This girl loves her pink cowgirl boots her Daddy got her.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Happy Birthday #2
Today is my #2's 9th birthday. You can read about him and his birth story here.
Update on who he is these days: He loved 2nd grade, is reading on a 4th grade reading level. He loves his friends and made quite a few new friends this year. He loves his baby sister and helping take care of her. He sometimes bullies his two younger brothers but blames it on his oldest brother because he bullies #2. He's emotional and gets worked up at the darndest things. He loves to do artsy craftsy things and recently asked to be taken to Hobby Lobby for his birthday (thanks Aunt TT). He was selected to participate in advanced art lessons and absolutely loves it! He is extremely organized and has all of his "things" in just the right spot. He loves football, kind of likes soccer and has asked for a baseball glove for his birthday so I'm guessing we'll have double the sweaty nights at the ballpark next summer. He adores baby animals, can sing every song on the Chipmunks movie soundtrack, and loves lemon chicken with brown rice.
Happy Birthday to my 9-year-old, blue-eyed, tall and skinny, easy-going, sensitive, organized baby boy.
Update on who he is these days: He loved 2nd grade, is reading on a 4th grade reading level. He loves his friends and made quite a few new friends this year. He loves his baby sister and helping take care of her. He sometimes bullies his two younger brothers but blames it on his oldest brother because he bullies #2. He's emotional and gets worked up at the darndest things. He loves to do artsy craftsy things and recently asked to be taken to Hobby Lobby for his birthday (thanks Aunt TT). He was selected to participate in advanced art lessons and absolutely loves it! He is extremely organized and has all of his "things" in just the right spot. He loves football, kind of likes soccer and has asked for a baseball glove for his birthday so I'm guessing we'll have double the sweaty nights at the ballpark next summer. He adores baby animals, can sing every song on the Chipmunks movie soundtrack, and loves lemon chicken with brown rice.
Happy Birthday to my 9-year-old, blue-eyed, tall and skinny, easy-going, sensitive, organized baby boy.
Pic from his friend party at Paradise Park!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Thoughtful Thursday
We are still alive here at the Kohler House but something has happened lately that is called...School-is-out-for-summer and it's throwing me for a LOOP! Usually, the first four weeks of summer vacation are spent with the older three kids doing Summer School. However, due to several factors, they have quit. Our days are now filled with a strict schedule, homeschool stuff, reading, swimming, chores, watering flowers and flowers and flowers, chicken duties, helping me in the kitchen, helping me clean and eating me out of house and home. Chances to sit here at the computer happen only about 30 minutes early in the morning. Until I can figure out how to block out a chunk of "me-time," my posting might be sparse.
But hey, it's thoughtful Thursday so here's my thoughts...
Summer School. It's different now than it used to be. When I was growing up, Summer School was for the Special Education kids or kids who were at risk for retention or kids who needed lots of extra help. When I started teaching, it changed into something called "enrichment." Teachers were able to write their own curriculums and do a 4-week study of basically whatever they wanted. It's really quite awesome! Now our little school district does it and in the past, my boys were thrilled to take part. Different themes are Surf's Up, Kidville, Cooking Around the World, Nature Adventures...and much more. For the Pre-K kids getting ready to go into Kindergarten, they have a readiness class. I've taken my Pre-K boys for two years and it's really helped get them used to the school and sitting in classrooms. Two years ago, my beloved Kindergarten teacher taught summer school and my Pre-K boy was in her class. It was an awesome set up because he got to spend 4 weeks with her, getting to know her, her classroom, her expectations and she got to spend 4 weeks finding out his strengths and weaknesses. However, she has since decided that she needs that summer break...I can't believe after teaching all that she teaches during the school year, she feels like she needs a BREAK! haha! I don't blame her a bit but it does change the awesomeness of the Pre-K summer school a little.
Anyway, when you sign up, the kids get to choose 4 classes and are guaranteed to get at least 2 choices. There is fine print stating that classes may be cancelled if needed due to student enrollment, blah blah blah. My boys told me their choices, I turned in the packet early early early because I wanted to ensure that my boys would get their first two choices. I spend about 30 minutes filling out 3 different packets and drove across town to hand-deliver the packets to the appropriate school office.
The last day of school, the boys came home with their summer school schedules. My oldest was in tears because he compared his schedule with his friends and while he got one of his top choices, he had the class at a different time than his buds. His second class was not one of his choices. He wanted a cooking class, but not the one he was assigned. And he had no friends in there at all. So, when the first day of summer school rolled around, it was all i could do to force him through the school doors.
My #2 was in tears as well because none of his close buds was going to even do summer school. The one friend who was going to be there was not in his classes so he wouldn't see him. #2 is the type of kid who needs his crew with him...at least one wing man for sure. So, when the first day of summer school rolled around, it was all I could do to force him through the school doors.
My #3 was excited about his classes. He was ready to go that first day! However, when I dropped him in his first class, there were about 40 kids in there, grades K-2. It was a glorified PE class and should have been super fun but with 40 kids, that's not fun for the teacher, and not fun to be waiting in lines for your turn to do the activity. He had 3 friends in there but it was ME who was uneasy. His second class was a writing class and I knew it would be good for him.
When I walked my kids in that first day, yes, I walked them in. I'm not the mom who just drops them off on the first day and lets them fend for themselves. No way. I saw several kids getting there and telling the ladies at the check in table that their mom hadn't signed them up so they didn't know their schedule. Several moms were there dropping their kid off and also said they hadn't bothered to fill out the summer school packet so they didn't have a schedule either. I don't know specifically how many kids just dropped in that first day but it was over 20. Last summer it was around 45.
There are several problems with this. First of all, fill out the dang schedule when it's given and turn it in before the cut off date. Why are you so a lazy parent? Why do you just think you can drop your kid off? Why do you ignore the cut off date listed so clearly on the packet? When you add 20+ kids to the enrollment, those kids are getting plugged in to classes last minute. It's never a class they would have picked had you filled out the packet on time, it stresses out the teachers because they are scrambling to find another desk or supplies, changing their numbers, all at the last minute. And the biggie for me is that if these parents should have filled out the packet and gone over the choices with their kids, they might have wanted to take a class that ended up getting cancelled because of numbers. I can't help but think that my oldest might have gotten into the cooking class he so wanted to get into if the numbers would have been there in time.
The other reason these last minute enrollments irritate me so much is because of the bus schedules. The bus company can't set their routes until they have all the enrolled kids. We filled out those packets a month ago, plenty of time to set routes and run through them a few times. However, when all of these lazy parents drop their kid off at the last minute, the bus company has to scramble to figure out where these kids go. The bus numbers are different than during the school year so the kids who ARE enrolled don't even know which bus they are on. It's literally mass chaos. My kids were on the bus after school for one hour and 45 minutes. All because of these late drop offs screwing around with bus routes. It all trickles down from the late enrollments. From these lazy parents who have their thumbs up their butts.
Now, how do we fix this? It's really quite easy. It would mean the district would stop allowing late enrollments. It would mean that when a parent saunters into the school on that first day and says she didn't get that packet filled out and her kids can just go wherever see ya later, she is told, NO. Sorry. The cut off date was back in April. We aren't taking late enrollments. You will need to take your child and go back home. You should have filled out the paperwork like all of these other moms did and turned it in on time. The district allows late enrollments for one reason only...MONEY. For every enrolled student, they get money from the state. I totally get it. I get their reason for allowing lazy parents to continue to be lazy year after year. But STOP it. One year of not allowing late enrollments would definitely make those parents think twice the next year when the packet comes home. They might remember that they didn't get to take their child the summer before because the packet wasn't turned in on time. They might stop and actually fill the packet out and turn it in so that on the first day, their child can come! Yes, the district might not get a few thousand dollars that summer. Yes, they might not get a few thousand dollars that summer. I know. I know. But in the long run, it will help those parents stop being lazy, it will not stress out those teachers having to add 5 more kids at the last minute, it will help fun classes not get cancelled, it will help bus routes get set and organized. The effects of one summer of forcing parents to get off their butt far outweigh the fact that you might miss out on getting some funds from the state.
I'm so thankful I sleep with a board member. He gets to hear all my rants.
But hey, it's thoughtful Thursday so here's my thoughts...
Summer School. It's different now than it used to be. When I was growing up, Summer School was for the Special Education kids or kids who were at risk for retention or kids who needed lots of extra help. When I started teaching, it changed into something called "enrichment." Teachers were able to write their own curriculums and do a 4-week study of basically whatever they wanted. It's really quite awesome! Now our little school district does it and in the past, my boys were thrilled to take part. Different themes are Surf's Up, Kidville, Cooking Around the World, Nature Adventures...and much more. For the Pre-K kids getting ready to go into Kindergarten, they have a readiness class. I've taken my Pre-K boys for two years and it's really helped get them used to the school and sitting in classrooms. Two years ago, my beloved Kindergarten teacher taught summer school and my Pre-K boy was in her class. It was an awesome set up because he got to spend 4 weeks with her, getting to know her, her classroom, her expectations and she got to spend 4 weeks finding out his strengths and weaknesses. However, she has since decided that she needs that summer break...I can't believe after teaching all that she teaches during the school year, she feels like she needs a BREAK! haha! I don't blame her a bit but it does change the awesomeness of the Pre-K summer school a little.
Anyway, when you sign up, the kids get to choose 4 classes and are guaranteed to get at least 2 choices. There is fine print stating that classes may be cancelled if needed due to student enrollment, blah blah blah. My boys told me their choices, I turned in the packet early early early because I wanted to ensure that my boys would get their first two choices. I spend about 30 minutes filling out 3 different packets and drove across town to hand-deliver the packets to the appropriate school office.
The last day of school, the boys came home with their summer school schedules. My oldest was in tears because he compared his schedule with his friends and while he got one of his top choices, he had the class at a different time than his buds. His second class was not one of his choices. He wanted a cooking class, but not the one he was assigned. And he had no friends in there at all. So, when the first day of summer school rolled around, it was all i could do to force him through the school doors.
My #2 was in tears as well because none of his close buds was going to even do summer school. The one friend who was going to be there was not in his classes so he wouldn't see him. #2 is the type of kid who needs his crew with him...at least one wing man for sure. So, when the first day of summer school rolled around, it was all I could do to force him through the school doors.
My #3 was excited about his classes. He was ready to go that first day! However, when I dropped him in his first class, there were about 40 kids in there, grades K-2. It was a glorified PE class and should have been super fun but with 40 kids, that's not fun for the teacher, and not fun to be waiting in lines for your turn to do the activity. He had 3 friends in there but it was ME who was uneasy. His second class was a writing class and I knew it would be good for him.
When I walked my kids in that first day, yes, I walked them in. I'm not the mom who just drops them off on the first day and lets them fend for themselves. No way. I saw several kids getting there and telling the ladies at the check in table that their mom hadn't signed them up so they didn't know their schedule. Several moms were there dropping their kid off and also said they hadn't bothered to fill out the summer school packet so they didn't have a schedule either. I don't know specifically how many kids just dropped in that first day but it was over 20. Last summer it was around 45.
There are several problems with this. First of all, fill out the dang schedule when it's given and turn it in before the cut off date. Why are you so a lazy parent? Why do you just think you can drop your kid off? Why do you ignore the cut off date listed so clearly on the packet? When you add 20+ kids to the enrollment, those kids are getting plugged in to classes last minute. It's never a class they would have picked had you filled out the packet on time, it stresses out the teachers because they are scrambling to find another desk or supplies, changing their numbers, all at the last minute. And the biggie for me is that if these parents should have filled out the packet and gone over the choices with their kids, they might have wanted to take a class that ended up getting cancelled because of numbers. I can't help but think that my oldest might have gotten into the cooking class he so wanted to get into if the numbers would have been there in time.
The other reason these last minute enrollments irritate me so much is because of the bus schedules. The bus company can't set their routes until they have all the enrolled kids. We filled out those packets a month ago, plenty of time to set routes and run through them a few times. However, when all of these lazy parents drop their kid off at the last minute, the bus company has to scramble to figure out where these kids go. The bus numbers are different than during the school year so the kids who ARE enrolled don't even know which bus they are on. It's literally mass chaos. My kids were on the bus after school for one hour and 45 minutes. All because of these late drop offs screwing around with bus routes. It all trickles down from the late enrollments. From these lazy parents who have their thumbs up their butts.
Now, how do we fix this? It's really quite easy. It would mean the district would stop allowing late enrollments. It would mean that when a parent saunters into the school on that first day and says she didn't get that packet filled out and her kids can just go wherever see ya later, she is told, NO. Sorry. The cut off date was back in April. We aren't taking late enrollments. You will need to take your child and go back home. You should have filled out the paperwork like all of these other moms did and turned it in on time. The district allows late enrollments for one reason only...MONEY. For every enrolled student, they get money from the state. I totally get it. I get their reason for allowing lazy parents to continue to be lazy year after year. But STOP it. One year of not allowing late enrollments would definitely make those parents think twice the next year when the packet comes home. They might remember that they didn't get to take their child the summer before because the packet wasn't turned in on time. They might stop and actually fill the packet out and turn it in so that on the first day, their child can come! Yes, the district might not get a few thousand dollars that summer. Yes, they might not get a few thousand dollars that summer. I know. I know. But in the long run, it will help those parents stop being lazy, it will not stress out those teachers having to add 5 more kids at the last minute, it will help fun classes not get cancelled, it will help bus routes get set and organized. The effects of one summer of forcing parents to get off their butt far outweigh the fact that you might miss out on getting some funds from the state.
I'm so thankful I sleep with a board member. He gets to hear all my rants.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
#3's Big Performance
Ever since my #1 was in Kindergarten, I've had something really special to look forward to every two years when one of my kids there.
The End-of-the-Year-Program
This is a time when my child's kindergarten class does an hour-long song and dance show that will knock your socks off.
His teacher (as I've said many many times before) is quite awesome.
How she manages to teach these kids 1st and 2nd grade skills in a Kindergarten classroom while still teaching them about 10 songs with choreography is a mystery I will never know.
She is my kids' first experience with school, she is a soul-shaper for the rest of their schooling career. She creates a love for learning and a compassion for others that sets the stage for the rest of their lives.
I love her and plan spend every other year with her for about 6 more years.
We were very excited to see #3's turn as an entertainer.
He would normally be in church clothes but one of his songs was a country song and he wanted to play the part.
Starts with a patriotic song - God and country - that's all there is, right?
Too Cool For School
My baby's first song was "Waitin On the World To Change"
I can't remember the names of every song but the seriousness of the choreography blows my mind.
Came out to give the moms a rose, waaaaaa!
But the big song we worked on was Toby Keith's Made In America.
My Man heard the song last summer and told his teacher (requested actually) that he'd like to see it in the program. She agreed! We sang and practiced that song so much that all 5 of my kids have it memorized.
This one was Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA.
Then my baby started yawning...a lot.
Afterward, one of the moms presented her with a nice flower pot and said a little speech where we moms all started bawling (including our awesome teacher). I think she doesn't get near enough recognition for her hard hard work and the time and energy she puts into teaching these children. I think she needs be told over and over how awesome she is!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Famous MIssourian
My oldest child is in 4th grade, in case you didn't already know.
One of the 4th grade requirements they have to do is research a famous Missourian.
They research them, fill out a research packet, write a rough draft, write a final draft, do a presentation speech about the person and create a poster about the person. Oh and they have to dress like the person as well.
My baby chose Norm Stewart.
I realize the dark hair and skin hindered his Norm-like appearance but the tie is authentic MU.
We tried our best!
He really enjoyed this entire assignment and I loved watching him during each stage of it!
He ended up practically memorizing his speech but did have to look at his notecards a couple of times.
The best part though was when I turned him loose with glue, scissors, paper, stickers and markers and let him CREATE that poster.
Man oh man did I ever want to stop him and fix things, straighten things, re-arrange things...but I refrained.
And it ended up looking just the way he wanted it to .
And that's fine with me!
Monday, May 14, 2012
#1 Last Flag Football Game
This first pic isn't of my child but one of his teammates.
I included it so you could see how hardcore flag football can be.
Coaching
My boy putting in his mouthpiece.
Like lightening.
My Man put his team up against 14-year-olds this season.
If this kid chasing him was standing up straight, he is almost 6 ft.
It was a bit unsettling.
Diving for a TD, yeah baby!
#1 wasn't afraid to give heavy defense to these big boys either.
His team did ok but winning wasn't really the goal for spring flag football. My Man used it as a chance to play some of his players in different spots and see where some of their strengths were. He was sad not to get to include all of his team but flag only has like 8 players or something. He does plan to do it again though and now #2 wants to do it as well!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Me and My 10yr Old
I put this pic on FB yesterday so if you are my FB friend, sorry for the repeat.
I just wanted to say this about the relationship that I have and am trying to grow with my 10-year-old.
When I try to communicate and relate to him, I have to remember how I was as a 10-year-old.
I can remember some pretty negative things about myself.
I was boy crazy.
I learned what french kissing was and thought it was disgusting to even think about.
I knew about periods.
I had a large group of friends and we were just beginning to form a pretty snobby clique.
I was starting to think that church wasn't very cool if my very best friends weren't there/or boyfriends.
I rode my bike to the pool everyday to meet up with friends and whatever current boyfriend.
I talked on the phone all the time, stretching the coiled line across the kitchen, into the dining room into the corner next to a chair.
(My sister had chosen spot a few years before when she started talking on the phone).
I'm not sure how many times my parents had to Limbo under that cord before my sister and I got our own phone line.
My son, however, is still so sweet and innocent.
I can't believe it.
We try to shelter our kids from as much as we can, not exposing them to too much craziness before we have to.
But I am 99% sure he doesn't know half of what I knew at 10yrs.
Not into girls, so I assume doesn't know what french kissing is.
Doesn't know about periods.
Not a phone talker.
Has a group of guy friends, and they are all sweet boys.
He's sensitive and doesn't like to see other kids get hurt.
He doesn't ride his bike all over town unattended.
He loves to learn about God and enjoys church. He remembers so much of what he learns and spouts off things to his brothers all the time.
So relating to him is tricky. I can use the sports angle. He'll talk about sports night and day.
He likes me to help him with schoolwork so there's that time of bonding.
He loves to help me in the kitchen.
But I found it was hard to really relate to him, get him to open up to me about what bothers and worries him.
Then a friend told me the secret.
Some of you may already know it and do it with your kids.
It's called: climb-into-bed-with-your-kids-when-you-tuck-them-in-at-night-and-listen-to-them-talk-about-their-day-and-life-in-general.
There's something about that situation that creates some kind of truth serum.
The lights are out, just you and him (and 3 other brothers but that hasn't stopped him yet), and he just feels safe and secure enough to unload on Mom.
I love it when we get the chance to have these moments.
I won't let My Man do it though because he gets to bond with his sons in 100 other ways.
I want this way just for me and the kids.
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