Forget "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader". Just forget it. Instead, let's play "Can You Do Kindergarten Homework". It sounds easy.
First, think back to your days in Kindergarten. What did you do? You took a nap. Maybe you were only there half day. For sure you colored. Maybe you played blocks. If you were lucky maybe you got to see a girl's underpants on the playground.
Erase all of that and let's talk about Kindergarten now. The shit is hardcore, folks. We have things like "alphafriends" and "math mountains" and shockingly, homework. Oh, you heard me. We have
homework. Now, I didn't mind the homework because over the course of the week Olivia got a packet of worksheets and it was easy stuff. Circling the like pictures representing a number, dot to dot things, practicing writing her numbers, etc. That kind of thing is up my alley and more my speed.
Today though, she came with a "Math Resource Folder" and not gonna lie- I kind of panicked. I've mentioned this before but my math skills are not awesome. I can't do math in my head at all practically and the fact I can balance a checkbook is a minor miracle. I was more of a English/grammar/spelling girl myself, with a sprinkle of science and history. My brother got all of the math smarts in our family and that was fine. Until now.
Inside of the folder are "homework guides" which tell me nothing, a brochure about the math curriculum that they are using and this worksheet packet that I stared at with a "what the fuck" face because I am confused. Really? Is this how they are teaching kids to add now?? Here are some examples of the "guides" that are supposed to help me help Olivia with her upcoming homework. And the terminology they are using.
All of the arrows, boxes and triangles remind me of Geometry. Which everyone knows I passed with a D+. The fact that my parents praised my first (and only) D+ tells you how terrible in math I really am.
uh....
OK. So I'm kind of scared. Even Matt, who likes numbers and things, was wondering what the frack this all is. I hope we don't ruin our kid during Kindergarten. That would be kind of bad.
In other news, Olivia is a student council representative. Um, what? They have that for Kindergarten? She pretty much thinks she's hot shit at this point and told me she has to go to meetings and stuff, but said it in a way like, "Oh- I just can't be bothered to fit yet another thing on my schedule." It was kind of adorable and hilarious at the same time.
So I am pretty stinking proud of my little peanut. She is doing so much better in Kindergarten than I thought she would. I knew she was smart and would do her work, follow directions, etc but I thought maybe she'd have a tough time making friends.
Which brings us to Girl Scouts. I really want to get her into something fun where she's going to learn something and maybe have some positive experiences outside of school. We got a flyer about Girl Scouts a few weeks ago and for $12 I figured hey- we can afford that.
So Monday was the "informational meeting" which was hands down, the most disorganized thing I have ever been to. Ever. It was basically a parent free for all with "leaders" who can't answer any of your questions and they tell you up front they have no troop for you but hey- wanna be the leader? So I left there feeling like maybe I'll get suckered into being a troop leader? We'll see in a few days when they contact parents. It's not that I don't want to be a leader, it's just that I don't have a lot of time. I'm already pretty strapped for time as it is and I feel like maybe I'm taking on too much. But if no other parent steps up we have two choices: go to the generic troop that meets in a not so great part of town and those kids would eat mine alive or she is a "juliette" which basically means she is her own troop. Which I think is ridiculous because it seems like it defeats the point of Girl Scouts? I don't know. But I do know I am not going to worry about it until I hear back.
In the meantime, I am going over the papers I got myself off of the table and um, $50 for a vest and her book? Shit. I think this is going to end up being more expensive than I thought. I haven't even told Matt about that.
So. That's what is new in my world as a parent of a school age child. I have to be honest- I am feeling a little overwhelmed. I am a pretty organized and with it mom regularly and if I'm feeling this way I can't help but feel other parents are too and maybe more. Matt flat out told me he can't handle coming home from work and doing homework with her, he just can't. My typical days is drop Olivia at school, drop Jack at my mom's, go to work, pick up Jack, pick up Olivia, run errands, go home, cook, help with homework while cooking, cleaning, go through school folder, answer emails/phone calls/texts, eat dinner with family, do bath time, do bed time, read stories, laundry, cleaning, etc. Seriously. Everything that happens after I get home is generally a three hour window of time and I'm losing it. Tomorrow's schedule??
7 am: Wake up
8 am: Have myself and both kids ready and eating breakfast
8:15am: Start putting shoes, jackets, etc on.
8:40: Olivia at school
8:45: Jackson at Grandma's
9-1: work
1:15: meeting with PTO president
2:45 pick up Olivia from school
3:30 dentist appointment in town about 30 minutes away (Olivia)
4: my dentist appointment
4:45: hopefully be home by now
5: do school folder, make icing for cake class, pack supplies
5:30: make sure I have supper done for Matt & kids, leave for cake class
8:30: come home from cake class, clean my stuff and kitchen
8:45-??: laundry, return emails/calls/texts, blog post, sort out mail, get Olivia's lunch ready, get school clothes ready for Friday's field trip, etc.
That is ONE DAY folks and pretty much every day of my life is like this.
*sigh*