Argh Totally Lost and Confused

The panic and axiety have set in full force in regards to the kids schooling. I go between feeling wonderful and confident with our choice to homeschool this year to a full on anxiety and panic attack.
I have such strong issues with the school they have been attending that I swore up and down they were not returning this year. But with fall and back to school quickly approaching I am losing confidence and wondering if I can handle this adventure.
I have contacted some other public school that are out of "catchment" but they are far from helpful and make me feel horrible for even considering switching schools.
There is another private school we have looked at but it is really far, really expensive and Jay and I both don't feel like blowing another $100 bucks on application fees to get a "no" answer.
So, here I am in tears again with my stomach in knots trying to make the best choice for the kids and our family.
Do we talk to the current school before school starts and explain our expectations and issues firmly so there are no issues or do I just keep them home? Do I send them and pull them if there are nonsensical issues?
I know I've said it before but I really never though this would be so hard....

So Sad and Dissapointed

We just got the call from Linden Christian and our kids were not accepted for next year :( I couldn't get off the phone fast enough for fear of crying but I am so, so sad.
I have been praying so hard for this and really felt after the interviews that this was the place for our kids and family.
Now we are back to square one :(

So Proud of My Girl

For the second year in a row Kianne made it to the divisional meet for track and field. She is a great little runner and I am so proud of her :)
The weather was a little risky but it held off. Although it was much colder than I suspected. Matthew, Jordyn and I had a great time cheering her on and it was a shame we couldn't stay the whole day but we had to get home for Corey for lunch.









And although she didn't come in first, second or even third she was great out there :)

Choices, choices.... re:school

I had made a decision a little while back that no matter what, my two school age kids were NOT returning to the school they have been attending. It has been a horrible experience and has been year after year of heartache and drama.
The labels and nonsense that follows is causing far too much stress for one family to deal with. Granted the kids have had some wonderful teachers I think the problem runs deeper than that. I don't even want to blame it on the administration but perhaps the "system" as a whole.
We are fortunate to know a lady who is the vice principle of a great Christian private school where the kids could possibly get a fresh start. She had offered to review our documents and see if they may have space for our children in the fall.
I received a call today that was slightly encouraging but does leave some serious decisions to be made.
Ms. D suggested that K repeat grade 5. Being a private school they are already quite advanced and K does really struggle in her math.
C she was a little less sure about because of the funding he receives for an EA in the classroom. The support is up in 2011 and at that time they need to reapply and hope he gets it.
So, basically we were told to for sure apply for K and we could apply for C but no guarantees for anything.
I guess that is what we will do and see what comes out of it. If not, I suppose we will homeschool for a year or two and maybe then try and introduce them back into the public school system.

On another note, we had the most rain in recorded history in a 24 hour period over the weekend. It was crazy really. I worked a wedding and it was by the far the rainiest wedding I've ever done.

Lots going on

Well it seems I have gotten too busy again to update this blog. As per my last post I think I have finally decided I am content with my photo blog the way it is.

We are in the process of some big changes in the P/G household. The first one being a possible move. I mean admittedly we had outgrown our little home the moment we moved in however we had to start somewhere and we can at least way this house is ours. (well technically the banks but that is neither here nor there)
When we took possession of our little house I was extremely pregnant. Infact it was only 3 short weeks after we moved in that we had Matthew. Of course a short time later ms Jordyn graced us with her prescense. pardon the pun ;)
So now we are in a little 900 sqaure foot bungalow with 6 people. Oh and don't forget the dumb dog! Well luckily Jayson is handy and so he built an extra bedroom downstairs. That still only leaves though 4 bedrooms for 6 people.
Anyways, all this to say that it is time to move on to something a little bigger and where there are at least rooms for everyone.
We are meeting with a real estate agent tonight to hopefully get the ball rolling and figure out exactly what needs to be done.
We have had our eyes on the Niverville area for quite sometime and the housing costs are substantilly lower there and really only 20 mins from where we are anyway. I hear the schools are pretty good as well.
School, that brings me to another heater topic. I don't honestly know if I should even get started. Needless to say things have been really bad and at this point my kids WILL NOT be going back there next year. It has just been one nightmare after another. Yesterday the school even went so far as to tell me I don't feed my kid enough and that he is so hungry. They questioned every meal I gave him and told me it wasn't enough.
That is just the tip of the iceberg. I also have a report from a dr. indicating that Kianne's teacher has reported she is one grade level behind in all her core subjets.... hmmm this is the first we have ever heard this. So my first question of course is why hasn't the school or the teacher been in contact with me about this issue. Why in the world am I reading it from a dr's report?!?!? So of course this prompted me to check last years report card as we had not received one yet for this year. As of last year all was well and expectations were being met. Something didn't sound right but I wanted to get this years report from the teacher and then review it. Well you can imagine my shock when I received the report card yesterday and again the expectations are all being met?!?!? Okay, now I may not be the smartest kid on the block however, if I have one report that is saying she is below a full grade and another report that says she is meeting all expectations....something is NOT adding up.
Of course this sent me over the edge! Someone is being lied to. Either myself as the parent or the dr. Now the scary thing is that if the Dr is being lied to by the school she is making diagnosis' based on teachers reports and in turn prescribing narcotics.... THIS is a serious situation.
I have put in a call to the dr as I want a copy of the report that was sent from Kianne's teacher. Once I have that there will be a meeting with the school to figure out all this nonsense.
Well I wasn't going to get into it but as you can tell this is a huge issue and one I will not let die.
I don't know what to do about this school we are dealing with but my kids will not be returning.

Back to School

Today was the day that most parent's have circled on their calendar. It is bittersweet as today is the day that the kids "get out of my hair" and back into routine. It also means it is that much closer to the end of summer though which is a horrible thought :(
I just realized I forgot to send their kleenex boxes to school with them so I suppose I will send them tomorrow.
Kianne was nonchalant about the first day of school and shot me down when I asked her if she wanted me to walk with her. I guess that is what happens when you go into grade 5 ;)


Corey was excited to ride his bike and see all his friends. The only reason he wanted me to walk with him was so I could help him carry his stuff. I guess in grade 3 it is still acceptable. When I realized that he just wanted to use me as a donkey though I sent him on his way ;)

I am really looking forward to this school year and have high hopes for a great year. Corey has a really good teacher that I know he likes and Kianne's so far seems nice. Unfortunately she will always be the guinea pig with teachers as she is the oldest.
So with the first day being done and only 9 more months to go... here's to a Happy Back to School Day for students, parents and teachers :)

School of thought

We had tri-conference last week for Kianne and Corey and thankfully they are doing okay in school. I wish though that some of the school policies weren't there. For instance the "no fail" policy. NOT that I want my children held back but I think in the big scheme of things if one is not succeeding then a second chance may be a good idea. I believe our schools are maxed out on staff and budget and therefore can only do so much but I believe it is affecting our children and their educations.
I am sorry to say that we yet again did not get accepted into a great little private school around here. If we could afford any of the others we would certainly consider it however they are way beyond our budget.
I presented Kianne with a multiplication table like we used to use in "the olden days" she had never seen this and when I asked the teacher about this she informed me they don't use these anymore and are trying different strategies. Well to be honest when she explained it to me my head was spinning. Anyone who knows me knows that math is definitely not my strong point however that old multiplication table did the trick so I guess you have to ask "why fix what ain't broke"?
Anyway, all this rant just to say that over the last couple of months I have gathered enough info and evidence that Matthew and Jordyn will be home schooled from K-3 so that I can ensure they have a solid start in their school career.
I am all about kids being kids and not getting stressed about academics at such a young age but I do want them to feel confident and strong and I feel that Kianne in particular is not getting this.
I'm not sure what to do at this point about it and hate to think that is to late. I am going to be visiting a KUMON center though to see what they have to offer.

Is it me???

Well I just had a meeting at the school this time about Kianne. My perfect girl who is so smart and bright is likely ADD and dyslexic!!!!
Seriously how did this happen?!?!? I've seen a couple of things at home in regards to organization and being a scatter brain etc... but I just kind of thought that was her.
Then there is the struggle to medicate or find other solutions. I don't know how much more of this I can take and I feel like such a failure to my kids.
How did this happen to both of them? How are they going to make it in life? Are these even real diagnosis'?
I guess we'll get her assessed and go from there.
It is just so heartbreaking :(