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Starting School

I started blogging just after Toby turned one, so it seems hardly possible, but my little chap is off to big school for the first time this week. He is joining his sisters at the little school in the village.

We are as ready as we will ever be in terms of the stuff we need for school, and having a boy after two girls, there is a lot of stuff. We bought school shoes at the end of December, well before the back to school rush, and I have his little shorts, shirts, and jackets all ready. He made a library bag with Nan when we visited the mountains, and he has a bag which looks way too big for him, though of course it’s just that he is still small. I spent an hour on Monday labeling everything. With two weeks of swimming lessons to start the year, even his undies needed labeling.

Starting School

So far as school goes, Toby is not that interested. To him the farm is far more important and exciting, and who is going to run the farm properly once he goes to school? What will Dad and Pa do without him? It is a legitimate concern. Having said that, I know that he is ready for some more formal education. He writes his name on his books and papers (though some times he writes Ybot – he doesn’t believe that the letters have to be in particular order), and loves stories and art, and tries to count to 100 (though the 70s-90s get a little hazy). Yep, he is ready. On Sunday he wrote his name with a permanent marker on his toy guitar after seeing a clip of Colin Buchanan signing a guitar.

Starting School-2

It’s going to be quite a shift for our whole family having all the kids at school. Country Boy will have a little more time on his hands, but as the farm takes all hours as you want, his “spare” time will certainly be taken up. 2016 is our only year with all three kids at one school. Hannah is in Year 6, Meg in Year 3.  Suddenly the years are flying past. I no longer have little ones, and though we are in the golden times (no toddlers, no teens), I want it all to slow down.

Toby might be ready for school, but I’m not sure I am ready for him to go.

Do you have a little one starting school this year? Any advice for us as we transition to having no little ones at home?

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Erin says

    January 27, 2016 at 12:44 pm

    Can’t believe it either! I’ve been reading you for most of that time, where has it gone?!
    Wishing Toby a wonderful day and year!! Enjoy having them all in the one spot this year 🙂

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      January 27, 2016 at 9:51 pm

      Thanks Erin – doesn’t time fly!

      Reply
  2. Emma - a simple living journey says

    January 27, 2016 at 12:14 pm

    My middle son starts school next week also. Book collection is Thursday along with uniforms. Shoes are bought, socks are bought….Im excited for him as he is excited but he is still so young in himself I worry! he has speech delays and I suspect learning issues. My dear sweet boy! Such a delightful little fellow, I hope his gentle nature is not overlooked by his issues in big school, and that he is not left behind!

    Good luck with the new school year!

    xx

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      January 27, 2016 at 9:52 pm

      Thanks Emma – it’s always a little nerve wracking sending them off!

      Reply
  3. letmebefree says

    January 27, 2016 at 10:58 am

    My daughter starts kindy next week and I am very excited as she is ready for it!! Will be weird to be just home with one child. Hope the first day of school goes well for you.

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      January 27, 2016 at 9:53 pm

      Thanks 🙂

      Reply
  4. jan2132 says

    January 27, 2016 at 8:46 am

    Your big boy is just starting. My biggest boy, grandson, starts Year 12 today. He hopes to have enough driving hours in his logbook to go for licence next week.

    I can tell you that Toby will too soon be just like Andrew and you will wonder where the time went.

    Miss M has just the best news to start year 6 with. Remission,formally , from acute leukaemia. Monthly checks but no more chemo. Checks will go on well into adulthood, but we rejoice in this news and are so grateful.

    The other grandchildren fit in around these two.

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      January 27, 2016 at 9:54 pm

      Sounds like you have good news all round 🙂 Congratulations!

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Jo

I'm a city girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a few presents, an afternoon swim and dinner on the veranda as the sun set. Time to stop and be thankful for the many blessings of the year. I hope you had a lovely Christmas too!
We have been mulling over how to fix up the drivew We have been mulling over how to fix up the driveway and lead up to our house for a while. Currently it’s just a dumping ground for old bits of metal and a big pile of mulch, but C would like to create a turning area and put in a garden. First up though, there’s a huge old stump that needs to go. What better excuse is there to have a fire on Sunday afternoon? C and the kids jumped on the quad bike and trailer, and hauled back a big pile of sticks and logs to help the stump burn. Once the fire was going, marshmallows were found and roasted. No better way to spend time together.
Team work makes the dream work. We were asked rec Team work makes the dream work. 
We were asked recently whether we “make” our kids work on the farm. The answer is of course not. Having said that, all three love to help out whenever they can. They all work hard because they want to; because they take pride in working hard and contributing in a meaningful way to our family life; because they love living on our farm and don’t remember life before we moved here. Whether it be planting trees or doing sheep work or feeding animals, they all want to be involved. As a parent, nothing is better than watching them grow in skill and confidence as they work along side you. We’re so glad that we get to spend time with our three, working together.
We’ve had an unexpected addition to the family ☘️🐑. She is a lot easier to look after than the other family members but she does try to escape her yard and head butt people. Poddy lambs are super cute but they tend to think they are a human. Clover the lamb is sure that Meg is her mum. Can’t think why… 🤔🤣
The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: toge The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: together, cooking damper around the remains of the bonfire.
It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got through shearing without a hitch (thankfully 🙏) but we’ve had a run of the flu followed by Covid run through the family since then. The kids and I have tested positive (this is my second time getting it 🦠) though so far C has managed to avoid it. There has been a lot of lying on the couch feeling pretty ordinary. Han had to reschedule her driving test for a 4th time due to Covid, which is disappointing for her because she wants her freedom and for us because it would be so much more convenient if she could drive herself places. Just to add in to the mix, our hot water system has chosen now as a good time to die so we’re on cold showers until we’re all out of iso. This is not meant to be a whinging post but sometimes life just sucks a bit and it’s good to be real. Fortunately, the sight of the fire going with a stack of wood next to it cheers us up. Things will improve soon. Onwards we go…

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Hi, I’m Jo

City girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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