Smores

At some point this weekend my husband promised the kids that we would roast marshmallows around the fire pit and make smores. Our every move this weekend involved the talk of making smores. My daughter was completely obsessed with the idea and would not leave us alone about it until the ingredients were purchased and the marshmallows were over the fire. Finally this evening, after we had eaten dinner, my husband sent the kids out to find as many twigs for the fire that they could find. My daughter came back with five little sticks that I am sure she thought could build a roaring fire. We all ended on a hunt for sticks and then my husband decided that we had enough wood to build a proper fire. We roasted the marshmallows on palmetto sticks and then we indulged in gooey, yummy smores. It turned out to be a wonderfully fun evening sitting around the fire with the kids taking turns telling ghost stories.

Saturday

Saturday mornings are my favorite times of the our busy week. This morning we woke up and the kids jumped right into the pool. The warmer weather has brought the water temperature up to about 73 degrees which is plenty warm enough for my kids to jump in and enjoy some fun. This morning's swim ended in a screaming match between my two youngest children. It seemed loud enough to awaken the neighbors so I gave the children a warning and asked them to be quiet. Still, the yelling continued and I had to follow through with my threats and make them get out of the pool. You have to understand that there is "fun yelling" and then there is "mean sibling yelling". This had gotten way out of the acceptable range of noise level. It had even turned ugly toward each of them. Trust me, it would have been much easier to just let them stay in the pool and swim, but once I threaten something, I must stick to my word. Right? Suddenly, my favorite day of the week turned sour for everyone. The kids got out and went and parked their butts in front of the TV. That is NOT how I want them to spend their day. Now I need to think of a way that they can redeem themselves!

Storytelling

This week my daughter and I have been practicing her story for the upcoming Storytelling Festival at her school. She has chosen the story of the Three Little Pigs. In the evenings, she stands on our fireplace hearth and begins with, "Once upon a time, there were three little pigs". She is only five and stumbles a bit through the story, but it is still very sweet.  I encourage her to speak in the voices of the different pigs to give the story more depth. She uses hand gestures and acts out the part of the wolf when he blows down the houses. Both of my boys took part in the festival when they were younger and it was a wonderful experience for them as well. It helps them build their confidence when speaking in front of a crowd and they also gain the extra experience of going to the district festival where they hear the voices of other storytellers. Practicing for the festival does take time out of our busy day, but in the long run, I know that my children will benefit from the public speaking aspect that it provides them.  

Food Police

Last week my nine year old came home with a letter from the school nurse that informed his father and me that he was in a dangerous weight range for his age. What is so bothersome about this is that I see what they serve him in the school cafeteria. Rarely are there fresh vegetables and whole grains served on his plate during lunch period. What else makes this bothersome to me is the fact that his pediatrician says that his weight is fine. The pediatrician also reported that many pre-adolescent children gain a little weight before they hit their next growth spurt. She told me not to worry and that my son is a healthy boy. Even with the doctor's reassurance, mothers still tend to worry about her children.

Today on FOX News, there was a story about a new lunch tracking card that is used in Australian schools. The card allows for parents to place limitations on what their child can and cannot eat in the school cafeteria. Parents can go to the web site that is associated with the tracking card and make choices of what their child may purchase from the school's lunch menu. While I am currently allowed to view what my own children eat at school, I am not able to choose a healthy menu for them. I think Australia is on to something! The only downside that I see to this is that students will not learn to make good choices for themselves when their parents aren't around. Not to mention that my son would probably hate me for choosing legumes instead of his usual choice of pizza.

The evidence shows that childhood obesity in the U.S.is definitely a problem that we must address. Everywhere our kids are surrounded by supersized portions and junk food. Perhaps this food tracking card could help parents in the U. S. guide their children to make better food choices in school when there is no adult to do it for them. I guess this would mean that all U.S. schools would now have to provide the healthy choices that are needed for this plan to work.

Relay

Today we started our day with a breakfast for the upcoming Relay for Life which is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. We had to wake up a little earlier and move a little faster on a Sunday morning, but it was well worth the extra hustle. We gathered in our parish hall at church with our family and friends to help raise money for a wonderful cause. My children didn't want to get out of bed this morning, but once I reminded them that it was our annual Relay for Life breakfast, they got into gear. To my two youngest children, the breakfast was just good food and fun with friends. To my teenager, it was just good food. Somehow though, I hope all three of my children will remember that they have been taught about their duties to service and giving back to society.

Fractions

Last week my nine year old brought home a math test that needed to be corrected for a grade improvement. There was a note at the top of the test that had been sloppily written regarding the instructions from the teacher for how to make the corrections. My husband and my son sat down and made the corrections, but did not show their work. My son returned to school with the corrected test and turned it in to his teacher.Yesterday when I went through my sons folder, I found the test with a note from the teacher. The note said that Kyle had not followed the directions and therefore would not receive a passing grade for his math test.This I might add, was a big unit test and now my son has a C in third grade math.

I confronted my husband and asked him why they didn't show their work. According to my husband, "Kyle said that he didn't have to show the work".

Now in the whole scope of this big, wonderful world, a C in third grade math is not a big deal. I know this. I also know that my son will pass third grade and go on to live out a happy life in spite of not following directions. There is something that is truly bothering me about this episode though. I feel as if there is a break down in the communication between his teacher and us. All he had to do was show his work (and he did in fact do the work) and his grade would have been a A. Now instead, he got an F on his third grade fractions test. Are you kidding me? I guess this is a lesson in following directions and not in fractions after all.

I am looking forward to the next conference night!

Melancholy Mama

Today, my precious five year old daughter is sick with fever and vomiting. Her school nurse called me and requested that I come and pick her up. Of course I rushed right to the school to get her. Now we are home and all she wants to do is lie in bed and snuggle with me. She needs me to bring her crushed ice and won ton soup while she watches her movie. She needs me to just sit with her and rub her back. And that is all that I want to do for her. I don't want to read Frankenstein, I don't want to blog and I don't want to write my lesson plans. These are the days that I question returning to school. These are the days that I am wracked with the guilt that I may not be giving my children undivided attention. Maybe I should have waited until my daughter was a little older and could handle being away from me.
Somehow I will get it all done. I will make sure that my daughter is taken care of and I will finish my assignments. She will feel better and life will go on. And somewhere at the end of the tunnel, I will be both a school teacher and most importantly, a mother.