and i loved the message so much, i printed it out
and hung it in our kitchen.
when scout noticed it at breakfast this morning,
he read it out loud and said, "i really like that mom".
{me too}
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
pretty and powerful print
a girlfriend shared this on instragram,
and i loved the message so much, i printed it out
and hung it in our kitchen.
when scout noticed it at breakfast this morning,
he read it out loud and said, "i really like that mom".
{me too}
and i loved the message so much, i printed it out
and hung it in our kitchen.
when scout noticed it at breakfast this morning,
he read it out loud and said, "i really like that mom".
{me too}
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
jr. lifeguard tryouts
every summer, hundreds of kids throughout san diego
from ages 7 to 17, participate in the junior lifeguard program.
i tried signing my two kiddos up last year but forgot to
register early {spots go within the first hour}, so this year
c and i both had reminders pop up in our phones telling us
to jump online the minute registration opened.
our part was relatively easy.
finn and scout had it tougher.
they had to pass a swim test in order to participate.
as a jr. grom, scout just had to swim 2 laps in an
olympic size pool without touching the bottom or resting.
{easy peasy}
though scout desperately wanted a timed swim test,
he won't get one until he turns 9.
they are required for the bigger kids only,
and the time allowed decreases as kids get older.
finn's age group had to swim 4 laps under 2:30,
probably very easy for competitor swimmers,
but for finn, a relaxed swimmer, it was challenging.
over the last several weeks of swimming at the club,
finn had only made the time limit once during his practices,
so we were all a little anxious for him.
during tryouts, he dug deep and pushed through,
finishing with 6 seconds to spare.
the boys were handed these yellow slips of paper
after their swim announcing they had passed!!
we celebrated a bit with high fives and called to share
the happy news with c. {i wish i had an extra phone to
capture the excitement and the smiles on their faces as they
talked to their daddy}. pure happiness.
from here, we headed home, had a quick bite, threw on jeans
and long socks and headed to skateworld!
scout had been asking me for probably 3 months
to take him and it had been tough finding a free weekend
day. we finally found one!
scout, at age 7, finally learned how to GLIDE....very different
than walking on skates. it's a much more enjoyable
experience and it made me giddy to see him finally get it.
for 3 hours, we skated, limbo'd, played the dice game
and raced - all of us. we lost to the 'derby' kids/adults
that were there in big numbers but that was ok.
we had a blast!
scout was having so much fun, he announced he wants
rollerskating to be our monthly 'date'. i couldn't commit to
that, but i did tell him we would squeeze more in. much more.
we had a fabulously fun day...with sore muscles to remember it.
~ c missed all the fun {was in LA...his very last time
for the project that has been his baby the last several months}.
we filled him in on everything....and shared videos
he's joining us next time.
from ages 7 to 17, participate in the junior lifeguard program.
i tried signing my two kiddos up last year but forgot to
register early {spots go within the first hour}, so this year
c and i both had reminders pop up in our phones telling us
to jump online the minute registration opened.
our part was relatively easy.
finn and scout had it tougher.
they had to pass a swim test in order to participate.
as a jr. grom, scout just had to swim 2 laps in an
olympic size pool without touching the bottom or resting.
{easy peasy}
though scout desperately wanted a timed swim test,
he won't get one until he turns 9.
they are required for the bigger kids only,
and the time allowed decreases as kids get older.
finn's age group had to swim 4 laps under 2:30,
probably very easy for competitor swimmers,
but for finn, a relaxed swimmer, it was challenging.
over the last several weeks of swimming at the club,
finn had only made the time limit once during his practices,
so we were all a little anxious for him.
during tryouts, he dug deep and pushed through,
finishing with 6 seconds to spare.
the boys were handed these yellow slips of paper
after their swim announcing they had passed!!
we celebrated a bit with high fives and called to share
the happy news with c. {i wish i had an extra phone to
capture the excitement and the smiles on their faces as they
talked to their daddy}. pure happiness.
from here, we headed home, had a quick bite, threw on jeans
and long socks and headed to skateworld!
scout had been asking me for probably 3 months
to take him and it had been tough finding a free weekend
day. we finally found one!
scout, at age 7, finally learned how to GLIDE....very different
than walking on skates. it's a much more enjoyable
experience and it made me giddy to see him finally get it.
for 3 hours, we skated, limbo'd, played the dice game
and raced - all of us. we lost to the 'derby' kids/adults
that were there in big numbers but that was ok.
we had a blast!
scout was having so much fun, he announced he wants
rollerskating to be our monthly 'date'. i couldn't commit to
that, but i did tell him we would squeeze more in. much more.
we had a fabulously fun day...with sore muscles to remember it.
~ c missed all the fun {was in LA...his very last time
for the project that has been his baby the last several months}.
we filled him in on everything....and shared videos
he's joining us next time.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
youngling training
for almost two years now, scout has been in the midst of youngling training.
if you are a fan of star wars or have children who are huge fans, you probably know
that younglings are children training to be jedis. here's a detailed description from the
star wars glossary.
because scout loves star wars and challenges of all sorts,
around 5, he announced he was a youngling and asked c to give him both physical
and academic 'training'. c would come up with all kinds of challenges which made
it so much fun, scout didn't want to stop. it was then, c decided to create a schedule
for our youngling.
the year one schedule is tucked away in scout's keepsake bin, but i found this
year two schedule on scout's desk and snapped a photo. his father has quite the imagination.
the challenges he has scout do based off the titles schedule are equally as fun.
i love how c never misses an opportunity to teach...even during play.
tonight scout reminded c that he had 'math' with coleman' {who coleman is, i can't say}.
c asked if i was available to help with training and i was. i learned there's no set syllabus,
so as scout sat in the bathtub, i quizzed him with multiplication facts. the youngling
did quite well - missing 9x7 and a handful of his 12 tables. he's got the rest down.
{i'm embarrassed to admit i don't know them all either}.
~ behind the scenes, life couldn't be more crazy right now. c's buried in a los angeles
project, and been back and forth a lot the last 2 weeks which means i'm doing the
drop offs and pick ups at school. there's final school projects due, the boys' piano recital
next month...at our home, summer camps to figure out, jr lifeguard tryouts for both boys
this saturday, finn's middle school orientation and preparations for 5th grade graduation
ceremony! though finn couldn't be more ready, i'm still trying to wrap my head we'll have
a middle grader this fall!
it's a busy time but exciting too...lots of events and BIG changes ahead!
if you are a fan of star wars or have children who are huge fans, you probably know
that younglings are children training to be jedis. here's a detailed description from the
star wars glossary.
because scout loves star wars and challenges of all sorts,
around 5, he announced he was a youngling and asked c to give him both physical
and academic 'training'. c would come up with all kinds of challenges which made
it so much fun, scout didn't want to stop. it was then, c decided to create a schedule
for our youngling.
the year one schedule is tucked away in scout's keepsake bin, but i found this
year two schedule on scout's desk and snapped a photo. his father has quite the imagination.
the challenges he has scout do based off the titles schedule are equally as fun.
i love how c never misses an opportunity to teach...even during play.
tonight scout reminded c that he had 'math' with coleman' {who coleman is, i can't say}.
c asked if i was available to help with training and i was. i learned there's no set syllabus,
so as scout sat in the bathtub, i quizzed him with multiplication facts. the youngling
did quite well - missing 9x7 and a handful of his 12 tables. he's got the rest down.
{i'm embarrassed to admit i don't know them all either}.
~ behind the scenes, life couldn't be more crazy right now. c's buried in a los angeles
project, and been back and forth a lot the last 2 weeks which means i'm doing the
drop offs and pick ups at school. there's final school projects due, the boys' piano recital
next month...at our home, summer camps to figure out, jr lifeguard tryouts for both boys
this saturday, finn's middle school orientation and preparations for 5th grade graduation
ceremony! though finn couldn't be more ready, i'm still trying to wrap my head we'll have
a middle grader this fall!
it's a busy time but exciting too...lots of events and BIG changes ahead!
Friday, April 17, 2015
spring break 2015: grand canyon, part 2
from phoenix, we headed north towards the grand canyon.
because i dragged my feet booking a hotel, i wasn't able to
find a hotel in the park or just outside of it.
we stayed in flagstaff instead, a small college town just an
hour south of the park. after we checked into our hotel, we walked
around for a bit, grabbed dinner, then snuggled up in our king sized bed
and watched alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
we laughed at the ridiculous situations they all got themselves into.
later, i asked the boys to set out their clothes so we'd be prepared.
my plan was to grab breakfast in the lobby and get on the road early
so we could get to the trailhead by 8:30am.
it was then i learned my firstborn didn't pack tennis shoes.
as he dug through his suitcase, he said "ithought I packed them".
he didn't. all he had were flip flops.
somehow he had forgotten them...even though he knew we were HIKING.
i got a teensy bit annoyed, but told myself this was a minor problem.
at 7:30am the following morning, we were at a 24 hour walmart,
buying generic converse, and were out of the store in 15 minutes. *yay*
we got to the park at 9am, a little later than we had planned and
were lucky and found easy parking by the trail. oh how beautiful it was!
it had probably been 15 years since i'd been to the grand canyon and it was
every bit as wondrous as i remember it.
the boys could hardly believe it was real.
I heard them say "wow and cool" a dozen times,
then finn reminded us all that it was carved by the
colorado river.
they were frozen for a few minutes,
then asked if we could start hiking.
we found the start of the bright angel trail,
i snapped a quick photo with my phone and we were off.
it was so easy going down. we made friends along the way,
the most memorable being a father and son from hamburg, germany.
the teenage son was studying here in the states for a semester and spoke
excellent english. he was older {i.e. cool}, loved soccer and surfing so
the boys had lots to talk about with him.
as we hiked, I reminded the boys that coming up was much harder
and that a good rule of thumb is allow twice as long to hike back up.
after and hour a a half, scout reminded us that we should turn around.
he was right.
we said goodbye to our german friends and hiked back up.
it really was twice as hard and twice as long, but it was a great workout too.
i love physical challenges so i wasn't complaining.
because of all the soccer scout is playing these days, he did just fine,
we got on the road about 2:30pm,tired and very hungry.
we had a 3 hour drive back to phoenix...without traffic.
i was hoping we could meet up with family for dinner, but halfway there,
it was clear it wasn't going to happen. we'd be getting in too late.
we got take-out, found a comfort inn on the side of the freeway,
and were asleep by 9/9:30pm. we slept so well...and slept in a bit the next day.
before we headed home to san diego, we quickly met up with my sis heidi,
her husband greg and their new baby girl Anoka. we were introduced to lux coffee,
a hip little coffee house in downtown phoenix. it was perfect...great coffee and
great bacon. {uncle greg was kind enough to treat us}. i loved on Anoka a bit
and finn and greg talked about space and video games and then got on the road.
we drove back on a sunday, 4/10, which was my birthday!
i received several sweet phone calls....some went to vm but some i heard come in
and was able to chat. those added even more fun to my day and our roadtrip.
since baking a cake wasn't in my plans for the day, finn suggested we have a treat
to celebrate. i asked what he had in mind and he said ICE CREAM. i loved the idea.
we stopped for a late lunch in yuma, and found a southern ca staple, in-and-out burger.
we filled up on burgers, fries and shakes. it was exactly was i was craving and the
boys said it was THE best shake they've ever had in their lives.
we arrived home aound 7pm, exhausted but happy.
the boys got out of the car first and then came back to the car
bouncing a bit and asking me to hurry. for what reason, i had no idea.
then as i walked up the sidewalk to the front door, i saw this sign.
c had left us a note welcoming us home.
it was very sweet and made us all smile.
~ we saved celebrating for the following evening.
my dear friend melissa watched the boys and c
treated me to dinner at bo-beaus, a small french "restaurant tucked
away in ocean beach that i'd been wanting to visit forever.
it was delicious and i left very grateful....for the life i have
and all the people who add so much to it.
because i dragged my feet booking a hotel, i wasn't able to
find a hotel in the park or just outside of it.
we stayed in flagstaff instead, a small college town just an
hour south of the park. after we checked into our hotel, we walked
around for a bit, grabbed dinner, then snuggled up in our king sized bed
and watched alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
we laughed at the ridiculous situations they all got themselves into.
later, i asked the boys to set out their clothes so we'd be prepared.
my plan was to grab breakfast in the lobby and get on the road early
so we could get to the trailhead by 8:30am.
it was then i learned my firstborn didn't pack tennis shoes.
as he dug through his suitcase, he said "ithought I packed them".
he didn't. all he had were flip flops.
somehow he had forgotten them...even though he knew we were HIKING.
i got a teensy bit annoyed, but told myself this was a minor problem.
at 7:30am the following morning, we were at a 24 hour walmart,
buying generic converse, and were out of the store in 15 minutes. *yay*
we got to the park at 9am, a little later than we had planned and
were lucky and found easy parking by the trail. oh how beautiful it was!
it had probably been 15 years since i'd been to the grand canyon and it was
every bit as wondrous as i remember it.
the boys could hardly believe it was real.
I heard them say "wow and cool" a dozen times,
then finn reminded us all that it was carved by the
colorado river.
 |
| grand canyon: finn {11} + scout {7} |
they were frozen for a few minutes,
then asked if we could start hiking.
we found the start of the bright angel trail,
i snapped a quick photo with my phone and we were off.
it was so easy going down. we made friends along the way,
the most memorable being a father and son from hamburg, germany.
the teenage son was studying here in the states for a semester and spoke
excellent english. he was older {i.e. cool}, loved soccer and surfing so
the boys had lots to talk about with him.
as we hiked, I reminded the boys that coming up was much harder
and that a good rule of thumb is allow twice as long to hike back up.
after and hour a a half, scout reminded us that we should turn around.
he was right.
we said goodbye to our german friends and hiked back up.
it really was twice as hard and twice as long, but it was a great workout too.
i love physical challenges so i wasn't complaining.
because of all the soccer scout is playing these days, he did just fine,
and though finn and i aren't quite as fit, we survived and were just
a bit sore the following day. {scout wasn't sore at all}. *grin*
 |
we got on the road about 2:30pm,tired and very hungry.
we had a 3 hour drive back to phoenix...without traffic.
i was hoping we could meet up with family for dinner, but halfway there,
it was clear it wasn't going to happen. we'd be getting in too late.
we got take-out, found a comfort inn on the side of the freeway,
and were asleep by 9/9:30pm. we slept so well...and slept in a bit the next day.
before we headed home to san diego, we quickly met up with my sis heidi,
her husband greg and their new baby girl Anoka. we were introduced to lux coffee,
a hip little coffee house in downtown phoenix. it was perfect...great coffee and
great bacon. {uncle greg was kind enough to treat us}. i loved on Anoka a bit
and finn and greg talked about space and video games and then got on the road.
we drove back on a sunday, 4/10, which was my birthday!
i received several sweet phone calls....some went to vm but some i heard come in
and was able to chat. those added even more fun to my day and our roadtrip.
since baking a cake wasn't in my plans for the day, finn suggested we have a treat
to celebrate. i asked what he had in mind and he said ICE CREAM. i loved the idea.
we stopped for a late lunch in yuma, and found a southern ca staple, in-and-out burger.
we filled up on burgers, fries and shakes. it was exactly was i was craving and the
boys said it was THE best shake they've ever had in their lives.
we arrived home aound 7pm, exhausted but happy.
the boys got out of the car first and then came back to the car
bouncing a bit and asking me to hurry. for what reason, i had no idea.
then as i walked up the sidewalk to the front door, i saw this sign.
c had left us a note welcoming us home.
it was very sweet and made us all smile.
~ we saved celebrating for the following evening.
my dear friend melissa watched the boys and c
treated me to dinner at bo-beaus, a small french "restaurant tucked
away in ocean beach that i'd been wanting to visit forever.
it was delicious and i left very grateful....for the life i have
and all the people who add so much to it.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
spring break 2015: phoenix, part 1
the first week of the boys' spring break was spent at tennis camp.
the majority of the second week was spent in arizona with me. yippee!
{that's how I felt at least}. i got them ALL to myself which is a rare treat.
a mom/son only trip wasn't what we originally planned.
mr. g was going to join us, but work is super crazy for him and will be for
another 2 weeks. when he mentioned having to take and make tons of calls
while we were driving and having to work some, i said no siree.
this trip was all about downtime. the rule was NO working...at all.
if c needed to work, he needed to stay home to do it, and that he did.
he was bummed but I assured he would go back. {hiking to the bottom
of the canyon and back up with the entire family is on my bucket list}
at dark o'thirty on tuesday morning, we pulled out of san diego, with the
audiobook of wonder {and others} on my phone. scout prefers reading
over audiobooks, so while finn and i listened through earphones through a
splitter, scout had his head in the paper book he received for easter.
we stopped only once to use the restroom, get gas and eat breakfast.
we were all GLUED to the story. it.is.phenomenal!! we laughed and
cried together a lot together....well the boys didn't cry out loud, that was
just me.
we arrived in northern phoenix around 2pm that afternoon.
scout had finished the entire book {as i've shared before, the kid devours books}.
he announced that he loved it and that the julian chapter would be my favorite.
finn and i still had 1/4 of the book left to listen to. i had scout promise not give
anything away.
we stayed somewhere new this time. i booked us at the wigwam resort.
because it was quintessential arizona, all rooms were low-slung casitas,
and the hotel had pool slides, a must for parents with boys.
scout luckily {and just barely} met the 48" height requirement to go on
the hotel waterslides. whew!
some highlights:
- sharing a huge california king bed...our 'thing' when we vacation together
- shaved ice from hannas
- sushi at a little boutique restaurant that we walked to from our hotel
- going down the waterslides {all of us}
- watching godzilla and eating popcorn in the hotel bed
i put my phone away for most of the trip....determined to soak up every minute i could
with the two little men that call me mom. it was a bit of heaven.
after some time in the desert, we headed north to the grand canyon's south rim.
{stay tuned}
the majority of the second week was spent in arizona with me. yippee!
{that's how I felt at least}. i got them ALL to myself which is a rare treat.
a mom/son only trip wasn't what we originally planned.
mr. g was going to join us, but work is super crazy for him and will be for
another 2 weeks. when he mentioned having to take and make tons of calls
while we were driving and having to work some, i said no siree.
this trip was all about downtime. the rule was NO working...at all.
if c needed to work, he needed to stay home to do it, and that he did.
he was bummed but I assured he would go back. {hiking to the bottom
of the canyon and back up with the entire family is on my bucket list}
at dark o'thirty on tuesday morning, we pulled out of san diego, with the
audiobook of wonder {and others} on my phone. scout prefers reading
over audiobooks, so while finn and i listened through earphones through a
splitter, scout had his head in the paper book he received for easter.
we stopped only once to use the restroom, get gas and eat breakfast.
we were all GLUED to the story. it.is.phenomenal!! we laughed and
cried together a lot together....well the boys didn't cry out loud, that was
just me.
we arrived in northern phoenix around 2pm that afternoon.
scout had finished the entire book {as i've shared before, the kid devours books}.
he announced that he loved it and that the julian chapter would be my favorite.
finn and i still had 1/4 of the book left to listen to. i had scout promise not give
anything away.
we stayed somewhere new this time. i booked us at the wigwam resort.
because it was quintessential arizona, all rooms were low-slung casitas,
and the hotel had pool slides, a must for parents with boys.
scout luckily {and just barely} met the 48" height requirement to go on
the hotel waterslides. whew!
some highlights:
- sharing a huge california king bed...our 'thing' when we vacation together
- shaved ice from hannas
- sushi at a little boutique restaurant that we walked to from our hotel
- going down the waterslides {all of us}
- watching godzilla and eating popcorn in the hotel bed
i put my phone away for most of the trip....determined to soak up every minute i could
with the two little men that call me mom. it was a bit of heaven.
after some time in the desert, we headed north to the grand canyon's south rim.
{stay tuned}
Sunday, April 5, 2015
easter weekend: 2015
easter kind of snuck up on me this year.
ok, it didn't completely sneak up on me.
i had picked up/ordered a few items for baskets weeks prior,
but i hadn't thought about them since. spring break plans
had been consuming me.
the morning before easter, c pulled down the baskets from the rafters
in the garage, and left for tennis. the boys and i boiled and dyed eggs.
scout loved it, but i could tell finn was there to indulge his mother.
just as we finished, c got home and took the boys and 2 of their friends to
the regional robotics competition {finn's been going since he was in kinder,
and his counting down the years until he's in high school and competing}
while they were watching robots designed by high school students,
the easter bunny was running errands and preparing for the big day.
since theme's make things easier for me, the tween in the house received a
space themed basket which included hard to find mars bars, orbit gun, an alien,
and his copy of the martian returned with the curse words crossed out. *grin*
the 7 year old had a swim/water play themed basket.
later that night, scout had a birthday sleepover at his buddy aidan's home,
a very long day for a 7 year old. c and finn picked him up early
easter morning which worked out great because the easter bunny, who
they know is mom, visited while they were gone. {the easter bunny is a
tough sell to any child older than 5/6}.
a few photos from our morning:
it was strange not having auntie jen with us.
it's been the first easter in a very long time.
i think she enjoys the festivities as much as we do.
she is a master hider, and comes up with the best clues
for scavenger hunts....i mean THE best!
the easter bunny tried leaving clues in the silver plastic eggs,
but they weren't very clever or challenging enough {per finn}.
aunties are great for many many reasons, and holidays
is when our family feels auntie jen's absence the most.
last year after the initial hunt, she hid eggs over and over for
the scoutmaster. since she was in texas this year, guess who had
this priviledge? one guess. yours truly.
scout announced "i could hunt eggs ALL day",
but after about the 6th hunt, i secretly celebrated when he announced
we should stop because i ran out of new hiding places in the house.
{i kept reminding myself that someday i will miss all this}
ok, it didn't completely sneak up on me.
i had picked up/ordered a few items for baskets weeks prior,
but i hadn't thought about them since. spring break plans
had been consuming me.
the morning before easter, c pulled down the baskets from the rafters
in the garage, and left for tennis. the boys and i boiled and dyed eggs.
scout loved it, but i could tell finn was there to indulge his mother.
just as we finished, c got home and took the boys and 2 of their friends to
the regional robotics competition {finn's been going since he was in kinder,
and his counting down the years until he's in high school and competing}
while they were watching robots designed by high school students,
the easter bunny was running errands and preparing for the big day.
since theme's make things easier for me, the tween in the house received a
space themed basket which included hard to find mars bars, orbit gun, an alien,
and his copy of the martian returned with the curse words crossed out. *grin*
the 7 year old had a swim/water play themed basket.
later that night, scout had a birthday sleepover at his buddy aidan's home,
a very long day for a 7 year old. c and finn picked him up early
easter morning which worked out great because the easter bunny, who
they know is mom, visited while they were gone. {the easter bunny is a
tough sell to any child older than 5/6}.
a few photos from our morning:
it was strange not having auntie jen with us.
it's been the first easter in a very long time.
i think she enjoys the festivities as much as we do.
she is a master hider, and comes up with the best clues
for scavenger hunts....i mean THE best!
the easter bunny tried leaving clues in the silver plastic eggs,
but they weren't very clever or challenging enough {per finn}.
aunties are great for many many reasons, and holidays
is when our family feels auntie jen's absence the most.
last year after the initial hunt, she hid eggs over and over for
the scoutmaster. since she was in texas this year, guess who had
this priviledge? one guess. yours truly.
scout announced "i could hunt eggs ALL day",
but after about the 6th hunt, i secretly celebrated when he announced
we should stop because i ran out of new hiding places in the house.
{i kept reminding myself that someday i will miss all this}
Saturday, April 4, 2015
mars one
a package arrived yesterday from uncle todd.
it was addressed to finn and inside was the march issue
of national geographic. he was thrilled because he loves
this magazine and this one was ALL about science.
along with the magazine, uncle t included two articles
about current ucf students, who are candidates for the
mars one, manned mission to mars, set to launch in 2026.
i was vaguely familiar with mars one, but the tween in the
house was very familiar so the articles were very appreciated.
{such thoughtfulness from uncle t}.
since i was a bit lay on the subject, finn had me watch this
video not just one, but twice. he said i got distracted once
when i turned to respond to scout.
if you haven't seen the video, it's time:
wow! pretty cool stuff!
it looks and feels just like a movie trailer to me.
finn's response, "it's supposed to mom. it's all about marketing".
he explained advertising will be one of their biggest revenue
streams. there is even plans to have a reality-like tv show so
folks back on earth can follow the habitants.
finn shared he was disappointed he didn't hear about the application
deadline which was in 2013. had he known, he told us he would have applied.
apparently, 240,000 people from all over the globe sent in applications.
he wanted that to make it 240,001.
when i mentioned mars one probably wouldn't accept applicants from
children, he brushed me off saying that he would be in his 20s come
launch date and be old enough. *sigh*
~ the boys are in their second week of spring break and the time for our trip
to the grand canyon is finally here! originally, i considered a roadtrip to texas
to visit auntie jen and possibly a side trip to mission control in houston, but given
our limited vacation time, it didn't make sense. texas is a long ways from cali.
so we're seeing one of the natural world wonders instead.
i haven't been since our Tucson days, and the boys have never been.
now that they are smart enough to be safe and old enough to do some
longer hikes, it was time to go.
i will be bringing my big camera along to try to capture the beauty of the canyon.
i've yet to decide if i will actually carry it on our 4 hour hike i have planned.
if I chicken out, there's always my cell phone...
enjoy the rest of your week and i'll see you in 5 days or so.
it was addressed to finn and inside was the march issue
of national geographic. he was thrilled because he loves
this magazine and this one was ALL about science.
along with the magazine, uncle t included two articles
about current ucf students, who are candidates for the
mars one, manned mission to mars, set to launch in 2026.
i was vaguely familiar with mars one, but the tween in the
house was very familiar so the articles were very appreciated.
{such thoughtfulness from uncle t}.
since i was a bit lay on the subject, finn had me watch this
video not just one, but twice. he said i got distracted once
when i turned to respond to scout.
if you haven't seen the video, it's time:
wow! pretty cool stuff!
it looks and feels just like a movie trailer to me.
finn's response, "it's supposed to mom. it's all about marketing".
he explained advertising will be one of their biggest revenue
streams. there is even plans to have a reality-like tv show so
folks back on earth can follow the habitants.
finn shared he was disappointed he didn't hear about the application
deadline which was in 2013. had he known, he told us he would have applied.
apparently, 240,000 people from all over the globe sent in applications.
he wanted that to make it 240,001.
when i mentioned mars one probably wouldn't accept applicants from
children, he brushed me off saying that he would be in his 20s come
launch date and be old enough. *sigh*
~ the boys are in their second week of spring break and the time for our trip
to the grand canyon is finally here! originally, i considered a roadtrip to texas
to visit auntie jen and possibly a side trip to mission control in houston, but given
our limited vacation time, it didn't make sense. texas is a long ways from cali.
so we're seeing one of the natural world wonders instead.
i haven't been since our Tucson days, and the boys have never been.
now that they are smart enough to be safe and old enough to do some
longer hikes, it was time to go.
i will be bringing my big camera along to try to capture the beauty of the canyon.
i've yet to decide if i will actually carry it on our 4 hour hike i have planned.
if I chicken out, there's always my cell phone...
enjoy the rest of your week and i'll see you in 5 days or so.
Friday, April 3, 2015
stay
stay is a charming word in a friend's vocabulary.
- louisa may alcott
tonight i'm thinking about the beauty of friendship...
how special it is to have someone who feeds your soul.
so many things feed me: the laughter of my boys, conversations
with c, reading, playing the piano, time with family, and conversations
with my dear friend aleyda.
over the last several weeks, i've had the pleasure of spending
an entire morning at her home. we talked for hours over coffee and donuts,
and her sweet husband even joined us for some of the time which was nice
as it had been so long since i had really talked.
last night i met up with a again for dinner.
we talked about almost everything, and ended up in barnes and nobles
with coffees. we perused the children's books for a good hour.
i was looking for a book for scout's buddy who is having a birthday this
weekend and aleyda was looking for books for her son.
as we scanned the titles, this book caught my eye
and i excitedly pointed it out to aleyda.
chances are most parents and teachers of upper elementary
grade students are familiar with wonder. it's hugely popular!
it's currently #1 on the new york times bestseller list and
has been there for the last 122 weeks! it's also what my
book group voted on for the month of april.
i was thrilled because i've had my eyes on this book for over 2 years
and was waiting for finn to be a bit older so he had the maturity to fully
appreciate it. his teacher beat me to it though. she read the book out
loud to her 5th grade class before the holidays. oh how he loved it.
after giving aleyda a brief synopsis, she was sold.
she purchased a copy to read herself and for her son to read when
he's a bit older. the next time we get together, we'll both have read
it and will have even more to talk about. yay!
~ finn warned me to have lots of tissue around for this book.
ive heard this book is heartwrenching - very emotional. each chapter gives
a perspective of one of 6 characters which allows readers to connect deeply not
only to august, the 10 year old boy with the facial deformity, but also see into the
minds of his parents, his best friend, his older sister, his teacher, etc.
i can hardly wait to start to start reading.
happy easter weekend!
- louisa may alcott
tonight i'm thinking about the beauty of friendship...
how special it is to have someone who feeds your soul.
so many things feed me: the laughter of my boys, conversations
with c, reading, playing the piano, time with family, and conversations
with my dear friend aleyda.
over the last several weeks, i've had the pleasure of spending
an entire morning at her home. we talked for hours over coffee and donuts,
and her sweet husband even joined us for some of the time which was nice
as it had been so long since i had really talked.
last night i met up with a again for dinner.
we talked about almost everything, and ended up in barnes and nobles
with coffees. we perused the children's books for a good hour.
i was looking for a book for scout's buddy who is having a birthday this
weekend and aleyda was looking for books for her son.
as we scanned the titles, this book caught my eye
and i excitedly pointed it out to aleyda.
chances are most parents and teachers of upper elementary
grade students are familiar with wonder. it's hugely popular!
it's currently #1 on the new york times bestseller list and
has been there for the last 122 weeks! it's also what my
book group voted on for the month of april.
i was thrilled because i've had my eyes on this book for over 2 years
and was waiting for finn to be a bit older so he had the maturity to fully
appreciate it. his teacher beat me to it though. she read the book out
loud to her 5th grade class before the holidays. oh how he loved it.
after giving aleyda a brief synopsis, she was sold.
she purchased a copy to read herself and for her son to read when
he's a bit older. the next time we get together, we'll both have read
it and will have even more to talk about. yay!
~ finn warned me to have lots of tissue around for this book.
ive heard this book is heartwrenching - very emotional. each chapter gives
a perspective of one of 6 characters which allows readers to connect deeply not
only to august, the 10 year old boy with the facial deformity, but also see into the
minds of his parents, his best friend, his older sister, his teacher, etc.
i can hardly wait to start to start reading.
happy easter weekend!
Thursday, April 2, 2015
figaro, the songbird
figaro arrived in the mail yesterday.
he's one of the dozens of homemade dolls offered by blah blah.
everyone single one is precious....it's near impossible to chose.
this songbird will become the lovey for a sweet little girl {my niece}
who's birthday is just around the corner. it's perfect for her as music
is already a big part of her life.
i hope she will end up loving figaro every bit as much as scoutie loves
adiamo, his blah blah sock dog whom he calls 'patches'. i had hopes of
preserving him, but scout has yet to give me permission to tuck him
away in the keepsake bin. he said probably next year when he's 8.
{i think he said the same thing last year too} *grin*
~ the boys are on their spring break - for 2 weeks!
he's one of the dozens of homemade dolls offered by blah blah.
everyone single one is precious....it's near impossible to chose.
this songbird will become the lovey for a sweet little girl {my niece}
who's birthday is just around the corner. it's perfect for her as music
is already a big part of her life.
i hope she will end up loving figaro every bit as much as scoutie loves
adiamo, his blah blah sock dog whom he calls 'patches'. i had hopes of
preserving him, but scout has yet to give me permission to tuck him
away in the keepsake bin. he said probably next year when he's 8.
{i think he said the same thing last year too} *grin*
 |
| figaro the songbird |
~ the boys are on their spring break - for 2 weeks!
they are in tennis camp this week, and next week we plan on a trip to the grand canyon.
they've never been and now that they are older and can hike, it's time!
{we hope to swing by phoenix and visit with family}
they've never been and now that they are older and can hike, it's time!
{we hope to swing by phoenix and visit with family}
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
the martian
last christmas, i picked up this book for finn.
since he is into ALL things space and mars in particular,
i thought this novel would be perfect.
i was looking for something other than technical books for him,
especially since his teacher encourages him to read more fiction.
it was one of gifts he got most excited about christmas morning,
and he retreated to my bedroom for hours that weekend and devoured
the book, finishing it in 2 days. he announced this was his new favorite book.
fast forward 6 weeks.
my book group met last month to vote for our next book.
i was thrilled to learn the martian was one of our 3 sci-fi choices because
we already own the book AND i'd be able to discuss it with finn as well as the ladies.
{a rare treat since we don't read many books together anymore}.
the ladies overwhelmingly voted for the martian,
so i broke open the book on our road trip to utah a few weeks ago,
and the first sentence of the book used the four letter F word!!
with my mouth open wide, i showed christopher and turned around to ask finn who
had his head in this book, why he didn't mention the language to us when he read the book.
he very calmly and matter of factly said "i don't care about that mom, i care about the science".
had he been any other child, i might not believe him, but i knew it was true.
those words weren't important to him, the problem solving was.
STILL we don't want our 11 year old reading books with lots of foul language either.
i realize it's probably language he's heard before somewhere,
but i still should have done my due diligence.
this is the first fully adult novel he's read and i shouldn't have assumed anything.
{i did read several reviews of it, but language wasn't mentioned}
i let finn know that i should have done better...at least skimmed the book.
finn asked if we'd have let him read it and honestly, i don't think i would have...
not the unedited version. language aside, it's a fantastic book full of science,
with a brilliant and resourceful astronaut who solves problem after problem trying
to survive on mars. it's captivating and i understand why finn enjoyed it so much,
but dang, there are expletives throughout.
almost daily, finn asks me where i'm at in the book.
i tell him and he talks about the problems in detail.
the science goes over my head the 2nd time.
a few days ago he asks that i hurry up and finish reading so we can
not only discuss the end but also so he can cross out all the bad words and put
more "appropriate words" in their place. he wants to reread and share with his buddies.
a great solution for all.
c is actually finding all those words on a digital copy so finn doesn't have to
look for them. his father will cross them out in finn's paper copy and return to
his firstborn.
finally, my book group meets tonight to discuss the book and i'm hoping to have it
read by then {just a few more chapters to go}. i'm excited to see how a bunch of ladies
of all professions like it. we even have a mechanical engineer in the group...just like the
astronaut who gets stuck on mars.
enjoy your day!
~ the family sat around the tv watching an interview with the author last week.
it was so enjoyable. we learned a movie, with the same title, is currently in the
works and will be out this fall! finn is beyond excited and asked if he could see it.
as long as it's not rated R, he's there.
{on rare occasions, we make exceptions for pg-13 movies}
since he is into ALL things space and mars in particular,
i thought this novel would be perfect.
i was looking for something other than technical books for him,
especially since his teacher encourages him to read more fiction.
it was one of gifts he got most excited about christmas morning,
and he retreated to my bedroom for hours that weekend and devoured
the book, finishing it in 2 days. he announced this was his new favorite book.
fast forward 6 weeks.
my book group met last month to vote for our next book.
i was thrilled to learn the martian was one of our 3 sci-fi choices because
we already own the book AND i'd be able to discuss it with finn as well as the ladies.
{a rare treat since we don't read many books together anymore}.
the ladies overwhelmingly voted for the martian,
so i broke open the book on our road trip to utah a few weeks ago,
and the first sentence of the book used the four letter F word!!
with my mouth open wide, i showed christopher and turned around to ask finn who
had his head in this book, why he didn't mention the language to us when he read the book.
he very calmly and matter of factly said "i don't care about that mom, i care about the science".
had he been any other child, i might not believe him, but i knew it was true.
those words weren't important to him, the problem solving was.
STILL we don't want our 11 year old reading books with lots of foul language either.
i realize it's probably language he's heard before somewhere,
but i still should have done my due diligence.
this is the first fully adult novel he's read and i shouldn't have assumed anything.
{i did read several reviews of it, but language wasn't mentioned}
i let finn know that i should have done better...at least skimmed the book.
finn asked if we'd have let him read it and honestly, i don't think i would have...
not the unedited version. language aside, it's a fantastic book full of science,
with a brilliant and resourceful astronaut who solves problem after problem trying
to survive on mars. it's captivating and i understand why finn enjoyed it so much,
but dang, there are expletives throughout.
almost daily, finn asks me where i'm at in the book.
i tell him and he talks about the problems in detail.
the science goes over my head the 2nd time.
a few days ago he asks that i hurry up and finish reading so we can
not only discuss the end but also so he can cross out all the bad words and put
more "appropriate words" in their place. he wants to reread and share with his buddies.
a great solution for all.
c is actually finding all those words on a digital copy so finn doesn't have to
look for them. his father will cross them out in finn's paper copy and return to
his firstborn.
finally, my book group meets tonight to discuss the book and i'm hoping to have it
read by then {just a few more chapters to go}. i'm excited to see how a bunch of ladies
of all professions like it. we even have a mechanical engineer in the group...just like the
astronaut who gets stuck on mars.
enjoy your day!
~ the family sat around the tv watching an interview with the author last week.
it was so enjoyable. we learned a movie, with the same title, is currently in the
works and will be out this fall! finn is beyond excited and asked if he could see it.
as long as it's not rated R, he's there.
{on rare occasions, we make exceptions for pg-13 movies}
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
About Me
- Angela
- San Diego, CA, United States
- I'm a Southern California mom to 2 boys and a wifey to my long-time love. I work full-time and life is a bit crazy, but I strive to remember to take time to enjoy the little things, because in the end, it's those things that will matter most.