September 8, 2011

September seems to be a month of beginnings. School has started, Autumn seems to be knocking at the door and Religious school has begun for Izzy.

 School thoughts: it's ever so much easier to structure a day on paper than it is to apply that structure to the actual hours and minutes. I had planned to stretch activities out over the entire day but it seems to be easier to condense it into an hour or two in the mornings. Poetry/music time is a soothing way to start the day and them we transition straight into writing practice or math. Neither of these subjects takes long and before I know it, we can cover art and craftwork and be done long before lunch. I think I need to find some more math-related activities. Sorting/counting objects might extend the lesson a bit and give her a better idea what the math lessons are actually meant to apply to in the real world.

 Autumn thoughts: I wish our trees changed colors more noticeably. We spent a week in Colorado just prior to starting school and while the leaves weren't changing yet, there was definitely the promise of beautiful colors to go along with the crisp weather and soft breezes. I told Chad I would bring cooler weather back with us but I never imagined it would actually co-operate. But we went to bed in Amarillo on Saturday night and awoke to temps in the 60's and cool wind. Very nice. Also: you're welcome.

 Religious school: we've only had one class and the Sunday we were out of town, there was no class because of the holiday. She seemed to have a great time and every time I mention up-coming Sunday classes, she is shocked and happy that it will repeat every week. I suppose that's only to be expected... until recently, big events for her have been single-day affairs: birthdays, holidays out with family, dinners with friends.

 Oh! I forgot! We have "pre-ballet" classes weekly, too. We made up the skipped class yesterday and I have to say, I'm so glad I didn't sign up for the Wednesday slot on a regular basis... it was super hectic and Lily was being an anger ball. At least this time we got to watch on the tv in the lobby. The first day, the tv wasn't set up yet and they'd pulled the shade on the viewing window. The second class, we all got to watch for a while through the window but when some of the girls stopped paying attention or started crying, that ended. What I did see of Izzy was super encouraging. She pays very close (for a 4 year old) attention to the teacher and when it's her turn to practice a new bit, she immediately assumes a 'pose' and flutters around the room. I hope her joy in this continues because it could turn into a lifetime love of dance.

 Things I need to work on this week: better time management, scheduling a re-do for Izzy's mikveh bc she completely lost it when I had mine and did Lily's, cleaning off the kitchen counters, putting laundry away faster.

 I miss Megan. Our playdates are probably more for me than they are for Izzy... it's just so nice to have a local mommy friend that I can be open with and enjoy her opinions and insight.