Wow! I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've blogged!! I guess I HAVE been busy! I am now working at the post office. Whee! Well, I'm on "probation" for the time being and won't be really, truly hired until that's over. The sucky thing is that it's for 90 days... of work!! Since I'm only going to be working one or two days a week generally, it's gonna take about a year to get off probation! Poop! But that's what's been keeping me away from Minti. I got trained for two different mail routes, and ended up working six days a couple of weeks ago. Needless to say, all I wanted to do when I got home was sleep! Not that the kids (or hubby) went for that idea, but I tried! Now I'm down to only working one day this week. It's kinda nice, even though the paycheck'll be smaller.

Emily's started soccer, although she's too darn competitive. At her last game/practice she just wouldn't go in any more when the coach called her for her turn and just sat on the sidelines pouting. Well, I got pretty upset cuz I was there to see her play, but that didn't change anything of course. After we got home we talked about it, and the problem is she wants to mark goals! Ugh. I told her it's just as important to turn the ball around in her team's direction (which she does pretty good at sometimes) as it is to mark a goal. Also, I told her she needs to practice when I ask her if she wants to go play a bit at home and that might help, too. We'll see how the next session goes. At school she got moved into the high reading group, which I thought was pretty cool. I had a meeting with her teacher last week and she told me this. I just wanted to find out if all the homework she was getting was normal! and whether Emily was on track with things. I guess she's doing well! Apparently there are parents who want MORE homework for their kids!! I, actually, am of the mindset that there shouldn't be ANY in first grade, but I guess I'm in my own club on that one. What's everyone else think? Here's an example of one week of homework assignments:

Monday: Read a ten-page long story (one sentence per page) they've been doing in school and talk about it. Math worksheet with six problems. Answer questions on a page that I couldn't find in the stuff she brought home. Study sight words.

Tuesday: Write a story using 5 of her spelling words. (Mind you, she's JUST learning how to write. I'm not sure how much of a story is supposed to be made of the words can, go, to, I etc.) Practice math addition facts through 9. Practice reading the story again.

Wednesday: Write five sentences with other spelling words. Another math worksheet with six problems. Answer more questions from that page I can't find. Continue to practice story.

Thursday: Write a story about the character from the story she'd been reading and include drawings. Study spelling words, sight words and math facts for tests tomorrow.

Um, we did the math worksheets and some sentences with spelling words, and that's about all I could do without totally killing her spirit for learning. After spending seven hours in school all day is that what she needs when she gets home?! I guess some parents think so. Anyhoo...

Juan's at the other end of the spectrum on school. He's failing one class and in danger of failing another and continues to try and hide this from us. Sigh. I don't even know what to say any more except maybe, get a job? His attitude in general has been better, but he just can't seem to figure out how to get through school. He has to take the state's standardized test this year for the first time, and if he doesn't pass it eventually, he won't graduate. He took it for practice last year and did miserably. I guess I need to start reading him bedtime stories again too. It seems to be working for Emily...

Thiago's spending some time with a Brazilian woman who watches kids so that on those days I do work my mom can get a break. Well, and it's giving me a break today, cuz I took him and I'm not working (for once!) He seems to like it okay, although she has a one-year-old and Thiago flatly stated that he does not like the baby. That's what happens when you're the youngest I guess! He's not used to someone else being the one grabbing stuff out of HIS hands! I think it's funny. And I hope his Portuguese will improve, because that's all she speaks. Yay!

So that's what we've been up to for the last month! As long as I'm only working one day this week I will probly be found goofing around on Minti again!

Cheers to everyone!