It's a little late for Halloween posts but since I have such a huge fan base, I guess you won't mind seeing how I think only Amy reads this blog. Thanks Amy! Okay see if you can guess what Averie was for Halloween, if you don't know which one Averie is she's on the far right of the picture. You'll never guess!

School Differences

Differences

A lot of people have asked me here if there are any differences between the schools in Utah and the schools in Illinois. The answer is of course yes. My children have been in schools in inner city Chicago and the western suburbs of Chicago and those had huge differences so in a nutshell or rather a chart here are the differences I most noted from all three.

           Inner City Chicago

Class Size- Around 28
PTA raises around 25,000 per year 
Resources - One computer per classroom- not always guaranteed to work. No smart boards. No gym. very small theater room. no extras-art room ect, no gifted program.
Diversity- super plus.
Testing scores-  below average around three students a year tested high enough to go on to elite high schools in Chicago.
               Western Suburbs of Chicago        
Resources- Awesome-smart board in every class, library, computer room with enough computers for ever child, parties everything.
Class size-around 23-25
PTA raises around 40,000 per year
Testing-Off the charts- My two older daughters did around a half hour or more of math a night. Of course their test scores were high. Half of the class was in advanced or gifted math.
Diversity-Excellent

Utah
Resources- No smart boards but up to date on books, plus lots and lots of recess-love it. a lot of parent involvement, including theatre and choir all donated by parents.
Class size- Around 28
PTA- I really don't know how much they raise. I'll tell you when I find out but I doubt it's 60,000.
Testing- Mediocre-
Gifted Program- There is one around six attend per grade once a week for an hour or so.
Diversity-None

Neat Freak

This summer: Getting the kids to clean is always of course a chore and I think my kids have pulled out every stop to making cleaning the longest possible chore known to man-most of the time they get distracted or stall with "let me show you something" or "I'll organize my desk" soon a few hours have gone by and the basement or whatever we were picking up is still not clean. So I've really tried to be creative, had races ( this usually ends in fighting or crying) given out prizes from a prize box (this actually works pretty well but only if the prize box is stocked and it occasionally leads to crying because of supply and demand. I've also tried pretend such as lets be Cinderella or magic wizards, or my favorite the cleaning robot. This last idea works pretty well sometimes except for when they get into the roll too much and have forgotten the cleaning up part. I would love to hear any suggestions or ideas that get your kids going?

Averie and Kaela's first Triathalon

Averie and Kaela completed their first  Triathalon at Stansbury Park today. I am so proud of them!

Fireworks

Last year: Location Chicago suburbs Target

"May I see your driver's license?" The target cashier with name tag read Mariom paused.
"I am only buying snap its and two boxes of sparklers." I said.
"It's just the law." she replied.
"So I have to be over 21 to buy these?"
"You don't look that young honey."
I guess my gray hairs are showing a little.
"We have to card everybody even for these. But if you ask me and you didn't you can get some great fireworks in Indiana. Just make sure you get lunch there cause the cops will pull you over if you drive in and out. Everybody does it."

This year: Utah

"I want to see these fired from the slingshot," my husband holds up the last of the crackling salutes as we sit outside sister-in-laws home.
My younger girls run inside frightened at the chance of wildfire. The pavement is all around and these aren't anything close to illegal aereals but compared to the sparklers and snap-its it feels out of control.

Personally, I think both states are a little crazy on their laws-one too lenient and the other too strict.

MY DAUGHTER JUST GUTTED HER FIRST FISH-- AT SCHOOL

My daughter just gutted her first fish- At School.

The Mountain Man Rendezvous is one of the biggest end of the year with story telling, fire building demonstrations,  and this year they provided every fourth grader a fish to catch and gut. I was surprised how willing and excited the students were to be a part of  this somewhat gruesome endeavor. They really sliced and cleaned their fish, rinsed and bagged to take home for dinner.  Coming from Chicago suburbs this seemed unbelievable, I could picture the PETA demonstrators now.

Here's Kaela

School Nurse's answer Crazy Glue

 "Averie has cut her head. She may need stitches." A midst the unpacking, I drive down to the school. Certainly on her first day, Averie receives a head wound. I imagine I will end up taking her home. After all,  in Illinois there is a law if a student hits their head in anyway, they are sent home. The last time my daughter hit her head I was in the child birth with our youngest but that is another blog to write about.
Averie is calm the bleeding has almost stopped, the wound is about the size of my pinky print. The nurse looks over and says, "Do you want to go back to class, Averie?" My daughter nods yes. "You are welcome to take her to the doctor. I know my dad would sometimes just use a bit of crazy glue on wounds and that seemed to work fine."
Crazy glue are you serious? And she's going back to class? I love this Utah.

From Chicago to Utah

We are moving to Utah and from Chicago it feels like it will be a long way. My kids are excited counting down the days until they miss a whole week of school for the move and dreaming of a dog. We are not getting a dog. But that is the first question they asked when I told them Dad got a job promotion.
As for me, I am what is the word created for moving back to your past. I am excited and mistyfied. Yes mystified is the correct word being engrossed with fog and sparkles. I think that's the definition.
It has been almost 11 years since I lived in Utah, grew up in Utah, and I am a different person now, so in some ways fog -reconnecting with my past not wanting to be the person I was in some ways and sparkles because it will be nice to be by family. My kids will know their grandparents, and my husband and I can't wait to hike mountains.

Breakfast Table

I sat down at the breakfast table. My eldest daughter looked almost above me then raised her eye brows and said, "Mom, Justin Bieber, Justin Bieber mom."
 "Oh you mean my hair" I said. Apparently my new short hair cut looks like Justin Biebers in the morning. I push it to the side in an effort to appease 10 year old culture. or at least any peeping toms at 7am. Not that we have any, ( Actually this neighbor used to peek in our windows- but that is another blog I'll have to write about) in any case I look at the window.

Last night I was up 11:30-12:30 feeding our baby boy Kade. At1:30 Izzy wet the bed 3:30 Kade was congested and then hungry. Back to bed at 4:30 then woke up at 6:30. I am not sure why I would have the recognition for style seeing I was wearing a holey long sleeve shirt and sweat pants, but presence is everything. I push my hair to the side. She chomps approvingly.