Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Scouts
The boys went to scout camp in Georgia last week. New for this year is that Mitchell is now a scout so he was able to go. They had a fabulous time and of course are already looking forward to next year. They were able to take classes for archery, wilderness survival, badge specific and many others. The experiences they have are always exciting and many times new to them. The other great thing about scout camp is that it is time that John has to spend with the boys away from the craziness of our every day life. That is time I know the boys will look back on and treasure forever. As for me, I stayed home with the younger two for the week and learned how much the older boys really do help out around the house and with their younger brothers. It is definitely sweet time just having those little ones all to myself...however, it is also a lot of work. But I certainly treasured their innocence and affection they lavished on me that week. Scout camp week is special for everyone. Those that get to go experience so much...those of us that stay home cherish the time we have.
Loving summer
One of the things the kids and I have been exploring this summer is art. We are looking at the artists that everyone recognizes throughout history. I also wanted to look at some contemporary as well as local artists too. So, we have been reading different artist biographies, studying their work, doing a little compare and contrast through time and assessing. Usually I like to study topics in a very orderly and time oriented fashion; however, I will say it is fun looking at a variety of artists from different time periods, of different styles in no particular order. Finally, as we study each artist, the kids then try and paint or create in the style of the artist. This could be using color, contrast, symmetry etc. What a fun study so far.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
It is here and in full swing
Well, triathlon season is here and probably mid way through. I am very excited about this as I love the hard training and long hours. I am thankful for the heat as the cold is not for me. I opened my season with a small Sprint an hour south of home. It was nice to dust off the cobwebs and race. I have not raced since last years big race other than two half marathons during the off season. I was anxious to put all of this training to work and see how I would do. Overall I was pleased with my race..received 4rth in my age group..6th overall the women...lost my age group by 40 seconds. In other words four of us came in within 40 seconds of each other three of us came in within one second of each other...second, third, and fourth came down to the hundredth of a second...so it was exciting...of course me being me wishes I had known..surely I could have made up that 40 seconds 10 times over in that race..well, hindsight is great!! My biggest accomplishment in that race though was my bike...I tied for first out of all the women competing in the sprint...it showed that alot of hard work always pays off..Moving forward..I am looking forward to two more sprints yet to come this season but the bigger goal and my eyes remain on the half ironman races to come later in the season. I am registered for three and have set some goals in my head for each one. I will visit the mountains of Washington State, the hills of Augusta Georgia, and the flats of Miami Florida. Each race is different but brings a seperate challenge. I am so excited and will be ready for whatever race day has to hand me. Until then I will train hard and love every minute of it!! The pics below are from Saint Anthony's this year...I did not do this race but it is on the agenda for next year!
Homeschool Convention
Well, May has come and gone...but one of my favorite weekends every year is the homeschool convention in Orlando. I have been to this convention the last 8 years. It is always refreshing from a schooling perspective, enlightning from a curriculum perpsective, and some of the speakers can only be described as inspirational. There are years when I really need my battery recharged and this weekend never fails to do just that. However, the time away and with good friends really is the highlight of the whole thing. After spending a couple of days looking through curriculum, listening to speakers, brainstorming about the plans for next year...my favorite part is sitting out by the pool, eating, drinking, talking and laughing with my girlfriends. We all have somewhere between two and four children and rarely can make time for uninterrupted conversation....needless to say..these couple of evenings are pricelss and I would not trade them for anything!
Busch Gardens passes renewed!!!
Yes, Busch Gardens and the beach...very common themes for me. We love both places and visit them frequently. We renewed our passes so this was one of our first visits for the year. On this visit the boys had a blast with their friends especially onthe coasters and water rides. I am always game for the coasters; however, water rides not so much..Something about walking around in soggy clothes is not appealing. Besides, I still have a 4 year old who can not ride most rides....so he needs me to stay with him! Well, that's my excuse for now and I am sticking with it!! Enjoy the photos.
Life's disappointments
Well, a year ago the boys received the gift of a "clubhouse" from my parents for Christmas. It took awhile for this project to be completed but it was time well spent. My dad built the play fort with a tiny bit of help from the boys....much more moral support from the swingset was given than actual physical labor. After quite a financial outlay and time commitment.. we were informed by our association that this structure was not allowed according to the deeds. After reading over the restrictions yet again...the association seemed to be functioning under a very loose interpretation of definition of playset...meaning it was NOT defined but would be judged on a case by case basis....needless to say after trying to hold our ground and keep our beautiful playhouse for the boys to play in....we gave in and took it down. As you will see...the end result which is allowed according to the association is SOO much more appealing to the eye than the original playhouse...(much sarcasm) Lessons were learned in this process and the kids learned the lesson of acceptance. Well, they now enjoy shooting guns and bows off the top of the platform so it went from a playhouse and meeting place to a shooting platform...I don't know.. golfers were safer with the kids inside a structure than shooting from the top of their new area....actually find some humor in it after all is said and done!
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