First day of school is next week! 
Moms View Message Board: Parenting Discussion: Archive July-December 2003:
First day of school is next week!
DD start kindergarten next week, and I am just so excited!
We completed all our back to school shopping. And today I dropped off her physical and shot records. Monday is the orientation day.
I checked to see if her teacher was assigned. She got the one we requested
There was a ton construction going on today. The parking lot was GONE w/ crew working. Side walks were gone, crew working. And I know that all the K kids are getting a new building that is SUPOSE to be done in time for school. I didn't see the building. Hmmm.
Orginally, school hours were 10-4. PERFECT for MY life, but awful for school kids. Last week new schedules were announced and class starts at 7:45 AM. OMG, I don't even wake up til 7:30a on a good day. Started working on waking early and going to bed this last week. DD is doing better than I am
School ends at 1:45p. I am very glad for DD that she will have the afternoon now. 4pm was SO LATE!
Now our dinners will be all messed up. We eat w/ DH at 6:30p. With DD and myself needing to be in bed by 8:30, I will need to start dinner before DH gets home  . Family dinner has always been important since DD's first day home from the hospital. I'm really not sure how to work around this. I am so not a morning person, and will need to have evening chores complete so I can go to bed by 8:30. Any suggestions?
Well, just felt like posting, and thinking out loud. I just can't wait!
So when does your child start?
Wow, she starts early!! Keep us posted on the building-beat the clock games are always interesting! LOL.
Don't worry too much about the new schedule. You will find a routine that works.
My kids go back on September 2. I love that Labor Day is early so they could go back after that instead of in August! That just feels better. LOL.
I look forward to hearing how her first day goes. And I am happy to hear she got the teacher you wanted!
My kids start Aug. 27th, so we still have SUMMER left! Thank Goodness! I LOVE summer! LOL! The school day starts at 8:45. I can live with that, however, 7:45 is early! As Melanie said, don't worry, it'll all work out. You'll get into a routine and stick with it. My DH doesn't get home from work until 7 pm most days so we don't usually eat dinner with him. Makes me sad because I agree family dinners are so important. We tried to work around it, but with the school schedule we just can't wait until 7 to eat dinner! We make up for it during weekends and vacations. We're still waiting to receive teacher assignments. I'm *hoping* DD gets the same teacher DS had for K because we clicked and she was GREAT concerning the nut allergy. *Crossing fingers*
We always begin the Wednesday after Labor Day.
Dana, you'll have the whole time DD is in school to do chores and such, perhaps you can change your habits so that the 'evening chores' can be done earlier in the day? You could make up your dinners ahead of time while she's gone and then pop them in the oven to be ready by 6:30. That way, all the prep mess would already be cleaned up, too. I don't mean this in a bad way, but is there a medical reason or something that you, yourself, needs to be in bed so early? Perhaps you could stretch your own bedtime by at least an hour so that you can get things done after DD is in bed, or so that you and DH can spend some time together!
Good luck!
Mine always started the 2nd or 3rd week in August - now that they are going to different colleges, I have no clue when they start!
That does seem early, Dana. Are you guys on *year round* school there with several breaks throughout the year?
My boys start on Aug.13th and i have to go sign them up on Aug.5th i can't wait they are driving me nutty lol.They will be in 1st and 3rd grade it doesn't seem possible but it is.
I go back to college August 18th. I think kids around here go back to school after Labor Day.
Kate, no, no medical reasons. I am just not a morning person. I can wake at 7:30a no problem. But to have everything ready to leave the house by 7:20am, I will be needing to wake around 6am. Never in my life time has 6am been a routine waking time for me. After being up from 6am everyday, by 8:30 I'm just plain old ready for bed.
With waking at 7:30am on regular basis I am usually in bed by 9:30 and have either fallen asleep or drifting out before the 11pm news comes on. I'm pretty whipped by 10pm.
Back when I had a job, I always managed to not have to be at work til 10ish. And when it was 8 or 9am, I literally lived RIGHT across the street, so I could be ready in 15 min and sleep til it was time for work. I was not the type to spend time primping. Make-up was just an added bonus on some days LOL.
Also, Kate, ofcourse chores will be done during the day, however DH doesn't go to work til 11am, so any "noisy" cleaning can't be done until he is awake. My night time chores are unavoidable: cooking, cleaning, bath, story time...and ofcourse family and DH time (not that those are chores, just things we need to include each day) And I assume some type of school work, but that should be done when DD gets home. I think. Unless she needs a nap? She has never woken so early on regular basis either. I can't imagine grade K needing to do night time homework.
Karen, no, it is not year round. I wish it were. I would love having several breaks during the year.
Dana, My ds is starting Kindergarten in 2-1/2 weeks. I am very excited for him, but also very sad. He too has to be at school early - 8am, but he goes until 3:15!!!!!!! With that long day, I know he will be ready for bed by 7-7:30. We have always eaten dinner together too, but now it will be hard since hubby doesn't get home until 6pm-6:30. I think I am going to give my kids dinner at 5pm and then let them have dessert when dh and I eat at 6:30. I too am not looking forward to getting up at 6am. I have been spoiled this summer and we have been sleeping until 7am-8am each morning. I know I will have to start getting into the swing of things in a week or so.
Keep us updated on things. Hope your dd loves K. That is great that she got the teacher you wanted!!
Mine start next Wednesday. School is from 8:30-3:30 and I do have one Kindergartener this year that goes from 8:30-11:30 (not mine, daycare kiddo-mom will drop him off so I just have to pick him up). We have open house next Tuesday so the kids can find their rooms and meet their teachers.
Dana, it won't be as hard as you think. I am NOT a morning person either. Actually, I like being up early in the morning it's just the waking up and getting out of bed part that I hate. My kids go to school from 7:50-2:50 (7:20 in middle school--yikes!). On the days I don't work I get up at 6:45 and get them out of the door by 7:25. Dh takes them to work. On the days I do work (and I have my first patient at 8:00, so I have to be at work no later than 7:45) I get up at 6:30.
Here are some of my not-a-morning-person suggestions for you. First of all, lay out all clothes, pack backpack, plan and pack as much of lunch as possible, sign papers, write check for book orders, get milk/lunch money ready, etc. the night before. Unless your DD is a major dawdler she should be able to get dressed, make up her bed, eat, and brush teeth/hair in about 30-45 minutes. If she rides the bus you don't need to worry about getting ready. If you are driving through the carpool line, then still you just need to through on some clothes and sunglasses You can shower, get really dressed, put on makeup, eat breakfast, etc. after you take her to school.
As far as the evening goes, I second Kate's suggestion of having dinner ready to eat at 6:30 and as you cook you can clean and load the dishwasher. That way only the dishes you ate out of will need to be loaded and DD can still get to bed early. Maybe do a trade-off with DH---one of you reads to DD and tucks her in and the other cleans the kitchen. That's our division of labor and it works pretty well. Also, go ahead and have DD take her bath and start her bedtime routine of laying out clothes before DH gets home for supper.
As far as a nap, I wouldn't recommend it except maybe the first few weekends as she adjusts. I would just put her to bed really early. Both of my boys are in bed by 7:30 on schoolnights and asleep very soon after. It really wipes them out! She'll probably be pretty cranky those first few weeks as her body adjusts to the new schedule. Also, my youngest DS is going into first grade and he usually had homework every night; one worksheet and one reading assignment which together took about 15-20 minutes to complete. To me the biggest organizational and juggling nightmare is keeping abreast of bday invitations, permission slips, book orders, money due, etc. Just stay on top of it and pack that backpack every night so you won't be running around crazy each morning.
Hang in there and let us know how it goes. We start back August 18. It seems like the summer has just flown by!!! I'm not ready to send them back yet
During school I get up a 6 and wake the kids at 7. That way I have enough time to shower, dress and get MY act together before cracking the whip to get the kids motivated. I do as Pam suggested above, and pack snacks/lunches, library books, etc. the night before. It makes things go much smoother in the morning, especially if you have a dawdler! The kids have bath at 7 and bed time is 8. I stay up until 10 or 11.
My dd starts back to school on August 11. The school hours are changing this year. Dd is not a morning person and I suspect that it's going to be rough for a couple of weeks. Last year she got on the bus at 8:15a and this year she will be getting on the bus at 7:40a. She didn't even get out of bed until 7:30a last year so it's going to be quite an adjustment for her. Thankfully, my ds doesn't start preschool until the day after Labor Day.
I have really been thinking about this to. My ds starts kindergarten on Aug 19th. Poor guys 5th b-day is the 20th!! His hours are from 8:50 to 3:20. I have opted to drive him for now to because I don't like the idea of him riding the bus with bigger dk's. The great thing about that is that my mil lives with me I won't have to drag dd with me.
My problem is I work second shift. I don't get home until midnight. I usually get up between 7:30 to 8:30 and I can live with that. But I am already dreading the thought of getting up earlier every day. I know to I will feel guilty for sleeping in and letting dh handle things because this is really the only time I will see ds. So I guess I can totally relate and hope it goes well for all of us!!
My kids start on the 26th I believe and oh boy I cant wait! LOL Kindergarden has gone to full day this year, but thats no biggie since dd has been going full day with headstart and K4 then she went to morning kindergarden last year and extended day kindergarden. School here starts at 8 and ends at 3. I also am a nightowl and getting up early is a hard thing for me especially when I dont take my meds so I am even more tired! It is hard getting adjusted, but once your body is into it, youll be fine. I usually take a little nap, but then its a little harder to get to sleep at night so this year I will be skipping my nap! LOL We usually eat around 6:30 and the kids and dh is in bed asleep by 9:30. It sounds like a crunched schedule, but really it goes pretty smooth.
Dont sweat it, you be fine and have your own schedule rolling in a few weeks! Good Luck!
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