First day

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Bus:

I told them their bus number 20 times. Number 220. We even made up a little reminder phrase.....2 minus 2 is 0! Brilliant, no?

Damien got on bus number 222.
Then when it got to Emily's school, he got OFF the bus to go find Emily. Then they asked someone which bus they were supposed to get on and that someone directed them to bus number 223, which went kind of near our house, but they ended up having to walk like a half a mile. Today, maybe they'll listen to me.

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In the class:

Damien was a few minutes late, and everyone was already seated at their desks when he walked in. As he sat in his seat, a boy near him yelled out "Oh my god, he has an earring! Dude, how old are you?"
Damien replies, "seven"

Then the teacher asks, "how many of you are seven?"
The majority of the class raises their hands.
Then she asked how many kids were 8.
Only the "oh my god" boy raised his hand.

I have a feeling he's going home on a mission. "But MOM, there's a SEVEN year old in my class that has HIS ear pieeeeeerrrrrced."

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Emily had to do "getting to know you" interviews with another girl in her class. They pair up, ask each other questions and then read the other persons name and 3 interesting things about them to the class. I remember doing this in high school.

Emily remembers everything that was read about her to the class, but she couldn't tell me a single thing about the girl she interviewed. Not even her name. So much for "getting to know you"

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At home:

I really like the kids getting home before I do. By the time I got there, Patrick had already gone through their backpacks, set aside the paperwork for me, and had them do their homework.
For the first day, their homework was to gather items that represented things they liked and put them in a paper bag.
Damien had an apple, his legos, a drawing of a skull that his dad drew......
Emily had an Avril Lavigne CD, a book, some of her gymnastics and cheer awards.....

And I had homework too. 2 FAT packets of paperwork. Where I had to write emergency pick up names and numbers no less than 4 times..... each. Mildly irritating to say the least.

Emily's teacher had also sent home a "parent perspective" worksheet, where I had to write about her.

Things like her "academic strengths and weaknesses, her special talents, hobbies, fears and insecurities..."

Emily hovered the entire time I filled it out. I was as honest as possible, while trying not to be too braggy or too critical.....and with the knowledge that Emily herself would be reading it. She grabbed it as soon as I was done, read it, and stated that it made her "feel really good about herself"
Phew.