Back to School Coffee Klatch

He asked? What kind of kid is this?

A thoughtful one evidently!

School year scheduling is totally kicking my butt. Way too many moving parts.

She's doing soccer, with more hours and more commitment required. Then there's ballet, with more hours and more commitment required. Then she wants to do this running club. Then she wants to do this science club. Then she's learning how to play an instrument. Then there's supposed to be a bunch more homework this year. (I may have already gone into all of this.)

Moving parts: because things were getting so crazy, we decided to change to a less time-intensive dance class (1 hr/ week instead of 3+). Then the soccer schedule turned out to be less time-intensive than promised. And the one practice/ week is the same as the running club, which means that unless something changes she can't do running club. So suddenly her time commitment is WAY down and she probably could've stuck with the original dance class.

Argh. Underscheduled is better than overscheduled anyway. But the moving parts are pissing me off.

We were fortunate for this fall - the school soccer is canceled because not enough schools are participating so we only have fall basketball for the older one - which fall basketball is usually less demanding and a shorter schedule than spring. So we are good for a few months.

Lucky!

Well, I am glad that she's staying active. She does much better when she has at least three days of intensive sports/ activity -- she's active in general but the pool is about the only other thing that gives her that kind of intense activity. (Wish there were more outdoor/ unorganized sports she could participate in but there aren't a lot in our neighborhood. She can probably start going further afield to find stuff.)

Anyway, the other thing is that her soccer team is huge, more girls than are allowed to be on the roster, so if everyone shows up to games about 6 of them will have to just sit out the whole game, not even suit up. So one of her coaches is encouraging them to participate in ANOTHER league -- at the same time! -- and just play games for that league, to make sure they all get playing time. If she's doing running club, no way will she do this other league; if not, maybe. Have to see if the running club practice times change.

Yeah it is good to keep them physically busy as well especially when cooped up inside all day.

Although I do like missing soccer (and neither of my kids are as interested in soccer) as the weather can get cold later in the season. Basketball is temperature controled.

Out here, the kids have sports every day as part of the curriculum , swimming in the summer (our high school has a pool) and soccer, volleyball, etc. the other times. Outside of the regular school, Jane doesn't go to sports anymore and we don't really have time either. Most games are on Saturdays and she's going to German classes then, she also has volunteer hours during the week and other assignments that take place in the afternoon. The schedule can become rather hectic and I want her to have at least 2 days in the afternoon where she can hang with her friends.

Every day as part of the curriculum! That's nice. We have gym, but it's shortish and not that intense. And only once a week.

One nice thing is that almost all of these things are in the evening, so her afternoons are free.

I saw the first school bus of the year driving through the 'hood this morning. I think it was a practice run before the first day of school tomorrow.

Lord knows they need all the practice they can get.

Indeed! We have three different school districts with three sets of buses and multiple pickups per district (elementary/middle/high school pick ups are all separate). That's 8 buses every morning and afternoon (one district is only K-8). We have narrow private roads with no shoulders. Coordinating the driving routes so that they follow each other through the neighborhood to avoid having them meet each other coming from opposite directions was/is a major undertaking. It gets real ugly when there's a substitute bus driver.

I went to buy school shoes today and we had to buy a MEN'S size.

Seriously, this kid should be able to ski on those feet.

What size is he wearing now, boomer?
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I am glad that we still have 2 more weeks of vacation, as Jane got summer flu and is quite miserable. Just came back from the pharmacy with all kinds of remedies and found her in bed sleeping like a baby, which is good.

I printed out the registration papers for school and they're 12 pages to be filled out - unbelievable!!

Poor thing! What a terrible time to get sick. Is she starting high school this year? 12 pages seems like a lot.

Mo now wears a size 8 shoe. Unbelievable.

Last school year he would often wear my Converse, which are a boys size 5 so he's gone up three shoe sizes in less than a year. I guess I don't have to worry about him stealing my shoes anymore....

No, she'll be a sophomore this year, and has spent already a year there, so I don't understand why they still have so many papers to be filled out.

Jane's feet grew fast too, but now they seem to have stopped at 7.5 which is
a lot for her otherwise petite 5' frame.

You and sozlet have the same size feet! Her current Converse are size 5. (She's a women's size 7.)

Men's size 8 is big!

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that. I hope she feels better soon.

Thank you, JPB, we'll get her going until school starts for sure. She has a great immune system and is usually up and running within 2 days.

How's Jane doing? Hope she's feeling better.

A minor annoyance for me this year (in the category of "we all should have such problems"): Sozlet is getting taller but she's not getting wider. That means that clothes from up to two years ago still fit, depending on what they are.

That's the first year this has happened, really. Usually I buy new clothes for school because she needs them -- she's outgrown the ones she has. Last year it was already not as urgent as usual, but this year she has plenty of clothes, really.

I bought some pants and some shoes but beyond that she's pretty much set. The annoyance comes in because I really enjoy shopping for her. But it's no fun for me if it's waste, if she doesn't actually have any need for it.

At least a friend of mine just had a baby, so I can buy some baby clothes.

awwwwww

yep, as they change we have to realign ourselves too.

I'm glad you've got a baby to shop for.

Consider yourself lucky that you still have a role to play in any of her wardrobing. The biggest noise I heard at work this morning was from moms who'd been pushed out of the back-to-school shopping loop by their daughters (other than for funding).

It seems there was a lot of shopping this weekend and the moms of the 13+ (and one particularly precocious 8 year-old with an attitude) gang were wallet-carriers only - with many requests for credit cards .