Commander Sparkle

Princess Snifflefritz had to make a scarecrow for school. It had to be creative, and it had to have a riddle. She had her idea for the moment she heard about the scarecrow contest. She wanted to make a robot scarecrow called Commander Sparkle. She works so hard on her scarecrow. And it is so completely adorable. I do wish I'd remember to take a picture before I brought it to school. But it is adorable and amazing and I'm so proud of her. This is probably one of my favourite parts about public school. I like the school work Little Prince brings home l. I like the little rewards they bring home from school. I like the projects that they do. This is fun for me. So, as much as I miss them, I love hearing your stories. I love their enthusiasm. And I love the projects.

Agricultural Festival

We had fun at a free Agricultural Festival here in town.  My favorite part was the farm section. I love the baby animals especially the cows!

So, I suck!

This whole parent to kids I school thing is new to me and as organized as I am, I messed up.  Princess Snifflefritz has a huge, 3 day class camping trip that she has been excited for, that we have been preparing for, and it turns out that the $65 fee us due 1 week earlier than I thought!!!! I have to have it for Monday.  I don't have it.  I have to figure out a way to make it happen. I am NOT letting her down.  I just want to put myself in a timeout and cry.  I feel sick.  Aaaaggghh! I thought I had it all together!

UPDATE: I spoke to her teacher and we are all set! It is okay.

Organizing

I am still having a little trouble breathing but, I did manage to get some things done. It feels so good to cross a few things off my list. One of the things I did is go through my storage room and pull all of my decorations for holidays towards the front. I have fall and Halloween right at the front other holidays after that and then all of my Christmas. So now what holiday comes I can find stuff to decorate with. My fall stuff will be going up this weekend.

I also put some cute containers on my bathroom counter.  That is still a work in progress.

The other thing I did was sort out my pantry in my dining room. My dining room is clear enough now that the table can actually fit in the middle of the room where it belongs. Not right up against the wall. It makes my dining room looks so much better. I have three cabinets filled with boxed and canned goods. And I have to open shelves that have canisters and Mason jars. I love my glass jars. They make me so happy. Actually want to replace some of my other canisters with nice ones. Funny thing is, nice ones are not expensive ones. I have a certain look that I like. Mason jars are my favourite. It is all still a work in progress but, I have a couple of pictures to show you what I've been doing.

Yuck

I am still sick.  This cold has settled in my lungs.  It is just hard to get motivated to get things done when you can't breath and are completely sleep deprived.

Grandma Great Gifts

Grandma Great is loving having her grandbabies close by.  She especially loves having little girls around to get things for.  She sent some dresses in to the little girls today and they did a little fashion show so that I could send her pictures.

Prince Potter

I love how much the girls adore their brother.  They celebrate his milestones, cheer on his efforts, sing songs to him, play with him, and dress him up.  It is so sweet!
Here he is, sporting the very latest in Harry Potter robes. . . Prince Potter.

Symphony

Even though this cold is still kicking my behind, I did manage to get to the laundromat and do six loads of laundry.  I was happy to get it done. 

Prince Charming said our house sounded like a symphony of coughing last night, with each of us taking turns having coughing fits.  We really should be quarantined.  LOL

Curriculum Night

We went the kids' school today.  It was curriculum night. 

I found out that Princess Magpie is hardworking, and sweet.  The teacher is impressed with her. 

The teachers all said that Princess Snifflefritz is a joy.  Her homeroom teacher said that if you start your day feeling down a quart, ten minutes with Princess Snifflefritz would fix you right up. 

Little Prince has been doing amazing.  The teachers all said that he is so smart!  And . . . HE HAS BEEN USING THE POTTY!!!

Worth It

I  still sick today.  I am drinking lots of soothing tea, but I did manage to put a big pot of broth on.  I figured chicken broth I this house of the sick is a good idea.

I know that this year, with our kids in public school, we will suffer through a lot of colds and things.  But, it is worth it to see their joy each day on the way to school.

Different

Today is the first day since the kids went back to school that I haven't had every minute packed with something to do. I'm not running around doing a crazy number of things, trying to get lots of things done, trying to cram as much as I can into my day. Today I'm feeling sick, so I'm taking it easy.

But, I'm finding the house quiet. I'm kind of missing the sounds of giggling and laughing and my little girls playing with my little boy. I miss my kids. The day seems long, the house seems quiet, and I don't know what to do with my time. If I wasn't sick, I would find lots to do. But the combination of a quiet house and a sick mommy isn't a fun one.

Every day

Little Prince gets so excited every morning while waiting for the bus.  The little girls get such a lick out of enthusiasm.  We all stand together on the step and he sings, jumps, plays, and dances. It really is a fun time of day.

Wow!

When this Little Prince came home from school today, he got off the bus, and his bus driver said, "Bye buddy!". In response, he said, "See you tomorrow!" This is the first time that he has had actual conversation. Somebody said something, and he responded with the appropriate words. He didn't just repeat. I am so amazed.

Moments

Princess Magpie has been reading Helen Keller. We came across the scene where Helen has finally realized what words are and she's running around getting Miss Sullivan to translate what the words for all the things around her are. She's running from place to place touching everything she can find getting Miss Sullivan to tell her the words.

It reminded me of Little Prince actually. When he learn to read, he suddenly wanted to read everything. He read signs he read the words on the television he read packaging, words on store windows, every word that came across he wanted to read it. He wanted to know what it was. There was a sense of wonder and discovery that was amazing.

It's just funny how this wondrous moment in the book about Helen Keller remind me of a wondrous moment in Little Prince's life. I'm pretty lucky to get to witness that.

First One

Our first weekend after all our babies are in public school . . . and even though two of our kids have a cold, they have spent all day giggling together. It really is sweet. 

I made cinnamon buns for breakfast, chili for supper, and just enjoyed the sound of happy kids filling my house (along with the less pleasant coughs, sniffles, and sneezing).

Weekly Weigh-in

I lost 1.4 lbs this week.  I  am thrilled with that.  That makes 25.8 lbs since June 1st and 68.4 lbs overall.  I am getting there!

Proud

My boy is doing so good in school. I got a note today it's saying that his day went well, and that he did reading as well as colours. I'm really proud of him.

The fact that he is concentrating at all to do any work is amazing to me. It is sometimes hard to get people other than me to get him to concentrate on things.

He came home today and he was happy, content, and playing. He even ate in school today. And then it came home and eat some more. All in all, he is doing really well.

He Did It

My baby boy started school today. It's funny, but I find it hard to let him go. I have to trust that the teachers will understand him.

He did have an amazing day. I was proud of him for making it through the whole day. The principal had said that they may send him home early if he had a rough day. But, I got a note from the school saying that he did really well. So, I guess it's going to be okay.

On a funny note, when he got home he asked to back! So, he must have liked it.

A Lot

Between the girls starting school, worrying about their adjustment, worrying about letting go of control of their education, getting through storm Dorian, and waiting for Little Prince to start school, I am struggling with anxiety. I am hoping that once things get settled, I will feel better. But this weight in my chest, the pit in my stomach, and the high level of stress is just so hard to deal with. I need to just learn to relax. I am being ridiculous. 

Oh My

Years ago I was in a hurricane. Well, I was in my apartment when there's a hurricane outside. The roof of the building came in through the wall of my apartment. It was scary. Ever since I had a fear of wind. I know it's stupid. But when the wind blows, and the wall shake, I get scared. My heart races, I can't breathe right, and it is just scary for me. So today, we're having this horrible storm Dorian come over our house, my heart is racing and I can't breathe. But, I am a mom. So, I put on my big-girl panties, I help my kids, I show no fear. That is what a mom does. I just quiver on the inside.

Fun

Shopping with Little Prince can be a challenge. We were out today, and he saw something that he thought was a toy he wanted. It wasn't. But he started screaming for it. It got so bad I had to leave the store and wait in the van until Prince Charming was done. For the rest of the day he would randomly start screaming for this toy. He has a good memory. He just keeps asking for this toy. I wish I was rich, I wish I had the toy, I wish it had been the toy. Fun fun fun. Good luck to his teachers.

So Here's How It Went

It has been an eventful couple of days. Princess Magpie is having an amazing time in public school. She loves every little thing about it. Princess Snifflefritz is having a good time in school as well. But there have been a few hiccups. She apparently has no sense of direction. She got lost 3 times on her first day of school. She was really nervous and was feeling sick for a while.  On her second day of school she got in trouble with one of the teachers for not paying attention. I warned her homeroom teacher that it is hard for her to focus and she chats a lot. Her homeroom teacher has been amazing to her so as long as our homeroom teacher is amazing, she'll be okay. She had just decided that the other teacher is not her favourite teacher. I can live with that.

They both had math and did okay so far. I am really proud of them both.

HUGE Change

So here's the thing, yesterday we met with the school regarding Little Prince and his needs in public school. The little girls came with us. We had been discussing the fact that they want to go to public school. We had been discussing the possibility of that being next year. Yesterday, during the meeting (and before) we came to decision it was going to happen this year so as of this year all of my little babies are going to Public School. The girls started their first day of school today. It was a whirlwind because it happened really fast. I spent all day yesterday running around getting everything they needed for school. So now, I am at home biting my fingernails waiting to see how their first day of school went. And I know next week it'll be even worse when Little Prince go to school. Them I won't have him keeping me distracted, I will be worrying about him too! New things! So . . . I guess as of now I am no longer homeschooling mom. Boo hoo!

Yesterday exploring the public school that they will be attending 

Lunches and bags ready 

Waiting at the bus stop

Jumping up and down with excitement because the bus is coming

Getting on the bus

My public school girls