Stand Up! Stand Up!...

...For what you believe in, believe in, believe in... (Veggie Tales Song)
End of March

I don't think we had much of a Spring. Summer weather came on quickly and I packed away all of our Winter clothes. So on those occasional mornings when it's pretty chilly outside, I sometimes get looks when I drop my kids off at school without a coat. Not everyone knows my kids and they're quick to judge. My kids don't mind the chill. Have you seen the pics I put on here? Christmas time and they're outside in a swimsuit?  Why carry a coat around when it'll be 80 degrees by noon?

One day both A and I got upset with E's teacher. E didn't bring a jacket to school and her teacher refused to let her go outside for recess. WHAT? Did E not want to go outside? Did she complain about being too cold? No. The teacher just felt like it was too chilly without a jacket. E cried at her table while the teacher called A at work. By the end of the conversation, A told the teacher to let E go outside if she wants to. Come to find out, the teacher still put a jacket on my daughter- a borrowed one- and then let her go play. E told her that wasn't healthy and then E hung it up on the fence while she played because she was too warm anyway. Well, well, well...So, we were upset because 1) the teacher was deciding what was too hot or cold for my child, 2) she went against what my husband told her to do, and 3) she put another child's jacket on my daughter! Are you crazy? Have you heard of lice?

We're so proud of E. She is still on the shy side, but she has stood up for herself quite a few times in Kindergarten. Usually when it comes to health.

In Kn, the class has a snack in the afternoon because they eat lunch at 10:45am. The parents are in charge of bringing in a weeks worth of snacks for the class a few times throughout the year. Despite the encouragement from the teacher to provide healthy snacks, the parents provided junk food. I do admit, it is more expensive to buy healthy food for a class of 20 for a week, but come on...it's doable. When it was my turn I brought things such as water, bagels to half, carrot and celery sticks with dressing, cinnamon graham crackers, pretzels and Cheez Its. I didn't spend a fortune.

At the beginning of the school year, E didn't complain about the class snack, but after awhile she was unhappy with the junk she was given every day. Each week she was consuming cookies, donuts, cheese puffs, chips, and every sugary drink known to man that stains her face to look like the Joker. When picking her up in the afternoon, she would complain that her stomach hurt. She knew her snacks were not healthy for her body every day and she was convinced they were making her sick. E wanted to bring her own snack, but was afraid her teacher wouldn't let her. I let her know that if she wanted to bring her own snack, she can. If she wanted to make a healthy choice, she can and her teacher will like it.

Well, she did it. For the majority of the year, E brought her own snack and loved it. She had sweet peppers, carrots, celery, string cheese, and granola bars. The kids wondered why E was bringing her own snack. What was she going to bring today? And then some even wanted E's snack instead of the junk. Although she was a little nervous, E told her teacher and her friends that she wanted to bring her own snack because she wanted to eat healthy. Good for You, E! We love you!

 Baby H is 4 months old.

 Tummy Time is rare because of safety reasons.

 She can roll over and push herself up. She 'talks' and laughs a lot.

 The boys hung their pj's up.

There are hooks on the wall that used to hold a rod and quilt. They tore that down a long time ago, but the hooks remain. Apparently, they created a game.

 I guess they were successful. Good aim, right?

 Baby H is mesmerized by the Ipad.

While E was teaching her how to play Cut The Rope, she was very interested and wanted to play all by herself. She laughed and laughed at the little green guy and all his noises.