Sunday, August 30, 2009
Dave & Busters
On Saturday morning we went with Aunt B to Dave & Busters. She is super excited about her new job. She is working for their world headquarters in Dallas as an HR Specialist (um, at least I think that's her title!) She had taken a contract position a few weeks ago but was really stressed out about it since there were no guarantees that she would go permanent after her two month contract (it wasn't going to be based on her performance but based on if the company had certain clients contracts stay with them. She was worried that she might be back to square one in a couple of months. She had applied with D&B a while back and they finally called her. It sounded like they interviewed a lot of people and she was the lucky pick! :) I am happy for her and hoping that it is exactly what she wants. Anyway, they give employees a gaming card each month and a food allowance (pretty cool, huh?) so B called to see if we wanted to go check it out with her. Scott worked on Saturday morning so that worked out great. We went up there for a few hours and the boys had a great time. I think Aunt B is definitely going to be the cool aunt for a while!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Mom's First Week/One of "Those" Moms
Okay, so it occurred to me last night that this was truly my first week of school too. I feel like I have been hit by a mack truck at this point. I can only imagine how little Nolan is feeling. We have been overloaded with information. We have had three meetings in the past few weeks, tons of paperwork to sign, forms to fill out, checks to write and rules to learn - it has been too much to absorb! Nolan is taking it all in and doing a great job. He has been very hungry and very tired at the end of each day - I guess school just takes it all out of him. Poor guy! I am SO proud of him. I have quite a few moments where I felt like one of "those" moms...you know the one...the one that lets their kids run through the clothes racks, ride on the shopping cart, go into a store without shoes or just generally does anything and everything YOU would never do as a mother.
Let's run down the things I have "learned" this week -
Day 1 - Packed Nolan's lunch, snack and water bottle. Did not include a drink in his snack box because I assumed he would drink his water. After school Nolan asked why I didn't pack juice in his snack box. I had visions of Nolan being the only student without a drink at snack time. I felt like one of those moms.
All of the moms gather outside to wait for the kids to come out. I felt weird because they were all talking to each other and waving hi to others. I do not know a single parent at his school at this point. It was SO awkward to stand out there alone for 15 minutes. I also was thinking about how I had taken off work to be able to pick him up and they were just the stay at home mom's that get to do this everyday. It made me feel so sad. I knew that they would always label me as one of those moms.
Day 2 - Packed Nolan's lunch, snack (with juice) and his water bottle. After school Nolan asked me why I packed a juice box with snack..."You know I'm not allowed to have juice with snack." What? No, I didn't know that and you asked for it the day before. At the teacher meeting that night I asked about it and she explained that they only allow water in the classroom (which makes sense). Ugh! Lesson Learned - Never trust the student on the rules. I felt like one of those moms.
At the parent meeting that night the principal talked to us about letting the kids walk themselves into the school in the morning. She gave this big speech about how we have given them the confidence and skills to do it; we just need to step back and allow them to try. I am SO not ready to just drop Nolan off and say "see ya" on day 2. I not only felt like but I certainly AM one of those moms. And anyways, isn't this one of those situations where you are one of those moms either way...if you drop them and never walk them in the you look like the absent parent, if you go in everyday and hover over them then you are too involved. Ugh! Lesson learned - You are going to be one those moms no matter what, so you might as well get over it.
Day 3 - Nolan asked to bring a book to school and told me that Mrs. Maurer said that they could. I thought, remember what you learned. I told Nolan that he could not take the book but that we would send a note to school and ask Mrs. Maurer if he could bring one on Thursday. She sent a note back home that said "Of course it's okay to bring a book to share with the class." Ugh! Lesson Learned - Maybe trust the student sometime on the rules. I felt like one of those moms.
Day 4 - We have walked to school each day and practiced going to the "cafe" before 8:05 and going straight to class after 8:05. I thought we were now prepared for whatever might happen before school. It was sprinkling so I decided to drive him to the school and in the car. I asked Nolan if he thought he could walk in without me and go straight to the "cafe". He said no, so I told him that I would pull in park and walk him in. We got to the circle drive in front of the school and there are four lanes to choose from. I am super confused about which lane to drive in, so of course I chose the one with the least amount of traffic. I was just thinking about how great it was that we got all the way up to the door when I realized that the lane must be for driving through only or something because no one is stopping or letting out children. The crossing guard starts waving me on and a car behind me honks. I tell Nolan to get on his backpack and get out and walk to the front doors because I realized there is no where for me to pull over to get out with him. He was confused and I was getting flustered. I could feel everyone in the parking lot saying "You're doing it wrong!" Like that scene from the movie Mr. Mom. It was just like that. The crossing guard walks over to my car and starts to tell me the rules for each lane. She helps Nolan get across traffic and motions for me to get going. I couldn't even see Nolan get in the door. It was so traumatizing. I am sure she was thinking, lady, it's Thursday - you should know this by now! I wanted to find a parking spot and hunt Nolan down to make sure he made it the 15ft walk from the front door to the cafe, I wanted to talk to the crossing guard and let her know that we had walked all week so I was still "new" at this - but I didn't. I just teared up for a second and drove on to work. Ugh! Lesson learned - Traffic stops for no one, especially at the Elementary school. I REALLY felt like one of those moms.
Day 5 - It's finally Friday - yay! We made it through a whole week. I looked at the lunch menu and asked Nolan if he wanted to buy lunch from school. It was pizza day and I thought he might be ready for a break from sandwiches. I still have not put money in his "account". (They do a lunch account where the kids have to learn pin number and just punch it in to pay for lunch.) He did not want to do that. I think he is still a little scared which I have been thankful for because it is stressful to me. I just can't see my baby carrying a lunch tray, picking out foods and checking out with his pin number. That seems like a 1st grade thing to do. :) So since he didn't want to try to buy a lunch yet then I packed it. I haven't been asking him what he wants each day. (other than the first day when he went with me to the store and picked out stuff) This morning I made the mistake of asking him what he would like and he then told me all of the things he didn't want. (which are all of the things I packed him all week that HE picked out) He then told me about how he hasn't been eating most of it and just throws it away at the end of the lunch period. Again, what??? I assumed when I was opening that empty lunch each night that it was gone because he ate it. Ugh! Lesson learned - ASK them what they want to eat each day or expect that they will NOT be eating it and go hungry. No wonder the kid has been starving at night and eating double what he typically eats. I felt like one of those moms.
Not sure what to think about all of the lessons I have learned. I hope I remember this post when my kids are in 6th grade, I'm president of the PTA, besties with all of the other parents and we rule the school. :) I will try not to be to critical of those moms. (especially the new ones)
Let's run down the things I have "learned" this week -
Day 1 - Packed Nolan's lunch, snack and water bottle. Did not include a drink in his snack box because I assumed he would drink his water. After school Nolan asked why I didn't pack juice in his snack box. I had visions of Nolan being the only student without a drink at snack time. I felt like one of those moms.
All of the moms gather outside to wait for the kids to come out. I felt weird because they were all talking to each other and waving hi to others. I do not know a single parent at his school at this point. It was SO awkward to stand out there alone for 15 minutes. I also was thinking about how I had taken off work to be able to pick him up and they were just the stay at home mom's that get to do this everyday. It made me feel so sad. I knew that they would always label me as one of those moms.
Day 2 - Packed Nolan's lunch, snack (with juice) and his water bottle. After school Nolan asked me why I packed a juice box with snack..."You know I'm not allowed to have juice with snack." What? No, I didn't know that and you asked for it the day before. At the teacher meeting that night I asked about it and she explained that they only allow water in the classroom (which makes sense). Ugh! Lesson Learned - Never trust the student on the rules. I felt like one of those moms.
At the parent meeting that night the principal talked to us about letting the kids walk themselves into the school in the morning. She gave this big speech about how we have given them the confidence and skills to do it; we just need to step back and allow them to try. I am SO not ready to just drop Nolan off and say "see ya" on day 2. I not only felt like but I certainly AM one of those moms. And anyways, isn't this one of those situations where you are one of those moms either way...if you drop them and never walk them in the you look like the absent parent, if you go in everyday and hover over them then you are too involved. Ugh! Lesson learned - You are going to be one those moms no matter what, so you might as well get over it.
Day 3 - Nolan asked to bring a book to school and told me that Mrs. Maurer said that they could. I thought, remember what you learned. I told Nolan that he could not take the book but that we would send a note to school and ask Mrs. Maurer if he could bring one on Thursday. She sent a note back home that said "Of course it's okay to bring a book to share with the class." Ugh! Lesson Learned - Maybe trust the student sometime on the rules. I felt like one of those moms.
Day 4 - We have walked to school each day and practiced going to the "cafe" before 8:05 and going straight to class after 8:05. I thought we were now prepared for whatever might happen before school. It was sprinkling so I decided to drive him to the school and in the car. I asked Nolan if he thought he could walk in without me and go straight to the "cafe". He said no, so I told him that I would pull in park and walk him in. We got to the circle drive in front of the school and there are four lanes to choose from. I am super confused about which lane to drive in, so of course I chose the one with the least amount of traffic. I was just thinking about how great it was that we got all the way up to the door when I realized that the lane must be for driving through only or something because no one is stopping or letting out children. The crossing guard starts waving me on and a car behind me honks. I tell Nolan to get on his backpack and get out and walk to the front doors because I realized there is no where for me to pull over to get out with him. He was confused and I was getting flustered. I could feel everyone in the parking lot saying "You're doing it wrong!" Like that scene from the movie Mr. Mom. It was just like that. The crossing guard walks over to my car and starts to tell me the rules for each lane. She helps Nolan get across traffic and motions for me to get going. I couldn't even see Nolan get in the door. It was so traumatizing. I am sure she was thinking, lady, it's Thursday - you should know this by now! I wanted to find a parking spot and hunt Nolan down to make sure he made it the 15ft walk from the front door to the cafe, I wanted to talk to the crossing guard and let her know that we had walked all week so I was still "new" at this - but I didn't. I just teared up for a second and drove on to work. Ugh! Lesson learned - Traffic stops for no one, especially at the Elementary school. I REALLY felt like one of those moms.
Day 5 - It's finally Friday - yay! We made it through a whole week. I looked at the lunch menu and asked Nolan if he wanted to buy lunch from school. It was pizza day and I thought he might be ready for a break from sandwiches. I still have not put money in his "account". (They do a lunch account where the kids have to learn pin number and just punch it in to pay for lunch.) He did not want to do that. I think he is still a little scared which I have been thankful for because it is stressful to me. I just can't see my baby carrying a lunch tray, picking out foods and checking out with his pin number. That seems like a 1st grade thing to do. :) So since he didn't want to try to buy a lunch yet then I packed it. I haven't been asking him what he wants each day. (other than the first day when he went with me to the store and picked out stuff) This morning I made the mistake of asking him what he would like and he then told me all of the things he didn't want. (which are all of the things I packed him all week that HE picked out) He then told me about how he hasn't been eating most of it and just throws it away at the end of the lunch period. Again, what??? I assumed when I was opening that empty lunch each night that it was gone because he ate it. Ugh! Lesson learned - ASK them what they want to eat each day or expect that they will NOT be eating it and go hungry. No wonder the kid has been starving at night and eating double what he typically eats. I felt like one of those moms.
Not sure what to think about all of the lessons I have learned. I hope I remember this post when my kids are in 6th grade, I'm president of the PTA, besties with all of the other parents and we rule the school. :) I will try not to be to critical of those moms. (especially the new ones)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Day 3!
Last night we had a Kindergarten meeting where we learned a little more about the curriculum and how their school day will flow. It was nice to get a little more information. I feel a little better each day. I really LOVE his teacher - Mrs. Maurer. She seems super sweet and has three boys of her own which lets me know she knows all about little boys!
Nolan is still super excited, still so brave and still my little sweet boy! He has had a great week so far. Today we practiced going to the cafeteria before class. They want all of the kids to wait in there together before going to the classrooms if you drop them off before 8:05. When I told him that we were going to check out the cafeteria this morning to see where his class sits; he promptly corrected me with "Mom, it's the cafe." What? When did they start calling the cafeteria the cafe? It cracked me up. Like do they sell lattes and cappuccino too? :)
Here are a few sweet pics of Nolan with Daisy and them Nolan in the "cafe".
Nolan is still super excited, still so brave and still my little sweet boy! He has had a great week so far. Today we practiced going to the cafeteria before class. They want all of the kids to wait in there together before going to the classrooms if you drop them off before 8:05. When I told him that we were going to check out the cafeteria this morning to see where his class sits; he promptly corrected me with "Mom, it's the cafe." What? When did they start calling the cafeteria the cafe? It cracked me up. Like do they sell lattes and cappuccino too? :)
Here are a few sweet pics of Nolan with Daisy and them Nolan in the "cafe".
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Nolan's First Day of Kindergarten
I started a post but thought I would go ahead and post the pics now and come back with the text later when I have time to finish it! (You know it's gonna be a long sappy one!) Here are some pics of our sweet, happy kindergartner....who LOVES school so far! I love the first picture because you can see how excited he was!
PS - How is it that I can could wake up with a school aged kid and a big zit on the same day??? Ugh! If I have be thirty with a "big" kid, could I at least have clear skin! Ha ha!
Here is my post - I finished it...
I have thought about this day for a very long time. I can still remember my first day of school - I remember my outfit, my new backpack and the shoes that I just had to have. I was not a shy child (I am sure this is such a shock - ha ha!) and I was very excited about my big day. I didn't cry, my mom didn't cry (at least not in front of me) it was a very exciting, very happy day! I loved my teacher and I loved school! I wanted Nolan's first day to be the same. I had planned to make him blueberry pancakes and bacon for breakfast (his favorite) but the night before he asked if we could do donuts instead. That was fine and a little easier on me for the first hectic and emotional morning! I got up early and went and picked up donuts for us. Came home and woke up the boys and we all sat down for a quick morning breakfast. I wish that it could be like that every weekday morning but with Nolan's start time at 8:20, I will be taking him and Scott will start taking Hudson to Nana's or MiMi's house. That will be weird to not have both boys in the morning but I just can't take Hud out there after dropping Nolan off at school that would be way to late for me to get to work! After breakfast, we all got ready for the big day! Nolan looked precious and was SO excited. He could hardly wait to leave the house. Scott put Hudson in the stroller and we walked to the school. It was such a weird walk. I have thought about it many times when I would see other families walking past our house to the school. It's only about three houses down from us, it will be so nice to walk him over in the mornings and not have to fight the traffic. His elementary seems like a great school. We bought our house in this school district on purpose because of all the great things we had heard about the school. We found out last Thursday that Nolan was going to have the same teacher that evaluated him. That was good because we were able to meet her again on "meet the teacher" night. Nolan really likes her and she seems to like him too. On Thursday when we visited her classroom he was able to see his locker and his place at the table so that he would know what to expect on the first day. I think that is great for all the little kiddos - it takes a lot of the unknown out of the first day. Nolan was especially excited about the computers in Mrs. Maurer's classroom. She told him that a computer was a great learning tool and was a lot like his brain. The more information you save on it the smarter you are. When we were leaving meet the teacher night - she said "Bye Nolan, I will see you Monday!" he said "Bye, I will bring my laptop!" She then paused and said "Oh honey you don't have to bring your computer from home you can use this one." and he quickly replied "No - this laptop!" and pointed to his brain. She laughed and asked if he is always like this and I just smiled and said yes - hope you think it's this cute all the time. Ha Ha! (Sorry for the side note but that was too funny not to share.) Anyways, fast forward to Monday and my confident 5 year old was fine when going to class. We walked in and dropped off his lunch box, put his back-pack in his locker and he went straight to his seat and said good bye. He was done with us, I was lucky to get a picture with him. Hudson on the other hand, was not too happy about the school day. He cried when we left without Nolan. He cried the whole way back home saying "I go to school!" and "Nolan, come on" motioning for him to leave with us. It was so sad. Poor little guy will be lonely without him. It was a good distraction for me - I didn't even cry. Amazing! He was just so happy and ready. It's such a good feeling to know that we have a child that is excited about school, life and the world - I just hope he stays that way!
PS - How is it that I can could wake up with a school aged kid and a big zit on the same day??? Ugh! If I have be thirty with a "big" kid, could I at least have clear skin! Ha ha!
Here is my post - I finished it...
I have thought about this day for a very long time. I can still remember my first day of school - I remember my outfit, my new backpack and the shoes that I just had to have. I was not a shy child (I am sure this is such a shock - ha ha!) and I was very excited about my big day. I didn't cry, my mom didn't cry (at least not in front of me) it was a very exciting, very happy day! I loved my teacher and I loved school! I wanted Nolan's first day to be the same. I had planned to make him blueberry pancakes and bacon for breakfast (his favorite) but the night before he asked if we could do donuts instead. That was fine and a little easier on me for the first hectic and emotional morning! I got up early and went and picked up donuts for us. Came home and woke up the boys and we all sat down for a quick morning breakfast. I wish that it could be like that every weekday morning but with Nolan's start time at 8:20, I will be taking him and Scott will start taking Hudson to Nana's or MiMi's house. That will be weird to not have both boys in the morning but I just can't take Hud out there after dropping Nolan off at school that would be way to late for me to get to work! After breakfast, we all got ready for the big day! Nolan looked precious and was SO excited. He could hardly wait to leave the house. Scott put Hudson in the stroller and we walked to the school. It was such a weird walk. I have thought about it many times when I would see other families walking past our house to the school. It's only about three houses down from us, it will be so nice to walk him over in the mornings and not have to fight the traffic. His elementary seems like a great school. We bought our house in this school district on purpose because of all the great things we had heard about the school. We found out last Thursday that Nolan was going to have the same teacher that evaluated him. That was good because we were able to meet her again on "meet the teacher" night. Nolan really likes her and she seems to like him too. On Thursday when we visited her classroom he was able to see his locker and his place at the table so that he would know what to expect on the first day. I think that is great for all the little kiddos - it takes a lot of the unknown out of the first day. Nolan was especially excited about the computers in Mrs. Maurer's classroom. She told him that a computer was a great learning tool and was a lot like his brain. The more information you save on it the smarter you are. When we were leaving meet the teacher night - she said "Bye Nolan, I will see you Monday!" he said "Bye, I will bring my laptop!" She then paused and said "Oh honey you don't have to bring your computer from home you can use this one." and he quickly replied "No - this laptop!" and pointed to his brain. She laughed and asked if he is always like this and I just smiled and said yes - hope you think it's this cute all the time. Ha Ha! (Sorry for the side note but that was too funny not to share.) Anyways, fast forward to Monday and my confident 5 year old was fine when going to class. We walked in and dropped off his lunch box, put his back-pack in his locker and he went straight to his seat and said good bye. He was done with us, I was lucky to get a picture with him. Hudson on the other hand, was not too happy about the school day. He cried when we left without Nolan. He cried the whole way back home saying "I go to school!" and "Nolan, come on" motioning for him to leave with us. It was so sad. Poor little guy will be lonely without him. It was a good distraction for me - I didn't even cry. Amazing! He was just so happy and ready. It's such a good feeling to know that we have a child that is excited about school, life and the world - I just hope he stays that way!
Back to School Preparations
All weekend I ran around like a crazy person getting clothes, shoes, lunch stuff, and last minute school supplies. I think I kinda channeled my stress of Nolan starting school into shopping because I started last week saying that I wasn't going to buy anything for the start of school. Seriously, it's a million degrees outside and he is going to wear shorts for another two months. Why buy sweaters and pants right now? Then it dawned on me that I at least needed to buy him a new little shirt to wear on the first day. I mean every kid needs to have a new outfit for that - especially for Kindergarten, right? That basically sent me into a panic since I for whatever reason had done ZERO back to school shopping as of Saturday morning. We went to all the usual places and there really were some great sales so I got sucked in! We bought a bunch of the 3 pack socks for a $1, 2 for $8 underwear packs and $10 jeans at Old Navy. I probably should have stopped there but nope, that just got me started! Ha ha! Nolan was pretty excited about all of the shopping and did a good job trying on everything and helping me pick out what he liked. We even got to see Max from Max and Ruby on Saturday. I expected the shopping experience to be awful because it was tax free weekend but some how we made it in and out of everywhere without really having any problems. Once we got home with our new stuff, he did a little fashion show for Scott and decided what to wear. I tried to tell him that it would be hot, but he was stuck on one outfit so of course I let him wear it. At least it was a thin cotton long sleeved shirt. He picked out the shirt all on his own and brought it to me to try on at the store. Too cute! We spent the late afternoon on Sunday cleaning out his drawers and closet. I packed up all of the stuff that it too little and put it in the attic for Hud. We hung up his new stuff, laced his new shoes and took all of the underwear and socks out of their packages. Then we went to the grocery store and he picked out special stuff that he wanted to take in his lunch this week. He really wanted baloney which I guess he has eaten at MiMi's cause I don't like it and have never bought it before. When we got home we packed his lunch - baloney sandwich, cheese stick, operation fruit snacks, organic cheese puffs and apple juice. (and a secret note that I stashed in it later that night!) He was such a big helper all day! He is ready for school in every sense - why is it that I'm not?
Me + P
Scott called me last month when I was at the lake with my mom to let me know that they had just announced that Paul McCartney was going to be playing at the new Cowboys Stadium in August. I was in shock - it was something we absolutely had to do. Let me back up a little and give you a brief run down on me + P. (Paul McCartney of course) My dad was always a music guru. He knew every artist and every genre of music. We listened to everything at out house growing up. He would play "name that tune" with us in the car on any road trip and could typically guess a song in a few seconds flat everytime. Music was just kinda his thing. He never played an instrument or sang in a band - he just loved music. In fact, I don't really think that my dad could even sing very well. (might be where I got the lack of vocal abilities!) I have said it before but it's worth saying again, music just makes the soundtrack of our lives. That is the amazing thing about music - it takes you back instantly to a time or place. I love that about it. Growing up we of course knew who the Beatles where, I knew that John Lennon had died when I was just a baby but really that was about it. My feelings toward the Beatles was much different than that of my father. He KNEW them, he had real memories of them, he related to their music in a way I know I will never have the privilege of doing. As did many many other lucky people on this earth. When I was a sophomore in high school the Beatles released a new album. The first project for them in like 25 years (or something close to that). It was a BIG project - they unearthed lots of old original tracks recorded by the Beatles in their early years. There were three parts to the Anthology albums and a huge documentary to go with it. It was a collection like no other. When it was to be released they had a special on TV about it and showed part of the documentary. I watched it with my dad. That was really the first time I began to understand what and who The Beatles really were. It was so fascinating to me - maybe I was just at the right age or it was that my dad really opened up about a lot of stories while we were watching it and his "take" on what was happening in the world during that time. It was like history lesson that I really enjoyed. I then wanted to learn everything I could about them and hear all their music. I really became a bit obsessed with them during that time. I don't even know what it was about them that sucked me in all those years after their height of fame but isn't that how it is with every icon in history? They just have "it" - whatever that might be! I just remember being so impressed with all the their music - how creative and unique it was. I also realized how many Beatles songs I had known but didn't know it was them. I did have memories of their songs, just different ones than my parents. Their music was copied by many and I was surprised how I knew the remakes of their songs but never knew it was a Beatles song until then. I am sure that is sad to some people but to me it made me even that much more amazed at their talent. I hung their posters on my walls, I bought their music, I wore their t-shirts...it was Beatlemania. (Okay, well maybe not but in my little world it was!) I think I have always had a thing for old stuff - just like my 65 Mustang that my dad restored for me. It was fitting that i loved the 60's so much with my Beatles and my car. Anyways, that it what started my love for them and why it was such a special night to get to go see Paul McCartney play. We had floor seats and had a fantastic view. They didn't allow cameras in but of course I snuck mine in anyway and snapped a few pics. I was fearful they would take it away but happy with the few I got! The stadium was cool but not quite as big as I thought it would be. Weird, I know. He was amazing and put on the best show. Lots of Beatles and Wings songs - all of which I LOVE. He played for three hours and it was AWESOME! Something I will probably never see again. I love Scott for understanding and sharing my love in the Beatles. We both were in tears a few times during the night. It definitely goes down in the record books for one of the best nights of my life.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Kiss Your Brain
Nolan had a Kindergarten assessment last week. This was exciting because he was going to meet with a teacher to get a benchmark to start the school year. He practiced his letters and numbers at MiMi's before I came to pick him up. In the car we talked about his school and what they would probably ask him. When we got there, Nolan walked right in and introduced himself to the teacher (so cute) and she took him back to talk with him. I went to the cafeteria to pick up his school supplies and to check out the different things the school was selling. It's gonna be a battle from here on out with school crap to buy. I know that, but for right now it's super exciting! I want him to have the school shirt, the yearbook, the pencil bag, etc! Poor Hudson, will probably have to use Nolan's hand-me-downs and I wont buy him a thing. Ha Ha! I also had to fill out a little form on Nolan and answer questions such as "Does your child share?", "Does your child play well with others?". My response on a lot of the questions was "sometimes" YIKES! It's the truth; no point in making my kid into some sort of saint when they will know the truth after the first few days. :) At the bottom of the page they asked for any additional comments and so I put "Nolan is a very smart, very strong-willed child." Let them draw their own conclusions. The teacher and Nolan came back right after I finished the form. She told me that Nolan said that he is the smartest kid in the school. I then told her that I didn't that we would have an issue with self-confidence. She laughed. She then told me that they have a saying that she told Nolan about. When you do something that helps you learn then she tells them "Kiss Your Brain" kinda like a pat on the back but it's a kiss for your brain instead. She said that most of the kids just listen and nod like they understand what she is telling them and then at the end of their evaluation she tells them to "Kiss Your Brain" because they did a good job. She knows that they typically don't really get the concept but that it's something they say all year in school so after a while they get it. She then told me that she told Nolan about the "Kiss Your Brain" saying and he nodded - she then asked him to write his name. Nolan wrote his name and then slammed down the pencil and kissed the palm of his hand and slapped his forehead and said "Yep - Kiss My Brain". She said it made her laugh so hard - she has never had a student that has done that before. I just smiled and said "Like I said, I am not really worried about Nolan having a lack of self-confidence." We both laughed. We are off to a great school year and it doesn't even start until next week!
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