School's Out For Summer

I have been fighting a cold for exactly a week.  I don't think I've ever been sick this long and I don't know why it won't go away.  It seems to be worse at night time.  I haven't slept well at all this week.  This is why it's passed midnight and I'm sitting here on the couch trying to stop this continuous cough.  I can feel the mucus draining down my throat.  Gross!  I just don't know what to do to get rid of this annoyance and I'm trying hard to avoid seeing the doctor.  I just want sleep!  Last night I slept on the couch because my coughing was driving my husband insane and kept him from sleeping as well. So, I sat on the computer and did some writing.  I have always wanted to be an author and have been working on the same novel for many years, struggling to get through the first chapter.  It's mainly because I lack the time to get it accomplished.  Someday my dream will happen.  Someday.

In other news, today my son finished his last day as a second grader.  I can't believe it.  He has done so well thus far in school.  He is above grade level in math and reading.  He does need to work on spelling and handwriting but he will get it eventually.  I truly do believe that the English language is hard and not everything is spelled as it sounds.  It's so tricky.  As for handwriting he's a lefty, as am I, and I never seemed to be able to write eligible.  These things that he has trouble with I plan on working with him during the summer in preparation for third grade.  I cannot believe he is now entering the third grade.

My experience in third grade was horrible.  My teacher was the meanest person I had ever met in my life.  She called me stupid and told me I would never amount to anything.  I wasn't the only student she treated this way but it did hit me hard.  I believed it and from that point on I came to hate school and didn't see a point in trying.  It's a shame I allowed one ignorant teacher to effect my entire outlook of school and learning but unfortunately I did.  Now my son is entering the third grade, a year I hated so much.  I'm sure he will not have a teacher like mine.  Oh, I won't allow it!  But academically speaking he is going to be faced with more challenges.  I believe in him.  He's very smart.  I still worry.  Doesn't every good mother?

Now summer vacation has started for both of my children and I have many, many plans to keep them busy. 

Preschool Graduation

Well, our youngest has graduated from preschool last week.  It was definitely an emotional time for me and she didn't take it so well either.  She loved going to school and loved her teachers and classmates.  She made lots of friends and most of them she probably won't see ever again.  The year went by so fast.  Sending both our kids to preschool was the best decision we could have made.  She went from knowing so little to knowing so many things.  She has learned how to write the alphabet and numbers.  She knows the days of the week and the months of the year.  She can spell her name and also spell MOM and DAD.  She also knows how to spell her brother's name.  This summer I plan to work more with her before entering kindergarten.  Kindergarten?  Ugh.  I am not ready to see my baby enter the world of public school.  Time goes by so fast and it's not fair.  In our district kindergarten is full-day and I know it's going to be long and exhausting for her but she's a social butterfly and will do well.

I am so proud of her and how far she's come since the beginning.

Aside from learning she also went on many field trips and I was able to join her for each one.

The fire station where she learned about fire safety and had the chance to see the different equipment used during a fire and a tour through one of the trucks. 

Story time and a tour of the library.

 

A hike through a local park getting educated about different animals and trees by a tour guide.

 

A tour at the dairy where we learned how milk is made and even got to meet a few cows and goats.

There were also a few concerts.  Halloween, Christmas and graduation.

 

 This milestone really hit me hard.  I was in tears throughout her last day of school.  I'm an emotional person and can't handle change very well.  I am also struggling with the fact that my kids are growing.  Of course, the growing is going to happen and I am very proud of both my children.  I want to be able to keep my children little forever but also can't wait to see them grow up too.  

So, we have another graduate from preschool.  I am so proud.  

A Day At The Dairy

I now know what the term "It seems like only yesterday ..." really means.  As I escorted my daughter on the preschool field trip to Rutter's Dairy today I could remember walking through the same building and around the path leading through the farms with my son as if it were only yesterday ... but that was about three years ago.

My daughter was only a baby when my son was in preschool.  I would carry her against my hip every day I had to pick him up or drop him off to school and she would accompany us on most, but not all, of the field trips.  Now I'm doing all of this for her as she isn't a baby but a student of the same class.  Every paper she brings home and everything she learns is the same as my son.  Next month she will graduate and be on her way to the public school system.  I will no longer have any preschoolers or any little toddlers about to become preschoolers.  It's sad, actually.

Can we find a way to slow down time?

The field trip was a lot of fun.  The kids had a chance to learn where the milk comes from and how it goes from the cow and every step until it goes to the stores.  We even had a chance to meet some cows and a few goats too.

When my husband got home our daughter said, "That field trip was really great!"

I love these bonding moments I have with her. 

1st Grade

First off, let me just add that I found this awesome sign here while doing a Google search.  It's free and doesn't need to be downloaded.  Genius.  I wish I would have seen this last year when my son was starting kindergarten.  Of course, taking pictures on the first day of every year is what most of us proud mothers do, right?  This adds a little something to it.

After what seemed like an extremely fast summer vacation my oldest child is back at school for another year of growing, learning and exploring.  He had learned so much last year in kindergarten and I can't wait to see what first grade teaches him.  I have contemplated home schooling my children since the moment I found out I was pregnant but so far we've decided to stick with sending them to public school. My son seems to be doing well and that very shy personality he's had since toddlerhood seems to be improving.  He also seems to learn better from someone else and likes being around kids his age.  So, at least for now, we'll continue to send him on the bus and off to a school that seems to have a great reputation and has already done wonders for my child.  He's already reading.  When I was in kindergarten I remember painting pictures and taking naps ... now they read?  Amazing!

He was so full of energy after his first day of school and had so many things to say.  It seems he likes his teacher and the students he will be sharing the classroom with.  I believe he wore himself out with all the energy he possessed because this morning it was tough getting him out of bed and moving.  But he had his breakfast, got dressed and made it to the bus stop without a fuss.

As for me and my little one, we are enjoying our "girl time" as we call it.  I will be doing more educational stuff for her here at home and next year, hopefully, we will send her to preschool.  These years are going by so fast and I'm doing everything I can do to enjoy the time I have with them.  It won't be long before that "I'm a 1st Grader" sign will be replaced with "I'm a 12th Grader."  Ugh. 

Progress

I love when I get on Facebook or a blog and read a mother sharing something that her child(ren) has done.  Some may call it bragging and some may get annoyed at hearing it.  I actually love it!  When a baby rolls over or walks for the first time, when a toddler uses the potty, when a preschooler can recite the alphabet, when a child starts to read and write ... those are huge milestones and achievements that are worth bragging feeling proud about. 

Parenting is never an easy thing.  In fact, lately, it seems I've been dealing with one struggle after another with my children.  So when they do something great I can't help but feel joyful about it and I want to share it with others.

My son is in kindergarten and has been learning to read.  Before starting school I helped him learn the alphabet and how to recognize and write each letter.  I also helped him to learn how to write his name.  He has always caught onto learning things quite easily and it hardly takes any effort on my part.  Will he always be that way?  I'm not sure but for now I'm just going to be thankful for his amazing memory.  Now he is learning how to read and although he has been struggling a little bit with how to pronounce words and sound things out I was so amazed when he picked up a book the other day and read almost all of it.  Last night when I tucked him into bed he picked another book from his book shelf, one I can't remember ever reading to him, and he read it word for word perfectly.  I was nearly brought to tears by it.

 

One subject he seems to excel at is math.  So far he's managed to teach himself addition and subtraction and has needed very little help from me or his father.  A few years ago, out of the blue, he asked me, "Mom does 5 and 5 make 10?" and he would just keep asking with different numbers and continuously getting them right.  Now math is not my subject.  Never was.  Never will be.  For some reason I just can't seem to get the hang of it.  My husband is the math genius.  He is an accountant after all.  I call him a human calculator and it seems, thankfully, that my son has inherited it from his dad.  

My sister-in-law gave Matthew a 1st grade math book for Christmas and last night he sat down with it by himself and started filling out one of the pages.  I was amazed at how quickly he went from one problem to the other.  I never saw him hesitate or use his fingers to count (like I had to do with some of them).  

It's been so amazing watching as both of my children learn new things.  They both seem to pick up on things so quickly.  It may not matter to some but for me it's a huge deal.  In school I had to take some special education classes because I just couldn't get the hang of what I was learning.  Focusing was hard and I did try.  I would learn something and then quickly forget.  Test taking was a nightmare.  I'm truly surprised I managed to graduate.  I don't usually talk about it.  It's embarrassing.  But that's why I am so amazed and so grateful to see how well my children are doing when it comes to learning.  

My kids are awesome and I'm so thankful that God has chosen me to be their mother.  Now I hope I don't do anything that will screw anything up and ruin their potential.  So far so good (I think). 

 

Hello Kindergarten

Whew!  I've been rushing around all day and finally have time to sit.  Well, there still is so much to be done but I'm forcing myself to stop for a moment and take a breather.

I had very little sleep last night and have been walking around like a zombie today.  I still have enough energy to get by, with help from coffee, but I know at any moment I may crash.  I'm sure I'll sleep good tonight.

What kept me awake?  Possibly the thoughts, fears, as well as excitement of the fact that my son was going to get on the school bus for the very first time and start his first day of school.  It's been an incredibly difficult thing for me to fathom.  My son, my first-born, is now in elementary school.  He's been practically attached to my hip every day since he was born and now I have to send him off for eight hours.  Am I ready to let him have this independence?  Certainly not.  I worry about him.  Is he okay?  Is he having fun?  Is he crying at the moment?  Is he making friends?  Is he being bullied?  Is he scared?  Is he happy?  Oh the thoughts that have run through my mind all day.  However, I can't let it beat me down.  My kid is growing up just as it should be.  This is life.  I didn't bring children into the world so I could hold onto them forever.  I have to let them go at some point.  Yes, it's not as if they are adults leaving the nest ... yet ... but going off to school is almost as frightening.  My son is no longer a baby needing my attention every moment of the day.  He's growing and learning and as much as it makes me sad it also makes me happy.  A bittersweet experience for sure.

Once I took him to his two hour orientation yesterday my mind became at ease.  I saw how much the staff and teachers cared for the kids and how hard they tried to make the school a safe and comfortable place for everyone.  It also helped Matthew become excited for this new milestone.

I feared he wasn't going to want to get on the bus but he happily followed a neighbor friend onto the bus and found a seat next to another friend he had.  He smiled at me from the front seat and at that moment I knew he'd be okay.  I didn't cry as much as I thought I would but the emotions were there.  I took a moment and prayed, thanking God for giving me this child and for taking care of him.  I realized that God will always look after my kids even when I'm not around them.  I felt better knowing that.

In a few hours I'll be ready and waiting to get him off the bus and I can't wait to hear all about the first day.  I'm sure he'll be tired and may not want to say much but I just can't wait to give him a hug and see that he's safe.

The blue visor has his name on it.  The colored visors are a way of the staff knowing which teacher they go to after getting off the bus.  I like the idea.  

He's still my baby, always will be.  I look at him and see how grown up he's becoming but yet he still seems so small.  Too small to be in school.  I can't fully accept it but I am sure I will eventually.  It's time to let my baby bird spread his wings and fly.

A New Season

Oh gosh, when do I have time to blog?

It's after 11pm here in the eastern side of the United States.  My two kids are tucked into bed and my sick husband is as well.  It seems he has caught a cold and after feeling miserable all day the poor guy took some night-time medicine and couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.  So here I sit, wide awake, trying to come up with something interesting to write about.  

Well, we are now in a new season.  Fall.  I love fall.  As much as I enjoy the hotter temperatures I'm glad to see the cooler weather make it's appearance.  I love how the leaves change colors.  I love pumpkin picking with the family and everything pumpkin flavored (especially Pumpkin Spice cappuccino).  I love the option of wearing jeans and a t-shirt or jeans and a sweatshirt.  It truly is a magnificent season with so much to look forward to like the holiday season that's fast approaching.  It won't be long before we'll be storing my autumn decorations back into the attic and sorting through all of the Christmas stuff.  For now, I will enjoy the fall.

With this season came a big change for us.  Our oldest son, four year old Matthew, started preschool.  He only attends a total of 7.5 hours per week but it's enough to teach him so much.  At home I've worked with him on learning the alphabet, how to recognize the letters, write the letters, counting numbers, recognizing numbers and writing numbers.  He has done well with me but is doing outstanding with the teachers at school.  My husband and I are both so glad we decided to put him in preschool.  Since starting school he has learned the days of the week and the months of the year.  Yes, I somehow overlooked that one here at home.  He already knew his colors and shapes; learned that before the age of two.  Now his interest is in rhyming words.  He will often ask me things like, "Mommy, does 'Bake' and 'Cake' sound alike?" 

The first day of school was a bit of a challenge for me.  I know it seems silly because he's only in preschool.  I can't imagine what my reaction will be next year when I send him on the bus for his first day of kindergarten.  Ugh.  Anyway, from the moment he put his Super Mario Brothers backpack on for the first time it was as if he instantly grew.  No longer a baby.  No longer a toddler.  A preschooler.  Where did the last four, almost five, years go?  It's bittersweet.  Throughout my entire life I've always heard adults mutter the words "They grow up fast."  Now I know exactly what that means and I keep reminding myself of that.  It won't be long before high school graduation, or possibly sending them off to college.  It won't be long before I'm watching them stand before their future spouse saying wedding vows or holding my grandchild for the first time.  So for now I'm going to enjoy this season.  It's not going to last forever.