June Happenings, a/k/a the week I home schooled my kids

June.. the last month of school. With only a few weeks left, and nothing but endless class parties and beach trips to look forward to, I was gearing up for the final stretch. Unfortunately, the universe was not on board with my plan, as I soon discovered.

"Mrs Trimarchi, can you please call me back as soon as possible? We need to discuss something urgently. There's been a confirmed case of chicken pox in your daughter's class this week," said the chirpy voice on my phone message.

Most kids these days get the chicken pox, i.e Varicella/varivax vaccine early on, and a booster at roughly 5 or 6.  Mina had both of them before we moved to Bermuda.  So I wasn't too worried about her. 



Unfortunately, there's this guy to worry about.  He can't have a live virus vaccine like this one.  As a transplant patient, chicken pox is considered "life threatening" according to his cardiac transplant team, whom I immediately consulted.



"You'll have to pull him out of school, to be completely safe.  If he is exposed, he will have to be hospitalized and given antibodies to fight it off.  It's preferable to keep him home."

And so we did.  In an abundance of caution, we kept Mina home too.  Just for a week, to see how severe the virus was spreading in the school.  The lower primary school had 16 confirmed cases, which then made it up to the upper primary through siblings.  Jordan and Mina are at the upper primary, so I was hoping their exposure during the incubation phase was minimal.



Of course, I was also worried about this guy, who is too young to get the shot.




So, with all three kids at home, and unfortunately no sitter that week, I created a school plan:

Reading
Math
Science/I.T. (computer work)
Practical skills
Music
History
Art

Each day, we got to it.  It wasn't easy, but the kids rallied and actually did the work.  They read daily, practiced their instruments, worked on art projects, including one Mina had due in school the next week.  We studied a history lesson (Bermuda Heroes Day) and learned how to research a topic online using multiple sources.  The kids learned about the history of vaccines, and as part of their computer work, created a narrated power point presentation which we sent to their teachers.  We got a field trip in as well to the local aquarium (a first for Theo).  For practical skills, they learned how to do their own laundry and read a recipe and make it from scratch.  And to celebrate, had a beach day on Friday.

Best parts:
No rush out the door in the mornings, so Mina could sleep in.  No lunch packing or yelling to "Don't forget your water bottle!"  We got to decide when we wanted to do what lesson, and the kids could choose what they felt like working on.  If they wanted more time on something (Mina's 3D chair construction) then they could do it, as long as they worked on the rest of the items later.

Worst part:
Having no real clue what I was doing and winging it.
Nagging, as usual.
Juggling baby through various tasks while supervising big kids working.  Still finding time for the daily grind of grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc.

But, we survived.  Kids are back in school now for the final days.  A couple more cases of chicken pox, but I think they made it through the worst of it (fingers crossed.)

God bless the teachers, and especially those who manage to do it at home with their kids. 

You are amazingly patient human beings.  One week was fun, but I can see the novelty wearing off very quickly.

Back to school - 2014/15

How can September properly begin without the annual back to school pic?



P4 and P5 respectively, ie 3rd and 4th graders heading off to Saltus.  Excuse me for a minute while I admire the blinding whiteness of those polo shirts and white knee socks.  It goes without saying that they will not look like this by the end of the month.

The kids were less than thrilled about returning to school.  Both arrived back in Bermuda, late Saturday night after a week's visit to Grandma H.  They filled me in on all the details of their adventures and endless desserts. 





I guess it's hard to compete with fishing on a boat, hot chocolate for breakfast, blueberry cheesecake and water parks.  Thanks Grandma H and Michael!  We were worried this trip wouldn't happen after Jordan was hospitalized unexpectedly.  I'm glad you guys were able to reschedule and make it such a fun experience.

Jordan's project - show and tell.

Jordan's Show and Tell project - visiting Grand Cayman.

 

This year's attempt involved more effort on his part than last years (bringing our dog Oscar to school), so I applauded that.  But for the life of me, I couldn't really understand why he chose to focus on a few hours spent on Grand Cayman rather than something more encompassing - like, e.g, the week on the Disney Cruise.

"What was it about Grand Cayman that you liked so much?"

"I liked the flag.  It was colorful."

"Ok.. but apart from that, what was it about being in Grand Cayman that you liked?  What would you want to tell people about?"

"The beaches.  I like the beach."

Sometimes, it is a struggle getting someone to open up about an experience, especially when he is just 9 years old.  I mentally pictured how one would convey the glory of a Cayman beach to a bunch of kids from Bermuda - home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

I went with it though.  We did some research online to identify all the components of the flag and what they represented (the turtle, the pineapple, the waves, the motto.)  We studied the origins of the country and a brief history of its ownership. We printed out some pictures and discussed layout and design.  Then we sat down and planned a little about what he would say.  I made him jot down those notes on the poster board so he would remember them when standing up before the class.

Public speaking takes practice.  Notes help.  It's also amazing to me how comfortable the kids are these days doing research online.  I still monitor it, but they get the concept of key word searches and the different search engines they can use. 

Reluctant Runners.

In-house cross country meet.



The kids' school is very big on sports, whether you like them or not. 

Coming from a background of athletics my whole life, I applaud the sentiment, but part of me resents the amount of time they devote to promoting sports during school hours.  It's purely economics.  I'd rather the massive sums we pay in tuition be utilized for more time on math, science and reading.  That's it.  Keep the recesses and gym classes to burn off energy.  Those kids that want to play sports, should do it after school as part of their extra curriculars. 

That's what we did.  I played tennis, softball, rugby.  I joined the ski club in the winters and even played some basketball to keep occupied.  But we did it after school.  And we didn't drag kids into it kicking and screaming.

What we used to call Field Day, now takes two full days of pageantry during the day.  There's races, and races and races.. and odd sorts of races for those kids that don't actually like running.  Think walking with a tennis racket and balancing a ball.  There's also this cross country meet which every child must practice for at gym class and then perform one morning before parents and spectators.  They time the kids to try and improve their scores. See that field out there in the back?  They have to run it twice.  It probably works out to about a half mile, slightly more.  There's also a huge  all morning swim gala (I was there last year - the nurse brought Jordan over to me after he competed because he complained of dizziness), and an in house soccer tournament (days and weeks).

All of this occurs during school hours with much fanfare and awards given out during school assemblies.  The kids get all riled up and the winning "house" gets awarded a plaque to display under their house name in the gym.  Yes, the kid are grouped into houses.  Very Harry Potter. 

Needless to say, if you're a sporty type of kid, this is fabulous.

If you're Mina, it pretty much sucks.

She looks very brave up there, but when I arrived at the field, she was sobbing.

Poor kiddo.  I don't fully understand it, since the two of us have run together several times before.  She always seemed to enjoy that.  Maybe it's the competition.  Maybe it's the fuss.  Maybe it's the fact that she doesn't shine at sports the same way she does socially  or academically in the classroom.  She's a perfectionist, alas.

I think it's a shame, since running for me has been such a cathartic and enjoyable experience.  The way it's promoted so heavily in the schools here has turned Mina off to it.  I think back to my sports, and I distinctly recall coaches using running as a punishment.  If you were goofing off or not following the game plan - you did laps.  It wasn't until later in life that I realized running was fun in and of itself.

Maybe Mina will get there ... on her own time... once she learns the only person she has to compete with is herself.

Miss Bean had a very good, no, in fact - fabulous - day at school on Friday.  Not only was she recognized for outstanding results on her math exams, she also won a special "Good Conduct Award."  Her "high standards in everything she does," did not go unnoticed by the teachers at Saltus.

My only regret is that no one from the school informed us she would be getting the award at assembly that day.  Had I known, I would have been rocking the front and center seats, armed with my Nikon D90.

I did make her pose immediately when she got home.  She was so modest in the car ride when she told me about it!!

Little Bean - she really does have exceptionally high standards for herself... to the point where several teachers have told me she is a complete perfectionist and will burst into tears if she gets a single word wrong on spelling tests.  Her teacher this year pointed it out at parent teacher conference.

teacher:  Mrs Trimarchi.. you know.. Mina was very upset when she only got 18 out of 19 words right on the spelling quiz.  She said to me, "Anything less than 100% is a failure!"  Now where would she learn something like that??

Me:  My goodness!!  I can't even imagine! 

Except, of course I can imagine. 

Sigh.  Just call me Tiger Mom.

Halloween comes to Saltus, 2013.

Dreaming of..



Halloween!!



Both kids had their class parties last Friday.  It also happened to be the last day of school before the traditional "mid term break," in Bermuda.  A break for a whole week, just in time to enjoy Halloween night - what more could one ask for!



I know.  Glitter pumpkins, obviously!  With a wee witchy hat.  Oh Pinterest.



At Jordan's party, we organized tables into craft and gaming stations.  The gooey gak is always a favorite.  As I cut out the straws, I pictured the kids burying their faces into the gooey gak (it's slime.  The recipes vary, but this one is combo of Borax and Elmer's glue.) 

If you stick the straw into it, and blow, you come up with enormous bubbles. 

You have to be a kid to understand.



See?



I loved this craft - mummy sticks!  The teacher printed out each child's face to attach to stick skeletons.  Wrapped in gauze, the effect looks very mummy-ish! 

Not mummy in the Brit sense.



Although I did the baking, I begged to be put at any other table.  I can bake, but I really, wanted to avoid the gaggle of kids decorating.  (ugh.. sticky frosting, sticky little hands, bits and bobs of candy flying everywhere!)

Armed with a color printout and loads of candy accessories to decorate - a dear granny assistant manned the table.  I hid my smile.  She was dressed so nice too.



The kids always love this station.  I know.. I've handled it in Mina's class one year.  It was definitely the happiest table in the room.  The ants (always present in massive formations in Bermuda) were also having a field day.

Sugar highs.



Crazy sugar highs!



Jordan's masterpiece. 

I like the bloody, red eyes.  Looks like some Polyvysol is in order.  This is the stuff they sell over the counter here in Bermuda to treat pink eye.  It amazes me you can just walk in and get this without a prescription.  I recall having to go to a doctor in the US, for a full exam before he would prescribe anything.

The pain killer, Alleve however does requires a prescription.  Not that I use it, but my doctor made a point of mentioning it to me the other day. 

He was trained in the US, and married a Bermudian.  So, he has been working in BDA for a long time.  He mentioned patients who are partial to Alleve, will buy big vats of it at Costco and bring it back to Bermuda in their luggage.

I laughed, because I think all of us in BDA have certain things we are cramming into our suitcases to bring back here from trips abroad. 

Jeff is partial to golf balls and Fiber One bars.  Yay Costco!



Back to the Halloween party - I was happily stationed at the beading table!  Jordan presents his masterpiece, Oriental Trading necklace. 

Never let it be said that beading is for the girls only. 

While I manned the table, many little men came over and spent just as much time designing their necklaces.  They are too cute in all their seriousness.

Jordan was in his element that day.  Barred from wearing actual costumes, the kids were encouraged to wear "Fall colours."  Yes, colours with a "u."

I've never seen so much orange all in one place... well, except for Dutch soccer games.  Also an amazing sight.

I'm one of the assistant class mom's for both kids. This year's Class moms are so super-organized and creative. We held a planning meeting at the start of October to discuss the class parties!  And everyone came up with such great ideas. I'm loving this group. Those print out labels alone made my day.

I'm so sad the kids are back to school....

hahahahaha!



Monday marked the return to normalcy in our household. I for one, am breathing a hearty sigh of relief. In the hopes of starting the new school year right, we tried to get ourselves organized in the preceeding weeks.

Yeah. That went well.

Day One:

Jeff wakes up at the crack of dawn. Oscar, sensing food must be coming, leaps up and starts tippy tapping his doggie nails across the hardwood floor of our bedroom. I curse Overstock.com for failing to get all our bedroom rugs and furniture together so I can have everything sent via container to Bermuda.

I get up a few minutes later and get "dressed." I go downstairs for water.

Jordan is already up, dressed in his uniform and is sitting at the kitchen counter discussing how soon he will be allowed to play Minecraft. His hair is sticking straight up, thus confirming he paid no attention to me during the conversations we had regarding grooming.

Mina wakes up shortly thereafter, dresses herself and as I get ready to braid her hair, she sits down for a lengthy discussion of the dream she had the night before.. "You know, mom.. the one about my dad - the vampire."

She goes downstairs and joins Jordan for breakfast. He ignores the banana crumb muffins I so lovingly baked the night before.

Both kids kill time by practicing piano and complaining about the electronics ban.

I walk Oscar, pack lunchboxes, fill water bottles, then sit down for my coffee and emails. I realize I have forgotten to pack an "art smock" for Mina.

Commence search for suitable smock as the clock keeps ticking. I scramble for rags under the kitchen sink and settle on a lovely orange Brooklyn Brewery t-shirt, circa 1995, that I never quite got around to ripping up.

Thrilled with myself for not throwing anything out!

Hoarders unite!

As I round up kids to get in car, Jordan informs me his shoes are too tight.

"But we tried the shoes on last week, and you said they fit just fine!"

"No, Mommeeee... they're too tight!"

I grind my teeth together and inform him he will have to suck it up till we have time to buy more shoes.

He frowns.

I send them outside for commemorative first day back to school picture.

He makes many nasty faces at me.

I force them to stand outside in Bermuda humidity till I get one fake happy look.

We go upstairs to car, and I take more pictures.

Suddenly it dawns on me that we are almost out of the house, and I begin smiling uncontrollably.

As we drive down the road, for the 5 minute car ride (YES!!! One Stop this year!!)I grin at every person walking, stumbling, riding down the street.

Yeah you, Mr. "shopping at Serpentine Liquors at 8 am in the morning!" High five! I'll get the next round!



Welcome to the most wonderful time of the year!

Final countdown to school!

While it seems the rest of the world has already begun, here in Bermuda, our school start has yet to kick off. At long last, there is hope on the horizon.

The kids go back on Monday!

I think I am ready...

My checklist.

• Uniforms in order
• school shoes ready
• hallway cubbies organized and labelled
• backpacks purchased
• lunchboxes cleaned
• waterbottles ready
• lunchbox treat for first day made
• extracurriculars organized
• car pools arranged

The kids are not quite as enthused about school resuming, but that's understandable. We have had a wonderful summer. Getting back into the drudgery of school routines pales in comparison to the lazy, luxurious days we've had.



But, I do love a good routine.

Our Eve of School dinner:



Cooking Illustrated Baked ziti (great for leftovers tomorrow! Part of my cook once/eat twice plan.)
Garden Salad
Sweetnick's Garlic bread Fantastique, Jordan's favorite!
Peanut butter blondies
Banana crumb muffins for breakfast tomorrow




I am so excited for the start of a brand new school year!

Pirate day festivities for Jordan at the Botanical Gardens.



The kids are out of school for the summer by mid-day on Thursday. 

We have friends coming over for a BBQ on Friday and the back porch is a disaster, I have family coming to stay with us in two weeks and the guest room is also a disaster, I need to call the garage to schedule car service before our TCD registration next month, the closet needs to be cleaned and restocked with all my clothes I have scattered everywhere, after the carpenter came to fix the water damaged wood floors, I have yet to empty the dehumidifiers in the basement as the mold spores coagulate amidst the soaring humidity levels, which I ignore from the confines of my air conditioned room upstairs.  Oscar is staring at me because it's time for him to go out for a pee, and I have yet to pick up gifts or cards for the teachers before school is out.

But, I can procrastinate by editing pictures.

 Because how often does your kid get to dress up like a pirate and spend the day goofing off in the park?

Oscar arrives at Saltus.

It was nice that the custom of "Show & Tell" is still alive in schools, including those here in Bermuda. Jordan came home last week and told me he wanted to bring in something for his class show and tell. He debated between two things - his flag book, or Oscar.

I know, Oscar. It hardly seems like a debate. I mean, come on. Look at this guy... how can a flag book compete with this thing?

On the big day, I made sure Oscar looked presentable. With real chicken treats in hand, his leash and water bowl, we were armed and ready to go. It's not apparent from this picture, but Oscar is actually wearing Jeff's black tuxedo tie, under the purple leash.

Jordan hadn't told me what, if anything, he planned to say about Oscar, but I figured at the least, Oscar could do his one trick.

He can sit.

He is very good at sitting. Yep. And sleeping all day too, come to think of it.

Oscar poses in the shade. Naturally we picked the hottest day of the year to show up.

Everything worked out well. The kids adored Oscar.  The teacher led the discussion by asking Jordan some questions about Oscar. The kids followed up with some more questions. Oscar gave a little demonstration of sitting; and Jordan gave him a piece of chicken as a reward. Oscar drove home with me, grinning from one doggy ear to the other. Was this the best day ever, or what?!?"

Why can't I go to school every day?  I'll be good!  I promise!

Polo - the Polar Bear's First Christmas.

Once again, the kids performed in their school Christmas pageant, celebrating Jesus' birthday by dressing up as a ribbon-twirling Northern Light and a Little dancing star, to help explain to a baby polar bear what Christmas was really about. And yes, an entire Nativity was paraded to the North Pole, complete with a baby-hugging Mary, shepards, kings, a Jack Frost, a Santa and a snowman. I lost count of the characters after that.

It reminded me of the scene from the movie, "Love, Actually" where the daughter announces to the mother that she was selected to be the "FIRST LOBSTER!!!" at the Christmas Pageant.

The mother replied, "You mean to tell me there was more than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus Christ???"

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, because honestly... what can I possibly say about this?

Not even a week of school...

and one of them is already sick.

Which means, of course, I'm now waiting for the other shoe to drop.



For the epicureans among you, that is an ice cream sandwich sundae, with real whipped cream topping and sprinkles. I'm trying to remember why I decided to make this for him.

Of course, I often ask myself that same question about other things I make.



Buffalo chicken bites. Recipe courtesy of Joelen at "What's Cookin' Chicago?" Click here for the recipe.

They were really, really good.



Thank goodness I had a party to bring them to. I like to spread my gluttony among my friends.

The calories balance themselves out that way.

Two American kids growing up, in the heartland.

It's that special time of the year again! Time for school!!

And not a moment too soon, as far as I'm concerned.

Because there's only so much...



Wii Dance kids revolution...



Orange smoothie drinkin' (yes, that is a bindi on her forehead... don't ask..)



"cardinal cupcake" making...



recipe development...



pool boogie-boarding



beach going..

one family can do!!

Well, maybe not the beach part.

But it's time for the monkeys to be back in school, darn it.

Here's to the start of a brand new school year!