Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Goodbye Chaos...HELLO ROUTINE!!

Nobody loves having their kids home with them more than me, but I gotta tell ya...I was a little too happy for my kids to go back to school. I'm creative and crafty but not enough to fill the days of three little boys that are so totally different. If I heard B. ask me one more time "Are we going somewhere else fun today?", I was going to pack his bags and dump him out at Chuck E. Cheese....or Startime...or wherever. Ok, not really, but notice the key word was somewhere ELSE. We took them places at least twice a week...which come to think of if might have been the problem. Anyway, all is well with the world and my ADD is back under control with our new schedule. We're up at 6:15ish and even though Niblet doesn't have to be at his school til 9, he insists on getting up with B. They take a wake up shower, dress and make their beds then it's downstairs for breakfast. I have their outfits on hangers with underwear and socks so they dress themselves and all they have to do is find their shoes. We've even started getting NayNay up so he can nap earlier in the morning so I can get a few things done around the house. Then, 4 eggs, an english muffin and a bowl of random fruit later, about 7:15 or so we're out the door to take B. to school...all of us.

School Supplies: $30


New Backpack : $20


Being a Pirate instead of a Ladybug like the class next door: PRICELESS!!


I love to carpool. It's fun time that the kids can ride up front (the school is across the street from our neighborhood) and we have a great time. We wave as we pass the bus riders and their parents standing on the corner on our way to school...and again on our way home. Yep. They're still standing there. (Please refer to earlier post clearly stating that my child will n-e-v-e-r ride the bus)



An hour or so later we head to TLP to take Niblet to his school. We usually get there a little early and use this time to read our Cubbies story, work on our bible verses and wave/yell at friends across the parking lot who are also in the carpool line. Oh, the joy of being 4. His teachers, Mrs. Debby and Mrs. Susan, are great and he's very excited to make friends at his new school. I'm amazed every day at the enthusiasm he shows getting out the door to go to school. But what makes me really happy is the sheer joy I see on his face when he sees me there to pick him up.


WithB., homework has had it's own set of challenges. The boys are in bed at 8 (usually) but B. is so tired when he gets home, we've faced many tears about not wanting to do homework. Niblet didn't start school til 3 weeks after B. so now that they're both in, it's MUCH easier. They have a snack and have to rest for a half hour or so then I give Niblet worksheets to do and he practices his letters/numbers while B. works on his lesson. I've set up a classroom so we have a huge 4 x 5 dry erase board, an equally large bulletin board, alphabet, days of the week and month posters and a calendar station with weather chart. (The School Box is my new favorite place to shop!!) Anyway, we started out at the dining room table but now that we do homework here, it's much, MUCH easier and way more fun. My only issue now is the baby. KB and I are trying to work out a routine so that he can take care of him while we do homework so he's not into everyting. And when I say everyting, I mean EVERYthing. Those with toddlers know what I mean. I do try to savor every moment though because too soon there will come a day when all of my babies aren't babies anymore and I'll look back at the empty car seats and dream of the days that we waved at firetrucks, played endless games of car bingo and the many times we had to pull over to get the sippy that had fallen under the seat. But, as long as I do a good job with them while they're here, I know that the Lord will do the rest. With that said, we're off to church so they can hide His word in their hearts. <><



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