Zoiks!

Things went very well in 3rd grade these last two days. This was a very productive group that for the most part worked quickly and without too much distraction. Keeping with the pending holiday on Thursday I found a site with Halloween songs minus the lyrics, I kept it on while they worked and told them I want to be able to hear the music, if they got to loud I just said, "excuse me, quiet please, I can't hear the music." Immediately they would bring their volumes down realizing they couldn't hear the music either. During silent reading time I put on classical music from a Beethoven.com stream. We got through everything she left ahead of schedule so at the very end of the day I put on a SpongeBob tale which kept them settled right up until backpack loading and dismissal time.

Of course there's always one kid that has the knack..... this one girl must have asked fifty times to leave the classroom for one thing or another. It really got annoying, everytime we transitioned from one task to another she would just look for something else to do, or go, or something. She hardly stayed in her seat even while we were working. I must have told her as least twenty times over the last two days to sit and work like the rest of the class. She would never just do what the rest of the class was doing. That drove me crazy more than the kid who HAD to tell me exactly how the teacher did everything even when I never asked. All in all though the days were a success. Ethan reported to me after lunch that everybody thought I was a good teacher. One of the girls, who I know from Ben's Head Start class gave me a hug at the end of the day and said "I wish you were the regular teacher." Awww, what a sweetie.

--

So this was a very full week of subbing, 3 1/2 days. I'm worn out. Next week, I'm looking forward to writing from home, video entries and starting another novel! You can do it too! Sign up for the fun at NaNoWriMo.com.

Young Marines

Tuesday night we finally made it to our first Young Marines meeting. It was not their typical routine due to the Halloween Party but the boys had a good time. They knew a few boys from Seeds of Faith Co-Op and Ethan really hit it off with one of the boys his age, I thought that they knew each other from school the way they were acting but Ethan said no, he just met him. There are some girls in the corp as well. Next week they'll be back to the normal routine. I'm excited about this program because all the boys can participate together. I had looked into Boy Scouts but they meet by grade groups and all the troops wanted to meet on the same night, at the same time, in different places. No can do. Also, I like that YM has a physical training aspect to it. Ben seems to be the most reluctant to it, but I told him he has to give it a go for one year. Fox is already interested in finding out about getting promotions and Ethan is looking forward to everything they've got.

Wednesday I subbed at the high school for the Communications teacher. Not much to do, 1st block was Cinema Analysis, they watched the end of Oceans Twelve, and the beginning of the Incredibles. 2nd block I helped out in a physics class because they didn't have a sub for the teacher, just worked on the computer while the kids did their assignments, advanced class, pretty mellow. 3rd block was Intro TV and the kids were working independently on their PSAs, 4th was The Law & You, watched video about the death sentence, and 5th Block was Web Design, again they were working independently on their final project for the Trimester, I took advantage of the hi-speed and pulled entries. Hopefully I won't be banned from the building since out of boredom and disgust, I straightened up the teacher's desk. Everything is still there just in neat piles, I dusted too, there were cobwebs actually starting. This is a brand new TV/Film facility and it looks disasterous. I amost passed out the first time I saw the band director's office!

Today and tomorrow I will be in Ethan's 3rd grade classroom......keep me in your prayers!

Waggle - Xystus

This afternoon I had the opportunity to substitute for one of the elementary music teachers. We had a blast! Well first, I had to do a health presentation for a 3rd grade class, using a Suess story about the Sneechers to open a discussion about discrimination. I'll sum it up in one word - LAME. The video was good but the activities, not. Next I had a 1st grade class for a brief time to make up for the session they would miss on Friday due to the Halloween activities, then came a Kindergarten group, and lastly 2nd grade. The two younger crews were awesome, we opened with some movement songs, then did our story, a Halloween "sing back" song and then some more dancing! The Ghostbusters Freeze Dance, oh yea. I even threw in some of my Creative Movement elements, having them squish their shapes, stretch their shapes, blow them up like a big balloon, or melt them down to the ground. We waggled up a good hearty sweat. The last group (2nd Grade) however were really a rowdy bunch, moving the chairs around, shoving themselves into corners of the room where they weren't supposed to be, playing on the steps, and just not following directions. I kept them under control for the most part but it got rather annoying. Apparently, this was nothing new I found out when I talked to the regular music teacher later in the day. It made me feel better that they didn't just act that way for me. There is one thing I really try to avoid and that is giving a bad report to a teacher about her class, but unfortunately in this case I felt obligated to "fill her in" when she came to pick them up.

--

xystus: (n) a long, roofed colonnade used for athletic training in ancient Greece in cold or wet weather. That's what the music room was today as we moved and grooved and were literally dripping wet with sweat, myself included. Oh, yeah, I get in there and move along with them, frog hops, scarecrow dancin', penguin walks, or the pony, can't keep me in my seat!

--

I received several compliments today too, one from the principal, and some from other teachers about how well I did with the 1st grade class I subbed in last week. Apparently one little girl went home and told her mom she had the best day ever! The mom inquired with the principal who the sub was that her daughter had such a great time with. Cool. I also had another teacher say she requested me as her sub but someone got in there and grabbed it before I did and she was really bummed. It felt good to be requested though. Also, I came home to a message from Ethan's teacher asking if I could take her class Thursday and Friday this week. Looks like the word is out, Ms. Robyn has the authority and she rocks! Better eat my Wheaties!

Umbrellas - Victorious

Originally I planned to take Fox up to Caro myself, but about a half hour before we needed to leave he said he'd like it if Dad and I were there for his last meet. This meant Ben and Ethan had to come to because Alex was at the school for a play workday. So, we all loaded up and headed out to Caro on a dark, rainy late morning. The high school runners got lucky and the rain stopped for their race. During the JV run it started up again. The team was huddling together under an umbrella one of the team moms had while they waited for their race to start. They had it on the schedule that middle school boys and girls would run separately but thankfully they let them run together. It was windy and cold. The kids were waiting until the very last minute to take off their layers. As you looked out over the crowd it was just a sea of umbrellas. The schools all have a canopy they set up too and people were hanging under those. Ben and Ethan occupied themselves by wrestling around and creating games from sticks and pinecones.

Finally middle school ran. Fox got off to a good start since NB had the side block and they all could get a good hustle to the center of the pack. He kept up a good pace, there were a couple minor hills but most of the route was relatively flat (Caro Golf Course). When I picked him up from practice yesterday he said he felt a lot stronger out running the 1.9 miles during practice even after two days off, Wednesday the team had a pizza party, Thursday he had some teeth extracted after school. Today he seemed ready to go if nothing other than to get it over with, get home, get warm, and play some Dungeons & Dragons with his brothers and dad. We didn't get his official time but from what coach clocked he was just under 17 minutes somewhere. Wow, talk about an improvement, his first race he did the 2 miles in a little over 23 minutes. Knocked it down 6 minutes! I'm impressed. Well done.

FRIDAY FILL-IN(one day late)
--
1. So are we going to get this party started!?
2. A crazy month of NaNoWriMo is what's up ahead.
3. I love to sing in the choir.
4. I need a witty catchphrase of some sort.
5. I walk a mile in my shoes everyday.
6. Dark chocolate is the true elixir of life!
7. And as for the weekend, tomorrow I'm heading down to Utica to the Fisherman's Net church to see some friends of mine that are in from Kansas City and ministering during the 10am service.

Repent - Subbing - Tuna

This is a little embarassing to admit but the first step to change is admitting it, right. Although I am a reduse, reuse, recycle advocate I fell prey to the fast-paced, instant gratification, rut, blatently disregarding the evils of styrofoam to quelch my own thirstastic needs. I've been picking the boys up from school pretty much every day because Fox has practice and every day I stop by our local Sunrise gas station/convienience store for a cherry coke fountain drink on the way. The cups are starting to add up and this picture is only the ones that made it home. Many I've thrown out at different places to hide the shame of having them accumulate at my house.

So I hinted and cajolled the boys that a perfect birthday gift would be a reusable mug from Sunrise so I could avoid using all this stryrofoam. I even told them exactly where to find it in the store and how much! Benny my boy was the one who made sure it happened. You rock!

Yesterday I was in a First Grade classroom, Ben's former teacher. I really enjoyed her as a parent, she does a great job. Her class and I'm sure others are very diverse in abilities. The more I see it the more I am against mainstreaming developmentally-delayed and behavioral issued students. It seems to me they'd benefit more working at their own comfortable pace regularly. They get pulled out to work with other teachers and then can't finish the work the class was doing originally. It is a very disjointed day. Two children were on medication. It threw me a little when in the morning the teacher next door explained that if the one didn't get his morning dose he may need to be sent to the office. I asked if there was anything Deb did to help deal with the episodes, she said there's nothing really to do, the behavior is just not conducive to being in school. Yikes. She said I'd know right when they walked in if they were on track. Thankfully both boys were fine and we remembered to get the one down for his second dose at 1pm. These pictures were taken during a moment of free play time after they finished their stations. This was a difficult time for the 2 dose boy, he just couldn't focus on one thing to do. I noticed him wandering and directed him to a task, he opted for playdough but didn't stay with it long. He wandered into a few other play groups but didn't get to disruptive. The worst thing is he decided to wash the mirror with the sponge. It wasn't too wet. A couple kids tattled about it. I said, that mirror could always use some cleaning, but now I need you to wipe the water off with a paper towel. He did. Nice job. Next we went out for recess. Talk about crazy time! I'll spare you all the gory details, they were a good bunch over all but it is a high energy day. I'm rather liking the middle school level the best, truth be told. But I'll hang with any age really, keeps it different.


Lastly, something from the kitchen.....
Sorry about the typo on 'until' - I didn't notice it until after I flattened and saved and I didn't feel like setting it all up again.

Q

My Dad found a really cool birthday card. Had to post it.

The ABC's of Life's Journey

Appreciate who you are
--
Be nice to everybody
--
Choose your own road
--
Dodge negativity
--
Envision your destination
--
Flaunt your fabulousness
--
Go where your heart leads
--
Have faith
--
Investigate life's twists and turns
--
Jump!
--
Keep on keepin' on
--
Laugh lots
--
Make friends
--
Never litter
--
Observe the scenery
--
Play often
--
Quit worrying
--
Relax
--
Stop and smell the flowers
--
Take it one step at a time
--
Unolad your excess baggage
--
Venture into the unknown
--
Walk a mile in someone else's shoes
--
X-pect the best
--
Yield to fun
--
Zone out occasionally-it's good for you!
My maiden name is Quatrine, hence Grandpa Q.

Overjoyed - Praiseworthy

It was a busy but productive week, I got another batch of work virtually finished, and helped at the Worship Dance Conference at our church on Friday plus helped out in the office a little bit. The boys thought the Reading part of the MEAP was a breeze and are all looking forward to the Math portion. They all LOVE math. Fox found out he can get onto a Stock Market site from school and has started researching some companies to invest in. I also started reading a book about online investing and may dabble in it along with him. Could be exciting.

--

Saturday Ben had his last soccer game, they won 4-1, they tied last Tuesday 1-1 but Ben really stepped up his game and got in the action more, assisting with some goal attempts and turning the ball around to get it headed in the right direction. Grandpa Q and June stopped in at the game in Imlay City but left early to get up to Reese to see Fox run. I took Fox up to Reese High School, Ethan came up there too, hitching a ride with Grandpa. There were a ton of races, for all the Divisions A, B, C high school, plus an open race, boys & girls middle school, and a K-6 run. This course was a full 2 miles for middle school, Fox came through the shoot @ 17:45.

Rob came home Friday and did an emergency repair on the Neon exhaust. Saturday he was giving it some additional TLC and ended up with a situation while doing an oil change. Basically the plug was not the original and it didn't fit back in the pan. After wrestling with it all evening he finally gave up. The next morning he tried again and decided to see if he could purchase a replacement. Sunday afternoon after I returned from church (had another great rehearsal!) and grocery shopping we rode to Auto Zone together, along with Alex who we dropped off at Burger King for her Sunday shift, he bought two different plugs to try. We also went to check out a van that some friends had out for sale, a Ford Econo that seats 15! I had talked to them about making payments and was happy to know they were open to the idea which would have been a blessing in and of itself but I was even more blessed, floored, shocked, and extremely touched when the keys and title were handed over to me, no payment neccessary!! I have been believing for a van for some time, praying for a super deal on a van that is in great condition and will give us many miles with little to no repairs required. Praise the Lord, he does deliver! I am planning to help some friends out with after school care for their kids and was needing a vehicle that I could pick them up from school in, along with my own kids and go do things, like hang at the library, or go to the park, or a movie, whatever, even just give other kids a ride home when I have my own with me. Now, I can be a blessing to other moms that need help. Sweet. One of the replacement plugs did work, so oil is back in the Neon and it is ready to hit the road once again. Soon, our new addition, Rosie the Big Red Van, will be fit to roll as well.

Nothin' Much

"Michelle’s Made-up Meme from Monday"

(but I changed one)

What I'm wearing:

Pin striped Chino pants,

maroon long-sleeve thermal top,

white socks, no-back black leather shoes

The last thing I ate:

fresh baked banana walnut muffin

WITH

mini-chocolate chips and raisins
When I look right I see:

my art wall,

Fox’s very messy desk,

some relatively organized shelves
When I look left I see:

my calendar with two barely filled weeks coming up!

my bulletin board with copies of artwork by Anneke Kaai

school schedules

a wall folder of bills to be paid

too many random papers to sort through
My least favorite thing I did today:

laundry
My favorite thing I did today:

move some appliances and furniture around
What I think about Obama's Nobel Peace Prize:

Whaaatttt?? Did I miss something, what did he do?
Favorite joke lately:

last night Ben told me this one

Q: What did the square say to the circle?

A: Your life seems so pointless.
Something I learned today:

French toast doesn’t flip itself

when you’re trying to make lunches at the same time.
Pet peeve:

leaving your shoes/boots right in front of the doorway

so everyone can trip over them and kill themselves

(to coin an ancient motherly phrase)
Favorite Beatles song:

I gotta choose one?!

I'll go with ‘Yesterday’ and ‘Hard Day’s Night’
Something I cannot tolerate:

being barefoot
That said.... it's time to go pick the boys up from school.

Note: picture above is from one of my walks through the Water Tower Park, this stuff is just laying there outside the water plant. Surprised no one's tried to pilfer them.

Lotsa Soccer - Meet Cass City

Friday was rainy and dismal in the afternoon but they still held the Homecoming Parade. I went up to the school to watch with Ben and Ethan's classes but they principal decided not to send the students out. Fox's school was given a choice, he opted to stay warm and dry. Alex unfortunately braved the elements on the Drama Club 'float' aka pick-up truck. I was just hoping the rain would run its course before the meet. Walked down the parade route myself and took a few snaps of the floats, this year's theme was Ancient Times.

Saturday morning we woke bright and early, Rob took Benjamin to the soccer fields for an 8:15 tournament check-in and a 9am game, while I headed up to Cass City with Fox; got there a little after 8am and walked the frosty course. The two high school runs were first then the K-8 run! Yes, all together again. Can you say, crazy!? Gramma Jenny and Grandpa Wendell were up at the property for the weekend and came out to cheer Fox on. Didn't stick around for times cuz I had to get back down so I could take Ben to the next game at 1pm. Rob had to spend some quality time with the Neon.

The Blue Dragons won their first game 3-0, the second game was a tie 1-1, both games were tough the opposing teams were very "pushy" but our guys hung in there and played a clean game. Coach made a point to compliment their good sportsmanship. The last game at 4pm was intense! The other team's coach started crabbing about the referee's calls in the final quarter we scored a goal, there was time for them to make a comeback but the ref warned the coach one more word and he'd call the game, he worded and the game was called, Blue Dragons won and went on to the finals in Capac. Got home in time to catch Alex and Aron before they left for the Homecoming Dance, unfortunately all my pictures turned out terrible. Dumb camera. Hopefully the ones they took at his house look better.

Sunday morning Rob ran Ben out to the Capac fields for a 7:15am tournament finals check-in and an 8am game. This worked out great timing wise for me because I didn't want to miss a rehearsal at church with the kids choir. I was able to go to church and be back to take him to the second game. Since they lost the morning game they played at 1p against the Green Goblins in a heated game for 3rd or 4th. Although many, many shots were taken their goalie was like a brick wall and not letting anything through the first half. The second half we got 4 through, and they put in 1. Blue Dragons took home the 3rd Place Trophy! Nice Job guys!

--

Simple Woman's Daybook

Today....October 11, 2009

Outside my Window.... dark, cold & windy

I am thinking..... one more week of craziness, then it will all calm down a bit.

From the learning rooms....lots of work on AR reading points, first scholarship essay now in progress.

I am thankful for..... an amazing weekend and a productive week.

From the kitchen.....roasted chicken and veggies plus some zucchini bread. Yea, finally able to bake again!

I am wearing....black sweat pants, leggins, black sweater, jean vest, hippie necklace, comfy sneakers.

I am reading....still muddling through Danielle Steele's "One Day at a Time."

I am watching...."Sunshine Cleaning Co," old Batman black and white serials, 'Monk' episodes, Psych: Season 2, and some Get Smart: Season 2.

I am hoping .... to get a crazy lot of writing and dust busting done this week.

I am creating .... a birthday wish list.

I am hearing.... the 'men' having a last minute bedtime discussion.

Around the house .... lots of stuff that needs to go!

One of my favorite things.... singing in the choir.

A few plans for the rest of the week.... last two soccer games, a late add cross-country meet in Birch Run on Tuesday and one in Reese on Saturday, MEAP testing for the boys, a trip down to the Rochester Hills Public Library, volunteering for the Worship Dance Conference @ FCFC, and hopefully a walk or bike ride.

Here is a picture thought I'm sharing with you:

Batman & Batgirl

Homecoming 2009

Jeepers - Kin

Tuesday night's soccer game against the Light Blue team was rainy and cold. Spectators got a raw deal in terms of the wind factor....right in the face! Both teams played hard and ended with a 3-1 victory for the Dragons. Home, shower, hot chocolate!

During the Ecology camp I realized that one of the boys on Ben's team, Zach, is in his class too. His mom was chaperoning also that day and we started talking, she lives on the street south of me, Welch! I said we should help each other out with rides. After school Zach came home with us for a quick bite (cheese quesadillas & fresh apples) and then to the game so mom could get another kid to football practice. Usually she would get Zach to the soccer games late because of it, wish I wouldn't have known earlier. But for spring that will be awesome. The boys all got along great, he's a very nice kid. They are new to the North Branch schools this year, moved from Holly. He husband is gone for weeks at a time to work, so I can totally relate.

Substituted for the Business teacher at the High School yesterday. The classes were pretty mellow for the most part, everybody worked well independently but each class had the one or two that just talked the entire time and didn't even really make any attempt to get their work done. And what is with half the class always having to go to the bathroon, or to their locker, or to get a drink, give me a break! I took advantage of the hi-speed, logging in under Alex's User ID, and worked through conference hour and lunch. Got 50 entries pulled! Hoping to not have to take a lot of HS gigs though. Middle school, wasn't so bad.

~~ + ~~ + ~~

Kin,
a complicated animal.
Love them,
hate them.
Button pushers,
heartbreakers.
Fill you,
with pride.
Spouses, siblings,
parents, cousins
Every relation
can get insane.
Disagreement,
misunderstanding
Bonding,
appreciation.
A tangled web
indeed.
Life’s too short
to regret.
Storm over,
forget it.

It’s so weird, ever since I can remember as a kid there always seemed to be some kind of emotional explosion, mostly between my mother and I, maybe it happened between my parents too, sometime during the fall. Not sure if it was the stress of back-to-school time or hormonal biorhythms or what. But without fail my mother and I would enter into some type of altercation. I noticed the pattern with my husband and I after several years of marriage and it seems the cycle continues. This year’s catalyst being my teenage daughter, oh, we’ve had altercations pretty regularly but you know there are always those that gain more fuel than others. It’s almost like I’m two people, the one that can remain calm in adversity and the other “don’t *beep* with me” model. It’s difficult to lay down the law with a teenager; they don’t think rationally when they are determined to get their own way. Many times I’ve let what ever particular issue go, against my better judgment, just because I don’t have the energy for a throw down, and I always end up with regrettable repercussions. Those stick-to-your-guns moments suck, but are necessary. Yes, it’s been an interesting 24 hours in Parenting Land, but if that’s the worst I have to deal with I s’pose I should count myself lucky.

Incredible

Brown City Elementary & Junior High Meet

October 5, 2009

Here he comes!
It was a beautiful afternoon for a meet, a crisp, sunny, fall day. I was amazed at how many elementary runners there were, over 200! Coach Jason's two little kids even ran, maybe he can be convinced to start a younger team in North Branch. There was also a large Junior High showing so for the first time the boys and girls ran separately.

There he goes....

The course was more challenging than Saturday's with a killer hill about 2/3 of the way through. You can definately tell a difference in performance from the Saturday runs to the after school runs. Fox didn't have quite as much determination this time but still held in there.

through the shoot!

Finished #68 out of about 100 runners with an unoffical time of 18:33, not bad, better than I could do, surely. Two more meets to go, Cass City on Saturday and Reese the following weekend. Ben and Ethan were really getting into cheering Fox on this time which was cool. I've been encouraging them to support each other in their different sports and activities.

Guy du Jour - Hallelujah

Alex and Aron are getting along well, she goes over to his house for dinner on Fridays, he hangs out with us a couple nights a week when he brings her home from play practice. Saturday they attended a wedding together, for a young adult couple from our church. Lovely girl, Alex has been friends with her for several years. I was told the ceremony was wonderful, the sun came out just as the outside service began. Instead of the unity candles they did something neat, taken from the 'Fire Proof' movie they glued together a salt and pepper shaker, a bond that can't be broken. Their ending processional selection was great - the Star Wars theme! Why don't more people get creative with their nuptials? The thing is that has me secretly giggling inside is, Alex and Aron went to the wedding themselves. I wasn't there because we were in Harbor Beach for the meet. Hmmm. A date... That should give them fuel for spiritual growth. Whatever, he's a good, responsible young man, and he always helps Alex do her dishes when he's over. The boys think he's cool too, you know video games, D&D, Pokemon, he's into them all. Oh, did I mention he goes by the name 'Batman'? Has the bat symbol tatooed on his forearm and plays in a heavy metal band. Yea, I'm out in the school parking lot one day talking with Aron and Alex about the plan and some girl goes by in a car and yells out Batman! Oh, AND I keep finding out things about the old boyfriend that are sooo not cool that I really just want to rip his little hormonal teenage head off!? What was that I mentioned about spiritual growth?

--

Today was the fifth rehearsal with the Seeds of Jesus Kids Chorus working on 'God Will Be Exalted'. The echo part is coming together and they almost know all the words, just one more bridge section to learn. The group is becoming stronger in their singing as well because they are more familiar with the words. I love the process of a piece coming to together. We will be ministering it on November 15. Truely I live a dual life.

Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today... October 5, 2009
Outside my window... the world.
I am thinking... about volunteering to do a ‘Choice Time’ choir at the upper elementary.
From the learning rooms... serious spelling drills, Ethan bombed his spelling test last week, multiplication facts with Ben.
I am thankful for... getting a call from the ReStore, they have 2 electric stoves that came in.
From the kitchen... super duper sub sandwiches.
I am wearing... traditional American clothing.
I am reading... mostly magazines to be honest, Family Circle, Redbook, Family Fun, Natural Health, Rachel Ray, and of course, People.
I've been watching... the first season of ‘Psych’ it’s fairly amusing.
I am hoping... Ethan has a better week at school; he was a bit disruptive in class last week.
I am creating... a new way to get the boys to do more work around the house.
I am hearing... many choir songs in my head to work on with the kids.
Around the house... same ol’ stuff different day.
One of my favorite things... silence.
A few plans for the rest of the week... video work, substituting in the HS for the Business teacher, soccer game, soccer practice, soccer tournament, cross-country meets in Brown City and Cass City, Ethan goes to R.E.D. with his class.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you.

Damp - Ecology - Fox Run

Ben's second day of Ecology Camp was still damp but at least brighter as they pulled threads from trees and wove them to make cord, stamped and rounded copper for rings, took a canoe trip and did some pond dipping. Lunch was yummy tacos. Friday it rained again, all day. That did not thwart the fun though as they made their own apple cider and played lots of game: Camoflague, Don't Touch the Rope (strategy), Red-Green-Black, which brought the children back to school with Indian stripes on their faces. They were split into teams Red were meat eaters, Green leaf eaters, and Black ate either. They scoured the 100 acres for buckets of beans that were marked as water or food. At the end a twist was thrown in as they counted up points, some food items had a black dot on them indicating they were poisonous, points were substracted for those if you had more than five. Pizza for lunch, rated MUCH BETTER than the school pizza. Definately a big success for Mrs. Smieleski & Mrs. Smith's class, what a wonderful program Pete McCreedy runs.

While the kids were at school Friday I was preparing for an overnight camping trip to Wagener County Park, I had reserved a site and borrowed a tent but as the weather continued to be disgusting I made an executive decision and called the campground to see if there were any cabins available, there were! So, for twenty bucks more we were cozy and warm, there's nothing I detest more than having to set up a tent in the rain! I was also making calls during the day trying to figure out some things with the Willsub website, long story short, a job came through about 11:10 for a 1/2 day job in the elementary where I have been trying to get in at, I quickly accepted it on the site, called the school to check that she still needed someone, got a yes, showered, dressed, and boogied my way up to town. I get there and there is already another sub there. She accepted the job by phone. So the system assigned two people, I still have it listed on my accepted jobs list (curious to see if I'll still get paid for it). I conceeded to go home after the principal came and talked to us but said yes, I'd like her to call Willsub and see who grabbed the job first. Interesting. Apparently they've had several glitches in the system. Expectable I suppose. Anyway....

--

Picked the boys up from school, got up to Harbor Beach, unloaded everything into the cabin and took them to eat at a local Inn with an overpriced, so-so, buffet and lousy service. Came back played some Boogle and Quiddler, then zzzzzz.

In the morning Rob got hot water going for coffe and cocoa on the cook stove then whipped up some sausage and scrambled eggs, plus we had the camping standard: Pop Tarts. Fox and I went out and walked the course,while the little guys played and got totally soakin' on the playground; Rob putzed around the cabin. Little bit misty during the walk-thru but thankfully the sun broke out for race time. The course was very cool, but also extremely muddy, not any hills at all. Our cabin was right along the course so I waited there for everyone to come by on the first loop then moved down to the finish to watch them come into the shoot, this was the first time I didn't watch the start. Fox was aware of this and approved. He really surprised me this time, I was waiting for him to be at the back of the pack and he zoomed up more toward the middle group with a strong pace, steadily pickin' people off and passing. He commented afterward he just felt more determined today. Came through the shoot #109 out of 137 runners (boys and girls combined) and coach gave an unoffical time of 16:49. YeeHaw! Monday - Brown City after school.

All As - Bookman - Camp Lael

Ethan has been consistently bringing home A papers which is fabulous, a great improvement compared to last year. Spelling is probably his biggest challenge but he's not doing terrible. Benjamin has been spending his car, bus, and extra class time making a small collection of graphic novels called Zook. He has a special way he folds the paper to get six pages, really twelve when it unfolds.

Tuesday evening was soccer.

4th Grade Ecology Camp: Wednesday was the first day at Camp Lael for Ben's 4th grade class. I was fortunate enough to chaperone this day. It was pretty brisk but at least the rain stopped and we even had the sun break through during the final class session.

Our first class was about 'adaptation' as it related to beavers. She had one student come up and be donned with apparel that represented the beavers special adaptations: ear flaps, eye protection, flippers, oil, comb, and fur. Then we went on a quick hike to check out a beaver lodge, different from a dam you know.

The next rotation we learned about some Native American games and also the materials they used to make them. There was also some brief discussion about logging and the use of trees which tied in slightly to the beaver tree concept. From left to right below are antelope 'buttons' for playing the Bowl Game, the game Five Toe, and a beautiful bark canister.

For the last part of this time the kids tried out La Crosse sticks made the native way and the modern version as a comparison. No doubt the adaptation of these implements made a big difference.

Next we went in for a family style lunch of spaghetti, salad, and rolls. After the meal the kids were in charge of cleaning, they had a very specific system, then one of the instructors brought out the wasted food from our plates (not including serving dishes) and we weighed it: 7 lbs of leftovers from 52 kids and 10 adults. Then he discussed waste and landfills and compost, etc. For the last class session the kids learned about edible plantlife the Indians made great use of, pine needles, sassafrass, cedar, clover, and they made acorn pancakes to try.

It was a very nice program, I'm excited to hear what they get to do the next couple days. Will blog Ben's report later.

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Last Remarks: After weeks of painstaking contemplation I have made the heartbreaking decision to withdraw Ethan from the competetive gymnastics program. The bottom line is with all the fees required for competition, and the cost of the uniform, and the stress on the family to be down in Rochester directly after school several times a week, and the gas, etc. I felt it wise to let it go for now. It breaks my heart because I know Ethan has the ability to go far with it but it is a huge investment in many ways. I've released the situation into the fates that be and like the butterfly if it is meant to be then a way will be made, if not I'll have to rejoice in new opportunities. It was a rough choice but unless I can find some kind of independently wealthy sponsor to back him, it'll have to be for now.