It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year??

So you've all see the commercial right?  A brother and sister are at Staples (I think it's Staples) looking at the back to school supplies while the father is dancing up and down the aisle with the shopping cart. He gracefully dances as if in some sort of wonderland and the shopping cart is his dancing partner.  All along the song, "It's the most, wonderful time, of the year" plays in the background.  It came on the other morning while I was getting dressed, just as Brody stumbled into my room.  As he watched the commercial and giggled, he looked at me and said, "Mom, why is it the most wonderful time of the year?"  I couldn't help laughing too because to this Mom, it is not the most wonderful time of the year!  It is the time of year when I stress, cry, question my decisions, and miss the little man who started first grade today!  I explained to him that most Moms and Dads love this time of year because their little kiddos are going back to school and they will have some time to themselves catching up on all the projects and chores that didn't get finished during the summer.  He looked at me a bit puzzled and then chuckled. He got it.  

So this morning I made Orange Julius and pancakes to start off the special day. I cried early and held back my tears when Brody was around.  He was ready but I wasn't.  His backpack was packed with a lunch, a book from Kindergarten that we found while cleaning this summer, a water bottle, and a red paper sack from his new teacher that had 5 things in it that described him.  Can you guess what the 5 thing were?  First, a Lego spaceship so he could tell his new classmates that he loved building Legos.  Second, a Star Wars chapter book that would show how much he loves to read AND that he loves Star Wars.  Third, a Darth Vader figure to show he loves Star Wars movies and video games.  Next, a picture of his swim team.  He wanted his new friends to know how much he loves to swim and that he even won a medal this summer.  Finally, a star fish to show that he went to Huntington Beach this summer and learned to boogie board.  I took some pictures of him and then we headed off to school.  He was so excited to play on the BIG playground and see his friends. He was especially excited to go to P.E. on the first day of school.  When we arrived at school, he immediately found his friends Mason and Chase from last year.  Jackson wasn't there yet so we looked around for him.  The bell rang and he jumped into line with his backpack. Out came his new teacher and he was gone.  I so badly wanted to jump in line with him and spend the day watching him in his new class.  I didn't.  I did however go into the school to drop off some plastic bags we had been saving and then I  peeked into the classroom.  Since Brody sits right up front by the door, he saw me but didn't pay much attention.  He was happy!  Libby took Case to play with Jefferson while Ledger and I headed out to run some errands.  All day I watched the clock and wondered what he was doing.  At 2:25 (early release Wednesday) I hurried over to school to get him.  He was happy!  He told me all about his fun day in First Grade including the teacher yelling at Max because he was throwing books in the classroom.  He learned that monsters don't go to school and even did some fun projects about monsters. He said that he was the most popular kid today because when he was sharing his red sack, all the kids wanted to feel his starfish and the teacher let him take it around so each kid could touch it.  That made him popular.  It was a good day.  

Watch out first grade!

While Brody went to school, the other two monkeys went to swim lessons.

Jackson and Brody on their first day in first grade!

Apple Fun!

These boys learned the parts of an apple and then water colored a picture

Telling addition and subtraction math problems was fun...especially when Case was telling the stories!

Ledger had a ball water coloring his apple.

These boys are the apple of my eye!!

This morning I decided to get my boys excited to go back to school (as if they need to be any more excited!) by getting some fun apple activities together for them.  They each got to paint, color, cut, write and do fun apple math story problems.  They had so much fun doing the apple activities.  Their favorite was the red, yellow and green apple prints they made from a cut apple.  We didn't get to do all the activities so tomorrow I'm hoping we can plant the apple seeds and do some more painting.  It was a fun apple day around this house.  

Meet The Teacher

Yesterday, Jeremy and I took Brody to meet his new first grade teacher.  I have been so sick to my stomach thinking about him going back to school.  Although I love school and loved teaching school, I hate having him away from me all day.  I hate the influences of the other kids at school along with the things he learns from them.  I am thinking positive though and hoping for a fun year full of learning and happiness.   Brody's new teacher, Mrs. Hunt seems very nice...and structured.  Her classroom was very simple, but organized.  Brody is sitting right up front which he is excited about. He has tons of nice friends in his new class so I'm hoping he will make some great new buddies!

Brody was a little disappointed when he got to his new classroom and realized he was sitting at group tables again.  He was hoping for his own desk (with his own supplies!!)  He sits right up front by the whiteboard.

Can you believe these two monkeys are going to be in the same class this year?  What a great year it will be!!

  

School Supplies

Is there anything better then brand new school supplies?  As a child I loved going back to school shopping for school supplies with my Mom (not to mention clothes shopping!).  The smell of brand new crayons, unsharpened pencils, notebooks that had never been opened, I loved it all.  Today we made a quick trip to Target to get Brody's school supplies.  I was in Heaven!  I wanted to buy everything (especially the .25 cent boxes of 24 Crayola crayons!!)  Brody had his list from his new teacher and made sure to check each item off the list as he found it.  He was a little bummed to find out that the school supplies are to be shared by the class, which I have to say, I would too!  I mean, I know it's important to share.  As a first grade teacher, my students had to share most their supplies too. But those un-used Crayons, super sharp pencils, and un-clogged glue bottles are so hard to part with at the beginning of the school year!  It's really the only time of year this happens.  By October, all the school supplies are beyond used up.  The crayons are dull and need the paper peeled off them.  The pencils have lost their eraser or have been sucked on by some other kid and don't work.  The glue bottles are clogged and barely use able. It's terrible!  I'm going to try extra hard this year to buy fresh, new school supplies for Brody....even if they are to be shared with the class!!

Brody with his back to school supply list.

Checking it off the list!

Case found some water colors for Miss Jody even though we haven't recieved her supply list yet! We got her a few more goodies for school too...Shhhh, don't tell!

  

Glue sticks were on the list.  Who likes glue sticks anyway?  Elmer's white glue is the best!!!

When Will It Be Fall?

Is anyone else out there in Blogger Land wishing this hot weather would go away and it was fall?  We are going a little stir crazy around here with not being able to go outside.  The boys are fighting with each other and driving me crazy!! Ever since we got home from our month of play and fun, they haven't known what to do with themselves!  Tonight we decided to start getting ready for fall by planting pumpkins.  I've always wanted to grow them but since you have to start them in the dead of summer, I haven't been real motivated.  I let the boys each plant 4 cups with different varieties of pumpkins to see which would do best.  After they start to grow, we will transplant them into our garden and see what happens from there.  Stay tuned for pumpkin growing progress!!

Brody and Case loved dumping the soil into their cups! ( Can you see Mr. Cheese in the background?  He lost interest about 5 minutes after we started!)

Case and his pumpkin seeds.

Brody and his pumpkin seeds.