Homework Helper

Erin has struggled with keeping her school things organized since she was in 1st grade.  That is when teachers and assistants stopped being the ones packing backpacks.  Erin also had a desk in 1st grade.  We lovingly now refer to her desks at school as "great Black Holes".

This year has been more difficult for Erin.  The kids are given more responsibility for staying organized, and she's just struggling.  Back in December, I asked her several times within one week "when is your Virginia History test?"  "Dunno mom," was the daily response.  I found out on Sunday, when bumping into her teacher that her test had been Friday and she'd done poorly.  Not surprising given that she hadn't studied for it at all, and had no idea it was happening.  Admittedly this occurred during a busy time for us, and a time when her teacher had been out of school for a week on personal leave.

After Christmas we tried to refocus, but homework papers and test dates continued to be forgotten.  It started stressing her out.  So much to the point she'd cry for an hour at home if when she realized she'd forgotten her study cards or lost her math homework.

So I went to the great source of all answers (no not Google this time) Facebook.  I asked my teacher friends for some organization tips for her.  During our 5 day snow break, we came up with some new plans.  I created a "Desk Folder" for her where she can put any important papers and homework that is handed out to her.  She can do this immediately.  As I mentioned once it gets put into her desk, it is lost forever in the great black hole.  The rule is also that she leaves the folder on the top of her desk rather than putting it inside.  The folder also has a laminated morning/afternoon checklist on it.  So each morning she has to check off the things she's supposed to do, same in the afternoon.  It's been 2 weeks of school since we started it, and no lost homework yet.

The cooler thing we created was her school bracelet.  It's a simple homemade bracelet with several letter beads on it.  She wears it every day.  Each bead stands for something that she needs to check both morning and afternoon.

H - Homework
B - Boomerang Folder (this is a folder that is turned into the teacher each morning)
D - Desk Folder
G - Glasses
M - Mailbox
L - Lunchbox

Again, 2 weeks.  So far so good.  And if she didn't have something she could easily explain -- "Mr. W didn't hand that out today."  Or, "No math homework this week."

I'm crossing my fingers that this helps her out in the long run.  That it limits her stress about lost homework and therefore allows her to relax and be more prepared when it comes to taking tests.  Right now if she can keep focused for the next week, I think she'll find herself with a little mommy/daughter treat to get her nails done.

5 Days is 3 Days too Long

Blue Ribbon!

Let me explain.  There hasn't been school in almost a week.  Last day we had school was last Wednesday.  It's Monday.  No one is in school.  Last Thursday we awoke to a 5:30 AM phone call explaining that unexpected snow overnight had canceled school (we got a total of about 3" of white powdery fluff).  Yay,   we all needed a break and the kids got a day of playing in the "snow".

Bed Head for B Box Workshop

Friday morning, another 6:00 AM phone call -- no school.  There was a chance of more snow Friday right during dismissal time.  It's likely we would have had to have a delay at the start because of the remaining flakes from Thursday.  Another freebee.  Kids still played outside for several hours although we barely got a dusting of snow in the afternoon.

Over the weekend we crammed all the canceled events from Thurs and Friday and also the regularly scheduled activities.  Therefore on Saturday we had 1 basketball game, 1 very quick trip to the gym, several hours at the 4H talent show judging -- all while T was teaching a homebrewing class so I was flying solo.  Sunday we had a children's led church service, 4H talent show family performance, 2 Black Box rehearsals and homework to review since it had been 4 days since anyone had been to school.  (Erin did win a blue ribbon for her song at the talent show though!)

After spending what felt like hours reviewing spelling words and Jamestown SOL facts, homework was finished.  Showers were taken (notice the Bed Heads as part of the workshop Sunday night, Erin had almost a 1/2 can of hairspray in there).  Everyone was tucked in and asleep by 9:30 -- a minor miracle.

Bed Head Girl

Then Monday AM -- 5:50  phone rings again.  2 hour delay because of predicted ice.  Let the kids chill, but don't turn off alarms, let's give them an extra 2 hours to get ready.  Of course, once they realize it's a 2 hour delay they're up and at it, getting dressed faster than ever.  Just as I was getting ready to get the "finish getting ready for school" heat on, the 2nd call came.  NO SCHOOL.  Even Erin was disappointed, and asked if we could have homeschool today.

Painting His Tile

I explained that yes, we could, but we were starting at the gym with PE.  I'll admit it was a little icy on the drive to the gym, so my fury on the school cancelling dimmed with the realization that I wouldn't want kids on the roads in buses in the ice.  Once at the gym, I got a call from a friend and we got together to visit a pottery painting place (Art - check).  

It is now sunny blue skies, and it's supposed to be 60 tomorrow.  Erin is practicing piano (hey we got music in today) and Jeff is messing with the computer (look Computers!).  Methinks we might have school tomorrow.  They'd better not give me any lip about it.

Snow Day

Cute Little Guy In The Snow

Zip Up Your Coat Child!

Last week central VA was predicted to get 6-10" of snow.  We got nary a flake.  Last night I went to bed around 11 and peeked out the window.  The mention of flurries had been in the forecast but nothing major.  Then the phone rang at 5:30 this morning announcing no school.  There was 3" of fresh white powder across the land.  It was quite beautiful.  Of course after being awakened at 5:30 it's hard to fall back asleep, but I'll leave that to my Facebook ranting.



The kids loved their snow day.  It was a super light and airy snow.  Certainly not good for snowballs, but great for sledding.  Both Erin and Jeff spent about 2 hours playing outside in the sub-20 degree weather today.  I bundled them up as best I could, but we still lost at least one hat.  They slid down the hill into the prickers and over the garden.  They explored the stream.  They played in their fort in the woods.

Zooming Head First

Not Quite Sure Yet

Away She Goes

And now at 8:00 PM --- they are exhausted.  YES!!!


Even mom took a few rides down the hill.  Man, I've never noticed how bumpy our ground is.

Basketball Time

Erin has a long list of activities (clearly much too long, but we're having a hard time deciding what to cut for her).  Jeff has been looking for something else for him.  This summer he wanted to play basketball so he signed up for a short Parks and Rec. basketball camp.  He had fun and coach told him he should come back and play this winter.  So here we are with a long list of 9:00 AM Saturday games.  The last 2 weeks were all practice and drills.  Today, Jeff had his first game.

Let's get down to it.  Basketball might not be his game.  His catching skills are definitely iffy, and his shooting is off.  But this kid is having a blast.  He's got 2 good friends from soccer on his team also.  AND, this is his first season so he should really be just learning.

He has really enjoyed the practices.  One of the funniest things last week was watching coach lead all the kids through calisthenics -- a group of 7 year olds doing sit-ups and planks is downright hilarious.  They've worked on all the passes and shooting.  Jeff has a good sense of defense as well as where to be on the court and who's open.  I think this comes from his soccer experience.

Last night he opened up about being nervous about today's game.  It was to be expected, he's never been in a game setting before.  But once he got the jitters out, he played well.  I think through the season he'll only get better and have more and more fun.  Good for him.

One little problem.  Apparently Jeff has volunteered me to organize snacks for the rest of the season.  That boy, what more could he want?

   

2012 in Photos - Pt. 1

Last year I posted a top 10 photos from 2011.  I still like to go back to that post for reminders of our special moments.  This year, I figured I would do it slightly differently.  Each month will be represented by a photo.  Sort of like a picture montage of 2012.  So let's start off.

January

What to do when it's cold outside?  Turn daddy's box into a boat.  

February

We don't get much snow here in the 'ville.  So when we do it's important to take advantage of it ASAP.  We got 1 good morning of sledding in last year.

March

One of the biggest parts of growing up is taking off those training wheels.  Here he is, first day no trainers!

 

April

Talk about growing up.  Who is that beautiful young lady smiling at me with those gorgeous brown eyes?   

May

Still playing on stage together.  Sound of Music was so much fun, and a great way to celebrate birthdays! 

June

It's still important to get out into nature.  We LOVE  being so close to the mountains and some amazing hikes.  This is one that was spur of the moment, but brought us to a gorgeous waterfall on a sunny Sunday morning. 

Christmas Time Is Here Again

Merry Christmas one and all!!


It's been a quiet and low key holiday here in the 'ville.  It started a week ago with a surprise trip taking the kids to see the Hobbit 3D.  3 hours long and they were completely entranced.  Jeff can't wait to see the next one.  I think he'll have to wait at least a year.

Biggest down side, was that same day, Meghan started feeling icky.  2 days later, and one fainting spell resulted in a trip to the ER and a bag of IV fluids.  A little medicine and 2 more days and she was feeling much better.  Unfortunately she missed out on the Christmas pageant at church (where Erin had a solo singing The First Noel) and finishing up Christmas shopping.  But by Christmas day everything was hunky dory.  And magically both kids and Tom still healthy.

Pageant Ready

Christmas Eve day, did provide the first magic of the season.  We woke to a mid-morning snow fall.  The snow came down for about 2 hours.  A whole range of snow from little tiny icy flakes to huge soft ones.  All was gone by afternoon, but the magic of watching it fall was completely worth it.

Catching Flakes

The kids work early, but not too early.  They were excited to head downstairs and explore what Santa had left them.  Our general rule is that stockings can be opened before breakfast and then we open gifts after breakfast.

Gift opening was wonderfully relaxing.  We all took our time.  Kids enjoyed a toy as they opened it.  Everything got its time.  The big hits of the morning were the Lego sets  -- several Lego friends sets for Erin and the Hobbit hole set for Jeffrey. There were also several games, some gift cards, gloves, hats and slippers that all were immediately donned as well.  Santa brought alarm clocks that dock with their iPods so bedtime was even enjoyed.

Stompeez!!

 

Legos!

 The rest of the day was spent building Lego sets, playing games, watching movies and just relaxing.  We had steaks on the grill for dinner with potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts.  Cookies for dessert.

Yum!

Thursday we packed up and headed to DC for a day.  Tom, Jeff and Uncle Jon played a long came of LoTR cards while Erin played with her Oma.  We had a second Christmas there where we discovered more Legos, a new Wii game (LoTR Lego) for Jeff and Erin got her first Kindle and a new book from her Noni.

Silly, Uncle Jon

 

Our nice quiet Christmas is just what we all needed during this busy month.  Now that the flu has left the house and we're all feeling up to par, it's just about time to head back to school and work.  Hopefully rejuvenated and energized  for 2013.

Repeat Suspects

This year our duo's Halloween costumes were somewhat "repeat suspects".  Last year the kids broke the pattern of going out as a pair (a witch and a clone trooper not exactly from the same genre).  I was rather hoping that they would return to the paired Halloween costumes this year.  No such luck.

Erin, still on her Dorothy kick from March, chose to unearth her Dorothy costume - wig, ruby slippers and all.  Jeffrey asked to be Han Solo.  This was an interesting request since Han has never been one of his favorite Star Wars characters (sadly he leans towards the "new" characters).  It only made perfect sense when he explained that if he was going to be Han Solo, he'd need a blaster.  Ahhhhh....the things they will come up with in order to get a new toy.

The funny coincidence is that Erin was Dorothy when she was 3.

And while Jeff has never been Han Solo, he was classic Luke Skywalker when he was 4.




















Anyway, Halloween fell right after Hurricane Sandy stormed through (see what I did there?) and knocked out our power for 2 days.  Halloween night it was cold and dark at Wallace South.  We visited a friend who goes all out for Halloween.  The kids trick-or-treated around his neighborhood and then we hung out on his front lawn for an hour or so.  We have hung out there on several other occasions for Halloween so the kids were excited to return to his house.

Here are a few pictures of the pumpkin carving activities (which had to be concluded by candle light and flashlight when we lost power).

At this point, the candy is almost gone, except for those boxes of DOTS that Jeff insisted on picking up.  The pumpkins have gone by the wayside, thrown down the back hill.  The costumes are tucked back into the dress-up bins.  And the planning for next year has begun!

Planets

Another hallmark in mommy-hood.  Erin had a "space" project that she needed to do for science class.  The only requirement was that it needed to be a 3D project.  Erin chose to build a model of the solar system.  Although I don't remember building a solar system when I was in school, I've watched enough 80s sit-coms (Full House Anyone?) to see it as one of those parental stepping stones.

So last weekend we worked together to build a model solar system.  Erin wanted to incorporate movement (for an extra credit bonus).  She decided to hang planets from foam core supported by a shoe box.  She made her planets out of paper and masking tape, then did research online to determine the relative size of each planet and then how to paint them.  She took it very seriously and was especially careful when painting and adding detail to her planets.

She also had to write an accompanying paper for her project.  I asked if she were allowed to type it, but she insisted that mechanics included neat handwriting and spelling (turns out she could have typed it).  She wrote a rough draft which we talked about and then took a long time to neatly write her paper.  She was very proud of her work.

It might not be the work of a great artist or future architect, but for a 4th grader she has a right to be very proud.  The amount of work, her not waiting until last minute (it was finished 4 days before it was due), her interest in doing the research make mommy very proud too.

Theater Photography

We are blessed to have an amazing photographer as part of the family theater group we act with.  Over the past year she has gotten some great images of all of us showing our very best on stage.  I even asked her to come out and shoot Erin's performance of Wizard of Oz in March.

Here is a link to her Blog.  She has such a wonderful artistic eye for photography.

AFT Photography

So here are some of my favorite moments Ashley has captured over the past year.

So proud of my Dorothy

The composition of this just makes me smile.  I never would have thought to take a picture of feet.

Could they be having any more fun?

Jeffrey is starting to come into his own on stage.

My beautiful Marta

And the goofy Prince

2 girls so in the moment

Speaking of being in the moment

 

And precious moments

Goofball can have some poise and sing beautifully too

And speaking of beautiful...