Getting Ready to Move On

Next week is James' last week of school. Last week of one of our kids going to school at our little neighbourhood school -- the only school that probably both will have both attended (they are now in different school districts).

I shot some pictures of one of our walks home last week. I will really miss these! Not only is is it a fun special time with James and good exercise, it's also one of the few "normal" school things I can do with my kids that I remember from my own childhood.

"Look, Mommy! Is a rock!"

Oh yes, how this guy loves his stop signs!

Nice and colourful, just like James.

Time for me to stock up on Kleenex. I am also burning a CD of all his First Grade class/activity pics for his teacher this weekend.

It's Patriotic Day (So Shoot Me)

It's Patriotic Day at James' school this morning. And I saluted it with a 4am rising. Gah.

My fault, I've known it was coming for 2 weeks and spent the last 2 days in a funk. Luckily this morning I was able to kick it into gear and accomplish the following:

• 1 complete load of laundry for James, so he'd have fresh undies, red shirt, and blue pants to wear to the assembly.
• A bath for James, who woke up after 5, spend 10 minutes in the bathroom and ....well, you don't want to know the details, suffice to say:
• (1) he had a bath after that trip to the potty
• (2) I cleaned the bathroom & made him breakfast while he took his bath & got clean all over
• (3) his fingernails are now *really clean*
• Gave my husband a wake-up call.
• Made breakfast, lunch & dinner for my husband, who took off at 6:45 AM -- we'll see him again sometime around 8PM, after a full day of work & 4+ hours of commuting.
• Made breakfast for daughter & got her up to eat it; reminded her several times to *finish* eating.
• Moved James out to the living room to watch Baby Einstein's Baby Neptune. It helps.
• Made lunch & snacks for James and snack for his sister.
• Made & baked 2 batches of scones for daughter's end-of-year school lunch party, because all the food needs to have a locally grown component and that's the quickest thing I can make -- love ya, Clover Dairy!
• Took a shower; can't remember the last time I did that and I did squeeze in a gym workout last night, so it was part hygiene, part community service.
• Brushed daughter's long tresses (all 3 layers of thick, long honey hair) & pulled it back from her face in a partial pony tail.
• Got James dressed patriotically and gave him a haircut so his overgrown rooster locks would not be impudently saluting anyone with a camera. I had to follow him, squirming and yelling, scissors and brush in hand, from a chair, to the floor, to my lap, and back to the chair. There were 2 successful pins in there but as his shoulders remained firmly in place above his ears, covering the offending locks, the jury is out on how effective the whole attempt was.
• Delivered offspring to school early -- bonus points!

But now I need to post and run -- I am running a little late, because I just got responses to 2 of the 3 school-related emails I sent out to  James' teachers (summer school and teacher preferences for next year) and my daughter's school (programs for next year). Oh yeah, I sent those out this morning too.

Saluting as I trot down the street to the school (because I know there's no parking anyway for these events), red-in-the-face, Caucasian mom in blue jeans.

(ETA: I made it! Photos from the assembly are here.)

Magic Marker Monday: May

I will miss these great calendars coming home! They hung on the wall for Open House and now James' is hanging up at home:

For more great masterpieces or to share some of your own, visit
 5 Minutes for Special Needs for more Magic Marker Monday.

                             

Last Open House at Mattie

James' sister has been sick most of this week, throwing plans and schedules out the window. Luckily, no one else has come down with whatever she has.

Luckier still that I read James' communications folder this morning, as I packed up his lunch and assembled his backpack. His teacher asked to have all kids to the playground a little early this evening, so they'd be ready to sing their First Grade songs for Open House night.

Great freakin' monkey tails, I'd completely forgotten all about Open House. Both kids' schools have it on the same night and one was down sick and the other was supposed to perform. My husband had to work late. Shoot me (I've been saying this a lot -- maybe I should change this to "dark chocolate, STAT").

I gave respite a go, but no joy -- too short notice. My mom came down for over an hour to sit with the invalid so I could whoosh through two campuses and school districts, trying desperately to look like a responsible adult who'd planned in advance to enjoy perusing her offsprings' work.

I am so glad it worked out because there was so much to see. I am used to being amazed with the work my daughter has accomplished during her school year. She's deeply explored marine life, reading, math, and reports on local historical figures. Her stories and pictures delight me and her ceramic figures are full of whimsey and personality.

This is the first year that I've been able to do the same with James. It's also my last open house at our little local school that I've become very familiar with over the last four years -- the only school both kids might ever both attend. I am more than a bit sentimental here.

Ah well. Seems so little time has passed since he was having his first Open House as a Kindergartener, wearing his feathered headband and doing the Chicken Dance with the rest of his year:

Looking on the classroom was a bit of a letdown, because James was still not writing much, and certainly not drawing. In fact, I think this is the only project that included one of his pieces:

This year, however, James has been bursting out all over. He kept up with his class in all the songs and dances and stayed with his group. His desk had the same projects on it as the others in the room. He was well represented on the classroom walls and boards. He even took me over to a table to show me what he'd done, just as his classmates were doing.

Oh my heart. I am so proud of him, grateful that he's had such a wonderful teacher this year, and that he's made this last Open House here extra special for me.

Magic Marker Monday: A Voice

I know, it's almost Friday ... but Open House was tonight and I had to share what I saw sitting there on James' First Grade desk:

It's a 3-D, very visual report on a season. I love how his tree twists up and out. How he chose pink for the flowers and placed the green leaves just so on the branches. He selected a season as his favourite, and could write for himself why that is so.

Open House rocks my world. The kids have all come so far. James is especially exciting. Last year this time he'd have struggled to fit all the letters of his name on that piece of paper. Merely echoed the last thing someone said to him.


I love that James now has a voice of his own in his writing and artwork.


For more great masterpieces or to share some of your own, visit
5 Minutes for Special Needs for more Magic Marker Monday.

                               
 

Magic Marker Monday: What Am I?

James' class had a pre-Easter assignment -- take home an egg drawn on paper and create a riddle for the class to guess. They were to write clues on one side and draw the answer on the other.

James and I did his the morning it was due, at the coffee shop, on our early morning run to school after dropping Daddy off at the commute bus. Yay organized Mom, *not*!

Here are the questions (which I ran by him for approval and gave him lines for writing):

1. I am big.            
2. I lived long ago.
3. I can roar!          

Answer:

Note the drawing in the upper right corner. That was my quick reference scribble. James was very clear that it wasn't just any dinosaur, it was a Stegosaurus!

Good fun and practice for all!

For more great masterpieces or to share some of your own, visit
5 Minutes for Special Needs for more Magic Marker Monday.

                               
 

SOOC Saturday: Spring

The rains are easing up. We have sun shine by day and frost happens some nights. An hour before dawn, the roar of a dozen prop engines roar to life to protect budding grape vines and wake us up. The kids get excited about Easter eggs. It's Spring!

Our cherry tree out back is in bloom. Despite the drought and severe pruning of last year, it picked a great time to blossom out and looks to be in good shape. I am fascinated with the petals and starting to dream about cherries in another 6 weeks.

I glanced out the window one evening while preparing dinner and saw this sky.
I shot out the back door to grab these pics.
The kids are used to Mom chasing a photo op.

And here are a few from James' class party. I used the magic lens for some of the egg shots.

Eggs in the carton, with magic lens.

I stripped the colour from the one above. Not sure which one I prefer.

All Spring, straight-out-of-camera. "Hoppy" to participate in the SOOC action at Marvelous Mommy's blog. Come on over to see more or join in!

Magic Marker Monday: The Sneebra!

James brought home another gem from school today. Behold, the Sneebra!

This seems like a simple, yet whimsical assignment that can bring forth a lot of imagination and make writing fun. James' teacher said that he came up with the ideas and did all the spelling on his own, but needed prompting to finish his sentences.

"A sneebra livs in the dessrt. It likes to et lez (eat leaves) and grass. The sneebra hids behind trees."


It looks like animal drawings were cut in two. The kids then coloured them, pasted the bits together, and wrote about their new creature.

I am thinking the Sneebra might like some company!


For more great masterpieces or to share some of your own, visit
5 Minutes for Special Needs for more Magic Marker Monday.

                               
 

Magic Marker Monday: Pete the Cat

James brought home this fun little illustrated story just before Spring Break. His teacher said that all the kids loved reading about Pete and his tennis shoes!

That's one cool cat

Nicely done - way to go, James!


For more great masterpieces or to share some of your own, visit
 5 Minutes for Special Needs for more Magic Marker Monday.

                     

Magic Marker Monday: Grab Bag

We've been concentrating on writing lately. I did have a piece of artwork come home from James:

It was supposed to be an original piece that could be used to decorate items as a fundraiser for his school. Normally I'd be on it, but this is not really a James piece and I'm not sure I want to encourage his love affair with the iPad at this point!

James' sister, however, has been busy using signs to catalog her interests:

It's sweet, but cracks me up ... he knows where his room is! 

I love this sign. It's been up for weeks. Every afternoon, an island celebration occurs!

For more great masterpieces or to share some of your own, visit
  5 Minutes for Special Needs for more Magic Marker Monday.
                       

Magic Marker Monday: A Dr. Seuss Day

Life has been clobbering me again lately. This time with little fluffy things that turn into quickset cement. Which is why I am making a MMM entry on Thursday on an event that happened last Friday. Wheee! Welcome to my life.

Back to the story: Every year, the K-1 grades enthusiastically embrace Dr. Seuss' birthday with pajama day, a book fair, and Read Across America sessions. Their day started off with trying real green eggs and ham. There were lots of grownups wearing funky hats at the book fair. I volunteered to read in James' class, and had a couple of giggling first graders in their jammies on a blanket listening as I read The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham.

The class had also prepared by making pictures of Dr. Seuss' most famous cat. I was not sure which one was James, but he has made great strides with drawing!

I took several close-ups of the drawings that I guessed might be James'. He's schnuggled up to me on the sofa right now and confirms my first guess is his:

We had a great time!


For more great masterpieces or to share some of your own, visit
5 Minutes for Special Needs for more Magic Marker Monday.