The Great Update!

It's been over a year since blogging. So long the program didn't know me any more. lol

 

Life has been quite busy and I've been more caught up living it than blogging about it but for the sake of finishing what I started I will try to continue to document the exploits of my children's education since that is what the whole blog was about in the first place.

 

First I must update the happenings of my oldest boy.  When last I wrote we were in the process of visiting colleges and preparing for the application process.  Fox and I went to New York City to visit New York University which was his reach school.  We had a good time other than a long miserable bus ride and our car being stolen while we were gone.

 

 

We did a lot of walking and exploring and went to see a movie of the play Of Mice and Men starring James Franco on campus one night.  It was actually pretty cool.

 

Fox did early applications to NYU and Northwood University.  He was accepted at Northwood into the BA/MBA program, an accelerated study that will yield him both degrees in four years, his field is finance.  Because he applied early he was lucky enough to be awarded the Presidential Scholarship which is $10K a year renewable for 4 years.  In addition to that he competed for the DeVos Entrepreneurial Scholarship in which you had to present a business idea in writing and then a few were invited to the next step which was to do a 5-minute presentation to a panel of judges.  He made it through the entire process and was given an $11K scholarship renewable for 4 years.  In addition to these, he also received the full amount from FAFSA and signed up as a National Guard Reserve. 

 

In February of his Senior year he started attending drill weekends and did his Basic Training at Fort Jackson immediately upon graduating.  Yes, it was quite a whirlwind for a few months as he put everything together but I'm excited and proud over how he made it all happen.

 

 

 

Benjamin finish his freshman year of high school in the top 15 of his class.  He played JV Soccer but I was unable to get him to try any other clubs or activities.  Last summer he attended a camp at Ferris State University - Grand Rapids about Digital Media Software which he enjoyed.  Truth be told I think he more enjoyed staying with his uncle and having some independence away from his siblings and parents. (wink)  I'm still trying to steer him to some future plans.  He really just does not know what he wants to do yet.  I find it interesting that the child who has been in public school the most is the one that seems to have the least direction.  Time will tell. He and Ethan volunteered as 4H camp counselors over the summer as well.  E helped in day camp and B did his first stint as an overnight counselor and rocked it!

 

 

Ben is now almost done with his Sophomore year and he did a double sport for Fall, Soccer and Cross-Country (which he received his first Varsity letter).  Since his time with uncle last summer and going to the gym and rock climbing wall and watching American Ninja Warrior non-stop for months he has become quite the body-building enthusiast.  He has completely changed the way he eats concentrating mainly on veggies, proteins, nuts, and fiber.  Plus he has developed a regular weight lifting routine, finding a good balance (in my opinion) between pushing himself and taking days off.  He also joined the Bowling team this year and received a Varsity letter and Most Improved Bowler award.

 

 

 

 

 

Ethan my youngest had a pretty uneventful end to 8th grade other than competing in a few Forensic tournaments.  He and his friend Noah did a really funny Duo but didn't really get the kudos for it but they did a great job and had a blast working together.  Ethan ran 8th grade cross country but did not do track.  He did join a rec baseball team but I don't think his heart was really in it.

 

I will refrain from expounding on my disdain of our home district at this time since I never intended this blog to become a slam book but there have been many things that have eroded over time.  Since my daughter first entered the high school back in 2006 up to when my second graduated in 2015 it has lost a lot of programs, classes, and good leadership.  Bottom line is the students are suffering for it.  Thankfully Fox has always been an independent seeker of knowledge and rounded out his schooling with many online classes.  My answer to this decline is school of choice.  I really wanted to move both Ben and Ethan to a new school for 2015-16.  However Ben is not one who deals with change well and  insisted he wants to finish at NBHS.  Ethan however, is much like his sister in that he leans toward the creative artistic end of the scale of which NB has nothing much to offer.  So he agreed to a brave move.

 

Ethan started his freshman year of high school at Oxford Community Schools.  There were two focuses in the beginning, one their Biomedical program since he always had an interest in medical research as a career, and two, Men's Choir.  I won't tell you it was all roses and sunshine.  The first couple months were a bit of a struggle trying to fit in and make new friends but he persevered and made a lot of great friends through choir and theater.  He participated in cross country, had a small part in the fall production "It's a Wonderful Life," went to choir "Boot Camp," worked on the crew for the spring production "Mary Poppins," and got to be part an amazing concert of Dan Forrest's "Requiem for the Living" with the Oxford Choirs, Rochester College choirs and guest conductor Dr. Hugh Floyd.  In fact his musical experiences were so incredible that he has declared that as his career path.  He started taking private voice lessons and will be attending Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp this summer to which he received scholarships to cover nearly half of the cost.  He has been teaching himself piano and guitar but will get to have some formal training next year in his Piano class at Oxford.  This thrills me to no end.  I've always wished one of my kids would pursue a career in music. Although I'll not get my hopes up to high....

 

 

 

 

So that's just a few things that have been going on in Parton World.  I'll try to keep better updates for the next few years.  Have a great day Wildcats!  or Broncos!  or Timberwolves!



Been a Long Time Since I Wrote this Blog



Time really got away from me as I had not realized how long it has been since I updated this blog.   Upon finishing Camp NaNo I became more obsessed with writing and editing novels than blogging.  Lots of things have happened with the boys and their lives which has also pulled me away.  I will provide a few bullet points from spring through summer.

 

We made a trip to Grand Rapids to check out GVSU and see the uncle.

 

 

Walked over to the fishladder and to the GVSU Graduate buildings.  Fox and I also did a tour of the undergraduate campus.  Later in the day we checked out the Gerald Ford Museum.  Seems there was a little dissention amongst the cabinet! 

 

 

Since Ben and Ethan are not going on the school trip to Washington DC we did a trip on our own hitting the Point before the holiday weekend when it really starts to get busy.  This was Ethan's introduction to roller coasters and he did awesome.  We rode 10 coasters in under five hours!  Even got our girl to come along for a day of fun.

 

 

Did a lot of gardening this spring/summer.  Good therapy.

 

 

You never know who or what you'll come across in the garden.

 

 

Ethan did middle school track.  Fox started high school track but dropped out mid-season.  He just wasn't getting the times he wanted and was over it in general.  He worked at Honeyflow in the spring doing pruning and whatever else was needed.  Ben worked his first season as well.  Next year Ethan can be part of the crew too.  In addition to track Ethan also played rec baseball again.  Ben did rec soccer as well.

 

 

 

Ethan took 4th Place at the Middle School State Forensics tournament at Wayne State University.  He also got to go to Exploration Days for the first time on the Michigan State University Campus.

Fox received his ACT scores - he got a 31 overall which is awesome!  He also attended the Northwood University LAB Free-Enterprise Camp.

Benjamin attended the Engineering Camp at Lake Superior State University this summer.  They are still doing an amazing job there and many of the same people are involved.  Fox came with me to pick Ben up and the counselor recognized him!  Of course you don't meet many people named Fox.

Ben had a good time at camp but still isn't sure about what he wants to pursue as a career yet.  He has toured the Ed-Tech building for our district and is possibly interested in computer hardware or small engines.  However the only other interests he dabbles in outside of school and soccer is video games!! 

No one participated in the 4H Fair this summer.  It was nice to have a break and I tackled a major renovation project in the house.

 

That pretty much takes us up until Fall 2014.  Fox is a Senior this year and we've done many college visits and had discussions about early enrollment.  More updates in the next post.  Benjamin is a high school Freshmen and seems to be adjusting well to the new routine, keeping his grades up, and staying out of trouble.  He played soccer for school this year on the JV team.  Ethan ended up going in for seated classes in the middle school for 8th grade but he did try an online class, German IA.

Fighting the Resistance!

As the weather becomes friendlier the creative juices are beginning to flow again.   Not ready to tackle any outdoor projects yet, I've been writing and also doing a bit of painting.  Need to have some entries for Fair which is moved up to the last week in July now.  Camp NaNoWriMo has begun, it's only a few days in but I anticipate success.  I'm taking my unfinished November project and finishing.  To start, I input scenes and ideas I wrote during "Make Me Write" sessions into what I had started in Scrivener.  Next I spent some time getting my chronology in order, mapping out the timeline of challenges and tragedies for my main character.  I've also needed to do a little research into the time period which is during the 1960s with some childhood flashbacks to the mid 50s.  It is challenging to keep in mind the lack of technology during that time.  Things that I've grown up with and become so naturally acclimated to were not part of the regular daily routines back then.  It was much easier to remain anonymous which is what my character seeks to do.

First layer...still in progress.

Fox had a harrowing writer's event recently.  He has been writing for years, working on different projects until he gets bored then starts a new idea.  Recently his tower died but with dad's help they did recover his creations and he stored them on a flash drive.  Lately he's been working on my old computer but still saving to the flash drive, even though I told him to save a copy on the hard drive also.  Well, he bumped a chair against the flash drive and broke it beyond repair even though they did try to solder it together.  He put a copy of the old stuff on the hard drive but not all the new material.  That he was saving to the flash drive so he lost about 5000 words and three months of creative effort as he says.  He immediately sat down and started noting manually everything he could remember.  I feel awful for him since he was just commenting this was a work he was actually considering developing to completion and letting others read it.  Wow.  He has now taken himself into his cocoon of creativity to try and recapture and continue the momentum.  This has entailed building with Legos, watching a marathon of Harry Potter movies, walking, and listening to his music. 

The 'big room' is covered with Legos. 

At least he clears me a path to get to my bedroom in the evening. 

This is the start of our enrichment activities that I had planned to do with the boys this month.  Perfect timing because we've all been in need for a punch of inspiration.  Last weekend we took in a play at the Flint Youth Theater called "Jackie and Me" which was about Jackie Robinson.  They always have top-notch productions and this one did not disappoint.  Quite a contrast to the local high school musical Aladdin that we watched the evening before.  Still a fun show, sets and costumes were great but boy do we need to upgrade the sound system in our theater!

Confab during intermission during dress rehearsal. 

Great production they even sang with Brooklyn accents! 

Kim Josephson in the role of Eddie was our favorite.

The next week the boys got a day off of school to venture down to Detroit for some cultural exposure.  First we took in a dress rehearsal at the Detroit Opera House of "A View from the Bridge" which takes place in New York circa 1950.  Click HERE for a synopsis. 

A view from the DIA

Then after a quick lunch at the DIA Café we toured their traveling Samurai exhibit.  It opened in early March and will run thru June 1, 2014.  Audio was available so Fox, Ethan and I listened to both the adult and youth commentary which was very well done.  Ben decided to free form and read.  The video about how they make the swords was fascinating and all the ornate armor was incredible, hard to imagine someone actually wearing that get-up around.  Part of the samurai life section talked about literature and the ink and watercolor illustrations were gorgeously detailed.  Now I want to purchase a pack of watercolor paper and some ink quills.

It was a real gritty city adventure day too.  Since I'm not usually down in the area any more I had a little bit of wanderlust in me to explore.  First we went down through Palmer Park where all the stately old homes are.  Many have been retained and restored and are used by organizations as offices more than residences on some streets.

 

I love the show Rehab Addict with Nicole Curtis and last summer she restored a house in Detroit so I wanted to go and see it.  It was quite an experience driving around the ghetto with the boys.  They were pretty shocked at the conditions as was I.  Especially being a Detroit girl and remembering a childhood of city experiences.  We also found my old house, so sad.  Even the neighborhood Nicole did her project in is deplorable.  Houses are abandoned or burned out and the ones with people living in them are riddled with trash.  The route that I once walked to elementary school is now blocks of empty lots full of garbage.

 

 

 

 

 

Seeing the conditions of the city sparked some good conversation.  We discussed the type of environment they'd like to live in when they are on their own.  The differences between rural life low-income and city life low-income.  It also gave us all a new perspective and appreciation for our little town.  I am curious to see where the boys end up....will they stay small town or try movin' on up to a deluxe apartment in the sky.  ;)

 

It was a good day out and helped bring about inspiration in various ways as I continue to work on my third novel.  Since I started formulating this post we have moved into our spring break and the weather has turned warm finally.  The past couple days the boys and I have gotten outside to combat the multitude of limbs and branches that have fallen in the front yard.  I've also done some raking and the place is beginning to look fresh and alive again!

 

 



Updates on Life in General

Many things have been happening with the family as we transition from our winter activities into spring sports.  Two boys will be running track for their schools.  High school has already begun practices and middle school will start this week, however the first couple meets have already been rescheduled because it is still too cold and snow has not completely melted.

Benjamin my 8th grader has been quite a handful lately, he is all attitude lately, addicted to video games, and we've had some grade issues.  (How's that for transparent)  Discipline measures have been put into place and limits on the gaming but it has made for another challenge in an already trying season.  Soccer is starting soon and with that regular physical activity back in his routine he'll start to chill out a bit, not to mention just getting over our severe cases of cabin fever.

Ethan has been sticking with Forensics.  He changed his piece and category.  His 3 Wizard Poems did not achieve any recognition but his second time presenting his Storytelling piece "The Three Little Javelinas" by Susan Lowell earned him 3rd Place at the MSCI Middle School Tournament in Novi this past weekend.  He received some great comments from the judges and is excited to continue to refine it for the spring finals coming up at Wayne State University next month.  He will again be playing rec baseball this year in addition to running track.  Rock band practices are going well and he is becoming more confident singing leads. Today he also turned in his application to attend Space Camp like his brother did last summer.  He had three great recommendation letters submitted on his behalf and wrote a decent essay, we'll see what happens.  In June he is going to MSU for their Exploration Days event spending three days, two nights on campus taking part in a Flash Animation workshop and another called Improved Life Skills Using Duct Tape which should be interesting. 

Fox is kicking it into high gear getting ready for his senior year and investigating choices regarding college.  He is done with Model U.N. events for this year but is planning to participate again next year.  An even better experience than the school events was a trip he made to Lansing to participate in the 4H Extension's Capital Experience.  For three days they met senators and representatives in the Capitol, discussed various issues, composed bills, and worked to get them passed before the House.  The kids from our county were treated to a personal tour of the House floor by Senator Kevin Daly which was a real treat.  Since he was a part of the Education committee for this event his group got to meet with members of the State Board of Education.  They were all very personable and helpful.  It fact all the representatives and house members that they ran into around the Capital were extremely nice and accommodating.  Fox thought it was an amazing program and is looking forward to going again next year.  MSU is definitely on the top of his list for college choices.  He really likes the idea of having the resource of all our local government being so close by.  He met some kids at the conference that already do internships with the reps in their counties.  In other news he is enrolled in his first online class this trimester Intro to Computer Programming I: Visual Basic.  He likes the way the class is set up online and has been able to get through the first couple weeks of lessons fairly quickly.  We are still waiting to find out if he made it into the LAB: Free Enterprise Camp at Northwood University this summer.

My dear husband is recovering nicely but still taking things slow.  He will be taking a trip to California next week for a job but details are still being worked out.  Most of the winter he spent working on his new company website, conducting paid phone consultations, selling parts online and trying not to go completely stir crazy.

Me?  I've been getting my runs back into the weekly schedule, going out less but running farther distances when I do get out.  I've also been writing and editing regularly.  Sometimes just random thoughts, sometimes on my novels, some times articles for possible submission, or just journaling.  My goal is to keep it part of my routine as much as possible.   I also signed up to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo next month which is very similar to the event that runs in November.  Will do a combination of continued development of my third novel and editing my second. 

Lately I've come to the point again where I feel it necessary to scrutinize my volunteer activities.  While in the past I operated under the idea that if I loved something so much that I was willing to do it for free eventually the fates would make way for me to gain income from those passions.  However lately some of the programs I've been involved with have been creating more stress and confusion than joy which makes me feel that maybe it's time to let those things go in order to put my time and energy towards other goals.  Don't want to make any rash decisions so I'll let it simmer before making my final choice.

..... to be continued.

Education Remorse and Recovery

I have been having a very hard time with the state of my children's public school education for a variety of reasons.  Part of it is just a winter slump I'm sure but more and more I hear of things that are done or more accurately NOT done and the students are suffering for it. If I did have any more kids I would surely work with them at home for the early years again and I'm grateful I did that.  Alexandra homeschooled up until 9th grade and it was her idea to enter the public school arena, looking back now I regret not getting involved with co-ops and homeschool groups earlier but we covered a lot of territory on our own and she learned through field trips and activities in a way that she didn't even realize we were "doing school."  The best compliment I could get during the first and second round of conferences was "I didn't know she was homeschooled."  She hit the ground running and loved getting involved with extra-curricular activities and it was nice not to have to pay and travel for her to participate in various enrichment.  When it came to academics I did my best to let her administrate herself.  She wasn't the most organized student but she did well and for the most part liked her teachers and her classes.

circa 2004 - the sheep & lamb days

 

Fox was home until middle school and when he entered the public school he was very eager to learn and did well with his assignments however over time it seems like he's less and less impressed with the academic status of our public system.  It's not that the material is difficult but as he explains it is presented in a very "lack-luster manner."  We've just received the new Student Handbook and info for scheduling next year, his senior year, the one that you should finally get to take all those classes that you've took prerequisites for and now get to do the fun classes, challenging classes in the area you're considering to pursue in college.  However, there are no classes beyond the basics offered really.  I'm totally disgusted and discouraged.  He is going to have to take some classes online because I'm not putting him in blow off classes just to fill his schedule and he'd rather be doing something more productive too.  Since my daughter started they have dropped so many elective classes it is pathetic!  No Creative Writing, no genre classes, no mythology, no playwriting, there's hardly any extra history classes, no advanced level art classes, the business class offerings are a joke, beyond Biology and Chemistry the only other science is Environmental Science.

Benjamin is going to be a Freshman next year and the schedule is pretty much set with all required classes so there is little room for explorative classes.  The biggest "required" class I have issue with is Health, which is totally stupid and could be covered in about 2 weeks of science, an entire 12-weeks is completely unnecessary.  I honestly believe it just gives them information about some things I'd rather they not be presented with.  Ben has only done pre-school, Kindergarten, 2nd and most of 3rd grade at home.  He did better having someone other than Mom as the educational authority but I see his attitude becoming more jaded as time goes on.  His particular class has a pretty bad reputation and I'm not really keen on him getting lumped in with that group.  Normally he's an all A student but this year his grades are slipping a bit and I think it is because of boredom and lack of challenging subject matter not to mention influence of associates.  He'll be in seated classes for 9th grade but we may investigate some other options for sophomore year.  This one is my all attitude boy and time will tell if he decides to explore other learning options.  The other challenge is the new requirement starting with the class of 2016 that students need two credits of a foreign language to graduate.  Our Spanish and French classes are pretty weak and not what they really want to pursue.  I'm going to hold off on the language classes until his junior year so he can get his prerequisities done to do the CAD and design classes which is what he'll need for the engineering track.

Ethan has already committed to jumping off the seated class roster and working with me to plan an alternative schedule for his 8th grade year.  We're deciding on which classes to register for online, which we'll develop our own curriculum for, and which he'll go into the building for.  It was my intention for Ben and Ethan to work entirely online for the 2nd trimester this year but I kept getting talked out of it.  With as much school as we've missed I wish I would have stuck to my guns.  Next time around I will.  E has also become remise of the attitudes and behavior of many guys in his class that he thought of as friends.  This is a time for some serious character development, hope I can help him make good choices, or at least make sure he knows options are available.  He also thinks he could get through material much quicker if he worked on his own without so many distractions.

We're exploring summer camp options as well, need to keep sane during these snow days.  Thinking about summer helps.  Fox applied for a program in Midland at Northwood University called LAB (Learning About Business) Free-Enterprise Camp.  They except 40 students.  He also applied and interviewed for the Capitol Experience trip through 4H and attended another Model U.N. event at Saginaw Valley State University as the Canada delegate.  There is one more coming up at Hope College, wherein he'll represent the Netherlands.  I got to attend the Wayne State event, it was very interesting to see how things are run and the work the students do from different schools.  Very eye-opening.  Meet your college-bound competition.  Speaking of college I've been getting Fox registered for campus visits.  So far we've booked Oakland University in March, Grand Valley in April, and Central Michigan in May. Ben would like to go to the Lake Superior State University Engineering Camp that Fox attended in 2010 but I also found another program at Michigan Tech!

Both Fox and Ben made the decision to withdraw from robotics.  While I am normally a don't-quit-and-see-it-through kind of parent in this particular case I felt it would be better for all involved if that choice was honored.  There were many factors in play but sometimes it says more to set a limit and step away when things are not progressing well.  I'll leave it at that. 

circa 2014 - fun with forensics

 

Last weekend was our big Broncos BullYard Forensics Tournament.  Alex came and judged along with some other former NB forensicators and drama kids.  I also got to judge for the first time and checked out some categories I had never seen before during my stand-by rounds.  Judged a round of DI (Dramatic Interpretation), DUOs, and Storytelling.  The presenters were amazing it was so hard to rank them!  Ethan took his Wizard Collection of Poems piece again but added another poem.  He didn't break semis but had a great time watching his friends who did.  He was inspired to try Impromptu Sales and in high school Broadcasting.  For the Spring Season he's going to work up a Storytelling piece, we're currently researching material.

iBid Farewell

Outside my Window:  Cold, windy, several inches of snow on the ground and everything looking like crystals.  We had an ice storm earlier this week and are currently without power.  I am blogging from a remote location.  It looks beautiful but the rustic living is getting a bit old.  People are beginning to get power back so hopefully we'll be restored by the weekend.

What's on my Mind:  Making choices about which organizations and activities to stay involved in both personally and with/for the kids.  There comes a point when you can't do everything and you need to prioritize.

Had a fun outing a while back with my choir buddies to Columbiaville.  We went to lunch then shopped at a new choir supporter, Inspired, a really cool repurpose shop, then went on a tour of the William Peters Mansion, who was a lumber baron.  Very cool place, wonderfully renovated, they do parties and murder mystery dinners there plus it is a bed and breakfast.

Thankful for: Two wonderful concerts with an amazing group of singers.  Very impressed with how our sound is developing.  The Friday performance was packed out and we had a great turnout on Sunday as well.  Looking forward to "All Creation Sings" in the Spring. 

Creative Endeavors: Working on a poster design for the 2nd Annual North Branch Cross Country Spring Fitness 5K.  Almost complete and will be distributed about town after the new year.  Also lighting the fire under the Lapeer County Concert Choir board of directors to expand our educational outreach, more info to follow.

My Latest Project:  Setting up attendance at National Honor Society meetings in schools around the area to go in a recruit kids for 4H camp counselor training.  Rob and I have also become involved with the FRC Robotics team for Ed-Tech and North Branch.  The kick off is at Kettering on January 4th then the real excitment begins!

My 3 Sons:  Ben's experience at the First Tech Robotics challenge was a bit of a frustrating day but he kept it together and came in 10th out of 21 teams which isn't bad considering he never got to drive the robot before the competition due to technical difficulties.

Ethan made it to finals at his first middle school forensics tournament at Hartland and finished 6th in his category (Poetry).  The state competition at Central Michigan University was pretty fierce and he did not receive any awards there.  He is going to use his 3 Wizard poems by Jack Prelutsky piece one more time in January then begin working on a duo with his buddy Noah for the spring tournaments.  

Fox did his first Model U.N. event and is looking forward to the new topice of World Economics which he feels will be more interesting for him.  He is also waiting to do an interview for National Honor Society to be a buddy to an elementary student and has started attending meetings for the high school robotics team, they are pursuing him to be their "money man" and keep track of their financials as well as acting as a team manager. 

The First Born:  Single again.  Down to one job but that's good.  Judged her first Forensic Tourny at Central and is planning to do more and try and come help mentor the middle school team.

Employment News: I worked at Honeyflow filling holiday orders and have been subbing.  Rob is at the end of his unemployment and we just got the account for his new business, Kings Mill Technical Services, set up at a bank in town.  The calls have been coming in pretty steady and hopefully will continue.  Since we've been down this road of self-employment before we have a little bit better plan going into it so I believing this will a succesfully move.

Hoping to Improve:  Making time to write.  Running schedule has been messed up because of the icy conditions.  Looking forwarding to running my first 8K on Jan 31st regardless of training.  Below is the HSXC team at the Fall Sports Banquet.

Food for Thought: I've been reading a great book called Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollen that really enforces the thought behind the food choices we make.  It helps me stay true to the cause of fresh eating especially when the schedule gets busy and "fast food" gets tempting.  My friend who battles with arthrtis has adopted a no wheat and no sugar routine over the past few months and has noticed a remarkable difference in her condition, basically no inflamation and very little pain/discomfort.  What you eat matters and heals if we just give it time for the body to accept the change.  Taking a pill just covers symptoms for a time but doesn't really heal anything.....just saying.

Last Words:  Here is my mantra for the new year ....
 

   

iGive

Outside my Window: Beautiful sunshine but crispy air temp.

What's on my Mind: How to parent teenage boys.  Mine have been a real treat lately.  And trust me, I know they are tame in their rebellions compared to what I understand some people have dealt with.  It's a delicate dance.  You know what they say, "teeangers are God's way of helping us let go." 

Thankful for: Opportunity.   And keeping the bills paid.

My Latest Project has been taken advantage of my employer's generosity and picking batches of grapes for jelly and juice which has also become my Creative Endeavors as well.  My friend Sarah offered her kitchen and we spent a day making several batches of jelly.  She stuck with the traditional Concord jelly recipe while I used some Canadice and Cayuga grapes with natural sugar, honey, and regular sugar (in various batches). 

She made two batches of Concord that turned out fabulous plus had juice to spare for another batch the next day.  I did four different batches with the two varieties, only one set of the Cayuga set, but it IS tasty!  The rest I'm using for a juice base and in granola bars.  Last night I juiced up some Stuebens, they are very similar to the Concord but slightly mellower.  The boys taste tested it and said it didn't even need sugar added.  Next batch is NO sugar, followed by a LOW Sugar, and one HONEY batch.  Fun times.  Also working on a round of Canadice juice.  Yummo!

My 3 Sons: The boys have started to push the boundaries a bit as would be expected with teenagers which has caused some tense days.  Not to mention their poor choices creating much unwarrented distress.  We had a week where it felt everyone lost their bloody mind and now after penanance and discipline measures have taken place we seem to be back on an even keel once again.

Fox recently subbmitted his application for National Honor Society.  Ethan has checked in with the middle school Forensics supervisors and is in the process of selecting a piece to work on.  Ben's soccer experience has been challenging with the rec program again this year but we're sticking it out and making the best of it.

The first Born: Still vegan.  Still working 2 jobs.  May help with some Forensics events with the North Branch School team since little bro is going to be competing.  Alex did in high school and really enjoyed it.

Employment News: Didn't get the position I interviewed for but found out I was second choice.  Not sure how I feel about that.  Probably going to continue working at the farm part-time helping fill online orders.  Still subbing as well, been in the middle school a few times already and high school special ed.

Hoping to Improve: My attitude.  Feeling very crabby and complaintive lately....could be hormonal.  Or that I'm a pink drowning in a blue world if you know what I mean.  Being the only female in the house can push your limits of grace to the brink.

Food for Thought:  Recipes made with love can never be fattening!  (Smile)

Last Words:

Make it a point to do something every day that you don't want to do. This is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain.

~Mark Twain

iHave no Expectations

Outside my Window:  We have been having the most wonderful weather lately, warm but not miserable, mixed with some cooler days that start you off with sweatshirts in the morning but by 11a it's t-shirt and shorts all the way.  The activity around the Buddliea bushes in the Gramma Garden has been crazy, very hard to capture these busy creatures on film.

What's on my Mind:  Mental health, forgiveness, family.  I just finished reading the book "Silver Linings Playbook" for our next book club meeting.  I had seen the movie in theaters but it had been enough time that I could forget what I saw and really get into the characters as written.  It really made me think more about the influence of family and relationships; when you need to forgive, let go and keep connection; and when you need to completely release any contact for the sake of your mental well-being.  It's a very fine line and a tricky road to cross. 

Thankful for:  A great first cross country meet at Croswell-Lexington High School this morning.  The weather was perfect, we had the biggest team since my boys have been involved, and Fox had his old mojo back, having fun with his running buddies and taking it all in stride.  Coach wasn't pushing anybody, this was an invitational meet and the goal was just to get a baseline time set to work off of for the rest of the season.

Creative Endeavors:  Putting together a Fundraising Packet for the Lapeer County Concert Choir 2013-14 campaign.  Rearranging perennials from various garden areas.

Latest Project:  Getting the donations to the 4H Feeds Families Committe delivered and/or stored until the organizations can use it.  Since there was so much meat donated I had to get resourceful and got a freezer donated from the Habitat for Humanity Restore.  We gave some to House of Hope which prepares hot meals weekly at various locations, some to North Branch Emergency Aid which distributes weekly food boxes, and some to the United Methodist Women for their shut-in meals that they prepare and deliver to the elderly in the community.

My 3 Sons:  Getting put to work around the property quite a bit, luggin tree limbs, raking grass clipping, push mowing, cleaning out and rearranging the back of the garage.  Still to come, closing down the piggie pen and making modifications for next time.  Went to Junior orientation with Fox this week and got his schedule. These his classes for the entire year:
AP Prep English, Pre-Calc, AP US Government, Economics, Physics, Drafting, 3D Design, Intro Stats, Current Events, You and the Law

Middle School open house is coming up this week for Ben and Ethan although they've already gone online and peeked at their classes.  E wanted to find out if he made it into PreAlgebra....he did!  He's also got Drama class for first trimester and Ben will be in the S.T.E.M. class again which he loved.

I've also asked all the boys to find a non-sport actvity or club to do during the winter months.  Ethan is going to try Forensics, Fox is thinking about Model U.N. and/or Legislative Debate, Ben is not sure what he'll do yet.  We talked about maybe trying F.F.A. (Future Farmer of America) but he's not that convinced.

The first Born:  Putting in applications EVERYWHERE, finally started getting calls for interviews.  Had a job offer today to start training next week.  Has another 2nd interview tomorrow and is hoping to be able to work at both places since they've been talking to her about different shifts.  Both are far closer to home so gas expenses will be extremely less plus no more BK drama.  You go girl!

Employment News:  Did my renewal tutorials for subbing but have also been putting in online applications looking for a regular secretarial or administrative assistant job in the area.  Also going to be working weekends at Honeyflow.

Hoping to Improve:  I've begun reading a very disconcerting book "Pandora's Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal" by Melanie Warner.  My crusade to cut out processed food began awhile back, this information will certainly propel me to stay on track.  These food scientists are so proud of their preserving accomplishments but what has transpired in the meantime is not even close to real food any more, it's really just food representation.

Food for Thought:  Since our employment change we have been blessed with donations from neighbors' gardens and freezers plus our garden is coming in nicely.  It has been a joy to cook for my men regularly again with locally grown/raised produce/livestock. I've also been working on freezing zucchini, swiss chard, and apples.  From garden to bowl....quick and easy coleslaw!

Last Words: 

Life is 10% what you make it

and 90% how you take it.

~Irving Berlin