Cell phone photo dump

Just a few random pics from the past week...

 

Waiting for the school bus

 

                                                    
Hockey and rock climbing at the Y

She decided she liked the red helmets better :)

Hope you're all having a great weekend! Elizabeth is with Maria right now, so I'm getting a little "me time"...I'm supposed to be catching up on paperwork for my job, but blogging is more fun:)
Thank you Maria!

PS: I'm falling in the ranks! Please vote for me on Top Mommy Bloggers by clicking on the brown banner above. You can do this once a day...Just sayin'...Thanks! xoxoxoxoxo

Homework in Kindergarten...Your thoughts?

So Elizabeth officially started getting homework yesterday.  Apparently she will be getting it twice a week. I would love to hear your thoughts on how you feel about homework in Kindergarten. I set up a poll to the right in the side bar.  Also, please feel free to give your thoughts in the comments section!


PS: Don't forget to vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs by clicking on the brown banner up above. You can do this once a day. Thank you! xoxoxoxo

A new friend

We have been having beautiful Fall weather here.  Since school started, we've gotten into the routine of playing out back before dinner after we come home.  E especially loves to play with another 5 year old, W., a little boy who lives in our apt. building. W also goes to Kindergarten at E's

school,  but is in a different classroom. W is learning to speak English, as he and his parents just recently moved here from India.  E is a great friend to him, and happily shared her Pirate Booty with him.:)

 

Studying a snail :)

Gotta love Pirate Booty!

With her BFF

Rockclimbing was a hit! Soccer, not so much...

So today was Elizabeth's second "Sports Sampler" class at the Y. This week, they did Soccer.  For whatever reason, E just wasn't that into it today.  She had loved the Basketball last week, but was not too enthused by the Soccer. She kept asking if we could leave, and I kept redirecting her back to the class.  We ended up leaving just a few minutes early.  After my workout, we went to the rock climbing wall, which was open this morning for kids, and E was dying to try it.  She loved it, and took several turns. 

Getting buckled up by the instructor

She actually got pretty high up!  She was quite proud of herself :)

This one cracks me up, not sure why the instructor has his head down, covering his face, lol

Fall is here!

Waiting for the bus this morning :)

Not sure why she wrote her name backwards....

Anyone who knows me IRL knows that I'm all about Summer...I love the heat, the beach, swimming, wearing flip flops...all of it. But, I have to admit, New England Falls are quite awesome.  The weather here has definitely changed, and it's been chilly in the mornings!  It makes me get excited to go apple picking and to get our pumpkins!  Maria, and Misty and Paden, let's go!
Tonight was Back to School Night at E's school.  Basically, it was for the teachers to go over the curriculum and answer parents' questions.  It was great to see Elizabeth's classroom and see what she is doing everyday.  Mommy brag alert: One of E's teachers told me that E is doing great, and is "so happy."  Needless to say, that made me feel so good, that my baby (ok, big kid) is happy.  Yay E!! :)
Oh, and Picture Day is coming up next month (squeal!)...In case there was any question, yes, I will be that dorky Mom who buys all the pictures. 
In unrelated news, I totally want an iPad...Just thought I'd throw that out there for no reason whatsoever.

P.S. I need your help!! Please vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs by clicking the brown banner up above.  You can do this once a day.  Help me get back up into the top 5!  Thank you so much! xoxoxo

Parenting 101

See this sweet face? Well, yes, Elizabeth is sweet, and smart, and funny, and very loving.  She is an incredible, awesome little girl, she's my little girl and I love her with all my heart. However...there are times when her sassiness  (omg the sassiness!!) can really push my buttons.  I really, really try to take it in stride when she talks back, or says not very nice things to me when I've told her "no."  But sometimes it's hard.  I question myself a lot- am I too hard on her? Am I spoiling her?  I know they say that all kids want and need limits. And of course I know that's true. But sometimes the reaction I get from E when I do set a limit makes me feel like I'm the meanest person on earth. Gah!  Sometimes being a parent feels like you don't do anything right!
Coincidentally, a flyer came home the other day from E's school about a free parenting class being offered next month.  Yeah, I'll be signing up.  The days of my thinking I was going to be the perfect parent are loooong gone....:)


And just some gratuitous cuteness... E with her buddy W in back of our apt complex.

Sports Sampler class, Monkey Joe's and Fried Rice

I signed Elizabeth up for a class at the Y which started today, called the "Sports Sampler", where they do different sports each week.  I thought this would be a fun way to expose E to different sports and see which she really likes.  Today they did basketball, and my little jock loved it!

 After her class, she went to the Playroom, where Child Care was provided, so I could get in a quick workout, then E wanted to go to the playround outside the Y for a little while.

Yeah, this gave me a few gray hairs...

After going home for lunch, we headed out to one of E's all time favorite places...Monkey Joe's...Yep, she talked me into going there again... :)

On the way home, we stopped at the mall for some Fried Rice...

My energizer bunny out back playing soccer after we got home...

By the way, is it just me, or is E looking super tall and grown up in these pictures???

P.S. Pretty please vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs by clicking on the brown banner up above. You can do this once a day (just sayin'...) Help me move back up into the top 5!!!   Thank you!! xoxoxoxo

More Kindergarten cuteness...sorry...:)

You're all probably like, ok...your kid started Kindergarten, enough already!  But I couldn't resist posting a few (more) cute pics...

Waiting for the bus this morning

And some work Miss E has brought home from school :)

"Sweet and sassy"- that's my girl!

Last evening, I decided to email Elizabeth's Kindergarten teacher to just ask how E was doing at school so far.  She replied that E is making a "great transition" and that she has a "sweet and sassy (in a good way) personality..."  Heh...Yep, sweet and sassy is a pretty accurate description of Miss E.  I'm glad that E seems to be feeling comfortable enough at school to show her "sassy" side :)  E does seem to be doing really well.  She likes riding the bus with her friends from our apt. complex, and is smiley and cheerful when I pick her up from Afterschool.  It still feels strange not to have her in the car with me when I leave in the morning.   All of this growing up stuff is (for me) exciting, exhilarating and just a tiny bit heart wrenching...

My sweet and sassy girl (from last Saturday)

School Bus!

So, this morning was yet another first for Miss E...she took the bus to school!  She had told me that she wanted to, so I decided to let her today.  It worked out really well, because some of her friends from our apt. complex came out to the bus stop at the same time we did. 

Waiting for the bus...

and she's off...!

I didn't actually get a picture of her getting on the bus, but I did get one of the bus taking off...
It sure seemed strange not having her in the car when I left for work a few minutes later!

Weekend recap :)

On Saturday afternoon, Elizabeth and I went with pals Misty and Paden into Boston, to the Hatch Shell, where there was some (free!) music playing.  We took the subway in, which the kids enjoyed.

 

The best part was a neat playground right next to the Hatch Shell which entertained our two energetic kiddos :)

Thank you Misty and Paden for a fun Saturday!! :)

On Sunday, Maria took E to Church and I went to work out (Thank you, Maria!)..Then E and I did some laundry at my parents' place and came home and played out back with the other kids who live in our apt. complex.  A nice weekend all in all!

Having car problems, checking under the hood :)
 

What next, the keys to the car??

So Friday morning, day 2 of Kindergarten, Miss E informed me that she didn't need me to hold her hand, and can go into school all by herself, thank you very much.  And she did.  She crossed the street with the other kids (and crossing guard) and confidently disappeared into the school after turning to give me a wave good bye.  She looked so grown up!!   Oh, and she also told me she wants to take the bus to school instead of me driving her.  The school bus comes to our apt. complex, and she has seen all the other kids waiting for it in the mornings.  So...I think on Monday morning, I will let her take the bus to school.  Gulp!!  Have I mentioned how proud I am of this girl?!


PS: Don't forget to vote for me on Top Mommy Bloggers by clicking on the brown banner up above.  You can do this once a day.  Help me get back into the top 5!!  Thanks xoxoxoxoox

She rocked it!!

Well, by all accounts, Miss E's first day of Kindergaten went great!  I drove her to school and walked her to her teacher this morning.  She could take the bus, but I'm not quite ready to have her do that yet...:)  After school, she attends the Afterschool program through the Y.  This means she has to take the Y bus to a different elementary school, where I pick her up after work.  This was the main thing I was worried about.  Would she get on the bus ok?  Would she be scared?  Would she end up at the right place?  It turns out I didn't need to be worried.  When I picked her up, she was exactly where she was supposed to be, and was all smiles.  The Y teachers all told me she did great (and how cute she is:)  She has been cheerful and happy all evening.  She said she likes buying her lunch at school, and told me that today she ate chicken nuggets and drank chocolate milk:)  I never minded making her lunches for her at all, but I must say, it's kind of nice to have a break from doing that...
Soooo...she had a great first day of her public school career:)  I am so proud of her!!!!

First day of Kindergarten!

The big day is finally here...