A RealFamilies RealFun Blog

Apr 1 2009

School's out, but love's in the air

Category: Kids & Growing Up

Now that school's over, Nathan announced that he's no longer a kindergartner, but a first grader. Obviously, he's very excited about entering the numbered grades with the big kids. BMOC (big man on campus) indeed!

"So Nathan," I ask, "who do you want for a teacher next year? Mrs. B or Mrs. V?"

"Oh, I want to be in Mrs. B's room," he replies.

"Why do you want to be in Mrs. B's class?" I ask.

"Oh moooooooom!" Nathan replies, grinning like a goofball.

"Is it because Mrs. B is Mae's mom and she's always visiting the classroom?" I ask, teasing him.

Nathan refuses to answer me and instead blushes at the mention of Mae, his 12-year-old babysitter and the object of his affections.

Personally, I don't mind who Nathan ends up with since both teachers are terrific. But I'm a bit concerned if he's assigned to Mrs. B. Don't get me wrong, she's an amazing teacher. Instead, I'm worried that Nathan will turn into a drooling, doofus-brained zombie every time Mae enters the classroom to visit and help her mom.

My son, the love-sick first grader.

 

Mar 31 2009

Summertime vacation blues

Category: At Home

A few days into summer vacation and I'm already at my wits end. The kids are constantly fighting and screaming at each other. Nathan's ordering me around like I'm some mediocre roadside diner waitress. Lucie's threatening to call her father to tattle on us both. And the house looks as trashed as my nerves are.

Yesterday wasn't so bad because we visited one of the nicer malls in the area. We saw a movie, hit the food court for lunch, and went to Johnny Rockets for dinner. We walked around the entire mall while I did some shopping. Then we hung out at Borders and looked at books for awhile. Including the drive time, we were there for seven hours.

Still, I don't have the time -- or the cash -- to go to the mall every day. I have stuff to do, from laundry to bill paying to writing. Bottom line is that Nathan needs to start entertaining himself, or I'm going to have to make up an hourly schedule of worksheets, book reading, snacks, and breaks for him to do when we're home. Lucie --- who's so used to having me all to herself all day -- is going to have to learn to get along better with her brother and stop throwing a hissy every time I won't let her do something.

Maybe I'll call a meeting of the Nichols Children Entertainment Committee. Headed up by Nana, it's worth using the frequent flier miles to fly her out from California. Luckily, she's a lifetime committee member and happy to serve to keep the monkeys out of my hair.

It's going to be a long summer. When does school start again?

 

Mar 30 2009

Summer plans

Category: Family Fun

Is it possible that the school year is over already, and that Nathan will be a first grader in just a few months? Forget lazy summer days hanging out by the pool. We have plans!

Nathan's been playing golf twice a week after school since May. This summer he's playing two mornings a week, and participating in junior golf league on Tuesdays. The league's open to kids four to 17 and depending on their age and experience, they'll play three, six or nine holes. Nathan plays 18 holes with Paul all the time, but they get a cart. Considering he'll be playing 11:30 to 1:30, how hot it'll get, and that Nathan will be walking the course and carrying his golf bag, I'm sure six holes will be his maximum.

While this may seem like a lot for a six-year-old, he's been playing golf since before he turned two, and been taking group lessons since last summer. Nathan loves the game and is very passionate about it. But the best part is that the golf course is THREE MINUTES from the house. It takes longer to strap the kids into their car seats than to drive there.

Nathan also has t-ball practice every Wednesday evening and games on Tuesday evenings. He also has art camp at our local recreation center every Monday and Friday from 1 to 3 p.m. Art camp is new for us. When I saw how cheap it was (less than $3 an hour) I ran the idea past him. I was amazed that the boy who has no patience with drawing said he'd love to go. But then again there's nothing like organized mess making with paint, glitter and glue, and being allowed to hack away at things with scissors.

Since Lucie's only three, there are not many activities to sign her up for. There are ballet lessons, but either we have a time conflict or there's a long waiting list. And I've given up on swim lessons after disastrous results this spring when Lucie screamed the entire session or refused to get in the water. Still we have our usual mom's club activities -- park dates, trips to the zoo, playgroup, and so on -- that I can bring both children to.

Then there's my summer academic plan. I purchased two kindergarten/first grade workbooks for Nathan. I'm going to try to have him do one math and one reading/writing worksheet per day so he can keep his skills sharp and practice his writing. Then I'd like him to read aloud to Lucie daily for a few minutes and maybe have him help me teach his sister her numbers. I have a 10-week curriculum on the ocean from Usborne Books to guide us in our reading selections and the books have been purchased. The problem is that with the running around we're doing -- and the physical activity Nathan is participating in -- I'm sure that this is way too ambitious. Either we'll have a time crunch or Nathan will be too tired. Still, books and worksheets will be something to fall back on when I need uninterrupted work time and don't want to park the kids in front of the TV.

This summer we'll be tackling some health and therapy issues as well. In July, I'm taking Lucie to the National Jewish Hospital in Denver for allergy testing. She used to be in an eczema study there and has an appointment to see the same wonderful doctor we used to work with. I have a feeling that her peanut allergy is much worse, while her egg one is getting less severe. It would be very reassuring to have some test results to verify this and to see how allergic she is to animal dander and pollens as well. The side benefit to this is that the hospital is right by the zoo and the natural history museum. So we'll try to make a day of it and visit the animals or see an IMAX movie or planetarium show if it's too hot.

Nathan will be seeing a speech specialist in Boulder to help him with his stuttering. The therapy he's received at school has barely helped, probably because it's in a group setting. I'm hoping that weekly one-on-one sessions will eliminate his stuttering problem by the time school starts next fall. But then again, I may be overly hopeful.

It's going to be a hectic summer, that's for sure. So if the laundry is piled up to the ceiling and you can write your name in the dust on the coffee table, don't be surprised. Summer's here and the time is right for dancing in the street -- well, I mean...keeping the kids occupied! If I hear, "Mama, I'm bored," I'm going to scream.