Chess

One of the things I like about summer is just the change of routine. We still keep a loose routine that includes sleeping late, hanging out at the pool, and oh yeah, chores every now and then. One of the favorites in our summer routine is the homeschool chess club on Wednesdays. We don't have time for this during the school year and it is farther away. But for the summer, it moves to our church, very close, and we have plenty of time. Chess is a valuable brain builder and we can see friends and be inside for a cool summer afternoon. Everyone except B plays and their skill improves each time. This is the 3rd summer we hae participated and I enjoy watching them grow and develop as the learn new moves. So that's where we'll be this afternoon, right before we head to the pool! All that serious thinking requires a break, don't you agree?

And check out that print to the side. It is an optical illusion. You can look at that for a very long time and it still won't make sense. Maybe your brain needs to play some more chess, too!

The Most Wonderful Night of the Year

No, I'm not speaking of Christmas, but to a kid, it often feels like that. Tonight we took our annual expedition to the aisles of Target which are so beautifully decorated by Crayola, Mead, and Elmers. Yep, school supply shopping. I have to admit I love it as much as the children do. We loaded up on glue sticks (did you know that if you buy too many they will either dry up or MOLD?) and paper, notebooks, markers, pencils, and lunchboxes. Since we are out two days a week, and often picnic on other days, I make sure at least my little ones have lunch boxes. It just makes life easier. This year we seem to have a camo theme going, complete with water bottles and thermoses. Even I wouldn't mind packing a lunch in those.

When I say loaded up, that's exactly what I mean. At $1-$2 each for paper and notebooks, $2-3 for compasses and scissors, 10 cents for glue sticks, I still managed to spend about $150 for the school supplies...but this will last all year long. Last year the only thing we ran out of was notebook paper, so I bought MORE. We'll see how long this lasts. I may find myself at Target next week addign just another few packs :) You can't have too much paper for kids who write. Writing is good, right??? Paper is cheap.

Now, I'm off to organize and stack all my...I mean our...new treasures.

Rainy Saturdays

We have had SO much rain this summer in Central Texas, it isn't even funny. Most of the lakes are closed, many homes have flooded, businesses are suffering, and we haven't been able to get to the pool as often as necessary. Okay, so some things are higher priorities than others :) This morning started out much the same way, with rain at 3 a.m. and pretty much off and on all morning. The bad part about to day was that we had a lake party reunion scheduled. We were in a wonderful Sunday School class for 15 years. These families were our family! One of the ladies was my birth coach attending dsB's birth 14 years ago. Many of them brought meals and helping hands at the birth of each child. We did the same for many of their births. When it was time for me to go to work, one of these ladies was my strongest supporter, helping me with the resume, interview process, and even loaning me a suit to wear. 12 years as a stay-at-home mom didn't leave me with much in my closet in the way of business attire. It was these families we spent our social time with bowling, camping and eating lots of pizza; They are also the ones we prayed through crises with, and spent each Sunday morning learning with.

But as all things often do eventually, this group became smaller and smaller until we had to disband the class. Many moved away; others changed their Sunday morning schedule due to changing family needs. But we all remained close in spirit. One of our annual traditions had been a party at one family's lake house. We all gathered for a day of boating, swimming, eating, talking, and lots of laughing. This did not happen last year and we all missed it. So, that family decided to have a reunion party, inviting anyone we could think of who had been a part of the class over the years. That was today. Some I see each week still; others I hadn't seen in 3-4 years. We had such a good time catching up; seeing where everyone's kids were headed to college, or just how they had grown and changed. It reaffirmed my belief that the bonds we had in that class were very unusual and very special. We visited other classes and have found one that we like, but that group will keep a place in our hearts always.

And the rain..it cleared up just for us to have a cool, clear day with a light shoewr int he middle of the afternoon. Otherwise---perfect!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Okay, so time away leaves me at a loss for NON-punny, NON-weak titles. But hey, it's an update. On Wednesday night, after a fun night at the church where we ate dinner and watched CARS, we came home for a later than usual bedtime. About 20 minutes after I said goodnight and went downstairs, R came to me in tears. She had a crisis with a comb that required no less than cutting off about 6 inches to get the comb out! I have repaired her self-inflicted haircuts on several occassions but this one was going to require professional intervention. We went to Costcutters this morning, where in fixing the problem, we discovered that they are a newly established Locks of Love outlet AND R had just enough to donate. So, we helped a worthy cause, solved our hair dilemma, and it didn't cost a thing! Can't beat that...and she is oh so anxious to show off her cute new style. It's very short for a female member of this family.

Which reminds me, about a month ago, I donated my own locks and went from below my waist length to just below my shoulders. I love it and am becoming a pro at french braiding my own hair now that it is short enough to be manageable.

Summer 2007

Here I am again, after much prompting by friends and family to pick this back up. I will try to be more diligent but I can't promise anything :)

Today we are almost halfway through July and I cannot believe how quickly the summer has flown by. I had a long list of things to get done and I'm not really making the progress I would have liked. Here are a few of the things I have accomplished along with some more on the list in the next week or two:

Kerrville Folk Festival-went for 2 of the 3 weekends, rained torrents the first one and it was miserable. The second weekend was MUCH better, and we had a good time. I gave blood for the first time in 15+ years and felt kind of yucky that day. Or camp took a hit in the middle of the second week while we were gone and we lost some of our equipment.

Vacation Bible School - This year was the best ever for VBS. The theme was all about science, and they asked me to man the science lab, which was a center they all rotated through the week. I had all the equipment and it was fun to do. I loved that role and the kids all enjoyed the demonstartions and activities they got to do on their own. The best part was that each activity had a God lesson as well as a Science lesson. I enjoyed seeing how those tied together.

Homeschool Conference and Bookfair - This is my one shot of the year to publicize my business and interact with potential new students/parents. It was a little slower this year and enrollment is down a bit. I am probably looking at a shortened day on Monday, and a full day on Tuesday. Still making decisions about all that.

Grades - This year was my largest year and the burden of grades is where I feel it most. I finally got all of one location finished and reported. I still have one class at the other location that I need to grade exams for and do the final data entry and reporting. I'll need to print paper reports for some students and mail those this week! That's a goal...

Household - Well, by the time I came home in May, the entire house was suffering from serious neglect. For months, I had gotten by with the bare minimum. Dishes, laundry, etc. were all we could get to after schooling and running around. I really don't like to live this way, so that took priority over everything else. I worked on the girls' room (don't ask!) and then went downstairs. I am happy to report that I can now have company without embarrassment once again. I just try to keep up with it and keep the floors clean.

One added factor that I wouldn't have predicted was a help in the kitchen. My kitchen is so far from the hot water heater in the garage that it takes FOREVER to get hot water to the kitchen sink, at least it DID...my guys put in a heater under the kitchen sink that gives me instant HOT water whenever I need it. This makes it so much easier to stay on top of the hand washing of dishes. Before, I would let them pile up until I ran the dishwasher and then wash it all when the hot water was circulating there anyway. But this left more than I would have liked at the side of the sink. Now, I can wash a few small things without waiting the 5 minutes for hot water to get there. A plus, in my book.

I need to get upstairs now and help with the boys' room and get the playroom back under control. The science stuff all exploded at the end of the year and the school mess and playing mess is out of control. I need to PURGE! That's what I need to do.

Okay, so this is what's going on this weekend. dsB is returning from a week at Scout camp where he was tapped out for Order of the Arrow, a high honor in scouting. He is now mowing the lawn but I expect to hear all about it this evening. H is away at the grandparents' where she is spending a whole day with a vet in her work. H is my animal lover and thinks this is the job for her. R is writing a story on the computer which is very good, really. J is fixing the washing machine which is just having all sorts of problems. B is in her room, reading. And I am done for the day, planning to head down now and make something for all these hungry people to eat for dinner.

See you soon!