Labor Day Weekend

With only a week of school under our belts, we were feeling optimistic about the school year, yet already deserving of a break. We spent Labor Day in the mountains enjoying nature.

I was especially looking forward to apple picking at SkyTop Orchard. We knew there would be crowds since Labor Day weekend is the most popular time at this orchard. The weather was gorgeous. Thankfully the crowds were manageable. Most of the people came the Saturday and Sunday before, taking all the beloved honeycrisp apples with them!

Prior to this weekend, we'd only ever picked apples at local farms where there is a minimal apple selection. I was in awe of the vast orchards, scenic mountains, and variety of apples. 

While the apples were still in abundance, the majority were higher up in the trees.

The challenge proved to be an added bonus for Jackson!

The girls were precious, carefully examining each apple and stopping to pose for pictures.

As much as we tried to dissuade James, he felt the need to take a bite out of each and every apple he selected.

Perhaps he learned from his father...

We continued to fill baskets until the kids could no longer carry the weight.

We began our hike back to the checkout area.

While Jesse and Jackson took the baskets to be weighed, I took the trio to the play area. 

The trio favored the tiny houses. It's a small miracle that James didn't fall out of the window.

After purchasing the apples, we sampled SkyTop's famous doughnuts, cider, and slushies.

Jesse was content to drive back home, especially considering we had to get ready for school the next day. I encouraged him to stick with the original plan of  returning to DuPont Forest, the place we had visited over the summer. This time we came prepared with bathing suits, towels, and a picnic lunch.

As we approached the parking lot to the falls, cars were lined along the road on both sides. We pulled into the lot and watched cars circling to go back on the main road. Jesse still advocated going home. We lucked out by being behind a car backing out in one of the front spaces.

We changed into our suits and began the short walk to Hooker Falls.

The falls was overflowing with happy families--laid out along the rocks, splashing in the water, grilling at the picnic tables, floating, etc. We found a shaded spot and ate our picnic lunch.

The water was an exhilarating cold. The kids' reactions ranged from barely dipping toes in the water to having to hold them back from diving in the falls.

We ventured closer to the falls to get a better look and hop along the rocks.

Jackson and I continued further, making our way to the base of the waterfall. 

We walked back towards the van, changed clothes in the porta johns, and headed home. Our drive home was prolonged due to enormous traffic from the Apple Festival Parade in Hendersonville.

The traffic delayed us so much that we weren't able to cook dinner at home at a reasonable time. We stopped on the way in Gastonia for dinner.

Jackson had been asking about his grandma and grandpa a surprising amount, so I decided to show him where they were buried. Growing up, I was forced to regularly visit graves and became very detached from them. Of course, Jackson never met either grandparent so there wasn't any sorrow or longing to the event. His reaction was very literal and childlike.

I wanted to give the kids a final chance to burn off energy since they had been in the van for so long and it would be bedtime when we returned home. We had an impromptu park play date with my sister, niece, and nephew.

We were even surprised with a visit by the ice cream truck.

By the time we got home, we changed the kids into pajamas and went to bed. It was a very memorable Labor Day and a fantastic example of spending a fun day together with the family!

Back to School ABC's

Since there's so much to discuss and this has been a highly anticipated week of back to school, I thought I'd make a classic ABC update.

A is for ASEP
Even though that acronym stands for After School Enrichment Program, it also includes before school. I decided to enroll Jackson in before school so I will not have to worry about finding regular care during staff meetings and early planning days. Since I am a CMS employee, Jackson will also be able to attend the program on workdays and early release days. I plan to arrive around 7:15 every morning so I can leave as early as possible (ideally 4 pm).

B is for Bloomz
James' teacher uses an app called Bloomz. She is amazing at posting daily photos of the kids, a Question of the Day, links to songs or books they read, and general announcements. Jesse and I both appreciate being able to know what is going on in James' classroom each day.

C is for Cleaning Service
For years, I rolled my eyes and judged anyone who hired cleaning services. How lazy could someone be, right?  Only spoiled, wealthy people hired maids. I'm about to eat my words because our first scheduled housecleaning will occur this Thursday and I cannot wait!

D is for Drop Off
Jesse handles everything with the trio, due to the proximity of his school to the trio's preschool. I asked him to tell me about drop off. He said:

"Drop off is not easy because Maddie chooses not to walk every day. So if James and Amelia are being stubborn, it's almost impossible. They're supposed to wash their hands before they go in, which is not easy. They fight over the soap and stools. James inevitably has four feet of paper towels rolled out. The girls cry everyday. It's the least favorite part of my day."

E is for Exhausted
I forgot the level of exhaustion that hits after the first week of school. After a particularly sedentary summer filled with almost daily naps, our new schedule has been especially tiresome!

F is for Feet
Anyone who knows me is aware of how much I hate shoes. One of the biggest adjustments for me has been wearing shoes. Even strappy, flat sandals is uncomfortable. I bring flip flops to wear before and after school because my feet are swollen by the end of the day.

G is for Google Drive
No matter what question I have, the answer is always, "Look on Google Drive". Flashdrives are obsolete. People don't email each other. Everything is on Google Drive. Navigating my way through NC EdCloud, the various Google apps, and iPad has been a major adjustment. I feel so old and outdated! Every fourth grader in our district was just issued a Chromebook, so I'm having to learn how to best utilize that for personal instruction. So far my favorite technological advance (which has nothing to do with Google Drive) is using the document camera. I love letting the students share their work!

H is for Hummingbird Class
Both Maddie and Amelia are now in the Hummingbird class. I was originally upset about the trio being in individual classes, but it quickly became a non-issue. Last week Maddie's teacher called and asked if we would allow Amelia to join Maddie's class. Their school is also the EC preschool for the district. After an EC student dropped out, they needed to quickly re-balance the number of EC and tuition students. I think both girls are happier now that they are together.

I is for Impetigo
We only lasted a week before James and Maddie developed impetigo. Their welcome gift to preschool included open sores on their body. A doctor's visit, antibiotics, prescription cream, and lots of bandaids later--we hope they heal quickly!

J is for Jackson
Jackson has been so flexible and easy going these past two weeks. Between workdays and staggered entry, we had to find childcare for 9 days. Thankfully I have an exceptional group of mom friends who provided the bulk of childcare. Jesse's mom took the week off and helped us out for a few days as well. Jackson never wanted to leave and always had great stories about things he played with and places he went.

K is for Kindergarten Open House
Jackson and I attended his open house this past Friday morning. I am happy with his teacher and am optimistic that he'll thrive. Our school ability groups in every grade level. I refrained from asking if he was in a higher or lower class, because I really don't want to analyze my 5 year old and compare him to others. I still feel guilty about what long days he will have (9 hours at school), but I know he'll adjust.

L is for Lunch
All six of us are now able or required to eat lunch in the cafeteria. The trio's lunches are included in their tuition and Jackson's school has free breakfast and lunch for ALL students. Jackson has requested to pack his lunch, which I can't blame him. It's nice not having to pack so many lunches.

M is for Monday Planning
One of the most appealing things about my school while I was interviewing was the fact that they have a weekly two hour planning session. From 8 am to 10:15, our grade level is able to sit down with a facilitator and plan for the upcoming week. Unfortunately, our planning day is Monday. We did not get planning the first day of school and there is no school because of Labor Day. This means we're more or less on our own the first three weeks of school. It has been a LOT of work blindly planning all subjects for a new grade level on my own. I am hoping things settle down in a few weeks when we're able to have planning time, though Mondays are the most commonly missed school days.

N is for North Carolina
After teaching 8th grade ELA the past few years, Jesse is now teaching Social Studies. I am now teaching 4th grade after having only taught 5th grade. We are both learning new curriculum, and they both include NC History. We both taught about the regions of NC last week. My students made edible maps of NC using various cereals and candies.

O is for Oil Filter
By far the craziest part of my week was when my car completely shut off while merging onto the interstate. Thankfully I had just dropped Jackson off with a friend. To back track a bit, Jesse had taken the car for an oil change a few days before. I drove it with no problems for three days. Thursday morning, the oil indicator light lit up. Within minutes, the entire car stopped. I ended up being late to work waiting to be towed. A police officer pulled up behind me and said, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" He helped move my car onto the grass, and nearly got run over in the process. It was a highly intense moment. It turns out that the oil filter fell out. Thankfully the oil change place is taking full responsibility and will take care of expenses. At this point I don't know the fate of the car.

P is for Paycheck
For the first time in three years, we are officially a dual income family. Payday was exciting, though it was less money than I expected. So much is taken out because of taxes, insurance for the kids, and opting for 12 month pay rather than 10 month pay. We should be very comfortable this summer when we aren't paying for preschool and before school care.

Q is for Questions
The first week is basically nothing but questions. Jesse and I have filled out countless surveys and forms for each of the kids. We've also asked our students many questions through ice breakers and community building activities. As someone new to the school and grade level, I have numerous questions about where things are located and what resources are available.

R is for Rental Car
The day that the oil filter fell out, the tow truck driver was kind enough to drop me off at school. The friend who kept Jackson picked me up from work and dropped Jackson and I off at Enterprise. Unfortunately, there wasn't a single rental car available because of Labor Day weekend. Jackson and I wandered around the area until Jesse and the trio picked us up and we tried a different rental company. It was such a long day, but I've been driving around a rather nice rental car this weekend.

S is for Superhero Classroom
For the first time in my teaching career, my classroom decor has a theme. The teacher before me left some superhero border. I took the theme and ran with it. It was well received by the kids.

T is for Teammates
Both Jesse and I have joined a new team. My team is unique in the fact that all five of us are brand new to the school and have never taught 4th grade. We get along well so far, but haven't had much opportunity to collaborate.

U is for Understanding
I have a totally new perspective and understanding now that I am a parent of school age children. I didn't think I would feel any different because I had gone back to work when Jackson was a baby. But now that I have four kids in school, my role as a teacher feels even more significant. I am still strict and a bit sarcastic, but I am overall more nurturing and think of each kid as someone's child first, and my student second. I'm also making effective parent communication a priority.

V is for Village
I frequently say, "It takes a village", but this week I truly relied on my village. From being stranded on the interstate, needing childcare every day, requiring help with transportation, learning a new school/grade level/curriculum, and simply returning to the classroom in general, I have needed a great amount of support. I have been blessed to receive so much love via texts and Facebook messages checking in on me during this transition.

W is for Wardrobe Changes
At least one child has come home wearing new clothes every single day. The reasons so far have included mud, spilled drink, applesauce, and falling in the toilet. It's impossible to keep up with laundry. The good news is that James is allowed to wear pull ups, so we aren't having the stress of multiple accidents a day. He's not staying dry 100% of the time, but the teacher will work on potty training with him soon.

X is for eXpenses
Okay, that is a bit of a stretch for x, but I'm going with it. While tuition for the trio is discounted, it's nearly twice as much as our mortgage. I also chose to enroll Jackson in before school, which is an additional expense. I have no idea what is going on with my car. There's a very real possibility that they will call it totaled and give me the amount of money it's worth. We are still more than comfortable financially, but we won't be saving quite as much as I anticipated.

Y is for YMCA
Realizing we'll never have the time, we cancelled our Y membership. Childcare hours are from 9 am to 1 pm and we would always have children with us. Our days are too long as is, so the Y was an easy expense to cut. Jesse and I have a stationary bicycle, elliptical, and T25 videos we can utilize whenever we find our groove and get the motivation.

Z is for Zebra
Amelia was in the Zebra class before getting switched to Maddie's hummingbird class. Amelia is so funny about the zebra. She'll randomly say, "I'm Amelia the Zebra". I had a picture book with a giraffe on it and she said, "Oh, you're the giraffe class?" They are all fixated on what animal they are.

Guest Post: Jackson's First Day of Kindergarten

[Today was not an accurate portrayal of kindergarten, but it was Jackson's first day and he's been looking forward to this for months. At our school, the first day is used as an assessment/screening day where students rotate in small groups to different kindergarten teachers. Jackson will attend Open House on Friday. At that time he'll be assigned a teacher and he will have a  permanent classroom next Tuesday.]

I went to school. I played in Mommy's room and read a story to all the pretend persons. Mommy did some work. I went to my hallway. After that I stepped in and said hi to my teachers. I colored.

I played some songs and watched something. One was Dracula and Ghostbusters.

Then I went into another classroom. I played with blocks in that classroom.

Then I went into another classroom. A teacher asked me a bunch of questions. They asked me my letters and to count tiny blocks. They tested our colors. And a circle test. And what number would come after that.

I went to lunch and talked to my teacher. The cafeteria was really loud. I ate my lunch.

I played outside on the playground then go inside.

Then I went to another classroom. I played with blocks in that one, too. And then the fire alarm went off. I had to go outside just like Mommy. We just went back and finished our story.

We go our lunchboxes and waited in line, then we went back to Mommy's classroom for a tiny bit. Then I went home. That's how long kindergarten is.

First Day of Preschool--In Our Words

Here's a recount of the trio's first day of school, as retold by each of us.

Bonnie
Mornings can be hectic. We did the best we could to ensure a smooth morning, packing backpacks and picking out clothes the night before. Thankfully we don't have to make lunches since two snacks and a hot lunch are included with tuition. Amelia was a gleeful early riser, but we had to wake everyone else up. James and Maddie weren't the least bit cooperative with their obligatory "first day of school" pictures.

All thrree teachers communicated with parents during the day. James' teacher has a parent-teacher communication app where she posted photos of the kids. Amelia's teacher emailed pictures. It was nice to see their faces during the workday, though Jesse and I were both busy.

Jesse and the kids returned home around 4:30. Everyone was talkative and eager to talk about their day. I was able to get better photos of James and Maddie, as well as a mediocre group shot.

James had homework to create a collage to hang in his room. We went to Walgreens to pick up collage prints I had ordered. James took his first homework assignment of decorating the cutout very seriously.

I think they had a great first day, but you don't have to take my word for it...

Amelia

Uh, I eat lunch at school. I eat goldfish. Drink orange juice. I play pretend food. My friends are going to help cook. I pee pee in the potty. Look at my back. It has my name on it. I'm a zebra and I'm in the zebra class. I sang alligator. It say chomp chomp chomp. I sleep in the white bed. And my friend is sleeping over there in the white bed, too. And check out my paper I painted. And look what I got at school. I got that. (holds up welcome certificate) My teacher said, "Amelia Zebra go to school."

Maddie

I just play at school. I play food and naked baby. I eat lunch in my classroom. I had cereal and goldfish and pretzels. And orange juice. I have teachers, an animal teacher. I paint a rainbow. I sang the monkey song. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 monkeys fell off the bed. I have a nasty nose. I sleep on the floor. And just play when I wake up. Then potty. I went outside and played but it was hot. 

James

I eat cereal and burgers. I just play with a friend in the classroom. I played with playground. Teacher take my shoes off and I take a nap. I pee pee on the potty. I make pictures.

Jesse

Well I dropped them off. We had to sign in and wash their hands. They picked out their cubbies for before school. They picked out three cubbies beside each other. As soon as Amelia and Maddie had their name badges on they were gone. I didn't even see where they went. There were a ton of kids there. James didn't leave me. He had to be coaxed away by one of the teacher assistants. No one cried. 

I picked them up about a quarter to 4:00. We had to sign them out and I had to walk to the classroom to get them.  

James was holding a tactile object. He put it in his backpack but Ms. Barrett made him put it back. She said he did a good job. He napped for a long time and he peed in the potty all day. 

Amelia ran in the hallway as soon as she saw me. Her teacher said she did really well. Amelia said bye to all her friends.  

Maddie didn't care when we got there because she was drinking her orange juice. Her teacher asked if she had eczema. She was talking to James and Amelia while Maddie finished her juice. 

Preschool Open House

Last night was Open House for James, Amelia, and Madeline. I had worked myself up into hysterics the day before when we received phone calls from each of their teachers, inviting us to attend Open House. Going back to work has been emotionally draining as is. I've spent nearly every waking hour with James, Amelia, and Maddie since their birth. I had just assumed that the triplets would be in the same class. Once I realized they were in three separate classes, I wanted nothing more than to stay home and keep my babies together. [insert ugly cry here]

Open House was a grand success that put my mind at ease. (Jesse wasn't concerned to begin with, but we're coming from different experiences.) The 3's classes are animal themed. Amelia is in the Zebra class. Maddie is a Hummingbird. James is a Lion.  

When we arrived, there was a line of assistants there to help. Once we walked in they said "These must be the triplets". Assistants escorted us to each of the kids' rooms. We had to complete the same survey and take family pictures in each room, but I guess that's to be expected. The kids were so happy in their rooms. There were so many centers and learning areas! Maddie and Amelia's rooms were the same size and set-up, and only a few doors down from one another.

James' room is further down in a separate building. I was most worried about James, but he was the most engaged with the staff. All teachers are certified birth-preK and obviously experienced working with preschoolers. They pretty much stayed on the floor, playing and interacting with the kids.

James' teacher stood out among the others. (The above picture is an assistant.) She was very calm and nurturing. Several of her former students (now 4 year olds) came in  hugging her and saying how much they loved her. She picked them up, swung them around, and embraced them in huge hugs.

The other relieving news was that James can wear pull-ups and they will work with him to potty train. Both girls used the bathroom in their classes. They were excited about having a "little potty".

One last noteworthy thing that I haven't mentioned before is the school they are attending is also where the EC preK students for the county attend. Each class has a lead teacher and 1-2 assistants, along with a plethora of specialists that come in as necessary. I love that the kids will be mixed together in the same classes.

I'm really proud of how well they acclimated, though I'm curious if they'll do as well Monday when they're being dropped off.

On the way out, they couldn't resist playing on one of the many playgrounds. Maddie scooted on her bottom most of the way. James tried walking but ended up crawling. Amelia waited until it was clear and then sprinted across. They are so different and I'm very curious to see how their personalities develop independent from one another.

Jesse will be handling all drop off and pick ups since the preschool is closer to his school. I'm very anxious to hear how their first few days go next week!

Fleas!

It's not really something I'd like to share, but I know in several years Jesse and I will say, "Remember that summer we had fleas?"  I'm embarrassed to admit the flea situation has gotten so out of control that all six of us have bite marks, especially around our ankles. Zelda has alternated between indoors and outdoors for over a year but we just recently noticed a problem within the past month. Things have escalated quickly. 

Jesse has really taken the bull by the horns in the battle against fleas. His attempts have been expensive and ineffective. So far he has purchased..

• flea shampoo, then bathed each of the cats multiple times
• an all natural flea spray to treat the cats and bedding
• Hot Shot to spray the edge of carpets
• flea collars for each of the cats
• a new vacuum since ours wasn't effective

Our new plan is $100 worth of Advantage oral drops and a professional spray through our regularly contracted pest control. The pest control was originally scheduled to come out today, but we rescheduled for Monday. We have to be out of the house for a minimum of four hours after treatment. We also need to remove all bedding and objects off the floor.

Let's hope we get the flea situation under control ASAP!

Ten Trips Update

At the beginning of the summer I made a summer bucket list with ten trips I wanted to take. Due to extreme heat, potty training, and unexpected wisdom teeth removal, we only completed eight items on my list. Here's a recap of our summer adventures:

Greensboro, NC--Greensboro Science Center, parks, splash pad ($71 value)
Visited on June 8 on June 8. 

Troutman, NC--Zootastic (only free on Teacher Appreciation Day-$67 value)
 Visited on June 16.

Norfolk, VA--Virginia Zoo, Nauticus and Wisconsin Battleship, Virginia Air and Space Museum (Hampton), Children's Museum of Virginia in Portsmouth, Virginia Living Museum (Newport News) ($331 value)
Visited on June 19-21 This was hands down the best trip of the summer!

Asheville, NC--WNC Nature Center, Arboretum, Looking Glass Falls ($61 value)
Visited June 29-30   Instead of Looking Glass Falls, we went to DuPont Forest to Hooker Falls. We also went to Mount Mitchell and some extra hiking along the Parkway.

High Country, NC--Linville Falls, Grandfather Mountain
Visited on July 29 We added a stop to Linville Caverns as well.

Raleigh, NC--Marbles Museum, NC Museum of Natural Sciences ($30 value)

Durham, NC--Museum of Life and Science ($88 value)
Combined trip on August 5

Wilmington, NC--Aquarium at Fort Fisher, Kure Beach, Cape Fear Museum ($86 value)
Visited on August 12

The following two trips did not make the cut, but will hopefully become fall day trips since they are both less than two hours away.

Asheboro, NC--NC Zoo ($47 value)

Greenville/Spartanburg, SC--Roper Mountain Science Center, Greenville Zoo, Hub City Railroad Museum ($85 value)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

I included the cost of admission because I am amazed at how far we've stretched our Discovery Place membership this summer alone. We also visited the local Discovery Place museums a handful of times. Each visit would have cost our family $60-$86. Our annual family membership cost $140, though we saved over $1,000 in various museum admissions this summer. Moral of the story, take advantage of museum reciprocity!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Here's a quick list of things our family experienced this summer:

• Stood inches away from giraffes, tigers, panda bears, zebras, cows
• Saw real dinosaur fossils, replicas of dinosaur skeletons, and animatronic dinosaurs that spit and roared at us.
• Hiked multiple trails of varying difficulty
• Swam/jumped in the Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, Lake Norman, streams
• Hiked to three different waterfalls
• Went inside a real cave, experienced total darkness
• Walked across the Mile High Swinging Bridge multiple times
• Stood at the summit of Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi
• Toured inside a battleship
• Visited multiple aquariums and touch tanks, pet a shark
• Geocached at the arboretum
• Explored excellent children's museums in multiple cities/states
• Climbed through a maze of tree houses
• Attended a minor league baseball game
• Rode a train and toured NC Transportation Museum (free day!)
• Dressed like cows for Chick-Fil-A day
• Saw a movie at the theater

The summer went by incredibly fast, but we certainly made the most of our time! Ready or not, it's time to begin another set of adventures.