Bullies

Okay, a few weeks in school and the teasing has already started. I guess Hannah really got teased from a bunch of kids yesterday and, though she said nothing about it all day, it all spilled out while practicing her violin last night (she'd been off all afternoon and I wondered what was up). First of all, she spilled her water at snack time and the little girl next to her, in a sing songy voice, kept saying, "Hannah spilled her water, Hannah spilled her water." I guess she wouldn't stop and Hannah was so embarrassed and hurt by this girl whom she thought was her new friend. Later, on the bus, one older child started calling her "Tweety Bird" and by the time the bus ride ended, there were four bigger kids (K-2 ride this bus) who were chanting this until her newest friend (and fellow kindergartner) stood up and told them to stop. Hannah goes to speech therapy and I can only imagine this is why they are teasing her (and calling her Tweety Bird) but she hadn't made that connection. The saddest part is that once she told us what happened she wanted to take it all back. She kept telling us that it never happened. This morning, while we were playing, she fessed...it had all indeed happened but she is so worried that if we try to do something about it she'll get teased even more. We talked a lot about strategies for dealing with it, but it is clear to see she is very hurt and was very anxious about having to go back today and deal with these kids.

Update

Wow, we have had an exciting, yet exhausting, start to fall and I'm feeling a bit over my head at times!

Emma just started gymnastics and squeals with delight when we enter the gym. It's lots of fun and she is meeting lots of other kids her age. She and I will also be doing story time together at the library. Other than that, we are enjoying nature walks, pretend play and are reading lots and lots of books together. It's great to have this one on one time with her! She's talking like crazy, counting, knows her abcs, etc. She's funny, sweet and fiesty and I wish she wouldn't grow another inch. I love this age. She's my honey!!!

Hannah is the busiest. Not only has she started kindergarten, she's started soccer, violin, ballet and gymnastics. Gymnastics is nothing new...it's close and very low key. She could do something a lot more challenging (she's pretty talented at this) but I just can't get her to another gym right now (plus most do birthday parties and because of my latex allergy, I can't even go in those buildings). Her teacher thinks she'd be on a team somewhere else being "groomed" but hey, I think she's getting good exercise and having fun. Emma has a toddler class right after Hannah's so it is easy, efficient and convenient even if it isn't pre-olympic training ;^).

She also started at a new ballet school. I held out for the teacher that my friend, whose son dances with the Boston Ballet, recommended. We are old friends from homeschooling and our violin days (her son and Hillary did both together). So, this teacher is a riot. She's Russian and very matter-of-fact. She's serious and doesn't mess around. She came out with a long stick as the girls were sitting on the floor and went behind each one to check their backs and be sure they were straight....intense. Pete and I had to giggle. The girls all seem to respond to her, but I think, as a kid, she might have frightened me. Oh well, we will see how it goes...everyone says she's great. The coolest part was that out of the 14 girls in the class, 11 are Chinese, 2 are Indian and one was Caucasian. I had no idea and must say that I was really moved by that. Hannah, for the first time ever, was in the majority! I wonder what that feels like to her. I know that she notices these things...she always has. I'm thankful that we live in an area of at least some diversity.

Soccer is her new passion. I almost didn't add it, but did at the last minute because, well, the kid can run like no one I've ever seen. She had one practice and then had a game the very first week. She was very concerned about having to play a game after only one practice. She asked how they expected her to play a game when she didn't even know how to play. Well, she does know. I have no idea how, but she was amazing...really. She never played before but had the whole game down. Her coach was stunned when he realized she hadn't played before. She scored 6 goals and is now in love with the game.

Her violin lessons are great. We love her teacher...she's been an old friend for years and Hannah's middle name is actually after this woman (and another Kate in our life). Cate says that Hannah is a joy to teach and with her learning style, they are going to fly. Thus far, Cate has only seen "angel child", but I saw some eye rolling from Hannah last week and I'm wondering how long if will be until we witness "devil child" in class. Hannah has a private lesson and a group lesson each week, which she really enjoyed. She's meeting lots of bigger kids and loves staying for the part of the group lesson when she can hear the bigger kids play.

Kindergarten is going well. She says it is boring, but she wants to go anyway. I hate hearing that but have heard it all too often of public school experiences. School should never be boring. I'm reserving judgement. Her teacher sounds wonderful. I'll be volunteering in the school starting next month so I'll have a better idea of how things are going.

Christopher is loving his school. So far, so good! I feel like I'm not doing a good job making sure he is staying on track but I have so much to do at night and I'm trying to get my homework done and keep up with everything else, but feel like I'm letting go a bit out of necessity. He's usually pretty disorganized, but is doing better with that, but this fall will be a real test because he won't have as much of a net from me. He's trying out for the middle school play and swim team next week. He also starts swim lessons on Saturday mornings. I actually got Matt to sign up with him so they can go to the pool together.

Matt is busy trying to keep up with high school, look for a job, and is trying to get some volunteer work as well. He started his SAT course and all of a sudden the pressures of getting into college are looming. I think he is finding it very stressful to be planning so far ahead when his style is to live in the moment and enjoy each day. "Planning" and "goals" are words that he's getting tired of hearing already. He's older than he thinks (aren't we all) and I feel like he's just not quite there yet and it is too bad that this process is such a hassle. We will start looking at colleges this fall as he has no idea where he wants to go but knows that he is very interested in computer science. Hillary knew just where she wanted to go, but Matt doesn't and it will take some time to sort it all out. In a way, I feel like this process steals their youth. He just wants to be a kid and developmentally that is what he should want. But, there are hoops to jump through and things to be done in this crazy, stressful, and competitive process. He's 16.5, he's just beginning to get tall, his voice is just barely beginning to change so he's hitting puberty about 5 years after his sister. It's a one size fits all system for kids who are all over the place in terms of development. I keep thinking of what is best here; a year off to do city-year, a local school for the first year or two, or just jumping in with both feet at a bigger university. I guess we will wait and see but it makes me realize how arbitrary so many of the rights of passage are in terms of age. Boys don't mature as quickly...we all know it, but the system doesn't reflect that. I'm working on being more thoughtful with the whole process and am trying to keep these things in mind rather than just follow the pack. I'm not sure what is right for him, but we will all figure it out as we go. He's a great guy and I really want what is best for him and so sorry that all of this college stuff has to interrupt what would otherwise be a fun junior year.

Hillary is great. She is "shopping" amazing courses and getting all of her auditions, etc. completed. She's got a gig with the Harlow Quartet in the city tonight then she's off to Vermont for the weekend with the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra for a retreat. I'm going in tonight for my class and will pick her up from her gig and spend a little time with her. I'm tremendously proud of her. It's a joy to watch this process unfold. She's doing a great job handling all of it.

Me, I'm pooped. I should be reading or doing laundry or something useful while the girls are playing "school" upstairs. It's been a bumpy start but I think we'll fall into a groove now that everything is underway. The kids are all great, but Pete and I have our hands full managing the house, the kids, the pets, our relationship, his job, my school, volunteer commitments, etc. I'm already looking forward to Thanksgiving break :)

Questions For Other Bloggers

Hey, I need some help. I'm trying to find ways to make blogging more efficient and less frustrating. I was wondering if some of you would share how/where you upload your photos and how you get them onto your blogs (my picasa free account is full and I've been using flickr but don't have it figured out too well. I'd like some choice in picture size and love the fact you can get larger photos on the blog from flickr than picasa, but I don't understand it all). Is there any way to upload several photos onto the blog at once rather than just one at a time? What are the easiest ways to put a collage or slideshow together. Any other tips would be appreciated, too. I have a hard time keeping the blog up to date and I know there must be ways to post photos and things faster than I can do. So any blog savy folks, please chime in!

Thanks!

Chris' First Day

Chris was the last one to go back. He started 7th grade last Thursday, September 4th. He was really excited to see all of his friends. He told me how each one had changed over the summer; who got a haircut (some had pretty long hair before), who got braces, and who was a lot taller than in the spring. Chris was also really happy about all of his teacher assignments and his advisor. He came right home and did all his homework without even a reminder, which is amazing ;^). I hope this enthusiasm lasts for a while!

I love Christopher's school! After homeschooling for years, I never thought I could be so happy with an "institution". It's the most amazing place. They really do a great job. It's an all boys school and they just get it when it comes to helping boys thrive. It's been such a wonderful place for Christopher and they have helped him grow intellectually, socially, physically, and artistically. Though the academics and sports are excellent, that's not really what it is all about. It's really about nurturing the "whole boy" and they do that so well. The best part is that he loves it there. He always has a big smile on his face when I pick him up at the end of the day.

Hannah's First Day of Kindergarten.

Today was the day. She was up and ready by 8. In fact, I told her she couldn't go until after lunch (afternoon kindergarten). By 8:26, she was asking for lunch. She got up, showered, dressed, brushed teeth, etc. and still had 3.5 hours to go. It was a long morning, but she made it. She's been nervous about this day off and on since turning 5 in February. I wasn't sure how she'd do especially when the bus pulled up and NO ONE else was on it. The other kindergartener in our neighborhood, whom she had planned to sit with, didn't show. I was afraid she might panic, but she did fine. She jumped off the bus this afternoon with her best buddy, Jessie (a 2nd grader). She was full of energy and too busy to talk about her day. She just wanted to play. She did tell her brother about their field trip (there was no field trip) and she mentioned that she had met a very nice girl name Sarah (who I later learned doesn't exist). She also told me that they had to look all over for their teacher this morning after the bus arrived. She was supposed to be waiting for them by the side door, holding a picture of "Froggy" (I'm sure she was right where she said she would be). There was supposedly a trip to the nurse because another girl accidently pulled her hair, etc. So, I have no idea what really went on today but judging by the smirk on her impish little face, she had a great day and just didn't feel like taking the time to spell it all out for us. For someone who told me how scared she was to go, she sure came home looking confident and full of it. I hope I someday get to learn what really goes on in kindergarten class. Good thing Jessie's mom is the kindergarten teacher in the adjoining room. That may be the only way I'll get the real scoop.

After all the fears and worrying, I'm glad Hannah's first day of school is behind her. I took the kids out for ice cream to celebrate the start of kindergarten as well as Jessie's birthday. I think it turned out to be a great day!

Hillary's at Harvard

Yup...she's gone. Pete, the little girls and I went in on Saturday to drop her off. She's doing a week long orientation program (Dorm Crew) before the official move-in day on the 6th. While walking around Harvard Yard moving her things into her temporary dorm, getting her paperwork completed, and having her photo taken for her Harvard ID, she ran into four of her friends. They are all previous musicians from the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, who are now Harvard students. It was amazing that they all happened to be in the same area at once. It was very reassuring when everything else was a bit chaotic and so brand new. When I left, she was heading out on a "food tour" of Harvard Square with Lucy (I guess they were taking them around and showing them all the good places to eat). Afterward, she and Lucy went off to dinner with a bunch of their new roommates. Today she emailed to say she had dinner with a couple of her other music friends who happen to live in Cambridge and will be meeting up with another friend tomorrow who is a Freshman at Simmons College. Hillary says that she's been working with and getting to know students from all over the nation and the world. What an amazing opportunity. I think that she really appreciates that she has a built in community of friends, but is very ready to branch out and meet lots of others as well.












When we were done there, I took a ride over to visit my new school. I checked out where my classes would be held, picked up my books from the college bookstore and did the most important task....located parking. It looks like the right place for me!

Kindergarten Orientation

Wow, what a month! We just got back from our summer place on Sunday night and it's been a whirlwind ever since. It's been insanely busy and I've had no time to post. Plus my laptop still has no wireless internet service unless plugged in down in our basement and I just don't have many opportunities to sneak down there (it's nearly midnight now and I should be asleep!).

I am hoping to catch up with what's been going on for the last few weeks, but the days have been full as we gear up for all of the fall transitions. Since we arrived home, we have been shopping to get all of Hillary's dorm and college stuff as well as back-to-school clothes and supplies for Hannah, Chris and Matt. Hannah was the first to go to school. She had kindergarten orientation on Tuesday and then will start her normal schedule next Tuesday, the 2nd. Matt started 11th grade on Wednesday, August 27th, but now gets Friday-Monday off. We will drop Hillary at Harvard on Sunday (after traveling to visit my dad on Saturday). She's working for a week before her actual move-in day, next Saturday the 6th so we will be going back to deliver all of her things next weekend. I start school on the 3rd (Yup, somehow I have to try and fit it in between the five kids, the two dogs, soccer, ballet, violin, gymnastics, swimming, housework, a husband who works too much, etc. Please wish me luck...I'm very nervous ;^). It seems insane to me but I'll try it for a semester. Oh and as soon as I registered our agency emailed and asked if we'd be ready for a match NOW. What?? You've got to be kidding!?? I thought we had about 6-9 more months at least. Oh, well...we shall see what happens. Just kind of wished I hadn't chose now to overbook our schedules, but we can change that if/when we need to. Anyway, Christopher goes back and starts 7th grade on the 4th. I'm also working on the fall schedule and sign-ups for sports, ballet, SAT prep, etc. I think I signed Hannah up for too much. Actually, I know I did. She's enthusiastic and loves everything just like Hillary did so it's hard to resist. So, she'll be going to 1/2 day kindergarten and taking violin lessons, ballet, gymnastics, and soccer. Sometime later in the fall, she wants to add scouts and swimming. Phew! We shall see. She is the kind of kid who has colored, painted, read books and done collages by 9 am and is bored. She has so much energy, but mine is limited which is an unfortunate part getting older (and having a two year old who still won't sleep through the night).

This time of year is always a bit overwhelming and I can't wait until we get settled and into a groove (and I get a master calendar done so I know what to do and where to be when). Only then will I know if we can keep a healthy balance. If not, I'm not afraid of chopping things out of the schedule. I am looking forward to having a bit of time just with Emma. She'll have her own little gym class and we will have time to go to the library for story time or to the park. She loves to just go out for a walk and look for rocks and acorns and wildlife. It's going to be nice to have time where she can set the pace and agenda without any competition from the bigger, faster, louder kids. I'm going to cherish this time.

The photo above is one I took of Hannah on our front porch as we headed out for her kindergarten orientation. I think she's been nervous about this new phase in her life. She's worried that she will miss me and be homesick. She's worried that she can't be away from me that long. She's been struggling with mood and behavior a bit and I think she's feeling stressed. At the same time, she's been very sweet and a bit vulnerable and it's actually kind of nice to to see this very thoughtful side of her personality. It's given us the opportunity to have some really great conversations which give me a greater glimpse into what is going on inside of her. She is an extremely outgoing child, full of energy and spunk (a little too much spunk sometimes!). She's feisty and funny and usually very confident and I hope she will feel more like herself once the first week of school is over and she adjusts. I think she'll give her teacher, who seems like a perfect match...warm, kind, with a great reputation, a run for her money...in a good way. She's was so engaged during orientation and answered and asked a ton of questions. She is very bright, inquisitive and misses nothing. It will be interesting to see how this goes. I, on the other hand, having homeschooled 2 of my 3 older kids through kindergarten and beyond wasn't sure I'd ever do public kindergarten again. I'll be watching pretty closely, but I think for Hannah, as far as I can tell now, this will be a good thing for a number reasons that seem too complicated to explain. It should be a fun learning experience for all of us and, if not, we'll bring her back home again. I wouldn't mind a bit because I'm going to miss her, too! I just think this may be the right thing for her right now. We'll see.