Tomorrow, the kids will have been back to school for a week. I am still adjusting to the quiet when they are gone (and the shock of noise when they come home).
The first day went well. Emily had been setting her alarm for 6:30 a.m. for the previous week to practice getting up earlier. Because Makayla and Emily share a room (and Ricky sleeps on their floor most nights), everybody was used to the early morning schedule before the first day. By the time I got out of bed on the first day of school (around 7 a.m.), Emily, Makayla, and Ricky had already eaten breakfast and were taking showers. Andrew woke up about 10 minutes before we left to walk to school, so we threw some clothes on him and headed out the door.
Ricky started Kindergarten, and he is doing great! He loves it. I thought he would be worn out--especially because he was sick all summer, but he has more than enough energy. He practically runs the whole way to and from school. On the first day, his favorite thing was art. On the second day, believe it or not, his favorite thing was quiet time. After nearly a week, quiet time is still one of his favorite things. He gets annoyed when other people are talking when they are supposed to be quietly resting and reading.
Makayla started 2nd Grade this year. All summer, she was dreading the first day of school. She had a challenging year last year, and she just wasn't looking forward to diving into the grind again. After meeting her teacher and seeing her classroom, she changed her mind. She seems to be loving school this year and I am glad. My only concern right now is that her teacher seems to have a bit of a temper. I don't worry about Makayla getting into trouble, but when somebody blows up at a little thing--especially if that somebody is a person they respect and look up to, it can be tough on the tender feelings of a child who rarely gets into any trouble.
Emily is a big 5th grader now. She has been wishing for school to start for a couple of weeks, but she was also nervous. Because she is a young 5th grader (August birthday) and she is combined with 6th graders, she was nervous about all the "big kids." She is adjusting very well to the "big kid" environment. She has an excellent teacher who, I found out later, many other parents were wishing for. She was embarrassed that I took her picture outside the class on the first day of school, so she couldn't make herself smile. I'll remember that in the future and keep the first-day-of-school picture-taking at home.
Now, here is a math problem in story format in honor of the first day of school: 
Adjusting to having only one child at home is fun and different for me. I haven't had one child at home with me for most of the day for 7 1/2 years (before Makayla was born). The house seems too quiet when they all leave in the morning, but I'm OK with that. It is such a relief to do the grocery shopping with just one person--not that the kids misbehave, but five people just take up too much space in the grocery isle and I don't like fielding comments like, "Are all those kids yours?" I like to be able to surprise the kids with fun things because they aren't around me every minute of the day. I am able to pay the bills and do whatever other computer stuff I want to do more efficiently when Andrew is napping. Best of all, I can do fun things like play group at the park or story time at the library with just Andrew. He is my little buddy for most of the day and I am loving that.
The first day went well. Emily had been setting her alarm for 6:30 a.m. for the previous week to practice getting up earlier. Because Makayla and Emily share a room (and Ricky sleeps on their floor most nights), everybody was used to the early morning schedule before the first day. By the time I got out of bed on the first day of school (around 7 a.m.), Emily, Makayla, and Ricky had already eaten breakfast and were taking showers. Andrew woke up about 10 minutes before we left to walk to school, so we threw some clothes on him and headed out the door.
Ricky started Kindergarten, and he is doing great! He loves it. I thought he would be worn out--especially because he was sick all summer, but he has more than enough energy. He practically runs the whole way to and from school. On the first day, his favorite thing was art. On the second day, believe it or not, his favorite thing was quiet time. After nearly a week, quiet time is still one of his favorite things. He gets annoyed when other people are talking when they are supposed to be quietly resting and reading.
Makayla started 2nd Grade this year. All summer, she was dreading the first day of school. She had a challenging year last year, and she just wasn't looking forward to diving into the grind again. After meeting her teacher and seeing her classroom, she changed her mind. She seems to be loving school this year and I am glad. My only concern right now is that her teacher seems to have a bit of a temper. I don't worry about Makayla getting into trouble, but when somebody blows up at a little thing--especially if that somebody is a person they respect and look up to, it can be tough on the tender feelings of a child who rarely gets into any trouble.
Emily is a big 5th grader now. She has been wishing for school to start for a couple of weeks, but she was also nervous. Because she is a young 5th grader (August birthday) and she is combined with 6th graders, she was nervous about all the "big kids." She is adjusting very well to the "big kid" environment. She has an excellent teacher who, I found out later, many other parents were wishing for. She was embarrassed that I took her picture outside the class on the first day of school, so she couldn't make herself smile. I'll remember that in the future and keep the first-day-of-school picture-taking at home.
Now, here is a math problem in story format in honor of the first day of school: A mom has four children. Three of the children are at school for most of the day. How many children does that leave at home?
Just little Andrew. In honor of his first day home with Mommy, he got some new Playdoh.
He was busy and happy for about an hour (and several times since then).
He was busy and happy for about an hour (and several times since then).
Adjusting to having only one child at home is fun and different for me. I haven't had one child at home with me for most of the day for 7 1/2 years (before Makayla was born). The house seems too quiet when they all leave in the morning, but I'm OK with that. It is such a relief to do the grocery shopping with just one person--not that the kids misbehave, but five people just take up too much space in the grocery isle and I don't like fielding comments like, "Are all those kids yours?" I like to be able to surprise the kids with fun things because they aren't around me every minute of the day. I am able to pay the bills and do whatever other computer stuff I want to do more efficiently when Andrew is napping. Best of all, I can do fun things like play group at the park or story time at the library with just Andrew. He is my little buddy for most of the day and I am loving that.On the other hand, I miss the older kids when they are gone. I worry about how they are doing--especially Ricky--it is hard to turn your 5-year-old over to the care of somebody else. I worry about being away from them if there was an emergency (i.e. tornado warning, big storm, or school lock down). Above all, I miss the fun and excitement they bring to our home. We had so much fun going places and doing things together in the summer. Most of all, the first day of school is just another milestone that reminds me that the kids are getting older and they won't always be my little ones and that sometimes makes me sad.
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