The last day of summer

We spent a good portion of our last lazy day of summer relaxing on our front porch. For three hours we read stories, sipped hot beverages, ate oatmeal, sang silly songs, planned our upcoming trip to the Boundary Waters, and put puzzles together. What is it about a season coming to an end that makes us anxious to pack so much in at the last minute? I wouldn't say we necessarily packed too much in, but I do like to end on a high note. Mission accomplished. Quality time spent with the kids, time to reconnect with my hubby, and an impromptu playdate with MckMama later this afternoon....

Sam starts preschool in the morning. They have the parents stay the first day so Thursday will be the big day for us. His backpack is packed with the necessities: A two pocket folder, a change of clothes, a water bottle (They are allowed to get a drink at any time during the day. Our brains function better when we are well hydrated.), and a pair of inside shoes - his crocs (Every day when the kids arrive they will leave their outside shoes in the entryway and change into their inside shoes to keep dirt and other ishy stuff out of the classroom. I cut a truck sticker in half and put part of it in each shoe so he can put the puzzle back together every time to identify which shoe goes on which foot.)

I know he's ready to interact with kids his age again (though for the most part Julia can hold her own with kids Sam's age as seen here at Vacation Bible School a few weeks ago).


I don't feel that anxious about sending Sam to school. We've been taking Early Childhood Classes for almost three years and two day a week preschool is the logical next step. He'll be five minutes from home at a Christian school with a teacher I am most impressed with. She does a home visit with all her students and I have confidence in her years of experience and her obvious love for teaching.

In preparation for the first day of school we've pulled out Sam's calendar (where I record silly sayings and things I want to remember) so he can put a star on every day that he:
Brushes his teeth
Gets his backpack ready
Attempts to get dressed by himself
Picks up his books

We've also started giving the kids an allowance. Each week we'll give him 4 quarters. One goes in the "Give" jar, one in the "Save" jar, one in the "Spend" jar and it's up to him where to put the 4th one. (This first week he put his bonus quarter in the "Give" jar without any prompting from us.) That's my boy. :) Julia didn't want to be left out so she gets two quarters (based on their upcoming ages). She puts one in the "Give" jar and one in the "Save" jar. There are so many ways of dealing with an allowance, but for now this is what we've chosen to do. I'd love to hear what you do and why do when it comes to allowances.

Julia will also be starting school soon (on the 15th). Since we have moved school districts, ECFE will be a whole new ballgame. I'm excited to meet moms from this area. The neat part is that the class I chose for Julia goes up to Sam's age so he gets some bonus school time, I don't have to pay a sitter, and we can really work on their sibling relationship - something we are constantly trying to finesse. Julia was always the oldest in her class (a product of having an October birthday) and was always way head of her classmates developmentally. I think this new class will be the perfect fit for our family.

Look out Fall! Here we come!!!