Homework Overload

Doodle had two fairly major homework assignments due today, and she didn't finish them until nearly 10 p.m. last night. I sent her off to bed and then settled in to watch Barak Obama's speech. As I heard Doodle go through her nighttime routine, I considered calling her back down to witness an historic speech. I thought better of it, realizing that the speech would probably be all over the internet for her to see today. Considering her teachers' love of homework, I won't be surprised if she is required to watch the presidential candidates' acceptance speeches as an assignment. I'm already tired of the school year, and it's just getting started. Fortunately, Tootle hasn't had any homework yet; that probably starts next week.

Photo Proofs

Starting Young

Earlier this week I helped out at 1st grade lunch and recess. As I whirled around the room, helping to open milk containers, juice boxes, applesauce, and fruit cups, one little girl in Tootle's class stopped me to tell me that her friend gave her a pushup fruit bar from her cafeteria-bought lunch and she didn't want it. As I went to give the fruit bar back to the friend, I noticed that she already had one on her tray. The tattletale girl piped up that her friend had put an extra fruit bar under her shirt to give to her. I told the offender that it was wrong to take something that she didn't pay for, even if it was for a friend, and then returned the fruit bar to the cafeteria manager. I probably should have made the offender take the fruit bar back. I was really shocked to see a first grader do something like this; she clearly knew that it was wrong since she put it under her shirt. As I listened to the kids talking with each other, I also noted that these girls were quite sassy and mean. That evening I encouraged Tootle to steer clear of these girls. Tootle tends to be a leader rather than a follower, but I don't want her to be influenced by these kids, especially the little thief, in any way. In the 5 years that I have volunteered at this school, this is the first time that I've encountered this kind of behavior. Kids at this school typically are very well mannered and follow the rules. Tootle reports that these two girls have been disruptive in class and had to be separated. It may be a long year for Tootle's teacher.

School Days

The girls went back to school this week. Both girls have first-time teachers who have just graduated from college. Enthusiasm, energy, and knowledge about the latest techniques balanced against experience and knowledge about how things work well. I'll probably be helping out in Tootle's class more often than I intended so I can keep an eye on things. This has much less of an impact on Doodle because she only has her homeroom teacher for one class a day: science. Doodle is much more affected by getting the same math teacher that she had last year, the one who couldn't seem to teach much in a way that Doodle, and many of the other kids in the class, could understand. Sigh. Tootle, the winking girl, was "thrilled" to go back to school. Doodle was less so, mainly because she doesn't have any of her close friends in her class. By day 2, Doodle started to get into the swing of things. I expect that she will make new friends this year, and keep the old (most of whom have been her friend since kindergarten or 1st grade).

Car Wash

Makeup for First Graders

Earlier this week I took the girls to Celebrity Kids photo studio. I won a package in a school silent auction, and we wanted to have photos taken before Doodle's hair was loped off. Tootle didn't sleep well the night before and had dark circles under her eyes so I used some concealer to hide the evidence. Tonight I had the following conversation with her as we cuddled at bedtime:

Me: You need to get to sleep girl. We have a lot of things to do tomorrow.
Tootle: Can't you just put that stuff under my eyes?
Me, as I burst out laughing: I'm not worried about the circles under your eyes. I don't want you to be in a bad mood.
Tootle: Still that stuff really works.

I think I've created a makeup monster.

Diving

Tootle learned how to dive in to the deep end of the pool last week. Within a few days, she decided to dive off the diving board too (something that her more timid sister still doesn't do).