. We get home from dropping off Sarah Jane around 8:30 and usually have breakfast #2 at 9am. The girls play and I try to get work done around the house until 11am- that's lunch time. Sadie Lynn and I leave for preschool at 11:45, and class starts at 12:30. We leave the preschool around 4pm, drive home to get the baby and take the babysitter home (who has been there since 3pm when Steve has to leave for work) then we drive out to Delta to get Sarah Jane. We have been getting home around 5:30, just in time for dinner, homework, baths and bed. However there are at least 2 nights a week when we have an evening commitment and bed time gets pushed back. Tonight is not one of those nights, and so a good night's sleep will be had by all! Woo hoo!
Our days are busy, and little else gets accomplished aside from those things that are needed for survival. I cook dinner, but extras like cookies and cake haven't happened since school has started. The laundry is getting done, but nothing gets ironed until it's time to wear it. As the year progresses, I will learn how to best use my time in the mornings and whenever possible, the weekends. Steve wakes up around 10:30 and I leave at 11:45, so we don't see very much of each other on the days he works, and what's worse is that Sarah Jane leaves for school before he is awake and he leaves for work before she gets home, so on those days they don't see each other at all. This only means that Steve's days off need to become sacred family time, and that as many Saturdays as we can get will be spent together.
On a brighter note, Sadie Lynn is having a wonderful time in preschool. She has had only a couple of misbehavior episodes due to the fact that I am both mom and teacher, but it hasn't been nearly as bad as I anticipated. I have some great parents in the class and they are becoming more and more helpful at re-directing her and helping her focus so that I don't have to fight with her about it. Most of the time she loves having me there with her, and it feels like our special time together since her sisters aren't with us.
Overall, the Huddle is busy, but doing well. Now I have to get back to work.
Yours 'till there's a horse fly in the Kentucky Derby.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
It's Official!
Right now you are reading the blog of the official Afternoon Class Teacher at James Marshall Parent Participation Nursery School in West Sacramento, CA!
If you are not shouting "Woo Hoo!" with me right now, I'll give you a minute to do that...
Thanks.
I am very excited to have gotten the final word on my employment, and am ready to dive right in to prep for the coming school year. Last night was Parent Orientation Night, and I must admit that I was a tad bit nervous. Just a smidgen. And by "smidgen" I mean sweaty hands, shaking knees, and continual thoughts of "don't screw this up- this is your first impression!" On the bright side, I was not SO nervous I cried- which has happened just recently with another big event- but more on that later.
The majority of my fears centered around the fact that I am supposed to be the Teacher, with a capital T, but feel like I'm just one of the parents (with many more lowercase moments than uppercase, by the way). I was afraid that I would be unable to take command of the classroom, or to be seen as an equal with Mrs. Brown, the elder, more experienced morning teacher. However it didn't take me long to realize that it's not so much about how you see yourself, as about how they see you. I may not feel like an authority on children or education, but they see me as such, and treated me accordingly. It was not nearly as difficult as I had imagined, really not difficult at all, to establish myself as the Teacher with a capital T and to show that my influence would be more than just as another parent- or as a temporary substitute. I was asked about my achievement goals for students who will be graduating to Kindergarten next year, I was asked how I thought best to deal with separation issues, I was even told with confidence that one mother was sure her child (who has a sensory disorder) would be just fine with me but wasn't so sure that he would be successful in Mrs. Brown's class. I left the orientation feeling good and with not a bit of anxiety left. Now, I'm sure I will be on edge a little for the first day of school, but I've been told that if it looks like a Teacher, walks like a Teacher, and sounds like a Teacher, then it must be a Teacher.
QUACK!
Yours 'till I can teach a school of fish to read and write.
If you are not shouting "Woo Hoo!" with me right now, I'll give you a minute to do that...
Thanks.
I am very excited to have gotten the final word on my employment, and am ready to dive right in to prep for the coming school year. Last night was Parent Orientation Night, and I must admit that I was a tad bit nervous. Just a smidgen. And by "smidgen" I mean sweaty hands, shaking knees, and continual thoughts of "don't screw this up- this is your first impression!" On the bright side, I was not SO nervous I cried- which has happened just recently with another big event- but more on that later.
The majority of my fears centered around the fact that I am supposed to be the Teacher, with a capital T, but feel like I'm just one of the parents (with many more lowercase moments than uppercase, by the way). I was afraid that I would be unable to take command of the classroom, or to be seen as an equal with Mrs. Brown, the elder, more experienced morning teacher. However it didn't take me long to realize that it's not so much about how you see yourself, as about how they see you. I may not feel like an authority on children or education, but they see me as such, and treated me accordingly. It was not nearly as difficult as I had imagined, really not difficult at all, to establish myself as the Teacher with a capital T and to show that my influence would be more than just as another parent- or as a temporary substitute. I was asked about my achievement goals for students who will be graduating to Kindergarten next year, I was asked how I thought best to deal with separation issues, I was even told with confidence that one mother was sure her child (who has a sensory disorder) would be just fine with me but wasn't so sure that he would be successful in Mrs. Brown's class. I left the orientation feeling good and with not a bit of anxiety left. Now, I'm sure I will be on edge a little for the first day of school, but I've been told that if it looks like a Teacher, walks like a Teacher, and sounds like a Teacher, then it must be a Teacher.
QUACK!
Yours 'till I can teach a school of fish to read and write.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Milestones
We've hit a milestone in Sydney's toddlerhood.
Yesterday we took down the crib and last night for the first time she slept in a big girl bed! After much pleading and several attempts at the "puppy dog eyes", Steve and I considered taking down the top bunk where Sarah Jane sleeps. She hadn't been sleeping up there because she is convinced that spiders come down from the roof and onto her bed. I have tried to convince her that there is nothing to worry about- I have vacuumed all of the corners with her in the room to point out the spots I've missed, I've wiped down all of the crevices where they might be hiding, and I've conducted nightly inspections- all to no avail. She has been sharing a bed with Sadie Lynn, and frankly, that has been working out fine.
We moved the bed to clean behind and under, and Sarah Jane thought that a good opportunity to beg for her bed to be put on the ground. We explained that there wasn't room for two big beds and a crib, and if we took down the top bunk someone would ALWAYS have to share a bed. "That'll change her mind" we said. "She'll never agree to sharing a bed for good" we said. "OK, that's fine" she said.
Steve and I discussed, Sarah Jane, Sadie Lynn and I discussed, Steve and I discussed again. Today we have two twin beds on the floor and no crib. The baby was ready for a big bed and her transition went very smoothly. She said goodbye to her crib and got right up onto the big bed and closed her eyes. (She literally said goodbye to her crib as we took it out of the room) She will be in what used to be the top bunk because it has side rails already, as she's not used to having open sides she can fall out of. Last night Sarah Jane shared that bed with her, and Sadie got her own bed back for one peaceful night's sleep. Tonight I have no idea who will sleep where, and it may be a new experience every night for a while. They have all been warned that if this doesn't work out the beds go back and the third bunk will be added. Especially with school starting soon, I will be in no mood to referee bedtime.
We'll see how it goes- I'll keep you posted.
Yours 'till a good night's sleep can be had in the flower bed.
Yesterday we took down the crib and last night for the first time she slept in a big girl bed! After much pleading and several attempts at the "puppy dog eyes", Steve and I considered taking down the top bunk where Sarah Jane sleeps. She hadn't been sleeping up there because she is convinced that spiders come down from the roof and onto her bed. I have tried to convince her that there is nothing to worry about- I have vacuumed all of the corners with her in the room to point out the spots I've missed, I've wiped down all of the crevices where they might be hiding, and I've conducted nightly inspections- all to no avail. She has been sharing a bed with Sadie Lynn, and frankly, that has been working out fine.
We moved the bed to clean behind and under, and Sarah Jane thought that a good opportunity to beg for her bed to be put on the ground. We explained that there wasn't room for two big beds and a crib, and if we took down the top bunk someone would ALWAYS have to share a bed. "That'll change her mind" we said. "She'll never agree to sharing a bed for good" we said. "OK, that's fine" she said.
Steve and I discussed, Sarah Jane, Sadie Lynn and I discussed, Steve and I discussed again. Today we have two twin beds on the floor and no crib. The baby was ready for a big bed and her transition went very smoothly. She said goodbye to her crib and got right up onto the big bed and closed her eyes. (She literally said goodbye to her crib as we took it out of the room) She will be in what used to be the top bunk because it has side rails already, as she's not used to having open sides she can fall out of. Last night Sarah Jane shared that bed with her, and Sadie got her own bed back for one peaceful night's sleep. Tonight I have no idea who will sleep where, and it may be a new experience every night for a while. They have all been warned that if this doesn't work out the beds go back and the third bunk will be added. Especially with school starting soon, I will be in no mood to referee bedtime.
We'll see how it goes- I'll keep you posted.
Yours 'till a good night's sleep can be had in the flower bed.
Monday, August 4, 2008
To Be Continued
So...more on our vacation to Michigan:
This is a list of some of our favorite parts of our vacation
~The "family reunion" in Ohio (more on that later)
~Dinner at The Modern with David and his lovely co-workers
~Swimming at Joan's (put on the list by the girls)
~Wave Pool fun in the sun with Grammy Africa
~Playing with Riley and Owen
~Spotting deer up north at Aunt Judy and Uncle Willard's
~Spotting giant dinosaurs WITH Aunt Judy and Uncle Willard(also added to the list by the girls)
~Going to the park with Grandma Airplane's friend Judy
All in all it was a vacation success. The worst part about it was leaving. Due to the death of my Grandmother in Ohio, leaving that side of the family, especially my mom, was quite difficult. I would like to tell you more about our time in Ohio with family, and about my Grandma, but I am not yet able to talk about it at length without several boxes of tissue. But someday, I will talk all about her strength, her determination, her incredible work ethic, and her incredible hugs.
But for now, that is all.
More about out post-vacation life next time.
Yours 'till my herb garden grows in "mint condition"
This is a list of some of our favorite parts of our vacation
~The "family reunion" in Ohio (more on that later)
~Dinner at The Modern with David and his lovely co-workers
~Swimming at Joan's (put on the list by the girls)
~Wave Pool fun in the sun with Grammy Africa
~Playing with Riley and Owen
~Spotting deer up north at Aunt Judy and Uncle Willard's
~Spotting giant dinosaurs WITH Aunt Judy and Uncle Willard(also added to the list by the girls)
~Going to the park with Grandma Airplane's friend Judy
All in all it was a vacation success. The worst part about it was leaving. Due to the death of my Grandmother in Ohio, leaving that side of the family, especially my mom, was quite difficult. I would like to tell you more about our time in Ohio with family, and about my Grandma, but I am not yet able to talk about it at length without several boxes of tissue. But someday, I will talk all about her strength, her determination, her incredible work ethic, and her incredible hugs.
But for now, that is all.
More about out post-vacation life next time.
Yours 'till my herb garden grows in "mint condition"
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