The summer is quickly wrapping up, as the boys spent a relaxed week in Port Austin with their grandparents soaking in the final days of freedom before they return to their school routine. Even Alex and the BF made it up to spend a night camping with the crew. These are the weeks that bring a multitude of emotion for me as a former homeschool mom while I read posts from friends about their preparations for homeschool and their choices for curriculum. Those choices are now out of my control and although part of me wishes I had that power again it is very clear that the boys need to be in charge of their own destiny when it comes to performing in the academic arena.
Being a creature who enjoys and requires regular change I am grateful to have the opportunity to learn and experience being a charter school parent and add that to my extending list of educational endeavors. Benjamin and I went out to Chatfield last week so he could take his math assessment test but the school was still in disaray as teachers were getting their classrooms prepared for the year so we did not get to see his teacher or classroom yet. While he was at the Tiger game with his grandpa and uncle I attend the new parent/student orientation and was happy to meet a go-getter mom rounding up people from our area to car pool with. I am not the only one who has been concerned about the time and gas required for transport to Chatfield. So with four of us sharing the duties it will be a relief to us all.
Fox had the first cross-country meet of his sophmore season at Croswell-Lexington this past week. He had a legitimate run but did not reach his time goal. The course was seriously cross-country, most of it was through the woods which was full of rugged, rooty terrain, and lots of hills once they came out of the woods and through the meadow then into the final straight-away. He commented that his quads and the top of his knees began to hurt about a third of the way through the course causing him to losing significant positioning but he pressed on and finished strong with a 21:23.
Sophmore orientation was also this past week. Fox has a pretty intense schedule for next year with AP Prep English, AP Ancient History, AP Psychology, Algebra II, one trimester of Biology, Chemistry, and Accounting. Yowza!
Friday we fit in one last field trip to the Detroit Zoo before our membership expired. It was an incredibly busy day, so much so that we had to park on the very roof of the parking structure! Inside wasn't so terrible as we got on the second train heading toward the back of the zoo and held a brief conference to determine which animals were a "must-see". Fox has been intrigued by the monkeys and apes so we spent a good deal of time there and had some great sightings. Ben wanted to go through the Outback area to check on the baby joeys. Ethan was all about the prairie dogs. My only requirement was our traditional photo by the bear fountain.
The Arctic Circle is always big time fun as the boys got silly by the ice wall, this time trying to leave a mark with their rear ends, the imprint did not work after quite some time all they ended up with were frozen a**es which showed up in blue on the heat sensor in the polar shack! Certain places will always remind me of my mother: zoos, gardens, and choir concerts in particular. As we walked around the boys shared several memories they had of gramma when they were really little and we used to get together with her for field trips when we homeschooled. I was amazed at some of the things that came to their minds. My emotions are not so much sad now as they are grateful that they have good memories and can share them freely.
Coming up: Ethan's Open House, Brown City HS Cross-Country Meet, and learning Italian!
Final thoughts: No plant can live if the root is cut away.....where are you rooted and grounded in your life? Are you in a place where you can thrive and grow or do you need to cut the roots of resentment, bitterness, doubt, or self-loathing in order to be refreshed and renewed?
To deep to dig....I think not.
Be well my friends.
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