Kayaks, parties and swimming oh my!

It was the weekend of extreme socializing!  Friday night we went to my work's company outing. It was at my new boss's home and we had a wonderful time. The kids got to use kayaks, cannonball off their dock into the water (or in Rob's case, do flips) and play a couple of games whose names escape me.  K and I enjoyed socializing with my co-workers and their spouses, and meeting my boss's family.  By 7:30 we were headed home and 8:00 p.m. found us setting up in the dark for KC and Lissa's party which was Saturday.

KC spends the year planning, deciding on a theme and then scouring craft mags and catalogs for ideas of things we can make/play/do/eat that all sort of tie to the theme.  Last year one of his friends helped him choose the theme which was sports, to which we added magic when we scored a free magic show.

It was a lot of work but it was an immense amount of fun. The kids played in the bounce house for hours. The magic show was extremely cool and they learned how to do 3 tricks as well.We had games, football and baseball themed toss games, a hockey game, ,a home made golf challenge and food up the wazoo.

The party was from 1 to 3 p.m.  I wound up with our next door neighbor's 5 year old (a party invitee) all day as his mom had to take younger son to the doctors and later to be admitted.  The majority of the party goers stayed till 5 p.m. so clearly we throw a good party.  I spent about an hour cleaning up and by 6:15ish things looked pretty much back to normal.  Amazing!

Today I went to church for 8:30 to participate in a meeting till 10:30.  Then we scooted home and I took KC and Lissa to meet friends at an indoor water park.  Rob had the day off with his girlfriend.  The water park was SO cool.  I had a coupon that got all 3 of us in for a very modest sum. If I was to pay full price I could not afford for two of us to go.  The prices are truly high.  However, I have to say they had the best and most vigilent lifeguards that I have seen anywhere in the past 5 years.  There were lots of them, they were constantly moving and circulating the various interest areas and they were strict.  I loved it!  We were there till after 4 because we were just having way too much fun.  Water obstacle course, pool basketball, kiddie area, indoor slides, indoor and outdoor hot tubs, just so unbelievably neat!

After supper we worked on our birthday gift for Chet who will celebrate his 27th birthday this coming weekend.  We always celebrate it while we are having our family campout in Maine.  We got a big pack of white crew sox and we tie dyed them.  There is an ongoing issue because Chet does not match his sox.  This way, if they are tie dyed, which is a "fashion" he likes, they don't need to be "matching."  So I thought it would be fun and a cool solution to something that drives my wife nuts.

My work week is a bit shorter this week as I start our camping trip on Thursday.  I love this trip though it is also somewhat bittersweet.  It means the real end of summer to me. And I have a hard time wrapping my head around that.  But it has been a wonderful summer and we have made some great memories to see us through the cold times ahead.

I need to clone myself!

So this week we started homeschooling, which has been a blast.  But it makes mornings have a different dynamic as I am teaching before I leave for work. (K takes over at that point).  Then tonight my boss is having a staff BBQ at her lake front home.  It is casual and families--spouses and kids are invited.  It is potluck.  I have made nothing. Why?  Because tomorrow is the big summer shindig that KC and Lissa have been planning all year. The Magical Sports Extravaganza! (laughing)  We will have sack races, footballs to toss through hula hoop targets.ring toss, a mini golf challenge, a bounce house, crafts (3) a magician and food.  I will have somewhere between 12 and 20 kids here.  People don't RSVP so well these days but that is the typical attendance.  Usually the parents hang around so I need to also craft an area where adults are comfortable schmoozing.  I have games to make, decorations to hang, 100 baseball decorated sugar cookies to make--sometime between leaving my boss's party and 1 p.m. tomorrow! (laughing) Oh yeah and one of the guests is gluten free, allergic to soy and dairy so I make a special trip to a store that has things A. can eat.

Sunday I have a meeting at church from 8:30 to 10:30  The kids are coming with me and Rob is going from church to his girlfriend's house for a while. I am taking the rest of the crew to an indoor water park before our coupon runs out.  Then I will collapse in a heap.LOL

School Days!

Yesterday we started homeschooling for this year.  KC woke up extra early and came bombing down the stairs while I was on the computer. YAY!  I start grade 3 today, he said proudly.  He is an avid learner and a kid who can unschool very successfully.  For instance, this summer he decided he felt like doing a report on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  He had me help him find his resources and went to town.  He has also worked on teaching himself some of cursive writing so when K went to start that class withhim he was ahead of the game there as well.

Rob is easing into homeschooling, doing 3 of his classes and not adding the rest till we return from our Labor Day weekend camping trip.  He is not loving the start of school--at least allegedly, but most of that I think is teen posturing as he did the work well and without complaint.

Lissa technically does not need to officially school yet as she is kindergarten aged.  However she has time to practice writing her letters, some math with me and some reading with me.  I have been worried about teaching her to read.  KC essentially taught himself.  At about 4.  Lissa has more issues understanding letter sounds and with retention of sight words.  I have been stressing a bit over the fact that she seemed to have that challenge and also zero interest in the written word.  She loves being read to, but has never been one to  "read" a story to her toys for instance.  KC did that all.the.time.  However, I found that the old chestnut of Dick and Jane appeal to her. They are "chapter" books which has a certain cachet to her.  They are repetitive so that she is memorizing the sight words.  She has improved markedly and so school is going very well here so far!

When Technology goes haywire!

You know those movies where the machines take over the earth?  Sometimes my life is a pre-curser to that! LOL  The other day I was reading blogs and having the hardest time getting my computer to let me reply.  I have no idea why.  I would close out and go back in--clearly you can see that I feel my pearls of wisdom and support really needed to be shared.  One blog was on wordpress and I thought maybe that was why it wasn't flyiing for me even though it usually does.  But eventually my friend Todd's blog seemed to take my comment.  Even though I didn't get the weird hieroglyphics things that you usually have to type in to prove you are not an evil robot trying to take over the earth, it said it was published.  I clicked off and went about my non computer oriented day.  .   .  and clicked on this morning to discover I somehow put his whole blog post on my blog. With my comment.  I had no idea you could even do that!  This is a very surreal start to the day, but my apologies to Todd for swiping his post!

An Itchy Tale

So earlier this week KC went to he doctors again because he was itchy.  There were hives all over his body.  At the time, I thought it was a reaction to doing lots of somersaults at the park the night before.  I thought he had a grass sensitivity or allergy.  The Dr said it was a topical allergy and to keep using the OTC stuff we have been using.  And ka-ching, $35.00 co-pay please.

Except that was three days ago and he broke out in welty hives again this morning when we got back from grocery shopping.  I gave the OTC stuff to him and he seems okay. He is actually pathetically enough, sort of getting used to this.  It is weird though. And I am not liking it.  He has not eaten anything unusual or different. We have nothing new in our home or in our cleaning products.  Sigh.  Weird.  Mysterious.  Worrying.

Fiona Called!

I am happy beyond words!  Fiona CALLED tonight. This is the first, very very first time that she has ever called the Tuesday after a family visit.

A penny saved. . .

KC is 8 and in his eyes, nearly a "tween."  He is actually a very odd juxtaposition between a young child and sort of a tween mentality.  For instance, he still believes in Santa but rocks out to Linkin Park.  Go figure.

Apparently when one is nearly a tween one needs a CD player/radio combo to play your own tunes.   He mentioned this to me about 4 weeks ago.  I think he maybe had a moment of delusion that I would run out and buy him  a CD player.  LOL  I said that sounded like something to ask for for Yule or his birthday. Or, if those were too far away, he could do extra chores and save the money up and buy it for himself. Now in all reality, he has more than enough money in his savings account, but I don't want any of my kids to be in the habit of just dipping into their savings. Savings are sort of sacrosanct.

He announced that he was going to earn the money and began being very helpful.  My deck has been swept regularly.  He put away his sister's scooter with out asking.  He has helped fold laundry, put away dishes, all manner of little jobs over the past month or so.  A quarter here, fifty cents there, and he has been tucking the money away.  He counted it up this weekend and since he began his efforts, he has amassed $10.00

Very excited, he immediately had me check W*lmart on line to see how close he was to his goal.  We checked and he could get a very inexpensive model for just under $20.00  I pointed out that if it was a really low end model, he might not be able to pull in the classical music station he likes to fall asleep to. It has a weak signal and it is hard to get in sometimes.  Yes, the same child who sings (scream?) to Linkin Park falls asleep to Chopin.

Kids are really savvy.  He noticed someone had reviewed that particular model and had me click on the review so he could read it.  Allegedly, it is great.  He also made me check to see if there was a "money back guarantee." (exact quote)   There was a solid return policy.  Therefore, he is 1/2 way to his goal.