Back 2 School: First Day of School Snapshots

Well, the day is here. Back to school for my boys. I got up early to to grab a snap shot of Alex. He wasn't too happy, but finally obliged. Man, this is starting to feel like Groundhogs day...

Here are some pictures from Nic's morning... He was very excited and a little anxious (even though he claimed he wasn't).

 He was ready for me to put the camera away and "go already!" Marcos and I just laughed him off, and stayed. I wasn't going to miss this, his first morning!

For the fun of it - here are a few before and now pics of the boys:

Isabel doesn't start school until Wednesday, so I will be taking her pics then!

Back 2 School: School Lunches

Oh... School lunches. In the past, the older two kids basically fended for themselves. They are certainly old enough to make their own lunch. However, since Nic is now going to school and I need to make his lunch, I've decided to treat my older kids to a little extra pampering this year. They can help out in the prepping... Yep. Prepping. As in, crazy chaos in the kitchen on Sundays.

Alex isn't a lunch-taker all that often. It's not cool. I argue back that what's not cool is a lethargic 16 year old. I am providing Alex everything he needs to take his lunch, and so long as he eats it sometime during the day and doesn't sell it, we are good. Alex was a huge help in the first Sunday prep day! That boy can tear plastic wrap like it's no one's business. Alex does not have a lunch box, and probably wouldn't be caught dead with one (/sigh); however, he opted to brown-bag it. And then proceeded to draw a picture of someone and wrote the name "Fred" on it.

In the past, Isa would get up and make her own lunch. Again, this year, she will be in charge off helping out on Sundays and then actually taking the food from the fridge in the laundry room and packing her items for the day. Isa has a lunch box and will be using it again this year.

 

Nic is the main reason why I've decided to get so organized this year. I am slightly worried about the lunch time process. Will he be able to open his own cheese stick? Or push the straw into his juice box? What if he accidentally throws his new Avengers lunch box (that my mom bought him) in the trash?!

Am I worrying too much?!

Well, one way to solve for disposed of or lost lunch boxes is with name badges. I made this badge for Nic to hang on his lunch box. I zip-tied it, just to insure it was secure:

It clearly lists his name, his teachers, his bus info and my cell number. It also has a current picture of Nic - easy to identify. To be on the safe side, I made two (laminated) and added one to his backpack.

As far as lunch ideas go, my kids are pretty easy. I did go grocery shopping mid-week last week and picked up a few items we needed; several loaves of bread, fishies, fruit, etc. We spent this afternoon making 24 PB&J sammies. My mom brought over a decruster she picked up at the grocery store.

The kids can have a sandwich, fruit, chips/crackers, cheese stick and a dessert. For Nic I purchased a ton of juice boxes (thank gosh for coupons) and for the older kids, I pack a mini sports drink or Fruit Punch. They can also opt to take a water bottle.

Here are some of the meal ideas I came up with:

Main - PB&J, Ham and Cheese, Turkey & Cheese rolls, cold pasta with Parmesan cheese, veggie sticks with hummus or ranch

Fruit - Applesauce, pineapples or Mandarin oranges (also bough plastic spoons). Re-packaged the pineapple and Mandarin oranges into Ziploc containers.  

Chips/Crackers - Chips, Fishies, Cheeze-Its

Dessert- Frozen Hostess Cupcake or Oatmeal Pies (they unfreeze throughout the day!)


While we were at it, I decided to make breakfasts a little more simple. Yes, there are days they can have cold cereal, but for the days they'd like something more, they can grab a burrito from the freezer, throw in in the microwave for a minute or so, and have a delish start to their morning.
 
The burritos we made are Chorizzo, egg, potato and cheese. They are so simple to make, fold and package!

Our second fridge in the laundry room is where I am organizing all of the kids lunch components.

I found this cute lunch survey on Pinterest. June created this for her daughter to fill out... and I think I am going to start this tradition this school year. I plan to include a printed survey and a colorful marker once every few weeks. Not only is it a great way to find out of my lunch making skills are right on, but also, it's a great way to capture some memories for my older kids!

via

Well... that's another long post, but there was a lot going on today! Two of the kids start school tomorrow - so I am logging off to serve dinner and then put my kiddos to bed!!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!

Back 2 School: Yearbooks

A Thousand Words

It's true, you know?! A picture is truly worth a thousand or so words. I grabbed my camera tonight and found the following pictures:

Uh-oh. It appears he may take after me. You know, the self-portraits?!

Nic loves the camera... and quite honestly, I love finding his random pictures.

Not so random... My mother-in-law was over for a visit today. She had to fill out paperwork, so my husband helped her complete it online. She had several pieces of important documents, along with a picture of her and my father-in-law from when they were about 20 (after she just arrived in the United States).

I wish the picture of my FIL was in color... you all would LOVE his eyes; they were green! Sadly, I never got to see them in person. My FIL passed away when he was only 29; my husband was only 3. I am glad that my MIL had the pictures in her wallet today; I finally have these (pictures of those pictures) to share with my kids and to archive into our history.

I am so glad technology has evolved as much as it has; especially in the areas of  photography and archiving. Now my kids will have something to remember their Tata by. Their Nana is still alive and kicking... :) We get to see her often.

Back 2 School: Involved

Back 2 School: Organization & Study Habits

Call me crazy?! I am a little excited about this post. In fact, I've been planning and gathering for it for over a month. There is nothing I like more than Organization & Study Habits (well, except for the purchasing of school supplies!!)

With three kids in consistently different stages in their lives, we've been through so many homework phases. I can tell you that one thing I learned that I did wrong - and wish I had done differently - is that I did not train my older kids. Do you think 'train' is a little harsh? I don't. Let me tell you why.

I can tell my kids to do their homework. Which is what I did for many, many years. I can yell, kick, scream and threaten. But it's been PROVEN - that doesn't work. So what's my alternative? To train them. SHOW them what I expect each day. Show them how to prep for a test. Give them the tools to succeed.

I've learned, over the years, that studying and organizing does not come easy to my children. It came easy to me, so I assumed they got it. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Fail.

1. Provide a quiet place to study and complete homework assignments.
• Alex can work alone in his room or sit at the dining table to complete his assignments. However, I know Alex... and if I allow him to work in his room, more than likely, the TV will get turned on, and his homework plan tuned out. I intend on keeping Alex CLOSE. ;)
• No TV or Radio on.
• All iPods, Pads, and MP3 players are put AWAY.
• No cell phones. At all. 
• Computers are necessary, but I will walk by and check their web pages several times, if necessary. 
2. Create a schedule/plan. 
• Alex's school has a program called Jupiter Grades. The teachers use it to enter in assignments, tests, notes in advance. That means I always know what is assigned, if it's been completed and what the grade is. I created an alert so that I get a daily email and text message letting me know Alex's current grades, if he has any missing assignments, or if he's missed any classes. I love me some Jupiter Grades! 
• Because I am able to see all of this, I can help Alex create a plan. For example, if we know he has a Geometry test on Friday, we will add studying to his calendar for Wednesday and Thursday.
3. Set expectations.
• The first step in creating expectations is to talk to your significant other. Of course, I will have this particular conversation with MY significant other (not yours).  The husband and I need to be on the same page, so that we can share our expectations with Alex and then hold him accountable.
• We will work with Alex to create the expectations... he's almost 17, I am sure he's got an opinion. In the end, we will work together to come up with what we expect him to do, what he expects (would like) from us, and any consequences (good or bad). 
• Type up this information and keep it handy! You will be referring back to it often!
4. Provide supplies and tools (keep extras on hand).
• Remember this post: School Supplies? 
5. Be available to answer questions, encourage, and keep them on task.
• The biggest complaint from years passed is that I was not available to answer questions. What?! I am ALWAYS home, of course I am available! Yep, not the case. Yes, I am always home... but what was I doing?! More often than night, when it came time for the kids to do their homework, I was in my office working, blogging or crafting.  To my offspring, that meant I wasn't available. And their perception is 100% reality (to them). 
• In order to be available for the kids, I must keep my day fairly organized. More on that later!
• Bottom line, be REALLY available! Be their cheerleader! Be there.
6. Have additional resources available.
• I have two degrees, post high school; a Bachelors of Science in Business/Management and a Masters in Business Administration, but that does not make me qualified to answer every single question that comes my way from a high schooler. For example, I've never taken Geometry. Thankfully, I have an uncle who teaches College Math and who giggles at and adores all things mathematical.  If the kid is stumped and I am stumped, we call in the Uncle.
• We also use YouTube. It can actually be a GREAT resource - with videos on almost EVERY subject. 
• Another resource? The teacher! Alex's teachers have always been open to tutoring before or after school. They are also available via email to help answer questions.
• Check what your school has available.
• See if your children's school book has an online resource.
• We teach the kids about plagiarizing and where not to get info from (hello, Wiki!).

1. Provide a quiet place to study and complete homework assignments.
• Isabel has her phases, and more often than not, I can trust her to get her work done with zero issues. But this isn't ALWAYS the case. Because 8th grade is a big deal - and we are so close to High School, by having her create a work space, we are setting a precedence. 
• No TV or Radio on.
• All iPods, Pads, and MP3 players are put AWAY.
• No cell phones. At all.
• Computers are necessary, but I will walk by and check their web pages several times, if necessary. 
2. Create a schedule/plan. 
• Isa's school also has a program where teachers are able to enter in assignments, tests, notes in advance. That means I always know what is assigned, if it's been completed and what the grade is. I created an alert so that I get a daily email and text message letting me know Isabel's academic status.
• Because I am able to see all of this, I can help Isabel create a plan. She is my kid who LOVES calendars and lists! So, we can create a pretty, yet functional, plan that I know she will follow.
3. Set expectations.
• The first step in creating expectations is to talk to your significant other. The husband and I need to be on the same page, so that we can share our expectations with Isabel and then hold her accountable.
• We will work with Isa to create the expectations, allow her to provide input. In the end, we will work together to come up with what we expect her to do, what she expects (would like) from us, and any consequences (good or bad). 
• Type up this information and keep it handy! You will be referring back to it often!
4. Provide supplies and tools (keep extras on hand).
• Remember this post: School Supplies? 
5. Be available to answer questions, encourage, and keep them on task.
• Same as what I listed for Alex...the biggest complaint from years passed is that I was not available to answer questions. 
• In order to be available for the kids, I must keep my day fairly organized. Again, more on that later!
• Bottom line, be REALLY available! Be their cheerleader! Be there.
  
6. Have additional resources available.
• Isabel is a bit more disciplined than Alex, I know that she will reach out on her own for assistance. For her age group, I think the following resources are acceptable:
• Library
• Google
• YouTube
• Teachers
• School
• See if your children's school book has an online resource.
  
• We teach the kids about plagiarizing and where not to get info from (hello, Wiki!).

1. Provide a quiet place to study and complete homework assignments.
• This is ALL new for Nic. We are setting the precedence EARLY.He will never know how Alex and Isabel performed before, I will make sure of it (don't you love your second chance children?!)
• No TV or Radio on.
2. Create a schedule/plan. 
• We will set a timer so that we can show Nic how long we expect him to work on his homework. If he goes over, then he needs to work with more focus. If he works under, then he needs to take his time or work on other skills. 
• Based on Nic's level, he should have no more than 30 minutes of homework each night.
3. Set expectations.
• The husband and I will create easy-to-understand expectations for Nic.
• We will focus on the skill level of a Kindergartner, but also work to encourage a love of learning.
• Type up this information and keep it handy! You will be referring back to it often!
4. Provide supplies and tools (keep extras on hand).
• Remember this post: School Supplies? 
5. Be available to answer questions, encourage, and keep them on task.
• Again, at this level, I will need to sit side-by-side with Nic. There's no way I can expect him to know what he's supposed to do, while staying on task.
6. Have additional resources available.
• I HOPE I can manage Kindergarten level work, but for some reason I don't understand something, we will reach out to the teacher. I recommend a communication notebook; a place where I can write a note, send it in with Nic, and the teacher can respond back. This will serve as a year-long log of our commitment to Nic's success. 

All three kids are home before 4, with Nic being the last. That means I can spend about an hour with Alex and Isabel - Nic FREE! I will spend that time going over their calendar, their expectations and helping to answer questions. Once Nic gets home, I will have to balance all three kids (Monday - Wednesday), but will have my partner in crime available on Thursday's and Friday's to assist with homework time.

I know this has been a long post... but stick around for a few more moments, because I want to share something I found on Pinterest. Here is the original pin.

After I read through Math-N-Spire's blog post, I knew this was something I HAD to do with my kids this year! It's sad to say, but I don't believe Alex was at all ready for his final exams the last two years, despite my poking and prodding. Hopefully using this method, we will be ready and roaring to go!

Because I plan for the kids to use one notebook for each class, I purchased these Composition Notebooks when they were on sale. I think I bought about 50. Crazy, I know. But I wanted to be sure I had them on for replacements or subsequent notes.

I set up each of the notebooks very similar to the inspiration piece, although I wasn't able to add the page numbers in, etc. I figured that I could work with the kids each day to read through their notes and then add the section and page number to the table of contents. I feel like the table of contents is going to be one of the most important parts of the book.

And because school and organization and studying should be fun, I've created some cute labels that I plan on sticking on the front of each notebook. And because I like you... I have them as a free download! You can either modge-podge them on, or... print them on shipping labels!

You can download them below:

So not Photogenic...

There are things in this world that you KNOW - with every fiber of your being.
Me not being photogenic is one of those things.
I know it. No one has to point it out.

BUT! Photos are needed, thus a photo shoot had to happen.

I will give you the deets later... but for now, a VERY sneak peek:

My friend and photographer sent me over a sample; I am going to get the rest on CD. I can't wait to introduce you to my friend and show you some of her work!! =)

Laters, babes.