1st Day of School 2010

This year I have vowed to be much more organized in our morning routine for school. I decided that this year we need to have a new mindset and lay everything out the night before...including setting the table for breakfast.

The boys hang their backpacks on their chair at the dining room table. Every night, they will pack their school snack in their bag, put their shoes under the chair, and lay their clothes out over the back of the chair. They set out their bowl, spoon, and boxes of cereal for breakfast so that all they need to get out in the morning is the milk. So far, so good.

Getting the boys to smile for their 'first-day-of-school' picture is like getting a wild bear to eat out of your hand. However, I must admit that I was the same way. I hated those pictures! Tanner (5th grade-Mrs. Barr) and JJ (4th grade-Mrs. Isenberg) have given up fighting and just grimace. I think they are silently praying I hurry up, get it over with, and get out of their face.

Hayden on the other hand was very excited. His first day of Kindergarten had finally arrived! What's wild is that his teacher - Miss Podnar - was JJ's student teacher last year! Hayden let Tanner help him pick out his clothes and lay them out the night before. He was very excited to get to use his new backpack. He was even more excited that he had lost his first tooth the night before!! I think he was most excited about the bus ride.

Justin was outside waiting when Hayden got home.

When I got home for lunch, I asked him what he had done that day. This is what he said:

I ate my snack. I played on the playground. We read a book.

And, um. I can't remember the other thing.

Justin added, "Did you write your name on a caterpillar picture?"

Oh, yeah. I wrote my name. That's all.

I think it was a good first day all around. We're two days in and the older boys are excited to have not had any homework yet. I'm sure that homework will kick in very soon, but I'm letting them enjoy these homework free days for all they're worth. Hayden still loves Kindergarten, although when I woke him up this morning, he asked why I was waking him up in the middle of the night. I think we're doomed when it turns to being pitch black out at 7am.