Weekly Review and Preview

Sunday was a write-in at my friend's house all day. James didn't go along, but the other three kids did. Suzy didn't write much, but Emily and David were quite industrious.

We didn't go to karate at all last week.

I had a dentist appointment in which I learned I have gingivitis but not the more serious periodontal disease. Flossing and mouthwash will be added to my already regular thorough brushing. I have just one cavity which is pretty good seeing that I haven't been to the dentist in several years. Now that we have dental insurance, I'm trying to get up to speed in the dental department. I will probably end up with a couple of bridges too.

Thanksgiving was quiet and low-key. The kids all pitched in and helped with the work. A lot of cooking for 30 minutes of dinner - I think it's over-rated. We may go non-traditional at some point.

James went to an airsoft birthday party today and had a great time. He took along his new gun (a pistol which he is very pleased with), which was a prize for finishing his NaNoNovel.

11/25 Sunday - church, see Red Dawn
Monday - Work 5, karate, Lessons
Tuesday - Work 5, Lessons,
Wednesday - Work 5, Emily Oral Surgeon Consult
Thursday - Work 2, Writing Classes, Karate, Lessons
Friday - Work 3, Co-op, Last Day of NaNoWriMo 2012
Saturday - James turns 13!!

James is already finished with his novel! David is doing well - right on track. I am catching up. Emily is moving along well but I may have set her goal too high. Suzy is finding it a challenge to type her own and she is only about half done. I will have to help her a lot this week if she is going to finish. This is the last week!

Emily will see another oral surgeon this week. I found out it will be billed through our medical insurance not our dental, which gives us more options who to work with. After she has the extractions, she will have her braces put on.

We will get our red belts this week! I ordered new uniforms (doboks) for all of us with red trim. YAY!

On Saturday, we will have three teenagers in the house, something I've been anticipating for, well, THIRTEEN years now! James will turn 13! I've thought we will have three teenagers for a long time to come, but actually David will turn 20 before Suzy turns 13, so we will have 5 months with just two teens before we have three again.

Weekly Preview and Review

11/18 Sunday - write-in
Monday - Work 5, karate, Lessons
Tuesday - Work 5, Lessons, Dentist (L)
Wednesday - Work 5
Thursday - Thanksgiving here
Friday - Work 5?, Shopping?
Saturday - Catch up on work if needed?

This will be a week to catch up on my writing. I am way behind in NaNoWriMo.

Weekly Review and Preview

Well, I do believe we are now red belts in karate! Woo-hoo!!!! We will find out next week if any of us ended up on the retest list, but I don't think so. Promotion will be during our class this time. And now the REAL work begins....

I'm going to try to work 5 hours on Mondays from now on, so that I can have "a head start" rather than running behind.

David has his braces on and they hurt! :-)  I have to find Emily an oral surgeon that will take both our insurances - harder than it sounds, but worth it if I can accomplish it.

I am way way way behind in NaNoWriMo. I doubt I've ever been this far behind. Will I catch up? Stay tuned! James and Emily are moving right along!

11/11 Sunday - church and potluck
Monday - Work 5, karate, Lessons
Tuesday - Work 4, Lessons
Wednesday - Work 4, Lessons, massage (L), church
Thursday - work 3, writing classes, Karate, lessons
Friday - Work 4, co-op
Saturday - book club

This week is not as busy as last week. I hope.

Bob has several doctor appointments coming up this week too - an ultrasound, an MRI, and an ECG. I think.

I gave up my massage on Halloween and let Bob take that appointment. But I have one this week!

Suzy has an email address now. If you want it, let me know.

Weekly Review and Preview

I pushed really hard to work 5 hours (instead of 4) Monday-Wednesday, so I could take Thursday off if needed since it was supposed to be such a busy day.

Bob had the week off to work on the barn roof. However, Hurricane Sandy's far-reaching effects negated that effort and he spent the time off doing other things around the house. He also had a few doctor's appointments.

Suzy and James both had an eye doctor appointment. Turns out James needs glasses. So, we ordered him a pair he likes and he will have them on November 6th. Suzy's eyes were fine! (By the way, David also found out he needed glasses at age 12, the age James is now.)

I bribed David to take the kids trick-or-treating since the weather was unpleasantly cold and wet. It ended up that he took James and a friend of James' and the girls went with a couple other moms and some other girls. I got to stay home where it was warm. And I worked.

Thursday was a CRAZY-BUSY day but it went off without a hitch. Bob went one direction - a doctor appointment and a dentist appointment. David went another direction - off to a STEM (Sci/Tech/Engineering/Math) career expo with a friend and his parents. The other three kids and I went a third direction - to my writing classes and karate. Afterwards we met up with David and a bunch of NaNoWriMo homeschool friends and had a write-in at the new froyo place in Lapeer.

Friday was co-op - all went pretty well there. Afterwards the girls went to a sleepover at church and we had a friend over for James.

Saturday morning we all got up early and headed out to drop David off at the local airport for a field trip and pick the girls up from their sleepover. We ended up going back to the airport to see more of the planes taking off and landing. David was up in one of the 4-seater planes when we returned and my other  kids were offered a ride too. Only James was brave enough to go. I was really glad the boys both were able to participate in that!

11/4 Sunday - church & newcomer luncheon at church
Monday - Work 4, karate, Lessons, David braces on
Tuesday - Work 4, Lessons, Karate (L), write-in
Wednesday - Work 4, Lessons, dentist (all kids), church
Thursday - writing classes, Karate, work 4, lessons, sports awards night (D)
Friday - Work 4, field trip, youth event (DEJ)
Saturday - karate testing

David got his braces on today. Expected to take about 24 months.

James will get his glasses tomorrow.

We went to a newcomer luncheon at church. There were about 5 couples at the luncheon - pretty nice.

David's soccer awards night is Thursday - his last one. That makes me sad.

We have our karate test on Saturday. If we pass, we are red belts. And that puts us in the advanced category. Time to really work hard!

Weekly Preview and Review

David took the ACT today for the second time. The goal is to improve his score enough to gain more financial aid for college. We will know in 2-3 weeks how that worked out. And then we will move on to some college visits and the FAFSA in January. His senior year is going by fast already!

My friend Gina took David's senior pictures on Thursday - gorgeous sunny skies and temps in the upper 70's, although a bit windy. Long hair doesn't co-operate in a stiff breeze! Gina is learning the ins and outs of her fancy camera and offered her services as photographer for David. We are very pleased with the results. He will have a few more photos taken after we all get our red belts in karate in December.

Emily had an oral surgery consult on Tuesday, but it turns out that this particular surgeon doesn't actually take our insurance. So, we are back to square one with that. There is ONE oral surgeon within 50 miles that participates in our plan. And he's in Detroit. I will have to call around and see if I can find someone closer that will work with our insurance.

Last Monday was David's last soccer event - a scrimmage with his teammates on one team and parents and siblings on the other team. James and Emily both played and it was neat to watch all three of them on the field together. I am a bit sad that he will likely never play organized soccer again. Twelve years of soccer has come to an end.

10/28 Sunday - church
Monday - Work 5, karate
Tuesday - Work 5, Lessons, eye dr (J,S), Bob Dr
Wednesday - Work 5, Lessons, massage (L), trick or treating
Thursday - writing classes, Karate, David career expo, NaNoWriMo kickoff, Bob doctor, Bob dentist
Friday - Work 5, Co-op, Girls Church sleepover
Saturday - David Avionics field trip

Bob has this week off in order to install the barn roof - metal roofing. The weather forecast is not very promising. He also has a few doctor appointments - primary care doctor, cardiologist (check up), dentist.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) begins on Thursday. I am so excited for my 6th year doing this! This will be David's 4th year and the other kids's 3rd year. We are kicking off on Thursday with a write-in at a new frozen yogurt place in Lapeer which is perfect for writing!

James and Suzy have eye doctor appointments this week, just for screening purposes, and Emily and I will order new glasses.

David has two cool field trips this week - one is a STEM (Sci/Tech/Engineering/Math) career expo and the other is an Avionics field trip in which he is supposed to get to actually fly a plane.

I get a massage on Wednesday which is good because there's a lot in the 2 days following that. Wednesday night is trick-or-treating (as long as the weather holds - otherwise we may go to an indoor event because I am wimpy). Thursday there are so many things going on that I can barely keep them straight. Good thing I don't have to be at all of them. I am planning to take that day off from work; thankfully my work hours are flexible like that! One of the things I love about my job. Friday is homeschool co-op - always fun, but always busy!

Weekly Preview and Review

The Shakespeare play ROCKED! I loved it. Emily found it humorous and David thought it was ok. James was bored. Or so he said. Oh well. That was his first exposure to Shakespeare and all he got in way of preparation was my nutshell version.

David's varsity soccer team, the FAITH Falcons, went to their first tournament ever - the State Homeschool Tournament - over the weekend. They played three games and won 1 of those. The team ended up 6th of 7 teams, but their one victory was over a team that had beaten them twice in the regular season. That particular game was very exciting, ended in two overtime periods and finally a shootout (in which 5 players from each team alternate shooting goals). The score ended up 4-3 after being tied 2-2. Bob and Emily and I drove to Lansing for Saturday's two games, but David stayed with his team overnight after playing their first (very rainy) game on Friday.

All the kids played their last soccer games last week, but David's team has a scrimmage this week as their final event. They would have had one more game but it was canceled due to injuries on the other team.

10/21 Sunday - church,
Monday - Work 4, karate, Soccer Scrimmage (D,E,J)
Tuesday - Work 4, Lessons, Emily Oral Surgeon Consult
Wednesday - Work 4, Lessons, Church
Thursday - Work 4, Lessons, Karate, David Senior Pix
Friday - Work 4, Field Trip
Saturday - David ACT

No Soccer This Saturday!

Weekly Preview and Review

James played in the AYSO Fall Fest Tournament over the weekend. His team played 5 games. Only one goal was scored against them in all 5 games. They won the title!

The rest of the week seems like a blur right now! LOL

Except David and I went to the opera The Barber of Seville on Friday morning. The dress rehearsal performances are just $10 and the drive to the Detroit Opera House was easy at mid-morning on a Friday.  Neither of us had seen an opera before (unless you count Pirates of Penzance which I saw at about age 14?) and I fully expected not to like it much. I told David several times that we could leave at intermission if he wanted to. But we were enthralled for the entire two hours. Wonderful! Humorous! Thrilling!

Mom and Dad stopped by on Wednesday for a short visit. We had lunch and caught up a little then sent them off into the windy afternoon to drive to Bad Axe.

10/14 Sunday - church, Soccer Tournament (J)
Monday - Work 4, Shakespeare Play, Soccer GAME (J-away - LAST GAME)
Tuesday - Work 5 Lessons, karate
Wednesday - Work 5, Lessons, Church
Thursday - Work 4, Writing Class (L), Lessons, Karate, Soccer GAME (S - LAST GAME)
Friday - Work 2, Co-op, Soccer GAME (D-tournament)
Saturday - Soccer TOURNAMENT (D- LAST GAME)

This is our last week of soccer. For David, it is his last week of soccer EVER, unless he plays as a college student or adult, which doesn't sound like the plan. Rather sad.....

Other than soccer, we don't have a lot going on this week. Co-op on Friday, writing class on Thursday, two karate classes....

Weekly Preview and Review

James' soccer team continues to win all their games. But the coach's win-at-all-costs attitude makes it rather bitter to me. James is happy though! Suzy made a couple goals in her recent games, but the team has only won one, I believe. David's team wins some and loses some. Their Friday night game was canceled due to injuries on the other team.

We've gone to church 4 weeks in a row now, I believe. That's something we haven't done in a couple years. We are both pretty pleased with the Lapeer Free Methodist Church, so we're going to settle in there, I think.

Writing class is going well and I'm getting good feedback from the parents.

James and Bob went to a Royal Rangers campout this past weekend. It was rainy on Friday and cold the entire weekend - down into the 30's at night. But James had a blast and I'm glad Bob is able to go with him.

Friday night I spent some "girl time" with Emily watching a movie and pigging out on candy. And Saturday night I got to have dinner and some fun conversation with a couple of good friends. Needed that!

Am now up to running 1.5 miles and walking 1.0 mile. Need to get up to running 3.1 miles (with intervals) by the end of the month. James, Suzy, and I are planning to run a 5K the last weekend of October. THEY need to get training!

10/7 Sunday - church, Bob and James return from campout
Monday - Work 4, Lessons, Karate, Soccer GAMES (D-home, J-home)
Tuesday - Work 4, Lessons, Soccer GAME (S), practice (J)
Wednesday - Work 4, Lessons, Church
Thursday - Work 4, Writing Class (L), Lessons, Karate, Soccer Practice (S), GAME (D-away)
Friday - Work 4, Opera with David, Church Directory Pictures, Soccer GAME (D-home)
Saturday - Soccer TOURNAMENT (J), GAME (S), Practice (D) & Book Club (Lisa)

Lots of soccer this week, but only a couple more weeks of this craziness! David has 3 games - one is away. I will be able to attend only Friday's game. Suzy has two games this week. James has a home game Monday and a soccer tournament this weekend - 3 games on Saturday between 7am and 7pm. Still not sure how that's going to work out. Probably will have to throw myself on the mercy of some of the other parents. He will probably also have games on Sunday - THOSE I can attend.

David wanted to go to an opera, so he and I are attending the dress rehearsal of The Barber of Seville on Friday in Detroit. We shall see how that goes.

Other than those (soccer and opera) and the pictures for the church directory, the rest of the week is pretty normal. Heh! HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Weekly Review and Preview

Didn't write a post last weekend, I guess! (And this one never got published. I'm slacking! posting it a week after the fact....)

Been going to lots of soccer games and trying to keep up with everything else.

We've been going to the Free Methodist church in Lapeer. My friend Gina's husband Bruce is the pastor there. We all went to college together back in the day.

My birthday was yesterday. I had planned to work in the AM, but there was no work loaded. So I did lesson plans for October instead. The other kids and I went to David's game at 5 and then we met Bob and had dinner out. Once we got home, we gathered around to watch The Avengers (everyone's new favorite movie). We were too full to eat cheesecake, so that will happen Saturday instead.

9/30 Sunday - church
Monday - Work 4, Lessons, Karate, Soccer GAMES (S-home, J-away)
Tuesday - Work 4, Lessons, Soccer GAMES (S-home, D-away)
Wednesday - Work 4, Lessons, Church
Thursday - Work 4, Writing Class (L), Lessons, Karate, Soccer Practice (J,S)
Friday - Work 4, Co-op, Soccer GAME (D-away),  J&B- campout
Saturday - Soccer GAME (S), D-field trip, J&B- campout

I am sending James and David to their away games this week instead of traveling to them. Hopefully this will allow me to get caught up on work and everything else.

Weekly Preview and Review

James' team is doing great! They've won all their games by a landslide. David's team is winning some and losing some; David starts every game and he plays 'stopper' which is a defense position. Suzy's team tries hard. Suzy has played forward and goalie in the games I've watched.

In karate, we started learning our new form and basic actions for our Green 2 test in November.

The Renaissance Festival was great fun; will write about that more on Cornerstone.

Our lessons are moving along swimmingly.

We've gone twice in a row to the Lapeer Free Methodist Church; my friend Gina's husband is the pastor there. Two of the kids have friends that go there. It's a small church but seems active.

9/16 Sunday - church
Monday -  Work 4, Lessons, Karate, Soccer GAMES (D-home, J-away)
Tuesday - Work 4, Lessons, Soccer Practice (S)
Wednesday - Work 4, Lessons, Church
Thursday -  Work 4, Writing Class (L), Lessons,  Karate, Soccer Practice (J,S)
Friday -  Work 4, Co-op, Soccer GAME (D-home)
Saturday - Soccer GAME (S), Soccer Practice (D), Teen Bonfire

More soccer - 4 games, 4 practices. 2 Karate classes, 20 hours of work, 4 days of lessons and one day of homeschool co-op. A bonfire to end the week for the teens.

Thinking about James' birthday; he wants to celebrate early with a paintball party. December isn't a great month for paintball.

Weekly Preview and Review

Co-op went smoothly the first day. The kids had fun and no difficult issues arose.

David's team got whomped at their first game 6-0, but won their second game 4-2. David usually plays defense.

Our first week of lessons went well - half-days. The full schedule begins on the 10th.

9/9 Sunday - church
Monday -  Work 4, Lessons, Soccer GAMES (D-home, J-away),
Tuesday - Work 4, Lessons, Soccer Practice (J,S)
Wednesday - Work 4, Lessons, Church
Thursday -  Work 4, Writing Class (L), Lessons,  Karate, Soccer GAME (S)
Friday -  Work 4, Lessons, Renaissance Festival, Soccer GAME (D-home)
Saturday - Soccer GAME (S,J-home), Soccer Practice (D), David massage appt (Bob too?), Book Club


This will be a busy week! Six soccer games spread over four days and an additional 3 practices makes soccer a five-day commitment this week. Only one of those games is out of town, thankfully!

I start teaching a middle school writing class on Thursday; I believe I have 12 students interested. This is a class I am paid to teach. :-)


We are GOING to go to CHURCH this weekend. 

And I have a Renaissance dress to make, two brown cloaks to dye black, and a Renaissance dress to accessorize. We are going to dress up for the Faire for the first time.

Weekly Preview and Review

Park Day turned into "WATER Park Day" because it was supposed to be 90+ degrees - hot! Perfect for the water park we've been trying to get to all summer. This is their last weekend for the summer. Nice time at the park with friends!

Suzy started soccer practice this week and James and David continued with their practices. Games begin next week.

We've had two weeks off karate, since our belt promotion.

The highlight of my week was meeting one of my favorite actors, Richard Armitage. I haven't typed out the story anywhere, so I will put it here for now. Who is he? Well, he had a small role as a bad guy in Captain America, so that's the likeliest place you've seen him, if you aren't a BBC watcher. He's a British actor, so he has been in relatively few American productions. My favorites are the BBC Robin Hood (in which he plays Guy of Gisborne) and the BBC North & South. He will be the dwarf king, Thorin Oakenshield, in the Hobbit movies, the first of which will be coming out this December.

Mr. Armitage has been in Southeast Michigan filming a tornado movie called Black Sky since late July, but I haven't had a free day that I knew the filming location in advance. My friend Tarla happened to drive by the set on Thursday and texted me to tell me where it was. Emily and I quickly made plans with my friend Darlene and our friends Skylar and Haley and hopped in the van. Tarla had other plans so she couldn't join us.

The filming was only about 40 minutes from my house, near the Palace of Auburn Hills. The set was located in an empty field behind a strip mall. We wandered into the area thinking it was best just to start asking for what we wanted - to meet Mr. Armitage. We asked a couple different employees and they directed us to where they knew we could stand and be out of the way. Soon, an assistant who seemed to know what was going on came by; we asked if Richard was anywhere we could see him. She told us to hang tight and he'd be coming out soon. But NO PICTURES were allowed since he "is in costume".

So, we stood behind this strip mall in a little clump in the shade waiting. We were near an open door and inside we could see a buffet set up and employees eating. But we didn't wait long! Maybe 15 minutes later, Mr. Armitage came out of the open door. Darlene shrieked aloud and I think she startled him a bit, but he regrouped and came over to us, escorted by the helpful assistant. He shook each of our hands and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Rich." We had brought things for him to sign, so he did that very kindly and then he was off to film his scenes. By the way, his "costume" was a blue dress shirt and dress pants (I think brown"?). He plays an American high school teacher in this film. He was tall, very handsome, and pleasant, although clearly in a hurry. He spoke in his British accent, which I was happy about.

From there we decided to head up the hill to a building that seemed like it would have a good view of the filming since from where we were, the view to the set was blocked by some partitions. Once we were up there, we gazed across the open field to where the filming was going on. Large platforms were hoisted up to provide some shade (making it look overcast in the filming) and rain machines were squirting water on everything. The scene was being filmed in a large culvert, so there wasn't much we could see. The teens ran down into the valley between where we were and where the filming was and they had a better view. Emily took some pictures I think.

Since we weren't allowed pictures with "Rich" (lol), I never got my camera out. The filming will continue, so maybe we'll get another chance!? OK, fine, I am a fangirl!

9/2 Sunday - church?
Monday - Labor Day
Tuesday - Work 5, Soccer GAME (D), Soccer Practice (J,S), First Day of Lessons
Wednesday - Work 5
Thursday - Work 5, karate, Soccer (J,S)
Friday - Work 5, Co-op, Soccer (D)
Saturday - Soccer GAME (S,J), Soccer Practice (D)

Bob has to work on Saturday 9/1 and on Labor Day this weekend, so for us, it's not a holiday weekend really.

Ice cream sundaes will celebrate our first day of lessons on Tuesday. David also has his first soccer game of the season that day.

My baby boy is a senior this year!!!! Oh my goodness....

Weekly Preview and Review

Our camping trip was wonderful. The campground was clean and in a stand of pines. Our site was about half a mile walk from the beach, maybe a little less. The sun shone during the day, making the days warm but not hot. By evening we all wanted our sweatshirts and to sit 'round the campfire - also just perfect!

Monday found us heading out to Michigan's Adventure, a small amusement park about half an hour away. Bob really wasn't expecting to be able to ride much, but we found a couple things he could do. The rest of us all rode a scary wooden rollercoaster called Shivering Timbers and James and I rode the Corkscrew. The little kids rode the most rides because they don't mind the spinning ones that the rest of us can't tolerate. Warned ahead about expensive food ($18.99 for a pizza?) inside the park, we brought a cooler for tailgating. After we ate, we headed back in clad in swimsuits for a go at the water rides and wave pools, which we all enjoyed!

Lake Michigan was our focus on Tuesday and we spent the afternoon on the beach. My sister Janet came to join us and spent the night with the girls in the tent. In the evening, she and I took the kids to the drive in theater where we saw Paranorman (way better than I expected) and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (about what I expected).

Packing up took all of Wednesday morning and then we struck out for Grand Rapids where we stopped for a couple hours to visit with my parents. Then home again, home again, jiggedy jig.

We passed our karate test and received our new stripes last night at belt promotion! Pix on facebook.

Thursday and Friday the kids started painting the barn. They've already used almost 5 gallons of paint! Ack! Gotta get more, I guess.

David still feels sore, but he's going to try soccer practice tonight.

8/26 Sunday - church?
Monday - Work 5, Soccer (D)
Tuesday - Work 5, Soccer (J,S), Co-op Orientation for new families
Wednesday - Work 5, church?
Thursday - Work 5, Soccer (J,S)
Friday - Work 5, Park Day, Soccer (D)
Saturday - Work 5, Soccer (D)

No karate this week! I will spend most of the week getting ready for lessons to start the day after Labor Day. James will jump back into soccer practice and Suzy will have her first practice. Games start September 8th. I'm also going to try to pick up some extra hours.

Weekly Preview and Review

Karate testing is over! Whew!!! I wasn't nervous, but neither did I feel overly prepared. I messed up a couple of SIMPLE things. @@ Silly me. The kids said they all did well. I can't watch them test as I am testing at the same time and it takes all my focus.

We spent an idyllic afternoon at Lake Huron with some homeschool friends. The weather was not too hot nor too chilly. No waves, but the kids didn't seem to mind too much.

On the way TO the beach, I started feeling very very sick. Enough that I stopped the van and got out, trying to decide if I needed to throw up or go home. But after a few minutes (10?), the queasy awful feeling just went away. I felt 90% better all at once, having done nothing. I said to the kids, "Who was praying for me?" They all said, "ME!" Thanks kids! And praise God for healing me. I felt fine the rest of the day and since.

James had his first soccer practice, but due to karate test & promotion, as well as our vacation, he won't be able to go to another one until August 28th. Suzy starts practice that night as well. She has a coaching team she has had before. She will be U12 this year and James is U14 (which is a TRAVEL LEAGUE). So now I have three kids on travel teams, although thankfully David only plays fall and Emily only plays spring.

Have you ever had a therapeutic massage? It is not the same as a relaxation-type massage, but is more like physical therapy. The goal of a therapeutic massage is outcome-based, either to maintain wellness or to improve or solve physical issues such as carpal tunnel. I had my third therapeutic massage yesterday; Bob also had a massage. We go to a local massage school and pay only $10 for an hour treatment. Best deal around! I made appointments for both of us and for David too, to go back in September.

David took a shoulder to the chest at soccer practice Friday night. Bob took him to the doctor Saturday morning for X-rays because he was still complaining of pain and not being able to draw a deep breath. The doctor said no broken bones, but he has internal contusions and he should take it easy until he feels better. So he did not go to Saturday practice. He will miss Monday practice since we will be camping so hopefully he will feel better by Friday.

8/19 Sunday - heading to Hoffmaster
Monday - Michigan's Adventure!
Tuesday - Lake Michigan & Drive-in Theater!
Wednesday - Visiting Grandma and Grandpa and then heading home
Thursday - Work 5, karate, Karate Promotion!
Friday - Work 5, Soccer (D)
Saturday - Work 5, Soccer (D)

Camping time again! This is our second camping trip this summer and we are heading to Hoffmaster State Park for the first time. We also plan to visit Michigan's Adventure and the local drive-in theater while we are on the west side of the state. On our way home, we hope to spend a little time with Grandma and Grandpa. We have never camped on Lake Michigan before. Feel free to come out and visit us!

We should receive our 2nd stripe on our green belts at Karate Promotion on Thursday night.

And, um, I have to work hard Thursday - Saturday to make up for missing Mon-Wed. I also need to get cracking on some lesson planning. I just can't get excited about that this year.

Oh, and one more thing. David has decided that he doesn't want to do Robotics this year. Tough decision. And we left it up to him. It is his senior year, after all. He still has a few days to change his mind.

Weekly Preview and Review

Suzy LOVED the three days of sports clinic; she did volleyball and track & field. Emily ended up hanging out there and "helping".  I went to the ending program and was very impressed!

Rain prevented us from going to the water park, so we hung out with some friends that day instead. The moms watched The Bourne Ultimatum and discussed plans for a ladies-only trip we want to take. The big question - a cruise? or Las Vegas? (or somewhere else?)

Bob put up mini-blinds in the living room. Our roller shades were completely destroyed in there. Just old and torn. Looking good now!

I mended a couple sleeping bags. 

Since our Shakespeare in the Park ended up rained out last Saturday, Emily and I tried again THIS Saturday. Weather stayed clear and the performance was WONDERFUL!

Everyone here is feeling better, except for some nagging lingering coughs. 

I started the Body for Life fitness & nutrition program last Sunday. Week 1 of 12 is complete!

8/12 Sunday - relax
Monday - Work 4; karate, Soccer (D)
Tuesday - Work 4,  Soccer (J)
Wednesday - Work 4, Lake Huron
Thursday - Work 4, karate, Karate TESTING
Friday - Work 4, Soccer (D)
Saturday - Soccer (D), Massage (L,B)

James starts soccer practice this week; looks like it will be Tuesdays and Thursdays. David practices on Mondays and Fridays. Wonder if Suzy will be Wednesdays again. LOL James can only make it to one of the first four practices though. Oh well.

We're going to try again for Lake Huron this week; our last scheduled trip ended up canceled due to weather.

Karate Testing is this week; we are testing for Green 2 (our second and final stripe on our green belt). We will be testing for red belt in November and that marks a new level of learning. Still two+ years to black belt though.

Bob and I both have a massage scheduled at the massage school on Saturday. I called and got the last two appointments, I believe. YAY! Saturday will also be filled with packing since we are going camping at Lake Michigan August 19-22.

Weekly Review and Preview

I didn't end up taking David to the Maker Faire. When I weighed all the options, it didn't end up being a good choice. But maybe next year....

The highlight of our summer - we just finished 5 days at homeschool camp - always a favorite for everyone! Will post about that more on Cornerstone.

Missed three karate classes in a row - one was canceled (no power) and two due to camping. So, now we need to buckle down and work hard. Just four classes until testing on the 16th! We are going for Green 2 - just one more test before red belt!

Soccer VBS for Suzy went well. She attended with a friend and they had a blast. Except she did come home telling me that the Bible says wives are supposed to be submissive. Hmmm.... Yes, it does, but.....

I didn't miss any work hours due to homeschool camp. I worked extra the previous week and will make up the rest today. But I got to have four days in a row without any work - refreshing! 

I did well at the book sale - made about $100. Pretty happy with that, and the now-smaller stack of books. I have it consolidated into two large boxes now. 

8/5 Sunday - Church, relax
Monday - Work 4; karate, Sports Clinic (S), Soccer (D)
Tuesday - Work 4, Beach Day, Sports Clinic (S)
Wednesday - Work 4, Sports Clinic (S)
Thursday - Work 4, karate,
Friday - Work 4, Water Park outing, Soccer (D)
Saturday - Soccer (D)

David has started soccer practice.... And so it begins....

I didn't do a post last week, but tonight I am going with my book club to Shakespeare in the Park for a performance of Henry V. I am SO EXCITED! (OK, call me geeky.)

Suzy has sports clinic three nights at the church where she does Missionettes. Kids get to choose two sports to try; she chose Volleyball and Track & Field. 

James was diagnosed with whooping cough (Pertussis) on Tuesday. I had a heads-up from a friend whose son was diagnosed last week, so James was already on antibiotics by the time I got the call. His case is nowhere near as severe as his friend's condition. Yes, James was vaccinated but he did not have his 12yo booster yet. (He's 12.)  The other kids started antibiotics on Tuesday as a prophylactic and will finish the course today.  A course of antibiotics is supposed to kill the bacteria, so they would not be contagious even if they do have pertussis. Prayers appreciated, especially for Bob and me not to get it. (We are not on the antibiotics.)

Have a lovely week!

Weekly Review and Preview

The big kids only ended up doing 2 of the 4 soccer camp sessions. I just felt like it was too hot on Monday and Tuesday so I didn't make them go. They did 2.5 rainy hours on Thursday and again on Friday when the weather was PERFECT.

Suzy was invited to spend a couple days camping with a friend, so I took her up there on Wednesday night and she came home on Friday night.  Emily spent the night with a friend on Thursday and James did on Friday.

I went to the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises on Thursday night (Fri AM) with a couple friends. We stopped for coffee beforehand and I had a double espresso. LOL Great movie. I was really saddened to hear of the tragedy in Colorado; how terrible.

We did not end up going to Port Huron because the weather did not cooperate. That trip was rescheduled for mid-August. Instead James spent the day with a friend, David hung out at home, and the girls & I visited with friends.

James has a cough that seems to be getting worse. If it's not better on Monday, I will make him a doctor appointment.

7/22 Sunday - Church picnic?
Monday - Work 4; karate, Soccer VBS (S)
Tuesday - Work 4, Beach Day, Soccer VBS (S)
Wednesday - Work 4, Book Sale, Soccer VBS (S)
Thursday - Work 4, karate, Soccer VBS (S)
Friday - Work 4, Soccer VBS (S)
Saturday - Makers Faire (D)

Suzy has VBS this week every night; this is the soccer-themed VBS that she enjoys. She told me she wasn't going to participate in any other VBS this summer. She had several opportunities that she declined so I guess she was serious. She also didn't choose to do Field School at the Nature Center, nor swimming lessons. James also declined all those activities.

I need to get some books ready to drop off at a book sale on Tuesday and then go pick them up on Wednesday after the sale. Hopefully I won't have many left to pick up. I'm getting tired of walking around the pile, so they will be PRICED TO SELL.

I am planning to take David to the Maker Faire at The Henry Ford on Saturday. This was recommended to him from a couple of sources and I think it will be right up his alley.

We'll also be getting ready for camping throughout the week since it begins on the 29th.

Weekly Preview and Review

Well, THAT was a busy fun-filled week! Three of my kids were off to camp (and I think I'll have them write a bit about their own adventures), so I just had Suzy at home all week. We had a blast together! And twice during the week, I ended up staying up until 3:30 AM which just isn't as easy as it was when I was younger! (Suzy did not stay up that late.)

Suzy also had the opportunity to become better friends with one of her acquaintances, something I had been hoping for her over the past year. Especially since two of her best friends moved away - one a couple years ago and the other just last month, she has been feeling lonely. So I am glad she's made a couple new friends who she loves spending time with!

Some of the things she and I did on our Mom & Suzy Week:

• Went to the beach with the homeschool group (we brought her friend along)
• Hit some garage sales with a friend and a couple of her kids
• Took in a showing of Brave and we LOVED it!
• Made truffles
• Trekked to Claire's in the mall for ear piercing!
• Slept over at a friend's house (yes, both of us!)/li>
• Painted each other's nails

Picked up David and Emily at noon on Friday and they were full of exciting tales! By that evening David was running a fever and throwing up. :-( He's better today (Sunday).

James wasn't due to arrive until 2 am early Saturday morning, so I hung out at a friend's house (yes, with Suzy) watching movies until her husband brought him back to me. He was beyond exhausted, but still found the gumption to ask me how far I'd gotten with Harry Potter. LOL

7/15 Sunday - Recuperation Day! We all slept in and are taking it easy.
Monday - Work 4; karate, Soccer camp (DE&J)
Tuesday - Work 4, Soccer camp (DE&J)
Wednesday - Work 4, Go to Lake Huron with friends
Thursday - Work 4, karate, >Soccer camp (DE&J)
Friday - Work 4, Soccer camp (DE&J)
Saturday - Nothing!

This week brings soccer camp for the older three, which they are EVER-SO thrilled about. NOT! But they will be doing it anyway. Going to be Very Hot at least at the beginning of the week.

Lakeport State Park on Lake Huron is our destination on Wednesday. We try to head over there at least once every summer and it's always more fun with friends!

Other than those two things, the rest of the week is pretty normal. Maybe I'll even get some of my cleaning projects done that keep getting pushed off - like cleaning out the closets.

Weekly Preview and Review

Heat wave! We have been staying close to home since my van has no A/C. Driving around in a broiling vehicle with 4 kids just doesn't appeal. And since it was a relatively commitment-free week, that was fine.

Cousin Camping report: Ten cousins + three aunts + really hot weather + swimming pool + lots of space = a lot of fun! The kids all had a blast, from age 6 to age 17. We got there just after lunch on Saturday and stayed until just after lunch on Sunday. The fun included swimming, crafts, ice cream cake, video games, movies, running around with glow sticks, sleeping in the basement (boys), camping in a tent (girls), trying out David's katana (sword) and samurai armor, and more I'm forgetting at present. I am really glad that Christy invited us again this summer and I hope we can make this an annual event. We missed those who weren't there this time so maybe next year there will be more than 13 present for all the fun! (Hint: my kids really missed Grandma and Grandpa! So, I guess we'll need to find a time to come and visit.)

On the Fourth of July, Bob had to work, but I had big plans to go here and there doing patriotic summery things. But the heat changed my mind and we hibernated inside watching movies instead. The girls walked uptown to watch the children's parade, which was basically two fire trucks and a bunch of kids on bikes. Oh, and some strollers. They were disgusted. lol My friend called and invited us over to see some fireworks in their backyard, which was fun!

Bob had Thursday - Sunday off since he had worked Sunday and the 4th. So he has been working on the van replacing the transmission solenoids and doing a few other things. Yes, even in this horrid heat.

Speaking of my husband, Bob has been working out, lifting weights and doing ab work. He is looking more muscular and his weight is the lowest it's been since I've known him! He turned 51 in May, you know! So, I'm really inspired by his level of fitness. Now, I'm directing my prayers toward that cane.

7/8 Sunday - Sending 3 kids off to camp for the week!
Monday - Work 4; karate
Tuesday - Work 4, Beach Day
Wednesday - Work 4
Thursday - Work 4, karate, garage sales
Friday - Work 4
Saturday - Book Club

James has had plans for months to go with the Royal Rangers to Camporama in Missouri and the time has finally arrived! He leaves Sunday and will be back in the wee hours of Saturday morning. They'll be tent camping and having their meals cafeteria-style. He'll be able to swim (in a pool) and do paintball and tons of other exciting activities. I'm really glad the weather will be cooling off a bit since it's been over 100 for days where they are going and the area is in the midst of a drought.

More of a last minute idea is David and Emily going to youth camp with the church we go to on Wednesday nights (the youth group church). I had been tossing it around in the back of my mind since I heard about it. David wanted to go; Emily did not. A variety of reasons made me decide not to pursue it and I knew we'd missed the deadline. But then on Monday, I decided to contact the youth pastor and see if it was a possibility for them to still attend. And he worked it out! So, I made the decision for both of them.

So, they're off to camp on Sunday as well and will return on Friday. They are going to the campground where we camped three times for Family Camp and David has attended youth camp there twice (with a different church).

So, Suzy and I have the week home together! Come back next weekend to see what she and I did for some special times. :-)

And BOOK CLUB on Saturday!

Weekly Preview

7/1 Sunday - Cousin Camp
Monday - Work 4; karate,
Tuesday - Work 4
Wednesday - Work 4, Parade? Fireworks?  (Bob has to work)
Thursday - Work 4, Bob Dr. appt
Friday - WORK 4
Saturday - Hamlet?

Empty week!