First Day of School
I started off the day by buying the children’s good will with donuts:
Ilse thought the donut was so big it required a fork.
Hans is pleased.
Jaeger thinks it must be a crazy day.
Ilse had enough sugar by the time she was half-done and gave the rest of it to her brothers.
But not this brother. All he got was a link and a toe. And he got to come along on the early-morning donut run.
“But Mom, school days are not holidays!” Jaeger exclaimed in disbelief upon seeing the donuts on the table. Hans was disappointed to discover that despite the donuts, they did still have to do their jobs. The donuts also saved me complaints about eggs for breakfast, instead of granola. I am hoping to feed them eggs for breakfast a bit more frequently; protein at breakfast makes a notable difference in my ability to maintain an even temper, and so I’m assuming it will be good for the children, as well.
We started off with Circle Time, but moved downstairs. Instead of the regular routine, I passed out the new school stuff, showed off the new school books, and explained what we’d be focusing on this year. That went over pretty well.
I’m not sure what to call “Circle Time,” now. It makes me envision a nicely ordered and domesticated circle of children lapping up the material being presented (which is not my reality), so it’s less than helpful imagery for me. Cindy calls it “Morning Time,” but — alas! — “morning time” at our house is firmly entrenched as the name of “you may now get dressed and come out of your room” time. Perhaps I shall call it Sprawl Time instead of Circle Time:
Not really. I am going to try letting the boys sprawl during this time experimentally and see if they do better that way rather than sitting properly at table (they already have to sit properly at table during all eating times). However, I don’t like the sound of Sprawl Time, apt though it may be. Any ideas? Recitation Time. Invocation Time. I like those, but they have a formal air about them. I love formality yet know it’d be disaster if I tried creating a formal atmosphere, so again, such a name would be a temptation to me. Maybe I’ll just go with Together Time, except that it sounds a tad on the sappy side for my tastes. I cannot be pleased!
The most important preschool skill: putting toys away!
Knox wants to learn how to roll over in “second grade.”
I have learned that first days are not generally good days. Tightening reigns that have been left too slack does not make for fun times. I was not disappointed, but I was ready and so handled it well — until 11:45, when we finished and I wanted to go find my hole to crawl into and hide from all noise and interaction for 5 minutes (ok, maybe 10). But, instead, we were all hungry, the boys didn’t want to go let out their energy outside, the baby started screaming, and Ilse started helping herself to chocolate chips. Ok, maybe 30 minutes. Please?
Anyone have any suggestions for the lunch dilemma? I think I need more things that can be made ahead of time and just pulled out when it’s time, especially since I already have time on Monday reserved for getting food stuff ready for the week.
I tried a few options for Hans to do lunch, but if Hans makes lunch, Jaeger wants to make his own, and peanut butter and jam end up everywhere and in incorrect proportions on their sandwiches. I might as well make them. Then, at least, the peanut butter is only spread on their faces and clothes and not on the countertop and containers as well. cough. I showed them how to make their own cheese tortillas with cheese already grated, but on day 2 when I supervised less, they thought a bigger number on the microwave would be better and they ended up having a very unpalatable lunch.
Now my quiet time is almost over. I did take a 15 minute rest, though I didn’t fall asleep (It’s a rare day I can nap when I’m not in the first trimester), and I spent 15 minutes out reading in the sun. Time for a big glass of ice water and a hole for maybe 2 minutes to prepare myself to release the children once more and start the necessary housekeeping and dinner-making tasks.
In a week we’ll be routinized again and it shouldn’t take so much energy to keep things going.
Lunch time is pretty stressful around here too. I am so close to quiet time, but just not there yet, even though I need it! Bennett makes lunch. Rachel’s jobs are getting out plates and making sure everyone has water. They have either turkey wraps on tortillas, sandwiches, or tuna on crackers or veggie chips. We call our circle time, “Bible time.” Hoping “Day 2″ is better! Do you want to try a Monday swap soon or are you happy with TV time? Let me know :)
HAHAHA your so funny! there got that out! we eat a lot of mac and cheese, frozen burritos(heated of course) grilled cheese, just plain cheese with crackers, leftover rice. Pete comes home at the same time everyday for lunch so we are pretty set on a time! Hopefully tomorrow goes better for you!!
Zoae
:P The donuts did NOT help by 1pm. I had a stomach ache all afternoon. :)
When Matt came home for lunch that did help with our lunchtime regularity. For some reason I really dislike preparing lunch and would do without it if I could. I’m afraid the answer is simply to get over it. :)
Mmm…mac and cheese….I could make a whole pot on Monday and pull it out to reheat for lunches…..
Tuna is a great idea, too! :)
“they thought a bigger number on the microwave would be better” That’s great. :) I hear that PB&J sandwiches freeze well. Maybe you could find a time when you or a (supervised) boy could make a few days worth for the freezer and just pull them out to thaw in the morning. My kids like salami and butter or salami and cheese sandwiches. Both of those hold well and could be made in the morning. And once a week or so we have hummus and vegetables. If you are eating eggs for breakfast you could serve yogurt with bread and fruit for lunch sometimes.
I grew up eating a late breakfast and an early dinner. Eli doesn’t really take time out of his day to eat lunch and somehow manages to eat enough at breakfast to make it through to a big dinner. So far my kids have been fine transitioning from nursing every three hours at birth to just eating breakfast and dinner by about 18 months. I feed myself a small snack after the kids are in bed. In fact, today I fed my middle girl (Lucy) lunch while I was eating and she barely touched her food. If there’s any way to cut out that middle meal (and all it involves) it reduces stress! That’s why my mom and her friend started that routine way back then in the first place.
If we do eat snacks in the day, I love to serve them outside. It cuts down on clean up since any crumbs just end up on the ground and I usually don’t take dishes out there.
I have this plastic box that has 3 sections in it. I fill it with different veggies (grape tomatoes, carrots, snow peas, red pepper slices, celery, whatever your kids eat) and keep it in the fridge. I try to keep some clean grapes in a bag/container too. At lunch, my kids can grab that, I’ll slice some cheese (or if I’m really lazy, buy cheese sticks) and put some crackers on their plates voila! Lunch. Sometimes I’ll split a tub of cottage cheese between them and they’ll eat that, fruit, and veggies. Easy peasy.
I make quesadillas sometimes. Sometimes mac & cheese. Sometimes I’ll even make sandwiches, but cheese (or hummus) & crackers is the mainstay.
Ideally you should get you a grown up daughter to make lunch for you. If you can’t manage that for another ten years, I have two suggestions: 1) make soup while you’re making or cleaning up from breakfast so it will be ready when it’s lunch time; 2) make enough for supper that you have leftovers to serve for lunch the next day.
Sorta like what Dawn suggested, I keep plenty of fresh fruits around and tell my kids they can have any of it without asking me first if they get hungry between meals. That helps a lot when they’re hungry but lunch isn’t ready yet.
Lunch is the bane of my existence, too. I basically stick to two basic solutions:
As often as possible, double dinner so that we can eat it for lunch. Then, all I do is pop something into the oven or onto the stovetop, and we’re ready in 10 minutes.
Buy discount lunchmeat and keep cheese on hand. Regular-priced lunchmeat is too pricey for me to consider serving often, but I’ve found a place near us that often has is 50% off or more, and it isn’t ultra processed either (like real roast beef thinly sliced, which is my favorite). A. rolls them up, I slice piles of cheese, and we make a quick platter. Then, I usually offer some grapes or sliced apples or something to go along, or leftover salad if I have it. It’s filling enough…and fast. I always have a few lunchmeat packages in my freezer so that I can defrost it for my Plan B if I don’t have leftovers.
Plan C is calling my mom and asking if she delivers. :)