Kid Calendars

Today is September 11th.  We'll never think of it as just another day after the events 11 years ago.  I still remember what it felt like when we realized what was happening...how fast parents started showing up at school to pick up their children and hunker down...what I was wearing (long black Eddie Bauer skirt & colonial blue ribbed sweater set, black hose & Aigner loafers)...my first thought, "where is Ronny?"...and I remember after.  Shelter in place trainings.  Preparing our home for shelter in place, as best as you can prepare a Heights bungalow for such a thing.  Praying.  And praying.  And praying some more.  It goes without saying that today and every day my heart goes out to the thousands of people who lost loved ones that day and after.  I'm more grateful than ever for first responders, and for our military.

But, today is September 11th.  Despite the horror associated with this day, I also associate this day with great joy, because 14 years ago one of my very favorite people was born.  I remember on the 1st anniversary of 9/11 we dressed up in red, white and blue for school (I wore red overalls, a blue & white gingham Polo oxford, navy slides--ugh, don't remind me--and red white and blue toenail polish).  After work we went over to Lynn & Hannah's apartment and ate Hannah's favorite dinner:  Papa John's pizza.  The two meanings of 9/11 are forever tied together in my mind, right or wrong.  But I'm grateful that God gave us Hannah...and I'm grateful that she gives us so much to celebrate each year.

We like special days in our house.  Have you noticed? ;)  Of course, every day matters, and what happens each day is important to my kiddos.  There are THREE calendars in their room, as a matter of fact...Kayci has 1 and Noble has two--one with Spiderman's picture, and one he made in school last year that has a picture of him each month.  He's not allowed to write in that one!

When Kayci was in Kindergarten and Noble started daycare several years ago, we hung two boards on the back of the laundry room door to keep track of menus, homework, etc.  For four years, we've drawn and redrawn the weekly calendar as it gets erased/wiped off.  And we've gone through periods where the boards stayed static and unused.  But now both kids are really interested in their own schedules, so this summer they started using the boards regularly.

(I should note:  my background as a special ed. teacher makes me a huge believer in visual schedules, which explains the responsibilities chart & these calendars.  Carry on.)

When school started this year, I promised the kids I'd spend some time and make their calendar boards work a little better.  I started with electrical tape...I was going to cut calendar grids out of black vinyl, but who are we kidding--vinyl's expensive.  I've got tons of electrical tape laying around for FREE!

Oh!  Before I did that, we swapped boards so Noble's was on bottom (previously Kayci's was on bottom so she could read it at her eye level and Noble's was on top so he couldn't reach his work/magnets).  Then I eyeballed it and slapped the tape on there to make the calendar grid.  Then I used my Silhouette software to design day magnets and magnets for things that are recurring in each kid's schedule...piano, AWANA, chapel, etc.--things that they either need to prepare for or things that affect their clothes choices for that particular day.

And that worked okay...but last week I noticed there were some things we were writing over and over and I was reminded of drawing that grid week after week, so we started a list of other things they might need magnets for.  (Horrible grammar, but you get the idea!)  And it was also confusing that I'd set it up with Sunday as the first day of the week so the weekends were split, half last week and half this week...so we moved the days this week so the weekdays are together and the weekend days are together at the END of the week.  Makes much more sense to Noble!

My phone pictures are blurry today...sorry!  Maybe someday I'll take time to take real pictures.  Oh, and see our silly recycle bags, too?  At least they're empty...I took recycling this morning because our bags were overflowing.  :)

Here's the door...

and Kayci's board...


...and Noble's board...see the notes at the far right?  I've got his schedule change notes made for the whole year.  Yeah.


Here's a closer look at Kayci's...


...and a closer look at Noble's.  I had to take some names off their boards for privacy, but I realized now that I'm online that the pictures are blurry anyway.  I could have saved myself some work!


Know what this cost?  Nothin'...I already had cardstock, ink, magnet tape, laminating sheets and electrical tape on hand.  But my kids think they got new stuff, so woo hoo!

Responsibilities--Part II

This is the scene in the kids' room this morning...

...beds made and each, I think, reflecting its owner's personality.  Noble was so proud of the way he displayed his "friends" at the foot of his bed.  Silly boy.  Kayci makes her bed just a little differently each day--looks like today was a straight pillow, Aero front and center day.


Everyone got to school on time, everyone was clean and brushed and fed and loved and prepared.
We owe it all to having great kids (not every morning is picture perfect, and that's okay), and also to their responsibilities charts.  This is something the kids and I developed this summer, and once school started it became clear that we needed to revamp it a little.  First, we added a second pocket chart so they each have their own chart.  We needed the extra space to add "after school/evening" responsibilities to the mix.  See, our mornings have been going pretty well, but after dinner we've been back to, "put on your pajamas, brush your teeth, get out your clothes for tomorrow..." every day.  Bleh.  I don't like to nag the kids (shocking, I know) and I also don't like the fact that they weren't taking responsibility for doing what they needed to do (and, as I have yelled more than once, doing what they know they're supposed to do every. single. day.  Grr.).  After I printed out the second batch of responsibilities, I laminated all of them--some of the older ones are a little water spotty from them turning them over a little too soon after brushing teeth, washing hands, bathing...we won't think of the other reasons.


So, here we are.  Oh, in the picture above the bottom row is their "extras."  We had been storing those turned over, but I'm too lazy...it takes too long to find "trash" on Tuesdays and Fridays, "frogs" on Thursdays and Fridays...you get the idea.  We'll try it this way this week and see what happens.

Maybe tomorrow I'll show you their revamped calendars!

Happy Grandparents Day!

Happy grandparents day to Grandma, Nana, Dan, Jhido, Nahia, GoGo, Angus, Great Grandma Hagler, Aunt Peggy, Aunt Susan, Patty...and every other grandparent we know!


We are especially blessed this year to have a grandparent living in the SAME town...for the first time in over 6 years! Our cookie jar runneth over. :)

Taking the leap...

I love how Noble just jumps right in/throws himself right off the edge into the water.  3 foot, 10 foot...he just leaps in.
Me?  I'm not so brave.  Or maybe I'm indecisive.  Or afraid to commit.  Whatever the case, I did it today.
I took the leap.
I ordered my very own heat press and several colors of vinyl to get started.
As soon as it ships, I'll start taking orders for t-shirts.
No more excuses, no more waiting:  I'm jumping in.
Please pray that I'll stick to God's plan for me and my family, and that whatever I do I'll do for His glory and not my own.  

Off to work I go...

Last night I got home from a meeting at church to find both kids with red eyes and noses.  Apparently, bed time brought lots of tears last night.  Poor Kayci ended up crying herself to sleep.  Poor Daddy probably would have liked to do the same!  It's like this every year the night before my first commute day--you'd think by now it would be easier.  I think having a "real" summer with the knuckleheads this year is making the transition even harder, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
I'm grateful that it worked out that I didn't have a Wednesday work day this week (Mom's move went GREAT yesterday!), and today should be a great day at work.  I know once they get to school, the kids will have great days, too.  
But maybe take a minute to pray for them and DaddyBoy this morning...hoping they won't need it, but just in case.  
Next week will be easier, and before long, they won't even know I'm gone on work mornings.  

Back to School Fun

The past few days (weeks!!) have been a whirlwind, but I'm grateful to note that we've been having a blast. Our kids were SO ready for school, and that made for a fairly graceful transition. Of course, I didn't count on having an ear infection (day 9...seriously?), but it hasn't slowed us down *too much*--well, I did go to Kayci's Meet the Teacher totally high after a potent pain shot, but that's another story. Hope nobody noticed...

 Back to school this year meant entire new wardrobes for both kids, thanks to summer growth spurts. As some of Noble's summer clothes have been around for 4 of his 5 summers (that's right), we can't complain. Kayci was thrilled that Grandma offered to help pay for the Nikes of her choice (frankly, so was our budget!).  I cannot tell a lie...I just don't dig the black shoes.  But Kayci feels like a dancer in them (she must, she's forever twirling and leaping in them), so that's all that matters.


We ordered these bad boys back in July, thinking we could splurge since Bubby wouldn't need a whole bunch of new clothes. Ha!


Part of getting ready around here is getting their binders ready. I let Noble design his own this year, even though I was totally going to rock the Ocean Treasures theme. Sigh.  The binders have really been life-changing, seriously--wish I had thought of this before I started with the ginormous box of Kayci art that I've been meaning to scrapbook/organize for YEARS now.  So, if you learn one thing from my blog:  go get a 3" binder.  Right now.  Every single day, put your kids' stuff from school in the binder.  Clean it out a few times a year.  Go on, now...


Kayci got right to work, and literally worked for hours. I love that kid!  Her finished binder is duct tape-tastic...my kids are still addicted, after a year.  Who knew duct tape would turn out to be such a fun craft material?  My dad would be so happy!


We totally sucked at our goal of starting to go to bed and wake up at school times as of August 15th.  We were back from Kansas by then, but we went to Houston and Mom retired and...well, we just had other things to do.  Like stay up late.  So, we knew this weekend needed to be really laidback so we could really, really be ready for school on Monday.

Sunday after church we had a treehouse picnic, then a quick nap before...


...one last summer swim. Luckily, though, we get to swim through the end of September. Swam after school yesterday, as a matter of fact!


We had friends over for dinner (James made some YUMMY rosemary chicken and roasted vegetables--simple, awesome, and we fed 10 people for less than $10).  That's pretty cool!  Too bad we didn't take any pictures of that.

The kids had a hard time going to sleep, understandably, but they finally did.  I got up at 5:00 on Monday to get the week started right.  I'd promised Kayci I'd bake back to school cupcakes for the first day, so I got right to work.  We didn't do any decorating or anything--that's been done since August 1st.  Look in the picture below, though--Noble finished breakfast first so he grabbed my phone and went around taking pictures of "school stuff."  :)


Here's Kayci with her chalkboard cupcake...I bet the tictac chalk was nasty, personally, but the kid loved the idea in Family Fun and just had to have them.  If you want one, think we still have like 10 of the 16 we made.  Come on!  Oh, and I had the bright idea to tape 2 containers together to make a cupcake holder...didn't take into account how much her lunchbox would get tossed around before lunch.  Bitty told me her cupcake looked nothing like this by the time she ate it, but it was good, anyway.  (And yes, the tictac grossed her out.  Ha!)


First day lunch...Kayci requested make your own pizza, a cupcake and assorted fruits and veggies.  I've gone back to buying bread at the store, but that's about the only processed food we'll put in the lunchbox.  (Besides, you know, the box cupcake with candy and a cookie on it.)  It takes a little more time to prep real food, but I feel so much better about what she's eating when her lunch is healthy.  Oh, and it turns out there are 4 girls who have Kayci's lunchbox this year.  Luckily, only two of them have Ks on them, she says.


Even though we were up early and everyone hustled, we were still rushing to get the picture taken and get to school on time.  I have to say, looking at the lineup of first day pictures, Daddy's photography has improved tremendously over the years.  This year's pictures were definitely the best!  I can't believe we've had that rope on the door for so long...but can't get motivated to change it.  Maybe I'll break down and order a fun monogram, finally!


Noble wanted Icees for an after-school snack on the first day, so we picked Kayci up and headed to WalMart.  I was more than happy to go, so we could pick up their pictures.


I know this isn't a great picture of the buffet (which is my next decorating project, ideas welcome!), but you get the idea--it's fun to look at Kayci's first day of school here, when she went off to the 3 year old class.  Then the next year we thought she was so big to go to the 4 year old class every single morning...and then Kindergarten...I'll never forget that morning, our big girl crying...or the next morning, when she woke us up at 4 AM wondering when she could go to Krause...oh, that kid.


Other than the very first morning of kindergarten, I don't know that she's ever cried or even been really anxious about school.

We've had more years when we only bought a few things for back to school than years where we've had to re-outfit everyone.  It's not about the clothes, and the shoes--even though those things are fun, and a blessing when you can get them.

Each first day of school is a reminder of who's not here to celebrate with us, and what our family looked like when Kayci started kindergarten.

Each first day of school is a reminder of my own anxiety on that first day at Krause, and truly, truly trusting the Lord that my baby would walk out of those school doors at 3:15 and be okay.

Each first day of school is a reminder that the first days are numbered...in a blink of an eye, it'll be the first year of college, then their babies' first days...life is short.

Each first day of school is a reminder that many kids don't look forward to school...many families we know have their own issues with school, learning, placements--you guys are in our prayers.

This first day of school, looking at all the first day pictures on the porch of the little green house...it's bittersweet, knowing that there won't be many more here.  Our family has outgrown this little home, even though it's still a perfect fit for our budget.  But that's another day.

It's not about the pictures, or the porch, or the decorating, or the cupcakes, or the lunches.

The real blessing here is that we have two healthy children (who also happen to be beautiful, but that's just gravy, right?) who love school, and who have been blessed with great schools, great programs, great teachers, great friends, and a great community.  All that other stuff that makes fun pictures and fun memories, that's extra...and I'm so, so grateful for all of the extra that we have.

As we celebrate a new year, I'm counting my blessings.  There are too many to name.

One of them I'll share, so you know what's going on:  today, my Mom is moving to Brenham.  Please pray for a smooth transition for her.  I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see how God moves in her new life.  My prayer is that it's everything she hoped, and so much more.

No place like...

...home. We had a great trip, and loved every minute of it, but there's just something about showering in our own shower and sleeping in our own bed. Sweet dreams!