Time Economy and Cookies

The oatmeal raisin cookie recipe that I use says, “Bake for 10-12 minutes”. When I bake cookies, I play the role of efficiency expert.

.... to read more, check out my post over at GNMParents.

Homeschool to Public #3 - the Lunchbox

This school-year is going to be different from all the other school-years our family has experienced. For the first time, my 9yo and 7yo are going to school. After six years of homeschooling, our chickies are going to take their first test flight into a new way of life, and mom (that’s me – yippee) is going to get a sabbatical. Since there are so many things that I want to capture as we make this transition, I will capture many of my thoughts in a series of posts over the next couple of months.
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At one point last winter, Anna asked me, "If I go to public school, will the I get a lunchbox?" I had forgotten about that until it came time to get them ready to go to public school this summer.

I asked my friends who helped me out with school shopping what their thoughts were about lunchboxes and again got great response. Ideas about hot lunch versus cold-lunch, types of lunch bags, and the ease of prep and eating. While I have offered my kids the opportunity for hot-lunch, they are still quite pleased to have momma make lunch and pack it with treats from home.

The funny thing was, that during all the shopping, Anna's biggest concern was the lunch-box. Are we going to get it today? Where are we going to go to get it? What will it look like? The crayons, notebooks, clothes didn't matter nearly as much as The Lunchbox. And the morning we finally got it, seemed to settle something for her. She knew she was ready. She had a way to feed herself, but the importance of it to her was clearly about more than food.

The lunchbox has remained an important part of Anna's days. She makes sure things are packed, that her thermos is filled (with water, I love that!), and reminds me to include a little note. The school day ends with The Lunchbox being emptied. For some reason she loves to save something from the day to eat at home. And she always comments on the little note.

I don't think I will get a full understanding of the significance of The Lunchbox. I'm okay with that. I'm amused by that. I think she looks so sweet with her Hello Kitty stuff, and I'm delighted that she wants a lovenote from me every day.

Proud Mommy Moment(s)

When Caleb got home he was greeted by a shipment of Legos. He had been allowed to pick out his birthday present by his Pitman grandparents, so they are an early celebration.
"Mom, I think I'm the luckiest boy in the world to come home to Legos." (proud moment number 1)

Moments later I hand him the phone and tell him to call Grandparents to say thank you. I eaves-dropped as he left a message "I am SO EXCITED! Thank you" (proud moment number 2)

Sofia got set off by something, and went into the other room crying. The two olders began to moan about her temperament and I quietly told them that her day had not gone as she hoped with her playdate. Caleb immediately asked, "What room did she go to Mom?" Again I eavesdropped, holding my breath this time, to see what Big Brother had planned. "Sofia, would you like to try to build this Lego set while I do my homework? You can sit next to me and I will help you if you need it." (proud mom moment 3)

Sofia and Anna are snacking, Sofia trying to make sense of Lego directions. Caleb says, very kindly, "Hey guys, let me teach you about median" and proceeds to patiently explain his homework to the girls. (Anna didn't care, but Sofia was all ears.)

Treasures to my heart.

LightSwitch Cover

This was my first attempt at a custom lightswitch cover. The girls painted their room purple and green and this pulls the two colors together around the light switches. Learned lots, and can't wait for another go at it.

Homeschool to Public School #2 - meeting the principal

(I wrote this post on August 18. Since then we've been a bit consumed with our preparations and beginnings. We are on week 3 of public school, and I'm hoping to begin writing more regularly about my thoughts and our transitions.)
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This August is going to be different from all the other Augusts our family has experienced. For the first time, my 9yo and 7yo are going to school. After six years of homeschooling, our chickies are going to take their first test flight into a new way of life, and mom (that’s me – yippee) is going to get a sabbatical. Since there are so many things that I want to capture as we make this transition, I will capture many of my thoughts in a series of posts over the next couple of months.
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Last week we went through the process of registering the kids for school. They will be at different school buildings, so it took a little bit of running around. I wanted to feel sorry for myself about the number of forms I needed to fill out until I began to consider the number of forms that the staff at the schools need to process. They have no easy job.

Each school had a sweet welcoming atmosphere. It was such a relief to walk into each place and feel like 'we can invest and settle into this school'. Wow.

My highlight was meeting with Mrs. Trafford, Caleb's principal at the Albert Hall School. She met with us because I wasn't certain of where to have Caleb placed - in fourth or fifth grade. He is only days from the birthday deadline, and has really struggled with Math during homeschool. My goal is for him to have the 'winningest' experience he can have.

We took the results of the IOWA test results that I have administered the past three years and went to the principals office for an early morning meeting. After the meeting, I felt so excited to have a team-mate in Caleb's education. She looked at his tests, affirmed what we've been doing, answered Caleb's questions, and invited us both to call or email her when we have other questions arise. The result is that he will be in the fifth grade. Wow. I'm the mother of a fifth grader.

Not only do I have a fifth grader, but I have a son who knows the principal, and that she cares for him. And I have a principal that knows that I'm committed to the team. And we all know that this year is going to be a great adventure of learning and growth.

Spa Towel Wraps

My mother-in-law and I have been planning to make bathrobes for the family for.... um.... never mind how long now.

Today, Centsational Girl posted a terrific idea...
http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2009/09/diy-spa-towel-wrap/

Maybe this is what we've been holding out for. And I'm guessing that at this end of the summer season I might find some great clearance prices on large fun print beach towels! This has Christmas written all over it.

First Day of School

I am so proud of them!

Homeschool to Public School #1 - School Shopping

This August is going to be different from all the other Augusts our family has experienced. For the first time, my 9yo and 7yo are going to school. After six years of homeschooling, our chickies are going to take their first test flight into a new way of life, and mom (that’s me – yippee) is going to get a sabbatical. Since there are so many things that I want to capture as we make this transition, I will capture many of my thoughts in a series of posts over the next couple of months.

Post #1 of HS to PS (homeschool to public school)

School shopping. That phrase conjures up a multitude of emotions and memories.

I love, love, love to shop for pens, pencils and notebooks to this day. The smell of Staples is one of my happiest smells. Organizing and gearing up. LOVE IT.

I also remember the agony of clothes shopping for school – wanting to get ‘it’ right, but also very constrained by my family’s very small budget. The number of ‘it will do’s’ often outweighed the ‘I love it’ pieces of clothing. And even then I knew it didn’t matter. But it did.

So as I began to think about school shopping with my own children for the first time, I realized I needed some help. I went to my list of friends on FB and selected six women for their help. All of these women are moms and two work in schools. Their information was so helpful and thoughtful, I’ve compiled it to share here.

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We are so lucky to have a stream of hand me downs that usually account for about 80% of the kids wardrobes.

*buy 1-2 outfits (or supplements) to start school- typically the 1st couple weeks are still shorts weeks... so we are usually in ok shape based on the summer.

By the time the cooler weather rolls around the kids are usually in need of some warmer clothes because they've grown since the spring. So I shop then for the long sleeves and pants. By now a lot of the back to school clothes are on clearance which works for me because I am pretty frugal. Make that cheap.

*sneakers if needed- make sandals an exception because they need to be able to run far and fast at recess!

*sweatshirt or fleece for the cool mornings that still shift into hot afternoons.

I agree with buying 1 or 2 new outfits for the beginning of school as summer clothes usually work for the first few weeks (with sweatshirt/light jacket for chilly mornings) and sneakers for recess. I know at our school girls can't do certain things at recess if they are wearing dress shoes. I usually hold off on the long sleeve stuff until it starts to get colder. I don't know how your schools are, but ours are not air conditioned so the fall and spring tend to be very warm in the school. Even when the kids need a jacket outside, they want short sleeves inside.

I think the most important thing is for the kids to be comfortable in what they wear. Kid's clothing styles are a pet peeve of mine. Apparently what I think is appropriate for a 10 year old girl and what the clothing industry thinks is appropriate are on other ends of the spectrum :-) It's difficult to find fashionable, tasteful clothes for ******. (Wait a sec while I step off my soap box :-) We generally find things that ***** and I are both happy with at Target, Old Navy, Justice for Girls, and occasionally at Kohl's.

I buy a lot of LLBean stuff off-season from the outlet or from the sale section of their web site. I would say that anything clean, appropriate/in line with the school dress code, and comfortable for your child is OK for a public school setting. My son is extremely sensory, so he wears sweatpants and a rugby or polo shirt every day because he can't learn if he's uncomfortable.

As a teacher, I can tell you that it's frustrating for the kid and the adults if the kids wear clothes that they have to "manage" (they have fancy ribbons to tie/tricky belts to buckle/etc.). Also, make sure they can handle any snaps/buttons/etc. independently and easily. My thing is girls with long hair who come to school in the morning with a beautiful hairstyle/etc. that has no chance of holding up through recess/PhysEd/etc. My own girls have long hair, so I'm pretty fast at a French braid or ponytail, but it still takes time away from the rest of the class to have to redo hair, clothing, etc.

Rainboots!
Rainjacket (or poncho which can cover up a backpack, too)!
Umbrella!

I get a lot of **** clothes on clearance through websites (Gap, Old Navy, MiniBoden, JC Penney); even with the shipping costs, it can be cheaper than shopping in person.

Label everything. The lost and founds at schools are a great big black hole. :( I'll never forget the puzzled look on ****'s face when I asked him what happened to his blue sweater that went to school with him on his body and never came back. He tilted his head and said, "I have a blue sweater??" (NOT ANYMORE!!!!)

comfortable...things they can manage...all very good ideas. The things I am careful about are shoes (no dress shoes or skirts/dresses on PE days). As long as things fit (not too big/too small) aren't really faded , and they can snap/zip/fasten/unfasten, they're set. I try to buy things that can be easily mixed and matched with other things (avoids the "you're wearing a hot pink tshirt with rainbows on it and green plaid stretch pants. you know that doesn't match, right?" discussion five minutes before the bus comes. I tend to buy Old Navy on sale, Bearly Used, JCPenney (because it is convenient) and sometimes Walmart (their stuff tends to wear out quickly and their pants and jeans don't fit my girls - Kmart is like this too). They make great kids clothes. I look for Children's Place (love their jeans for girls - fashionable without being too trendy or revealing) and Gap and other brands I can't afford at second hand stores. I usually buy one fun back-to-school outfit, sneakers, and a jacket or sweater in the fall new and supplement as needed through the year. Be aware that you grew up in the 70s and 80s and anything you find secondhand that you say wow, that is a REALLY CUTE outfit is probably unwearable by today's standards. I can't really remember seeing your kids in anything that was too dated, though, so you probably don't have to worry about that.

As for my kids I usually buy a few summer outfits off the clearance racks to get them started. Mine are growing so quickly that I cannot keep them in clothes that fit them! Mostly t-shirts and capris or long shorts and light weight pants. Summer heat always happens as soon as school starts! I try to stay away from the obnoxious t-shirts with a lot of words and pictures. *** likes them but I always say no. I think they are distracting and can label kids in negative ways. I also strive for simple and comfortable, makes for better learning :)...always did for me anyways. Of course ***** would love to wear short skirts and tight shirts, but that will not happen. She at the age where she is overly concerned with how others view her. I like to let her pick her style as long as I see it as appropriate.

This year JcPenny was the best place for ***** and Target and Kohls for ***. I also like Burlington Coat, good selection, sales and kids fitting rooms!

Lastly, I hit up the New balance tent sale in Skowheagan each August for sneakers. They usually have some really good deals on kids sizes, plus I can find Wides for *** who needs them!

Taking one child at a time works best for me and gives them some nice one-on-one time. I try to make it special with a lunch out and as stress free as possible.

ps...the llbean backpacks are a good deal in my book. They are a bit expensive but hold up very well. Plus if they do break or wear out you can get them replaced :)

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Thanks Ladies, for your help...
it is always good to have good ideas from good friends compiled in one place.

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quotes from:
Megin - who is a new friend this summer. She has three kids and a camera.
Melissa - a friend from long ago who is largely responsible for my international travel adventures, and who saved my spirit during freshmen year of college
Rebecca - who if a friend from 5th, 6th, 7th grade. She doesn't know it but I learned about the value of true friendship from her.
Sarah - who loves my family as much as she loves books. Her love has given us the courage to be rooted in the place we love.
Izzie - my kids don't know that our families aren't one and the same. We pride ourselves on unfinished crafts, and will someday be the next generation of Indigo Girls. Jen - I will never understand her faithfulness in picking me up from school during our senior year in her Ford Escort. I can't imagine how much gas money I owe her.

The perfect storm at the end of summer

The kids and I took a trip to our municipal pool today. We have an AMAZING public pool with something for every level of water lover, including water slides. As I sat and watched my girls play on the 'frog slide' in a pool that might be two feet deep, I noticed how bored our lifeguards were. And in a larger swimming pool, I watched a lifeguard give a boy-friend (or boy-friend to be) full attention for nearly five minutes.

I have compassion for these high-school/college age lifeguards. What a boring job. Yes, they know it is full of responsibility, and have been very carefully trained. But what a job, on such a hot day, at the end of a long summer.

At the same time, I enjoyed the confidence of my kids after a summer of pool play. All of us were certain of our safety and ability.

At the same time, we are fatigued. We have played hard all summer, breaking routines, eating poorly, staying up late.

At the same time, we are gearing up for school. Our home is full of conversation and preparation for a new year of school.

Can you see the perfect storm?

It dawned on me that these are the ingredients for accidents. Everyone mixing their confidence, summer fatigue, and new school year quivers.

This isn't just happening in my universe, is it?

End of the summer is one of the happiest and most exciting times of the year. Let's stay diligent in our families so that no accident will steal that away.

Multi-generational travel

Now that I am ten years into my parenting journey, and now that my youngest is four and out of diapers, I feel that I am getting quite good at planning a car-trip, an overnight, a plane-ride, and an extended vacation. Recently, my skills were put to the test when we took my parents on vacation with us to King’s Landing Historical Settlement in Fredericton, NB. Here is a list of what I hope I will remember to do next time, when planning a multi-family/generational vacation.

Read the rest over at http://gnmparents.com/traveling-with-kids-and-parents/.