Another fantastic week! Madi has been doing amazing. She's doing an awesome job getting ready in the mornings, doing her homework without having to ask more than one time and getting her planner filled and signed without being asked as well as getting her bag, water, and snack ready the night before school without being reminded. She's doing SOOO good with organizing what she needs to get done for school. So very proud of her!!
So many good things about that too. One of which is she is finding that she has more time for games and fun activities she wants to do.
She has made it her goal to save her allowance money up for an iPad. So she's trying to find some ways to make money. We're planning to help her by baking cookies and making lemonade at our next neighborhood garage sale at both my parents house and at ours - for each of our neighborhood garage sales! She'll earn all the profits from that portion. And she's making some cute bracelets from her embroidery thread collection. So far she has saved almost $50 in allowance money. Which is great because she has been saving it for the last several weeks and has been reading a book about girls and money that she got from Elizabeth, her friend. She is really excited about saving and wants to open a bank account so we can deposit the money and then she can write in the checkbook about it. Hoping to do this soon!
Madi took a benchmark test this past week. To be honest, I don't remember what it is on. I think math??!! As they've already taken their writing test. Either Math or Reading. Anyway, she got a 92% which is fantastic!! Every question was worth 4% of the test so she only missed 2 questions. Way to go Madi!!!
She also got invited to another friend's sleepover party for next Friday. They're going to some kind of fun zone with putt putt golf and then going to the friend's house. There will be six girls. Sounds like tons of fun!! The friend's name is Gracie. She's super cute and spunky.
We signed the girls up for VBS tonight! They have it from June 25-28 from 9am-12pm each day. Madi chose to do the cooking classes for her choice activity. Riley chose to do the art classes. I'll be a counselor for the 5 year old group and Jules will go in the nursery. Should be awesome! It does mean that I need to call the LISD Aquatic Center and change their swim lessons to July so they don't miss any classes. Won't be a problem.
We're all set to sign Madi up for Camp KidJam as well. Registration is up and going right now. So we'll do that within the next week. Thinking it'll be a great summer!
Our pictures that were taken by my friend Jenny should be in this weekend. Once I have them, I'll post them for you to see! Should be some really beautiful shots of Madi!!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Another Day Off!
We loved another day off today. The next holiday is on Memorial Day and at that point, we'll only have three more days left of school. Amazing.
Madi played some WOW today and spent time on her iPod. She also did her Fasttmath and her laundry - folded it and put it away.
We went to Old Navy and got her two pairs of shorts. I had a coupon for "Spend $60 - get $30 off" so we got some great sale items and most of the things were only $3 after the coupon which was great!
She and I also had a talk about what it's like being a tween. Madi was wanting to go down the slide in the playroom, run/crawl and stand on these cushion things made for little kids - bending them and being an 11 year old on a 3 year old toy. I explained that since she's older/taller/bigger than Riley and Jules, there are just some things she can't do because she's at that age where she's too old/tall/big for them.
She got frustrated and said "I hate growing up." So we talked about all the benefits of growing up: more responsibility means doing cooler things, how she gets to go to camp, she can ride her bike, have sleepovers, run outside and play, more freedom than the other girls, iPod/WOW. Then we talked about how the tween years are tough. It's that time where you still feel like a kid, but you're outgrowing the child toys and things. And then I shared that she'd be driving in four years with a permit and how she'll be doing some really awesome things in the next few years that younger kids can't do. That seemed to help her.
Tomorrow is back to school and the usual routine. Should be a good one!
Madi played some WOW today and spent time on her iPod. She also did her Fasttmath and her laundry - folded it and put it away.
We went to Old Navy and got her two pairs of shorts. I had a coupon for "Spend $60 - get $30 off" so we got some great sale items and most of the things were only $3 after the coupon which was great!
She and I also had a talk about what it's like being a tween. Madi was wanting to go down the slide in the playroom, run/crawl and stand on these cushion things made for little kids - bending them and being an 11 year old on a 3 year old toy. I explained that since she's older/taller/bigger than Riley and Jules, there are just some things she can't do because she's at that age where she's too old/tall/big for them.
She got frustrated and said "I hate growing up." So we talked about all the benefits of growing up: more responsibility means doing cooler things, how she gets to go to camp, she can ride her bike, have sleepovers, run outside and play, more freedom than the other girls, iPod/WOW. Then we talked about how the tween years are tough. It's that time where you still feel like a kid, but you're outgrowing the child toys and things. And then I shared that she'd be driving in four years with a permit and how she'll be doing some really awesome things in the next few years that younger kids can't do. That seemed to help her.
Tomorrow is back to school and the usual routine. Should be a good one!
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Talia's Party
Madi had a really fun time at Talia's birthday party. There were six girls there. Pizza, swimming, two movies and a very, very, very late night!! The girls were up and being really loud until 3am. The mom finally came in and threatened to call parents because they were so very loud and wouldn't settle down. Madi said she finally fell asleep at 4am and woke up around 9:30am. Needless to say she was exhausted today!!!
She went down with Jeremy to his work again all day and played WOW. I had the girls and got hooked on this awesome blog called iheartorganizing.blogspot.com. Being that I love to organize and have spring fever, it was perfect timing. My parents got Riley for three hours while Julia napped. So I cleaned out a bunch of closets and pantry and things. It's looking good and smelling good! :)
Then when Julia woke up, I took her to my parents and the girls went on the tanning ledge of the pool to play. Madi and Jeremy met us up there. Madi got to dip her feet in (too cold to really swim still). We had pizza and hung out talking and laughing. Madi played on her iPod quite a bit and was very chill. Super tired.
Got home and she went right to bed and crashed. Hoping she sleeps well tonight!
She went down with Jeremy to his work again all day and played WOW. I had the girls and got hooked on this awesome blog called iheartorganizing.blogspot.com. Being that I love to organize and have spring fever, it was perfect timing. My parents got Riley for three hours while Julia napped. So I cleaned out a bunch of closets and pantry and things. It's looking good and smelling good! :)
Then when Julia woke up, I took her to my parents and the girls went on the tanning ledge of the pool to play. Madi and Jeremy met us up there. Madi got to dip her feet in (too cold to really swim still). We had pizza and hung out talking and laughing. Madi played on her iPod quite a bit and was very chill. Super tired.
Got home and she went right to bed and crashed. Hoping she sleeps well tonight!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
More Easter Egg Hunting!
Today was another really great day. Madi's been doing sooooo great!!!!! She got invited to a sleepover birthday party tomorrow night from a girl in her class that she is in LEAP with. The girl has a wonderful family that I have known for eight years and the girl is also super sweet. There are two other girls in the class invited. Madi was so excited about it! She wasn't sure if we'd let her go since it was short notice and I told her that we'd be happy to let her go. That it is great to see her making good friend choices and to see that others are responding to her friendliness.
It is also a swim party so we've talked about manners in the pool, considering others and using manners at the party. We'll go out and get a gift card tomorrow. We'll talk tomorrow about it a little bit more as I only touched on the manners and others for all of a minute.
As I was about to teach piano students, she got a call from Julia. Julia invited her to an Easter Egg Hunt at the Five Star Complex tonight. It's right down the street from us. There are thousands of eggs hidden all over the place. Inside many of the eggs are prizes and tickets for prizes that can be redeemed at the tent set up there. There is also a petting zoo and some other things. It was $5 and I told her that she could definitely go. Again, focused on how she has made such great choices and that we want to make sure that she gets time with Julia as she's not here for a very long period of time. They came and picked her up around 5:30 and she'll be home about 9:30 tonight. I gave Madi a huge wicker basket to put eggs in so she didn't have to carry a Hello Kitty or Princess Ariel one :)
We are both so very proud of Madison. She's doing so incredibly well. And smiling constantly. She has much to look forward to in the next few months and it's been awesome to see her doing so well.
Since the tornado day, the weather has been beautiful!!! We're looking forward to a nice, calm weekend with as much downtime as possible... if possible!
It is also a swim party so we've talked about manners in the pool, considering others and using manners at the party. We'll go out and get a gift card tomorrow. We'll talk tomorrow about it a little bit more as I only touched on the manners and others for all of a minute.
As I was about to teach piano students, she got a call from Julia. Julia invited her to an Easter Egg Hunt at the Five Star Complex tonight. It's right down the street from us. There are thousands of eggs hidden all over the place. Inside many of the eggs are prizes and tickets for prizes that can be redeemed at the tent set up there. There is also a petting zoo and some other things. It was $5 and I told her that she could definitely go. Again, focused on how she has made such great choices and that we want to make sure that she gets time with Julia as she's not here for a very long period of time. They came and picked her up around 5:30 and she'll be home about 9:30 tonight. I gave Madi a huge wicker basket to put eggs in so she didn't have to carry a Hello Kitty or Princess Ariel one :)
We are both so very proud of Madison. She's doing so incredibly well. And smiling constantly. She has much to look forward to in the next few months and it's been awesome to see her doing so well.
Since the tornado day, the weather has been beautiful!!! We're looking forward to a nice, calm weekend with as much downtime as possible... if possible!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Bad Weather
This morning was quite dark and there were some grey clouds. Looked like rain was coming, but it has looked like that the past few mornings. Had no idea the kind of weather that was coming in for the afternoon.
Madi had a great day. About 2:00pm, in the middle of teaching second grade, the office started to call students' names over the intercom for the entire school (which they never do because it is so disruptive). They said that it was quite rainy and that teachers should have students get their things together so that it would be easy to release them to parents. Since I didn't have any of my kids things as they were back in the classroom, I took them down to their homeroom, had them gather their things and took them back to music.
I started with 22 kids and was down to 13 kids within the next ten minutes. We could hear thunder and lots of rain, but since I have no windows in the classroom, we couldn't see what was going on. In Madi's room, she noticed hail coming down and watched the rain and lightning. Soon the office told everyone to hold their students and not let them leave. We then heard the tornado sirens going off. We were asked to "duck and cover." Many of the classrooms hunkered down in the bathrooms and hallways. In my room, we sat against the wall, covering our necks and keeping the kids calm. I unplugged all the electronics nearby and moved objects away from them that had sharp ends (pencils, things that could 'fly'). Though it seems funny now to think of trying to place sharp things away from them - as the tornado could easily pick them up and throw them - I simply wanted to get anything away from them that I could.
The students were so incredibly good. They asked lots of questions. One girl asked if it was a drill. The second graders stayed so calm the entire 45 minutes we were sitting there. I had them start the telephone game where a person on the end whispers something and sends it down the line. Then the person on the other end says what they heard and we compare if it's the same or not. This kept them busy for several minutes and eased their fears. When they asked if they were going to die or if there was a tornado, I simply would share that they were in one of the safest rooms in the school and that while they were scared, we were doing everything we needed to do to protect ourselves. They were completely satisfied with that answer and it was great to see them all so calm.
Madi finally got to come to me around 3:30pm. I didn't have her sent to my room because I knew it was safer for her to stay where she was rather than walking in hallways that are lined with windows and risking there being a tornado. She told me that one of her first thoughts was that she was so young and she had many years to live. She hadn't lived her full life yet and she wasn't ready to die. She said she was very scared. I told her that it's completely normal to have those thoughts and to be scared in a situation like that. And that I agreed with how she felt.
The rest of the afternoon was fairly low-key. She did her Fasttmath and then read for a while before dinner. We ate together. Then Jeremy put Riley down and I put Julia and Madi down. Madi and I read the book of "Philemon." She joked that we can hardly call it a book because it's only a page long :) We're not far from finishing the New Testament. Then she wants to start on books like Jonah, Esther, and things that are unlike Chronicles... He begat him begat him begat her begat him. Though genealogy is a wonderful thing too!
Tomorrow is Zumba and Art for Madi. Should be a great day!
Madi had a great day. About 2:00pm, in the middle of teaching second grade, the office started to call students' names over the intercom for the entire school (which they never do because it is so disruptive). They said that it was quite rainy and that teachers should have students get their things together so that it would be easy to release them to parents. Since I didn't have any of my kids things as they were back in the classroom, I took them down to their homeroom, had them gather their things and took them back to music.
I started with 22 kids and was down to 13 kids within the next ten minutes. We could hear thunder and lots of rain, but since I have no windows in the classroom, we couldn't see what was going on. In Madi's room, she noticed hail coming down and watched the rain and lightning. Soon the office told everyone to hold their students and not let them leave. We then heard the tornado sirens going off. We were asked to "duck and cover." Many of the classrooms hunkered down in the bathrooms and hallways. In my room, we sat against the wall, covering our necks and keeping the kids calm. I unplugged all the electronics nearby and moved objects away from them that had sharp ends (pencils, things that could 'fly'). Though it seems funny now to think of trying to place sharp things away from them - as the tornado could easily pick them up and throw them - I simply wanted to get anything away from them that I could.
The students were so incredibly good. They asked lots of questions. One girl asked if it was a drill. The second graders stayed so calm the entire 45 minutes we were sitting there. I had them start the telephone game where a person on the end whispers something and sends it down the line. Then the person on the other end says what they heard and we compare if it's the same or not. This kept them busy for several minutes and eased their fears. When they asked if they were going to die or if there was a tornado, I simply would share that they were in one of the safest rooms in the school and that while they were scared, we were doing everything we needed to do to protect ourselves. They were completely satisfied with that answer and it was great to see them all so calm.
Madi finally got to come to me around 3:30pm. I didn't have her sent to my room because I knew it was safer for her to stay where she was rather than walking in hallways that are lined with windows and risking there being a tornado. She told me that one of her first thoughts was that she was so young and she had many years to live. She hadn't lived her full life yet and she wasn't ready to die. She said she was very scared. I told her that it's completely normal to have those thoughts and to be scared in a situation like that. And that I agreed with how she felt.
The rest of the afternoon was fairly low-key. She did her Fasttmath and then read for a while before dinner. We ate together. Then Jeremy put Riley down and I put Julia and Madi down. Madi and I read the book of "Philemon." She joked that we can hardly call it a book because it's only a page long :) We're not far from finishing the New Testament. Then she wants to start on books like Jonah, Esther, and things that are unlike Chronicles... He begat him begat him begat her begat him. Though genealogy is a wonderful thing too!
Tomorrow is Zumba and Art for Madi. Should be a great day!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Crank it up
Just getting myself psyched out about having a four day week. So excited to be home with the girls for four days this weekend.
Madi had a good day today. Finished her Fasttmath and spelling assignment as well as a short paper. She's really been doing fabulous. We did have a talk with her about friends and being the right kind of friend. There was an incident in class today - while not huge, but definitely a teaching moment. And since I was teaching the class, it made it easy to see a variety of perspectives including hers. Was quite funny because I talked to her briefly at school and we talked about who she thought was the kindest person in her class. Then we talked about looking to help others and thinking more about others instead of always about self. I let Jeremy know what had happened (she wanted to work alone on a paper where they have to use music symbols to discover the word for an answer and a friend asked if she could join her and Madi told her that she could only come by herself - the rest of the group the girl was working with couldn't come over). Turns out that Jer and I both gave her the same talk about being the right kind of friend and thinking of others... all without really talking about it. We went more in detail about it and Madi took it well. Gave her things to think about.
One thing was what Gaylan has often shared with Jeremy: Marriage is about being the right person more than it is finding the right person. He related it to friends and said finding friends is also about being the right friend. We've seen such a huge growth in her friendships. He told her that we're just trying to help her continue to grow so that she can continue to meet and make great friends.
All in all, it was a really great day. We talked about camps and summer. I enrolled the girls in their swim class so that their spots are reserved.
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