As the last line in my last post a month ago alluded to, we have a LOT of change ahead of us. Specifically, we are in the process of moving to Michigan!
After a lot of thought and tears, we decided that I would accept a job at Kellogg's as the Senior Integrated Promotions Manager for their Kashi and Bear Naked brands. It means a move to the Kalamazoo, MI area, leaving our friends and family in NY behind for a new life that we don't know yet if we'll like or not.
It means leaving the only home and city our kids have ever known. Leaving their only grandfather, aunt, uncle and cousins. Our nanny and dog walker. Their teachers and friends. Our favorite local establishments like Ridge Hill and Stew Leonard's on a warm Sunday afternoon when we can eat lunch outside, followed by a soft serve ice cream and trip to the Little Farm. It means leaving a warm community of our Jewish friends to hopefully find new friends and a new community that will welcome us with open arms.
We'll hopefully enjoy living a life closer to where I grew up, outside of Chicago (about a 3-hour drive) where my friends and family will no doubt be happy to see us more than once a year. We'll hopefully love our new big house, which we will likely move into before the school year starts and have plenty of room for visitors. We can't wait to enjoy a "midwestern" way of life where my job has summer Fridays that go from April - September and the kids can play outside late into summer nights as the sun sets later there than in NY.
Most of all, we look forward to the changes of schools, doctors, homes and friends while hoping all of our friends and family back home will still keep in touch with us and come visit.
I'll be starting a new blog to keep our friends and family up to date on the latest Michigan shenanigans...but in the meantime, we hope to see you at our going-away party on May 11!
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Thursday, August 23, 2012
The 2-Week Countdown
The countdown to kindergarten has begun! Two weeks from today, my first born will step foot into her first "real" school classroom. I'm not sure who is more nervous - me or her! There is so much to be nervous and excited for: the bus ride, making new friends, learning new things, eating in a cafeteria, recess, homework, new teachers and more. And if I know my daughter, Abby will make the most of it by showing her sparkling smile and bubbly personality, and the teachers and kids will adore her (I hope).
So in the spirit of this significant occasion, I have compiled a little list of my hopes, dreams and desires for her, to achieve during her first year of school. In no particular order, they are to:
1. Learn all of your classmates names and get to know everyone individually
2. Enjoy the comfort in having your best friend in your class, but be sure to spend time with other kids at lunch, on the playground and on the bus
3. Tell me one great thing and one not so great thing about school each day
4. Learn to read
5. Not be bullied or be a bully, and say something if you see bullying happening
6. Befriend someone in the class who doesn’t know anyone
7. Learn a little math, a little spelling and a little science
8. Bring home a new library book once a week
9. Try something new from the cafeteria each week
10. Be yourself
11. Do your school assignments carefully and ask for help when it’s needed
12. Be kind to everyone: the custodians, librarians, bus driver, teachers and other kids
13. Remember to wait your turn, raise your hand and overall, be a good student and friend
14. Learn from your mistakes
I know that come September 6th, my big girl will board the bus with excitement and trepidation and I’ll watch with tears in my eyes and wonder how she grew up so quickly. Good luck, Abby – I am so proud of you and wish you much success at the start of this huge journey in your life.
So in the spirit of this significant occasion, I have compiled a little list of my hopes, dreams and desires for her, to achieve during her first year of school. In no particular order, they are to:
1. Learn all of your classmates names and get to know everyone individually
2. Enjoy the comfort in having your best friend in your class, but be sure to spend time with other kids at lunch, on the playground and on the bus
3. Tell me one great thing and one not so great thing about school each day
4. Learn to read
5. Not be bullied or be a bully, and say something if you see bullying happening
6. Befriend someone in the class who doesn’t know anyone
7. Learn a little math, a little spelling and a little science
8. Bring home a new library book once a week
9. Try something new from the cafeteria each week
10. Be yourself
11. Do your school assignments carefully and ask for help when it’s needed
12. Be kind to everyone: the custodians, librarians, bus driver, teachers and other kids
13. Remember to wait your turn, raise your hand and overall, be a good student and friend
14. Learn from your mistakes
I know that come September 6th, my big girl will board the bus with excitement and trepidation and I’ll watch with tears in my eyes and wonder how she grew up so quickly. Good luck, Abby – I am so proud of you and wish you much success at the start of this huge journey in your life.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Kindergarten, Here We Come!
Last year at this time, I saw many of my friends' Facebook status updates that mentioned how they just registered their son/daughter for kindergarten, with lots of exclamation points. I figured I'd be just as excited when our time came. Wow, how wrong I was!
Today I am going to register Abby for kindergarten at John Paulding school. While we are also in the process of applying for her to attend Solomon Schechter (a private, Jewish day school), we know that if that doesn't work out, she'll end up at our local public kindergarten. I am sad and nervous about this process for a few reasons:
1. My little "baby" girl is all grown up! Sure, she still has meltdowns and needs a reminder to wipe after going to the bathroom, but kindergarten seems like a HUGE milestone. It means a full day of school, homework assignments, a much larger class size than she is used to, riding the bus and making all new friends. Maybe she'll be ready for all of this come September, but I'm not so sure I am!
2. With the beginning of kindergarten comes the end of the innocence of preschool - the "fun" days, playtime, snacktime and friends. In preschool - you colored on someone else's paper? Don't do it again, please. In kindergarten - that will get you a trip to the corner of the classroom, or the principal's office if it happens again.
3. Parental involvement at preschool seems easy and fun - you can get involved if/when you want to, do drop-offs and pick-ups, check in with the teachers whenever you want. In kindergarten, unless there's a real issue, I'm not expecting to have much interaction with the teachers other than at conferences.
4. Preschool was somewhere Abby looked forward to and had fun at. Will kindergarten have the same feeling of excitement and anticipation?
5. And then there are my own fears for her: will she make new friends easily, be able to handle herself socially, will she be bullied or be a bully, will she learn and grow as quickly as the others?
I can't answer any of those questions today, but I can say that I am trying to get past my own fears and be excited for this new chapter in all of our lives. In about 5 months, Abby will be embarking on her first day of "real" school and I'll be cheering for her and rooting her on, even though I'm wishing I could pause time and keep her innocent and young forever.
Today I am going to register Abby for kindergarten at John Paulding school. While we are also in the process of applying for her to attend Solomon Schechter (a private, Jewish day school), we know that if that doesn't work out, she'll end up at our local public kindergarten. I am sad and nervous about this process for a few reasons:
1. My little "baby" girl is all grown up! Sure, she still has meltdowns and needs a reminder to wipe after going to the bathroom, but kindergarten seems like a HUGE milestone. It means a full day of school, homework assignments, a much larger class size than she is used to, riding the bus and making all new friends. Maybe she'll be ready for all of this come September, but I'm not so sure I am!
2. With the beginning of kindergarten comes the end of the innocence of preschool - the "fun" days, playtime, snacktime and friends. In preschool - you colored on someone else's paper? Don't do it again, please. In kindergarten - that will get you a trip to the corner of the classroom, or the principal's office if it happens again.
3. Parental involvement at preschool seems easy and fun - you can get involved if/when you want to, do drop-offs and pick-ups, check in with the teachers whenever you want. In kindergarten, unless there's a real issue, I'm not expecting to have much interaction with the teachers other than at conferences.
4. Preschool was somewhere Abby looked forward to and had fun at. Will kindergarten have the same feeling of excitement and anticipation?
5. And then there are my own fears for her: will she make new friends easily, be able to handle herself socially, will she be bullied or be a bully, will she learn and grow as quickly as the others?
I can't answer any of those questions today, but I can say that I am trying to get past my own fears and be excited for this new chapter in all of our lives. In about 5 months, Abby will be embarking on her first day of "real" school and I'll be cheering for her and rooting her on, even though I'm wishing I could pause time and keep her innocent and young forever.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Vacation Week
Abby and Zach had no school and few activities this week due to the East Coast's winter break. Break - yes; winter - not much! It's been in the upper 40's and 50's this week, which obviously is not normal for a New York February, but we are not complaining, as we are able to spend more time outside!
On Monday, Abby and Zach went with daddy and their cousins and grandparents to the Norwalk Children's Museum. Tuesday, Abby enjoyed making a mini cherry pie at her cooking class. Wednesday was a group playdate at a former classmate's house with about 10 kids (so happy it wasn't at my house!) and today, mommy got a treat when the gang visited me at work and we had lunch at IHOP.
While no school always proves to be challenging to keep everyone busy, they seem to be doing just fine. The kids are tired and happy at the end of the day, and no doubt are looking forward to getting back to their regular routines next week. It seems crazy that February is almost over, which means spring is right around the corner, and I can't wait to see what's in store!
On Monday, Abby and Zach went with daddy and their cousins and grandparents to the Norwalk Children's Museum. Tuesday, Abby enjoyed making a mini cherry pie at her cooking class. Wednesday was a group playdate at a former classmate's house with about 10 kids (so happy it wasn't at my house!) and today, mommy got a treat when the gang visited me at work and we had lunch at IHOP.
While no school always proves to be challenging to keep everyone busy, they seem to be doing just fine. The kids are tired and happy at the end of the day, and no doubt are looking forward to getting back to their regular routines next week. It seems crazy that February is almost over, which means spring is right around the corner, and I can't wait to see what's in store!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
The House of Sickness
I was just about to pat myself on my back and think how lucky we were that the whole first "semester" of school was nearing an end with Abby not having had to miss a single day of school due to being sick, with only a day or two of sniffles for the kids. And then, BAM! It hit our house like a ton of bricks. We got back from a lovely weekend trip to visit friends in Maryland on Sunday night, and by Monday at 9:30 am, Zach had a nice 103/104 fever.
And when we were starting to think that maybe, just maybe, it was teething-related, Abby came home from school and gymnastics that day with a fever. Monday night was a rough one in our house, with both kids up off and on throughout the night. And when Zach woke us up at 5:30 am Tuesday and would only sleep ON me, I thought the end was not in sight. Luckily I was only half wrong. Zach's fever broke on Tuesday and he got back to being himself. Not quite the same story for Abby, who got worse throughout the day. All activities, therapies and playdates were cancelled and the kids were in lockdown mode.
As of today, Abby still has a pretty high fever but after a quick trip to the dr, it was confirmed that it's just a virus that we need to let run its course. It would have been fabulous if she had something easy and treatable, like an ear infection or strep, but noooooo...we just have to wait it out. And hope she drinks Gatorade, which the dr recommended. Tomorrow will be day 3 of no school, and we'll have to see if she'll miss the rest of the week.
Here's to hoping that Jason and I don't catch whatever virus it is, and that the rest of the winter season is easier, but I am not overly optimistic about that!
And when we were starting to think that maybe, just maybe, it was teething-related, Abby came home from school and gymnastics that day with a fever. Monday night was a rough one in our house, with both kids up off and on throughout the night. And when Zach woke us up at 5:30 am Tuesday and would only sleep ON me, I thought the end was not in sight. Luckily I was only half wrong. Zach's fever broke on Tuesday and he got back to being himself. Not quite the same story for Abby, who got worse throughout the day. All activities, therapies and playdates were cancelled and the kids were in lockdown mode.
As of today, Abby still has a pretty high fever but after a quick trip to the dr, it was confirmed that it's just a virus that we need to let run its course. It would have been fabulous if she had something easy and treatable, like an ear infection or strep, but noooooo...we just have to wait it out. And hope she drinks Gatorade, which the dr recommended. Tomorrow will be day 3 of no school, and we'll have to see if she'll miss the rest of the week.
Here's to hoping that Jason and I don't catch whatever virus it is, and that the rest of the winter season is easier, but I am not overly optimistic about that!
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