Summertime Frenzy

Ben and Ethan enjoyed the basketball day camp very much, they both knew different kids at the camp and picked up some new skills. Fox has been spending his time working for me around the yard, mowing, trimming, raking, schlepping, etc. and also found time to check out an economics class online. This week he has been at an idTech Camp on the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor campus, Video Game Design-RPG. Monday the younger boys and I spent the day on campus, Starbucks to start us off, then the comic book store, Hands-On Museum, lunch at a Greek restaurant (they both loved the Mousaka), wandered around Borders, spun the big cube by the Student Union, then they scootered around the West Quad while we waited for Fox to finish.

My dad has been working at scanning all our family slides into the computer. He gave me some of what he has done so far on disc. Here is one circa 1967 of my mom the day of her graduation for a Masters in Education from Wayne State University. I am not quite two, to young to remember who attended the ceremony or any other whoopla.

Since school ended we've also had our VBS at church. I used the Agents in Action program, but adapted it to three days, to view click here. I also wrote dramas for the open and close of the day that introduced campers to the Armor of God. Around 40 kids participated and things went well overall. It was interesting working with a 'tween-age' drama/music team but things worked out and I certainly learned a lot as I always do everytime I plan something. Games seemed to be the biggest hit, running, throwing and shooting things you just can't go wrong with! But my boys also commented that all the storytellers were very good. We fed them some healthy snacks and they enjoyed the crafts as well.

"Train Me Up"
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Last Saturday we ventured down to Monroe, Michigan for the annual "Blessing of the Land" ceremony/celebration. Mother had asked that a tree be given to the IHM gardens in her memory, when my brother called to inquire the director voiced a need for garden benches so one was donated in her memory, since she was cremated there is no head stone, now this is at least a place to go and commemorate. It is a very fitting place for her memorial to be since there are many people there helping take care of the place and her bench will be taken care of as well. She always wanted to be taken care of. The ceremony was short and sweet, we sang a rather timid rendition of 'Holy Ground', the prayer interestingly enough was an ancient, wordless Native American blessing, then a time for open prayers, "thanks for the sunshine, the workers, the garden, etc." Ethan helped hand out the worms, everyone got one to go place in the garden somewhere. My aunt found a beautiful and most appropriate garden sculpture to sit along side the bench. Benjamin has suggested we go visit each year on gramma's birthday. That would be nice.

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Next week I will be preparing for 4H Mystery Clue Camp, I'll be doing science activities and experiments with the 2nd-6th grade participants. Ben and Ethan will be attending the 3-night camp. But before then I'll be heading off on a business trip with Rob to northern California. I haven't been on a plane in years! Going to try and just take a carry-on......

Relish the Time

The school year ended with a whirlwind of activity and last minute gatherings. Ethan is now done with his elementary days and will be moving up to the Ruth Fox building next year for 5th grade along with brother Ben who will be in 6th. All the boys will be on the same schedule so no more double bus duty, everyone will be gone by 7am with school starting at 7:30am and finishing at 2:35pm. This will make things much simpler when it comes to subbing since I won't have to figure out a place for Ethan when I start early.


The Bay City Planetarium field trip was a good time, the day was clear and blustery. It was a shame that we were inside for movies instead of outside enjoying the weather, we did go outside to eat lunch though much to the delight of the seagulls.

The Art & History Festival field trip was very well done, I loved the passion of the people involved in the different living history organizations. They really take their stuff seriously from presenting the information to making sure their outfits and items are as authentic as possible. We heard about the 'war' over Toledo, Abe Lincoln's background, medical procedures on the battle field, various soldier units, and basic cannon safety and usage.

Saturday we stopped back at the festival and checked out the art booths, while we were watching a cannon demonstration I noticed Abe and a soldier conversing under a tree. The fruit art of a young culinary student was pretty amazing too.

I've also been sifting through stuff in the house and trying to get organized plus working on rescuing more garden areas. My energy feels very low lately and I'm not sure how to snap out of it, I nap daily in between running around and working. The end of the school year has left me a bit meloncholy for our old homeschool life. I wish I could take parts of homeschool and public school and meld them together for the perfect experience, the boys however are used to being with their peeps and are not into being home again, at least not at this point. I do also enjoy my 'me' time when the kids are all gone for the day and substituting teaching is very rewarding as well, so I guess things are good for now.

This week we've got some dentist and ortho appointments, Fox will get his braces this summer. I just get Alex's paid off and we're on to another round, whoo hoo. Ethan and Ben are doing a basketball day camp at the high school plus we've got two baseball games. Next week is our Agents in Action VBS at church which I am coordinator of and the last week in June Fox will be at a video game design camp at U of M Ann Arbor while the younger boys jump into swim lessons.

Alex is busy working at the BK and hanging with her buds, she was disappointed to find out she did not make it into Grand Valley for the fall because of a couple bummer grades so it looks like she'll be at Mott for another year doing some GPA clean-up and trying again. We also talked about her investigating what Oakland University has to offer.

Signing off for now.

Quickly Slipping Away

Today's mandala was captured from Moment to Moment blog, if you'd like to see more of their gorgeous creations and their process click HERE.

Finally made it to one of Ethan's baseball games since many times Ben is playing a soccer game or has practice on Tuesday's at the same time as Ethan's games Alex has been helping me out by taking her little bro to baseball while I take the other to soccer. Thank you. I finally made it to a Friday game, they did really well and it is always interesting to watch the kids pitch to each other. We've got three boys who are working on their arm. Ethan has been practicing his pitching at home but during games he usually plays shortstop or midfield. He's sportin' some seriously long skater boy hair right now but a hair appointment is made and he is looking forward to cutting his luscious locks. I can't believe how much it grew since the beginning of the school year!

Fox's track season ended on a bit of a bummer, they went all the way out to Carrollton for the Tri-Valley Conference, warmed up, lined up for the first race (2-mile) and then came a rumble of thunder so rules say the meet must be postponed for a certain amount of time, so they sat on the bus and waited only to have the officials make the difficult choice to cancel the meet since it was continuing to thunder and it was raining. However, the last meet he ran, Lapeer West Invitational he had a phenomenal showing, he came in 2nd in the 1-mile with his best time ever...5:56.....Woot! The kid who won was one of those runner savants that stayed a half a track ahead of the group the entire race, so it was on. It looked as though Fox was going to come in third but on the last quarter mile he poured it on and whizzed passed his closest competitor for a great finish.

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The school year is zooming to a close with many final presentations, honors night, concerts, etc. This week Ben will go to Otter Lake for his Trek Adventure Field Trip at Covenant Hills Campground and participate in a variety of team building activities including the Zip Line! Ethan will go to Bay City to the planetarium with me as a chaperon and then on Friday I get to go with Ben's class to the Art and History Festival between the Chatfield School and Mott CC campuses to see some amazing art and a civil war reenactment.

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Ethan was assessed for band this past week and although he insisted prior he wasn't interested in being a part of it he is now talking about playing trumpet. I still want him to continue with his guitar as well and I'm concerned about his practicing habits which are a bit lax to say the least. I'm glad he's excited about it but I told him we'll wait until Fall to make the final decision. Ben will continue with percussion next year; the bands did an informal concert for the elementary to get them jazzed up to be in band and Ethan was so proud he told all his friends his brother was playing the bass drum and bells. Fox will however, say goodbye to his Euphonium for high school since it's really not his thing as you can tell by his D+ because he never practices or turns in said practice sheets which is the majority of their grade. He's As and Bs in all other subjects. Oh well, we all can't be Branford Marsalis.

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After several summers of neglecting my gardens I have finally got my mojo back and am enthusiastically working my way through my perennial gardens and getting them in tip top shape. When things begin to bloom I'll share some pictures and maybe even some before and after shots. It is incredible to think that will all the different varieties of plants I have around here I've never purchased any perennials. But this year I treated myself to a few new purchases. Davelin Farms had the most gorgeous Bleeding Hearts for only $6 a pot and I've always wanted to add them to my Hosta garden so I bought three (you know you're always supposed to plant in odd increments) and they look awesome in their new home. I also bought a vibrant red Asiatic Lily that I just couldn't resist. Instead of planting a vegetable garden I'm doing salsa ingredients in big containers. Next summer I'll probably dive back into a big veggie garden but it's not time yet.

I leave you with a little bit of my own yard art, a view across my pond. Have a fantastic Memorial Day everyone!

Plenty Goin' On

I didn't mean to let so much time lapse between postings, the days just got away from me. Let's see, Fox returned from his Washington DC trip in tack and I timed the pick-up perfectly pulling in right behind the busses....love it! Alex went to prom AGAIN, but for the first time with an actual date. Fox has been doing well in track, his best being at the home meet, he took 2nd in the 2-mile and 1st in the 1-mile with a time of 6:19 plus they won the 4x800 relay again but didn't break the school record as they were hoping. We were getting a lot of stuff done around the yard and gardens, that is before the rain started. Took Jake in for his spring clean-up; see the before and after pics. In addition to working on some verfication and writing projects I've also been subbing, did a day in pre-school special-ed even and some floater days at the elementary while teachers did science training. I still don't understand why they don't hold training workshops when school is not in session..... Plus the LCCC had their "Spring into Song" concert which had a great audience both Friday and Sunday with selections enjoyed by all.

Fox thought the DC trip was decent but confessed that vacationing with a huge tour of people is not his first choice for sight-seeing. Everything seemed really rush, rush and since they had to rush off to the souvenier shop they missed Prince Charles and Obama coming out of the White House by ten minutes! He reported that everyone got along in his group which was good and the play "Happy Days" was a big hit too.

This has been ridiculous soccer season in terms of weather and game rescheduling. The photo below was from a couple of the decent night games we've had. The past Saturday was just awful with the rain going on all day but the kids still played because there was no lightning. We had the Noon game and by then the field was so flooded when the kids kicked the ball it wouldn't even go anywhere because there was so much water. I must admit I was a a bit disgusted the coach (who was also refing) didn't call the game after half time since it was so cold and miserable. The kids hung in there, I give them credit, and guess who got sick....our coach. Practice was canceled for Tuesday because of it.

We have had so much rain lately that the two ponds on our property are about to connect. However, it doesn't seem to bother our new neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Goose, in fact we've got two couples, one with 4 goslings, the other with 3. They usually don't stay long but I'm starting to wonder if these are the same geese that keep coming in every year. Wish I could tag them somehow.....

This is our last full week of school for the year. Woot! Since we have a long weekend around Memorial Day there will be two 4-day weeks then three and a half days and we're done!!! Ethan will do 4th-grade graduation on the last morning of school, All-Band Concert is the last Monday of school and I will get to chaperone one more trip with Ethan's class to the Bay City planetarium. Hope its a good one.

Off He Goes!

After two canceled meets the middle school track team finally got their chance to run at the Brown City Invitational that hosted seven teams from surrounding areas. This was the first time Fox ran three events during a meet. He started off strong in the 2-mile and came in 5th place, even got to hear his name over the loudspeaker. The 1-mile race was next after not much down time, his legs were sore and although he ran a good race and came in really strong in the end he did not place. Unfortunately I had to leave to get to LCCC practice and missed the 4 x 800 relay but from all accounts I've heard it was pretty incredible, the North Branch team took it by a landslide. Our first runner got them a 200 meter lead and every runner in turn kept and increased the lead, very exciting.

Ben played his second soccer game on Saturday, got the first goal in of the game and they won again 5-3, tomorrow I'll finally get to see them play. Ethan had baseball pictures at the same time as the game so we had to divide and conquer. Fox also had the state forensics competition down at Wayne State University on Saturday although I did not attend. He did great, made it into the semi-finals, and received an Award of Excellence plaque in Sales. I think New Balance would be happy with his representation of the company.

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Last night I dropped Fox off for the 8th grade trip to Washington DC; what a wild scene that was. Three busloads of teenagers heading off to Gettysburg, then DC to tour Arlington, the Memorials, the National Zoo and Smithsonians, with a stop at the Luray Caverns on the way back. It was funny to hear moms commenting how their sons wouldn't give them and hug or kiss because all theirs buddies were around, Fox was no exception but I knew how he was going to be before we even got there. I won't see him again until Saturday; as much as he's been driving me a little nutso with his teen-dizziness I kinda miss him already. Thankfully he's with a good group of guys to hang with for the trip though and I hope it will help him secure some friendships.

Prior to our weekend festivities I became royally obssessed as I'm sure many did. After watching the Wedding of William and Catherine on Friday I then got sucked in to all the background programs on them. I'm still jonesing for more info about the after parties. Princess Diana certainly did a great job with those boys, although they've had their "wild days" they've turned into two fine young men and England would be blessed to have William as king.

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Talk about pomp and circumstance to the max, the entire ceremony was memorable but my favorite moments were 1) during James Middleton's reading from Romans 12, Kate looks up quickly at William and he gives her this sheepish grin and eye roll that was priceless, 2) John Rutter's composition "This is the Day" was magnificent and I was floored by the Westminister Abbey Choir in general, 3) as they did the carriage processional afterward I was touched when they went by the memorial, William saluted and Kate bowed her head, so very sweet. I can just hear the talk in my mind as they practiced their spacing so that he didn't elbow her in the head! and lastly just seeing William and Harry saunter down the aisle as they arrived and spoke with the clergy and their uncle (Diana's brother), it was so cool to see them walk comfortably in tandem as they made their way around.

Who'd have thought these two little curmudgens would turn into such fine men.

This little blond guy is certainly going to be one to watch out for, Mr. Tom Pettifer, son of William's former nanny, even though you never hear him talk you can tell he's got charm and confidence already.

Ok, well I guess I'll conclude my little tangent and get back to reality...... if I must. The kiss did surprise me though after such a sweet and personal ceremony I was anticipating William going all Clark Gable, grabbing Kate in his arms, dipping her and landing a long, lingering kiss on her, oh, but that's right they're English and gestures like that are most improper!

Back to gardening, editing and subbing......hope all is well in your world.

NEXT!

Ben still hasn't practiced with the team yet but they played their first game Saturday before last and won 3-1. Ethan has had one baseball practice so far but not sure what will happen tonight since thunderstorms are expected. They already canceled the track meet in Millington but Fox still stayed after for practice. Rain is anticipated for most of the week, this will be great if the weekend is nice, it will make things more easily pullable in the gardens if you know what I mean.

This weekend we had a family outing to the Flint Youth Theatre to see a production of "To Kill a Mockingbird." It was excellent as was to be expected and a nice afternoon out together, we even had the "diva" with us! Not many places you can see quality entertainment with a family of six for well under $100.

Alexandra is excitedly finishing up her second college semester with most of her finals under the belt but just a couple make-up quizzes in guitar to take care of and then freedom.... till fall. Ta ta for now.

Much Ado About the Willows

Well, we're still waiting for spring to kick in for good around here, we've had a couple teases but still the winter wants to linger. First photo is Benny's latest putt-putt golf creation, indoors of course using K'nex, pillows, and a putting practice set.

Next is a quick snap of Fox getting ready for the North Branch Broncos Invitational meet. He did pretty well and since he was the only entry in the Sales category he actually medaled. Still some polishing to do before state meet at Wayne State University the last weekend of the month. He's also officially set to run the 1 Mile, 2 Mile and 4 by 800 race for this year's track season. Coach Friend said we'll have to clear a seat on the bus for the ride home from meets so Fox can 'pass out.' He's really not phazed by the task and is excited to really show the endurance he's worked up from keeping in shape and running all winter long. His mile is at 6:13 right now which is good.


This week I got to go with Ben's 5th grade team to The Willows in Lapeer for a great ecology unit. All the lessons were designed to get the kids to think about our relationship with nature. It was a bleary morning as we started out to our first class (Spear throwing) we were getting snowed on, it let up fairly quickly however and the rest of the day was just cold and wet.

DAY 1

Arrival meeting and splitting into groups.

Spear Throwing Class.

Ben Man makes fire!

Learning about the Flint Watershed and playing 'Pooh sticks' to judge how fast the water is moving.

Last class, the basics of orienteering, or how to use a compass 101.

DAY 2

First class was in the Wigwam talking about Native American culture and habitats. Then they used their spear throwing skills to play the Chucky game and also try some other organic tools.

Next they made mud and worked on a native structure..... ew, yucky!

Orienteering Part Two, out on the trails with map and compass to find the flags and punch your cards.

Last class was Mud Oven! Learned about the technology then went inside, ground some wheat for flour, rolled out dough and made thin crust pizza that we cooked in the mud oven and they also churned up some ice cream! As you can see from the pictures day two was much more pleasant weather-wise than day one.

Yummy! This is all right in the backyard of Chatfield School, as our group was getting ready to leave for the day the students were coming in for their Ecology and Lego Robotics classes. Ben really liked this experience and is rather interested in becoming a Chatfield student now that he's seen some of the cool things they get to do as part of their regular studies.