Back to the daily grind

And just like that with a snap of the fingers we are back to school and all the craziness it involves.  We had a very eventful first day.  I received a text from Ian approx. 1 hour after school starts telling me that one of his springs in his braces broke.  The spring sprung is how I was referring to it.  I called the orthodontist and the best possible option to get it fixed was at 2:00pm later that day.  On Ian's very first day of 8th grade, he missed the last hour of school.  Ugh.  This so wasn't on our schedule.   We went from 0 to 60 in no time flat in going with the flow while being thrown a curve ball.

When Ian arrived at the orthodontist, it took 4 technicians all working on his mouth for a solid hour to figure out how to fix the problem so it wouldn't happen again.  You can imagine Ian's level of joy at having 4 sets of hands hovering over his mouth, all holding various dental instruments.

Samantha had a great first day of school and really likes her teacher.  This makes me really happy.  Because having to convince Sam to go to school in the mornings is not my idea of fun.  Due to enrollment over the Summer, Sam's school added a fifth 5th grade class. She got an awesome teacher with only 24 students in her class.  So fantastic!

We ended the day on a sweet note and continued our tradition of ice cream on the first day of school.  This year it was Samantha's choice on where we went and Dairy Queen it was.  Yum!

First day of 8th grade!!

First day of 5th grade!!!

So. Not. Happy.

Dairy Queen for the win!

Our countdown has already begun...just another 179 days of school left before summer vacation.

7th and 4th Grade...Seriously, I'm not kidding.

Here's a crazy thought, Jeff and I are now the parents of a 7th grader and a 4th grader.  It's a bit mind blowing that these kids of ours are in 7th and 4th grade.  I really do feel like I was just watching them crawl around on the floor or pushing them on the swings.  And now their in 7th and 4th grades!  Yowzer!

First day of school came even earlier this year.  Fairfax County approved starting school the week before Labor Day and this was the first year it took effect.  So that means we had our usual late ending of school last year and our first ever early start this year which made for a very short Summer.

Two very different start times this year for us too.  Ian leaves the house to catch the bus at 7:15am.  And Sam doesn't need to leave the house until 8:55am for when her school opens their doors at 9:00am.  I got my first day of school photos, but wasn't able to get any of them together.

First day of 7th grade!

First day of 4th grade!

Sam walking into school.

Every year after dinner on the first day of school we get ice cream.  This is a well-loved and looked forward to tradition by the whole family.  We've been doing this since Ian started preschool.   This year we went to Cold Stone Creamery.  Yum-O!

Gosh, I love these kids and how silly they are.  There are days when they get along so well and its simply wonderful!  XOXO

Back to school!

So I am a little freaked out right now.  The kids have returned to school as of yesterday and Ian is in the 6th grade!  OMG!!!  When did that happen?   How is it possible that I am the mom to a 6th grader?

Seriously, I've kept 2 kids alive now (and hopefully thriving) for over 11 years.  It's crazy to think that Ian is in his last year of elementary school.  I am getting choked up just thinking about this being his final year at Fairview.  His elementary school is like a second home to him.  There are so many funny, crazy, angst-ridden memories of Ian from kindergarten all the way up to this year.

And Samantha is going into 3rd grade!   Yowzer!  The saying, "The days are long, but the years are fast." could not be truer.

Without further ado, here is our Fall schedule:

Kids are in school:  Monday thru Friday from 9:00am to 4:00pm.
Monday:   Free!
Tuesday: Both kids in religious school from 4:45pm to 6:30pm
Wednesday:  Ian doing Cross Country from 6:00pm to 7:15pm
Thursday:  Free!
Friday:  Free!
Saturday: Ian in a drama program from 9:00am to 1:00pm. Sam horseback riding at 2:00pm.
Sunday:  Ian doing Cross Country from 8:00am to 9:15am.  Both kids religious school from 9:00am to 12:00pm.  Yes, I realize there is a bit of an overlap.  :)

I am also hoping Sam will let me sign her up for "Girls on the run", a before school program offered at her school.  This is the first year she is eligible and I think she would do really well in it. 

Not too bad considering what other families I know plan for their kids.  Let the craziness of school, homework and activities begin!

First day of 3rd grade!

First day of 6th grade!

After I've said good-bye at the door to the school, I give it a few minutes and then sneak in to the school for one last 'at your desk photo'.   Ha!  I love doing this.  The kids of course, know to expect me.  :)

That's Sam's teacher in the photo with her. 

Best quote ever from Sam when I went to collect the kids from school after their first day:  "I think I'm going to like 3rd grade!"   Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!   It's going to be a GREAT year!

And they're back...back to school that is.

First day of 5th grade for Ian and first day of 2nd grade for Samantha.  I have such wonderfully high expectations for a SPECTACULAR year!! 

Sam's class looped this year; meaning she has the same teacher and kids in her class as last year.  This is a good thing....a very good thing.  Sam loves her teacher and her teacher loves her.  And Sam has adjusted to the kids who are in her class.  There are 2 or 3 girls she is friendly with and will acknowledge their presence outside of school.  That is about the best we can wish for.  Given that there will be no adjustment period to a new teacher or different kids, Sam is off and running!  She is willingly going to school.  Yay!

Meanwhile, Ian had a disappointing experience last year and really didn't care for either his homeroom or math teacher.  It was hard listening to him at dinner tell us how miserable he was each day.  Steps were taken to try to help Ian, but at the end of the day, we just needed the school year to end.  I met with the principal to make sure this coming year would be better for Ian.  The kid used to love school and it was hard seeing that feeling diminish because of the teacher.  

This year is such a different story!  I am thrilled that Ian got assigned this particular teacher (Mrs. S.) this year.  It is going to be a perfect fit and just what Ian needs.  Furthermore, this teacher will be doing math too for Ian's level.  From what I've observed, she has a great way with the kids and understands their vast amounts of energy.  She doesn't expect them to stay seated, keeps the students moving and is very engaging.  On the afternoon of day 2, the teacher called to let me know Ian was doing well and how much she has enjoyed his sense of humor.   I haven't gotten a call like this since Kindergarten.  :) 

I always follow the kids into their classroom and take a picture.  Both kids hate that I do this.  I will never stop doing it!

Getting a hug from the teacher on the way in to her class.

With school starting, our schedule is back in full swing.  When you throw in my 3 part-time jobs I do during the school day, this makes for a lot of running from point A to point B to point C to point D. 

Each weekday at 5:30am, I am either meeting my friend Tami for a 4 mile walk or going to a boot camp class from 5:30am to 6:30am 3 times a week.  I am determined to be a healthier me this year!  It makes for a full day, but "me time" needs to happen when the majority of the family is still sleeping. 

School is from 9:10am to 4:00pm. 

Monday:  ----
Tuesday:  religious school for both kids (4:40pm to 6:30pm)
Wednesday:  therapy for Sam at 5:00pm
Thursday:  gymnastics for Sam at 5:00pm
Friday:  ---
Saturday:  flag football (practice and game) for Ian
Sunday:  religious school for both kids (9:00am to 12:00pm)

We continued with our back-to-school tradition and went for ice cream after dinner on the first day of school.  It sort of makes going back to school a little sweeter when you know you get ice cream at the end of the day.  Sort of. 

Three cheers for a GREAT year!!

Another Summer in the books.

Here's a sentence that may knock your socks off:  At no point during this summer did I look at the calendar and start a countdown until when school would start.  Hard to believe, right? Also, the kids didn't do even one day of day camps during the weeks they were at home.  Again, so hard to believe.  Furthermore,  I didn't even have an excel chart mapping out each day and what was getting scheduled months and months in advance to make sure every day had plenty of coverage to entertain and dazzle the kids.  Whoa baby!  Crazy, I know.   

I call the Summer of 2014 "Epic".  It has to have been the best summer of my life.  I don't see how I will ever be able to top my adventures or destinations in the coming years.  The most I can hope for is something comparable.  While it was epic for me in a good way, it was epic for Jeff in a horrible way.  The majority of the summer (May to August) was spent with him being miserable in a job that was a bad fit and the final weeks of the summer was spent with him being unemployed.  Due to great effort on Jeff's part and former colleagues, friends, and an awesome network, Jeff has done a wonderful job of speaking to recruiters, lining of interviews, and getting a job offer.  Whew.  I have to say living with Jeff when he was at his former job was unbearable (for all of us).  The unemployed version was very pleasant to be around.  Jeff said he wouldn't freak out about his lack of paychecks until the end of September/early October. I am happy to report we didn't see the freaked-out version. It was nice having Jeff around.

We don't lack drama or excitement around here.  Between Israel, Camp Ramah in New England, NYC, Orlando, Ocean City NJ, Gramps Camp in Baltimore, and Dutch Wonderland/Hershey Park, we had more than our share of fun leaving our small town of Burke.

The first day of school was yesterday.  I am looking forward to getting back into our routine and the kids getting back to a decent bedtime each night.  10:30pm on a consistent basis was a bit ridiculous, right? 

First day of 1st grade!

First day of 4th grade!

Sam got all excited that she was assigned the same teacher Ian had.  However, when it came time to bring Sam to hear classroom yesterday, she broke down in tears.  Fortunately Jeff and I had lots of experience with this in kindergarten.  We gave her a quick hug & kiss and said good-bye.  There was no lingering and extending the separation even more.  As we all know, Sam crying is only for our benefit. She is fine as soon as we leave the room.  

Ian loves school.  Plain and simple, he loves it.

Sam is not entirely certain that school is a good thing.

Not sure if you can fully tell how excited I am.

Ian is thrilled with the boys who got assigned the same teacher as him.  This is Ian's first year without needing to have a snack brought to class.  Ian is most excited about a field trip to Jamestown he gets to do in 4th grade. 

Our back to school tradition each year is go to out for ice cream after dinner on the first day of school.  This year Sam chose Friendly's.  It was a big hit and we were all loving our sundaes.  Sort of makes having to go back to school just a little sweeter.  :)

It's time for back to school.

Two kids.  In the same school.  For the same hours.  First time ever. 

It has been a long 5 years, 3 months waiting for this day to come.  The day when my life of juggling two schools, two very different locations, two very different set of hours would come to an end. At last we are here!  It feels great.  Well, let me correct myself and say, it feels great to everyone but Samantha.  She doesn't want to go to kindergarten.  No how, no way.  Leading up to the first day of school she has been very vocal about her feelings.  Samantha has no desire to go to Kindergarten.  And if Sam doesn't want to do something, she won't do it.  I think I was looking forward to her first day less than she was.  Could you imagine if I had to "convince" her to go each and every day of the school year?

Meanwhile, the other one could not be more excited about his first day of 3rd grade.  He was a ball of energy and litterally jumping up and down with joy at his open house the Friday before school started.  It was a bizzare show of emotions.  One child crazy-excited and his sibling, crying hysterically and shaking with fear.

As the first day loomed near, we knew a game plan was needed.  Something to turn the hysterics around and help Samantha (and us) survive drop-off.  Jeff and I were going to implement a first day, first week, and 3 month "incentive" strategy.  If Sam could keep the tears to a minimum, have no meltdowns or screaming then she could pick the place we went for ice cream after dinner in our back-to-school treat we do each year.  For a successful first week, Sam gets a new outfit for Mckenna (American Girl Doll) at the lunch we have planned on Sunday.  For a successful 3 months, Sam gets a new American Girl Doll at Hanukkah.

Our plan worked as well as could be expected.  Sam was not a happy camper and she had a few tears rolling down her cheeks.  But she let Jeff and I get her settled in her classroom, give her a hug and leave the room. There was no struggle or running after us.  The teachers didn't need to intervene and Sam did not cause a scene.  What more could you ask for?

Happy about school!

Not so happy about school.




 

 

 Sam is a combination of looking like she is going to be sick and is crying.

 

One big hug from daddy.

Dealing with the fact we are about to leave.
Pinky understands how tough it is.

Walking away from Sam and she is not screaming = success!

Checking in on Ian.

I was hoping for a spectacular first day experience.  This was the only way I knew Sam would return to school without a struggle.  I am happy to report she was all smiles when I picked her up.  The first day was a success!  She even told me she knew what she wanted to wear to school the next day. 

Now we get to tackle her taking the bus in the mornings....fingers crossed Sam thinks this is a good idea too.