Little Red Worms

See, what happened was, it was cold and rainy for days on end and nobody used or really gave much thought to the pool.  Besides that, we're pool newbies.  Finally the rain stopped and lo and behold the pool was teeming with algae and...ahem...little red worms.  Yes.  I said little red worms.  Being a person with a worm phobia, I wish very much that I was kidding, but I'm not.  I saw them with my own two eyes.  They looked like red threads, about an inch long, actually swimming through the water.  You could see them working their way around, doing that inch worm move.  Anyway, Mike spent several days super chlorinating and checking pH like he was some kind of chemist, and finally the algae and worms were gone and the pool was crystal clear.  At least that's what I thought when I told the kids they could swim in it again.  After they'd been in there for several hours they informed me that the worms aren't quite gone.  "But," Drew said happily, "there's only four or five left!"

Sue

I Wish...

...very much that I could figure out how to embed things like YouTube videos in my posts.  It's not for lack of trying, that's for sure.  How come other people just get this stuff while for me it's like deciphering hyrogliphics?  And how come I spelled hyrogliphics so poorly that even my online dictionary was going, "Just forget it, okay? Seriously.  I have no earthly idea what you want from me."

Sue

Edited to Add:  I figured it out at some point and went back and fixed everything.

I Just Love This

Go check out this guy on YouTube.  It made me laugh and cry. 

Pachelbel Bedtime

Swim Lessons

Level 3 swim lessons finished today.  The boys learned the crawl stroke, the back float, the backstroke, how to tread water correctly, the breaststroke, the dolphin kick, and how to do an open turn.  Not bad for a few Saturdays!  I didn't get very good pictures, though.  Oh well.

Here's Drew waiting for his lesson to start.  Isn't he handsome?

Zach was pretty bummed because he didn't get to swim today, the last day of class.  He had to go to the doctor this week for a case of swimmer's ear.  Incidentally, I went to pick up the prescription for the ear drops and they wanted $110 for it!!!  We decided to use the pediatrician's suggestion of a home remedy instead:  A 1:1 solution of vinegar and rubbing alcohol for $2.00. 

Here's Drew with his teacher on the far side of the pool.  For some reason he was the only kid in his class that day.  This was taken after the lesson when they were killing 5 minutes by playing ball.

After the class...ready for level 4!

The Town Parade

Today the kids and I walked to our town's annual parade.  It was really fun!  The kids loved having candy tossed at them repeatedly, and I liked seeing so much community spirit in the crowd.  Here's a few pictures: 

PS:  The boys have wild hair because they need cuts BADLY and because they had just gone to swimming lessons.

 
 
 
 
 

Trying Hard Not to Hyperventilate

Over the last four days boxes and boxes of school materials have arrived for Drew and Baylee from the Washington Virtual Academy.  So I guess this is it!  We're really going to use it!  I think it'll be good.  [deep breaths]

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Sunset from our Front Porch

Sometimes You Just Can't Help But Laugh

Have your kids ever made you laugh in their naughtiness?   You know you shouldn't, but there it is. And once you've laughed there's really no going back and attempting the whole stern thing.

The other day Zach was trying to talk me into taking him to the grocery store so he could spend some of his money on candy.  I finally capitulated under the condition that he buy me a Coke while we were there.  I told him it was my payment for the ride.  He had to think about that a minute, but soon he decided it was worth it.  "Okay," I added, "but just so you understand, I can't drink Coke without having some chocolate to go with it."  He looked me dead in the eye and without missing a beat said, "Don't push it, woman."

Today I was getting after Baylee for dripping water from the pool all through the house.  I went on for awhile and when I finished she said, "Okay, okay.  Sheesh.  Don't be such a drama mama."  I couldn't believe I even heard her right!  I mean, I learned something new there, having never even heard that phrase before in my life!  I talked to her about how she's not to say that again to me or any other adult, but not before I laughed until I cried.

Sometimes it's hard being a mom.  Or should I say a "drama mama?"

Sue

Tag

Tag Rules:

1.) The player starts with 8 random facts about herself.

2.) The person that has been tagged must post on her own blog, her answers and post the rules first.

3.) Then the player must pick 8 people and tag them and also leave them a note on message that lets them know, that you tagged them. You can write who tagged you on your blog also.

Okay, so, let's see...eight random facts about myself.


1.  For years I had an outie bellybutton.  I was way into elementary school before it finally became an innie.

2.  In college I couldn't write a paper or study for a test unless my dorm room was perfectly clean.  That should've been my first clue that I would turn out to be somewhat anal retentive about housework.

3.   When Zach was born he was in distress.  The cord was wrapped around his neck twice, so whenever I would have a contraction his heart rate would slow.  They didn't tell me anything at the time, though, except to stop pushing, and I was a brand-new mom so I was oblivious.  I thought it was perfectly normal for there to be 5 or 6 doctors and nurses running around a brightly lit, slightly panicked room.  Three years later, when I was in labor for Drew, I actually said, "Where is everybody?" because the lights were dimmed, it was nice and quiet, and the only people there were Mike and me, one doctor and one nurse. 

4.  In 6th grade I tested out of high school level reading.  When I went to 7th grade there was a mix up and I was put into regular English and advanced math.  By the first conference the teachers for both subjects were telling my parents, "She doesn't belong in here!"  Duh.  The joys of public school.

5.   I love lima beans.  I could eat them as a snack.

6.  I have always hated yogurt.  That sweet taste coupled with the weird, sour bite...ugh.

7.  One time when I was in high school I was walking down a country road near my house with Brian Lorenz and we ran across a dead cat.  Rigor Mortis had set in in such a way that the cat's head was faced forward, it's eyes were wide open, and its legs were all straight.  Brian stood the cat up in the middle of the road facing traffic and we kept on walking.

8.   I really get a kick out of the kids' show "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends."


Sue

Baylee's Obsession...Caught on Camera

Several weeks ago it occurred to me that Baylee would probably love The Brady Bunch as much as I did when I was a kid (ahem...if knowing the plot of every episode to this day counts as love), so I ordered Season 1 for her from Blockbuster Online.  Oh my.  The child may have surpassed me in her adoration.  So far she's watched around fifteen shows and she's still going strong.  Season 2 can't get here fast enough.

Of course, as every Brady follower knows, you can't be a true fan unless you know the theme song.  It took Baylee several episodes, but she finally got it and now she belts it out with gusto.  Biding my time, I finally caught it on tape [bwaahahaha]:

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Swimming into August

We've got swimming on the brain lately!  We've been enjoying the community pool so much that the boys signed up for lessons.  They give about eight levels of lessons there, and both boys got in at level three.  They're doing that on Saturday afternoons.  Drew is thinking about being on their swim team eventually, as he seems to be a real natural in the water.

Meanwhile, at home we just purchased an Easy Set pool on sale.  I don't know how "easy" it was, but we (meaning Mike) got it put together in not too much time and the kids are having a blast in it.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

What do you get when you cross a love for Sunday School with a love for Bratz?

"God is my BFF."

                   ~Baylee


(She told me this today as the two of us were out running errands.  I'd be willing to bet that's the first time those initials have been used in quite that way!)

Gearing Up for a New Homeschool Year

It's that time again:  Time to start thinking seriously about what I'm going to use and actually buy (gulp) for school this next year.  After going back and forth about a million times, I've finally decided to use the Washington Virtual Academy, which was the original plan, for Drew and Baylee.  There's just too many good things about it for me to turn my back on it.  That said, I'm going to use Time4Learning for Zach.  I had planned on going with something else, but then I took a really close look at T4L's 7th grade program and it's wonderful.  The thing that really sold me on it was the fact that not only is the part done on the computer great, but so is the extra stuff they add to be done on paper.

I'm more than a little nervous about the idea of working arm-in-arm with the public school system using WAVA.  They even assign teachers to us to keep track of our progress, answer questions, and discuss the kids.   I'm really hoping it's not going to feel like too many cooks in the kitchen.

Anyhow, in the spirit of hard work and new beginnings, here's an inspirational YouTube video that I must insist you watch for your own edification.

My favorite movie hero

Sue