sandandsea, cancer sucks. How is SIL handling the news?
Not so well as she was on such an upward path this feels like a punch in the gut. She’s tough and will get through this it’s just heartbreaking and beyond frustrating. She was diagnosed almost a year ago and had fought and won already and now is starting over.
My Monday random - I know we've talked about this here a hundred times, but now that DS is getting ready for grade 1, I can't seem to figure out how I can fit everything into his/our schedule. I was trying to plan out our day, and it just seems impossible. How do you fit in 20 - 25 minutes of piano practice, 20 - 30 minutes of math (he wants to do math enrichment classes, he's weird), 10 - 20 minutes of school work, 30 minutes of reading (for fun), extracurricular activities 3 afternoons/nights a week, AND go to bed by 8 p.m.? I don't even get home till 6. I keep re-working his schedule, but there's just no time.
DS isn't in piano. Does the math enrichment class happen right after school?
We do about 15 minutes a night in homework. The reading he does after he goes to bed. This is our schedule.
Pick kids up and arrive home at about 5:45. Unpack backpacks and do homework lets say 6:15. Watch TV while I make dinner. Dinner around 6:45. Bedtime 8. Read for fun until 8:30. They also listen to audiobooks in the car on the ride home about 10 minutes.
1 day a week he does a sport club but it is after school, so happens during aftercare.
Then he has 1 day a week of soccer practice 6-7. Those days I don't do homework, and they don't watch TV and DH cooks or we have microwave chicken nuggets.
Reading for fun happens after bedtime.
I guess I would alternate Piano and Math. Piano M,W,F and Math T, TH or vice versa. Or Piano M,W, S and Math T, TH, Su. Maybe his bedtime has to be 8:30. Or first semester math, second semester Piano.
Are Piano and Math 2 of the extracurriculars, or do you have 3 more? If you have 3 more, I would definitely drop some. I aim to have 1-2 nights of extra curriculars only. And DH often did the second night. And if the extracurriculars are part of our aftercare than even better. I mean it is through the school but the same time as aftercare, and they go to aftercare right after rather than me pick them up and take them somewhere.
Our school in K only gave homework over the weekends, which was nice, because we could get it in. With 1st grade I guess that we will wait and see.
I'm at a conference in Boston today, waiting for my flight back to the midwest, and it appears the storms in Chicago mean that I may not make it home tonight. If my connection doesn't make it, there is a three hour bus ride that I can take at 11:30pm, which I really don't want to do. On the plus side my presentation went well, and I made some good connections.
After DD's allergic reaction on Saturday, I got a referral from our PCP for an allergist. The earliest appointment they have is at the end of September, which I took. Although we are supposed to leave later that day to drive to Minnesota to bury DH's grandmother. So I am hoping that this all works out. So, now I am crossing my fingers that she doesn't have any reactions in the next month or a half until her appointment.
traveltheworld, I think that some of this will have to be done at aftercare. Is that an option? If he likes his math, could he possibly find a quiet spot carve out 20-30 mins to work on it, after snack and a little running around? Or knock out his reading?
When I was working, homework happened about 30 mins after DD1 arrived home. If she needed help, she waited for us, but otherwise our nanny would send her to her room for 15 mins to get it done.
Also, some of this can be broken up, right? Could he do 1/2 of the math at aftercare, and 1/2 at home? Or break up the reading? Can he read in the car as long as it's light out? I absolutely cannot, but DD1 reads in the car all the time.
Last year, we had activities 2-3x per week. Religious Ed was right after school, so she'd usually do her homework after dinner on those nights. Other activities started between 5 and 6. On those nights, I served dinner when she got home from school at 315, rather than have her load up on snacks. It was always something simple - usually a sandwich or something. Then she did her homework, then off to basketball/softball, then she'd just need to shower when she got home. She'd sneak in her reading while eating, and before bed. She always has her nose in a book, so getting the reading done wasn't an issue.
I know my timing doesn't help since I'm home, but I thought maybe the order of things might give you some ideas... For example, could you pack a hearty snack/basically dinner for him to eat at aftercare before evenings with activities? One less thing to do...
Post by traveltheworld on Aug 20, 2018 16:09:08 GMT -5
DS does his math homework and any home reading / homework from school with our nanny, so technically I'm only responsible for piano and any "fun" reading. It's just that looking at his day, he seems so busy. I don't know how much free time most kids get at this age, but I had hoped that he'd have a couple hours of free play time, mostly so that he can hang out with DD more, but it just doesn't seem feasible. He has swimming twice a week, and then the math enrichment class once a week. The other factor is that both he and DD are the slowest eaters in the world, so dinner is usually 45 minutes to an hour.
Post by supertrooper1 on Aug 20, 2018 18:07:47 GMT -5
I'm finally at my hotel for my work trip after a very long travel day. I left my house at 3am. I got my bag at my destination and called the hotel for the shuttle to come and pick me up since we weren't authorized rental cars for this trip. I wait for about 20 minutes and finally see the shuttle arrive after seeing every other hotel name imaginable. As we're driving down the freeway, I see the name of the hotel, but we keep driving. I had a sinking feeling that I was on the wrong shuttle. Sure enough, it happens all the time. Same name hotels, just one has airport in their name. The kid was nice and even stopped at Chick Fil A for me as he was taking me to the correct hotel, so I treated him to a meal and tipped him well.
Post by freezorburn on Aug 20, 2018 19:04:10 GMT -5
Camping weekend was good, it was nice to get out of the city and just be lazy for a weekend. It was the refresh/reset that I needed. Now to get back to tackling my to-do list!
The water park was fun! We ended up with about 6-7 families, so the kids had lots of playmates. We stayed about 5 hours, and we are all exhausted but it’s a good, happy, all feeling bonded exhausted.
Post by erinshelley21 on Aug 20, 2018 19:37:13 GMT -5
traveltheworld on swimming and math enrichment nights, I would prioritize school work, free play and reading. The other nights would be when I would aim to fit piano practice and math enrichment. To free up some time, I would work on getting both kids to eat quicker using timers, sticker charts and rewards.
I just got a note in ds's folder today that they are going to start sending homework home 2x per week. I'm not thrilled and just don't find it necessary at age 4-5. I can get behind 1 sheet per week. This also could have waited until after winter break I think.
And got stranded at O’hare last night. By the time my very delayed flight got in I had missed my connection, the last bus that I could have taken instead had left, and the rental car areas was closed. Fingers crossed this flight makes it out this morning.
And got stranded at O’hare last night. By the time my very delayed flight got in I had missed my connection, the last bus that I could have taken instead had left, and the rental car areas was closed. Fingers crossed this flight makes it out this morning.
Hoping you get out. Just had a downpour in the western suburbs but it looks like the rain is moving out for now.
traveltheworld, DS started tackle football this year. He has practice 3 nights a week, from 6-8 pm. I have already told him that he needs to work on/finish his homework at after care, so hopefully that's enough time. But there's no time for anything extra on practice nights, including fun reading.
And got stranded at O’hare last night. By the time my very delayed flight got in I had missed my connection, the last bus that I could have taken instead had left, and the rental car areas was closed. Fingers crossed this flight makes it out this morning.
Hoping you get out. Just had a downpour in the western suburbs but it looks like the rain is moving out for now.
Just got out, only a couple hours late because the plane broke. But made it home. We got a ton of flooding and the freeway is closed.
It sounds like DH is seriously considering a new job opportunity. Now to convince him he doesn't have an obligation to stay for a few more months at his current company to help them get over what's become a busy season for them.
On the kid front... DD hates her before/aftercare program. Sobbing in the morning before taking her in. She always seems fine when I pick her up, but as soon as we get home, it's questioning why she has to go, that she doesn't like it there, and she just wants me to be her mommy and not work. So each day starts and ends on a good foot.
On the kid front... DD hates her before/aftercare program. Sobbing in the morning before taking her in. She always seems fine when I pick her up, but as soon as we get home, it's questioning why she has to go, that she doesn't like it there, and she just wants me to be her mommy and not work. So each day starts and ends on a good foot.
Ugh that’s so hard. Has she met new friends in the before/after yet? Could you tell the teachers she’s having a hard time and see if they could buddy her up with someone? Kindergarten is hard! The iPad time at aftercare helped a lot with this for us. He doesn’t want me to pick him up early now.
And got stranded at O’hare last night. By the time my very delayed flight got in I had missed my connection, the last bus that I could have taken instead had left, and the rental car areas was closed. Fingers crossed this flight makes it out this morning.
I'm so sorry. I live in MI, so Chicago (O'Hare or Midway) often shows up as a connection in flight searches I do. I will pay more to not fly through Chicago because they have more delays and groundings than any other place I've flown through.
covergirl82, I'm in Wisconsin, and often end up going through O'hare. Although if there is any other choice at all I try to fly through the other airport. It's always the 45 minute flight from Wisconsin to O'hare that seems to get delayed or canceled. There's a bus that you can take with your boarding pass that is about hours to get to Wisconsin. I'm just glad that I made it back, in time to take DD to meet her new preschool teacher this afternoon.
On the kid front... DD hates her before/aftercare program. Sobbing in the morning before taking her in. She always seems fine when I pick her up, but as soon as we get home, it's questioning why she has to go, that she doesn't like it there, and she just wants me to be her mommy and not work. So each day starts and ends on a good foot.
Ugh that’s so hard. Has she met new friends in the before/after yet? Could you tell the teachers she’s having a hard time and see if they could buddy her up with someone? Kindergarten is hard! The iPad time at aftercare helped a lot with this for us. He doesn’t want me to pick him up early now.
She has a friend from DC in before care with her. Which is a blessing/curse, because the other girl is very focused on having all of DD's attention on her and not letting outsiders in... and then the friend isn't there after school.
I gave her some assignments this week - find out one kid's name every day. So I now know there's an Emma in aftercare with her.