School Days

Yesterday was Aaron's first day back to school. I hope this is a great year for him. I am just praying that his reading skills kick into gear and he takes off in that arena. Just about everything in school in affected by reading ability. It's hard to do the math if you can't read the question.... spelling is a super challenge... etc. Aaron loves music, art, and PE. (does anyone else see the pattern here - not much reading, if any, required for these subjects)

We carpool with another family in our neighborhood. She drives the kids to school and I pick them up. I got there to do pick up, and was hoping that the new "pick up zones" would make the process simpler. No such luck. I expect it to get better once everyone gets it figured out, but yesterday was a nightmare. After I waited in line for 10 minutes to GET to the yellow zone - I find TJ and Alec (the other boys in the carpool) waiting, but no sign of Aaron. TJ informed me that Aaron was in the BACK of the school, in the orange zone! WHAT??? So I drive around the block to the back of the school. NO AARON. I drive back around to the front of the school. FINALLY, I find Aaron, just coming out of the school. I guess some how he got told that he was in the Orange zone so he went there. (he argued about it with me all the way home - insisting that I had to pick up TJ and Alec in the Yellow zone, then drive around back to get him in the Orange zone. Hopefully, I convinced him that I know what I'm talking about and he'll be waiting in the yellow zone after school today:)

I found a preschool for Katrina and signed her up. I think it is going to be way too easy for her, and I wish it was a more academically challenging program, but the price was acceptable, location was closer, a nearby person is signed up for the same session, so we can carpool, and the teacher said she'll send home extra "homework" to challenge Trina a bit more as needed. any which way - Katrina is SO excited about it. She is totally ready for school right now. These September birthdays are a BUMMER!

I really do wish that I was more organized and had better follow through. Home schooling would be a good thing for Aaron - working on his level, studying things that he is interested in, without the peer comparison/influence making him feel "stupid." (his word, not mine) It would also be great for Katrina, because there's no calendar date that would say how and when she could start learning. I am getting better over all, but I'm still not ready for that. I had a hard enough time doing "school time" during the summer. and that was only a hour per day of reading time, math practice, and practicing the piano. I hired a neighborhood girl to come in and be my "helper" for that hour, and in this manner, we did get it done most of the days. But toward the end of the summer, it was a mere shadow of what it started out to be... Oh well - we each have our own talents, and this is NOT one of mine!

It's a lot quieter around here with Aaron gone during the day, and I need to get off the computer and get some work done. (4 loads of laundry are waiting to be folded - I'm being such a laundry slacker lately...)

Later -