Week in Review 7/29/10

Hmm, this week had a rough start with #1 in hot water for ... not knowing how to be 16 yet. She lost her phone and driving privileges and was pretty much under lock-down except for work hours - needless to say, she pulled a double shift on Saturday to stay off my radar. ;) Sunday was the youth sacrament meeting and we got to listen to the youth tell us all about the different summer camps and youth conference. We also found out Sunday night that there was no way on Earth that #2 and Chandler were going to make it back from California anytime soon traveling standby into Salt Lake, so we had to adjust our plans.

Turns out the best fix was for #1 and I to roadtrip down to Vegas and pick the boys up from a flight there. Six hours in the car with my own daughter when we're barely speaking to each other ... let's just say neither of us were sure how we felt about it. I finished up my jetBlue shift, we each packed a bag, gave Izzy a quick bath and finished up the laundry and dishes and we were off. We topped off the tank and zipped through a carwash, grabbed some gross fast food and spent the next 40 minutes or so in awkward silence. Somehow ... thanks to my prodding, we were able to have cleared up most things between us by the time we pulled up to the Red Barn in Santaquin. We peeked around the shop and decided there wasn't anything we wanted so jumped back on the freeway. I have to say that being trapped in a car together without any other distractions and plenty of snack food isn't a bad way to work through some of these things and have a productive conversation with a teenager. (I'll have to remember that for future issues)

Anywho! We pulled into Vegas, checked into the hotel, grabbed dinner at Chili's and very quietly made fun of the couple who were sitting on the same side of their table. Next came the tricky airport business, luckily the boys were able to find us without a hitch. Back to the hotel ... kids texting and on iPods until who knows how late while I passed out. The next morning brought breakfast and the lovely drive home. Oy! Exhausting.

And believe it or not ... Wednesday was even more tiresome! I took the 3 bigs to a "Discover Scuba" class at Dive Utah and redeemed the groupons I'd purchased in June. It was a riot! The kids had a blast, but we were pretty worn out by the time we had to lug our gear back to the storage room. That night we had plans to go boating too. Scuba and boating all in the same day? Yup. Can I tell you I slept like the dead that night? Thursday we tried to keep the schedule more mellow .... it was dreamy.

Week in Review 7/22/10

We're desperately trying to get back on track here. For the most part we're back to a normal summer schedule, with plenty of play time. This particular week was a great one too. I was able to take #1 to go get her driver's license and she had her first few outings ALL ON HER OWN. (yikes) We took the littles out for a spin on the lake Friday night and went back again Saturday with all the boys + Chandler. East Canyon was definitely more crowded than we like ... and plan to go back to our mid-week boating schedule. Church on Sunday was awesome and we delivered a 'heart attack' to M that afternoon, to remind her that we love her.

Monday I took #2 + Chandler to the airport in hopes of getting them on a flight to Long Beach to visit Pops. There were 23 seats still available on the flight ... they were numbers 25 and 26 on the standby list. Tight - but somehow they made it on the first try. Yay jetBlue! Tuesday brought hiking with the Scouts. Wednesday I was finally able to finish up #3's book and give it to her. #1 chose the title "Embrace" ... because the whole book is like a big hug. :D I loved watching her reactions as she read through the book. She was really touched by how thoughtful her peers had been - it even made her cry. Twice. That's big. I count it as a huge success and will post more detailed pictures of the pages for you later. The week wrapped up with multiple trips to Top It to redeem our Groupons. Yum.

Frozen Watermelon Treats

I love watermelon in the summer! It always reminds me of the 4th of July and my dear friends in Provo. We buy seedless, less mess, melons and cube them for easy single servings. Of course, my favorite way to eat it is frozen. I'll put a plastic bowl of watermelon cubes in the freezer when I'm starting to crave it, wait about half an hour before eating it. The melon will have small ice crystals all over and each bite will be a slushy treat. I've found it actually makes not-so-ripe melons taste much sweeter too.

The Count Down is On

Only nine more days of school left. What? Lots of mixed feelings about this realization. I love summer - boating with the kids, sprinklers, sidewalk chalk, long days with the kids building forts or making a lemonade stand. But what I fear is a lot of this ...You know, those days where you can actually see your kids getting ... shall we say, less smart? I hate those days. Last year, I had a plan of attack. I started the summer with a schedule. All the kids were required to read for 30 minutes a day and the 'littles', as we call them, had worksheets to do that I printed myself from the internet. This way I was in control of their curriculum and could vary it to keep them thinking. We did lots of math ... lots and lots of math for our upcoming 5th grader and loads of spelling and reading exercises for our soon-to-be first grader. I made sure they each had things like mazes, word searches or coloring pages too and #4 even learned how to play Sudoku.

The work paid off and they both had a great school year because of it. They never hit this point where they completely shut their brain down and it made it a lot easier for them to learn new concepts right from the begining of the school year. Now, it's time for me to get back on my game and start searching for activities and worksheets. If you have kids at home this summer and want to give them a headstart for next year you should take a few minutes to check out these websites.

http://www.mathfactcafe.com/ (great for designing your own work)
http://www.tlsbooks.com/ (used tons of these last year)
http://www.helpingwithmath.com/resources/worksheets.htm
http://www.homeeducationresources.com/FREE1.htm
http://treasures.macmillanmh.com/utah/families

http://www.uen.org/k12student/interactives.shtml (fantastic online activities)

This year there will also be organized activities for the 'bigs'. #2 will get to start and finish his Eagle project. #1 will be increasing hours at work as well as picking up driver's ed so she can finally get her license. I think I'll also have #1 and #3 start a charitable effort making hair accessories for the Center for Change. I can't help but want them all to really know how to do things ... and to be involved in doing things for others. I think we'll also look for some local opportunities here. What are your plans for summer?

29 Days and Counting

The registration packets for school came in the mail this week. There are forms to fill out in multiple and fees waiting to be paid. It's a joyous times for parents, isn't it? In the meantime, it's clear the kids are determined to pack in as much as they can while they still have their freedom. My two oldest are back in town now, one home from visiting her dad in LA and my son back from a week of scout camp ... here we go. The laundry which was nonexistent this morning is now screaming for my attention. The kids, who were so eager to tell us about their latest adventures have disappeared again, one out to a friend's house and the other into a mass of teenage boys and girls who suddenly appeared in our basement this evening. All I'm left with is this pile of their shoes by the front door.I remember exactly what it felt like to be their age though so I don't give them a hard time about it. In fact, I'll even send out a song dedication in their honor. Old school song, new school sound. Here's a little Beastie Boys for you via Andrew Paul Woodworth to wind down the summer. You can get it free here.

Clean Slate

I've wiped this blog slate clean and am starting fresh again. (sigh) I'm hoping this will be a place where I can ramble a bit and post tidbits of what is going on around the shop and in my life. With 5 kids running me around like a crazy person, there's usually something interesting happening. For the moment I'm gearing up for the American Craft Council show in San Francisco. I was accepted as an AltCraft artist this year and am a little nervous about the whole deal but am so excited to roadtrip there with my buddy Wanja. I've decided to count it as my birthday trip and not put a lot of pressure on myself for big sales dollars. We leave August 13th and will be back the 17th. I can't wait!

I'm also doing my best to keep the kids busy this summer. We've already finished up girls' camp, EFY, and High Adventure camp and 2 of the kids got to visit Washington DC with their grandparents for a couple weeks. We have everyone reading for half an hour in the mornings and then doing worksheets and writing projects until almost noon everyday. It's nice to see the kids work on projects they really enjoy too. I'm having the girls start a life story class that will get some of their creative energy out. Last weekend we secured a slip for our boat up in the canyon so we can run up a couple nights a week when Dad gets home from work. It's so fun to see them out behind the boat. Those are some of my best memories from my childhood.

I LOVE SUMMER!!