Exciting News

One great advantage about nick being in the news business, is I never miss really important news stories. Like, did you know that yesterday was National Cheesecake Day? Neither did I. But when I came home, nick made sure that Ellie and I both knew it!













Today Ellie was a little weirded out that her classroom appeared to be getting a makeover. Her teacher told her that yes, things would be totally different once school started back up and Ellie seemed excited.



But she settled into coloring. August school is fun because they use up all the activities and coloring sheets that didn't get used during the year...no wastefulness at this school! So Ellie was excited to color a Santa.










It was a little chilly this morning and Elle decided in the car she wanted a sweatshirt...hence the fleece that I found in the trunk that is maybe a little too small..

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

82

Today Ellie earned her 82nd sticker on her quest to 100. She gets a sticker for staying in her bed at bedtime or taking a real nap at home on the weekends. First, the goal was 10 stickers. When she got to 10 I asked if she wanted to save more stickers for a bigger prize or go get something now. She elected to save up.

Then she got ahold of the Playmobil catalog. She fell in love with the castle and asked how many stickers she needed for that. I told her 100. Then she decided she wanted the Playmobil pool or the hotel or the school...too many decisions! But they were all worth 100 stickers.

After she finishes this chart, she has 1 more chart to go. I think she feels the end is in sight...









- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

First day of "daycare"

Or really, Ellie's summer. She gets to spend all day with her friends and not do work. To her, this is AWESOME. I mean, right when I dropped her off her teacher said they could go play outside. Outside before the bell? Unheard of! Crazy talk! She was on the swing before the teacher could reconsider!






She was surprised to find the cubbies in the "wrong place". But said that she knew with summer school, things would be different.




Anyway, she was a happy camper.



We had a good weekend. A fun birthday party, deep dish pizza (we drove to a restaurant in Burbank that makes authentic Chicago food), and an afternoon in a fun indoor playground.

And of course, this outfit is totally acceptable for shopping at Target.




If I could dress up like a ladybug to do my errands and not get funny looks, I'd probably want to do the more often too!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Last Day of Summer School

Yep, it's her last day of summer school. Next week starts a month of daycare and summer camps. Ellie is just excited that she has an ice cream sundae party this afternoon.

Last night she was super excited to explain to me a new game/work at school that she got to do, "the bank game". Today I asked her to show me the game. As far as I can tell, students have to use "units" to make up amounts that the teacher asks for. Ellie explained that if the teacher wants 1000 you have to count out 10, 100 unit pieces "or just find a 1000 unit block." But sometimes you have to count out the 1 units to make up something, "like if the teacher wants 18 you have to find a 10 and then count out 1 units". I'm sure she is getting help with this as it is VERY advanced. And this morning she also explained that she worked with her friend (who is 5) and she taught her how to do the 100-board. "4 year olds can do the 5 year old work, if you have a 5 year old friend who can help you".

I asked if she helps her younger friends and she said, "yes. When a little friend asks you for help the nice thing is to say okay and help them. I'm always nice. I like helping the little kids". She said help ranges from rolling up mats and how to do some of the work.

I feel like she is on such a good run for learning. She's totally excited and talking at home about school all the time. Too bad she won't have the school for the next few weeks, however, she will have lots of fun activities and new experiences.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Telling Time

Ellie can't tell time yet, but she does know that when certain hands of the clock are on certain numbers, it is time to finish, start, or get going. This is especially helpful during our normal morning routine (not when I have to have her at school early for whatever reason).

So in order to make it to school on time this is our routine:
7:00 am - I try to wake Ellie up, she asks for 10 more minutes. I agree.

7:10am - I force Ellie to wake up and remind her she had her 10 minutes already.

7:15 am - Ellie is at the kitchen table eating breakfast.

7:30 am - Ellie is done eating breakfast. She knows that when the long hand is on the 6, whether she is done eating or not she has to come and find me. If she's not done with breakfast, we pack it up and she finishes in the car.

7:40 am - she is dressed and we are putting on sunscreen and/or doing her hair.

7:45 am - time for shoes

7:50 am - out the door and to school.

This works for us. She needs a long time to eat and relax after waking up. Then she is totally happy to rush through getting dressed and out the door.

Today for whatever reason she was up, on her own, before 7. She was eating by 7:05. She told me, "wow! I have lots of time to finish breakfast today!" And yes, she enjoyed a leisurely breakfast.

Once at school I asked her what her least favorite work was. She thought a little bit then showed me a work station where you have to move squares of sponges into a bowl, using chopsticks!!







I had time to chat with her teacher Mrs. Wildhaber and I mentioned that whatever she is doing has really sparked an interest in Ellie and it seems she is learning lots if new things and is really excited about it. She said Ellie was a great student and very interested in lots of different things but really doing well with math. She also said Ellie is going well reading. They have a work station where you match words to photos and she said Ellie gets really focused and does well, by sounding out the first two letters or so and then matching.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Selfies

I'm not sure if Ellie is considered a Millineal or if she is of a generation to be named later. But, today my daughter took her first selfie. And she loved it! Thought it was fantastic and I had to pry my phone out of her hands.

It all started when I told her her face was a mess from breakfast in the car and she would have to wash it once she got into school. She wanted to see. Then this happened...









Yeah, not the best or anything she would use as a profile picture, but it is her first attempt at a selfie.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

When was I zero?

Ellie lately has become fascinated about when she was 0 years old. But after a birthday she was 1. She told me today she was 0 when she was in my tummy but after she was born she was a baby, but not 1 until her birthday. So was she zero? I explained that she was very young and we counted her age in days or how many months until she was 1. Fractions...please tell me she isn't learning about fractions yet!

But at least she gets the concept of 0.

Today at school she started to draw a picture but wouldn't tell me what she was drawing. She said it would be a surprise and I would have to wait all day to find out!










- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Singing in the morning

Over the weekend Ellie got really into board games. Nick found a few that she hasn't played or didn't remember from before the move in some boxes in the garage. She was too young then and they weren't fun. Now...she loves them. Her competitive spirit is very present, however, lately she has been a better sport. Not throwing a tantrum when she lost, congratulating the winner...good stuff. On Saturday she got to hang out with her buddy Emerson while mommy and daddy went to a fancy dinner at Arby's and saw a movie. She insisted in bringing a board game to play with him. By all reports, the two played really well and there wasn't any fights!

Her rash is gone in her face and almost gone on her arms. I think the cloudy cooler weather over the weekend really helped.

Okay, so this morning. She was making up songs this morning about getting up and going to school, using the tune to if you're happy and you know it. They went like this (I'm giving you each verse):

When you wake up in the morning, big yawn!

Before you get dressed you eat your cereal!

Gotta go potty before before new underwear!

Before you got to school buckle your carseat!

If its a good morning then your face will surely show it because you'll have sunscreen and a dress and on the way to school.

She also had a good night song that went like this:

At night you don't get out of bed except to pee

If you get out if bed daddy gets mad.

If you stay in your bed and you have a good sleep, then you put a sticker on your chart!

She made up those all on her own and worked them a little bit to make them fit the rhythm and tune of the melody. I was impressed. Yes, she did get a sticker this morning.

At school, she jumped in to color before school officially started with her friend.









I asked her what was with the sad face and her response was, "just teasing!"

Oh! On the way to her buddies house in Saturday night, we saw a mommy peahen with three little babies!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Superhero Princess Day

So again it's a special Friday at school. It's technically, Superhero/Princess Day. But of course, Ellie decided she would be a superhero princess. Her outfit is a big princess dress with a bright purple sparkly cape...not really stealthy and she may have some trouble with running down bad guys with the long skirt...but no biggie.









So if you happen to be in Altadena today and perhaps have some evil intentions...beware as there is a school full of superheroes and one special superhero princess!

I did have to take her early to school this morning because I have a big meeting that I was worried about getting to on time...but I'm now an hour early. Oh well. Anyway, she had breakfast at school including a English muffin and a peach. Those superhero princesses need a balanced breakfast!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Subtraction?

"Ellie what is 18-9?"

Yep she know that, or at least how to figure it out. She was happy to show me her work in progress which was a subtraction problem set this morning.







Plenty of eraser marks and some backwards 9s but the concept of subtraction is there!

We also noticed a heat rash on Ellie this week. First noticed it on Sunday. Tiny, prickly, beige bumps (almost mini goose bumps) on her cheeks, arms, thighs, and neck. Yesterday during nap the rash got irritated on one cheek, the cheek she was sleeping on. So today we took a pillow to school which should be more gentle on her cheek. She is also not wearing sunscreen, per the doctor, to see if that helps the rash go down. So she knows she has to stay in the shade and wear her hat.

But when we took the pillow to school she showed me her nap cot.






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pretty pony

I was especially taken with how pretty Ellies ponytail was this morning. Just the way the curls fell and hung, I thought it was cute.







And in case you wanted to know her schedule at school:



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

71st wedding anniversary

My grandparents, great-grandma and great-grandpa Van to Ellie, are celebrating their 71st wedding anniversary today. Quite an accomplishment. Unfortunately Grandpa is in a skilled nursing facility currently so there will not be a steak dinner or cake. But we should all learn from what they have accomplished and how happy they are as a couple.

Ellie finished her breakfast in the car and had to wash her face once we arrived.














She then ran off to play on a computer.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Back to school

After a long, exhausting and draining weekend it was back to school for Ellie.

Nothing exciting happened, she ate all her breakfast, she didn't wanna wake up, she wanted her hair in a ponytail. We did use new sunscreen on her face which seemed to make the process easier.

At school she had a potty break before picking something to do.











It's going to be hot. Digital thermometer on the bank on the way to work said it was 95 at 8:15am...


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bagel Friday

Today is a special lunch summer school Friday. It is Bagel Friday. I'm not sure what that means except I didn't have to make her a lunch (although I did make one last night anyway because I had forgotten... It's still in the fridge and did not go to school). Anyway Ellie was pretty excited about the special lunch.

When we got to school it was a frenzy! Everyone was arriving at the same time. Which would have been great but I had forgotten sunscreen on Ellies legs (which she reminded me in the car) and so I was trying to use her supply of sunscreen at school to put sunscreen on her legs and all she and her friends wanted to do was go play.

Or color...



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Nice dress!

As soon as Ellie showed her new dress to both her teachers this morning they have her compliments. That made her happy. After she said thank you she said, "this used to be my daddy's shirt but he broke the sleeve and my mom made a dress."

Yep. I made this dress from one of Nicks old shirts.









Pretty awesome huh? Yeah, I'm proud of this one.

She then showed me some more work. She's really interested in reading right now. Last night she asked me to "teach her to read all her books". So lately we have been reading some primers or beginner books. Anyway back to school.










She then sat down to do some coloring... Of a Christmas tree. Gotta love summer school when they pull out all the leftover seasonal stuff for the kids!






And a bonus... Last night she was playing with her doll house. She set up a classroom and all the kids had to sit in a circle on the floor while the teacher sat in a chair.






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone