Weekly Preview and Review

We did lessons right through til the 23rd and we will have two full weeks off, starting again on January 9th.

Last week went by in a quick blur. Lessons, Karate, Work, Christmas shopping. I also went to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie with friends.  We also did some house cleaning and bedroom organization over the past two weeks.

We went to church on Christmas Eve. 

12/25 Sunday - Christmas Day!
Monday - Work 4
Tuesday - Work 4, WICKED
Wednesday - Work 4
Thursday - Work 4, David's birthday, Courageous
Friday - WORK 4
Saturday - New Year's Eve
Sunday - New Year's Day
On Christmas Day we usually stay home and celebrate together as a family.

I have my regular work hours this week, but it's nice to have more free time since the kids are off their regular schedule for lessons and karate.

I went with three good friends to see Wicked at the Detroit Opera Theater. What a great show! Dinner at an Italian place in Rochester included chicken parmesan, pasta, and tiramisu, as well as a tasty raspberry mojito. (I wasn't driving.) Our seats were WAAAAAY up high, but the theater is LOVELY and the production was just amazing.

David doesn't want a big deal made over his birthday, but we are going out to dinner and to see the Courageous movie at a special price. I think he's going to spend a couple days at a friend's house afterwards. Can you believe he's 17?

James and Suzy inherited two crested geckos this week from a friend of mine. Their reputation as a low-maintenance pet sealed the deal when she offered them for free to a good home. They've taken up residence upstairs in the common area (the landing), which James cleaned out last week. Crickets once a week (dipped in calcium powder) and a daily sprinkling of distilled water seem to be their main needs.

Weekly Preview and Review

Last week didn't look too busy on paper but there was a lot to do regardless. Saturday we headed out on our 2-1/2 hour drive to celebrate Christmas with my family. About an hour and 15 minutes into the drive, the van coughed and coughed again, then just lost power. I had to stop on the side of the road. Frustrated and uncertain, Bob and David poked around and banged on things (like the gas tank) and checked things (like the fuses and filters) while the other kids and I sat in the car and prayed. After a while, it started! And it hasn't had any further issues. Thank God! But that did delay us in getting to family Christmas.

Since most of my readers were at the wonderful Christmas celebration, I won't recap too much. We didn't have enough time to do everything properly, since we were delayed, but it was enjoyable and low-key anyway. The sense of camaraderie amongst the cousins amazed us all!

To celebrate James' birthday (belatedly), we stayed in a hotel at his request. He and Suzy didn't ever remember staying in a hotel. The pleasant suite met all my expectations and the kids loved every bit of it. I didn't sleep well, but I usually don't on my first night away, so I don't fault the hotel. We all romped in the pool and soaked in the hot tub. An extensive hot breakfast was included, so we ate heartily before checking out. Something I'd never seen before was the pancake machine! Push a button and a minute later two hot pancakes drop out onto your plate! We will stay here again, I am sure.

12/18 Sunday - James' Party and Drive home
Monday - Work 4, Lessons, Karate
Tuesday - Work 4, Lessons, Movie Night
Wednesday - Work 4, Lessons, Church
Thursday - Work 4, Karate
Friday - WORK 4, Lessons
Saturday - Christmas Eve
Sunday - Christmas Day

My kids will have lessons throughout this entire week, but then will have two full weeks off. We won't begin lessons again until January 9th. Our Christmas celebration here will likely include a drive to see Christmas lights sometime this week and a Christmas Eve church service. We won't go to church on Christmas Day, or go anywhere really on that day. I have a bit more shopping to do so I need to get cracking on that. Our work hours are adjusted for the holiday. Even though Dec 24-25 are on the weekend, we can take off Dec 23 and Dec 26 if we want to. If we want to work, we have that option as well. I will probably work on those days anyway, or work 5 hours the other days to make up my hours, just like always. It's nice they give us the option, but our holidays aren't PAID, so if we take off the hours, the paycheck is lessened as well. Gonna go see Sherlock Holmes 2 with friends this week, I think! YAY!

Weekly Preview and Review

I keep writing "church" but we don't go.

We started working on our new forms in karate this week - complicated! Testing will be the end of February.

The Seeds of Faith rollerskating party was a blast! The kids had a great time. I did not skate this year as last year I felt it in my knees for days and days afterward.

Saturday was a busy day! David had Defense and Tactics class (in which he worked on take-downs and getting a gun away from an attacker) and then I drove him to Great Lakes Crossing to wrap gifts as a fundraiser for his robotics class. I fought the crowds for a couple hours during that and snagged some Christmas gifts. Stopped at the store and got home in time to change clothes and head out to book club. Whew!
 
12/11 Sunday - Church
Monday - Work 4, Lessons, Karate
Tuesday - Work 4, Lessons
Wednesday - Work 4, Lessons, Church
Thursday - Work 4, Writing class, Karate
Friday - WORK 4, Lessons
Saturday - Family Christmas
Sunday - James Family Birthday Party 

This is a pretty normal week - thankfully. It will allow me some time to get ahead on Christmas preparations, especially since the kids are doing full lessons right up until December 23. 

James Turns Twelve

Weekly Preview and Review

This past week James turned 12! Can you believe that? The day was low-key. Bob had the day off work. We opened presents in the morning before we headed off to writing class and karate. James chose pizza for lunch and tacos for dinner. We had cake and ice cream with dinner. He has a few friends sleeping over tonight (Fri) though it's not a "birthday party" - just time for him to do something special. His "party" will be in a couple weeks at my parents' house, which he specifically asked for. We will be staying in a hotel, which he says he doesn't ever remember doing. (He was too young.) He doesn't get to be the center of attention very much, so I am trying to make it special for him. 


NaNoWriMo ended this week and we all made our goals! GO us!


I did some shopping online over Black Friday and Cyber Monday and the packages are starting to roll in. Good thing a paycheck rolled in today too, lol. I only get paid once a month, so that envelope is always very welcome!

12/4 Sunday - Church
Monday - Work 4, Lessons, Karate
Tuesday - Work 5, Lessons
Wednesday - Work 5, Lessons, Church (S,J,E), Robotics (D)
Thursday - Work 4, Writing class, Karate,
Friday - WORK 4?, Lessons, Skating Party
Saturday - D&T class (D), Robotics fundraiser (D), Book Club!
Sunday - Church 
This coming week will be pretty quiet, comparatively. Gotta start Christmas shopping in earnest. We have our normal activities but nothing else except a homeschool rollerskating party on Friday.  Oh and we have a few things to accomplish on Saturday. After a couple weeks of fairly empty weekends, this will be a hectic day!

We will be doing lessons until December 23rd to make up for November being devoted to writing. I haven't decided when we will start back. I guess it may depend on how well we do in those 3 weeks of December.