how time flies...

Isaac is so goofy and funny.

Even when he doesn't mean to be. This is his homework journal I discovered today. I giggled about it all night.

(in case you couldn't tell it says "This is My HeD. It is BROWN.")

He is slowly giving in and integrating some lowercase letters into his writing after much resistance. He mastered all of the kindergarten sight words by winter and he has now mastered most of the first grade sightwords as well. He is great at decoding words and it is getting harder to hide things from him when it is convenient for me ("That's not what that says mom!"). He loves Junie B. Jones books and we have been cuddling up together and reading several chapters of one each evening. He will make me read the silly parts over and over again.

He continues to be an avid sports fan. He watches Comcast Sports Net over Nickelodean or Disney Channel most times. He isn't picky either. He loves to watch baseball, basketball, hockey or soccer, college or pro. He will watch men's or women's although he refers to all women's sports as "lady ball".

He continues to be embarassingly superior to his peers in soccer. And I'm not just saying that. He should be playing with eight year olds, not four year olds. But whatever. But he also loves to shoot baskets, to play "baseball" with my dad, to ride bikes and play frisbee. He is a regular at his school's Zumbatronic club. He loves to hop out of the car when I stop at the mailbox bank about a block from my house and to run along trying to beat the car. He would rather be outside playing than plunked in front of the TV and for a kid with no siblings or neighborhood friends he keeps himself pretty busy playing by himself in our tiny postage stamp of a yard.

He is currently on a Michael Jackson kick and begs me to put on The Essential Michael Jackson whenever we are in the car. Not only does he love all of the classics (Thriller, Beat It, Billie Jean, PYT, etc) but he knows some of the more obscure disco-ey ones. The other day on the playground he was singing "Blame It on the Boogie" to himself. He has also memorized all of the tracks and when he knows I am tired of a song he will ask me to listen to "number 8" ones more time to try to trick me into playing it yet again. One of his favorite songs is "Dance and Shout Parenthesis Shake Your Body Down to the Ground". Even though I don't think he could tell you what a parenthesis is.

He continues to have definite ideas about fashion. He is not as into action hero shirts as he used to be. He definitely favors shirts with sports themes or logos on them. We still have to alternate days choosing his clothes so that he doesn't exclusively wear warmups and sweatsuits. He regularly eschews underwear in the evening hours. His feet are growing so fast we can hardly keep him in sneakers (I'm not exaggerating, I think he is on his fifth or sixth pair this school year!). Since the time he was a baby he has had the same trouble with pants: they are too big in the waist and too short in the legs. He is a long skinny minnie. When given a choice, he tends to chose clothes that are red.

I love you Isaac and I'm so glad you are home!!

Tuesday....

So I get paid every other week. This means that about twice a year there is a month where it works out that I get THREE paychecks instead of TWO. It's like a fun little bonus. Saturday morning I was contemplating this while I was driving home from my parents. Maybe I would finally put the molding up I've been longing for. Or pay my parents for Isaac's plane ticket to Florida. Or get some paint for my bedroom, the only unpainted room left in my house. As I am pondering my extra paycheck my car, slowly chugs to a stop on the shoulder of the road. Because, really, isn't that exactly what I get for fantasizing about getting ahead a little in life? Grrrr
A 230 dollar part later, my (fabulous) brother had my car up and running again. But not until he discovered that my intake manifold (????) is definitely going to need work. Good bye bonus paycheck. I knew you were too good to be true.
In other news, I'm kind of becoming obsessed with Jessie J. I love her nails and makeup in this video. . So tomorrow is wacky hair day at Isaac's school. I find that my mom has bought him something to wear. He loves it cause he thinks he looks like this guy from his Warioware game: Upon closer inspection of the packaging though, I see that this is the Disco guy accessories kit wig not included
Wait-- what?
Turns out... he's wearing the gross chest hair patch on his head.....
And I don't even care. This is the same mom who sent him to school with a box of tampons for the food drive. What can you do? What's new with you??

we have...

a kindergartener in the house!

I couldn't get him up this morning. Suddenly it hit him and he sat straight up and was like "It's my kindergartn day!" He was so excited to head off. He shouted to the cat in the window as I made him pose for this picture, "Bye Cody!! I'm a big kindergarten boy. I'm going to learn to read today and when I come home I will read you a story!"

He wasn't too talkative about his day but it seems like he enjoyed himself.

I decided to be a kiss up mom and we whipped this up yesterday for his teacher:

I used a template and the directions found here. It was super easy and quite cute, if I do say so myself. I'm definitely going to keep it in mind for my secret Santa this year at school. All in all I declare the first day of kindergarten A SUCCESS!

50 random thoughts

1. I made enchildas and spicy rice for dinner.
2. It's rare that I cook on a school night.
3. However, today I took a sick day to get my teeth cleaned.
4. And to take Isaac to kindergarten orientation.
5. My mom had dressed him adorably in a light blue polo shirt and his red crocs.
6. He was so nervous.
7. He did seperate from me and go with his class.
8. I had to sit through a very boring presentation on kindergarten.
9. It was a mix of explaining kindergarten activities (yeah very familiar with those), and convincing us full day kindergarten is better than half day (very controversial in the district, but A-ok with me)
10. Isaac left very excited to start kindergarten.
11. He said his favorite part was doing "hallway hugs" and walking quietly to the classroom.
12. Not sure why this was more fun than riding the bus, hearing a story and playing and coloring in the kindergarten room, but whatever.
13. Of course, I forgot the camera.
14. But I WILL remember to send it with my mom for the first real day.
15. Whatdaya think of the new blog layout?
16. The header is a little craptastic but it will do.
17. I finished Anne of Green Gables today.
18. I started Anne of Avonlea immediately after.
19. They are such wonderful books.
20. Next I am going to Netflix the old PBS specials of them.
21. Or rather, ask my mom to Netflix them for me.
22. Obviously something like Nextflix would not be in the new and improved budget.
23. Isaac hurt himself in the bathtub tonight doing push-ups.
24. When questioned why, he answered "Because they make you healthy and strong".
25. True.
26. But who's kid is this anyways?
27. Clearly not mine
28. Or his dad's for that matter.
29. (just saying)
30. I feel like I have a terrible headcold.
31. But my eyes are itchy so it must be allergies.
32. Or I could possible have pink eye AND a head cold.
33. In which case, I definitely should NOT return to work tomorrow.
34. It was so lovely to sleep in today.
35. I'm giving Margie Clark an Undomestic Goddess shoutout.
36. She's a stealth reader apparently.
37. I really like my new dentist.
38. He and his wife have a practice together which I think is so cute.
39. I really can't wait for summer vacation.
40. I'm mentally SPENT.
41. I have some students this year who are real pickles and I think we would all enjoy a break from each other.
42. I also have some adults I could use six weeks break from.
43. Things can get tense in a non-air conditioned elementary school.
44. Especially when you add 26 five years olds to the mix.
45. This will be the first year though that I will be giving up students to other teachers in the building. Last year I kept them all and the ones I didn't keep all ended up leaving the school for various reasons.
46. It will be a little sad to see some of my guys as SECOND graders next year.
47. But whatever, life goes on.
48. I sucked up one of Isaac's toy cars in the vacuum.
49. I cannot find it in the hose or anywhere in the vacuum though.
50. The vacuum is still working at about 50% capacity though, so who knows.

It can't be true...

Blurry picture from the webcam but look what came in the mail: Isaac's invitation for kindergarten registration!!

I absolutely cannot believe my baby will be old enough to ride the bus and go to kindergarten in a few short months.

East Coventry Elementary, here we come!

Warning: Difficult Parent on the Loose

Maybe it's because I now teach kindergarteners.

Maybe it is because of all of the research I read when completely my master's about the importance of early education/early intervention.

Maybe it's just luck because the daycare/preschool that I chose because it happened to be .2 miles from my parent's house is pretty much an excellent preschool in absolutely every way and now nothing will compare. (Bright Horizons in Oaks, if you were wondering; I whole heartedly recommend it from the prespective of a parent and a kindergarten teacher).

Maybe it's because I do hold onto a tiny bit of the mormon guilt for not being a stay at home mom and not being one of those women in relief society who prides herself on eating catfood so she can be a stay at home mom and not send her kid to an evil daycare.

ANYWAYS, I have come to the realization that I am officially a difficult parent that is obsessed with academics. The way the cards have fallen with job changes and commutes, this is the fourth time I have had to locate a good childcare facility, so I know the drill. But this is so much different than finding a place when Isaac was a baby or when Isaac was 2. I think I surprised both of the directors this morning with all of the questions I was firing at them. But let me rewind.

Currently I am commuting 2 hours a day to drive back and forth to Oaks to drop Isaac to preschool. Next week I finish summer school and Isaac finishes preschool and I have until August 25th to find him a new preschool closer to home.

I visited two today, niether one compares to his current school but one was a good possibility. It was NAEYC accredited (only 7% of childcare centers in the country meet the rigorous standards required to earn that accredation), the teachers have each been there 5 plus years, they post their lesson plans which are aligned to early childhood state standards, they are doing academic work, they have a good relationship with Pottstown School District, where they work closely with the Pre-K programs run in the elementary schools. They are also inclusive for kids with special needs, as I noticed a lot of supports for a student with autism in the pre-k classroom and that is important to me too. It was the Kindercare in Pottstown if you know anything about it feel free to give me feedback.

The other was terrible (Goddard School on High Street) and I ended up getting into a little with the owner who became quite defensive about his little franchise/business venture. He really didn't stand a chance with me when he started off the tour by telling me how he owned the place but he was more concerned with unclogging toilets than academics and how he left that to the directors niether of whom was there. He did his best to fill me in on the academic programs but we both knew he didn't have a clue what he was talking about. It was small and cramped and just not a place I wanted to send my kid.

Anyways, it all clicked when he said "We were voted Best Childcare Facility in Pottstown for the past three years in the Pottstown Mercury". And I countered that I wasn't looking for good child care, I'm looking for a good preschool that can keep him for three full days a week. And suddenly I realized - I'm a difficult parent. I'm obsessed with academics in a way I neve was before when I was looking at toddler classrooms.

And, I don't think that's a bad thing.

Who would have thought?

FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT!

I guess this district has no Sikh's either... http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=6239670 Kindergartener's fight for long hair Wednesday, July 02, 2008 9:59 AM By Gene Apodaca FORT BEND COUNTY (KTRK) -- The parents of a kindergartener in Fort Bend County are fighting for his right to have long hair in school. They say it's about freedom of religion. The Needville Independent School District says it needs proof. When Adriel Arocha, 5, was born, his father, Kenney, vowed to teach him his heritage. "We feel that it's important to raise him as Native American until he's able to make a choice," said Kenny. And part of that heritage meant he would not to cut his son's hair, believing hair holds spiritual meaning. "It tells us how long I've been here, by your hair, so it's your history," Adriel said. "It's our tradition it's what we do," Kenney said. All that was fine until Adriel's parents planned to enroll the five-year-old at Needville Elementary School. Despite promising to keep his hair neatly braided, the district refused to accept him. "I knew they would probably be a little difficult but I didn't expect it to be this bad," said his mother Michelle Betenbaugh. District policy clearly states student's hair needs to be kept out of the eyes. No hair can cover any part of the ear, a standard collar and no tufts or tails are allowed. The superintendent says exceptions are made for religion, but Adriel's parents have yet to provide proof of their beliefs. "I was trying to find out what recognized religion they are that discusses they cannot cut their hair and the information I received then was basically it's their choice," said Needville ISD Superintendent Curtis Rhodes. Near the school some residents felt the district was going too far. "I don't think longer hair than their ears is going to hurt their education," said Needville resident Jana Hausler. "If it has to do with his religion, I don't think anyone should infringe on their religious rights," resident Jamie Hausler said. Adriel's parents say they plan to appeal the decision, even if it means going to court. "You can't deny a person their rights," Kenney said. As for Adriel himself, he's pretty clear what he wants.