Turn that Frown Upside Down

In Kindergarten, my son and his classmates were encouraged to write all the time. They had prompts everyday and free writing on Fridays. I attribute these practices to his current love for writing...and maybe because he has a few of  my genes :)

One day he was given a prompt about how he was feeling. He was really happy (excited is more like it) and drew a huge smiley face upside down. When he realized his mistake he drew arrows to correct it. It made me smile and realize that we can always turn that frown upside down.

Today I feel happy because I am going to Spanish class on Friday.

Last Day of Kindergarten

Last Day of Kindergarten!

On Tuesday, my sweet Boogie finished his first year in elementary school. I cannot believe how quickly the year flew by (I always seem to say that, don't I?) and that he will be in first grade next year. In reflecting over the year, I remembered how much he hated to write and how I had to bribe him with m & m's to write his name neatly before school even started. I also remember that he LOVED books and having someone read to him, but how he didn't want to read on his own.  I also remember how his drawings seemed like a bunch of excited swirls of color without a whole lot of definition.

 Now, at the end of the year, he writes his full name like it's no big deal. He also writes and illustrates his own "books." All nonfiction. He loves, loves, loves to write down animal facts and include an illustration. His drawings are decipherable and detailed. I bought him a magazine holder so that he can store all of the books he's written and keep them in one place.  Now, he not only loves having someone read to him or listening to audiobooks, but now he reads to his siblings. He also becomes so distracted when he's reading a book he does not hear or has forgotten the directions I gave him.

Boogie and Mr. S.

We were so lucky to have had his teacher this year. Mr. S. was just awesome with our kiddo. He was firm, patient, and fun. He filled Boogie's mind with amazing facts and read no less than 5 stories a day to his class.  He taught Boogie to be kind and said at our first conference that Boogs is a sensitive empathetic soul...I just we could transfer some of those feelings towards his sister. The only person with whom he has difficulty. According to Boogs, "Little sisters are annoying!"

Mr. S. taught Boogie that he was smart. Not by outright saying it, but by encouraging his creativity and love for learning. Boogie is a very confident soon-to-be first grader. He is willing to learn and willing to take constructive criticism.  Mr. S.'s favorite phrase is "Practice makes better." Yes, hard work will be your foundation as you travel on the road to success.

Mr. S. also taught Boogie that he was important. Boogie felt like he was the most important kid in his class. He felt that Mr. S. listened to him and cared for him. The thing is...Mr. S. made every student in his class feel that way.  A true mark of a good teacher. Everyone is important and everyone has something to contribute.

Yes...if you've been following along, I thought Mr. S. taught Boogie the same traits that Aibileen Clark from The Help taught her young charge, Mae Mobley.  I think they are very important traits and help form a firm foundation in the kind of person I want my young son to be. If you haven't yet read The Help, you really need to pick up a copy!

On our way to pick up Boogie from school

The last day of school was a rainy, dreary day that did not dampen Boogie's spirits.  Hubby took the day off of work to celebrate with Boogs. We made our special breakfast that we eat to commemorate all important events.  We all walked Boogie to school and we all picked him up after school. I have to admit, I had tears in my eyes as I picked up my Boogie monster and we said goodbye to his teacher. Later, Boogie told me that he was crying a little bit before I picked him up from school. He said he was really going to miss Mr. S.

After our walk home, I got the big kids ready for a special swim lesson in the rain. A little too chilly to have fun, but also an exciting one! Boogie learned how to coordinate all of his limbs when swimming and actually swam across the short end of the pool instead of exerting tons of energy moving all of his limbs in a haphazard fashion and not going anywhere. Boogie actually swam!  Happy dance!

After practice and after the little kids napped we had our celebratory dinner at our favorite family restaurant and then on to dessert at our favorite ice cream  hut.  It was so nice to celebrate together and to enjoy one another's company.

On the way home from a successful year in Kindergarten

I am so proud of my Boogie Man. He did amazingly well in school and never had his card turned in kindergarten.  He always stayed on green (they do a green, yellow, red card behavior system in his class), after 6 weeks of green gained "purple" status and stayed there all year long! Color me proud.

I am so grateful for this year's firm foundation in academics. We will continue over the summer studying word wall words and reading lots and lots of books. We just returned from a very successful trip to the library where we checked out a ton of books.  I look forward to a fun and busy summer before I have a 1st grader and a pre-schooler! Yikes! Happy Summer!

A Teacher Who "Gets" Him

Professor Boogie trying on his teacher's glasses

Now that I'm on the other side of the table, I want to make sure that my children get a teacher who "gets" them. Understands them, nurtures them, challenges them, educates them, and just "gets" them. I hope I was a teacher who "got" her students. There are times I look back and felt that I could have connected better, taught better, been more empathetic, should have challenged more, been more nurturing...

We have been really, really blessed with the teachers Boogie has had. His preschool teachers taught him that God is #1 and he's held that close to his heart for the last two years. Hopefully longer.  They have strengthened the strong foundation in Christ that my husband and I have laid down for him.

This year we could not have been happier with his kindergarten teacher. He is a teacher who "gets" his students. He understands them, challenges them, nurtures them. He's given Boogs a great foundation in academics.  I spoke to him the other day about next year. With Boogs being on the wait list for the language immersion programs he'll be going back to his current school.  I asked Mr. S. about next year's placement.  He said he already knows who he wants for Boogs. And as I looked at him and was about to voice my own anxiety he said, "Don't worry, she'll 'get' him." Me: "She'll get him?"  Mr. S. "Yes, she'll get him. She has a Boogie, too." And with that little exchange, I felt that Boogs is going where he's supposed to be next year.  I feel good about the transition and feel confident that next year will be a good year.  At any rate, I'm not worried and that's a good thing :)

Maybe I should have asked if the teacher will "get" me, too ;)

Helicopter Mama?

A while back, Boogs mentioned that one of the kids in his class told him he didn't want to be friends with him.  I said, "It's okay, Kiddo, you don't have to be friends with everyone."  I get that, not everyone wants to be friends and it's okay.  But I noticed this particular kid at the Halloween party and ever since then, my radar has been up.

At the Halloween party I noticed that when the teacher asked Boogs to line up for the costume parade and had asked him to choose two classmates to join him in line, Boogie chose this particular child.  I saw the child get home, roll his eyes and say, "I knew he was going to choose me. He likes me." And then the kid sighed. Fine, whatever. I let it go, but my radar went up.

Boogie has mentioned this kid several times. And he's said, more than once, that he wanted to be friends with him, but N. didn't want to be friends with him.  But that one time N. let Boogs play with him. Boogie was supposed to pretend he was a baby bird and N. would be the daddy bird. Boogs was supposed to chirp to be "fed" and the daddy bird would fly back and feed him. Well Boogie chirped all through recess and N. only came by at the end to feed him.  Yeah, that's right. My kid sat in one place playing a game while the other kid ran around with other friends during recess and then came at the end. Don't tell me that the other kid didn't know what he was doing, because he so totally did. He's a smart kid.  Strike 2!

But last week my heart broke when Boogie said that he couldn't play with his usual friends because they were playing with N. and N. didn't want to play with Boogs. Then Boogs let it slip that he plays by himself often at recess because all the other kids are playing with N. And what really broke my heart was  when Boogie told me with tears in his eyes, "N. says I'm a little crazy and he's right. I just have so much energy at recess I have to run around.  I've tried everything, but he still doesn't want to be my friend." Okay, kid. Strike 3.  When my son is crying and telling me he's tried everything, we're done. I'm not putting my kid through the "mean girls" routine in kindergarten. It's just not right.

Initially, I did ask Boogs to tell me the characteristics of good friends and then we talked about the kids in his class who had those traits. He was able to name quite a few, but when I asked why he didn't play with them, he said, "Well, they play with N. and he doesn't want to play with me so I can't play with them." Boogie is really good about boundaries and he was having a really difficult time trying to stick with the boundaries that his classmate had set.

So I did it. I spoke to the teacher and set up a conference.  I became that mom. Instead of letting the kids work it out I went to the teacher. Honestly, I felt a little stupid for doing so. I was an elementary teacher. I know that the teacher can't control how the kids think and what they do, especially on the playground. It's impossible. But I did it anyway. When my kid is crying  or telling me that another kid finally "let" him play with him and the other kids then what we've got is a bullying situation going on. Kindergarten is too young to start this bullsh*t.  I won't have it. So I became a bit of a helicopter mama. I swooped in and had a conference with the teacher. I did not tell Boogs what the conference was about. He did not sit in on it. But I wanted strategies for Boogs.

In speaking with the teacher he assured me that it was okay to bring up the issue, because if he doesn't know about it, he can't help to fix it. The guidance counselor will come in and talk about friendship. Mr. S. will role play with the kids. He gave me a few phrases for Boogs to use to stand up for himself.

In speaking with the teacher, I realized that I was afraid the underlying issue was that Boogie was starting to find his self worth in other people. Having been a person who has done that, I do not want my son going through that. At all. Not even a little bit.  Now that I know this, I will work harder to show Boogs that he determines his own self worth. Not other people.

My Boogie Man is a kind hearted soul. He loves his friends and his family. He reminds me to put God first. He is passionate about helping animals, reading, and learning new things. He is just the coolest little guy.

Romans 12:2 

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

This is Leadership?

About a month or so ago, my kindergarten son came home with a brand new homework folder indicating that he was in a new small group in his classroom. Not only was he in a new group, but he was made "captain" of his group.  He was so excited and I saw in his bright smile and shining eyes a younger me.  One who was (and still is) eager to please and excited to be given this great honor of "leading" a group.

He chattered all the way home about it and asked me if I was proud of him.  It seems like mother, like son, my son's love language is affirmation.  He was so proud and he wanted me to join in his happiness and honor.

A few days later I asked him how it was going:

B: "Well, Mommy...I have to do a lot of work."
DM: "Oh, yeah, Baby? What do you have to do?"
B: "Well I have to hand out all the papers to the group. I have to clean up after the group. I have to put their chairs on the table at the end of the day. I don't know if I like this."
DM: "Have you asked your tablemates to help you?"
B: "Yeah, Mommy. But I don't know if they heard me or just didn't want to help me. I did it all by myself."

A part of me snickered internally and wanted to say, "Welcome to leadership, Baby." Well, maybe I did say it...under my breath, a little more loudly than I should have ;)

I encouraged him to ask for help when he needed it (something I wish I had done when I was in those positions as an adult) and to continue to always do his best.  He hasn't complained since and I am so proud of him for taking his responsibilities seriously and for doing it with a happy heart.

A part of me is irritated for my initial negative reaction to being a leader, but I think it was because his "promotion" into leadership is coming at a time when I, personally, don't want to take a lead on anything that is not directly related to my family. But I am happy for my little man and if he can learn to take his responsibilities with a grain of salt, a happy heart, and to ask for help when he needs it, then he is doing a much better job than I did in his position.

Rock on, Boogs! Rock on! I am proud of you. Love, Mama

Colossians 3:23
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (NIV)

A Visit from the Tooth Fairy

Boogie's first lost teeth!

Boogie's first week of kindergarten ended with a bang. Boogie loved kindergarten and I loved all that he was learning. He came home with so much enthusiasm.  At the end of the first week, Boogie came home with two missing teeth and a letter to the tooth fairy from his teacher.

Boogie's front two bottom teeth had been very loose. They were ready to fall out and we bided our time.  The first one fell out sometime on Friday while he was in school. He gave it to a friend on the playground so that he could swing.  She promptly lost it. He proceeded to pluck the second one out of his mouth.  He was very upset that he lost the first one and didn't have it for the tooth fairy. He told his teacher who then wrote a note to the tooth fairy verifying that Boogs lost his tooth and then lost it on the playground.  He asked the tooth fairy to give him double the rate even though he only one to put under his pillow.

I did a quick Facebook survey trying to gauge how much the tooth fairy gave for missing teeth. It appears that the going rate was around five dollar. FIVE dollars!  There was no way that the tooth fairy was going to give up $10 for a couple of missing teeth. She was generous enough to leave a $2 bill for the first tooth and two $1 coins for the second tooth.

Boogs wanted us to take a picture of the tooth fairy and asked that Daddy and I dress up in animal snuggy-type blankets to keep watch.  We did catch a quick pic of the elusive fairy ;)

The Tooth Fairy!

Mommy dressed "incognito" with a lion blanket hoping to catch a picture of the tooth fairy.

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Kindergarten!

It's official. I am a mother of a kindergartener.  Boogie started his first day of kindergarten yesterday. Overall, I'd say the day went fairly well. He had been anxious the weeks leading up to it saying that he didn't want to go to all day school. He said he would miss us. He also figured out that Daddy has off every other Friday, but he would still have to go to school.

Hubby took the day off to walk Boogie to his first day of school.  It was nice to have an extra pair of hands as we learned a new routine. I woke up Boogs. I could tell he was excited and nervous.  I was giddy and so excited for him. I knew that he would love it.  During breakfast we all broke out into dancing as some good songs came on the radio. It was nice to do something fun and silly before gearing up to go to school.

I strapped the baby in a front carrier and Buggy, Hubby, and I took first day of school pictures and then walked Boogs to school. We got there in time for Boogs to line up briefly before being asked to go into the classroom.  And then we left. And just like that, I was the mother of a kindergartner.

Hubby and I decided to devote most of the day to our sweet Bug who seemed kind of lost without her favorite playmate. When we went to the gym, the childcare folks said that she was weepy and kind of forlorn.  We took her to lunch, played with her, and spoke with her, pouring a ton of love on her. She totally needed it and we were happy to oblige.

We picked up Boogs at the end of the day and we were shocked to find out how much energy he had. We were convinced that he would be exhausted and fall asleep in his dinner. But no joke he came home and bounced around for 4 hours!  Through dinner, through some errands, and before bedtime. Where did he get his energy.  We took him to his favorite restaurant for dinner where he ate like a horse.  I think Hubby and I are still trying to figure out what happened. But when he went to bed, he was asleep in minutes and didn't get up until morning. He was undoubtedly exhausted.

I am very pleased with whom he was placed for kindergarten. I think the teacher will understand him and appreciate his humor, intelligence, and energy...or so I hope.  It was a wonderful beginning to his academic career. I am so appreciative of the men and women who choose to become teachers and do it well. We give them our most precious and valuable possessions, our children. Thank you! A special thank you to my MVMS peeps (current and former). Even though Boogs isn't in your school, I value that time that I was able to work with you. You are what keeps me hopeful that there are incredible teachers who love what they do. Thank you!

Another Milestone

Well it's official. Boogs is growing up way too fast. He came downstairs this morning to announce that he had two wiggly teeth. I took a look and yep, he has two wiggly teeth and another one growing in behind one of them.  I'm not ready for this. I thought I had at least a year or two before loose teeth, tooth fairies, and scrambling for money to be put under the pillow.  This is coming on the heels of prepping him for kindergarten.  Wow. Kindergarten and loose teeth. My life will never be the same.

* Update - The teeth did fall out his first week of kindergarden.  Find out what the tooth fairy paid for his first and second lost tooth, and what the tooth fairy paid for the third lost tooth.