We like to eat...

but like many families we are on a budget. I was doing a little research online, and the common theme in mostly all the sites was menu planning. This way you are heading to the grocery store with a plan of what you are going to eat for the week, and then you only get what you need to make those meals. It makes your shopping trip more efficient, and you save money by not being indecisive and up buying what you really don't need.  

So I made us a menu planner...

I added some of our family basic's which are items that have on hand all the time, the pink highlight on the weekday breakfast and lunch is to distinguish Loralai's meals! :) 

Creating!

I have been on a creating rampage for special personalized items for Loralai! Here is a peak at what I have been up to, and what Loralai has been having fun using! 

First up we have Loralai's morning and bedtime routine. She LOVES them! She feels independent, and I know that she is doing everything that she needs to do! 

Next we have her fancy chore chart. I think learning some responsibility is good, she gets .20 cents for every chore that she does, and half goes to savings and the rest she can do what she likes with. 

Then we have some labels for the envelopes for school. This is more for Mommy then Loralai, but I like them!! 

The last one is letters to and from Santa :) I also made a boy version just in case any of my friends with boys liked them! 

First Day of School

Loralai's first day of JR Kindergarten:

I honestly could have not asked for a better first day of school experience for Loralai! There was of course anxiety on both of our behalf's, but she did amazing!  

The morning started right with a yummy breakfast of crepes, completing her morning routine list which now she was finally able to complete the entire list with backpack and all! She opened her necklace, Grandma Brenda came over, and we headed out to the front to take some pictures. Since Loralai is not attending a school in our neighbourhood boundaries, we drove over to Carrie's and walked over with all of Loralai's other daycare friends. This will be her routine everyday, and actually has been her routine everyday since she was 11 weeks old, taking all the big kids to school every morning, watching them go inside, and now it was her turn....of course we had to stick with the same routine! (now hopefully this also makes sense as to why we decided to send her to this school out of our neighbourhood boundary)

I am glad that she did have her friend Sydney in her class, although Sydney is in SK, the class that Loralai is in, is an JK and SK split. After bringing Loralai to the gate, and taking in her decorated shoe box filled with her "just in case" clothes, box of kleenex (as requested), and taking the customary picture of her at her new cubby, I left and stood behind the outskirts of the fence, watched, and shed a couple of discreet proud tears as Loralai stuck very close by her friend Sydney while they played and waited for the bell to ring. After the bell rang they all lined up along the wall/fence (Loralai and two of the other new girls starting that day just followed all of the other children's lead) and they did there shake off all the sand dance before heading inside...then Mommy started to bawl like a baby!  

School begins at 8:45am and finishes at 3:15pm. So at 2:50pm, Daddy, Grandma, and Mommy drove over in the rain to Carrie's and got out the only umbrellas we had (both Loralai's) and walked over to the school to go and get her! Daddy looked hilarious with his borrowed multicoloured polkadot umbrella I might add! When she came out she looked tired, but happy! and like every other time we ask her what she did today, she always says "I don't remember!" lol. But of course after asking her more specific questions, we found out that she did the following:

- Loralai successfully placed her communication book into her bucket and got a sticker

 - Played Duck Duck Goose at gym, everyone had a turn even her teacher, which she found very funny! 

- They visited the library and had to find 3 stuffed bats that were "hidden" around in the library, and they also read a book together. 

- They read Kiss my Palm and made a piece of poem art to go along with the story

- and the computers were not turned on at all, all day lol

They obviously did a lot more, but that she what she shared with Mommy :) 

So after getting home and emptying out her backpack and lunch bag, I sat down and went through her communication bag, which was filled with lots of items. There was a calender for the month of September that outlined all of the themes and activities that she will be participating in, including a Terry Fox walk next Friday! There is also a open house and BBQ on the 27th! :) Some of the classroom themes for the month include:

- "Me" Week
- Head, Heart, and Hands
- Fantastic Fall
- We are Thankful 

So also included in the bag was a pamphlet! I swear Loralai's teacher is a woman after my own heart! How amazing is this?: 

Of course we cannot forget the piece of poem art that she made:

There was a couple of other items that included information on learning a language, and a full calender from the school board that listed all of the important dates, like PA days for the year. 

Loralai was grumpy mcgrumpyskins last night, and I know that every night next week will be about the same as she gets used to the new routine! 

I am so proud of my big girl! :) 

School Orientation

I cannot believe that Loralai is starting school in just about 30 short hours, my little princess will be embarking on a new journey...a journey that will take her through approximately the next 18 years of her life:

Elementary school - 10 years

Highschool - 4 years 

college/university - 4 years 

Yesterday we went to the school for orientation, basically the her teacher Mrs. Day-Morrow introduced herself, showed and explained everything around the classroom, and what Loralai could expect. Loralai was of course shy, but she like always took everything in and was SO EXCITED to explain everything to Daddy and I on the way home. Mrs. Day-Morrow is also a very kind and gentle person, I think that Loralai will respond well to her. 

Loralai has a communication book that she needs to take back and forth with her everyday to school, this is basically a purple folder that holds anything that the parents should know, any reading she needs to do, and this is also our way as parents to communicate with the teacher as well. Loralai has her own little bucket labelled with her name, at the front of the classroom where she will drop her communication book every morning! 

Yesterday morning when we woke up to start our day, I told Loralai that she was going to go to the school in the afternoon to meet her teacher, she looked at me with big eyes and apprehension and said "Mommy, I don't know what to do at school!" so I told her that's why Mommy was taking her in to meet her teacher and see her classroom, so that when she started on Friday she would know what to do! 

As the Mommy of this beautiful, strong, funny, little human being...I am so proud and excited for her to start school. I think that she is ready (knock on wood) BUT there is some apprehension starting to also kick in, I am of course worried about how she will cope, bullying, etc. but hopefully with all the love she has from her family and friends, from the kind of values that we have taught and will continue to teach her everyday, she will be just fine! 

So Loralai in just 30 short hours your journey will begin, Mommy loves you!!