"What does this mean?!"

I'm having a bad day, but I found something here and it helped.  A lot.





This helped, too.

Slap Happy

This morning at VBS someone asked Valerie what she does for a living and she answered, "I'm a kept woman."  I asked her later if that meant she's a stay-at-home mom.  She said it does, but that she always uses the term "kept woman" because it confuses people and ends the conversation.  I love it.


We had five kids in the house today, which is a lot at any time, but a TON when I'm exhausted.  This week of having to get up at 6:30 is kicking my butt.  The problem is I haven't compensated by going to bed any earlier, because I'm a moron.  No, wait, it's because I'm a kept woman and the only time I get a break from my kids is at night.  Whatever the reason, I was tired and we had a buttload of kids here.  Everything was fine until Drew and his friend Rory went to the high school running track by our house and did something Drew named "the crawl of death".  It's exactly what it sounds like:  They got down on their hands and knees and crawled around the track.  Don't ask me why.  I have no idea.  Why do 12 year old boys do anything?  The end result is that Drew ruined a pair of church pants and Rory has huge, ugly blisters on his knees.


I talked to someone at a church picnic this afternoon whose husband goes into people's homes with a team of exterminators and kills bedbugs.  That's his job.  I guess the only way to truly get rid of them is to enclose every room in the house in plastic and raise the temperature with giant heaters to something like 140 degrees.  At about 115 the bedbugs start piling out into the open, looking for a cooler place.  At 140 they're all dust.  Literally.  They disintegrate.  The cost of this operation?  $250 per square foot.     


Today during the skit practice the five of us women laughed until we cried (literally, the pastor's wife was wiping tears), then we bossed each other around, then we got annoyed, then we explained that we're always kinda bossy when we're tired, then we talked about the DISK personality test, then we laughed some more.  Only one more day!  All in all this week was a great experience, my favorite so far in this church.


Alright, I gotta go learn those lines.

Slugly

Baylee has a new pet.  It's name is Slugly.  It's a giant slug.  It's never coming in our house.  The End.

VBS

Well, the whole Golum thing turned out fine.  When we got to church this morning we realized we'd all been worrying about it, so we decided to tone it down.  Here's a measly couple pictures.  I took several more, but none of the others turned out.


This is the "crazy river woman" and her two helpers.  It's actually our pastor's wife, our children's choir director, and a woman named Valerie who graduated from the college I went to just a few months before I entered as a freshman.  One of the reasons I'm really glad I did the skit this year is I got to know Val better.  She's great!

  
There's no audience in this next picture, because I took it during our morning practice.

I played a character with a time traveling watch who goes in and out of the action.  Sometimes I'm doing crazy things like getting stuck in a tree, other times I'm talking to the audience as a sort of narrator.

   

By the way, I went into Starbucks with my hair like that this morning, which is a testament to how much I wanted coffee.

Rachel has been coming with us every morning.  She's having a great time.

Only two more days!  I'm tired from having to get up at 6:30 every morning, but it's worth it.

I Don't Even Know

I feel a little bad about what I said about Drew and Baylee's test scores yesterday.  I'm afraid I may have given the wrong impression, so today I want to say that Drew got a perfect score on reading comprehension, and almost perfect scores in math computation and math concepts and application.  And Baylee got perfect scores in reading comprehension and math computation.  The thing they both need to work on is grammar.  I still haven't gotten Zach's results.


Working with the VBS skit has been so much fun this year that my face hurts all morning.  We (there are five of us) laugh the entire time.  Well, not when we're on stage, but when we're practicing.  Tomorrow we've got a scene where a "crazy river lady" rafts down the Amazon and rescues a couple of people stuck in a tree.  That's fine, but for some reason none of us can just leave the script alone.  We keep enhancing it.  First someone said that the river woman's raft (which is on wheels) should be pulled by monkeys.  Then I suggested that it would be better if, instead of monkeys, the woman was attended by little Golum-like creatures.  I don't know.  It just seemed like a good idea at the time.  The others liked it and now they're actually doing it.  Maybe I'll bring the video camera tomorrow.  This could be interesting.*  


Tonight at supper Drew was talking about a man with a long, full beard, and Zach said, "Oh, you mean a clam chowder beard?" Of course, that stopped everything.  We all had to know exactly what he meant.  He said a "clam chowder beard" is one into which an entire of bowl of clam chowder could be poured, and the beard would soak the soup right up and make it disappear.   Zach has always been like that:  A picture thinker.  I wonder if it has to do with his dyslexia.  Whatever it is, it makes life around here much more visual.


I'm reading a book called Eat Pray Love right now.  It's an autobiography.  I've tried writing about it here twice over the past few days, but both times I deleted what I said.  One of these days maybe I'll talk about it.  It's quite a story.


Sue


*Now that I've written all that, I'm a little worried.  Oh dear, this is not a good idea.  But the people who are doing it have costumes all figured out and they've made up some pretty hilarious lines.  Hmm.   

Break a Leg

We're getting all the standardized test results back in the mail.  Drew's came on Friday and today I received Baylee's.  I bet  Zach's will be here tomorrow.  Drew and Baylee did fine and I'm sure Zach did, too, but looking at the results I'm struck again by how the tests are helpful, but they're in no way the whole story.  There's so many different factors that affect the results, including a child's personality.  I know without a doubt Baylee is extremely bright.  She's my child who was reading chapter books at age four.  Yet she didn't score as highly as Drew.  (Again, they both did fine.)  I know she got through 3rd grade with no trouble, so the only thing I can figure is that she didn't focus while she was taking that test.  She can be a little bit flighty. (No idea where she gets that.  Must be from Mike.) Drew on the other hand is very methodical and always has been.  When he learned to talk everything he said came out perfectly, but each word was slow and carefully chosen.  That's just him.  I'm sure when he took the test he thought every question through and then picked his answers with care.  Eh.  Whatever.  I now have an idea of what we're doing well and what we need to focus more attention on next year, and that's enough.


VBS was fun today!  Somehow we always manage to pull those skits off, no matter how bleak things look beforehand.  Now I've got the rest of this evening to learn my lines for tomorrow.  I think tomorrow's going to be interesting, because I'll spend most of the skit standing on one of those really tall 3-legged stools, peering out over the top of a ficus.  (Why do all churches have a forest worth of ficuses?)  It's supposed to look as if I'm perched in a tree waiting out a thunderstorm.  I just hope I don't fall.  I can't think of much that would be more embarrassing than breaking my leg in front of an audience.


Tonight Drew is at a Jr High youth group event at the mall.  They're doing a scavenger hunt, then having ice cream at Cold Stone.  Luckies!


We're buying a used piano from some people in our church!  It's a console. (I had to Google that.)  I'm excited for Drew, especially, to take lessons.  He's been asking to play the piano since he was 7 years old.  In fact, that's why he plays the guitar.  We wanted to distract him.  If he ever does go into music as a career, playing two instruments will make him more marketable.  Besides, knowing the piano will help him learn theory.  Anyway, we're hoping to get the piano this weekend.  Lessons would probably start sometime in the fall.


Alright, I'm off to learn lines again.

The Letter

Packed in with all Baylee's disgusting, dirty camp clothes was a letter she wrote to us.  She said she never sent it because she couldn't find her stamps, which makes sense, seeing as how they were under all the clean underwear she never wore.  Anyhow, I enjoyed reading it, even if I did have to wait.

Dear Mom and Dad,


I just got your 2nd letter.  It's kick back time and Lori lets us write letters during kick back time, so I'm writing you back.  Everybody in my cabin is my friend, but Molly is feeling lonely, left out, and homesick.  But she also says it's the other girls that are leaving her out, not me.  Tell Rachel, Zach, and Drew that I miss them very much and I'm having a wonderful time at camp.  There's something I'm really excited about.  Want to know?  I can already tell it's a yes.  I'm in something called princess party and they have a REAL princess there.  I have made a present for you and Dad.  That's all I have to say.  


Love and miss you,
Baylee


PS: My activities are, like I said, princess party, French, and painting things like birds.  Wooden ones, of course.  It's kind of like the waddling duck from last year.


PPS:  Tell Zach and Drew and Rachel I'm getting them a present.


PPPS:  I have a friend named Elise who's super funny and a good influence.  I have another friend named Kailyn.  She's nice, too.  Evelyn's doing good.  Lori's doing good.  And I already told you about Molly.

Back in the Saddle

Zach and I rode 22 miles today, during which three things happened:


I blew the stink of a bad VBS skit practice away.  It was nice.  I went out riding and all the insecure feelings I had about how I looked like a big, dumb boob because I didn't have my lines memorized yet just floated away in the breeze.  Then I came home and I still didn't have my lines memorized, but that's beside the point.


I rode up Hell Hill today!  Seriously, I could not be more proud of myself.  Just to give you an idea of how daunting it is (but really it doesn't do it justice), here's a picture I took in February from about halfway up that hill.

I've done rides that included Hell Hill probably 12 or more times now and I've always walked to the top, pushing my bike along beside me.  I truly didn't believe I had it in me strength-wise to ever ride it.  But today Zach was along and he bullied me into it with stuff like, "Come on, Mom!  Quit being such a baby!  Shift down and let's go!" and I did it!   I couldn't speak for about 5 straight minutes at the top, but I did it!


Zach and I took a couple short side trips and explored two lakes: Bitter and Haller.  We've passed them both many times, but never stopped.  Do you know, if we do the particular route we did today, we pass four separate bodies of water?  We go by Bitter Lake, Haller Lake, the little pond I don't know the name of behind the YMCA, and Lake Washington.  I love biking here!


Okay, back to work trying to learning those lines.  I've got a lot of them this year, and I'm having trouble not only committing them to memory, but also deciding how I want to deliver them.  I found a mullet wig at church, so I thought it would be perfect to wear the wig and do a dumb teen guy voice, kind of like Bill and Ted from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.  I had it going on, too, but it was such a strain on my throat that after a couple hours of practice I had to admit defeat.  I kept coughing.  What an intense disappointment to have to give up that mullet!  (Business in the front, party in the back!)  Oh well.     

Family Time

Baylee's home!  She had a great time.  Yesterday, while she was still away, I got this postcard from her counselor:


Hello,


I am writing to let you know how Baylee is doing at camp.  She seems to love being back and is excited and enthusiastic about everything.  She is a great participant in all of the activities.  She always has a smile on her face and is a joy to have in my cabin.  Her activities this week are:  Princess Party, Clowning, and French.  I'm sure she will be ready to greet you in French on Saturday.  


God Bless,
Lori


Maybe the counselor said the exact same thing to every parent, but whatever.  It made me happy.


Today after Baylee got home we all went to the beach.  It was the sort of gorgeous, warm afternoon that makes you stupid happy and easily talked into bad ideas. Case in point:  Somehow Drew persuaded me to swim out to the diving dock with him to jump off the high dive.  I've never even gone out to that floating dock before, much less used one of the diving boards, but today apparently I was going for the gusto.  How do I put this?  When you're sitting on the shore the high dive looks to be about ten feet tall, but once you're standing at the top of it and peering down at the water below you realize it's actually closer to 150 feet tall.  I almost peed.  I even said, "Oh my gosh, this is so high!!!" as I stood frozen on the edge.  Other people's kids (Not Drew.  He was pretending he didn't know me.) were calling up encouragement, probably because they wanted their turn.  Anyhow, I finally took the plunge and I didn't like it one bit.  It was a long time in the air, and then a long time underwater trying to get back to the air.  Scary!  


Here are a few pics from today.

Lots of Not Much and a Quote

I have to admit I don't hate Gibbs.  He's such a nice dog, except for one terrible habit:  He's awful when anyone comes to the door.  He does all the things dogs aren't supposed to do.  He jumps, sniffs, circles, butts into, and generally acts like an idiot.  And that's with the ones he likes.  If he's suspicious he growls in a really scary way and a streak of his back hair stands up.  It drives me totally insane and embarrasses me to no end.  Of course, it doesn't happen as much when Mike is home, because Mike can somewhat control it.  It's mostly when it's just me and the kids.  We do put a leash on him and that helps, but sometimes the kids open the door and let someone in before the dog is restrained.  Ugh.  I'm not a dog person and I don't deserve this.  Every time I find myself explaining to a person that our dog is actually friendly and they shouldn't be alarmed, I get the weirdest sense that I'm leading someone else's life.  Really, though, other than that one thing (and the fact that sometimes he smells like rotten tuna) Gibbs is great.  He's calm(ish), loving, protective, and smart(ish).  So who wants to come visit?   


Zach is growing up.  He's such a joy to have around.  He makes us laugh all the time and he's becoming responsible and dependable.  A couple evenings ago, while Mike was away on a three-day business trip, I decided the time had come to clean the ceiling fan in our bedroom.  I should've probably waited for Mike to get back home, because he would've insisted on doing it himself, but once I noticed the dust up there I couldn't live with it.  It had to go.  That meant getting a step ladder, climbing to practically the top, and still having to stretch to reach the blades.  The ceiling in our room is high!  I knew I'd be fine, but Zach didn't have that confidence.  He told me, "Please be safe, Mom.  Don't fall, okay?  Here, maybe I should do that."  It was touching.  Then when Mike got back home Zach told him about what I did and he added, "It would've been just like her to fall!"  Which is totally not true, but very sweet. 


Several months ago I was sent a big box of books, most of which fall under the category of "cozy mysteries."  Yes, that's actually a genre.  The best I can figure, it means books in which the main character, always a woman, solves crime by accident.  I say by accident because law enforcement is never her job.  She's got some other life going on, like she might be a secretary, or a caterer, or she might be in a knitting club, and she usually drinks tea and owns a cat.  Despite that she finds herself caught up in a life or death drama of some sort, and through sheer luck and a lot of not knowing when to mind her own business, she saves the day.  The latest one I read, State of the Onion, is about how the head chef in the White House kitchen, a woman named Olivia, saves the President of the United States from being shot by the world's foremost assassin.  And it has recipes in the back!

Finally, I ran across this quote:


"Life is not orderly.  No matter how we try to make life so, right in the middle of it we die, lose a leg, fall in love, drop a jar of applesauce."  

                                                           ~ Natalie Goldberg

I love that.  I need to find more of a balance between needing order and letting things happen.  

Pacific Northwestern Day at the Beach

Today we went to Golden Gardens with friends. Drew and I (Zach decided to hang out at home with the dog...aka sleep in.) and 3 of Drew's buddies met my friend Beth, her kids, and some of their friends there.  Mostly it was a bunch of boys from ages 5 to 12.  The weather was really cold and pretty gray at points, but the kids had so much fun.  That place was custom designed for little boys.  It has a creek, big boulders, sand, yucky sea creatures, and the Puget Sound.  They played hard the entire time, making it very easy for Beth and I to chat to our heart's content.

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Family and Friends

I'm really starting to miss Baylee.  Every night I lie in bed and think to myself, "Only [fill in the blank] more days 'til I see my baby!"  It's going to be rough when she goes off to college.  The funny thing is when she finally does come home on Saturday she'll be in "camp mode" for about 3 straight days and she'll drive us crazy.  She'll be hyper, talkative, tired, cranky, and naughty, pretty much in that order.  As Mike said, "She's gonna be saaaaaassy!  Whoo!"  I still can't wait to have her back home, though. 

This blog is slowly being taken over by dental-related discussion.  This morning Zach had an appointment to get a chipped filling fixed.  Drew and I took him and then hung out in the waiting room reading magazines.  When Zach finally came out and smiled at us with only half his mouth, Drew burst into laughter and loudly said, "You look exactly like you just had a stroke!  Seeing that makes the hour of waiting totally worth it!"  You gotta love little brothers. 

Yesterday the boys and I spent the afternoon at Matthew's Beach with our favorite Washington friends.  It was a soul-filling day of good weather and good conversation.  I didn't get any pictures, but tomorrow we're going out again with some other people, this time to Golden Gardens.  I'll try to get pictures then.  Besides Zach and Drew, I'm taking a couple extra kids as a way to help a family in our peer group at church.  Their mom was called into jury duty and their dad is a firefighter who's working long shifts this week.  Drew really likes playing with their oldest son, Ethan, so it's a win-win.

This morning I was reading my friend and former college professor's blog.  He's a pastor now,  so he often talks about pastor stuff.  Today he discussed how hard it is to be called to another place and to have to leave the people whom you've grown to love.  He talked about how, many years ago, he was called out of a church and into a different ministry, and a woman in his congregation responded to that news with, "Why shouldn't he move?  It's just a job."  He said he recognized that her words came from hurt, but he took her to task a bit for that statement and I can see why.  It was rude and not even true.  But I can also sympathize with her.  She was speaking from a sense of loss.  I could be wrong, but I think the sorrow that comes from leaving a place is more profound for people doing God's work (and for the people left behind) than it is for the average guy who gets a job somewhere else.  Maybe it's because a minister or missionary's work is built on relationships...if they're doing it right.  There's real, actual grief at their departure.

I remember when the Children's Minister at my last church, a woman I grew to love and call my friend, decided it was time to move on.  Everyone knew it was coming.  She was always very honest about the fact that her special calling was to go into a church that had a struggling children's program and to grow it into something wonderful and vital.  God did that for our church through her over the course of about five years, so we knew it was only a matter of time.  Sure enough one day she came to me and said, "Sue, I'm leaving."  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  I remember staring at her with tears streaming down my face, and the only thing I could think to say was, "Why?"  Church is hard that way.   

A Lot of Babble

I was up at 5 in order to be at the dentist's office by 7, but it was my last filling!  I told Dr. Murphy I feel like I'm graduating.  He said I was a "problem child," but that he thinks things are taken care of and he hopes he won't have to see me as often anymore.  They love me over there.

When I got home nobody was awake, so I quietly watched TV.  I caught the last five minutes of a show about adoption, actually cried at the happy ending, then dried my tears and watched the next thing that happened to be on,  Bringing Home Baby.  It's a program that documents the first few days after a mom brings a newborn home.  Bringing Home Baby didn't make me cry.  In fact, it was a little hard to watch.  I found myself sitting there talking to the television, saying things like,  "No, no, no, that isn't how you nurse.  Try the crossover hold, for Pete's sake.  Wait for his mouth to open wide!  Oh, just forget it.  Go buy some formula."  I shouldn't judge, though.  When we brought our firstborn home I was such a wreck that I gave up nursing before my milk even came in. I didn't want that to happen again, so when I was pregnant the second time I read a how-to book, complete with diagrams, on breastfeeding.  It did the trick.  And that makes me an expert, of course!  (I'm going to be a great mother-in-law.)

There was a conversation on Facebook this morning about left-handed family members.  I'm used to it and barely ever think about it, but I guess my family is somewhat unique because the majority of us are south paws.  Three of the five, to be exact.  It could've been more, but when Zach was around six years old I made him pick a dominant hand.  I was sick of the fact that he would fill in the left side of a page of school work with his left hand and the right side with his right hand.  It was a lot of switching of the pencil back and forth, back and forth.  I didn't even care which hand he chose, but in the end he chose the right, which means he and I are the only normal people around here.

   

Alright, I'm off to eat toast with homemade raspberry jam.  I can't feel half my mouth and my tongue is numb in spots, but I'm not gonna let that stop me.  I've got a diploma in this now.

Just What I Always Wanted

Have you ever seen the movie Better Off Dead, with John Cusack?  You know the part where it's Christmas and he opens his presents and they turn out to be TV dinners?  His reaction was something like, "Umm.  Chicken parmesan.  Thanks, Mom."  Well, I'm not sure, but I may have done something along those lines myself.  See, I was thinking like a practical mom instead of like someone who was once a kid, and...well...you decide: 

Before Baylee left for camp she begged me to send her a package this year.  I guess it's a big deal to get one because 1. it's fun attention and 2. parents often fill the packages with candy, even though that's against the camp rules.  So I sent her a package today, but instead of stuffing it with candy I stuffed it with socks.  In my defense they were nice, new socks and she needed them.  I could only put four pairs in her suitcase, because when I finally got around to packing her late Saturday night those were the only decent ones I could find.  I didn't want her to run out mid-week, of course!  You could say it was very forward thinking resourceful of me to provide more for her via the mail.  Anyway, I did stick a couple other little trinkets in the package.  I put a mini box of Kleenex in there and a weird glow-in-the-dark squishy ball thing that I found.  Oh, and a little package of Swedish fish and a note saying I love and miss her.

So what's the verdict?  Am I TV dinner gift giver?  

Camp, 2010...Take 1

Baylee went to camp today!  We somehow ended up as the carpool drivers for her and her two buddies, Grace and Molly, but in all fairness the girls were really good in the backseat and hardly screechy at all.  We were the very first ones to show up at the camp, too, which meant first in line for registration, first at the nurse's station, and first pick of bunks in their cabin.  Mike and I were in and out of there in about 45 minutes.  I think the girls are gonna have a wonderful time.

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Happy Birthday, Sweetheart

Baylee turned 9 last week, but we celebrated it yesterday. Three of her friends in the neighborhood carefully planned a little surprise party for her, which they pulled off beautifully. They made cupcakes and had a present for her, and she was touched. Then in the evening she had a birthday supper and afterward I took her and her friend, Emily, to a movie.  It was a good day for our little girl.  She's loved.

I felt like doing something a little different, so I made a montage of glimpses into this past year of Baylee's life.

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Oh, You Know. This and That.

I'm so freaking tired.  Last night Mike had a situation come up at the office down in Vancouver, WA, which is right on the other side of the Columbia River from Portland, OR, which is three hours away.  He worked his regular hours at the office here, then left at 6PM to go there.  He did whatever it was that needed to be done, then drove back home.  He got back at about 3:30 in the morning.

Here's the thing.  I don't sleep when he's not here.  I mean, if he's gone overnight then I force myself to, but if I'm expecting him back I just can't completely relax until he's home.  I think it's a woman thing.  I want everyone safe and sound and together.  Anyway, I was up waiting for him, watching TV and a movie and reading a mystery novel, although not simultaneously, and drinking Coke like it was my job.  When Mike finally did get home I was so keyed up from the caffeine and everything that I had trouble turning my brain off.  I laid in bed, wide awake, for another hour at least.  Argh.  

Why is it when I told people on Facebook that Paul Blart: Mall Cop is a good movie, not a single soul agreed, but when I wrote that X-Men Origins: Wolverine is dumb, people claimed it's their favorite?  They need to make an X-Men Origins:  Paul Blart movie.  Now that would be good.  His mutation could be that when he gets angry his legs turn into a Segway.

Baylee turned 9 last weekend, but we're celebrating it tomorrow by having her friend Emily spend the night.  Baylee asked that we grill burgers, have her favorite caramel/whip cream birthday cake, and go see Toy Story 3.  Can do!

My wonderful grandma back in Michigan is turning 90 next week.  I wish I could be there.

The other day a  man and his daughter stopped by to introduce themselves and invite us to a block party.  We kind of already know them, because their kids played in our church's basketball league and they also go to the same camp.  We stood in our living room talking for quite awhile, getting to know each other, and setting up possible play times between their kids and ours, and then they finally left.  I immediately turned around and said to Drew, "Oh my gosh, I wasn't expecting them.  Do I have anything in my teeth?!"  He laughed and replied, "Oh, Mom, that deserves a hug." And he actually gave me one.  And he's not a hugger. I guess my child finds my quirks lovable.  That's a good thing, right?  PS:  I didn't have anything in my teeth.  I went and looked.

Okay, I'm going to go take a nap.  Just kidding.  I'm actually going to go drink some more Coke.

Yay for Awana Sparkies!

She still remembers.  (Except for mixing up Zephaniah and Zechariah.  On the bright side, at least she didn't slip in a Hezikiah!)

Summer Days

Sometimes I Spontaneously Organize

Suddenly and without warning, I did a little project yesterday.  I was cleaning the house and thinking about how we need more space for homeschool supplies, when it occurred to me that if I found a different place for our games I'd open up more room for curricula and paper and pencils.  The result:

Doesn't that look wonderfully organized?  I took that little bookcase out of Baylee's room, put it in the TV room, and filled it with all the boardgames and art supplies that used to be in the same area as our school stuff.  I'm pleased!

Imagination

Yesterday Zach, Drew, and Baylee were playing outside with the other neighborhood kids, and their game was some crazy thing they were making up as they went along.  It involved 2-liter bottles filled with water and then jammed on the end of sticks (They were calling them staffs.), a lot of running around, a lot of getting soaking wet, and something about moving up levels.  They filled the whole street with their laughter.  It reminded me of Calvinball.
 

Our Little Hoodlum

Last night Baylee walked around for quite awhile repeating, "You gotta love my 'toos!"

I tried to correct her.  "You don't say 'toos, Baylee.  You say tats.  You're taking off the wrong part of the word."

She didn't care.  "I like 'toos better.  You gotta love my 'toos!"

One of the Latest

Drew and his teacher always have at least a couple songs going.  Right now they're working on Dream On, by Aerosmith, and Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), by Greenday.

Here's a little snippet of Dream On.  Drew said he wishes he could play it for you on his electric guitar, because it would sound better, but he needs a new cord so we're stuck with the acoustic.  I still think it's good.

And here's the real thing.  (I know this has weird subtitles, but I just had to choose this version because of the grand piano that comes out of the air.  Cool, man.)

Grace

Earlier today as I was cleaning the house I started thinking about the neighbors behind us.  I thought about how I had blogged about them the other day.  About how I opened myself up to looking as sinful as I really can be.  As I am.  And then I thought that even though I'm embarrassed of that post I couldn't in all honesty come back on here and recant, because I was still, even three days later, mad.  And finally I thought it was a little ridiculous that I was holding onto a grudge about a football when Drew himself was long over it.

At suppertime Mike prayed for the neighbors.  We hadn't been talking about it.  He just brought it before God out of the blue, asking the Lord to help us all remember that He's forgiven us, so we really can't turn around and not offer that same gift to others.  After the prayer Mike talked about being a light in the neighborhood.  I didn't say anything.

This evening Zach took the dog on a walk.  As he went by the neighbor's house the man came out with the football.  He walked over to Zach and asked if he wanted the ball back. Zach said simply, "yes" and "thank you."  And that was that. 

I'm surrounded by grace in spite of myself.  Thank God.

Wishy Washy

I'm thinking of not using the Washington Virtual Academy.  I know I've said all along that I might change my mind, but really I thought I'd pretty much decided.  It turns out I was wrong.  Several things just aren't sitting easy with me.

• WAVA is a type of public school, which means all the curricula is secular.  To be honest, I can deal with that.  It would mean being very aware of what the kids were learning, and then talking through things.  That's not necessarily a bad thing.  On the other hand, I'd really miss the Christian worldview.  That's been such a blessing.
• WAVA is very scheduled.  That is, you're on theirs.  One of the great things about homeschooling is that, within reason, you get to make it fit your lifestyle.  We'd have to sacrifice that to a large extent, I think.
• This seems silly, but I cannot tell you the headache I've gone through with the enrollment paperwork.  It seems like I'm running into walls at every turn.  The biggest issue right now is the school needs immunization records for the kids, and we're having a heck of a time getting them.  They were lost somewhere between our last doctor's office and our current one, and it's the fault of...?  Who knows.  Somebody sitting at a computer somewhere.

So today I started looking around again, and I'm thinking of enrolling Zach in a program called Lighthouse Christian Academy.  It's Christian.  It's still considered home schooling.  They provide the curriculum, keep records and a transcript, and issue a diploma at the end.  They also advise, but I think other than helping plan out a course of study they leave you alone unless you have questions.  It's not quite as scheduled as WAVA, because they give you 12 months to complete a school year. Best of all they use Accelerated Christian Education materials, which I've used many times on my own with the kids and have always really enjoyed.  In fact, I don't think we've done a year without at least a few ACE subjects in a long time.  Oh!  Something else I love is that some of their hardest subjects, like the high school math and science, can be done with a teacher on a video if you want.  That could come in handy in a big way, especially with things like biology labs.  Of course, the downside is none of this is free, like it is with WAVA.

Anyway, I don't know if anyone but me (and Mike) cares about any of this, but this is a home school blog and deciding how we want Zach to do high school has been a major home schooling decision.

Very Small, Very Random Musing

Sometimes Facebook makes me laugh.  Like the time, just a few days ago, I saw that one of my friends "is a fan of PETA and Chick-fil-A."  Maybe I just have a weird sense of humor.

Blackberries

Yesterday the sermon at church was on bitterness.  It was about how bitterness is like a blackberry bush:  It can take root and grow with next to no help at all.  At the end the pastor asked that everyone think of one area in which they're holding onto pain and hurt and anger, and just let it go.  Forgive.

Here's the thing:  This was the perfect sermon for me, because we had an incident with the neighbors again on Saturday.  Drew was playing in the backyard and his football went over the fence.  He went around the block and knocked on the their door, wanting to ask them if they could get his ball or if it would be okay if he did.  They wouldn't answer the door.  They knew he was there; he could both see and hear them and they could see him.  In fact, they said, "Let's just not answer it."  So Drew left empty-handed. It's been a couple days and they haven't thrown the ball back, either.

Drew bought that football with his own birthday money, but losing it isn't even really the issue.  When he came back from their house he was crying and he said, "It's not the ball.  It's that they hurt my feelings."  My blood is still boiling that those people, who are supposed to be adults, took their crazy out on my 12 year old child.

So.  God's great timing, right?  I had the perfect chance to let that bitterness go at the end of a good sermon.  Except I didn't and I still haven't.  I'm furious.  There are people in this world that are just plain horrible, and we live right by two of them. 

July on a Bike

Zach and I did one of our favorite rides today out to Gas Works Park and back on the Burke Gilman.  The fun thing about this time, though, is we stopped at Matthew's Beach, which is also on the trail, and Zach cooled off with a swim.  I was kicking myself for not wearing my suit under my biking clothes!  I might have considered just jumping in with what I had on, but biking shorts have a big pad in them.  That would've been...awkward.  Anyway, we went 23 miles in the beautiful sunshine. 

One of these days I need to write about the ride Zach and I did last weekend.  We finally did the big loop I talked about trying, connecting the Interurban and the Burke Gilman with lots of side roads thrown in and a miles-long, winding, beautiful downhill section.  That descent encapsulates everything that's good about biking.  Everybody in the whole world should get to experience it. 

For now, here are pictures from today:

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Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

I thought it would be fun for Baylee to tell you about her evening with her daddy in her own words.  I just did the typing and asked a couple questions.

I had a great time at the Mariner's game with my Dad!  We took lots of pictures and sat next to some nice people and behind some nice people.  They were rooting for the Mariners just like us.  The only thing I didn't like about the Mariner's game was all the Yankee fans that we had to be in front of.  They were yelling, "Vote for Yankees!  Vote for Yankees!" and it caught on really fast.  My Dad said, "Shut your trap," but not loud enough for them to hear.  I put my foam finger on one of my ears and my regular finger on the other ear, but it didn't work out.  I could still hear them cheering.  But, anyway, I still had a good time.

I had cotton candy for the first time, a huge Dick's burger that I split with Dad, caramel corn that was fresh from the popper, fries, and a large vanilla shake.  Dad bought me a foam finger that was seven dollars and it's a really pretty shade of green.  When I got home I felt like I was going to throw up, because I ate too much.  But it was really fun and I want to go more often.

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Check

It's going to get up into the mid-90s today, which means all the normal people who don't have to be at work are at the beach.  Not me, though.  I decided this is the day to start doing things around the house that I've been putting off.

I organized the linen closet.  Did you know it's actually possible to own way, WAY too many sheets and pillowcases?  I now have a garbage bag stuffed full of bedding to bring to Goodwill.  Ahhh.  It looks good on those shelves without all those extras!  I should've taken a before picture, so you could see how things were jammed in there so tight you couldn't fit even one more pillowcase. 

Then I cleaned the tile and grout in the shower.  I hate that job.  It looks wonderful when it's done, but doing it is so time consuming.  As I was painstakingly going over all the little white grout lines this time, I had an epiphany.  This is a great job for 12 or 15 year old boy.  Next time for sure.

Now I've got big plans to clean out the fridge and get rid of a buttload of leftovers that nobody has any plans of ever eating.

I love days when I do the minimum and then hang out with friends at the lake, but I also love days when a lot of work is accomplished.  They make my inner list maker smile.

At the Lake...Finally!

It was finally warm enough to head out to Matthew's beach today.  We went with 3 other families from church, so we made quite a big group.  Well, I say families, but it was just the moms and our collective 14 kids.  All the dads were at work.  It was a lot of fun talking and laughing with the moms.  I forget sometimes how much I need other women.

Here are a few pictures!

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Lame

I've been feeling a little bit blah for the last few days.  Holidays are a hard time to be away from family.  I didn't expect it to hit on the 4th of July, since that's not one of the big ones like Christmas or Thanksgiving, but...well...what can I say.  It took me by surprise.  I think it's partially about the weather, too.  It was cold and rainy for days on end.  Anyway, I'm over it and the sun is shining!  It got into the 70s today!  Later this week it's supposed to get into the 80s and maybe even 90s, so it's definitely time to start heading to the lake again.

Things are going to start getting busier in a good way very soon.  Baylee has a birthday coming up, then she leaves for camp.  Then it's time for VBS, then Drew's camp, then Zach's trip (I think?) and his camp.  At some point in there we hope to go with another family we really like and visit "Underground Seattle".  (I don't totally get the concept of it, except that I guess part of Seattle sunk or something?  So there's places where you can go down in tunnels and see old storefronts underground.  I think it'll be fun, but a small part of me just knows it's going to stink.  Literally.  I bet it smells like the reptile exhibit at the zoo.)  And finally school will start again and it'll be a new adventure with the virtual academy.  I can't wait for all this stuff to come to pass, because right now it looks like 2 inches of paperwork sitting on my desk, mocking me.  I've got camp health records to finish filling out along with school forms, and 5 days of VBS skit scripts to memorize.  Ahhh.  I hate paperwork.  Just looking at it gives me a headache.  I made a good dent in it today, though, so I'm happy about that.   

Today several neighborhood kids played kickball in our backyard.  I love that.  It's so old school.  

I bought Rainier cherries as a special treat and they came to $6. (!!!)  I almost told the cashier I didn't want them, but they are pretty darn good and only available for a short time.  Still, for that much money I expect them to taste like...I don't know...pie.

That's all I have for today.  I even looked on the camera to see if maybe there's a picture or two to share, but nope.  I haven't taken a single picture in days and days.  I'm lame.  I'll take some at the lake this week.

So I Came Home And Ate Cookies.

  

Tonight I went to the pool and did lesson 1 of Total Immersion's Easy Freestyle in the shallow end with the nonswimmers and the toddlers.  You have to start out in the shallow end, because for all intents and purposes you're starting completely over.  Almost nothing you think you know about swimming is going to help you now.  Yes, it was a little hard on my pride.

Lesson 1 is called Cooperate with Gravity and it's divided into 5 sections.  I blew through 3 of those sections easily.  Here's how it went:

1.  Superman Glide:  Basically it looks just like the name implies and it's no problem.

2.  Superman Flutter:  Same thing, but kick your feet gently.  Piece of cake.

3.  Laser Lead Flutter:  Keep doing all the same stuff, but move your arms down so your hands are touching the front of your thighs, and keep your head and spine aligned.  It really was interesting to realize how much gravity will help you if you let it.

But then it all started going wrong.

4.  Core Balance:  Do all the same stuff but rotate just enough so that one shoulder clears the surface of the water, without rotating your head or legs.  Do you have any idea how difficult that is?  The guy on the video made it look simple, but I couldn't do it and I've been swimming since I was 7 years old.  I felt and I'm sure looked like an idiot.  Every time I tried it my legs would rotate out of position or my head would want to do something strange or both.  Then out of curiosity I skipped ahead to the next step, which is adding breathing to the mix, and I just about drowned.  I rotated to my so-called "sweet spot," swallowed a huge mouthful of water, and stood up coughing and sputtering.  Did I mention I can swim?!  

I feel a little bit demoralized.  I will learn this, though.  Next time:  Lesson 1, part 4 again.

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Edited to Add:  I just watched the DVD again and I see what I was doing wrong.  I got this!

Train of Thought

• Yesterday afternoon we lost the internet.  I don't know what happened, but when Mike called Qwest they told him they'd have it fixed in "four to forty-eight hours."  See, that's what I like about Qwest.  They can pinpoint within two days exactly when they're going to get your service back up and running.  It's that sort of thing that makes me feel really confident in my choice to do school online next year.

• Last night I had a dream that the cap on my front tooth got knocked off again.  This morning when I woke up I couldn't stop running my tongue over my tooth and feeling happy it's still there.

• Speaking of dreams, did you ever have a dream that someone hurt your feelings, and when you woke up you were still upset?  And it took a few days before you got totally over it even though logically you knew it never happened?  Umm...yeah...me, neither.

• I went for a ride on the Interurban yesterday.  At one point the trail is all carved up and destroyed because of construction work, so you have to stay just off to the side for a couple blocks.  It's not hard to figure out at all, as you can still see the trail the whole time.  There was another biker out there, though, who was totally confused.  He was standing there not able to figure out what to do next, when I rode up behind him.  He said something about the "d**n trail being so hard to follow," so I helped him out.  He thanked me and rode off again, only to take a wrong turn at the next intersection.  I didn't help him again.  I could've called out, "Hey, it's this way!  See, there are signs!"  Instead I just let him go and thought to myself that he's worse than I am when it comes to directions.  I feel a little bad now.  On the other hand, I always have it in my mind when I'm out there that I'm essentially alone and I'm a woman.  Oh well.  I'm sure he got home eventually.

• I'm not great with reading mystery novels.  Either I figure out whodunit early on and then there's no point in continuing, or I can't figure it out and it drives me crazy until finally I skip to the end.  And then there's no point in continuing.

• I'm reading one right now about a woman who's the "Hints from Heloise" persona in her town.  She's called Homey Helen.  She's been getting death threats in the mail and all evidence points toward either one of her old boyfriends or her brother.  Except I figured out almost immediately that the "bad guy" is actually her bitter, old secretary who's been doing pretty much all the work answering letters and writing columns behind the scenes for years now and has gotten no recognition.  Trust me, it's always the bitter, old secretary types.  That and disgruntled amusement park owners.  Watch any Scooby Doo cartoon and you'll notice the same pattern.     

• It's official.  Drew will be going to camp at the Seattle Drum School of Music this summer.  It's a day camp, so he'll be gone all day, but he'll be home at night.  I think he's actually going to learn a ton.  I hope anyway.  I hope he loves it.  The other kids are going to camp, too, but they're going to camps affiliated with our church.