School and Routines

Jackson has been back to school for 3 weeks now. He is in senior kindergarten. The school has split classes, so JK/SK together. He does English in the morning and French in the afternoon. Luckily he has one teacher, the other two classes are split, with one teacher for English and one for French. The sad part is his best friends are not in his class, so he's making new friends. He seems to be doing well, I think he likes it better than when he had half days any way. No problems with drop off, a few issues at pick up when he doesn't want to leave. At least on Thursdays he is good. Thursday we have swimming lessons. So far he's had two lessons and has been very good when the class is over and it's time to go home. He is re-doing the salamander level, he is working on doing the floating and stuff on his own. He has 7 more classes and I am really hoping he passes! I don't think we'll do swimming again over winter though. We have our trip planned and I don't want him to end up missing lessons. Whatever level he gets to we will continue in spring/summer.

Our routines have been going along nicely. Though it's probably a little bit boring. I get up before him and have my breakfast and coffee before I get him up. I suppose I could get him up earlier so he has time for breakfast at home, but since it's so hard to get him to sleep at night, I hate that he'd be so tired in the morning. Our evenings are quiet, except for Thursday with swimming. Weekends are easy, we go to the library on Saturday morning, do our errands, including groceries, then Sunday is quiet day, we hang out, sometimes he doesn't get out of his pj's!  Whichever day has nice weather we try and go to the park or for a walk in the woods. I wish we lived closer to the park, it's quite a walk and I almost always end up having to carry him part of the way home, he is a big, heavy boy!

I think the hardest thing about school is lunches. I have a really hard time packing a lunch for my son. He doesn't like sandwiches, so what can I send? I have sent things in his thermos, cheese and crackers, that's pretty much it, that he will eat. I have to send snacks too, fruit, veggies, snacky things. It is really hard to be creative. I bought some books to help, but haven't actually used them yet. I am somewhat stuck in the food and menu department. My own diet is miserable, partly because money is very tight right now. I still have to pay for our trip, and while the flights are paid for the rest is not, and since we have to fly there, we need to have a place to stay! So I need to manage that better than I have been. All in all it is frustrating, and my own fault for everything of course. In general our spending is better, we have been spending less. The problem is I haven't saved more. We will manage, somehow, but it's making me stressed, which isn't helping my eating habits, or anything else for that matter.

I think we are doing well. Somedays I find it really hard, he is just too much. But most of the time it's all good and wonderful. I know we are a happy family. And there are only brief moments when I wish there was a baby in the picture as well.