Back to School

It's hard to believe that I now have a fifth-grader and an eight-grader. The years sure do fly by way too quickly. The school year, so far, is off to a good start. One of the fifth-grader's teacher is having a "silly band" year.

"B"ring materials to class
"A"ttend school regularly
"N"otice the details
"D"o the right thing

The kids can earn a silly band for turning in homework timely each week and the teacher gives them out as incentives or rewards for other various things during the week. What a fun and creative way to use a current "trend" to encourage and reward kids!

The eight grader is loving his classes as well, especially science. His teacher used a bunson burner to create a "geyser" this week--any time you do something like that you're gonna get a 13-year-old boys attention!

Of course, we had to take the annual first day of school pictures. I always make the kids hold up the number of fingers to represent what grade they are going in to. They're probably gonna hate me for this someday. 

Once they were home from school, we  celebrated with a special back to school treat.  A great start to what I'm sure will be a great school year.

4-H Project Time

It's almost Medina County Fair time and this week is project judging for the two 4-Hers that live at our house.  Although it seems that we're always down to the wire when it comes time to wrap up those projects, I'm really glad that the kids are involved in 4-H. 

Growing up a "city girl", as my husband calls it, I had never really been to the fair. Well, at least I don't really remember attending the fair as a kid.  All I really knew about the fair I probably learned from "Charlotte's Web".

I still remember when we had our first little garden at our first little house and John decided to enter one of his green tomatoes into the fair. 

"Um, okay.  But, why?"  I thought.

So, he entered his tomato and won his first blue ribbon. 

"Um, okay.  Congratulations there, honey.  Nice tomato."

I really didn't get this whole fair thing.

Now, my kids are involved in 4-H.  Being involved in 4-H has kind of changed the whole fair experience for both me and the kids.  It's made the focus more on the projects and the animals and not so much the rides and the food.  Yes, they'll still get their bucket of greasy fries and cotton candy, but we'll spend most of our time seeing what types of projects were done by all 4-Hers,  checking out how their friends did and finding out if our kids or their dad won any ribbons. 

As we were wrapping up those projects this past weekend, I could see the pride in their faces and excitement about how they might do at judging.  We've been encouraging and reminding both of the kids to be ready to really tell the judges what they've learned. 

"I remember last year, I talked and talked to my judge, said the 10-year old.  My throat was sore for three days afterwards because I talked so much." 

Hmmm, I think we've would've remembered if she had talked that much.  But, sometimes you just don't argue with a ten-year old girl. 

Make that most of the time.

Although both of the kids have had numerous opportunities to speak in front of people, at both church and at school, project judging gives them a sense of nervousness and excitement.  On our way to judging, the ten-year old asked me about a knot in her stomach.  "Mom, is that what being nervous feels like?  Is it okay to be nervous?"  Both good questions.

The kids have now finished their judging.  They did really well, both receiving "A" marks and blue ribbons for the judging portion.  They came away from the experience excited and pleased with themselves for what they had done.  Now, we just have to wait until fair to see how they placed.

Dad isn't planning on entering any green tomatoes this year, but he is planning on entering some of his maple syrup. 

Now that's something that I can appreciate.

The world needs a little more duct tape

Give a girl some duct tape and you'll never know what she might do with it. Seriously.

The ten-year old is in love with duct tape.  Last Christmas, she asked for duct tape.  Her fun-loving and creative Aunt even found her some cool tye-dyed duct tape.  Awesome.  She's made wallets and other small things like that, but a few weeks ago she decided she wanted to make a duffel bag.

"I don't think I can help you with that one, honey."

"That's okay.  I know exactly what I need to do" she told me.

And she did.  She worked quietly up in her room, at her little art desk, for over an hour on her project.  She appeared for dinner and then went straight back to her room to continue working. 

"Mom, do you have any spare binder things from one of those three ring binders?"

It just happened that I did.  Don't ask me why, but I salvaged some binder mechanisims when I sorted through my son's barely staying together school binders.  What luck.

By the end of the evening, she had her project finished.  Her very own duct tape duffel bag.

I bet none of the girls at this week's sleepover will have anything like this.  Good thing the little girl likes to be unique.

How-How Campers!

How-How is the traditional greeting at Camp Wanake -- the church camp where our kids spent a wonderful week learning about God, playing outdoors and having a great time.

They were at camp from Sunday - Friday and three days after coming home, they were still talking about their week at camp.  At camp, the kids pick a camp theme and then they are divided into small groups of about 8 or so kids with two counselors.  I love the small group concept. 

The thirteen year-old picked "Best of Both" for his camp.  I'm not sure what "Best of Both" meant, but he spent the week doing all kinds of different things.  They spent a day at Baylor Beach swimming at the water park there.  They did a challenge course,  a rock climbing wall and the rock tower, which he said he actually enjoyed.  He loves mountain boarding -- this involved a snowboard-on-wheels type contraption, helmet, knee pads, and as you can guess, taking the board down the hill.  He loves it.  It frightens me.

The ten-year picked "No Party Poopers Allowed".  During the week, they had a pool party, a pajama party and a Barn Bash/Dance party.  In addition to the parties she had a great time doing all the normal camp activities.  She enjoyed Boji Ball, canoeing, swimming and more swimming. Near as I can understand it, Boji ball is similar to dodge ball, but involves a lot more balls. As in everyone has a ball. If you want to know more about it, you'll have to ask the kids. They've tried countless time to explain it to me, but I'm hopeless.

Each morning, the campers have time set aside for "morning reflection," a quiet devotional time.  They cook out at least one meal a day at their campfire at their "home in the woods," a special spot that is just for their small group that week.  The thirteen year-old went on and on and on about this chicken dish that they made one night for dinner.  "It was just SO good, mom.  You have to get the recipe."  He told me the ingredients, (chicken, onion, apple jelly -- to name a few).  Had I made that at home, I bet I would've gotten the look that said 'I'll try it, but I'm not going to like it".  The ten year-old went on about the bacon and french toast that she made on the buddy burner.  "It was SO good.  My bacon was just perfectly crisp and the french toast was yummy!"  She doesn't like french toast at home.  Guess we'll have to make a buddy burner if we want her to eat french toast.

Each day the also have bible study time during the day and throughout the week they have "Pow Wows" in the evenings.  Pow-wows are small group time, around the campfire.  They might ask questions that each of the campers get to share about.  Questions such as "where is your favorite place in the world" or "if your heart was made of food, what food would it be made of".  The boy answered "butter".  I'm not surprised.  I'm sure that there is a deeper meaning that was shared in the pow-wow.  But, butter doesn't surprise me.

The campers have a Bible verse to memorize for each day.  The verse it set to a familiar tune which makes it so much easier to memorize.  At the Friday parent program, we get to hear the kids sing all of the verses/songs that they learned throughout the week.  The kids so enjoyed these songs that they sang them for the entire way home.  One of their favorites was a song set to the tune of YMCA.  I wonder if the Village People ever thought about how versatile their song would become.  Bet they would've never imagined that it would be used to memorize Bible verses!  Here's the verse:

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him." John chapter 14 verses 6 through 7.

The kids also enjoy getting mail while they are at camp.  It's rare that we receive a letter in return.  "We were just so busy" is usually the excuse.  The ten year-old even received a letter from our cat Ike.  Please excuse the poor spelling, but he is a cat, you know.  Some of it might be hard to understand, but if you're a ten-year old living at our house, it all makes sense.

The kids are already looking forward to returning to camp next year. 

 "How-How Campers"!

The Farm Market

Last summer, a farm market was started in our little town.  With people in general being more aware of "buying homegrown", it seemed like a good time to try to start a market here.  Each Saturday, we take our little table and whatever vegetables might be ready from the garden and sell at the market.  Both kids, especially the 13 year-old, love to sit behind the table and greet whomever may come by our spot.

"These are spinner gourds," he'll explain "kids would play with them like a top" and then he'll demonstrate how to spin the gourd.

Just a little reading in-between customers

"We have hostas and black cherry tomatoes and chocolate covered pretzel rods".

He's such a salesman.

Actually they love going to the market.  I don't think it's just for the little bit of cash they earn for their efforts.  Honestly, they seem to enjoy going, helping, selling (ok -- and eating).

For me, it's almost like a small town gathering place, a small social event.  It's a time to visit with our "neighbors" and other people from town.  It's a nice opportunity to chat with people that we normally might only see in passing.  Oh, yeah, and a chance to pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables that we don't have in our garden.

                            Sandy makes wonderful cookies and Kris' vegetables are always beautiful

Jane Snow cooks up some stir fry with fresh vegetables from the market

This past Saturday, food writer Jane Snow came a gave a cooking demonstration using foods from the market.  She made some sauteed radishes and some vegetable stir fry.  The little girl had three samples of the stir fry.  Well, one she tried to give to her brother, but then volunteered to eat it when he declined.  Such a nice sister. 

It was a great day at the market and now I have another recipe to try that I know at least one of my kids will eat.

The Shoes

Yes, these are my son's current shoes.  Well, at least as of yesterday.  Pretty sad, I know.  I should be ashamed of myself for letting my child wear these shoes.  In public.  At school.  To dinner.  To the Indian's game.  What a bad mother I am.

Last week, when the boy stepped in a soft, muddy spot, you should've seen the look on his face.  Or, maybe the cringe on mine.  It's not that the child didn't have any other shoes.  He had another pair.  A nice, practically  new pair.  Thing is, he didn't like them.  These were some fancier "Shaq" basketball style shoes that I found on clearance.  Some deal that was.

"But my old shoes are comfortable," he would say.

"There's barely any shoe left," I told him. 

He didn't care.  So, this is what he'd wear most of the time.  Unless a parent would notice and make him wear the "Shaq" shoes.  He leaves for camp on Sunday, so these will be great shoes for camp.  If they last that long.  I had visions of the shoes completely coming apart while he's on a hike in the middle of the woods.  There would be looks of "what kind of mother sends her kid to camp with shoes like that."  So, I finally went out and found another pair of shoes.  On clearance.  Hope this pair works out better than the last ones I found on clearance.

Father's Day

After spending Friday afternoon parking cars and from 6:30 am - 5:00 cooking chicken on Saturday for the annual Seville Yard Sale, Dad requested a quiet day at home.  We helped Dad in the garden, which he seemed to appreciate and fixed a special dinner of grilled salmon, baked potatoes and grilled vegetables.  It was a nice, relaxing day, which I think we all enjoyed.

Even though we didn't celebrate in a big way, we are all so very thankful and consider ourselves so very lucky to have this wonderful person in our lives.  Happy Father's Day!