July is the Busiest Month...

So, we're camping this weekend - first trip of the year for us and camping with friends! YaY!

And today is the end of June, so I am looking ahead to July and I am a teensy bit overwhelmed!

So, we will spend the first 4 days of July camping. Which meant I spent the last day of June preparing for it and I'll spend several days cleaning up from it! And then cap it off with a Beach Day.

What else do we have in store? Oh, you just wait.  Keep in mind, of course, that I work 4-5 hours every day. We have our regular twice-a-week commitment to karate. I am trying to work out 6 days a week. This is usually enough to fill my days.

But no! There's more!

The second weekend of July is more camping - Cousin Camp, which sounds SO FUN!

The second week of July brings soccer camp for the boys - 4 evenings that week. Suzy is doing Field School at the nature center that week Tues-Fri from 9-2. I am selling books in a used book sale that Thursday, which means I have to drive down to drop the books OFF on Wed. David is going to a martials arts tactics camp that weekend and I am going scrapbooking.

That throws us wildly into the third week of July. This week is James' turn at the Nature Center Tues-Fri from 9-3. He'll miss Beach Day that week. James and Suzy want to go to a VBS in the evenings this week. That weekend is blessedly FREE ... for now.

So I get a little breather before jumping into the fourth week of the month, which holds four more nights soccer camp for David and James, a soccer VBS at night for Suzy, CO-OP registration (which somewhere in there I have to help prepare for and spend a day working at). I get a $10 massage this week too, which I have a feeling I am going to really NEED!

The month ends pleasantly with a Book Club trip to see Shakespeare in the Park and go out for GELATO. And I already read the book!

By the end of July I will be running 5 miles easily, according to my training plan. 

Whew! Thankfully, August isn't so busy!

And did you notice? Emily has NOTHING TO DO! Anyone want to occupy Emily?

Weekly Preview and Review

Two Towers in the theater was GREAT! Can't wait for Return of the King this coming Tuesday! After the movie, we stayed at Maryann's again that night and then spent all of Wednesday at her house. Wednesday night both she and I took our kids to church at the church David likes that's far from our house.

On the way home, we saw GORGEOUS bright rainbows. Amazing! The kids were enthralled, even the apathetic teen!

This was kind of a quiet week.

I did get in all my workouts - Sun: 2 mile run, Mon: karate, Tues: 2 mile run, Wed: rest day (unplanned), Thur: light workout at karate & 2 mile run; Fri: intervals class (40 min cardio, 20 min abs), Sat: rest day. After my run on Sunday, I will have 2 weeks of my 10K training plan completed.

I've been looking into getting my master's degree. Not for any real reason. I just miss going to school. It's kind of expensive and I missed the June 1 deadline for scholarships, so I probably won't apply until next spring. If I want Library Science, Wayne State is really the only option. Really I am thinking more of Literature and/or Composition. With a MA, I could teach at the college level. It may come to nothing, or maybe next year, I'll be back in college. What I really need to find out is if any of the 20 hours I already did at the graduate level would still count. That was back in 1991-92, so probably not, but I need to find out.

We are camping with friends this coming weekend at a new campground. It's near Maryann's house, so she'll come hang out with us, I think. Gotta consider how to fit in the workouts while I am camping. Can't take the time off or I will lose my momentum. We did buy the popup that we borrowed last year (can't remember if I mentioned that or not), so we do have a camper.

Sunday - Relax, Church,
Monday - WORK5, Karate, AYSO meeting
Tuesday - WORK 5, Beach Day, Lord of the Rings in the theater
Wednesday - WORK 5, kickboxing, church
Thursday - WORK 5, Karate
Friday - WORK? , Camping
Saturday - Camping
Sunday -Camping
Monday - Camping

Weekly Preview and Review

So, last week was more relaxing than my spring weeks. That's so nice!

Seeing Fellowship of the Ring in the theater again was thrilling! Maryann and James and I went together. There were only about 30 people in the theater. Can Flint really have only 30 dedicated LOTR fans? Seems like too few. Anyway, every touching moment still makes me tear up, every funny moment still makes me laugh, every LOTR fan moment still makes me squirm with delight! Wonderful! Can't wait for this Tuesday to see Two Towers!

Beach Day last Thursday was switched to Park Day since we have not really had a good weather Park Day yet this spring. It really would have been warm enough for the lake, but Park Day was very nice. The kids had a great time and the weather was perfect! We went to a park they're always asking to visit but we never seem to have time for.

Bob and I have been married 23 years now. I meant to dig out the VHS of our wedding and show it to the kids. Maybe we will do that today since I forgot that until just now.

I went to kickboxing with a friend on Wednesday morning. I haven't been to class for a long while though I have done some Tae-bo in my living room. OMG my hamstrings have been killing me all week. They still hurt TODAY 4 days later! What an awesome workout. Gonna try to go once a week.

Completed Week 1 of the 10K training which meant three runs (2 miles each) and 3 cross training days (karate 2x, kickboxing 1x, and I also did a 3 mile walk.) Trying to drag some friends into the 10K thing with me. It's easier with people!

Pay period ended on Friday. Can't wait for the paycheck! Once a month paydays are greatly anticipated!

I actually weeded the back garden beds yesterday with the girls. I almost never do gardening. We planted some seed mix we got at the dollar store. We'll see if it does anything. Bob took the boys over to our vegetable garden plot at a church a couple miles down the road to weed and water.

Went to a few garage sales Saturday - got a couple shirts, a cute wooden box, and some origami paper. Something else too, but I can't think of it. Suzy bought some Polly Pockets and Emily bought a Jonas Brothers CD. lol James got some hot wheels cars out of a free box. Suzy needs some shorts, but I have yet to find a garage sale with her size clothes!

David spent one night at Alex's house and one night at Brandon's. And he got to go to youth group at Faith Tab, which he loves. So, a good week for him too!

I finally got all the soccer registrations entered into the computer. There are fewer this year - not quite 300. But it still takes a long time. Now I need to make the teams. But that can wait a couple weeks, I think.

The upcoming week looks a lot like last week! I signed Suzy up for a VBS this week, but I don't know if she'll actually be going.


Sunday - Relax, Church, Father's Day
Monday - WORK5, Karate
Tuesday - WORK 5, Lord of the Rings in the theater
Wednesday - WORK 5, kickboxing, church
Thursday - WORK 5, Karate
Friday - WORK 5
Saturday - Book Club!
Sunday - Relax!, Church

Weekly Preview and Review

Well, I skipped a week and I didn't even realize it!

Soccer is over! The last games were June 4th. I am still working on processing the soccer registrations for next year. Then I will make the teams. I have an assistant this year that will handle the uniform orders - whew! This is my last year as Registrar, so as the year goes on, I will teach my assistant how to do the registrar tasks and then hand it over to him when he's ready. I am really thrilled to be finishing up with that. I actually do like the registration stuff, but I am already on the computer 5 hours every day and adding those tasks, which are mostly computer-related, is just too much. 

Last week I was quite sick on Sunday and Monday and still recovering on Tuesday and Wednesday. Emily was sick before me and David, after me. The others didn't get it - thank God!

Tuesday I went with a friend to a homeschool used curriculum sale and then out for lunch. Got a few things that will be useful, most importantly Suzy's new math.

Belt Promotion happened Wednesday night - it was SO HOT that day! We had no idea what to expect, but it was very cool. Several of the red and black belt students gave demonstrations, including our instructor, and those were very cool. Then there was a quiz time for prizes and then finally the belt promotions. Our group (the beginners) went first and the instructors tied our new belts on us and then presented us to the audience. Then we watched the other classes get their belts. Very inspiring! Someday, we'll invite you all to see us get our black belts! :-) It takes about 3 months to progress to each level. We moved from 10th to 9th "gup" (level), so it will be a while.

Friday was supposed to be Park Day, but once again the weather was uncooperative. After Park Day, I had scheduled Suzy's party at the mini-golf place, thinking it would be easier for the moms since they'd already be out. But then I was in a dilemma. The weather wasn't so great for mini-golf either! But we pressed on and the party turned out wonderfully! I put up some pix on Cornerstone and if you care to see the whole slew of pix, you can email me for the link. I think this was the easiest party! I brought a cake, but other than that, all we had to do was show up and pay! And it was a fair price which included hot dog, chips, pop, and ice cream.

Maryann's son's graduation open house was Saturday and we stayed for the whole thing, then headed over to their house for the "after party". James stayed home with Bob but the rest of us spent the night and most of Sunday just hanging out. Alex (Maryann's son) will be going to Aquinas in the fall and David will miss him terribly.

This week our karate class starts the summer schedule, which moves it later in the afternoon. (3pm instead of 1:30) We do plan to continue through the summer.

Sunday - Relax
Monday - WORK5, Karate
Tuesday - WORK 5, Lord of the Rings in the theater
Wednesday - WORK 5, kickboxing
Thursday - WORK 5, Karate
Friday - WORK 5, Beach Day
Saturday - Our Anniversary
Sunday - Relax!, Church, Father's Day

I actually looked at the week ahead on my kitchen calendar and wondered if I forgot to write anything on there. It looks so empty! LOL  Nope, it's a nice empty week. PLEASANT CHANGE!

Maryann and I are going to see Lord of the Rings in the theater this week (and probably the next two Tuesdays as well). I think I'll be taking James along. He has been asking and asking to see the movies.

We are picking up our "new" camper this week. It's the one we borrowed last summer. The family isn't going to use it anymore and offered to sell it to us at a good price. So, even though we really wanted to move up to a larger camper, this is what God is offering to us. So, we're taking it! And so once again, we'll have a camper. And our "new" van has a hitch, so we're all set there.

Since we will have the new camper, we may go camping this weekend. I had considered it, but the weather looked like it wouldn't be great camping weather. Now, however, the forecast looks more promising, so maybe we'll do it.

10K training will commence this week. I will run on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. So, there. :-)
(Karate is Mondays and Thursdays and I will try for kickboxing on Wednesdays.) That gives me Saturdays off (or as a make up day, I guess).