Day 1, Done and Dusted

The result of a good first day of school...

The Little Man went off to school a very excited little soldier this morning.

He woke us at 7am, fully dressed, raring to go.  He started at 10am...

It was a long morning.

I was pleasantly surprised when we got to the Kindergarten building to find a very calm and peaceful set up.  He went off with the K-2 head teacher to put his backpack and hat in his locker then returned to kiss us good bye.  Then he looked around, said hi to his friends that he went to pre school with, then did a tour of all of the activities on offer before settling on one where he knew none of the other participants.  Very confident and self assured.  It brought a tear to the Workaholics eye and he could not get to the car fast enough!!  I was not teary at all.  I am good with beginnings, it's endings that get to me.

He had brilliant day.  They don't allocate them a class until a few weeks in but they give them a locker and a group colour.  He was stoked to be blue.  Once the teachers get a feel for which friendships should be encouraged and which should not, who can read and who cannot, who is loud and who is quiet, they allocate them to a permanent class and teacher, balancing it out across the three classes so no single teacher gets all the big mouths.  I like this approach.

He came home, stripped down to undies (and refused to get anything else on as he "had been wearing too much all day"), emptied his backpack of his lunch box, had a snack and helped make dinner, ate dinner had a bath, read a story with me and was asleep by 7.15pm.  He really still needs his daily nap.

Tomorrow he starts at 8.15 and the Munchkin has a make up day at pre-school.  I suggest there will be more tension in the house of O in the morning.

Did you have a Kindergarten start today? Did it go well?

Where is the Starting School Stress?

OK, I lied, I was not really back.
My Laptop is still in for repairs and the Workaholics has been sporadically available for my use, which has not been conducive to writing anything.
It is a bit sad really because I have so much in my head.



The Little Man is off to Kindergarten on Tuesday morning.  He is currently excited and counting down to the big occasion.  If only they could maintain that excitement for thirteen years!

I simply cannot wait to get him off to school.  He is sooo ready.  He is one of those kids that was ready at the beginning of term 4 last year and we have been paying for it with his attitude since October.  If only they did a new intake each term or even six monthly like in the old days.  I simply cannot imagine dealing with him if he had been following the current trend of holding boys back till they are nearly 6!  There may have been a murder...

What I am not looking forward to the 8.15am start or the 2.40pm pickup time, EVERY day.  It is dawning on me how much simpler it is to potter through the mornings with kids.  I am already freaking out about the pressure of being ready and at school by 8.15.  The Munchkin is usually not even up by 8.15!!

Don't tell anyone, but I have not even labeled everything yet.  What a malarky that is!!  We were given specific instructions on how to facilitate this.  I have completely ignored the instructions and am intending to use labels ordered from a different source along with the trusty laundry marker.  I may live to rue the day!  We will see this evening when I am planing to do this task.

To be honest this whole starting school for the first time doesn't seem to hard.  I have not stressed about it much.  Uniforms were purchased in December by appointment, school shoes and school runners were purchased one afternoon on a visit to Chatswood and the lunchbox and assorted stationery were delivered by Santa at Christmas time.  I honestly feel like I am missing something...

It should be harder, shouldn't it?

Along with the drop off and pick up times I am dreading the lunch preparation most of all.  I loved the chef at the Little Man's pre-school.  She did everything, I never even thought about food.  I kept hearing about the lunch box requirements of Kindergarten kids from my friends, so I asked at orientation.  I was relieved to hear that the school suggests minimal lunches because the left overs go to the chickens or in the compost.  A sandwich for lunch and a snack for morning tea.  More is frowned upon and the only restriction that I have to worry about is that they are a nut free school. YeeHaaa!  That makes it much easier for me.  The Little Man will undoubtedly request a vegemite or a Peck's Paste (I know, weirdo) sandwich and an apple.

We have been sent the first day information and a running sheet to read to him in preparation of his first day.  I was interested to note that parents are not to enter the school gates.  We drop them at the gate and pick them up from their teacher at the gate and this is how it will continue.  It seems we are part of the school on an invitation only basis!

What am I missing? Should I be more panicked by the first day of school?

Unscheduled Interruption of Transmission

Hello.

I have been absent from my blog for quite a while.

There was no plan to take a holiday from Blogging.

It just happened.

First I was just relaxing too much, enjoying my kids, all of the visitors we were having and the arrival of Summer meaning days outside by the pool.

Then, my laptop died!

It is still dead.

My brother, The I.T. Guy is going to get around to looking at it for me... soon... I hope.

I hate using The Workaholic's laptop.  It is huge and slow.

There was a car accident.  All the people are OK, the car not so much.

And there has been another change to the employment of The Workaholic.

Hence, silence on the Blogging front.

I have been creating blog posts in my head and will get them all out soon.

Its been a nice break but I am looking forward to returning to some sort of routine.

I'm planning a quick summary post to get us back on the same page but here are a few photos to wet your appetite...

Nope.  Not my laptop.  You will have to wait!! ;)



Happy 2012 Everyone!  Catch ya soon.