SCHOOL UPDATE

We've gone through two weeks (4 days each) of school, so the brothers were pretty excited to head out this morning as it will be their first time to do Monday "activities". Kevin will have music today and Patrick will get to go to the library... so they were quite happy!

We're still working out the kinks of bedtime and getting sleep. Patrick won't put the book down and go to bed, so he's dragging in the mornings, and Kevin is just burning up so much energy in the afternoons being contrary >wink< that he told me last week he fell asleep during math. OH joy!

So here's how it's going...

Patrick seems to be THRIVING without Kevin around getting all up in his business. He really seems to like his teacher, and two of the boys from his Cub Scout Den are in his class. He doesn't really talk too much about kids IN his class, but he just seems sooo much happier when he comes off the bus this year! His teacher put a note on his assignment envelope that he has been doing really well those first two weeks, and it looks as if a lot of the papers he's bringing home are completed (which is an issue for him -- he piddles around and doesn't get done in class). Sounds like both of them still gravitate to the kids from last year's class during playground time, so they still haven't gotten to the point of making many "class friends" this year. One of the neighbors described Patrick's teacher to me as "warm & fuzzy, yet structured". It's EXACTLY what he needs (& deserves)!!

Kevin is struggling a bit this year. I think it's really difficult for him to not have Patrick there as his "buffer" -- and the same neighbor described his teacher as "very structured". This translates into Kevin not getting his way... and quite frankly, until the child has figured out how to manipulate &/or loophole this woman, it's going to be a rough & bumpy ride! She has been challenging him on racing through stuff just to get it done -- a paper came home that she had written "I expect better work out of you than this" on it -- so unfortunately he comes home ready to unload on me. NOT a good situation. In addition, at karate, Sensei has been challenging him to stop "going through the motions" of his katas and keeps telling him repeatedly that he isn't sure he's going to let him test (more on that later), so the poor kid is just getting battered from all angles. The bad thing is that when Kevin is challenged, instead of RISING to it, he just shuts down & quits. He's been quite funny, though -- his teacher does "stop light discipline", where they are given green (good), yellow (warning) and red (uh oh - you're in trouble!) cards. (If they get yellow they miss 5 minutes of recess... red is 10 minutes of recess, and if they lose their red card, a note comes home for the parents to beat the holy living crap outta the kid....) Well, the first DAY he got in trouble for chatting up another kid in the class, but weasled out of it so that the other boy got his desk moved, and he came home & told me how his teacher had forgotten all about those cards. (LOL!) Then last week he said she had remembered & was using the cards, but he only got to yellow. ROFLOL!!

Ryan is getting more used to them hopping on the bus in the morning, and he even waved at it today. He is always excited when I get him up in the morning to go see his brothers, so I know he's sad without them here... Face it - Mom just isn't as much fun! Kevin normally seems pretty happy to see him upon his return home, and they all run around a bit, so that's nice to see.

So that's the school update. We're already in the throes of fundraising (UGH!!!) with selling Entertainment Books. Apparently they've been forewarned that today they will start bringing home homework (just can't wait) so this will throw another rock into the pond of life. We've been doing really great about them not even QUESTIONING not being able to have the TV on in the morning (it's too distracting & I can't get Patrick to focus on getting ready & out the door so I BANNED it!)... but now we're going to have to stop playdates AND any afternoon "down time" in front of the TV / books due to our other commitments. And of course, today is yucky day -- karate, rush home for dinner, rush back out the door to soccer practice which runs about 30 minutes PAST bedtime.... and tomorrow starts the Tuesday night soccer games. I don't deserve this much fun!!