Lions, And Tigers, And Bears…Oh My!
September 8, 2008
Lions, And Tigers, And Bears…Oh My!
The last few weeks are indescribable but I have to try in order to somewhat justify my abrupt absence. To start things off allergy season arrived in all of it’s glory and totally caught me off guard. After the first couple of days I started taking my allergy medication but it has not helped. My children were also hit extremely hard with allergies and they have been miserable; so far nothing really works for them either.
Just as allergy season was getting into a good stride and making us miserable soccer and football practice took up residence in our lives. I have four children who have never been involved in any type of sports other than what they would do in the backyard with their friends. Trust me when I tell you that adjusting to having three kids in sports all at the same time was a huge adjustment to me!
Shortly after the start of soccer practice it was almost time for the kids to start back to school. But before they got into the back to school days I decided to look into a different school for the kids; now we’re taking like 9 days before they started school — not a few weeks or anything. So I went with a friend who was thinking the same thing and we talked to the principal. Then she had to discuss it with her husband and I had to discuss it with my ex-husband. Once we both got the “go ahead” then it was a matter of getting the paperwork in and then finding out that the school district had to approve a boundary exception. By this time it was down three days before the start of school. In the end we both got things all worked out and the kids started school…for the most part.
For the most part…three little words that turned my world upside down for nearly a week. At the same time that I decided to enroll the three younger children into this new school I also decided to enroll my 14 year old into their virtual school option since I would be able to educate him at home through the school and give him more one-on-one time. He has special needs and an individualized education plan (IEP) because he reads at a 2nd grade level; he is in 7th grade. Well I had a bit of a fight on my hands with the Jr. High School and the people involved in writing his IEP because they felt that he would not get as good of a quality of education by being taught at home. One of the first things we were told was that he may not be allowed to participate on the football team and that it was an issue under consideration. Then a meeting was scheduled with the IEP team to determine what would be the best course of action for his education this year. Emotions were running quite high in the meeting and it was apparent that we were at a standstill when the principal of the school asked a question that meant the turning point of the meeting. She asked me if I trusted them with the education of my son. I chose to be perfectly honest with everyone in the room even though I knew I was going to break down and cry. I told them that I did not trust them with my son. I put him into the public school system four years ago; at the time he was two years behind due to his reading difficulty. He should have been in fourth grade but they placed him into a multi-age class with 6 and 7 year old children in kindergarten and first grade. The following year they placed him into fifth grade and expected him to do fifth grade work. Now he is supposed to be in 7th grade and he is four years behind; he still reads at a second grade reading level. I told everyone that they’d had four years with my son and he has gained no ground and to me that was not acceptable.
After my lengthy and tear-filled speech it was obvious something had to be done that would satisfy my desire to participate in my son’s education. They came to a compromise to have him in a couple of special education classes and one “fun” class in the afternoon and to allow me to teach him through the virtual school at home in the morning. Someone had to do some research and find out if the statues would allow this to happen. In the mean time they wanted me to stay at the school for a bit and check things out with their special programs and talk one-on-one more with a couple of them. At that point I told them that I’d have enough of them for the day and that I just wanted to go home and get away from all of them. In looking back, I can’t imagine how I made them feel; I basically told them all that they were failing at their jobs. Of course their feelings have never been my concern but rather the best education that my son can receive.
I did agree to meet with my son’s guidance counselor the next day and take a look at their special programs. When I arrived at the school I was informed that the guidance counselor was ill and that I would be talking to the principal. I wasn’t too thrilled with that idea as I felt she was very much against me and the ideas I have for my son. She talked to me a bit about the schedule they wanted to put him into for this semester and what his day would look like. She asked him how he felt about coming to school and he wasn’t too thrilled with the idea. She then asked him if he’d like to go get started with his first class and he half-heartedly agreed. After he left the room I asked her about the compromise and being able to teach him through the virtual school; at that point I was fully prepared to go off in search of my son if she told me that it wasn’t going to fly. Instead she told me that we could do that and that I would be working with the principal of the other school to get him set up with that. Also by taking a few classes at the Jr. High he was allowed to participate on the football team. I can’t say that I’m totally happy with the entire solution but I felt that half a battle won was better than loosing an entire battle. So for now my goal this year is to improve his reading skills and make sure that we meet and exceed the goals of his IEP. I’m sure that next year they will still have him in another IEP but it is my plan to have him advanced enough at the end of the year that it will be his last year that he will be required to take special classes. Then if he wishes he can participate in some of the optional classes so he can continue to play football.
With that battle behind us it was time for the first soccer game; this was the first thing in a couple of weeks that turned out really well. Both my 7 year old and my 10 year old played really good games. They had a lot of fun and really enjoyed themselves. My 7 year old won his game and my 10 year old tied hers.
Today was the start of the second week of school for the kids; as the younger children were preparing for school this morning my daughter reminded me of the permission slip to participate in the Orchestra class. I signed the slip and told her that we’d look into an instrument after school if we were able to afford it; if we couldn’t she wouldn’t be able to continue. So after school we headed to the music store to look into the rental options for a viola. Well, I guess since it only costs $15 a month my daughter is now taking viola lessons at school.
Soccer, football, changing schools, fighting the Jr. High, first games, music lessons…OH MY!
Back to School Transition Tips – End of Summer Celebration
August 16, 2008
Chocolate chip pancakes are my family’s celebration food. We don’t have them all the time but whenever there is a special event, a birthday, or a holiday I like to make chocolate chip pancakes for my kids. A few years ago I started making chocolate chip pancakes for them for breakfast on the first day of school but I found that it made our morning a little bit too rushed so instead of having them on the first day of school I have them for supper the night before.
Our typical last day of summer looks like this:
Morning school routine
Pack a picnic lunch and head out for a family activity
Supper:
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Chocolate chip pancakes
Bacon
Mandarin oranges and pineapples
Chores
Take a walk together
Read a story
Bedtime routine
Snack: Chocolate banana shakes
Normal school night bedtime
I’ve found that by taking a bit of time to get ready for the first day of school it not only helps my kids ease back into the school year routine but it also helps me as well. Perhaps this is your first child’s first day of school, your eldest’s first day of his/her senior year, or maybe your baby is starting kindergarten. Whatever stage you and your child are facing a bit of preparation will help ease you both back into school and get you off to a great start.
Did you sign up yesterday to receive your free School Days newsletter? The first issue is going to be going out on Monday and is going to give you some ideas for routines — making your mornings stress free, setting up an afterschool routine that will give your kids time to talk to you about their day and the routine that I’ve found works best for my kids.
Don’t forget about the free bonuses that you’ll receive when you sign up:
Back to School Report - 25 pages packed full of ideas that will help you with stuff like:
-
school clothes
hobbies
cleaning their rooms
buying your kid his/her own computer
dealing with issues with their friends or their teacher
driving to school
buying school supplies
stories to read to your kids
deciding how to volunteer at your kids school
what sports to register your child for
and more…!
Yummy school meals and snacks booklet - 10 pages of kid friendly recipes like:
-
Sloppy Joe Style Pizza
Breakfast Tacos
Chunky Chicken Salad for Lunch
Cheesy Apple Quesadillas
Frito Pie
Puffy Pizza Rolls
Cheesy Dogs in a Blanket
Turkey Kabobs for Lunch
Mini Pizza just for Kids
And more…!
Sign up right now and grab your copy of the newsletter and both of these bonuses!
Back to School Transition Tips - Homework
August 15, 2008
The start of the school year also means the start of homework once again. My kids do their homework at the dining room table so in a corner of my dining room I keep a basket full of school supplies which they will need in order to complete their homework. There’s a plastic in-basket sitting on my kitchen counter near the back door so the kids can bring in any papers from school and put them in this basket. When the kids sit down to do their homework I sit down at the table with them to make sure they’re doing it, help them if they need it, and to go through the in-basket and sign the papers as well as to discuss any assignments or tests with the kids.
Some of the items that I put into their homework basket include loose leaf paper, pens, pencils, pencil sharpener, rulers, crayons, colored pencils, glue, scissors, dictionary, calculator, red pens/pencils, highlighters, bookmarks, and a special treat they can eat after they finish their homework.
I have found that by having the supplies together in one place, having a place for them to deposit their papers, and by sitting down at the table with them when they do their homework they are more likely to actually complete the work that is sent home with them. When I don’t take the time to sit down with them they usually don’t do all their homework then I hear about it from their teachers!
I also make sure that I have a handy, nutritious snack prepared for them to eat before they start doing their homework. The kids know that as soon as they get in the door they are to drop off their papers into the in-box, take their backpacks to the dining room, change their clothes, pick up their snack, and then they have some time to chill out with me in the living room to talk about their day. After we’ve had some cool down time we get right into our homework routine.
I learned the hard way that it’s a good idea to start considering the inevitable start of homework. If you do a bit of advance planning you eliminate some of the hassle associated with homework.
On Monday I will be launching my newest free newsletter, School Days, you can sign up for it below so you won’t miss out on a single issue. I have a lot of information to share with you that will make this school year with your kids a lot less stressful. Here’s a list of what’s coming up for this month:
8-15 Routines: I’ll give you some ideas to make your mornings stress free, setting up an afterschool routine that will give your kids time to talk to you about their day and the routine that I’ve found works best for my kids.
8-22 Busy Kids: Are your kids involved in ballet, band, soccer, football, and a variety of other extracurricular activities? I’m going to share some tips with you to help you decide if you’re kids are too busy and how to choose afterschool activities for your kids. I’ll also give you some advice for getting your child to help out and do some chores around the house
8-29 Eliminating Meal Time Chaos: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, at least that’s what I’ve been told so I’m going to give you some ideas for breakfast that will help boost your child’s energy level. I also have some ideas for afternoon snacks that my kids absolutely love and give you some advice to plan evening menus and eliminate the evening chaos around your house.
There is going to be a lot of exciting stuff that you won’t want to miss out on especially since school is getting ready to start so be sure to sign up and as special bonus I’m going to give you a free 25 page back to school report packed full of ideas that will help you with stuff like:
-
school clothes
hobbies
cleaning their rooms
buying your kid his/her own computer
dealing with issues with their friends or their teacher
driving to school
buying school supplies
stories to read to your kids
deciding how to volunteer at your kids school
what sports to register your child for
and more…!
As an additional bonus I’m going to give you a 10 page recipe booklet full of great school meals and snacks like:
-
Sloppy Joe Style Pizza
Breakfast Tacos
Chunky Chicken Salad for Lunch
Cheesy Apple Quesadillas
Frito Pie
Puffy Pizza Rolls
Cheesy Dogs in a Blanket
Turkey Kabobs for Lunch
Mini Pizza just for Kids
And more…!
Don’t miss out on all this free stuff that I’m giving you! I have one more back to school transition tip to share with you in a few days so I’ll see ya then!
Back to School Transition Tips – Morning Routines
August 13, 2008
How long does it take for your kids to get up, shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush their teeth, and grab their back packs? If you don’t know this you could be looking at a stressed and disastrous first day or several days of school. Whether you have one kid or several kids that have to go through all these steps every morning before school it is a good idea to know how long you need to allow for these morning activities. A week before school starts I start having them go through all the motions of their morning routine so I can figure out if we are going to be rushed every morning or even have way to much time on our hands. If the kids are taking too much time getting through their morning rituals I adjust their wake up times a bit in order to make sure they have enough time to get through everything they need to do. If they are left with too much time on their hands before we would need to leave then I give them a few extra minutes to either sleep or lay in bed before making them get up. I don’t like them having too much time on their hands in the morning because they start to make messes or whine for television or just give me too much grief about being bored. One of the other things I have done if they are left with too much time after getting ready is to sit down with a timer and read a story to them until the timer dings. Setting a timer is especially important so I don’t get too wrapped up in the book and forget to get them to school on time!
I have found that if I routinely read them a story before school every morning that it encourages everyone to get dressed and moving more quickly so they have time to listen to the story. This also keeps me focused on their morning routines rather than getting lost in the morning e-mails and not paying attention when they start to dawdle.
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Back to School Transition Tips – Open House
August 11, 2008
Shortly before school starts our school has an “open house” day where the kids can come in and see their classroom, find their locker, and meet their new teacher. The kids can bring in their new school supplies, choose their desk, and put their supplies away. This works really good so the kids don’t have to carry a bunch of stuff on the first day of school. My kids really enjoy this night because they finally get to find out if they are going to be in the same class as their friends. Of course if they’re disappointed I hear about it for the next few days but I just take the time to listen to their concerns and help them express their feelings about their disappointment.
Both buddy and the baby will be starting in new schools this year so taking the time to show them around their schools is especially important to them. The baby has been in his new school quite a bit because his older siblings have been attending there for the past couple of years and he has been with me every time I picked them up from school. So he is pretty familiar with the school but he will be seeing it a bit differently since he will now have a classroom in their school. Buddy has taken a couple of field trips with his sixth grade class to the junior high so they could tour the school and get a chance to check things out and start becoming familiar and comfortable with their new surroundings. So he will know the layout of the school a little bit and we will just need to walk through his school and find all his classrooms, locate his locker, and get an idea of what his daily schedule will be like.
If your kids school has an open house day don’t forget to take advantage of the opportunity to get your child familiar with and comfortable with his or her new surroundings for the school year.
Don’t miss the next tip; take time to subscribe to my blog so you can be notified in your e-mail in-box. I’ll see ya again in a few more days!
