Ready for the First Day of School?

One Day to Go!

Yesterday was the last chance to get everything ready for the first day of school. By the time we ate breakfast, the new indoor shoes were lost, the new mechanical pencil was broken, the new pencil case and the old pencil case were misplaced and one of the new shirts had a stain in it. No wonder we leave these things until the last minute!

Step One - Organizing! We organized Jonas's homemade supplies box, set up his binder and clock, packed his backpack and started making his lunch.

Here's what the supplies box looks like up close.
Jonas and Steve made this at the end of last year - any excuse to use duct tape!

Step Two: De-stressing! Jonas's ADHD medication makes him extra emotional so a stress ball is always near at hand at home and at school. He's got a simple one for school but got a new stress cow for home:

Step Three: The Plan! Most kids do well on a predictable schedule and that's very true for Jonas. His daily schedule and chore charts are posted on the fridge and his agenda is in his backpack.

A smiley face from the teacher on Day One - Phew!

Today was the big day!

We all had a good night sleep and this morning was pretty relaxed considering that Steve and I switched places from what we've lived the first four years of school. He got up early for work and I did the morning routine. I sat by myself with a cup of coffee for a bit before I woke Jonas up, about an hour before we had to leave. I snuggled with him for a few minutes and had to laugh about the two things that were on his mind: learning his times tables and being absolutely certain that Grade Two wasn't over yet and that it's not the first day of Grade Three yet.

Step One - A Healthy Breakfast

Step Two - Brush Teeth and THEN Get Dressed 
(Yes. You must do it in that order!)

The shirt says "I'm happy. Don't mess it up."

 Step Three: Final Check Hair

He did it himself - can you tell?

We got out the door exactly on time and arrived at school a little early so he could talk to his friends. He was a little stressed to discover that he does have a new teacher this year after all. (He's now in a Grade 3-4 split instead of a Grade 2-3 split. The school is so small that they lost two teachers over the summer.) His anxiety quickly dissipated when he found out that he already knows most of the kids in his class AND he gets to sit beside he best school buddy. Phew!  We've got a new teacher to break-in but as long as he's happy we're off to a good start.

As he excitedly gave me a kiss and hug,  I reminded him to eat his lunch and drink his water. He made a funny face and said "I know that. It's not my first day, ya know mom!" and then ran off to play.  As I drove away, I realized that I forgot to give him is ADHD meds today. Ooops! Nice first impression to make on the new teacher. Oh well, it is kind of my first day after all.

Cheers!