5 Activities, Ideas, and Helpful Tips for Students and Their Parents

I LOVE THESE ideas and I hope you do too.

1. www.Kideos.com

Do your kids know about YOUTUBE, but you are not willing to allow them to get on it without supervision? Let them explore www.kideos.com. Kideos is the premier destination for kids to safely watch videos online. Each video on Kideos has been screened by a video advisory council before it makes the website. The goal is to empower parents to feel comfortable allowing their child to spend time on Kideos, while also making sure children have a thoroughly entertaining experience.

I have also recently found out about www.funbrain.com I haven't been on the site yet, but it's supposedly an educational site where kids can play games.

2. "Kindergarten Rocks" by Katie Davis

This book was purchased for Tyson, by my grandmother, long before he was of age to start Kindergarten. It was a fantastic way to get him enthused about Kindergarten. It's a really cute book. Dexter Dugan is about to start kindergarten, and his stuffed dog, Rufus, "is an eensy teensy beensy bit scared" about it. Thankfully, Dex's third-grader sister, Jessie, sees that her brother is really the scared one and sets about cheerfully reassuring her sibling: "Don't worry, kindergarten rocks". Great for ages 4-6.

3. Lunch On A Stick

Are your kids sick of the boring PB and J sandwiches? Do they love lunch meat or fruit, but your sick of the redundant way of serving it to them either in their lunch boxes or at home? Make eating their breakfasts, lunches, and/or dinners exciting to eat. Here's a fresh way to present it. I believe you can get 100 sticks for $5.00 at www.pickonus.com

4. Clip Board

Parents, are you already bombarded with paperwork from your child's teacher? Do you have multiple children and just cannot keep up with it all. Paperwork can be some peoples worst nightmare. Here's an idea to stay organized. Get a clipboard for each child and hang it up. As they come home from school and you go through their paperwork (ie. field trip forms, report cards, tests to be signed, upcoming events) clip it to their individual clipboards. This clipboard will allow you to keep the stack together and when you have to sign something, you have a hard surface right at your leisure. I bought one this week along with my very first CALENDAR. I usually go by memory. There's just no way I can do that anymore. I hung it on the inside of our pantry door.

5. Digital Fram Artwork

Let's face it, we all love to "see" our children's school artwork, but it's unrealistic to save it all. Or maybe I am just the type of mommy that doesn't shed a tear over every "roller coaster" or "life saber" that my son drawers daily at school. Show your child you appreciate their artwork and have found a way to remember it without having to save mounds and mounds and mounds of paperwork. It's not healthy to be a hoarder you know. By an extra memory stick and take pictures of your child's artwork daily. THEN, put the memory stick in the digital frame. You can view their artwork all day long through the digital frame that sits on your kitchen counter instead of watching those storage containers pile up of kindergarten - 12th grade artwork and research papers.

First Week of Kindergarten Recap!

So, the first 3 days of kindergarten went very smoothly. Routine in place. Smiles on the way to and on the way back from the bus stop. Tyson had a mouthful of things to share each day. Until day #4. Wednesday nights we attend church. The service is from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm and we typically do not get home until about 9:00 pm. Which means, everyone's bedtime schedules are pushed ahead. Typically we do not get the kids to bed any early than 9:30 pm.

On Thursday morning, Tyson began complaining that his tummy hurt. I have no doubt that this was not not true. He has a very sensitive stomach and even though he wakes up at 6:00 am for a 7:14 am bus arrival, it's just not enough time to allow his breakfast to digest and use the bathroom peacefully. Between a combination of less sleep and a tummy ache, Tyson was complaining that he didn't want to go to school. We allowed him to miss the bus and Darren drove him, but it was a small fight to get him in the car. I mean, he got in the car, but cried and said, "I don't like school. I want to stay home." Friday morning the "my belly hurts" started again. It's hard to say if this will happen every morning or if this was just the case for these two mornings.

Last night, Ty was in bed and he was coughing so hard that it caused him to throw up everywhere. Fortunately, he made it at least to my bathroom where there is tile flooring. After we cleaned up the bathroom and got him in the shower, I laid in bed with him for a few minutes and he proceeded to tell me that he does not like school. "I miss preschool mommy. It was much more fun." I think kindergarten is just obviously more structured and detailed, after all, "Everything you need to learn you learned about in kindergarten." (Ever see those posters?). He even went as far as to say, "Will you home school me?" It broke my heart. I laid there and for a split second contemplated it, but that thought went away immediately. It's not for me and I know it's not for him, not to mention Daddy would never agree to it. I'm sure this will blow over soon.

After church today, we pulled into the Wal-mart parking lot so Darren could pick up his migraine medication. I stayed in the car, but noticed Tyson's principal exiting her car to head into Wal-mart. I hopped out of my car and ran over to her because there has been rumor since yesterday that Ty's school is receiving a 3rd Kindergarten teacher because the Kindergarten classes are too big. I believe each class has 28 students in it. I was a bit upset that we are hearing this as a rumor and not being told directly. The principal did indeed confirm that the new teacher has already been chosen and hired and she explained how they were going to transition from 2 classes to 3 classes. She reassured me that this should help with the negative feelings that Tyson is having about school. She said, "Right now, it's just too many kids in one classroom and the children are not receiving the proper attention that they probably received at home or at preschool. It makes for a tough and long day!" So, while I am not thrilled that Tyson may have a new teacher, I am thrilled that Tyson will receive better care and proper help when needed.

Let's hope that week #2 is a tad bit better than the first.

Ty's FIRST Day of Kindergarten

Many of you are dying to know how Tyson's first day of Kindergarten went. I can say with confidence that it was a huge success. I am thankful to God that he allowed Tyson to be relieved of any anxieties and to handle it like such a BIG BOY! I have also come to recognize what amazing friends and family I have through their texts, phone calls, and emails the day Tyson left to get on the bus. It really helped to hear from everyone, so thank you all. You know who you are. Even though I still have two more children to care for, the silence was deafening. I have sooooo much to report on and if you're interested continue reading. If not, at least enjoy the pictures of Tyson's first day of Kindergarten below.

First up... Our new and very routined schedule:

4:40 am - Mommy and Daddy wake up.
5:15 am - Mommy and Daddy work out.
6:00 am - Mommy wakes Tyson up. Mommy and Tyson shower.
6:10 am- Tyson watches a show in Mommy's bed while mommy starts getting ready. He is also responsible for getting himself dressed. His outfit is already ironed and hung up in his room.
6:30 am - Daddy, Mommy, and Ty head downstairs for prayer, breakfast, a small devotional and memorization of a bible verse.

This week Tyson is learning, Phillippians 1:21 "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." He had it memorized before the bus arrived.

6:50 am - Tyson finishes his breakfast and watches the tail end of a show on noggin.
7:00 am - Tyson clears his breakfast dishes, uses the potty, brushes his teeth, puts on shoes, and grabs his book bag.
7:10 am - Tyson walks to the bus stop with mommy and daddy.
7:14 am - The bus arrives.

7:14 am -2:35 pm Tyson attends Kindergarten at Fort. Lewis Elementary

2:35 pm - Tyson arrives home.
2:35 pm - 3:00 pm Tyson and I discuss his day. He uses the bathroom and eats a snack. We also go over any homework he may have. Finally, we rehearse his bible verse again.
3:00 pm - I allow Tyson to unwind by watching a show or playing 30 minutes of nintendo wii. He hasn't cared to play. He's pooped. At this time, I repack his lunch for the next day. Packing his lunch this early is so nice and oh so helpful come night time or early am before school. It also allows me to pack him a very well thought out and healthy lunch.

4:00 pm - Babies wake up from nap. We all reunite.
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm We play as a family while dinner is baking.
5:00 pm - Daddy comes home.
5:15 pm - 6:00 pm Dinner
6:00 pm - 6:30 pm One parent bathes kiddies and one parent cleans up dinner. We alternate.
6:30 pm - 7:15 pm Family time
7:15 pm - 7:45 pm Brush teeth, story time, responsibility chart discussion, and prayers.
7:45 pm - Lights out

Routined as routined can be but it takes a routine to run a tight ship. I am just so thankful that Darren is just like me. We work so well as a team to get everything done so we can have time with our children and then time with each other. This new routine allows us 2 hours and 15 minutes to clean up, read, relax, and snuggle after the kiddies go to bed.

Okay, so now that the routine is out of the way, here are a few things that Ty said about his first day of school:

*He likes his teacher.
*He loves riding the bus.
*He learned how to spell the word red on day 1 and the word blue on day 2.
*He played alone on the playground because he didn't know who to play with, but apparently most kids did too.
*He had two encounters where children were mean. He didn't respond.
*He ate his lunch. Lunch is at 10:35 am. I asked him, "Were you hungry at lunch?" He said, "YES! STARVED!"

It's insanely adorable when he gets off the bus. All of the kids say, "BYE TYSON!"

On another note, sadly to say, Monday we stayed home all day. I cleaned a little and spent some quality time with Lilah and Jaxon. I took them to our neighborhood park, read books, and gave tons of kisses. Lilah was so pitiful. Thanks to her I was unable to distract myself away from thinking of Tyson every second of the day. She would yell periodically, "BRAAAATHER". It was so heartbreaking. She was trying to figure out where Ty was. I even captured it on video. So needless to say, I thought of Ty all day. When he got off the bus he was so enthused and all smiles. He couldn't wait to get home and show me all of his art work and tell me all about his day. I pray this attitude lasts all year long. I asked him if he ever, in his day, thought, "Geez, how much longer until I go home?" He said, "No mom. I was only at school for like 2 hours!" He sounds like a teenager already.

About 6:40 pm, Ty had a HUGE meltdown. Not a temper tantrum, a meltdown. He was so exhausted. We had him in bed with the lights out by 7:35 pm. He was sound asleep by 7:40 pm..

Day 1 Homework:

1. Practice spelling your name in D'Nealian Handwriting. (Yes I too have homework. What the heck is D'Nealian Handwriting?)
2. Practice classroom/school rules
3. Practice your cafeteria number.

Today (Day 2) I received a thank you note from Ms. Barrett. I've been told by my step mom that she's reporting me for "brown nosing". The thank you note was for a LARGE Godiva chocolate candy bar and a pair of Virginia Tech earrings that we purchased for her as a welcome back to school gift. Ty's teacher is our age, has a 5 year old, and is a graduate of VT. She reminds me a ton of my sister-in-law.

Tonight, I asked Ty if I could pick him up from school on Fridays and he said, "No. I want to ride the bus." He might as well have stabbed me in the heart. I guess he's too cool for me now. This is the part that I will really find difficult about him going to school. Last year, he looked forward to me picking him up, this year, it's all about the bus. And by next year, it will be all about his friends, I am sure. Eventually, I will be chop liver. I'll only be good for a hot meal and money to go to the movies with his guy friends. LOL!

Day 2 went equally as well. His only complaint was "Some boy that sat next to me at the lunch table ate a hot dog and after he was done he kept blowing his hot dog breath in my face. I thought I was going to throw up. Phew."

Life is always full of surprises with children. I really look forward to hearing about his day everyday. It's so sad to watch Ty grow up, but it's so beautiful to witness excitement about something most kids dread so much.

What's for Lunch?

So I read the school breakfast and lunch menu aloud to Darren and we have pretty much agreed that there's no way Tyson will be eating either. We did go ahead and put $20.00 on his "meal plan", but we definitely think that that $20.00 dollars will last him the entire year, if not well into his 1st grade year.

I didn't realize that putting your child in school definitely is more work than keeping him home. Packing a lunch will be no easy task. I put way too much thought into what to pack. I don't want to pack junk food, but all the kids eat junk food. Will he swap his healthy food with a friend's junk food? Will he sneak and buy something junky and throw away my healthy stuff? I don't want to pack things that will make him have to go to the bathroom. He's very private about pooping. LOL! Aren't we all? I don't want him to starve. I don't want him to over eat. AHHHHHH!

Tyson eats lunch at 10:35 am. Can you believe that? That's the middle of the morning for most people. I am responsible for packing a lunch and a snack. I am not certain when the snack will be eaten, but we were told to pack the snack in a separate bag so that it's not eaten during lunch.

So what's for lunch?

1. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich cut into dinosaur shapes

2. Blackberries

3. A Banana with a personalized note written on the peel

4. 1/4 Cup of Cheez-It Crackers

5. (1) Cookie topped with frosting & sprinkles

6. Water in a Star Wars thermos.

What's for snack?

1. 1/4 Cup of Cashews

2. A Clif Kids Z Bar (Protein Bar) - Flavor - Honey Graham

3. Organic Elmo Fruit Punch Juice Box

This week, I am allowing all of my rules regarding complex carbs, fruit juice, and sugar to go out the window although I really don't think what I packed for him is that horrible. I want to be fair and allow Tyson to be a kid once in a while, but I fully agree that lunch can be enjoyed without stuffing his face with mounds of empty calories.

Tyson was, however, instructed to eat all of his sandwich and all of his fruit before touching his cookie or cheez-it crackers. Who knows if that will happen or not! I guess he's not in my total control anymore. Something to get used to.

From Baby to Kindergartner

KINDERGARTEN STARTS TODAY!

Tyson,

Has 5 years really gone by already?

I remember holding you in my arms for the first time.

It was as if it was just yesterday.

And now you are off to kindergarten.

As time is approaching my heart aches.

I really will genuinely miss you.

You've grown up way too fast.

And sadly to say, much of it is a blur.

Even though most days you give me a run for my money,

I will miss the pitter patter of your feet.

I will miss you bugging me for snacks.

I will miss Noggin ruling the television screen.

I will miss your help with Lilah and Jaxon.

I will miss you calling my name.... "Momma".

I will miss it all.

Where has the time gone!

I love you!!!!!

Love, Mommy

Sniff, sniff, sniff

More Kindergarten Preparation... Teacher Assignment, Hair Cut, and School Shoes

Tyson received his teacher assignment in the mail today. He will be in Mrs. Barrett's class. I was pretty excited about receiving this teacher because she was the teacher that Ty had for Kindergarten orientation. She's very quiet, but has great classroom control and asks the children a lot of open ended questions so they have to actually talk to her. I was very bummed that so far out of 5 children in our neighborhood going into kindergarten, Ty is the only one that WE know of that has the only other kindergarten teacher. So, so far, Ty does not know anyone in his class. Makes ME a little nervous and sad for him. What will he do on the first day? Who will he sit with at lunch?

I spent the early morning cleaning out his entire closet. Ty tried on over 20 pairs of pants/jeans. I wanted to see if he had grown and if I needed to buy more than I thought. Then we left the house and ran some kindergarten errands.

First stop, a good buzz cut. I hope it lasts for at least 9 more days.

Before the buzz
]

After the buzz cut

Next up, Rack Room Shoes.

We got Ty 2 pairs of sneakers. I got to pick out ONE...

Size 12: New Balance 910. I spotted these at Kohl's and they didn't have his size, so I was thrilled they had them. I am addicted to cool shoes for my kiddies.

Mommy's selection above.

Then, I allowed Ty to pick out a pair. Grrrr. This is a hard thing for me. I'm all about controlling what he wears. We've been shoe shopping 3 times already and left with nothing because he wanted these shoes every time. I couldn't bring myself to say yes, so this time we brought daddy. Darren agreed with me that they were very "red" that's redneck, but what can you do. He's going to slowly start taking over his clothing and shoe selection based on what he likes and what his friends are wearing. These are sketchers. Size 12.

These shoes light up. ANOTHER feature I never thought I would agree to. YUCK!

I hate to admit it, but to date, Ty has 6 new pairs of shoes for kindergarten. I told you I love shoes. Just wish I would by myself some!

Thankful for diarrhea TODAY!

Today, Tyson woke up at 5:15 am with stomach pains and diarrhea. He hasn't gone back to sleep since. I am thankful for diarrhea TODAY because had this occurred next Monday, Tyson would BE missing his first day of kindergarten. That would have totally stressed me out for HIM and for ME. Please keep Tyson in your prayers today that this subsides. Rumor has it Ansley may have the rotavirus. Tyson spends quite a bit of time near her or with her. Ty was crying at one point because his belly hurt so bad and I said, "Honey, come here, we will pray to Jesus to heal your belly." He said, "I already did that when I was on the potty." Too sweet.

For now, doctor's orders: plenty of fluids, B.R.A.T diet, culturelle, and rest. Unfortunately, he's still as hyper as can be. He just runs to the bathroom more often than usual and it's not to go pee pee.

I had hoped to have a fun week with Ty, but today, it appears that all activities are out of the picture.

Updates to come...

B.R.A.T diet

Lilah trying to drink the Culturelle.

Ty attempting to eat.

Culturelle.

Silly Sunday!

Just a cute little 5 year old being silly on Sunday! Yes, he is wearing underwear on his head. If you don't have a little boy, you sure are missing out.

Kindergarten Preparation!

On July, 26th, Tyson had is 5-year-old check up with Dr. Delaney. I had been preparing Tyson for his last set of shots, well until he reaches age 11. He was in full anticipation and oddly enough he didn't seem to be nervous.

At this age, no real "stats" to report on other than

weight: 48 pounds

height: 44 inches

While waiting in the patient room, Tyson politely reminded me that "Dr. Delaney is going to feel my penis like he did the last time." Oh boys! Gotta love them.

Dr. Delay and Tyson had a bit of a man to man talk. You can tell in the picture to the left that Ty was really in tune. While Dr. Delaney examined him "down there", Ty said, "See I told you Dr. Delaney was going to do this!" I was bit embarrassed, but Dr. Delaney replied, "Yeah... for some reason, they never forget this part!"

Shot time:

As you can see clearly from the picture, Tyson's old infantile tricks came out. He thought if he hid under the examining table and put his hands over his eyes the nurse wouldn't be able to find him. LOL! NOT!!!

He took all 3 shots like a man. No tears before or during. There was a 20 second delay after the very last shot and "WHAAAAAH!" The tears came a-rolling. He was rewarded with stickers and a pencil. That always helps.

Afterwards, I took him to Toys R Us. That was my bribe to get him to not cry during shots. He was allowed to pick out one toy. It was quite the task being ourtoys r us has just been newly renovated. It's beautiful inside too.

We were also there to shop for Kindergarten school supplies. It's truly mind boggling to me that kindergarten is just around the corner.

I wanted Tyson to be involved in the school supply shopping process. It was so hard letting him make the choices. You know me... I love everything to match and be just so and that's not typical of a 5 year old boy. They want the loudest, tackiest, redneckish, most obnoxious stuff.

The kindergarten school supply list wasn't very detailed.

1. Crayons

2. A pencil box

3. A box of tissues

4. A box of freezer zipblock bags

5. A nap mat

6. (2) packs of glue sticks

7. (1) pack of #2 pencils

8. Kid friendly scissors

9. (2) Folders with pockets & prongs

We were able to get most everything at Toys R US but also had to make a trip to Wal-mart and Target.

Finally, Tyson was allowed to choose what book bag and what lunch box he wanted, but mommy had the say in where it came from. I couldn't resist the adorable collection Pottery Barn Kids has.

In two weeks, we have Kaitlyn reserved to watch the twins (possibly over night) so we can take him to Short Pump to shop for school clothing and shoes. We also hope to take him to Kings Dominion for a little pre-kindergaten celebration.

Skate Park Experience

The other night Darren and I took the kids to the Skate Park aka Moyer Park. Darren had never been before and Tyson was really looking forward to skateboarding with his daddy. After 3 straight days of rain, we were finally able to get out and enjoy dry weather. Or so we thought.! We were slightly disappointed as we arrived because there were a ton of older "skaters" there. The skaters were amazing at skating, but their behaviors and manners were the pits. Between the cigarette smoking, cuss words, and their girlfriend's lack of proper attire, I lost interest pretty quickly. Tyson had been waiting a few days to take daddy to the skate park, so I felt a little torn. Do I stay and let my oblivious son continue to skate or do I leave and explain to him why we had to leave? I do agree and know that you cannot keep your child in a bubble, BUT I also believe God puts teachable moments in your life as a parent. We let Ty stay for 5 more minutes and then we headed to the park section instead. Darren and I are considering writing a letter to the Salem City Parks and Recreation. The skate park has signs up that stress no smoking, no bicycling, no loitering and that the park is "police monitored." We seem to think that's just a ploy to make people be fearful. It didn't seem to do the trick the night we were there.

Ty started with his skateboard

Jax wanted in too!

Then he gave the sparking scooter a shot.

Jax was really into it. Oh boys! They make you a nervous wreck.

Darren jams out to the park bongos.

Sometimes, I feel like I have 4 kids, not 3.

Lilah and Jax crawl up the very steep playground stairs.

Why do kids do this? Why do they want to climb up the slides? That's too much work.

There goes daddy. He's using the slide the correct way. Go figure!