This. is. hard

The week is half over. Which is heavenly because it has been a trying week. 

I hope we can someday look back at this time and remember more than just the tough times, because man has it been hard. 

It's one thing to be quarantined. 

It's another to be working from home doing a job that is meant to be inside the walls of the hospital.

It's another to be sharing WiFi and work space with 3 kids and your husband.  

It's another to be teaching kindergarten. 

All this with no end in sight. 

This. Is. Hard. 

Our WiFi can't keep up with the demand. After spending an hour on hold, only to argue with the tech lady about internet speeds, I gave up. 

But a download speed of less than 1 when it should hoover 40-100 is just not cutting it. 

I can constantly be heard yelling: "One device!" which means everyone gets to browse on only one device at a time. 

None of this multi-tasking business. 

I really wish Lincoln's requirements included only these academic goals. 

Because we've mastered them ten times over.

 But using the Seesaw app, and all of the apps within apps has my head spinning most days. 

Core classes, specialists, optional versus required. 

Twenty-two assignments in his inbox, all of which need us to sit beside him and ensure he understands what to do (because half the time we can't find the instructions buried within a link to the left, a click to the right). 

This. Is. Hard. 

This picture below is how Lincoln feels about Distant Learning. 

He hates it.
Every single second. 

Each morning, we beg and bribe for him to start the learning and stay on task. 

But learning off his iPad is boring to him. 

And because we are working full-time demanding jobs, we don't have time to allow for 15 minute transitions, more begging and another 10 minutes of transition. 

Sometimes we tag team: one starts and the other helps him finish. 

On a good day, he wraps it up in an hour or two. 

Other days (like today), we're still trying to get to the assignments at 5pm. 

I thank my lucky stars that the girls have done such a wonderful job at starting and completing their learning each day. 

This. Is. Hard. 

I saw this from a friend today. 

And I have to remind myself to do the best we can.

Let go of some of the pressure (on all of us).   

Tonight when we snuggled into bed, and he grabbed a book eager to read to me, I realized that learning doesn't have to happen on a Seesaw app or a link provided by the school. Those connections, those snuggles, the gaining confidence to read under flashlight are what I hope he remembers from these hard times. 

Taking a deep breath, and we'll try again tomorrow. 

From baby to kindergarten to high school registration

It almost doesn't feel real to even say out loud: high school registration.

I'm only 29, how can I have a high schooler :) ha! Yea right. 29.

 

Oh this sweet baby girl who loved me to pieces, wore whatever I put on her and loved to play in my arm....., she's growing up so fast!

 

I remember getting this pamphlet in January of 2011 and thinking "kindergarten....already!"

 

 

And now here we are, a mere 9 years later, staring at this not-so-tiny-book below, wishing we were looking at that pamphlet. A time when we were worried about lost loveis and missing favorite toys. There's some truth to what they say "little kids, little problems; big kids big problems".

 

Tonight, I sat in an auditorium filled with parents of soon-to-be-freshman and listened as all of her options were laid out before me: geometry, world language, STEM classes and fine arts. Don't forget AP and honors courses and if you want to be considered for something extra-special, there's the pre-ACT requirement next month.

 My head was spinning and my hand was writing frantically.

Us moms gathered afterwards to compare notes, huddled around my cell phone looking at websites to hopefully help our kiddos make the right decisions to prepare them for a future.

One that their 8th grade mind has no idea what it wants (nor should it!).

The pressure is huge, and I vow not to ask her "what do you want to be when you grow up?", so she can choose the correct high school classes.

At least not this month.

 

 

Oh baby girl, your future is bright. And although I still cannot believe we are heading to high school, we are so excited for whatever your future may bring! This mom who loves to learn, is begging you to take me along on this journey because I'd love to take some of those classes with you!

 

 

Pretty please!

First days of school

We are 6 weeks into the school year and I’m finally getting around to posting the first day of school photos. 

Regan started first, the day after Labor Day. Though it was warm and sunny, she insisted on needing a big chunky sweater because all of her classes are in the basement this year. She was chipper and excited to be back into the swing of things. Though 2 weeks in, she admitted that she missed summer and should’ve better taken advantage of those weeks off from school. 

Lincoln and Sidney got an extra day at home with me, where we ended up taking Sidney in for an ear infection (good way to start the school year) and visiting their classrooms for assessment day. By the time their big day rolled around, they were both so eager and anxious to start a new year. 

Lincoln headed off to kindergarten without hesitation. He loves his teacher, has made new friends and from his self-report, is not one of the naughty kids in the class :) 

He wants to be a tiger trainer or race car driver, and is most excited about adding. We worked on reading last night and I’m blown away by his skills already! And in true kindergarten boy fashion, his favorite subjects are lunch and recess.

Sidney entered her last year of elementary school, and her only year sharing a school with Lincoln. She’s excited to be the oldest in the school and ready to take on her role as Kindergarten Bus Buddy, ensuring several kinders each day get to the right bus after school. 

She adores her teacher, wishes she was with some of her besties, but is happy with her friend group in class. 

They let me walk them into school, but Lincoln stopped me at the door and told me he was good from there. Oh baby boy, growing up so fast :)

I opted to bring lunch to Lincoln and Sidney one of the first days, mostly so I could peek in and meet some of their buddies. Love seeing them amongst their peers.

I'm thankful that she still lets me join her lunch....and I know all too well that this will likely be the last year she lets me do so.

Gymnastics meet Spring-2015

Sidney spends a lot of her time flipping around the house, playing on the bars and working on her gymnastics skills. And tonight, was her time to shine; the annual end-of-the-year meet. She was super nervous, even the night prior, worried about how she would do and remembering the routines. Sidenote: the coaches call out the moves, so it really is set up to be stress free. 

Nonetheless, she was excited AND nervous. 

As we pulled into the driveway of the center, I turned around, looked her in the eyes, and reminded her how proud that I am of her. I told her that getting out on the floor and having fun was my biggest concern. And no matter the outcome, I was going to be proud. 

ahhhh, but it might as well have fallen on deaf ears. 

This girl wanted a first place. With all of her heart, it's all that she talked about. Just one first place. 

And so, we checked in, and got settled to watch her do her thing. 

First up was the bars. She excelled and landed a second place, missing first by just 1 point. 

Darn, that is probably her best skill. 

Next was beam. She was a little wobbly but holy buckets, she has no hesitation and just goes for it. She landed another second place, this time by .05 of a point. Oh shucks. 

Lastly,  she moved to the floor routine. She did a nice routine, but I didn't expect her to get first. 

Nope, another second place, again by .05. 

That meant she had three second place finishes. Little did I realize, it also meant she won first place in All-Around! 

And so although she didn't get her first place ribbon, she understood what had happened and she was so dang happy!! The fact that her trophy says "First Place" just makes her year! That smile was plastered across her face as she stood on the top box with her First Place trophy and 3 second place ribbons. 

 And then, the way she leaped off those blocks and raced into my proud mama arms, all the while she beamed with excitement and joy. She just melted my heart and brought tears to my eyes. Boy are we proud of her! Later we drove away and with a big smile across her face asked "mom are you proud of me?", followed up quickly with "this was the BEST day E.V.E.R!" I'm beyond proud of her, and so in love that she is proud of herself! 

She might have the best pack of grandparents around too! They ventured up to the metro yet again to take in this special event and cheer on the sidelines for her. She's mighty lucky to have them so willingly come around to support her. 

Congratulations Sidney on your first place finish tonight! I'm so excited to see where your gymnastics takes you. 

Kindergarten field trip: Zoo

Today was a big day for many of the kids in the girls' elementary school. The kindergartners were heading to the MN Zoo, and the 5th graders were off to Valleyfair!! Needless to say, poor Regan was feeling pretty left out. Her big field trip of the year was to a local planetarium, and she thought that was no fun in comparison. Ahh, but alas, she has no idea what is in her very near future (more on that after it happens). For now, mum is the word :) 

Back to today, Sidney was so very excited for her big field trip day! I'm not sure what made her more excited: going on the actual field trip, or having me chaperone!? She was soooo ready for our day!!

I felt like a veteran this time around, having been on Regan's zoo trip 3 years ago. I knew what to bring, I knew what to expect, and I was armed and ready for my small group of 4 little ones, even naming our group: The Fabulous Four! At one point, we ran into one of their classmates who darted past us. As quick as I could ask "who is that?", he was gone. I speed-dialed the teacher who quickly informed me he had ran off from his group and was pleased as punch to be pointed in the right direction to locate him. Within 2 minutes, he was back in his group. I, on the other hand, was relieved he wasn't assigned to my group! 

At this time of the school year, the energy level is high and the eagerness to learn is pretty low. That didn't stop me from trying to give these 4 the best possible zoo experience out there. We stuck together, we pointed out animals, we laughed, and we maybe even learned a little bit :) 

There were 3,000 school children at the zoo today (yes, we were told that actual number!). Keeping track of The Fabulous Four was not an easy feat. I was constantly counting heads. 1-2-3-4. Over and over and over. These kids climbed on every rock, every tree branch, every everything! It was crazy. I think this bear gives a pretty good depiction of how we all felt when the day was done! 

Spending time with Sidney and all the kindergartners from her school, gives me perspective. She is calm and well-mannered, even though she despises long car (bus) rides and is quickly impatient. And goodness sake is she not the cutest little 6 year old out there! 

Hearing Sidney announce that today was "the best field trip ever!" makes all that exhaustion totally worthwhile. I love you Sid and I'm so happy we got to spend the day together. 

fall progress-2014

Yesterday afternoon, we headed to the girls' school for their fall conferences. They were both a little nervous for what their teachers would tell us....and I remember the same feeling when I was growing up. Not that they (or I) had anything to be worried about, but frankly, maybe it's a little healthy for them to feel nervous. They weren't sweating and scared, no, it was more of a "I wonder what she will tell you" kind of nervous. 

As it turns out, they are both excelling academically. I honestly didn't expect anything else. There was no indication that they were falling behind. And so, we listened to each teacher tell us their impression of our children. 

Regan's teacher (and student teacher) were up first. She talked about her reading, that she's at a level R (current should be N-P so she's ahead of schedule). This was certainly  no surprise to us. The kid is a book worm. This week, she came home with Harry Potter and another gigantic book from the library at school. Mrs N laughed that when she sat at her desk, with her pile of books, she could hardly see around them. This is her headboard, since she spends at least 30-40 minutes/night reading. 

I know just how important reading is for learning, and so, I am so very relieved that she excels in this area. As for math....well, she's getting along. It's not her strong suit, but in her defense, Mrs N admits that the cirriculum changed this year and Regan/class are now expected to be doing dividing/multiplication, whereas previously, these were 4th grade requirements. Even worse, when we were in school, those requirements came even later (eye opener to Ryan who likes to boast how easy that came to him.....he was 12 years old, not 8!). So we just keep telling her she's doing great because confidence is half the battle. Mrs N told us what Regan's teachers from prior years have been telling us all along: she likes to talk. Yes, we know. Thankfully she takes redirection well and is quickly remembering when it's Mrs N's turn to talk and when it's her turn to talk. Successful conference #1. And then, she brought home this amazing drawing she had done during her art enrichment course....incredible! 

And then it was onto Sidney's teacher. We went through how she's doing with letter recognition, numbers, counting and reading. Miss P talked about how much she enjoys having Sidney in class. 

She went on to say that when a group of kids struggles to understand  concept, Miss P often asks Sidney to answer the question and then to explain her thinking. She says it's like having another teacher, someone who can help her peers learn. WOW. I was stunned. It's no surprise that Sidney is seen as a leader among her peers (and her teachers), but it impresses me that she does so with grace. Miss P says within the class as well as within the smaller friend group, she notices that others follow Sidney's lead. When Sid says her favorite color, the rest end up picking the same color for example. 

A sample of her sight words

And while she is also described as a 'talker', Miss P says when it's time to learn, Sidney is quick to stop chatting and sit quietly to learn. She's a rule follower, that girl and it bothers her when people don't. We are so very proud of the progress she has made in Kindergarten! Successful conference #2. Here's some of the fun counting she does around the house....we count everything these days!

These two girls of ours never cease to amaze us! Congrats on such wonderful conference reports. Keep up the good work. 

On parenting

This parenting stuff....it's not easy I'm here to say. Some nights I reflect on the day and wonder if we did all that we could. There's so much packed into each of our evenings that I feel like I'm on a hamster wheel, going no where.

Take for example Regan's homework. She's in 3rd grade and our elementary school is high strung on a new model called "Megan Stone Theory". It's all about the kids taking responsibility for their own homework. As such, as parents, we are not to go into their backpacks. Rather Regan (and Sidney) are to dig out their folders, homework, daily planners, etc and review them with us, get it done/signatures and return them to their backpacks. Simple.

Or not.

Because what happens between the "go get your backpack" to "we're done", is a whirlwind of activity. On a non-activity night, we have 3 hours together as a family to prepare dinner, eat dinner, nurse Lincoln, do homework, shower/baths and get into bed. Not to mention we like to do something fun as a family such as a walk, a swing or running in the back yard. And on most nights, we have a practice for at least one of the kids (softball, dance, etc) which leaves even less time to do all that is required.

So while the kids are trying to do homework after we get home, and Ryan is still at work, I'm preparing dinner and entertaining Lincoln all at the same time. It's like a juggling act some nights where I feel like all of the balls come falling onto my head at the same time: smoke alarms (no joke...having one of those new fancy smoke alarms just means it goes off every time I cook, or make toast for that matter!), kids whining that their home work is too hard, that they can't find the "right" pencil, Lincoln tugging at my hair that I forgot to pull back while giving me slobbering kisses and lunging for the hot pot on the kitchen stove, Sidney having to poop mid-meal (every.single.night), you name it, we're a circus over here.

Sidney's homework is simple: handwriting. And the kid is a genius in my eyes conquering her handwriting no problem.

She's writing out her sight words on the white board now too, just for a little extra fun.

 Regan has a math worksheet to do each night, which is sometimes easy, sometimes not. Often requires a little coaxing from us to complete, or at least a little direction. She also has a Writer's Workshop assignment each week which is roughly 10 problems involving writing. This is thankfully given on Monday and not due until Friday so we can work on it in bits and pieces. She has to read for at least 20 minutes/day too. This is our easiest piece of homework. The kid adores reading and we put her to bed at the same time as Sidney because she spends at least 30 minutes reading in bed. Currently she's breezing through my old Babysitter Club series...and loving them! 

But on top of all that, we are working hard on her math facts, those darn timed tests, and she dreads it. "It's so hard!", she complains constantly. And so I'm thankful when her softball coach incorporates math facts into practice. No lie, yesterday I heard "we're going to do this 3 times, with 7 balls, so how many good throws should we have? 3x7....". Oh, and on top of that, she gets a list of spelling words to conquer each week in time for her test on Friday.

Really, we're only in 3rd grade and I feel like she has a solid hour of homework each night. Now if this little girl could get on the ball with the "Megan Stone theory", it might make things a little easier. But she has very little internal fire to take responsibility (opposite of Sidney), and she has a serious lack of effort in math. We're making progress, bit by bit. But it's a challenge many nights. And sometimes I collapse on the couch and my heart is heavy, hopeful that she's succeeding the best that she can. That we are doing at least something right. Because at the end of the day, I want our kids to know how much they are loved, and how their own actions result in their success. In the meantime, I'll keep up my nightly juggling act and hope that I can keep everything in the air and know that I'm probably not alone with our crazy circus act.

A peak into Kindergarten

When the girls were little, I would take weekly and monthly pictures of them. I even created little signs to set next to them. I caught some grief with all the pictures I took, but when I learned that Regan's Kindergarten class was doing a similar project, I think it proves what a great idea monthly pictures can be.

A twist on "taking" pictures, Regan and her friends drew pictures of themselves; self-portraits so to speak. Each month, lovely Mrs. C had the children draw a picture of themselves. I love how Regan draws, and this just shows the transformation over the last 9 months. I think my favorite part is that she sees herself as a happy, smily wonderful little girl.

Mrs C also had the children write their names each month. It's incredible to see how much she has improved with printing.

That's a wrap!

Today officially marks the end of the school year. 

We now have a first grader! 

How in the world did that happen so fast? 

I think the picture on the left tells a thousand emotions, just look at her nervous hands, her sweet innocent and apprehensive smile. 

As I wrote one last thank you message to her lovely teacher this afternoon, I teared up thinking how much I am going to miss kindergarten. You know, where everything is all lovely and cozy and wonderful. 

Today when Regan and I snuggled up and talked about her last day I asked her how she was feeling. Her response: "sad". I prompted her to continue and she said just what I was feeling: "I'm sad because I will miss  my teacher". 

She came home to this gigantic sign plastered against the garage door....yes, I got a little carried away with end of the year fun. 

 It was a wonderful June afternoon and to celebrate a few extra hours together, I took the kiddos into the pool... and watched Regan tip over countless times on this piranha.
Later she looked at the box, and said "hey mom, it says 'no-tip', but it should say 'it will tip'!! 

I love that this little girl can read now. Love love love it! 

 And she's pretty excited about all that she has learned too. Welcome to summer sweetie, you've earned it!

Kindergarten Graduation 2012

This morning, we kissed our little BIG girl one more time and wished her well before her Kindergarten Graduation ceremony. 

And of course, there were tears shed as I looked around at all the other parents, getting ready to announce we have a FIRST GRADER!!! I had a few extra tears when I noticed a computer set up in the front row which happened to be skyping a daddy who is stationed overseas. 

Talk about pulling at one's heart strings! 

I have had the privilege of getting to know this wonderful group of kindergartners. I have spent countless hours throughout the year watching them grow. 

So when the curtain was lifted to this shy group of students, my heart melted. Aren't they just adorable with those red solo bowl home made hats? 

I think so too :) 

 They sang a list of songs, with a few cute arm/dance movements along the way. 

Regan's face in this picture below is priceless. She just loves being on stage and really gets into "character".

 When it was "commencement" time, Regan proudly walked across the stage to greet her lovely-very patient-super wonderful teacher.

 They did the official "graduation" hand shake with one hand, diploma with the next.

 Then it was on to a quick congrats from the principal. 

We have been blessed with a wonderful group of teachers and staff. It has been a great experience; these people really do love children.

 Regan's teacher has made her kindergarten year an amazing one. She not only welcomed Regan with open arms, she also welcomed lil' sister Sidney too.
At each conference throughout the year, we would hear all of Regan's strengths....and then the dreadful "we need to work on" statement. Can you guess what it is?.......

 She's a wee bit social. 

That's right, our little 6 year old likes to chat away, and sometimes at some not so great times. Well, it won't prevent her from entering 1st grade, so for that we are thankful!
She has gained the best friend a little girl could ask for. These two have been inseparable from day one!

And a big thank you to some relatives who made the trek and be a part of Regan's special day; THANK YOU!

Aunt (Godmother) Vicky and Hunter

Grandma Jan, Grandma Sheri and Grandpa Arnie

And we wouldn't have missed this for the world (despite Sid's frown).