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Thursday, August 17, 2006

Short Update

I fell asleep in the 13th inning last night. We won without me.

So naturally I woke up at 4 a.m. I have about 20 minutes before the two younger girls wake up.

I'm way behind on blogreading. I haven't forgotten any of you but this week has been frantic. I'll catch up on the weekend.

Transportation solved somewhat. They can't ride with Elcie and I understand why. If they make an exception for one family, they'd have to do it for everyone. The kids on Elcie's bus have varying degrees of disability; some quite serious mentally and physically. Their safety must come first and they can be quite a handful for the driver without adding more kids.

So

Three school parking lots involved.

Morning

I drive them to Hoover, the neighborhood middle school they'd normally attend. It's about 12 blocks away.

They get on a bus direct to Rivera, the school they attend.

Afternoon

They catch a bus at Rivera which for some reason does not go straight back to Hoover. ??? They transfer to another bus at Cruickshank middle school which will take them to Hoover. They can walk home because time won't be an issue.

The morning bus is at 7:10 which means they'd have to leave here at 6:30 at the latest (still not quite light and will get darker). I'll drive them at least until I see if there are other kids walking that early. There might be. I think Hoover classes start at 7:30.

And they will take Ray's phone with them until I decide which one to buy. I'm nervous about that afternoon transfer. Cruickshank is our newest school on the far northeast side of town. There is almost nothing out there except the Cancer Center down the street and Raley's about 4 blocks away. It should be off one bus and onto the other but I've had too much experience with bus delays and confusion over the past 10 years (counting Elcie's special pre-school).

They can call me from Hoover and let me know they're starting for home. If they were attending there they'd be walking most days although many parents drive their kids. There is one main street with a signal light and the same railroad track with crossing gates they've been crossing for a couple of years by themselves. They should be okay.

I may pick them up this afternoon so I can drive the route they'll be walking and make sure the streets have sidewalks. Not kidding, some don't.

It's made my decision for me on the cell phone. They can use Ray's for now while I begin researching the best one for us. Thanks to all for the good advice. And thanks for not saying I was an irresponsible person spoiling kids with gadgets. It was never about that; it was about trying to keep them safe while allowing them some room to grow. Driving every day wouldn't have done that and I don't think I could have done it in our foggy winters. I'll do well to get them to Hoover then.

We traded the convenience of our neighborhood school for what I hope will be a better experience for them. Rivera is the second best of our middle schools; (Cruickshank is probably first but already overcrowded because of all the new housing on the outskirts of town).

Almost 6:00 a.m. They have to arise. Elcie woke up at 4 but she was asleep very early.

Math has begun. Elcie and I worked through reducing fractions. She remembered most of it.

Rebecca is doing simple equations. She and Elcie both seem to grasp basic Algebra. Good news? Rebecca finished most of her work in class and had only a few problems and her spelling words to do here. It's early in the year but she may have finally learned that working hard in class will be to her advantage.

Rochelle has no homework until next week and she never has too much. She's definitely over her boredom at least for now.

Take care - talk to you later.

14 comments:

Anvilcloud said...

It seems that you have got this thing sorted fairly well. The cell phone makes a lot of sense in this case.

Merle said...

Dear Ann ~~ Glad the transport problems are working towards a solution. I think
the cell phones are a great idea and
make the girls feel more secure, and you
know they can contact you any time.
Glad you enjoyed a joke this morning.
Take care, gs, Merle.

Jo said...

13th inning? I hear the game went to 18 innings. My goodness.

It sounds as if you have everything under control. Cell phones are just the ticket. I wish they had been around when my daughter was a child. Would have saved me a lot of anxiety.

Have a great day.

Josie

Yondalla said...

Good morning.

Anonymous said...

That sounds confusing, but like you're getting it all worked out. Good.

If the girls are grasping basic algebra, I think they're ahead of me! LOL :-)

TJ said...

don't worry...I think lots of people have had to slow down on the blogging because of school starting...weekends may have a better show now as they were very slow during the summer with everyone out and about!
:-D

Turtle Guy said...

What a shame... winning without you. Something sweet to wake up to, though I'm sure!

Sarah Elaine said...

You surely are busy! Sounds like you could have used a few more zzz's.

JBlue said...

Ah, these kinds of decisions weigh on me, too. You should have seen me trying to decide whether or not to go with full-day or half-day kindergarten for my little one. Sigh....

Unknown said...

Granny, I think you do more while I am in bed than I can accomplish in a whole day. I don't know where you get the energy.

I am glad the girls are doing well in school. That should lighten your load a bit with the homework.

I actually got off a project at work, so I am not as stressed & have more time for blogging.

Sandy Hatcher-Wallace said...

I do not...I repeat...I DO NOT envy you for a moment. How you keep up with 3 young girls and homework, for your age, is beyond me. No wonder you don't have time to blog...I wouldn't have time either. *sigh*

Everyone slowed down blogging in the summer months and it has gotten even slower because of the start of school. I slowed down just because I am out of the house more during the summer, but once winter sets in, I'll be in front of the computer most of the time.

I'm glad you got the transportation issues straightened out...and I see nothing wrong with getting the girls a cell phone, so they will be able to stay in touch with you in case they need a ride. So many times when my kids were young they had to search for a phone to call me from. No cell phones then and the schools would lockup shortly after school was let out.

Loved the picture of Elcie with Dipstick. Kids understand fractions better when they can work with something they can touch. "Four paws and if you take one paw away...you have 3/4's of its paws left."

Carole Burant said...

I'm having a hard time catching up on my blog reading too...the last few nights I've still been reading them at 1 a.m.!! Glad the transportation problem has been resolved...as long as the girls stay together, I'm sure they'll be fine.

Anonymous said...

wow... i don't think your being spoilin the kids.. i think your playin it safe.. i would... and wow that transportation thing is just confusing.. *blink*.. i don't even want to try and think it through LOL.. good luck!!!

Janice Seagraves said...

Hi Ann,

We have finally made decisiion ourselves on the cell phones.

We now have T-moble it cost us $130 dollars for two phones and pre-paid 166 minutes each.

One is for my daughter of course but the other one is for me! So I can be found when either my husband or my daughter needs a ride.

Janice~