I learned something today, though. Not all foods of the same brand and type have the same ingredients. I bought whole fruit popsicles today. Strawberry did NOT have artificial colour, and yet, lime did. Rats. Piper wanted lime... and still, no tantrum. She understood why she couldn't have lime. That's my girl.
Another thing that has happened this week is our decision to homeschool Phoebe next year. Piper got a slot at Bullis Charter School (BCS) and Phoebe was bumped to first on the 3rd grade wait list. It didn't happen. Okay, wait, let me copy and paste from my e-mail to the family on this one:
We all felt very trapped by the idea of having to send Phoebe to the newly designated school for her, which was not the school she attended last year, rather one located inconveniently across town in the wrong direction from where Chloe goes to preschool/daycare. When we realized what our schedules meant, this would be dropping off, or picking up, someone every two hours throughout the day.So there it is. Thank goodness for the internet for helping us find the way to go about all of this...
Further, she was not thriving in the public school environment. She was worked up for learning disabilities last year, and she continues to struggle with the worksheet style curriculum that is standard across this district - so the new school would not be a change from her school last year.
Lastly, she was expressing that if she went on to Covington (the new district school), she would want to stay there, rather than move again in a year, and we had every intention of having her attend the charter school for 4th grade. She is guaranteed a place there next year (they open up 10 slots in the 4th grade because of the teacher/student ratio increase that is a state regulation). In addition, if a slot opens up at the charter school, it is fully our intention to move her during the school year.
So, not only were Phil and I frustrated, Phoebe was as well... until we remembered that we had another option. We had explored the homeschooling option for Phoebe before she even entered kindergarten, and we revisited it as an option now. Phoebe was ecstatic to learn she had another choice. We made it clear she'd have to focus, and be receptive to when it was "school time" here at home.
It was so crazy, it just might work! Phil and I alternate days working from home so that someone is always available to pick up the kids, either on schedule, or in an emergency, so enforcing an educational period just meant that we'd have to work all the harder during that time - and Phoebe would have to understand and work WITH us.
So today, I informed the school district that they would not be having the pleasure of Phoebe's company this year for the 3rd grade.
This is a one year solution, but one we're growing more and more excited about. We will use the local music and art school, as well as find a Mandarin tutor for both Phoebe and Piper as well as their friend, Megan.