kindergarten conflicts

I am so conflicted about this Kindergarten thing. Besides the incredible inconvenience of having 3 separate pickup times, at opposite ends of town (not MY town though, a 10 minute drive just to get INTO town), there is the Sam issue. Now, those of you who know me well know that I am a softie for Sam. He can do very little wrong in my eyes. I'm not quite sure how he wrangled himself so firmly into my heart, especially after the first 17 difficult months of his life, but he did. And there he remains. If there had been no choice, if it was full day K/1 just like Ted, it would have been fine. I would have kissed him goodbye that first day and shed the tears most K moms share in the gym afterwards. But this CHOICE thing is an entirely different matter. Suddenly it's up to me to decide how much time I want to spend with my middle child, the sweet one, the one with an incredibly open and generous spirit. I'd rather he just go til noon and spend the next 3 hours with me. But, since we don't live down the street, it's not a simple matter of picking him up, walking home, having a bite of lunch and perhaps a snuggle on the couch. It's more "in the car, let's get your sister, let's run some errands, let's get Ted, let's go to TKD..." Is that really better? It seems that spending those 3 hours in an Enrichment program would at least be more interesting, not to mention more beneficial. If we lived in Boulder, it would be a non-issue. But since we don't, it's more a matter of convenience than true choice. Oy!!!

info

Lots of info going on today. Horizons and Dr. Roy. So, Horizons first. They have decided to go with 58% kindergarten next year. (Why the random %? 58% is what the state funds.) So, Sam will go to school from 8-12 Monday through Thursday. No afternoons or Fridays. We will probably send him to Enrichment but I'm bummed that it's an all or nothing deal. It would be nice to send him a few times a week and let him have short days/time with Mom alone. I'm going back and forth now between ramping up Mae's preschool time and having Sam go the 58%, or keeping Mae only 3 days a week and sending Sam to Enrichment. Another thought I had, to eliminate lots of schlepping the kids around, would be if Paul could pick up Mae. Then I could get her after getting Ted at 3:15. Or Sam will just go full day. I don't know. Luckily we have lots of time to make this decision. 

Ted had his follow up with Dr. Roy today. We are both thrilled with how well he's doing and surprised at how easily he got over the flu (it took him 6 hours rather than the full 24. Go, probiotics!) He still is wanting to discover WHY there is inflammation going on in the nose and lungs so we have another blood panel to do as well as a stool sample (Ted will love this!) While he's not allergic to anything, these tests may show a sensitivity to foods that we can then eliminate. I think it'll show dairy and gluten, which we were told when he was 5 and in OT for sensory issues. It's all interconnected, isn't it? 

Ted was really wired tonight which made us all tired and frustrated. I'm looking forward to a mellow weekend. Let's hope. Flu shots in the morning.

A Lazy Sunday

How funny. By "a lazy Sunday," I mean that we ditched our plans for the big Hanukkah concert and stayed home. But I was not lazy; I didn't even take a nap! I got TONS of stuff done! Must bullet!

• 4 loads of laundry
• 2 loaves of bread
• a delicious acorn squash soup for our local dinner (CSA squash & onions)
• CSA beans soaking for tomorrow's pumpkin black bean soup
• No-Knead Bread started to accompany the soup
• Ted's "gear bag" all loaded with everything he needs for his High Rank class tomorrow
• Ted's 8+ page Ski Packet filled out, due tomorrow
  

At Horizons, as part of their Outdoor Ed program, they take the kids skiing at Eldora once a week, full day, for 3 weeks. Ted's class goes on Wednesdays (perfect, since he has nothing to do after school so we can come home and chill!) This will be his first year on skis and I'm excited for him. Alongside hiking and mountain biking, skiing is an important part of an active lifestyle in Colorado.

So, this is the first time in a LONG time that I am facing Monday CAUGHT UP. Amazing. Tomorrow I plan to cook the exciting new beans, prepare the soup, and work on finding B&Bs for the '08 Moeller reunion, which is tentatively set for COLORADO! Woo hoo! I'm thinking a B&B in central Boulder for a few days and then some time up at the Estes Y at the cabins. Besids B&Bs there are the Chautauqua cabins too. So, I'll be doing some researching in the next few days.

The snow has finally stopped, before it got too bad and after there was enough snow to make it fun for the kids. This week I am going to see what kind of snow tires we can put on the van. Last winter was pretty scary some of the time, so we'll see what they recommend.

Ted's Conference

Ted's conference was at noon today. The kids had prepared little 'Fall Conference Guide" books that helped them lead the conference. The book is already printed out (We write in our journals.) and the child has drawn a picture of himself doing that subject. So, first thing we did was read through Ted's journal. The differences since the beginning of the school year are so cool. At the start he only drew pictures. This progressed to short sentences that were simple letter to letter, like "Ihavealoosetooth!" By the end, his writing was (for Ted) much clearer and he is separating his words now "I have a 2nd loose tooth!" Way cool. Next up was We learn about numbers and math. This was where I was most curious and also most impressed. They do tons of math games with blocks and cubes, writing the answer down at the end. Once thing that was cool was when Elizabeth put 10 cubes (that were attached) behind her back and took away 3. How many are left? 7...without missing a beat. Count to 10 by 2's but start at 3...3,5,7,9...no problem. My mind does NOT think this way! There were lots of worksheets on math that were obviously accompanied by these dice etc. "Roll 2 dice and write the sum." Connect the dots, by 5's. That kind of thing. Cool. Next was art...more stuff here than I've collected in the 3 years he was at preschool! I'll scan in my favorite of a fairy with blood dripping from his mouth. Nice. (scanned in 10/31!) Computer and Spanish were touched on briefly, then DEAR time and library. Elizabeth noted that he always chose hard books...books that, in my personal opinion, are chosen for their pictures rather than their subject matter, "The Stone Fey" for example...wha???? Then recess and choice time. The last page says My favorite time of day is (and he filled in...) recess. Hee.
It was informative and fun and I'm very happy that he seems to be doing just fine. Clearly miles behind the girls in the class but seemingly right on with the other kindergarten boys. And he's happy. I love Kindergarten!

flashback!!!

A Unicef box got sent home for Halloween today. Wow. Flashback city. I so remember these little boxes.

Kindergarten Pics

Well, not the best but I'll take them. I forgot about the hair. Hee. Click for a larger view; the group pic is a cute one.

180

To date, neither Paul, I, nor Ted's teacher remember him ever coloring INSIDE the lines, let alone choosing a different color for each and every piece. This is a big change from the "all red" or "all green" pictures we've seen. Too cool, this emerging big kid stuff! This is a mandala, Ted told me. I'm not sure why they are learning about mandalas (they are studying Medieval Times) but I'll try and get it out of him. Right now he is hard at working building an Aqua Raiders Lego set that he bought with his Green Gear money.

Eating Out

As a family, we don't eat out. First off, it's too expensive. But the true reason is that our kids (Mae excluded) don't particularily enjoy eating, which makes it even tougher. I can't remember the last time we purposely ate out at a restaurant as a family. 6 months ago? 9? This afternoon Paul wanted to go to Red Robin. They have superb (veggie) burgers and fries, as well as a good kids menu. And it's a nice family place. I have vague memories of going here last year after the Pumpkin Patch and having it be a disaster. Well, it was fine. Mae snarfed her food, Sam mostly drank juice and lay on us, and Ted...Ted did every activity on the little kid menu. ("Oh! I forgot to eat!" he said when we were packing up.) He was completely absorbed in the activities. Here's his name. You can tell he needed to go to the line below to fit them in, so I just put it next to it. If Kindergarten means that going out is as simple as some paper and crayons, bring it on! (Note: he's NEVER been interested in coloring, whether at a restaurant or a home, but he does like to write. Cool.) He always writes the 'd' correctly, so not sure what the 'Teb' is about, but I think it's cool that he can write his last name. We had a discussion about what the 'e' was doing too...after all, you don't say it. Oh, the complexities of English. Or German, in this case.

Busy?

I've been a little 'under the weather' lately, and as a result haven't been on lately. Mae still has her chesty-cough, but is getting better and had a spectacularly happy day today (after a 2+ hour nap at 9am when she wouldn't stop screaming at me). I was very excited to get my copy of the newly released Eat, Drink and Be Vegan from one of my favorite cookbook writers, Dreena Burton. After reading through each and every scrumptious-sounding recipe, Sam and I whipped up some Mellow Hummus and the Tamari Roasted Chickpeas. Both were fabulous-and Sam actually liked the hummus which is a first for him. It is VERY mellow...I think the addition of cashews helps smooth out the flavor for little ones. The chickpeas were wetter than I expected, but still delicious.
I cooked my favorite VwaV Chickpea Spinach Curry (with lentils instead) for Randi's family tonight and we stopped by the Indian grocery for samosas and naan. I hope they liked it- we love love love that recipe. I found the hing powder at the grocery too, so I can't wait to cook it yet again to try this special ingredient.
Tuesday night I did get to my 2nd TKD class. It was HARD. We did 3 sets of 25 pushups and crunches, besides a crazy amount of laps. I was tired yesterday and today my arms and abs are killing me!! The class was fun though and I learned a lot. I get really pumped up so it was hard to go to sleep and every harder to wake up this morning. As I mentioned, Mae needed her nap early and I took it with her.
Today Ted asked for my help in writing in his journal. On Tuesday he has written "I have a 2nd loose tooth!" and today he wanted to write "I had a sprinkle cone!" He loves exclamation points. He has some pretty cool drawings above some of his writing...one was all about a ship and the energy it takes to fly through space...very detailed, which is new for him. He talks about how to write letters, what words rhyme and how to spell things all the time...I'm so relieved that he is enjoying this and not feeling overwhelmed. His friend Alex wrote the word "knights" phonetically as 'nits' which is SO PERFECT. I think this is such a neat time and it's so fun to experience their discovery of language. It's so powerful for them to GET IT. We've also been freiker-ing every day and I think it really helps him start the day off right. It's a pain to get out the door at 7:15 (every morning starts off well and ends with lots of crying and screaming about not having time to play) but when he runs into his classroom, tosses his backpack into his cubby and sits down at his table to start 'working,' I know it's worth it. On that note, I should get to bed!
Tomorrow I hope to have some pics!

It's a bullet day

Whew. I'm wiped. This has been a tough week with Sam being sick and Mae taking it over.

• Mae has a 104 fever and seems to have a pretty bad sore throat. I'll be taking her in for a strep culture tomorrow.
• Sam has no school tomorrow for Simchat Torah. He has been out of school for 2 full weeks, between the holidays and being sick. He feels fine now but still has a wicked cough and a scratchy, squeaky voice (which he thinks is very funny.)
• Ted was a ROCK STAR in TKD today. There was a new kid and that really seems to make him turn into the role model rather than the class clown. Mr. D says he wants to get him sparring soon because he is so coordinated with his form.
  
• On that note, I took my first TKD class today. WOW. My quads are sore and I'm so NOT an aural learner...but I'll get it. I like it!
• Mr. D asked that I remove my nose stud during sparring practice (when I get to that level) because it could get hit. So tonight Wendy and I returned to the piercing place and I had them sodder it so I can put it in or out. That hurt a bit. Turns out I didn't do a very good job of turning it around so it's not completely healed. But, now I can take it out when I need to, which is handy.
• The K/1 classes start Arts & Sciences electives soon. Grades 2-8 have had it from the start of school and did their presentation today. I missed the first 2, but the last 2 were Breakdancing and Unicycle. ?! Ted wants to do both of those so I hope the little guys have cool options like that. I think they start in November, after conferences.

Giraffe Talk

Last night I went to Horizons for a K/1 Parents Meeting, explaining the Giraffe Talk/Non Violent Communication philosophy they employ a school. (A giraffe has the largest heart of any mammal AND because it has such a long neck, it can see 'the whole picture' of what is going on...thus it's name). The concept is similar to many I've heard about, but how sweet to use it with little ones...to take the TIME to use it with them. Rather than dismissing a child as being unreasonable, the teacher and the kids talk it out, with concrete steps. The kids LOVE this and are very good at it, BTW, according to the teachers. "What good does 'I'm sorry' do? It doesn't make the hurt child feel better. Talking it out and repairing the relationship is more important, and usually the kids part as friends." I love this school.

Today Sam and Mae are home for Sukkot so we are a-baking again! 2 batches of waffles, 2 loaves of challah and 2 batches of Easy Pleasin' Oat Bars are baked. Cleaning up the house and catching up with the laundry are also getting done. Tonight there is a Sukkot potluck at the temple that I'd like to go to, but both kiddos didn't nap long and Ted is having a full day at his friend Omri's. So, we're going to pick him up around 3ish and I'll try and glean how his emergy is. I almost feel like just coming home, but that's not very celebratory. Tomorrow we're hosting a Sukkot party, so that will be fun. Sam wants to bake pumpkin bread...more baking! Tomorrow is Ted's testing for his Tiger Belt. Sam is going to wait til next cycle to test. Should be exciting!!

Journals

On the mornings that Ted's class does not go to Movement, they start the day with Journal Time. This has been going on since the very first day of school and provides a mellow way to start the day. Anything special about that day is written on the board (We're going to the library today! for example) and beneath it is a suggestion of something to write about. Today's was "What are you excited about?" Ted's answer is below. Now, for a kid who could only write his name as far as I knew, this was very exciting, for me!!


I take it he and Sierra were having a discussion about their respective ages...
Click each pic for a larger view. If you're still confused, here are the translations (transliterations?):

*I have a loose tooth! Good!

*Sierra is 5 not 6.

REALLY loose tooth & reading!

Ted's tooth is getting grotesquely loose. *shudder* He is having so much fun with this. Besides the tooth fairy (who will be giving him a $1 coin), he will also get a star at TKD for his first tooth. Cute! He only needs 2 more stars to earn a Silver Victory Patch for his dobok (uniform). Right now he has the first (Blue) patch. Only one other boy in his class has a Silver patch so Ted is REALLY motivated! He's been behaving beautifully in class, but lately there have been so many kids in his class (over 10) that I think the instructor can't pay enough attention to know which students are really behaving well. I've been commending him though and I think he's got it pretty well down. Very exciting stuff!

Today was my volunteer day in Ted's classroom. It was during DEAR time (Drop Everything And Read). First I read to a small group of kids, and then they chose a book to read to me. This was just the kindergarteners so they were little books. Ted brought his book home so he could read it to Daddy. You can tell he's memorized it, but still. He is so earnest about it! I love it. I loved being in there too...it's so very calm and peaceful during 'work time' and then when they transitioned from reading to clean up to recess...holy cow! The chaos! A nice combination, IMO. Enjoy!

Horizons and biking

One of the things I loved about Horizons was their Outdoor emphasis. Sonny's husband (Sonny is the 'lead teacher' i.e. principle) fits any kid who doesn't have a bike with a mountain bike for Middle School mountain biking and Moab bike trips. Freiker was also mentioned in this article (written by Sonny's husband). Velonews is one of the top bike magazines in the country...how cool!

And thus an environmentalist is born...

I try to be a good example, but the proof is officially in the pudding. It's what goes on at school that cements what we do at home. Tonight Ted marched down the stairs indignantly, waving an empty plastic medicine bottle at us. "This doesn't go in the GARBAGE!" he huffed. "It goes in the COMPOST!" I think he meant the recycle bin, but still. He was so proud of himself. I've seen the kids taking their bins to their respective spots so I know they do it at Horizons. And I'm glad!

20" Bike!

Ted and I have been biking to school this week to get him ready for the official launch of the Freiker program at his school on Sept. 4. This afternoon while I was loading his bike into the car (we don't have time to bike back to the rec center after school, so I drive all the way to school for pickup), Sam noticed a goat head stuck in Ted's rear tire. I pulled it out and heard the dreaded "ssssssss." After trying to take the wheel off at Wendy's after school (it was rusted), we took it to U Bikes. They told us that the bike was really a mess with the rust and that we should leave it with them and they would put used parts on it as they came in (otherwise replacing the rear of the bike plus the wheel and the chain would have cost more than the $10 I spent getting this bike from Craig's List!) So we left the 16" with them and should have it back in full repair way before Sam is ready for it. What was really exciting was that there was a used 20" Trek bike for sale. Trek and Specialized are the only brands of bike that I really know and I like them both. This bike must be a bit closer to the ground or he grew a TON over the summer, because when we tried out a 20" Specialized bike in June, he couldn't even touch his tiptoes to the ground and kept falling over. No problem now. The bike has 6 gears, hand brakes (!) and, according to Jack's dad, full suspension, whatever that is. Ted took to it just fine and rode all around U Bikes and then wanted to show Jack. So we descended on their family for dinner (Stacy is an awesome cook!) and the boys biked all around the neighborhood, including to an open space area that had a tree house that was SERIOUSLY high up. The boys shimmied up there easily but needed help getting down. I thought it was really sweet that Ted wanted to show Jack his bike-that was exactly the same scenario we went through when he got his very first bike.

Kindergarten was fine again today. He was fine going in, still needs a pretty long hug but I enjoy that. No tears or anything. There were 3 crying this morning and seriously, their poor moms are feeling so terrible. I am so grateful I don't have to deal with that...it's so sad! Ted informed me that I sent him to the wrong school. When he asked why he wasn't going to Rachel's school I explained that at her school there would be a lot of sitting down and writing and at his school there would be more running around outside. "All we do is sit and write, Mama!" he said. Hee. Tonight he was talking all about the sun's reflection and how we see colors and something about a bow and arrow in the body that makes the heart pump. Interesting stuff! He is so tired by the end of the day (look at those tired eyes!). I guess happy and tired are good things to be when you're 5.

Freiker

His bike looks so little next to the big kids'.

Day 2 Update. He emerged from his classroom with a big smile. According to Elizabeth, he did get in trouble (twice) today for hitting with a stick, but after talking with him (and the other offender), it turns out they were just playing swords, so no real fighting was taking place. Elizabeth couldn't get out of him if he was playing or was angry, so he must have gotten freaked out at being reprimanded. He informed me on the drive home that he can read now! (Mmm..hmm.) So they must be doing something! I so wish I was a fly on the wall. It will be fun to volunteer in the classroom, which I can start doing regularly in January. This morning Jaron read the morning instructions to Ted. There were some big words! "Find your self-portrait. Choose some crayons and take the time make your picture beautiful." Portrait and beautiful...and he just rattled them off like cat and bat. Cool. Ted told me that all he does at school is draw and he doesn't like to draw. Hee. Welcome to the world of paper and pen!

WOW crazy day

Where shall I start? Perhaps bullets are the answer. First, some highlights. I received two (2) phone calls from the school today. We lost all power from about 11am til about 7pm. Sam didn't nap. Both boys had meltdowns going to bed tonight. Everyone is snoozing at 7:30. OK, now the details.

• 9:30am. Got home from dropping Ted off. Sam and Mae played beautifully outside with the hose while I folded laundry and wrote thank you notes.
• 10:30am. Got a call from the school. "Ted is fine," Pam (the assistant) assured me right off the bat. "Did Ted wear shoes today? He doesn't remember and we can't find them." Got that cleared up (YES he wore shoes. Nut.)
• 11am. Got another call from the school. "Ted is fine," Tanya (the lice checker) assured me. "He has a really dry scalp so we had to take him to the office to have Hope (the nurse/everything else lady) check him. Just in case he talks about having to leave the classroom, that's why." Oy. So it looks like my kid is barefoot and possibly lice-infested. Nice first impression! (BTW, they were checking all the K/1 kids for lice; grades 2-8 were checked last week. It's not that someone saw Ted and started shrieking "Lice!" or something...)
  
• 11:15am. Power went off. We think the Starbucks construction may have had a hand in it.
• 11:30am. Wendy arrived. The boys played really well together; Mae and Ariel did well too. Ariel REALLY enjoyed the water rocket.
• 2:15pm. Wendy left and I woke Mae to go get Ted.
• 2:45pm. Arrived at school and talked to Hope about the Freiker program, which we'll try to get up and running by next Monday.
• 3pm. Joined the other moms for pick up. Had a nice chat with Holli again and the other moms.
  
• 3:10pm. Ted ran out the door and into my arms with a huge grin on his face. Oh the hug! It was as awesome as the one I got in the airport after my China trip.
  
• 3:40pm. FINALLY left school, after much playing by the kids and chatting with Elizabeth, his teacher, and the other moms.
  
• 4:15pm. TaeKwonDo. 4 of the kids had had their 1st day of school today. They were all exhausted and low-energy but very obedient. They were supposed to get a stripe today for form but not one of them could get through it. It was pretty humerous.
• 5:30pm. Got home to find the power was still out. Went to Walgreens to stock up on flashlight batteries and met Paul at Panera for dinner. No one wanted to eat so it wasn't pleasant for anyone.
  
• 7pm. Got everyone in bed. Phew. What a day! The pic is of his teacher, Elizabeth, and Holli (Seth & Jaron's mom) after school.
  

First day of Kindergarten

Today was Ted's first day of Kindergarten. The boys had a hard night last night, not sure what was going on there. But we got them up and out the door. Ted was apprehensive and nervous, but didn't cling or cry. Jaron and Seth were there, and Jaron in particular was SO sweet to Ted. He showed him where his seat was and got him all settled. I was really grateful! It was also nice to see Holli after such a long time! I can't wait to hear all about his very first day! More pics on moeltini.

a cow

Horizons K-8 has a school mascot. Are you ready? It's a cow. A Holstein, to be exact. Luckily, the website, while still under construction, looks good. And of course, the school itself rocks. I wonder, why a cow?