Pencils and Paper and Homework, Oh My!

Yesterday was the first official day of school for us. Timothy, our homeschool co-op, started for the fall semester bright and early at 8 a.m. This means my alarm went off at 5:45 in order for us to get there on time. This is a far cry from our summer schedule. Luckily this will only take place on Tuesdays. The rest of the week we can still sleep like sloths.

This year I am teaching, so Mouse attends also. I wouldn't have put her in otherwise, but it's just one morning a week and she stays with the same teacher during that time. There has been a lot of discussion at home during the summer as she has been adamantly opposed to the whole idea, but the new backpack, Princess lunchbag, and the "mousie" backpack tag, as she calls it, (thank you, thank you, Karen) have done their job in persuading her to go.



My little matching trio was awfully darn cute. This picture of them, however, looks like a police lineup. Ironically, the one who wanted to go least is the only one smiling.


I didn't have nearly the time I had hoped to take pictures. I snapped three of them together before Juliana looked at the clock in my room (which, as it turns out, was fast) and yelled, "I've got to go!"

Holt was my main concern. Starting in first grade, students are expected to navigate the halls and find their own classes. Since most other moms don't really feel their kids are capable of this either, the halls are lined with moms on laptops with coffee who hang with friends while waiting for class change. It's not the first time I've wished I could clone myself. When I originally interviewed, I explained that my one major conflict was my first grader getting to class on his own. I was assured that it wouldn't be a problem for his teachers to watch over him, but when Birch met with his teachers during Open House, one in particular wasn't very accommodating in attitude.

Birch practiced his schedule and walked the halls with him several times last week, and we went over and over his schedule yesterday. When I took him to his 8 o'clock, I ingratiated myself to his teacher to please keep an eye out for him. And, so you know, he did great. Luckily, a teacher assistant hand-delivered him to my room for lunch. He was so proud of himself, my boy.

After school, we headed to Baskin-Robbins to decompress. As a matter of fact, Holt didn't eat his creation in his cooking class since he knew we were going. When Birch asked him if the other kids ate theirs, he responded, "I doubt any of those other fellas were going to Baskin-Robbins after school". He reminds us more and more of Opie Taylor.

He had a religious experience with his chocolate mousse cone. Mouse and Juliana, enjoying theirs the same, were much less aggressive in their consumption.





Nothing is more opposite from "back to school" than 98 degree days. So since we've been forced back into the grind, I think we deserve cooler weather. And football. That would really make it all worthwhile.