Show and Tell: NieNie Asks ... How Are You Getting Back to School?

I'm having trouble loading my photo, so go here to see photo's of my daughters first day of kindergarden:

http://web.me.com/dougwebber/Webber_Family/Our_Fam...

My picture is not coming up so here is the post on my blog. http://vegasbrasiers.blogspot.com/2009/08/first-da...

I remember taking those pictures last year and being frustrated that the teen-agers were being so goofy. I finally gave up! These are my kids, this is how they are, and I love them. I wasn't even thinking that this would be the last time Zachery would be here for a first day of school photo. He is headed to college in a week. (A full academic ride to BYU-I) Crazy how time flies by. This is the last first day of school photo with all of my kids. It was taken in the afternoon, due to early morning seminary.

Our oldest started 2nd grade yesterday and her report was that it was "Awesome". I love the first day of school and the energy and excitement that surrounds it. Our youngest starts tomorrow and today she went and met her teacher. I was surprised by her shyness and it will be interesting to see how quickly she breaks down her shell.

My daughter started 2nd grade today, minus her best friend. They have been in the same class for the past 2 years. Yesterday was open house = find out who your teacher is, more importantly find out if your friends are in your class. She was disappointed that she and her best friend were split up. We had discussed the possibility of that happening, but not sure one can convince a 7 year old that change is coming. Hoping she makes the most of it and has a great year nonetheless.

I had a stroke when I was 27 - the day before my oldest child and my only daughter Katie - started Kindergarten. I missed that one perfect first experience moment of taking the picture by the front door. I never missed another first day of school with all four of my children - pictures, backpacks, shiny new shoes, and lunch sack in hand again. It took me five years to mostly recover from that stroke. Today when I read your post NieNie and how each year you gain strength - just know - it is so true. My youngest started his junior year of high school today (no lunch sack - just a soft piece of paper money gripped in his hand) and of course I cried a few tears. But I am feeling great. We mothers just know how to survive - and we do it with tears and smiles! That is what life and love are all about.

My daughter Zoey was a seasoned pro at this. She is a big first grader, after all. A fact that she kept reminding us of all week. She got up, made her bed, dressed in her pre-selected outfit, brushed her hair and selected a headband. No sweat. She has got this down.

After dropping her off at her new school, out little 3 year old Liam relized Zoey wasn't in the car, and I had to listen all the way home to him whimper, "Where Ooey??" It took a good 20 minute Mommy snuggle to get him into good spirits again! Wiping those tears away just melted my heart.

I am always sad when the kids go back to school and this year, the youngest went too! Super quiet around here...I remember reading of your Back to School Feast and Fashion Show last year and thinking that I wanted to do it this year..Yup, I forgot! You are a great Mommy...keep it up!

I'm loving and looking forward to reading all of these special ideas:) My little ones are 1 and 3 and I just keep tucking away all of these sweet ideas for when we have 2 big kids! We've been hunting and trying to decide on a 1st day of preschool outfit lately - especially since I have a feeling it might be our last first-day that I get to make most of the decisions on what she'll wear:) Her first day isn't for another couple of weeks, but here's the post from last year's first day:
http://domesticsimplicity.com/2009/09/11/our-very-... ( http://domesticsimplicity.com/2009/09/11/our-very-... )

Last night my husband Doug took our oldest daughter Sara on a date to get ready for school. They started w/ dinner at Cheesecake Factory, then went to Short Cuts for a new school hair cut, followed by a stop in at the Hello Kitty Store (Sara's fave spot) and then lastly in search of a backpack. They had no luck finding a backpack, but fortunately after several stores we found one today. Sara loves her one on one time w/ her daddy and I love seeing the two of them drive off together knowing they well have so much fun together. Sara is so excited for her first day of kindergarden.

Go here to see the pics and whole story on my blog:
http://web.me.com/dougwebber/Webber_Family/Our_Fam... ( http://web.me.com/dougwebber/Webber_Family/Our_Fam... )

http://apeekintomyday.blogspot.com/2010/08/231.htm...

Despite having to come back from sleeping in, free, warm days, and lazing around, I always look forward to a new year. I usually move my furniture around and clean out my room, to make coming home after a stress-full day a bit nicer (not to mention my room can always use some extra vacuuming). I always look forward to getting new folders, pencils, binders, and fresh paper to organize in fun colors, and prints and put it all together in my backpack while I watch Disney movies... It is a tradition my sister and I always had. For instance, this year, it was Monsters inc., and Lady and the Tramp. The night before school starts, I spend at least an hour mixing and matching up a pretty outfit for the next day with my mom. Then my dad tells me all about when HE was going into the grade i am going into, and then trails off in memories... haha:) I am always too jittery to sleep the night before (whether it be 1st grade, or 8th grade) , so I have my mom wake me up extra early to put all that extra energy into jumping out of bed,and doing my hair extra pretty. My mother always makes me pancakes and takes a picture of me (whether I like it or not) at the same place, in the kitchen up against the wall,the morning of the first day of school. Then, at the end of the year, even though I always felt so grown up and adult-like at the beginning, when I look back at the picture of that morning, I think of how juvenile and small I look, compared to now. Ahhh, memories:)

Forgive me for not sending my picture... (it was all my school supplies scattered on the floor and a movie playing on my tiny tv) I couldn't figure out how to do it, so I just described it for you:)

Good morning Stephanie. I do not have children in school now. They are grown and have kids of their own now.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say Kudos on you and Christian choosing to celebrate life on the day of your accident. I too have chosen a day or rather let me say the day chose me and I choose to celebrate lift on Dec 9 each year. You see 7 years ago someone broke into my home and attacked me in the middle of the night. I was robbed and raped. A really life shaking experience. I chose to live that night by doing exactly as asked and pleading for my grandchildren to keep their grandma. We both have a celebration of life but for different circumstances. I love to read your blog and keep up with the goings on in your life. God bless you sweet girl.

Charlie is starting Kindergarten on Monday. I don't have a photo but all his school supplies are currently sitting on the shelves in his closet, still in the bags from the stores.

I did have an adventure trying to find one of the supplies listed. I wrote about it here, http://texasebeth.blogspot.com/2010/08/school-supp...

7 stores later I found the elusive notebooks the teacher wanted!

Elizabeth

@texasebeth ( http://twitter.com/texasebeth )  and My Life, such as it is.... ( http://texasebeth.blogspot.com )

What a cute stinkin' photo!

Jenna Hatfield (@FireMom ( http://twitter.com/FireMom )), from Stop, Drop and Blog ( http://stopdropandblog.com ) and The Chronicles of Munchkin Land ( http://thechroniclesofmunchkinland.com ), is a freelance writer and newspaper photographer.

I can't believe we're already there! My two littles are back in school today (in 5th and 2nd grade)

( http://www.flickr.com/photos/threekidcircus/490109... )

The Circus is in town! ( http://www.threekidcircus.com ) Kid Vs. Produce ( http://www.kidvsproduce.com )

It's crazy to think we're already back to school! My preparation involved helping to lay my 5 year old's outfit out "like a scarecrow," and calming MY nerves about her growing up so fast (her nerves were just fine.)

My post about it: http://firewifekatie.blogspot.com/2010/08/gate-kee...

Stephanie asked us to talk about what we do to get ready for school with a photo…well, it's been said that a photo is worth a thousand words, so I decided to give you a small fortune.

http://teachinfourth.blogspot.com/2010/08/day-in-p... ( http://teachinfourth.blogspot.com/2010/08/day-in-p... )

And the lucky thing is, I get to do this every year until I retire…or die, whichever comes first.

We're in Arizona, so we're already into the second week of school. But as a born-n-bred Michigander, this is nothing short of ridiculous. As a kid we always started school after Labor Day. So here I feel incredibly gipped out of summer.

(How do you spell gipped? I feel like throwing in a Y in there ...)

So. We had a special dinner and a special breakfast - we laid out the clothes and prepared the backpacks. No fashion shows - I have all boys and I value my life too much to mention such a subject.

I did do a post about it, but no pictures of the actual back-to-school-madness. Just a pretty picture of a dying sunflower, taken by my six-year-old. I felt it was symbolic.

http://pensievity.blogspot.com/2010/08/summer-surv...

It's our first year of school, and right now, we're distracting because there's a lot of anxiety -- for all of us. We'll deal with school when we have to jump in, but we're trying not to think about it beforehand.

Melissa writes Stirrup Queens ( http://stirrup-queens.com ) and Lost and Found ( http://lostandfoundandconnectionsabound.blogspot.c... ). Her book is Navigating the Land of If ( http://thelandofif.blogspot.com/ ).

Here in South Carolina, Elementary school starts at 7:35. Yes, it's insane. To get our bodies going, we (6 families, 19 kids) met in one neighbors driveway at 7 am this morning and we will do it again tomorrow (school starts on Wednesday) We met, had a yummy breakfast with muffins, hot cocoa (even though it was 77 and humid) juice, fruit, doughnuts, etc. The kids ran around a played in their jammies and had a great time practicing being up in time for school.

Donna

from Massachusetts

Unfortunately I have no young ones in my own home so I turn to my memories of what fun it was. Brand new shoes, and dresses, and of course a year could not be missed without taking a picture all ready for that crisp first day of school in the front yard! It is fun to look back and see how angelic they are at 5 and then how dismayed they are at 15 when they have to stand in front of that old tree! :) I love it! Part of the payoff for being a parent.....especially because now they are happy I did it!
My grandson starts first grade this year and I hope his mom will do the same for him!