tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79601952011-09-12T13:02:33.726-04:00I used to call this blog "Adventures of a 3rd Grade Parent" but I stopped blogging halfway through his 3rd grade year. And then I called it "Adventures of a Grade School Parent" only now our older child is off to middle school. So here we go again with a new title.Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.comBlogger811100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-74472062786854746602011-09-12T13:02:00.001-04:002011-09-12T13:02:33.935-04:00

Dear History Fair -   Please refer to my note to the Science Fair.   Sincerely, A non-history Mom

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-23163146767989965052011-09-09T09:25:00.001-04:002011-09-09T09:25:58.821-04:00

Dear Science Fair - I will try to not have an attitude about you this year. I know you are not to blame for being required of my 8thGrader who has no interest. I know that you are there as a tool for middle school teachers to get students to do something "hands on" for learning. I know that designing and completing a project, whether one is "in to it" or not, is a good skill to have because

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-91903937474840399192011-08-31T12:40:00.001-04:002011-08-31T12:40:28.341-04:00

I pick up 10thGrader after school each afternoon. It takes 18 minutes from the time he gets in the car until we get home. Those 18 minutes are filled with his day - what he did in class, what homework he has, what observations he made. Those 18 minutes of constant chatter about whatever is on his mind. If I didn't see him until after work, I'd miss that. I cherish and treasure those 18 minutes

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-60592720901316296382011-08-21T15:34:00.000-04:002011-08-21T15:34:06.109-04:00

So I neglected this blog for well over a year because I didn't post a single thing about our first year as high school parents! And we are now emarking on our last year as middle school parents. Yep, 10th and 8th graders in our house. School starts tomorrow and I'm determined to let them be responsible for their own stuff. I made sure they have what they need for the first day, but I've left

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-65655167816488473832010-03-01T07:27:00.000-05:002010-03-01T07:27:40.572-05:00

I started this blog with a 1st grader and 3rd grader. Now we have a 6th grader and an 8th grader which means next year we'll have a high school student living in our house! It's been great having both of them on the same schedule. It makes mornings and afternoons so much nicer, although I think they do miss having some time without their sibling at home. Next year's schedule will put them two

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-58602057347910543992009-04-21T22:28:00.002-04:002009-04-21T22:32:33.860-04:00

"Moms are ignoramus slobs who cannot be pleased." - Mozart, 1736.I found this written on the side of the bathroom counter when a certain school-aged child was mad with me for insisting that he complete his homework over the weekend. I asked him if he had Googled to find the quote. Because I know that sometimes Google will pick things up out of blogs, I thought I would be sure to put this Mozart

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-90755462156992094632008-10-30T09:53:00.002-04:002008-10-30T09:54:01.726-04:00

5thGrader and 7thGrader are suffering from disorganization. Unfortunately they get it from me, their mom.

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-31032152435229304592008-10-28T08:03:00.001-04:002008-10-28T08:04:31.404-04:00

5thGrader has the role of Santa in the upcoming school musical.

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-34707271233716658792008-10-23T11:43:00.003-04:002008-10-23T11:44:13.170-04:00

5thGrader and 7thGrader have just completed the first nine weeks and both did well. We get their report cards next week, but thanks to technology, there are no surprises on report cards any more.

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-71174594251576402642008-06-03T18:40:00.002-04:002008-06-03T18:43:21.872-04:00

Welcome to the summer movies brought to you by 7thGrader! (note: when I entered the blogosphere, he was known as 3rdGrader.)Quest: watch a Disney movie every day for the entire summer.June 2nd - double feature: Monster's Inc. and Aristicats.June 3rd - Robin HoodWhat are your favorite Disney movies? Or what other movies might you recommend for a 7thGrader?

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-871278829210184772008-03-10T08:05:00.000-04:002008-03-10T08:06:22.561-04:00

I don't know about y'all, but the two times a year that man interferes with God's clock just make me discombobulated for a couple of weeks. This whole 'daylight savings time' is just so wrong in so many ways. And of course the time change this year corresponds directly with our county's administration of the our state's standardized testing. Now how in the world is that supposed to work? Kids

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-72259258130513257692008-02-29T21:22:00.002-05:002008-02-29T21:36:10.497-05:00

6thGrader and 4thGrader have a new favorite show: Phineas and Ferb on the Disney Channel.We were first introduced to Phineas and Ferb courtesy of Kidzeyes when 6thGrader got to preview several episodes in the fall as part of a Kidzeyes survey. We were hooked from the first episode and looked forward to the launch of Phineas and Ferb on the Disney Channel.Phineas and Ferb are brothers who have

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-31062388497705927452008-02-07T19:46:00.000-05:002008-02-07T19:53:23.718-05:00

On the way to school the other day, I noticed a sign that the local area soccer organization was having sign ups soon. I asked 4thGrader if he wanted to play this season, just like I ask him every season about every sport. He had the same answer as always - NO!Just like always, I asked him "Why not?" and just like always he said he didn't like it, he didn't know how to play, and he wasn't any

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-41015049410743893602008-01-12T19:09:00.000-05:002008-01-12T19:12:02.719-05:00

6thGrader's Creative Writing assignment:My FishEveryone has something special to them. I have something special to me, too. My special thing to me is a fish. The reason I think he is special is if he died I would have no more pets. Sometimes I think he beckons me to feed him some more. You may think he is normal, but I think he is great. He can prop his head on the feeder, he can also swim around

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-28781282269904667952008-01-08T14:16:00.000-05:002008-01-08T14:18:25.575-05:00

Our winter break has been so great and even though we were out of school for just over two weeks, it felt longer - but in a good way. In a way that felt like going back to school today was much like the first day of school after summer vacation.We spent some time at the beach over New Years so perhaps that adds to our feeling of summer vacation vs. winter holidays. Christmas Day seems ages ago

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-42295516678878942702007-12-05T07:25:00.000-05:002007-12-05T07:27:25.935-05:00

"Last Christmas, I gave you my heart but the very next day, you gave it away. This year to save me from tears I'll give it to someone different."Or something like that.6thGrader and 4thGrader have claimed this as their song to sing at the top of their lungs whenever they need to burst out in song.Hilarious. I need to record them and add it here.

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-28013222867289346552007-11-21T09:20:00.000-05:002007-11-21T09:23:04.082-05:00

6thGrader has been listening to holiday music on the radio for over a week already. He says it is his favorite type of music, so when the local station started playing "all holiday music all the time" on Veteran's Day evening, he happily tuned in.His favorite two songs are Have a Holly Jolly Christmas and Jingle Bell Rock.What about you and the young'uns in your life?

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-41321630814121075372007-11-16T11:38:00.000-05:002007-11-16T11:52:01.467-05:00

A few nights ago we watched Christmas Vacation and there is this one scene where Chevy Chase is in the attic watching old home movies on a projector. It reminded us that we have our old videos from when the boys were little. I don't even know where our video camera is now but we do still have the tapes. The first one I pulled out was October 1997 - September 2002 which covered 6thGrader's

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-32171429537380513652007-10-31T17:56:00.000-04:002007-10-31T17:58:12.475-04:00

4thGrader made all A's on his report card, with all 3's in work study habits and E's in behavior and citizenship areas. 3's are best.Time to take the boys and their report cards to Krispy Kreme for free doughnuts.

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-20032330754425254952007-10-29T21:52:00.000-04:002007-10-29T21:54:37.093-04:00

6thGrader got his first Middle School report card today and had all A's except for a high B in math which qualifies him for Honor Roll ("whatever that means, Mom"). He got 3's and 4's for Citizenship which is great (1's and 2's mean detentions, etc.). Thank goodness the first 9-weeks is done and has been successful; he had a few ups and downs but seems to have settled in to the workload,

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-7099232056435299872007-10-24T12:42:00.001-04:002007-10-24T12:50:26.602-04:00

In our county, 4th grade is the year of the book report. 4thGrader's first book report was to be presented by cutting a face-sized hole in a piece of poster-board and then decorating it so that he could become a character from the book. He read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and he chose to become Willy Wonka to deliver his book report. I remember my mother reading that book to my brother

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-7171276013502024792007-10-02T09:56:00.000-04:002007-10-02T10:42:42.211-04:00

4thGrader got picked for the Math Olympiads team for his school. YAY!

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-90499951539418876342007-09-17T12:11:00.001-04:002007-09-17T12:20:53.727-04:00

6thGrader had to pick electives for school this year. His choices were a full year of P.E., Band or Art, or a half-year of P.E., Art, Dance, or Research. He didn't want to do P.E., Band or Dance, so when we marked his schedule choices, he had to put four 1/2 year choices, so we put Research, Research, Research, and Art. He was placed in Art for the first semester's elective.6thGrader isn't much

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-66817433331645358462007-09-11T08:12:00.001-04:002007-09-11T08:38:00.540-04:00

Can I just say how much I love 6thGrader's Math teacher? Here are a few reasons why.1. There are no such things as math "problems." Only math questions or equations. She says that in Language Arts, they ask you to read Question #3. In Science, you answer Questions about scientific things. So why is it when you get to Math class, suddenly you have all these Problems? 2. She's in tune with

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-33343041603630206632007-09-10T13:03:00.000-04:002007-09-10T13:08:29.648-04:00

4thGrader's class had a special lunch today - bring your grandparents (or parents, if your grandparents can't come) and have lunch in the classroom. Because 4thGrader's grandparents live too far away, I joined him for lunch.He wanted to just get school lunch, so I packed lunch for me. As it turned out, he didn't like what they had (we don't have a menu this month for some reason or another) so he

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-38640967893290660042007-09-04T08:33:00.000-04:002007-09-04T08:36:25.793-04:00

4thGrader and I had a "me and mom" breakfast at Chick Fil A yesterday since he had no school and I had no work. DH dropped us off while he went to Lowe's for a while, so after we finished eating, we were just hanging out.(Aside: It's nice to hang out at CFA and NOT have to go into the playroom. I spent a lot of hours at CFA when 4thGrader was preschooler so he could play with his friend while her

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-3782391348094712842007-09-03T14:04:00.000-04:002007-09-03T14:08:49.179-04:00

I found this while being a voyeur over at Found Magazine. http://www.foundmagazine.com/find/1482

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-77090145764064102342007-08-23T09:45:00.000-04:002007-08-23T12:00:19.545-04:00

The State of Florida defines P.E. like this:"Physical education" means the development or maintenance of skills related to strength, agility, flexibility, movement, and stamina, including dance; the development of knowledge and skills regarding teamwork and fair play; the development of knowledge and skills regarding nutrition and physical fitness as part of a healthy lifestyle; and the

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-26613811923450159542007-08-22T17:27:00.000-04:002007-08-22T17:34:11.136-04:00

6thGrader's math homework tonight is to bring in two math facts and their sources. He told me he wanted to use the website I work on for my job because he knew we have math facts there because he helped me with some of it when he participated in Take Your Child to Work Day in April.I'm so proud! My middle-schooler wants to use my data for his homework!

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-3658211292015347012007-08-20T17:01:00.000-04:002007-08-20T17:05:37.625-04:00

The absolutely best part of the first day of school - homemade chocolate chip cookies! A family tradition for 7 years now.

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-90939512535926893782007-08-20T13:55:00.001-04:002007-08-20T13:55:16.304-04:00

Our older DS is off to middle school today. Ay yi yi! I'm sure it will be a great year by the time we're done, but did you see those girls???? Those fresh-faced girls I saw at 5th grade graduation have turned into GIRLS with fancy hair-dos and make-up and jewelry and clothes. The elementary school's dress code says that make-up is not developmentally appropriate for elementary school-aged girls,

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-72858664353206272902007-08-17T18:40:00.001-04:002007-08-17T18:43:07.095-04:00

Orientation was today for both 4thGrader and 6thGrader. We got the paperwork for 4thGrader so I can get that done over the weekend. And I wrote several checks payable to both the elementary and middle schools for various fees and PTA's and such. Plus t-shirts for both kids.Never mind the school supplies I still need to buy. I felt like I should've just given the school district my bank

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-24428734644052335672007-08-02T17:08:00.001-04:002007-08-02T17:08:49.172-04:00

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-17662074734522993962007-08-02T17:05:00.000-04:002007-08-02T17:07:30.440-04:00

Oh to be 11 again! This photo was taken in Sorrento, Italy, when we stopped for lunch with our tour group.

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-62281059491316910092007-07-14T09:38:00.000-04:002007-07-14T09:40:34.546-04:00

We were beginning to load the car for our vacation when our 11 y.o. asked for a rubberband. You see, his tooth fell out while eating breakfast and he had put it in a tissue and needed a rubberband to wrap around it. That makes his 10th tooth gone, and he has another one that will likely come out before vacation is over.Now where oh where did the Tooth Fairy pack those Disney Dollars????

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-47139566298536000422007-07-03T14:17:00.000-04:002007-07-03T14:37:42.162-04:00

The kids made it home from camp safe and sound and no worse for wear. And with their return comes the return of juggling family and work without child care. I really don't mind, though, because I've been granted permission to work from home a few hours each day so that I don't have to be away from home as much. Although being in the house and being at home are really two different things, but

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-12328419092885284122007-06-29T07:40:00.000-04:002007-06-29T07:43:09.609-04:00

The boys have been at camp all week and tomorrow morning, we'll go pick them up. I'm ready to see them to hear about their week. This is the first time they've gone to sleep-away camp, and while 3rdGrader was looking forward to it, 5thGrader went with some trepidation.Our plan for tomorrow is to get them home and soak them in the bathtub. And double- or triple-wash their laundry. And air out

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-89208124548894129332007-06-05T15:13:00.000-04:002007-06-05T15:22:21.040-04:00

This morning I was doing some work from home and had a PowerPoint presentation to review. I don't use PowerPoint regularly, so I was trying to figure out how to make the presentation be a "slide show" for viewing. 5thGrader came in about that time and asked me what I was doing, and as he looked over my shoulder, he said "Mom, you should look at that as a slide-show; just click right there." And

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-71317321104986106772007-05-24T14:05:00.000-04:002007-05-24T14:15:10.839-04:00

DATE: MAY 24, 2007TIME: 12:25 P.M.BELL RINGS.ALL A'S, E'S, AND 3'S ON REPORT CARDS. 5thGrader SCORED 5.0 ON WUR. HIS HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT.3rdGrader SCORED 5.5 ON WUR.PROMOTIONS TO 4TH AND 6TH GRADES.SUMMER VACATION BEGINS.

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-56692625444233305302007-05-08T09:21:00.000-04:002007-05-08T09:26:16.395-04:00

All year I've been making plans around the last day of school being May 25th. We even arranged for the summer trek to visit the relatives to begin as soon as school gets out on that Friday.Last week, 5thGrader's planner had LAST DAY OF SCHOOL written on the 24th. I figured he copied it down wrong off the board. He insisted that he didn't. Then this morning, I found 3rdGrader's weekly

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-77133516275612064012007-04-26T21:04:00.000-04:002007-04-26T21:12:09.073-04:00

In the fall, I have to change the title of this blog because while we'll be continuing our adventures as grade school parents, we'll be embarking on a new role - parents of a middle schooler! Yep, folks, that's right - we're off to middle school in August.Tonight was the parent orientation. We toured the 6th grade hall where they assured us that they don't assign top lockers to the short kids,

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-84499947450619172302007-04-23T13:19:00.000-04:002007-04-27T09:23:20.786-04:00

Rising 6th graders are required to read two of the following books over the summer.A Wrinkle in Time by Madelene L'EngleHoot by Carl HiaasenIsland of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'DellJoey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack GantosSkellig by David AlmondSounder by William ArmstrongTangerine by Edward BloorWanderer by Sharon CreechThe Westing Game by Ellen RaskinOver-achiever that I am, I've requested

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-36705591244531681352007-04-18T09:35:00.000-04:002007-04-18T09:45:17.577-04:00

Today is the last Writes Upon Request for the school year. It used to be a big deal - making sure to go to bed a little early the night before, have something special for breakfast the morning of. Now it's just another school day.Two years ago, when 5thgrader was a 3rd grader, he completely shut down when asked to write about anything. Writes Upon Requests were horrible, miserable, anxiety-ridden

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1167835444197764922007-01-03T09:39:00.000-05:002007-01-03T09:44:04.206-05:00

Why is it that winter break always goes so fast? When I was a kid, it seemed like it never lasted long enough, and now as a parent, I really feel like it doesn't last long enough. That holiday song that says "and mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again..." -- well, that doesn't apply here.Of course we fill our break with lots of traveling and a little bit of down time, and we

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1165024819026855282006-12-01T20:56:00.000-05:002006-12-01T21:00:19.040-05:00

5th Grader's...Favorite TV Show: Suite Life of Zack and CodyFavorite Video Game: Mario Party 7Favorite Food: Pizza, pepperoni from Pizza HutFavorite Holiday Song: Holly Jolly ChristmasFavorite Drink: SpriteMom's Favorites: Hannah Montana High School Musical Animal Crossing

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1164641642436103552006-11-27T10:30:00.000-05:002006-11-27T10:34:02.446-05:00

Live simply.Love generously.Care deeply.Speak kindly.If my children don't learn anything else, learning these four principles will help them navigate through life. I hope I'm able to show them how to live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly.

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1162344315881928552006-10-31T20:23:00.000-05:002006-10-31T20:25:15.893-05:00

We ended up with about 75 trick-or-treaters and a basket full of candy leftover to take to the office. It should last til at least Thanksgiving.Kids are tired; I'm tired and have a headache, and the Haunted Mansion theme song is stuck stuck stuck in my head.

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1162340391171254612006-10-31T19:16:00.000-05:002006-10-31T19:19:51.173-05:00

The grocery store we shop at had activities for kids this afternoon - pumpkin painting and treats from around the store. A handful of popcorn from the deli (literally a deli-glove filled with popcorn), an apple from produce and a cookie and cupcake from the bakery.The boys just came home to dump their first load and then they're heading back out.For me, I've only had one miniature snickers bar.

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1162339674653973542006-10-31T19:03:00.000-05:002006-10-31T19:07:54.653-05:00

6:56 p.m.Over 50 trick or treaters so far. It's really a great night for it - the weather is clear and it's turned off a bit cool for a change. It's 73 degrees and not a bit humid. Two supermans (supermen?), several "this is my costume" t-shirts (worn by adolescent girls carrying pillowcases), a fairy and a scary dude. Three kids and one parent that we know so far.

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1162338377170577542006-10-31T18:43:00.000-05:002006-10-31T18:46:17.170-05:00

6:30 p.m. ~ we've had our first trick or treaters ~ a group of 4 girls, three who looked to be about 13 and one who was about 9. The boys saw them coming from the neighbor's yard so they hid behind the edge of the driveway so they could scare them. As the girls were walking up, the younger one said "there are some kids who are going to jump out" and about that time the boys did and one of the

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1162337814650399902006-10-31T18:29:00.000-05:002006-10-31T18:48:54.340-05:00

I'm sitting in our driveway watching two pirates having a sword fight. One looks quite a bit like Captain Hook with Harry Potter eyeglasses and a fake nose. The other looks a bit like Jack Sparrow. Only they're 4 1/2 ft tall.Our pumpkin is lit and our CD player is set to "repeat" for the theme song to the Haunted Mansion at Disney World. The basket is filled with miniature candy bars and tootsie

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1161096742046297442006-10-17T10:41:00.000-04:002006-10-17T10:52:22.056-04:00

We took our children out of school for two days last week to go to Denver, Colorado. I checked with the school to see what we needed to do to have their absences Excused and was told that a new policy is going into effect regarding Educationally Valuable Experiences (EVEs). In order to have such an absence excused, parents have to identify four benchmarks that their children will be addressing

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1159535501749207442006-09-29T09:04:00.000-04:002006-09-29T09:11:41.776-04:00

When you have a 9 year old who is charming, funny, smart, witty, a good conversationalist, well-liked by his peers and adults, and you also have a 10 year old who thinks he is none of these things (even though he is), there's bound to be rivalry. I picked up a copy of Siblings without Rivalry to see if I can learn some things to help these two get along better - or at least not have so many hurt

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1158434136055399562006-09-16T15:09:00.000-04:002006-09-16T15:15:36.063-04:00

I just finished reading How to Talk So Kids will Listen & Listen so Kids will Talk and WOW! I've heard about this book off and on through my years as a parent, but I never had a chance to pick it up until recently when it was recommended to help me develop my own "script" for addressing the needs of one of my grade schoolers. I've already used some of the techniques not only when listening and

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1158197356386419712006-09-13T21:26:00.000-04:002006-09-13T21:29:16.396-04:00

Today was picture day at school. In the past, I've picked out what I wanted the boys to wear for their school pictures, but this year I let them dress themselves with just one rule -- it had to be clean. One picked a grey shirt with blue and red thin stripes. The other picked his Disney Cruise Line shirt.You know what? For the first year, both boys will look like they always look. Hopefully

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1157380491410446972006-09-04T10:21:00.000-04:002006-09-04T10:34:51.420-04:00

Every year the school sends home "Sunshine Math" (a.k.a. Math Super Stars) for every child.Here are some examples from the first one for 3rd grade:1. Ann was asked to find the number of marbles that were added to the other marble groups to get the total. Can you find the number? 3 marbles + ____ marbles + 2 marbles = 13 marbles2. Joe has 3 quarters, 1 dime and 2 nickels in

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1156773722805260352006-08-28T09:54:00.000-04:002006-08-28T10:02:02.816-04:00

Q. Why did Mickey Mouse go to Outer Space?A. He was looking for Pluto.~~~~~~Pluto Demoted to Dwarf Planet, Seven Dwarves ComplainComing on the heels of the demotion of Pluto to a dwarf planet, the Seven Dwarves issued a short press release: “Although we think it's DOPEY that Pluto has been downgraded to a dwarf planet, which has made some people GRUMPY and others just SLEEPY, we are not BASHFUL

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1155684837545294522006-08-15T19:31:00.000-04:002006-08-15T19:33:57.553-04:00

Make a travel brochure for two states.Do a diagram / picture of the stateFacts on state (capital, population, date of statehood, cities)At least two interesting places to visitFun facts (state mascots, bird, tree, flower, etc.)States picked: Kentucky and Virginia

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1155564062392302122006-08-14T09:58:00.000-04:002006-08-14T10:01:02.403-04:00

Well, that was easy. Kids getting up by themselves, eating breakfast, getting dressed, ready to go on time. Snapped a couple of traditional pictures and we were out the door. We went through the car line and teased about the "boo hoo" parents dropping off their kindergarteners and all the cars parked on the side of the road and those circling the parking lot looking for a place to pull in

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1155411545403527852006-08-12T15:35:00.000-04:002006-08-12T15:39:05.413-04:00

Armed with the school supply list, I headed off for Target this morning to get the few things I didn't already have on hand, including a protractor. Imagine my surprise when I reached for the protractor on the shelf only to see that what I was thinking was a protractor was, in fact, a compass.

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1155332574133415662006-08-11T17:31:00.000-04:002006-08-11T17:42:54.143-04:00

Getting ready for orientation this year was different. Different than the previous years. In the past, I would be crossing off the days on the calendar, waiting for Friday afternoon when we'd finally get to see who would be teaching our children for the school year. Would we get who we wanted? Would our children like them? Would they like our kids? Would we like the teacher? Would the

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1152393531643473612006-07-08T17:10:00.000-04:002006-07-08T17:18:51.653-04:00

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1152282117374160692006-07-07T10:11:00.000-04:002006-07-07T10:21:57.433-04:00

I checked the calendar today and we're over half-way through the summer already. The boys get 80 days out for the summer, and we're down to only 38 left til school starts. How did the summer go by so fast???It's been a good summer. Our summer babysitter ~ oops ~ I mean our "summer child care provider" has been awesome, fabulous, unflappable. She has taken the kids to swimming lessons, the

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1151334038065084782006-06-26T10:53:00.000-04:002006-06-26T11:00:38.116-04:00

Ever since I can remember, N has wanted to drive the train at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Z has wanted to drive the monorail. They are planning to move to Orlando after high school and do the Disney College program.By the time Z is graduating high school, I'll have 4 years left until I could retire. GradeSchoolDad will have already retired. We were talking at dinner last night

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1150464181627657452006-06-16T09:04:00.000-04:002006-06-18T09:42:36.076-04:00

What a ride the last decade has been! I'm now the parent of a pre-teen; a double-digits boy; a 10 year old! Amazing! When he turned one, we had a big blow-out of a party, not so much to celebrate his birthday, but to celebrate the fact that we survived our first year of parenting. Seems like we should be having a bash today to celebrate our first decade!Instead, he's getting to pick out what

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1150293651266982622006-06-14T09:56:00.000-04:002006-06-14T10:00:51.306-04:00

Want to know how well your kid is doing with spelling and have fun at the same time? Break out the Scrabble game and have a go at it.You don't have to keep score (although come on - you know you're going to add up your own points in your head and hope you get the Triple Word Score - even if you're playing against your 3rd grader). Just start with learning how to use the board - the whole board!

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1150220671189886032006-06-13T13:41:00.000-04:002006-06-13T13:44:31.190-04:00

Our just-finished-2nd-grader asked "What comes after J?" His now-in-5th-grade brother told him he should just sing his ABC's to figure it out.A few weeks later, the same just-finished-2nd-grader wanted to know if it's been April yet this year? His brother sighed and suggested we send him back to kindergarten.I shared these stories with a friend who said that perhaps he was having a "junior

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1140550875511313322006-02-21T14:39:00.000-05:002006-02-21T14:41:15.523-05:00

Why is it that kids put off their projects until the night before they are due, even when you remind them and set things out for them to do it? Why is it that at 8:30 at night you're googling for color pictures of Paul Revere only to find out that project isn't really due tomorrow - it's not til next week? Why can't you ever find a glue stick when you need it?

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1140463704393657302006-02-20T14:26:00.000-05:002006-02-20T14:28:24.393-05:00

Why is it that standardized testing is so important? Why can't it just be that the kids have a different activity for the day that just happens to be the standardized test, rather than all the build up and hype that is created ~ and often results in unnecessary stress on kids who have no reason to be stressed?Ugh. I'll be glad when it's the middle of March.

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1105626506487775472005-01-13T09:26:00.000-05:002005-01-13T09:28:26.486-05:00

My family is special to me because they sometimes go with my sugettsgens. I show I care for others by cleaning out some dishes. It took courage for me to go up over 5 meters in mammoth cave with my family. Education is important to me because I can be ready in the futre to go in collge.

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1101474979170290212004-11-26T08:09:00.000-05:002004-11-26T08:56:44.196-05:00

by 3rdGrader Only to be read in November. Once upon a time there lived a turkey. The turkey saw 50 turkey hunters and the turkey was chased and ran into the rain-forest. Then the turkey crashed into a mouse size hole witch lead to a cave. It's home to many bear. 2 billon to be exac. Next the turkey went to a discise store and found a lab suit and ran to a scince place. The turkey found a

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1100465065090765072004-11-14T15:40:00.000-05:002004-11-14T15:44:25.090-05:00

"Guess what your son did," is how 3rdGradeDad greeted me as I came in the door yesterday afternoon. Oh no - that usually means someone's hurt or something's broken. A quick look around the house didn't show anything out of place, beyond the usual, that is, so I was curious. "He rode his bike by himself down the street and back, twice." Woo-hoo! We've been waiting for the day when he would be

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1100034072970773682004-11-09T15:53:00.000-05:002004-11-09T16:01:12.970-05:00

Before our 3rd grader was born, the women at our church gave us a hand-made quilt for him. The quilt has been a part of his entire life, providing warmth, comfort, protection for him. And then in May, we realized it was lost :( Gone. Nowhere to be found. Retracing our steps, the last place we remembered seeing it was on a family trip to Walt Disney World in March. Checking with them, we

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1097439311453716402004-10-10T16:15:00.000-04:002004-10-10T16:15:11.453-04:00

3rd Grade Volcano Project 

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1096893074848904702004-10-04T08:19:00.000-04:002004-10-04T08:51:00.320-04:00

Last night, my 3rd grader was reading The Boxcar Children #3 when he stopped and asked me a question. "Mama, what's a station wagon?" I hesitated and then told him to go ask his Dad; I didn't want 3rdGradeDad to miss out on this classic question. It got me to thinking about how much we take for granted that we know from our own childhood and experiences, yet our children don't know because

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1095253949663457642004-09-15T08:56:00.000-04:002004-09-15T09:12:29.663-04:00

Our 3rd grader is interested in the weather, particularly during this crazy hurricane month we've had. As long as it's not thundering and lightning, the wind and rain aren't scary. But he's more excited about being able to catch ghosts when the lights go out. Armed with a flashlight and the hand-held dirt-vac, and accompanied by his little brother, whenever the lights go out, he goes streaming

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1093705510667439092004-08-28T10:54:00.000-04:002004-09-15T08:56:20.146-04:00

Third graders are an interesting breed. Sometimes so confident and sure of themselves; other times insecure and needy. And how quickly they can go from clingy and sad to being ready to take on the world, bouncing from place to place. This week had its high points and its bumps for our 3rd grader. Getting his name in the smiley face with a check mark beside it meant lots of smiles at the end of

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1093456929266933022004-08-25T21:24:00.000-04:002004-08-25T21:26:30.240-04:00

From a school assignment, all spelling is his. Ten Words That Best Describe Me: eat, sleep, play, tv, video games, sarperner, new things, learn, do thing I'm sopes to do. Five Things I'm Most Proud Of: fast runer, good learner, good listener, good reader, mather My Favorite Foods: brer ice cream, pizza, shred chese, smothe My Favorite Things To Do: School, play on playground, read, takodo

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1093223467761028972004-08-22T21:05:00.000-04:002004-08-22T21:11:07.760-04:00

Did you know that if you touch or hold a baby, you have baby germs for up to 2 hours? And those baby germs can be spread through touching? And that 8 year old boys are allergic to baby germs? And that 3rd graders know how to tell time and won't let you touch them for a whole two hours after holding a baby, just so you won't give them baby germs? And babies aren't just newborns and infants;

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1093133011881527752004-08-21T19:58:00.000-04:002004-08-21T20:03:31.880-04:00

One week down, 35 to go. 3rd grade got off to a great start in spite of the newly implemented no t.v. / no video games during the week rule. A couple of complaints of "I'm bored" and "There's nothing to do" but he found something to do without me having to entertain him. That's what little brothers are for. Bubbles on the back porch; board games in the playroom; and Walt Disney World in the

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960195.post-1092538051822880702004-08-15T01:45:00.000-04:002004-08-14T22:47:31.823-04:00

It's Saturday, 10:45 p.m. and my nearly-3rd-grader just drifted off to sleep. How in the world is he gonna get to sleep early tomorrow night? School starts Monday, bright but not too early, thankfully. Summer has been a blast - this has been the best one yet. An 8 year old with a 6 1/2 year old younger brother is a good mix. They played together without much need for me to watch, referree,

Cynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04398426148029193574noreply@blogger.com0