countdown to kindergarten

andi has been so excited for kindergarten. for the past couple weeks she has been asking everyday when kindergarten is going to start. so, last sunday we made a paper chain countdown. problem solved. she doesn't ask anymore! every morning she tears a chain off and then counts how many days left (we did this same thing for the beach vacation). we went to the library and checked out books about school and have been reading them every night. books like, miss bindergarten kindergarten and the kissing hand (which i plan on reading sunday night).

we have been practicing, sort of, our morning routines. we have always been good about a night time routine. one of the best things i read in a parenting magazine when i was pregnant with andi was to establish a bedtime routine from the start. when andi was a newborn i did the same thing every night: read books, sing songs, say prayer, go to bed. of course, with the kids being older we have added a few things, brush teeth and scriptures. i truly believe this has helped my kids go to bed fairly easily. i love the summer, but towards the end i get a little anxious to get back into routine. i love routines. i love to-do lists. i love crossing things off of my list. i feel like have have accomplished a lot when my list has a lot crossed off. i think kids like that sense of accomplishment to. i want my kids to feel good for accomplishing something, not just accomplishing something for a toy or candy. to help my kids get into a good morning routine i created a little chart with pictures for each thing they need to do. when they have finished they simply turn the card over and go to the next. a picture to-do list. we have been only doing it a week, and it has been going pretty well.