It's been a while...

Good morning and welcome back to our treehouse!

We got swamped with orders and back to school shenanigans.

Four out of our five monkeys started school this week; Peanut starts next week. So far they have had a great week! Their teachers seem wonderful and they are all having a great time.

I think what took the longest (aside from the yearly mountain of paperwork) was writing our yearly beginning of school emails to the teachers. Every year, we write an email to each teacher explaining each individual child's strengths and areas of improvement. We also explain a little bit of their background and open the door to communication. If you want your child to be successful at school, they have to know that you care enough to contact their teachers. Our monkeys know that good days or bad, we will hear about it. Even our middle school teachers get emails. This is not just at the beginning of the year though, I am a crazy-person and email our teachers regularly to keep tabs on the monkeys and make sure that we are all on the same page. Let me tell you, the good teachers-appreciate it! Having been a teacher before I had kids, I know what it's like to have a kid in your class that you know nothing about and try to connect with them. Especially if they have a lot of transitions going on in their home lives...it makes it even harder. Knowing what they are coming from makes a teacher's job easier. It also lets them know that you are involved and invested in your monkey(s).

Another thing I do to ensure a smooth year, is I "grease the wheels". Yes, I am talking gifts. Nothing elaborate, just gifts of appreciation throughout the year. Between all 5 of our monkeys, there are usually anywhere from 17-25 gifts that go to school and usually my cost is under $20 for all of it. Now these gifts are not in any way shape or form a bribe. They are simply a thoughtful token of our appreciation for the time and efforts they spend on our monkeys. On the first day of school, our monkeys were all sent to school with homemade chocolate chip cookies (I love this recipe) that were wrapped in wax paper, then scrapbook paper, and tied with a string and the tag below. Last year's gifts included baked goods, flower writers, hand scrubs, personalized tumblers, and custom dry erase boards. The teachers very much appreciate the gifts and are more willing to go the extra mile for our monkeys when asked. Trust me, it works. (For our fans that attend regular IEP or 504 meetings, baked goods go a long way there too.)

I have to get our monkeys to school, but enjoy the day folks! Think about what you would like to tell your child's teacher about your monkey...maybe write a short email...or bake cookies. Appreciate the people that spend all day with your children. Your appreciation for them, makes an impact on your children's education.

Have a wonderful day!