Dear Kindergarten

Dear Kindergarten,

I'm trying so hard to love you. If I could love you half as much as the children I'm sure we could make this work. To be honest though, I just don't think we're meant to be friends. I don't think you understand me, and I feel you're just wasting my time. We're only a month in, and I'm trying my best not to be too quick to judge, but this isn't easy. 

My main qualm with you is your busy work. I'm well versed in quietly recycling hoards of masterpieces each week; these ladies are serious about creating. However even I, in my laziest of moments, mixed things up a bit. Do you have any idea how much effing coloring you send home each day?! 

EACH DAY x2!

So if allowing the children to color quietly when they finish ahead of other is your SOP, must you send it all home? You have massive recycle dumpster and I only measly bins. 

Today's paper haul. Coloring all through the top left packet, all the assignments, and on the backs of the assignments. How many trees does the average kindergarten class kill each year? More importantly is this necessary?

Out of everything before you, including the weekly 4 page homework packets, nothing seems valuable. It's all busy work. My children are 5! All these glorious papers being sent home tells me a fair amount of their day is spent with butts in chairs-coloring. You can't pursuade me this busy work is relevant or necessary. Even if my children didn't already possess what is being delivered, I would voice the same complaint. 

They are f-i-v-e!

Let them run and play! 

They need more outside time to run around, play hide-and-seek, climb, and be free! Let them focus on their interests! This is the coloring I support. 

Let them create and explore! 

Thirty minutes of playground time isn't sufficient for 6 hours of inside time. Especially when you only allow them to use half the playground equipment. No monkey bars, no climbing above 3 feet, no, no, no! Ack!

Just lose the paper and crayons! Can I get a macaroni necklace or a play dog sculpture? Can we make a pine cone bird feeder and discuss migration for fall? Collect leaves? Please don't kill their love for you before it's really necessary!

Different Strokes

For different kids!

If nothing else, HAM has highlighted for me both the similarities between my ladies and the differences she has from them. During our "preschool" my ladies responded quite well to traditional instruction. All that stuff I went to school for and never used. I did make a conscious effort to pull away from the traditional and make things more hands-on and child led. My ladies always appreciated this, but this is where HAM thrived. This year, having her alone, I'm having to rethink my approach. 

Rethink = Scrap Plans

We're starting fresh with a more organic approach. I could officially consider myself a yuppie unschooler. We're explores!

In just one day of giving her the reigns I feel she has taken in and appreciated this whole experience more. Today we've discussed seasons, hibernation, left cycles, mirgration, and color. This was where she led us. One small idea, buying a craft, spiraled into all day conversation and exploration. Tomorrow we have plans for a photo walk and art collage, we also hope to make a chart of hibernating creatures. 

This sure beats practicing the alphabet!

Let's play with color. We explored primary colors and mixed them to make secondary colors. 

Most of this is old news for her. It helped to enforce what she already knew and allowed her to work on fine motor out side of primary lines. 

Plus, now there is a spooky witch in the house for Halloween! 

Now I'm off to find some neat hibernating creatures to study and find out how far caterpillars crawl. It's the little things that matter most. 

The New Mornings

Things have changed greatly since we've joined the carpool line. Long gone are our mornings spent playing in pajamas. Our mornings now run something like this:

Drop Daddoo at work

Breakfast with HAM

Dress

Brief playtime

Teeth & Hair

Car

Then we join the carpool line at school early, at their request. Why they insist on being early and at the front of the line is beyond me. A little part of my soul dies every day as I hurry up and wait. I, however, don't get to live it up in the backseat. 

Rousing game of BrainQuest! Apparently the ability to wander around the van is highly enjoyable. Who knew?! They're genuinely upset when we are at the back of the line and can't have fun time. This morning they requested new games for the car! Say what?!

So I will relent and leave early each morning, for the three minute round trip. Although I might start taking a different route to pass the cemetery. The gem from the third row this morning was "I don't want to die!!" Nearly every morning there is talk of death and burying. I'm all for a healthy dose of reality and exploration. Crashing burials, not my thing HAM. Sorry we can't go check out the hole. Gah! 

Every morning they remind me of the joys of being trapped at home, playing in pajamas. :)

Weekend Wrap

This weekend's wrap up is brought to you by crappy phone pictures!

A Sunday morning shift is such a luxury for me. It really reminds me what I can accomplish with a little time at home, and drives home how much I'm missing out on. *cue violins*

So today we went for a walk. 

It took the ladies a bit, and some coaxing, to agree to walk the trail. They had other ideas about going to a playground. Psssh. You have a playground at school and watching you run around like maniacs isn't the least bit entertaining to me anymore. Sorry Charlie.

I'm sure the hubs didn't plan on leaving the path, and I did make sure not to take them well off the beaten path like we normally do. We did get some climbing and exploring in. The ladies, and pup, left we wet feet. It was so relaxing and a wonderful reminder that fall is come. 

It was also a wonderful reminder in how fortunate I am to have strong, able-bodied, and non-whiney children. I think the chill in the air must have thrown their equilibrium. We had TWO children down! TWO CHILDREN DOWN!

First Em fell trying to scale a rock wall. A minor scrap, but I think she was startled and embarrassed as there were people around. So I went trotting around a little pond, with a dog, to tend to her while Claire is hiking up stream. I'm sure I looked like Mother Of The Year.

After that Em was the hubs and Claire and I got some climbing time in. Hooray for timer app!

It was on our return trip that I truly appreciated our ladies' ability walk-it-off.

This wasn't walk-it-off material.

My heart sunk. The sound of a body hitting the pavement. You're welcome. 

I cringed for and with her. She was merrily skipping and hit a wrinkle in the pavement.  Splat. I watched her head bounce. I may have let out a small sob as I held her because it was bad. Thankfully it wasn't too bad, and thankfully the thought of a piggy back ride was enough to calm her and get her going again. 

*Never offer to piggy-back ANYONE over the age of 3 and/or 30 lbs.*

Wow. That was a bit of a work out. Lucky me, the return trip is uphill. 

After that I was spent. The grass and flowers will wait!

I did manage to make some rolls for the week and a few loaves of banana bread. The hubs will be thrilled that my rotten bananas have left the freezer. Hopefully they have made a taste, but not too sweet, bread. Our bags are packed for tomorrow, homework is finished, and this Momma is digging into a apple before bed!

Kindergarten

We're a week into Kindergarten. Time has flown. These are the pictures from their first full day, a Friday-pssh. 

The last time the gang was together. Poor HAM is only 4 and not venturing off with her friends. 

I made it into the picture! Thankfully these look better outside the blog. I've gone back and added the school year and teacher to pictures as well. 

I'm quite pleased with how well they've taken to school. The first day they sent my heart fluttering when it was our turn in the carpool line. The hoped out and FROZE. Deer in the headlights. Thankfully the hyper-vigilant teachers welcomed and ushered them into the building. After that I was fine, I wore my No Tears badge with pride. 

I'm surprised that my quite child is blossoming sooooo much. She seems to be a social butterfly and is much more confident and mature. They're both more mature. My other sweet lady is coping just fine, although I think she is slightly taken back at her sister's new confidence. I do carry a small worry that she will be the class clown, or will show up and let it impede her learning, but I keep that fear safely tucked away. 

Kindergarten in terms of work has been no great shakes, it's all rather beneath them. I laugh when I tell people that they're asking for more homework. HA! I know that won't last forever, but I love that they want to learn and hone their skills. I'm eager to see where things are in a month from now, and to see how they are progressing. I've been struggling to get the details from them each day and keep changing my tactics. Tell me what you do there all day! Geeze!

I think this has been hardest on those of use left behind. The neighbor lady, HAM, and I. We are left to fend for ourselves. Everything is so different! When there were 4, we would have to reach a consensus on the day's activities. HAM now has carte blanche, but sometimes things aren't as interesting or fun with just one kid. How these singleton parents keep up is beyond me! With fall approaching I am eager to go on photo walks, hike through the pretty trees, pick apples and pumpkins, and do all things fall. I'm just not sure how to fit that all in on just the weekends, especially since I'm working. Gah! 

I've resisted picking them up early for a week now, and I'm hoping that nagging fades. Six and a half hours is a long time! Since there is no quiet time at school they come home in a slight fog, but by dinner time they are fading fast. Thankfully they haven't been bears, but I'm hoping after a month's time we will all be settled in. I still can't believe I have kids in school. 

September Goals

Fall is always a fresh start. My life runs in semesters, cold and hot. So starting fresh, hopefully I can catch-up from my slothful summer!

Me

• Print off PL July-Aug and catch up!
• Print NYC photos
• Establish volunteer schedule with the school
• Redo budget 

Family & Home

• Planning for beach trip
• Ladies fall wardrobe (wash, flip)
• Find new shrubs, pull out old
• Cut back ivy
• New shed lock & organizer
• Buy a new sink & faucet [dream on]

It all seems so simple but it's making the time that kills.

Official End of Summer

Yesterday we celebrated the official end of summer with a trip to Knoebels. It was the last thing we were able to cross off of our summer bucket list, finally tally to come. 

I absolutely adore this park for the little people. It's simple. It's traditional. It's cheap and never crowded, especially compared to it's more well known local rivals. I feel safe there. What more could I ask for?

Well, maybe a shorter wait for the Flying Turns. :) 

This year it hit both the hubs and I, they're not babies anymore. 

*GULP*

It sounds crazy but more and more were noticing these big girl changes. I'll be sad when they no longer enjoy this park. Time is ticking but I'm hoping for a few more seasons there. I'm not looking forwards to sitting around a commercial theme park for hours while they run off to ride by themselves. 

Dear Babies,

Slow down. 

Love,

Me