Old York

It's been a year and a half since I moved to this city. The city that never sleeps has proven itself worthy of that title- I've had bouts of insomnia, mostly in the summer with windows open. The city noise gets louder & later in the summer, so for about 3 months I didn't sleep much, but at least I was having fun. The summer was a collection of road trip get-aways to various East Coast destinations and visiting old friends. My first time in Georgia- Athens, Asheville North Carolina, Belfast & Portland Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Rhode Island, Cape Cod & of course Boston. We had a house swap with friends in Georgia, stayed in a yurt, hiked, swam at lakes & beaches & took Harmony canoeing for the first time. We went to a Victorian themed picnic event on Governor's Island & danced like crazy. We also grew an organic garden at my in-laws & ate lots of yummy stuff.

Much of the summer was spent waiting on word about my daughter's schooling assignments - which never came. NYC has quite a way of stressing out parents when it comes to pre-school applications. Ask any New Yorker (or former New Yorker who's moved for better school options)... and you will find that every parent is as confused, annoyed, appalled & stressed as the next one when trying to navigate the school system & the ludicrous costs and application processes. It's ridiculous- I've used that word heavily in regards to this. We applied to 7 public pre-k programs (you can apply to up to 12)... and none had room for her- as priority goes to those with siblings already in the system & those who live closest. After checking out a small co-op, which ended up having no room for part-timers & full-time was out of budget for us, as was every other private school here... we decided to keep my girl home for this last year before kindergarten. I figured with the cost and schedule, it would make no sense for me to have a job currently (besides my vintage online shop), as most people must hire drop-off & pick up nannies to traffic their children to school in order to work normal hours. It all is such an inconvenient & strange educational culture. Those with the money attend private school & pay up to $30,000 per year FOR NON-MANDATORY PRE-SCHOOL--- no joke. People here have to get in first and fast as pre-k will determine the rest of your school career- up to college. New Yorkers seem to have no choice but to abide by this system and either jockey for public school seats or pay obscene amounts to ensure a bright future for their children- tough options.

We chose to home school. To me this means letting her play & teaching her what I can according to various syllabi stating what she should know by kindergarten and by what she seems interested in learning. I follow her lead and allow her to be creative. She also takes an art class once a week and is on a soccer team with her friend. These social events allow her to interact with peers & experience structured group learning. We take trips to different museums and parks to explore this great cultural mecca and all it has to offer beyond the walls of a school. We read for about 20-30 minutes a day & do workbooks with numbers, letters, writing, art, problem solving etc. She loves the workbooks, but only at her own pace- she doesn't like to be pushed to work, she likes to choose the time for workbooks on her own & then gets enthralled & so focused & quiet when she's ready. :) We dance, sing, cook and bake a lot; she loves measuring and counting ingredients, and I teach her about the nutrients, benefits and vitamins in each food. She's been super into arts and crafts the past month, just sits at her little table and makes up projects herself & sometimes we collaborate. I used to be like that- so into my art time- so involved with hand-made things. Soon I will teach her to sew like my mom taught me. Handing down these skills and traditions feels so nice. I have the fondest memories of sewing with my mom & then as I grew older creating my own clothes and bags to sell at boutiques and fashion shows with art collectives in Boston.

Since she is my only child, I am making sure to enjoy and cherish the last year of home-time with her before school starts. Knowing that this phase will pass so soon makes it well worth the extra time I spend at home with her; watching her grow and blossom and giving her the tools and foundation she'll need to hopefully continue on her path to becoming even more of the confident, independent, skilled, kind, generous, gentle, sensitive, creative, intelligent, healthy individual that she already is.