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.

Weekly Preview and Review

David's gone a couple times to a new Improv group that a friend of his is leading at a local library. They play "drama" type games and do some acting exercises.

Brit Lit movie night was a lot of fun; we had about twenty teenagers all together in a living room. We watched the movies the "rollicking" way (which means we talk through them - lol). TONS of fun! We watched the newest version of Oliver Twist (pretty much butchered the book) and She's The Man (a free adaptation of Twelfth Night) Can't wait for the next one - The Count of Monte Cristo!

Thanksgiving was just the six of us here. I made ham and scalloped potatoes. Since the weather was nice, Bob worked some more on the barn roof - most of the day. I worked three hours. Still a nice relaxing day.

Wrote 5000+ words on both Friday and Saturday since we had basically no plans. Finished my NaNo book on Sunday. Well, at least I hit 50,000 on Sunday. There's a bit more to write to make it "finished".

11/27 Sunday - Church
Monday - Work 4, Lessons, Karate
Tuesday - Work 5, Lessons
Wednesday - Work 5, Lessons, Art Class (S,J), Robotics (D)
Thursday - Work 4, Writing class, Karate, James' birthday!
Friday - WORK 4?, Co-op, James sleepover
Saturday - NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING!!!!
Sunday - Church

Skipping Wednesday night church this week.

James is having a couple friends over Friday night in honor of his birthday, though it's not really a party.

All the kids are done with their NaNo goals, except David who is within his last 1000 words. I will write more about that on Cornerstone.

Weekly Preview and Review

Quite a busy time for Karate - testing was last Friday. Monday was the break-a-thon. All the students raised money and then got to break boards. I didn't think to bring the camera. :-( David and James both did  a three station break (3 breaks in quick succession). The girls and I did our breaks all separately. I was soooo nervous. It's possible to break a bone in your hand (or foot if you are kicking) if you do it wrong. I just cannot have a broken hand! LOL It's NaNoWriMo, not to mention the five hours of work I do every day on the computer. So, I didn't do any breaks with my hand (1 kick and 2 with my arm).



Friday night was belt promotion. (pix on facebook) Now we are orange-stripers! We test and hopefully promote every 3 months. We are being told that orange stripe is a hard level to pass. Next is green belt! That should be in February.



Our karate school and its sister school raised $8000 in one night with the break-a-thon! On Monday we will help pack boxes of food for the needy - the schools will deliver 200+ boxes and then have some money leftover to help people with Christmas.

I finished teaching Oliver Twist this week at co-op. I am co-teaching with my friend Darlene; we work very well together! We have 23 students in our class. Next up? The Count of Monte Cristo!

Went to see The Immortals at the theater with friends Friday night. I realized that I don't really enjoy the level of violence in most R-rated movies. And I am also not a big fan of RealD 3D (or any 3D, for that matter) nor of paying extra to see the movie in a format I dislike. The theater was PACKED FULL with Twilight fans! No parking spaces, long lines in the lobby....



Recently I found out that David can earn a varsity letter for participation in the First Robotics League. 


I have just over 30,000 words for NaNoWriMo - pretty much on track. I'm enjoying writing the Rollicking Readers' Guide to Jane Austen. (Rollicking Readers is the name of our book club.) However, I miss writing fiction - who knew!?

11/20 Sunday - Church, Improv Group (D)
Monday - Work 5, Lessons, Karate Turkey Brigade
Tuesday - Work 5, Lessons, Brit Lit Movie night 
Wednesday - Work 5, Lessons
Thursday - Work?, Thanksgiving
Friday - WORK?
Saturday - NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING!!!!
Sunday - Church 

I need to get my hair cut sometime this week. Also must get groceries for Thanksgiving. 


I can work on Thanksgiving and on Black Friday if I want to, but I could also take those days off. I will probably work though. Bills still need to be paid even when there is a big holiday. (actually MORE so, lol)



About 20 teens are coming to our Brit Lit movie night on Tuesday. We are getting pizza and it should be a great time!

Weekly Preview and Review

Dental appointments went well. David had two cavities that they filled right then. The other 3 didn't have cavities. Emily has a referral to an oral surgeon to have two teeth pulled that are way up above and not coming in. (I knew about this, but the oral surgeon we visited before didn't impress me so we never had it taken care of.)


Karate testing went well. I guess we'll see tomorrow whether or not we are on the re-test list. I think we all did fine though. Promotion ceremony will be Friday night.

I ended up skipping the soccer board meeting and Bob took David (and the two youngest) to the

soccer banquet. And everything fit into the week just fine.



I liked the Leader Dog school field trip very much. What a blessing for the sight-impaired to have that option - and at no cost! If you have the chance to experience that tour, take it! And if you can foster a leader dog puppy, or volunteer there, or help in any way, do it!

I've hit 22,000 in NaNoWriMo and that finally puts me on schedule. I've been running behind since the second day!


11/13 Sunday - Bob work on barn roof, B&B (me and Em)
Monday - Work 5, Lessons, Karate Break-a-thon, Write-in
Tuesday - Work 5, Lessons, Movie night out?
Wednesday - Work 5, Lessons, Church, Robotics (D)
Thursday - Work 5, Lessons, Writing class, Karate
Friday - WORK 5?, Co-op, Karate Belt Promotion
Saturday - Women's Project Day (like a scrapping day, but I will write)
Sunday - Church, Improv (D)

This is a fairly normal week - busy but manageable. Maybe I can pick up some extra hours even. And the week of Thanksgiving should be VERY low-key - CAN'T WAIT!

Weekly Preview and Review

A couple of you asked about Saturday's plans - tomorrow, actually. Well, I didn't have anything on the calendar except picking up the girls from their sleepover, but since I typed that I've added a few things. WORKING 3.5 hours today, David has D&T training at karate, and James was invited to a birthday party. And we always clean house on Saturdays too. But thank the Lord, NO SOCCER!

Trick-or-treating was nice. We had a bunch of friends come over and join us.

David had robotics on Wednesday but they haven't actually started the preparation for competition yet.

I've gotten off to a slow start in NaNoWriMo. I wrote my goal the first day, the second day only half, and the next day nothing at all. Haven't written yet today, but I still may.

11/6 Sunday - Church?, Write-in
Monday - Work 5, Lessons, Karate, AYSO Board meeting
Tuesday - Work 5, Lessons, Field Trip to Leader Dog School
Wednesday - Work 5, Lessons, Dentist (D,J) Church
Thursday - Work 5, Lessons, Karate, David's Soccer Banquet
Friday - WORK 5?, Dentist (E,S), Karate Testing, Party (S)
Saturday - Pick S up, Book Club (yes, already!)
Sunday - Church, B&B (L,E)

Oh my gosh - a busy week! And NaNo too? ACK! And why did I schedule the dental appointments this week? Bad bad Lisa.

Well, sometimes things have to go and it may be the Board meeting. That's really the only thing that CAN go. And maybe I won't work extra hours IF they are offered. Well, and I can give the kids an easier week in lessons since THEY are writing well! Oh, and we COULD skip church Wednesday night. We shall see.

I am taking Emily to a nearby B&B - just her and I, on Sunday night. I saw a good deal on Living Social and snapped it up with the idea of Bob and I going away overnight. But he doesn't sleep well anywhere, so he didn't think that would be too restful, so instead Emily and I are going to have a little writer's retreat/mama-daughter time.

Karate testing is Friday night and of course we need to PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. We may attend extra classes.

We are going to the leader dog school for a field trip - terrible terrible timing for that, but I've wanted to take the kids there FOREVER. So, shoehorn that puppy into the schedule!

David's fall awards banquet is Thursday night. You might see might surreptitiously writing under the table. It's a LONG LONG BORING night, but he gets his varsity award and that's a worthwhile event to attend.

Hopefully I will get a LOT of writing done this weekend!

Weekly Preview and Review

SOCCER IS OVER FOR 2011!

David's robotics meetings for November and December are all on Wednesday nights. That's kind of a bummer as it means he will miss church.

We have two more weeks before karate testing and we are working hard on perfecting our forms, actions, and sparring techniques.

10/30 Sunday - Church, relaxing
Monday - Work 5, Lessons, Karate, Trick-or-treating
Tuesday - Work 5, Lessons, NANOWRIMO begins!
Wednesday - Work 5, Lessons, Art class (E,J,S) Church, Robotics (D)
Thursday - Work 5, Lessons, Karate, Wordsmith class
Friday - WORK 5?, Co-op (picture day), Missionettes Sleepover (E,S)
Saturday -
Sunday - Church, relaxing

A month of writing awaits all of us....

Weekly Preview and Review

Friday saw the end of David's 3rd varsity soccer season on a COLD sunless evening. They lost too, which was disappointing. Two of the more experienced players were injured; one was injured Tuesday (kicked in the knee) and one has been out most of the season (had knee surgery due to an injury in a game). Our usual goalkeeper was inexplicably absent as well. So, they struggled. But it was a good season. I am glad David is part of this team.

Suzy played this morning; Bob took her to the game. They also lost, but she reportedly played well. Ran into one of the opponent's mothers this morning and she was complimentary to Suzy's soccer skills. Her son was on Suzy's team previously.

We had an enormous amount of rain this week - BLECH. I was so glad to see the sun when I got up today!

The karate school hosted Halloween parties this weekend - Suzy went to one of them. She is a pirate this year. The dojang (karate school) was completely decorated and looked awesome. She said she had a fun time. (We dropped her off!)

David finished Segment 2 of drivers ed. Now he just has to rack up a few more hours and pass the test. He also needs to start making some money to pay for car insurance. And a vehicle too, I imagine!

Co-op on Friday was rewarding! The kids love their classes. I am co-teaching British Literature and that's really fun, actually!

10/23 Sunday - Church, relaxing
Monday - Work 5, Lessons, Karate
Tuesday - Work 5, Lessons, Practice (S?), Robotics (D)
Wednesday - Work 5, Lessons, Church,
Thursday - Work 5, Lessons, Soccer Game (J), Karate, Wordsmith class
Friday - WORK 5?, Lessons, Practice (S?)
Saturday - Last Soccer Games (S,J), Book Club
Sunday - Church, relaxing

FUNDRAISING!!! Got money? lol
David is raising money for his robotics team. He is doing a bottle drive in a couple days. He also will probably be doing some computer work (for robotics money and for car insurance).

Suzy and James are selling cookie dough for their Wednesday night programs (Missionettes and Royal Rangers). So if you'd like any, they have a huge variety of flavors and a few other things available as well - all for $10 each. Suzy and her friend went and asked a few neighbors today and sold 3!

Weekly Preview and Review

10/16 Sunday - Church, relaxing
Monday - Work 5, Lessons, Karate, David drivers ed
Tuesday - Work 5, Lessons, Practice (S,J), Soccer Game (D-away)
Wednesday - Work 5, Lessons, Church, Robotics (D)
Thursday - Work 5, Lessons, Soccer practice (J), Karate, Wordsmith class
Friday - WORK 5?, Co-op, Halloween Party (S), Soccer Game (D-home LAST ONE)
Saturday - Soccer Game (S), Harvest Hoopla
Sunday - Church, relaxing

Whew, life is busy. Soccer season has 2 more weeks. David will be done this Friday. James and Suzy both have their last games on the 28th. I am thinking about taking both of them out of AYSO and putting them into more competitive teams. If the team David plays for has a junior high team next year, James will play for them in the fall. If he stayed in AYSO, he'd play U14 and that's travel soccer anyway, so all his options would be travel. I don't know of anything nearby for U14 level that only plays locally.

But Suzy isn't old enough for that, so I've talked to her current coach about the situation. She has a daughter a year older than Suzy; she was on the team I coached for Suzy a couple years ago. Now that girl plays for a competitive team based in Lapeer. I may sign Suzy up for that league. The main drawbacks? It's a travel team and it's expensive. I said no to a similar opportunity for David when he was 9 and didn't really regret it. But the local AYSO was bigger when David was 9 and there were more skilled players. Suzy is quite good and I'd like to see her improve and I'd also like her to play for a girls-only team at the U12 level.

Hmmm.... what to do?

David is finishing Segment 2 of drivers ed this week. Then he has to make sure he has all his hours and he can go take the test. He is also committed once a week to Robotics through the end of the year. In January and February, it is more of an everyday commitment! That high school has a pool open to the public so once a week, I'll probably take the other kids swimming. And I'm thinking about teaching a writing class one of those nights. Wonder if I can get a room in the high school?

Our karate testing is less than a month away. We will test for orange stripe.

Last week was a hard one.  Uncooperative kids, moody mama = bad week. Glad that's over.

Enjoyed taking David to his soccer game in Saginaw on Friday, despite the chilly wet weather. Good company on the sidelines and then out for Mexican afterwards with a bunch of friends, while the 6 teens sat on the other side of the room!

James played well in his game on Saturday, though the game was downgraded to a "scrimmage" since the other team only had 6 players show up. Our team lent them a player and they recruited a couple siblings to play, including Suzy. She was not intimidated by the bigger kids (some more than 2 years older) or the bigger field. She just got right out there and played hard! James made two goals, one from way back, almost to the center line. Suzy had a game on Tuesday and she also made a goal.

Last weekend James and Bob went on a campout for Royal Rangers. It wasn't very far away, on the property of a church member. They had a great time and the weather was warm, though rather chilly at night. They even went swimming in the pond. (Well, James did.) While the boys were gone, I stayed at a friend's house with the girls. Her guys were also at the campout. We had a relaxing movie/chatting weekend. Such fun! We also walked 4 miles -the first exercise I've done in more than a month, other than karate. David spent one night with a friend that weekend, and the other night at home alone - the first time he's done that.

Also met with a local school superintendent, along with a couple other homeschool moms, to explore possibilities of homeschool-public school partnerships. Interesting meeting. This guy started in June and has lots of exciting thoughts and plans. We shall see what pans out from that.

Weekly Review and Preview

10/9 Sunday - Church, relaxing
Monday - Work 5, Lessons, Karate, David drivers ed, Practice D
Tuesday - Work 5, Lessons, Practice (S,J), Robotics D
Wednesday - Work 5, Lessons, Church, David drivers ed
Thursday - Work 5, Lessons, Soccer practice J, Karate, Wordsmith class
Friday - WORK 5?, Lessons, Soccer Practice (S), Soccer Game (D-away)
Saturday - Soccer Game (J)
Sunday - Church, relaxing

Weekly Review and Preview

So, two soccer games for Suzy and one each for David and James netted 2 wins. Suzy made two goals and David played forward briefly during his game. The weather for Saturday's games was bitterly cold and windy. I sat in the van with a friend to watch Suzy's game, but did brave the cold for James' earlier game.

Bob brought home a Super Nintendo (Super NES) from the thrift store. He paid $12 for it. Can you believe this system is now 20 years old?! How can THAT be? Anyway, the boys had been asking for it, because they wanted to play MARIO. Never mind that you can play it online for free nowadays. They wanted it OLD SCHOOL. And they've been enjoying it! James is going to sell his PS2 and huge collection of games. Any takers?


We've been taking the kids to a big church in Burton for Wednesday night programs. David and Emily participate in youth group and this past week they went out on a service project. I believe theirs was cleaning up a local park and then the leader took them to Tim Horton's. James is doing Royal Rangers; he is an Adventure Ranger. He really likes it. Suzy is doing Missionettes and comes home all excited about reading the Bible and memorizing her verse. I usually hang out with a friend or run errands during church.

Sunday church is a bit more uncertain. We don't go often. When we do go, it's to a local Vineyard church, but it doesn't feel "right" if that makes sense.

My writing class is going well; I am getting positive feedback from parents. (and some students even!) The money from this first semester of class is going to pay for Christmas. YAY!

Bob and I both had a change of supervisors at work in the last couple weeks. His means a bit more of a change than mine; different supervisors at the store do the schedules and assignments differently. My job will likely remain exactly the same.

My birthday was low-key. Thanks to Aunt Cynthia, I realized that I am halfway to 90. LOL

Karate is going well. We are learning the more complicated orange belt form as well as the basic actions (strikes and blocks). PKSA is hosting a tournament nearby us on the 8th but we have decided we cannot participate at this time - partly due to the date, partly due to the cost, and partly because we just don't all feel confident.

David is all signed up to participate in the FIRST Robotics league with a local high school's team. This is something I've wanted for him to be able to do for a couple years now, so I'm thrilled he can be a part of it. He is pretty psyched about it also.

Here is the upcoming week's schedule:
10/2 Sunday - Church, relaxing
Monday - Work 5, Lessons, Karate
Tuesday - Work 5, Lessons, Practice (S,J) Soccer GAME (D-away),
Wednesday - Work 5, Lessons, Art Class (S,J,E), Church, David - Robotics?
Thursday - Field trip to see Twelfth Night, Soccer Game (J,S), Karate (J,S)
Friday - WORK 5, Co-op, Soccer Practice (S), Soccer Game (D-home), RR Campout (J,B)
Saturday - Campout (J,B), Girls Fun Weekend (L,S,E)
Sunday -Church, relaxing, RR Campout (J,B)

Emily needs some kind of activity. Any ideas?

Weekly Review and Preview

Well, here's last week's schedule, since I never posted that.

9/18 Sunday - Family Reunion
Monday - Work 4, Lessons, Karate
Tuesday - Work 4, Lessons Soccer GAME (D away), Karate Belt Promotion Ceremony
Wednesday - Work 4, Lessons, Church
Thursday - WORK 4, Lessons, Writing class, Karate, Soccer Practice (J)
Friday - WORK 4, Co-op, Soccer Game (D @home), Soccer Practice (S)
Saturday - Soccer Game (J,S), Soccer Practice (D), Teen Event (E,D)
Sunday - Church, relax

Our family reunion was lovely. Beautiful weather, gorgeous park, nice and relaxing. It was warm enough for the kids to wade in the stream. We drove over just for the day. It's a lot of driving in one day.

We are now Orange Belts in Tang Soo Do. Our belt promotion was Tuesday night at 6:30. Bob took the 3 younger kids and I took David to his 5pm soccer game. We rushed back and arrived at 7:30 just as our class was getting ready to promote. Excellent timing! We are now working hard on the orange belt forms and basic actions.

David LOVED the Robotics competition at Kettering. He is looking forward to being part of the robotics team. 

Here is the upcoming week's schedule:
9/26 Sunday - Church, relaxing
Monday - Work 5, Lessons, Karate, Soccer GAME (D away),
Tuesday - Work 5, Lessons  Practice (J) Soccer GAME (S),
Wednesday - Work 5, Lessons, Church
Thursday - WORK 5, Lessons, Writing class, Karate
Friday - WORK 5?, Soccer Practice (D,S), Robotics Welcome Event
Saturday - Soccer GAME (J,S)
Sunday -Church, relaxing

I love watching soccer games still, although we've had a couple of cold rainy game days that sort of try my patience. I am sure in a couple weeks, I'll be tired of it all. LOL

Today is the fall festival here in our little village. Since we live right in town, that means lots of extra traffic down our street because they close the main road through town. It also means loud music from the stage 2 blocks away and a parade going past our house. :-)

Weekly Review and Preview

Finally I'm feeling back to normal health - that took a long time to recover! I got a cold toward the beginning of last week, but it was gone by Friday. Still haven't done any running. Karate on Thursday the 8th was the first real physical activity I'd done since the karate testing on the 28th.

This week will mark the beginning of lessons for us this year. I had intended to begin on the 6th but my poor health decided that for me. So we jump in Monday at a full schedule!

Sunday - Church, relaxing
Monday - Work 5, Lessons, Karate
Tuesday - Work 5, Lessons Soccer GAME (D), Practice (J,S)
Wednesday - Work 5, Lessons, Church
Thursday - WORK 5, Lessons, Writing class, Karate, Soccer Game (J,S)
Friday - WORK 5, Soccer Game (D), Soccer Pix (S,J)
Saturday - Soccer Game (J), Robotics @ Kettering (D), Book Club
Sunday - Mellon Family Picnic in GR

This week our karate class moves back to its earlier time in the afternoon on Mondays and Thursdays. We've been at 3pm all summer. On Thursdays, I will be teaching a writing class right before the karate class, taking advantage of being in town (one trip saves gas and time), and earning some extra money for Christmas and toward a new work laptop since I will be giving this one back to the soccer league in the spring.

5 soccer games this week but only 2 practices.

David is going to be on a First Robotics League team at a local high school. He will be going to a Robotics competition showcase on Saturday all day, with the team, as a spectator. In October, the team will start working weekly and after the new year, they'll meet almost daily preparing for the competitions. I've been wanting him to participate in this league for a long time and the opportunity presented itself. He'll be one of the oldest on the team since many of them graduated last year.

I have book club on Saturday and on Sunday, we'll be driving over to GR to have a family reunion picnic.

Weekly Preview and Review

Wow, never sent this out last week. Back-dating it, though.

Sunday - Halo Party
Monday - Labor Day, Work 5,
Tuesday - Work 5, Soccer GAME (D), Practice (J,S)
Wednesday - Work 5, Art Class?
Thursday - WORK 5, Karate, Soccer Practice (J)
Friday - Co-op, WORK 5, Soccer Practice (J,D)
Saturday - Soccer Practice (D)?, Game (S), NOT Back to School Picnic
Sunday -  

Weekly Preview and Review

Well, I didn't do any running this past week. My normal running days are Tue/Fri/Sun. I can't run on consecutive days - too hard on my hips and knees. So, Tuesday was too hectic and I didn't get time. And Wednesday, my foot hurt reminiscent of the way it hurt a couple years ago when I thought I had a hairline fracture. And so I didn't run Wednesday. Thursday was karate. I thought about running, but I didn't want to make my foot worse. And Friday and Saturday my knee hurt and I wanted to make sure I was at my best for karate testing on Sunday. So, this was an unplanned week off from running. :-(  I am sure some of that reluctance to run was a holdover from the horrible run last Sunday. Should have got right back on that horse, kwim? Oh well. I'm bringing my running clothes camping so maybe I'll do a couple short runs there and then do a long run on Saturday or Sunday.

Lake Huron was so fun! There were some biting flies and we started to worry that we would be swarmed! But they soon dispersed. The weather was not too hot nor too cold and the kids had a great time! There weren't any waves, which was disappointing, but the weather made up for it!

Co-op rosters are sent out. The room assignments are made. The Lit class I am co-teaching is mostly ready. Whew!

Sunday - Karate Testing with 2000 people!, Seeds of Faith Camp week begins
Monday - SOF Camp Week, Soccer Practice (D)
Tuesday - SOF Camp Week & Beach Day
Wednesday - SOF Camp Week
Thursday - WORK 5, Karate, Soccer Practice (J)
Friday - WORK 5, Soccer GAME (D)
Saturday - Soccer Practice (D)?,
Sunday -  Run 6 miles, Halo Party

Last year during Camp Week, I tried to maintain my regular work schedule. It was DIFFICULT to say the least. So, this year, I am actually taking a vacation. No work Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday. I will work 10 hours between Thursday and Friday. Bob is also taking a couple days off, but he will be working over Labor Day weekend, so his hours even out.

I am also doing NO co-op stuff and NO soccer stuff during the 4 days of camp. (David is going to one soccer practice, but not the other kids.) Also we are not doing karate on Monday. It's just going to be relaxing!

Our karate testing is tomorrow. TWO THOUSAND people are supposed to be testing together! That is going to be something! I am easily overwhelmed with large groups of people, so pray for me to be able to handle it. But this is something the kids will never forget! Not sure how many photos I'll get since I am supposed to be testing. Bob isn't going along as he is going to the campground to get our site set up. We'll go right to the campground after the testing.


David has his first soccer game this coming Friday. And so it begins.....


I had a few errands to run today. Most of them were because of someone's oversight.
1 - sporting goods store (David's new shinguards were missing a part.)
2 - auto parts store (they forgot to refund Bob the core charge for the alternator)
3 - Walmart (they didn't give me all my groceries the other day)
4 - thrift store (Emily and I both needed jeans for camping)
5 - Office store (joined teacher program and got a goodie bag and breakfast with a friend!)
Have a good week y'all!

Weekly Preview and Review

James and Suzy had a great time at the nature center, despite an initial unwillingness to go. (I've learned to ignore my kids when they say they don't want to do an activity.) They also got to go to Impression 5 Science Museum with a friend and that was a fun day for both of them.

Soccer practices for all three of my soccer players have started. David practices Mon, Fri, and Sat. James practices Tues and Thurs while Suzy's practices are Tues and Fri. Emily is not playing soccer this fall.

Sunday - Church, Relax, Run 6 miles
Monday - WORK 5, Karate, Soccer Practice (D)
Tuesday - WORK5, Soccer Practice (S,J), Lake Huron
Wednesday - WORK 5
Thursday - WORK 5, Karate, Soccer Practice (J)
Friday - WORK 5, Soccer Practice (D,S)
Saturday - Soccer Practice (D)?, Run 6 miles
Sunday - Karate Testing, Camp Week Begins

We have our last "normal" week of summer this week - karate and soccer practice will keep us hopping and we are also making a trip to Lake Huron. I'd like to fit in a visit to the local waterpark since I have a gift certificate. Maybe Thursday or Friday would be good for that. I'll try to fit in 25 hours this week since next week I am taking off 10 hours for camp week.

Our karate testing is Sunday - all of you are invited to watch if you like. It's in Pontiac in the afternoon, so let me know if you plan to come and I'll give you the details. It should be quite a spectacle with hopefully hundreds of karate students testing all at once.

We are gearing up for our annual homeschool camping week next week Sunday through Thursday. Should be lots of fun, with swimming, activities, potluck, campfires and friends. We always have a great time; it's the highlight of our summer! If you're a local homeschooler, you should consider joining us!


Today I will run 6 miles for the first time. I think I'll be trying a 7-1 interval (run 7 minutes, walk 1 minute). My friend Jennifer is training for a marathon and is doing that in her training. So, I'll give it a try. 6.2 miles is 10K so once I've done 6 miles, I think I'll really be ready to register for the race!

Weekly Preview and Review

Well, last week, a lot of the activities I had planned to do didn't happen. I missed the Pampered Chef party and the SOF meeting because my work wasn't done. I didn't go to the fair because the girls hadn't gotten their room cleaned up. James went with a friend, though. (David didn't care to go.) I missed the scrapbooking weekend because Bob was sick with a horrible migraine. He was laid out in bed for 2 full days and even called in to work, which he hasn't done in almost 2 years.

Sunday - Church, Relax
Monday - WORK 5, Karate, Soccer Practice (D)
Tuesday - WORK5, Soccer Practice (S), Science Museum (J,S)
Wednesday - WORK 5, Nature Center (S-AM, J-PM)
Thursday - WORK 5, Karate
Friday - WORK 5, Beach Day, Soccer Practice (D), Soccer Practice (S), Nature Center (J)
Saturday - Soccer Practice (D)?, Book Club
Sunday -

James and Suzy have a couple Nature Center classes this week. Suzy starts soccer practice and David continues with his practices 3 times a week. Haven't heard from James' coaches yet. Emily isn't playing soccer this fall.

Suzy and James will probably go on Tuesday to the Impression 5 Science Museum with a friend. That's in Lansing. 

We are working hard at karate in anticipation of testing at the end of the month. The karate school is organizing a mass testing with all 26 of their schools, most of which are located in Michigan. The mass testing is August 28 and we will be tested at 12:30 in case anyone wants to watch. It's at Ultimate Soccer in Pontiac, an indoor, air-conditioned facility. The black belt recertification will be at 9 am and this is NOT usually open for people to watch, so we may head down to see that.

I am hoping for a Mom's Night Out this week at a friend's house. Her husband is out of town for work. Also maybe I can sneak away Sunday and go see a movie? I thought about going during David's soccer practice Friday night but that didn't end up working out.

I'm kind of addicted to Friday Night Lights on Netflix Instant. Yeah, I know. A show about high school football in Texas? Who would've guessed that Lisa would find that intriguing? LOL I've watched all 22 episodes of the first season and am into the second season. Of course, I found it only AFTER it was cancelled on regular tv. At least I can watch it on demand with no commercials!