Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. ~Chinese Proverb

We have just finished the second full week of school.  It has been an interesting month as all three of us have needed to settle into a new routine.  Taelin loves, loves, loves her new school.  She is excited to go every day and comes home happy.  I could not be more pleased with our decision choose Heritage as her school.  She is just going to blossom!  She is struggling a bit with full days all week and has been really tired at the end of the day.  Add dance into the mix (which is happy has started back up) and she has a really full schedule.

I asked her today what her 5 most favorite things she has done at Heritage have been:

1. Art-They have been writing a ton and she loves illustrating all of her stories.  They also had the art teacher for the first time this week and she got to sketch in her art notebook that is "just like LaLa's!"

2. Math- Who knew my kid would love math!  She loves the small math group and the games they are learning to practice addition.  It is seriously the first thing she talks about when she gets in the car.

3. Reading- Man, this girl is SO motivated to read.  I have been really careful not to force the issue because I know she will be able to read when she is ready...and I think she is ready.  Her challenge is going to be that it doesn't come fast.  (I don't know where she gets that from.)

4. Morning Meeting- Every morning they start their day all together in a morning meeting.  When Joe and I did our visit last year, it was seriously the most magical thing.  I actually got teary while watching the class.  They talk about a quote and then write and then talk some more. I'm not surprised at all that it is one of her favorite parts of her day. It's amazing.

5. Missoula Children's Theater- This week they had a two hour theater workshop done by the Missoula Children's Theater.  They got to do a bunch of different things.  She learned about 'key gestures' and 'isolation' and got to practice in a couple of skit.  Not surprising to anyone...she loved it.


I am so excited to see what this year has in store for this great kid!

I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to. ~Author Unknown

I need to have this quote tattooed on my hand. Ok, that might be going to an extreme.  At the very least, I need to write this quote down in a couple of particular places as a reminder.  I keep finding myself in situations where I feel like I need to argue my stance, prove my point, convince others to change their mind.  The majority of the time, I end up walking away frustrated, worried, angry and irritated.  Usually I end up carrying those feelings (that continue to compound) long after the conversation is done.

It is such a tricky thing when I find myself in a situation like this.  Others I know, believe the same thing I do but can state their opinion and move on.  Others I know believe the same thing I do but just don't even engage.  I don't do either of those and I need to.

I am not good at letting go of things.  You would think the amount of times I have watched or heard the soundtrack to Frozen I would have "Let It Go" running through my subconscious but I don't.  I am not sure how it get better at that. When I don't engage, I often feel guilty later.  Like my silence was an acceptance of a differing view.

Lately, it seems I find myself in these situations in the education word, not only as a teacher but now as a parent.  I kind of always thought I would be a pain in the ass to my daughter's teacher and turns out I know myself pretty well and I was right.  I try to mitigate my pain in the ass-ness with baked goods, gift cards for coffee and volunteering but I am sure that only goes so far.  

Here is the latest example. Taelin is super excited to become a reader.  She loves reading books together, has started wanting to "read" books in bed after I read to her at night and one of her favorite apps is the Reading Rainbow app.  She has about 7 notebooks strewn around the house with pictures and labels and is constantly asking how to spell words.  She loves making up stories in the car when we are driving and wants Joe and I to tell her stories of when we were kids. She is super excited and really ready.

Enter sight word flashcards.  I can't even put into succinct words how much I abhorrently disagree with giving 5 year olds 10 unknown words at a time without any kind of context for meaning on flashcards with the charge of practicing every night so you can get tested every day so you can get a sticker on a chart when you know them all so you can get 10 more unknown words without any kind of context for meaning on flashcards.  I could go on and on but I won't.  It quite literally turns me into a crazy person.

Taelin was motivated for a bit because it was new but quickly became discouraged when she couldn't memorize them. So now we don't do them.  The teacher discussed with me that she was concerned because Taelin was only on packet one and most kids were on packet two or three.  I told her I didn't feel like isolated flashcards fit her learning style (I left out my overall opinion) and that we weren't going to do them like that. I told her we would work more writing at home and I would have the words with us so if a sight word came up, she should include it in her writing. She wasn't super happy with me.  I have been on the other side of the table of that discussion, I know how not happy she was with me.  She expressed her concern that she just wants Taelin to be able to become a reader and not knowing sight words is going to get in her way.  I have to fight the small panic I feel when I hear that...until I remember what she can do.

I went on the Mickey Mouse Ferris Wheel of Death!
 (done at school)

I went to Lucy birthday party.  She opened her music box!
(done at school)

                                   

I went on Grizzly River Run! I love love that ride so much!
(done at home)

We might need to work on varying her beginnings but I know she is going to be just fine.  

I feel lucky that I can make that decision for my daughter and I should "attend" those arguments.  It is my job as her mother to advocate for her.  And I will every time...and then will follow it up with loaf of banana bread for her teacher.

But what about as a teacher?  I have often found myself more of a questioner than a bandwagon jumper on-er. Usually I can resolve whatever issue I am concerned about and will eventually find myself on the bandwagon. But I am finding myself more often unable to resolve my concerns.  I find myself "attending" arguments that I shouldn't.  It does no good other than to irritate those around me (oh and they do) and leaves me frustrated, worried, angry and irritated.  Those kind of arguments are the ones I need to stop attending.  

Which brings me back to the tattoo...or maybe just a few sticky notes in a few key places and maybe some banana bread for myself.

Photo A Day Sept 1-7

September is upon us and I have to say that only a week and half in and I am feeling sort of/kind of transitioned to my new work schedule.  There are still a few things to get used to but I do have to say that I am loving just working the morning most days and having the afternoons off.  It is too early to say for sure, but the fact that I am working on photos the second week of September is telling.  

Anyway, here is the first week of September!

sept 1, 2014
an early birthday card from Taelin

sept 2, 2014
happy birthday to me!
Joe and Taelin made a beach cake (because it is my favorite place)
Taelin was so incredible excited to celebrate my birthday...such a sweet girl.

sept 3, 2014
an afternoon trip to the library

sept 4, 2014
riverfront park on a sunny afternoon...perfect 

sept 5, 2014
so wants to be a reader

sept 6, 2014
woke up throwing up....luckily it was a short lived bug

sept 7, 2014
dance starts this week...she is SO excited!

Photo A Day August 11-31

Seven days into September and I figured that maybe it would be time to sit down and share the rest of August with you all.  Taelin is currently on the mend of what is hopefully just a 24-hour stomach bug.  I say hopefully for the obvious reason that I hate Taelin not feeling well, but Tuesday is the first day of kindergarten and it would be more than a little sad for Taelin to miss that since she is so looking forward to it!

Anyway, the Scooby-Doo marathon is in full swing this morning and we are hoping to make some zucchini bread later this afternoon but for the most part I am finding myself plopped on the couch next to Taelin and will some time to catch up on photo organization.  August was a busy and fun month!

aug 11, 2014
enchanted forest with cousin Lucy

aug 12, 2014
swimming with the smiley's

aug 13, 2014
hanging out with nana who helped watch taelin since I was back to work

aug 14, 2014
working on bike riding 

aug 15, 2014
why oh why is spaghetti ever on a kids menu?

aug 16, 2014
ballerina yoga

aug 17, 2014
love, love, love them

aug 18, 2014
in san francisco for work and luckily had an afternoon to see the sights

aug 19, 2014
i miss them so much when i am gone, but thank goodness for facetime

aug 20, 2014
amazing dessert that was very much necessary

aug 21, 2014
home! joe said it took taelin an hour to put all the stickers on

aug 22, 2014
so excited for dance to start up again...she can hardly wait

aug 23, 2014
maddie came over for the evening and they were so excited to at least
 fall asleep together before jim and jocelyn came to get her

aug 24, 2014
our very dead cedar tree.  i couldn't be more sad about it

aug 25, 2014
sorting my project life cards by color...i hope i don't regret it.
it does take up way less space

aug 26, 2014
cousin facetime initiated by lucy.
i think they would have kept going it we had let them

aug 27, 2014
taelin made a scooby doo reunion puppet show

aug 28, 2014
a crazy work week ended with a night out for dinner

aug 29, 2014
it rained all day so beef barley stew with homemade biscuits hit the spot

aug 30, 2014
we were out shopping for someone's big girl bed
and stopped for lunch to use a gift card we had
(no decision was made about said big girl bed)

aug 31, 2014
taelin has her very own purple video game controller and joe found a
lego avengers game that they had a good time playing "we beat level one already
and will beat level two without any problems.  we are really good."

Change always comes bearing gifts. ~Price Pritchett

Kindergarten is coming.  Taelin is going to be doing morning kindergarten at the same place that she did preschool.  She knows the teachers, knows the school, has friends...there isn't much changing in that regard.  But our schedule is changing.  Instead of going 3 full days, which has been the schedule for the last 3 years, she will be going 5 half days for kindergarten.  All this means that my schedule as work as changed too.  I am so incredibly lucky to have such an amazing job and boss that has given me the flexibility that let me make good decisions for our family.  I really wanted to be able to volunteer in Taelin's room so I decided that I will have Monday off, then work Tuesday-Thursday morning and then all day Friday.  The Friday isn't ideal, but it is what has to be because of staff meetings and professional development.

So, naturally, because I am me, I have been feeling worried about this change.  My 4 full days off in a row will be gone.  Sleeping in, snuggling in bed reading books,  making homemade waffles will no longer happen on Friday, which was our tradition.  I just kept feeling like there was all this "wonderful" ending with a huge "unknown" looming in it's place.

But Monday I got a glimpse of the gifts that might be coming.  I am not supposed to be working on Mondays, but the beginning of the year is just crazy and it demands flexibility.  There was a district thing that I had to be at that got over at noon so Joe (being the most awesome husband in the universe) stayed home in the morning with Taelin.  We made a huge list of things that she could do independently while Joe worked and I went off to my meeting.  At noon after the meeting was over, I grabbed my bag and said goodbye to my co-workers and headed to my car.  I was home 20 minutes later and Joe was out the door a few minutes after that.

Taelin told me all about her morning as we made lunch together.  After lunch, we did some chores around the house and then ran to the grocery store.  We came home and watered the garden and ran through the sprinkler.  Taelin showered up and we snuggled up on the couch with our homemade chocolate cookies made the day before and made a stack of read books so high that it eventually tumbled over.  We folded some laundry together (I wonder how long she will love folding laundry?) and then figured out what to make for dinner.

It was an absolute perfectly boring, regular afternoon with her.  I loved it all.  An suddenly that unknown looming is a little less unknown and a lot less looming.  My morning honestly went so fast that I hardly felt like I worked.  And when I got home, I wasn't exhausted from being at work and it wasn't a race to make dinner/eat dinner/clean/shower/bedtime.

I don't know why I don't figure it out.  Change always ends up being ok.  Things end but those ends are new beginnings and I need to remember that when change is coming.  That way, I can enjoy, savor and celebrate the endings instead of missing them worrying about what is unknown.  Maybe one of these days I will remember that in the right order. Maybe.

Photo a Day July 21-Aug 10

This week marks the start of the 2014-2015 school year for me and we are having a lazy day at home before I gear up.  I thought it be best if I got caught up on my photo organizing which means getting caught up on my Photo A Day!  We have been cramming summer into these last few weeks of July and first weeks of August since we got such a late start due to illness.  Beach trips, a baseball game, swimming almost every night, the drive in and mini-vacation to Great Wolf Lodge with an ear infection thrown in the middle of it because apparently we were too healthy.  

Anyway, we have had a lot of fun.  School may be starting up but we will have good weather for awhile (fingers crossed) so our summer fun isn't over...we just have to schedule it a little differently!

july 21, 2014
Mr. Hopkins finally was on the carousel

july 22, 2014
cuddling on the couch

july 23, 2014
puddles

july 24, 2014
kindergarten backpack purchased

july 25, 2014
baseball game family picture

july 26, 2014
ear infection = disney store shopping

july 27, 2014
black eye thanks to a slide

july 28, 2014
scrapbooking together

july 29, 2014
mama and taelin beach day!

july 30, 2014
playing at the park

july 31, 2014
beach day with Lucy and Tina!  they had so much fun!

aug 1, 2014
school supplies purchased!  this girl is ready for kindergarten

aug 2, 2014
drive in time again!

aug 3, 2014
pool fun!

aug 4, 2014
beach day with Nana!

aug 5, 2014
that bowl is going to take forever to dry!

aug 6, 2014
new pink boots!  yeehaw!

aug 7, 2014
mini-vacation to the play in the water

aug 8, 2014
all showered up and ready to drive back home

aug 9, 2014
Maddie turns 7!
the matching outfits were NOT planned but sure were cute...

aug 10,  2014
hard waking up