I can't believe it is already August 6th! Summer flew by this year and we have been working endlessly to prepare for Kindergarten to start on Monday!
Confession...most girls dream about their wedding day and I did too, but I have also dreamed of the day that my children would start Kindergarten. Not because I am ready to shove them off to school, but because I can't think of a better opportunity to organize EVERYTHING! Schedules, calendars, meals, clothes, assignments, projects, you name it and I will organize it and I LOVE to! Keith calls it getting "geeked out". :) He gets "geeked out" on guitar gear and electronics, I get "geeked out" on labels, charts, and the container store! :)
We did most of our back to school clothes shopping at Old Navy (because Mommy had ON Super Cash!) but we also received some fun duds from Grandma Shack and we had to model of course!
Monday was Kindergarten Registration day and Wednesday Kindergarten Screening when she got to meet her teacher, Ms. Conti. Ms Conti gave Mommy an apple as a reminder that parents are teachers too!
How thoughtful!
And here it is... "geeked out" greatness!
Daily Schedule (which has been tweaked numerous times this week!)
Load Time List for school (we also have one for other outings which is slightly different) " Load Time" is a tool to get us out the door on time. It always takes 5-10 minutes to get all the last minute things done before you actually walk out the door and get buckled into the car... shoes, checking to see that we have everything packed, etc. "Load Time" begins 10 minutes before we need to LEAVE for school.
I wanted to give Lizzie a good review and stress proper hand washing before she gets mixed in with all the runny noses and coughs, so I pulled together ideas from several different hand washing songs and created this one. To the tune of "row, row, row your boat"
"Pressed and Dressed"
This is her "pressed and dressed" list we keep in her bathroom
Ever since Lizzie was a baby, I have called getting dressed in the morning "pressed and dressed". It comes from a song in Mary Poppins..
"Tomorrow just as you suggest, pressed and dressed,
Jane and Michael will be at your side"
We sing the "pressed and dressed" song which is just one that I made up to the tune
of "Spoonful of Sugar" from Mary Poppins.
"Let's get pressed and dressed and then we're ready for the day,
ready for the daaaaay
ready for the day
Lets get pressed and dressed and then were ready for the day
Ready for our big fun day!"
Well the term "pressed and dressed" stuck and that's what we call
getting ready in the morning.
I fully expect this list to be tweaked many times over the next several weeks too as we learn what works for us!
We have started using a "chore chart" for Lizzie to reward her for the responsibilities that she completes each day. We tried this last year, but she was a little too young to understand the value of the rewards and stars meant nothing to her. So, we pulled it out again. This time I think she gets it. The idea came from Dobson's Dare to Discipline book and we adapted it to meet our needs. She gets 1 dollar (4 quarters... also trying to teach her to count money) for 10 stars. She has the ability to get at least 30 stars per week. (she can also receive a star for going above and beyond what is asked of her and these come at random times). She receives her rewards at the end of the week.
Once she receives her rewards they are organized using the "jar system" (for lack of a better name). I read about this idea in a magazine years ago and adapted it to meet our needs. There are 4 jars labeled share, save, spend, and someday.
share- tithe used for Sunday School offering
save- money saved to spend on larger items she desires. when the jar is full, she uses the money as needed
spend- money she can use at any time. she loves to go to "mini target" (our name for the dollar spot at target)
someday- long term savings. :) When this jar is full, she empties it into her piggy bank and when her piggy bank is full it goes into her bank account.
If she is rewarded 10 stars= 1 dollar= 4 quarters, she places one quarter in each jar.
She loves "reward day" and placing the money in her jars!!
This week we have been organizing her clothes in her closet so that she can reach her school clothes and grouping outfits together, trying to teach her how to coordinate. :) She had a blast choosing her outfit for the first day of school! She has been wearing uniforms for the past 6 months and the freedom to choose what she wanted to wear made her one happy girl!!
...and of course, you know this "Mommy, RD" is going to organize meals! I tried to keep it simple with systems that will be easy to maintain. I got lots of ideas from blogs and pinterest and the "trial run" lunches that we created this week were a big hit!! Lizzie said "Mommy, can you make some more fun lunches?" Absolutely! These "fun lunches" are filled with healthy entrees, fruits, and veggies! Arranging them in patterns and shapes disguised the healthiness of the meal! I even got her to willingly try new fruits and veggies! Score!!!
So that has been our week! Having all of this done ahead of time has allowed us to carve out some time this weekend to just relax and enjoy the last few days of Summer!! Daddy will be in California on the Jet Blue bball team, but Lizzie and are planning to head to the beach Saturday and when Daddy comes home Sunday evening spend some quality family time together playing games, watching movies, riding bikes, and reading books. All her favorites! Looking forward to a great weekend and start to her school "career"!!! :)
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