School is in Session

It's that time of year again!
We are in the groove! Actually, I am late in posting this. The boys have been in school for two weeks now.
Our typical day starts around 5:30 am. It's time to motivate the oldest. Sometimes he moves and sometimes he doesn't. He has learned from last years splash therapy, (see older post) so he tends to get up. This gives him time to eat and get ready. Mind you even though he is twelve gentle reminders to brush his hair and teeth are necessary. He could care a less about what he wears to school,or what he looks like. His bus, should he choose to ride it arrives at 6:40 sometimes earlier. If we miss it, we are not far from the school, and I like to think I've saved him from some middleschool horror by taking him instead. It is truly enough to make me blush just to process what he tells me is talked about between middleschoolers these days!
Since an hour later the youngest leaves on his bus, I'm in waking up our little ray of sunshine just before 7am. This is the child that cares what he wears to school and how he looks. (crazy they are both from the same chemistry set). Depending on his fashion of the day, yes he cares..then he will eat, and then without me asking or reminding, he is upstairs again to brush his teeth and fix his hair. He is really into the bangs being lifted just so in the front. A quick spritz of hairspray and he is ready to go.
I've developed a new plan for school this year. We pack lunches the night before. And preferably, the boys pack them. This has a two fold purpose! One - I'm not doing it, and Two- they always get what they want in there. No more complaining about what type of sandwich they got, or snack. They picked it out in the store, they pack it into their daily lunch bag.
Side note on lunch boxes these days...they don't come with a thermos! They haven't for awhile, and I just don't understand. Each boy has sooo outgrown the Capri Sun stage,they would take 4 or 5 with them each day! So, I went and bought each one a modern type thermos. I still have a old Hotwheels thermos from our oldest's first lunch box. So if one wants to take soup, this can be accomplished also.
This weekend we bought new soccer shoes for our youngest starting his 5th year. Just this spring he was wearing size 5. Now less than three months later he is wearing a 7! This is a MENS shoe size! uhuh. Now I know where all that food is going! A size 7! Sigh, time is going by so fast! Our Saturdays are filled up from now until sometime in November. Good stuff.
Our oldest has decided to opt for piano again this semester. From June 2008 until May of this year he took on violin. He excelled. Violin was such a neat change in the myriad of sounds coming out of our home any given day. Since to achieve a certain note, one has to listen for the appropriate sound, violin was right up his alley! He can listen to a piece of music and then re-create most of it on both violin and piano.
His piano teacher, whom he has played with for the last three years, minus the last year had an opening! Today they met again and both were overjoyed. She let me sit in on the lesson, and wow did I learn a lot! Yes, they spend time on the piano, but she also spends time with flashcards. Yep! Music notes on flashcards. When she flashes a card he has to name the note/symbol and find it on the keyboard and play it for her. If he is right he gets to move on, if not.. try again! Neat stuff! She enjoyed listening to the new songs our middleschooler has learned, and patiently showed him how to work on his timing. After the lesson she explained to both of us, how she wants to work on his recognition of the actual notes, not just the sound they make.
She could tell he still practices on his own here at home as he had many of the attributes of a seasoned player still! Kudos! He hopes to play in the band at church one day..and one day I believe he will!