these days

caroline's school workload is pretty demanding for a fifth grader. i don't really even remember doing homework until middle school and even then it wasn't much. on average, she has 45 minutes a night. if it was up to me, she'd have none. i feel like she already has such a long, heavy day getting to school at 7:20am and not leaving until 4:30pm. that is a long day for anyone. some days she is able to get all of her homework done in after-school but some days she still comes home to do another 20-30 minutes worth. and this doesn't even include her supposed daily 20 minutes of reading and 15 minutes of viola. we skip that a lot (we, as in she skips it and i am ok with it). i'm not debating whether or not she can handle the load. i know she is more than capable of doing it, as i see she is. i'm debating whether or not i think the load is really necessary for a 5th grader. will this really change the outcome for her down the road of life? i have to hope so but i definitely can't say i think so for certain.

projects are something that she does once or twice a month. her last one was compiling a memory box from the battle of bull run. as far as research goes, she does not enjoy it. i think she is easily overwhelmed by the amount of information on the internet and is still learning to navigate the waters on legit vs fictional sites. when it comes to the visual aspect of any project, she is all about it. she loved decorating the memory box the most. she loves art and anything creative. and in true caroline spirit, she let her little sister help her out. in the end, she made a 100 on the project. she is a great student for sure. very dedicated.

the girls just this week discovered we have a backyard. hey... where did that come from? neither of them have ever been big on playing out there. mainly because bugs live out there. did you know that? these girls are screamers and runners when it comes to seeing bugs of any kind. i guess now that the cooler weather is here and the bugs are fewer and farther between, the girls feel like it is safe to play outside. two nights this week they have played outside on the playground for like 45 minutes at least. that is a record for them. and the husband and i were in the house (we can see them from the window of course). pretty sure mazie had a great time outside too. though she was a little sad that she couldn't make it into the clubhouse with them.

hadley was lucky last night because i forgot her leotard at home. this meant she was able to get a real, non-target brand leotard at the gymnastics center she takes at.  and i looooove it on her. the picture isn't great because she refused to pose for me so i just snapped this up while she and caroline played. the ponytail was the icing on the cake. she is growing up too fast. can't believe she is 4 1/2 already. and happily wearing a leotard.

our life ordinary

i know I used to document hads and her spd progress. then i stopped. now I'm going do it to again.

she's doing amazing. the thing I always mention is that big steps for her are normal for your average kid. I may share a pic of her in active pants and you'll be like, ok so what's the big deal? and I'll say, she's wearing pants, dude! that's it. that's the impressive part. or look she's wearing a hoodie! a tight, over the head, awkward-feeling hoodie. man, that kids impressive. buns! she's wearing buns in her hair. I tried for well over a year to get her to do this. can't tell you why she's ok with it now, but she is. that makes me smile. sneakers! she owns not one, but two pairs of nikes. she wears sneakers to school every single day. that, my friend, is positive progress.

fifth grade has been a tougher year for homework for caroline. i'd say on average she gets over an hours worth of work. that on top of an already long school day. i feel bad that she works so hard sometimes. as if she is missing out on more 10-year-old kid time than the average kid. the impressive thing is she does it all so well and without complaints. her study habits have really improved this year as well, resulting in high test scores. her hard work is admirable. i am so proud of her.

this was her cell project, which she made out of a cookie cake and lots of good candy! she made a 100 on this project.

sometimes, fun at our house actually involves science. we had a fun day sunday doing a few science experiments. the first one was a volcano kit from discovery kids which was an absolute bomb. didn't work at all and was a complete waste of money. then we went on to do some rain clouds out of shaving cream with food-colored rain coming through. and our all-time favorite that involves milk, soap, and food coloring. none of these experiments are hard to do and the girls absolutely love doing it! now i see why bill nye was such a hit. science can be cool.