The Puddles

Ok. So I am that mom. I am following my kids in the car while they walk down the street with their friends for the first time. I can’t let them see me so I am using my stalking techniques.

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Dueling iPads made this happen. But it has been that kind of a day where we needed to resort to electronics.

Let’s just say that the day started with finding one if the kids on the shower at 9:00 when we had to leave at 9:00. Not good.

Hopefully the rest of the day will go better.

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Ok, so it is not Nebraska/Ohio cold, but it is chilly enough for us.  It was in the 30’s when the kids got home from school.  I had a fire going and some hot chocolate to warm them up.  The part of the scene that I didn’t include in the picture are the coats/backpacks/shoes/socks that were thrown to the floor in a hurry to get close to the fire.  These two do make an adorable scene by the fire.

Eventhough I had blueberry scones for them to eat, both requested a huge piece of cornbread for snack. With lots of butter they said.  They are like their Daddy who said last night that my double batch of cornbread was really a regular batch and I should consider making more.  Daddy likes his cornbread!  It was certainly a day for comfort food and fires in the fireplace!  

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I am astonished.  Dumbfounded. Stunned. This is a picture of all of the homework that Ainsley has to accomplish this week.  7 packets.  That doesn’t include the flash cards and 30 minutes of reading that we are suppose to do every night.  She is in 2nd grade!  Besides spelling, reading, and 2 math packets (totaling 6 worksheets), Ainsley has a fluency packet in which I am suppose to teach a different element of fluency each night.  Each night.  The teachers have even provided instructions on what I am to cover each night.  Are you kidding me?  I am a certified teacher.  I know how to do it, but what about all of those parents who aren’t in the teaching profession.  And should I be teaching every day after school?  The kids are in school for 7 hours a day.  Cut something and cover this in school.  I understand the need to review elements after school by doing homework, but if I wanted to homeschool I would have done it already.

So Ainsley has spelling, reading, fluency, 2 math packets and . . . a project where she has to build a house using nature . . . and . . . she has to interview a grandparent and type a report about that grandparent.  Do I need to repeat that this is second grade!!!  Geez.  I can’t even go to her teacher because the grade level comes up with this homework together.  It doesn’t come from her.

I am a parent. I have three kids. They have after school activities.  There are a couple of days that because of after school activities that we don’t have time to do a whole of homework on those days.  So we try to do more on our not so busy days.   But for the last two days we have spent almost three hours each day working on it.  Even my bright little Ainsley hasn’t even finished half of the work yet.  This is ridiculous.  There is no reason to send home this much work.  Some homework is understandable and expected, but this amount is beyond appropriate.  There needs to be a balance and I believe that this grade level has missed the mark.

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One announcement that it was time for desert and they all showed up within seconds.  I saw them all lined up ready to get some good food and had to take a picture!  All politely lined up ready to get an awesome piece of cake.  So cute.  They are such good kids.  

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I am finally uploading all of the photos from this day.  The kids had a great time!  We were one of the last to leave!  Watching Ben run after the bubbles that were blowing across the field was even more fun to watch.  It was a really good day.

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Little behind on the blogging.  Am adding photos now.  Better late than never!

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The girls and their troops went to the BIG Event at the George R Brown Convention Center.  They had a fabulous time.  We were certainly tired at the end of the day.

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So I know that this doesn’t look appetizing to many (or to any of my kids), but this has been a part of my New Year’s Day dinner since  I can remember.

It has already started working.  I ate all of my sauerkraut and I was winning Monopoly that night in a landslide.   We ended the game after two hours.  I told the kids that maybe they would have done better if they had eaten their sauerkraut.  They didn’t buy my philosophy.

Don’t worry.  I followed the dinner with huge root beer floats.  It washed the taste of the dinner away rather nicely!

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Dancing Gangnum style

“Three . . . Two . . . One”

“Cheers!”

Daddy was off in Angleton, so the Puddles and I celebrated New Year’s Eve together!  We made homemade pizza, played games, toasted the new year with sparkling grape juice, made some resolutions, texted Dad, put our money outside for good luck, and then had a slumber party in mom’s room.  It was fun!

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