It’s three weeks into this school year, and I’m settling into this new role as an elementary school parent. I have to say, being on this side of the classroom door has been a tremendous eye-opener. This time of year typically elicits nostalgic feelings for my days in the classroom, but now that I’m in the school environment on a daily basis, I am constantly reflecting on my time as a teacher.
image credit: MS Office Clip Art
Annie started kindergarten last week. We have been eagerly awaiting this magical milestone, and placing a lot of focus on the “big day!” And while I’m all for establishing positive expectations, I walk a fine line between building confidence and creating too much pressure when it comes to preparing Annie for something new. I know many kids do well when there is excitement and build-up leading up to an important event. My oldest child is not one of them. And in the spirit of all the important learning that lies ahead this school year, I have already learned something valuable –my child’s stress threshold is uniquely her own. Continue reading
While we’re only a few days into 2012, I already have a couple of weeks worth of resolution under my belt. This year, my New Year’s Resolution is to not yell at my kids.
I realized that something had to give when I barely made it through day #1 of Winter Vacation. What started out as a great plan quickly turned into a morning full of screaming: Continue reading
I’ve come to realize that I don’t do well with infinite choices. I can’t stand restaurants with huge, long menus. 
Picking paint colors for the house has always given me anxiety. And I would never be able to handle satellite TV – way too many channels!! I don’t think I’m bad at making decisions; I just like things to be narrowed down for me.
Knowing this about myself, I realize that I may be in some trouble here with my oldest daughter heading to kindergarten next year. All of a sudden I’m responsible for choosing a school from a very large inventory – a situation I was not entirely prepared for. Continue reading
Why is it that “playdate” is not considered a compound word? My spelling skills happen to be atrocious (thank you spell-check for the assist with atrocious), so I typically don’t have a leg to stand on in these matters. But for some reason I feel strongly that playdate should be one word. This grammar/spelling conundrum is somewhat irrelevant, but I would like to share a tale about a playdate, and therefore am prefacing it by stating that I will henceforth intentionally ignore the annoying red squiggly lines. Continue reading
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the fall weather, I love the food, I love the non-denominational aspect of the holiday, and I love the classroom writing assignments on gratitude that it elicits. The following is from my daughter’s Pre-K classroom:
Molly played hooky on Tuesday. We went with our cousins to the Children’s Museum, so I’m not talking about a devious day off of preschool or anything. Now I know I’ve proclaimed my love for several different places, spaces, and people on this blog in the past, so I hope that doesn’t take away from the following declaration because I really mean it – I LOVE the Children’s Museum of Phoenix (and I’m not getting paid to say nice things about them on the internet, although I would not turn down a free pass if anyone out there is wondering….).
Simply put, it is one of the most well thought-out, clever places I have ever taken my kids. Continue reading
Gracie is on day two of having slices of salami for breakfast. On one hand I can justify this breakfast request because it sort of feels like it belongs in the bacon/sausage family. On the other hand it makes my stomach turn because of the way this child eats salami. I’ll spare you the details, but trust me, it’s DISGUSTING! Continue reading
Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture
by Peggy Orenstein
Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow into Troublesome Gaps
by Lise Eliot, Ph.D.
