Quick Escape

If you're here looking for an exciting update from me, I'm sorry to say you're going to be disappointed. Not much in the newsworthy department has been going on. We spent the weekend at home, working around the house and yard.

I finally finished weeding the vegetable garden fully. I had begun to feel like I'd never get ahead of the weeds. Hopefully I can keep up with it!

Gordon worked in his shop on a couple of different jobs. I love having the shop right here at the house. It means he can help friends and family but not have to be far away from us.

The kids hung out around here too. They played in the pool. They rode bikes. They also visited our neighbors for a bit yesterday.

I bet you're wondering where my post title ("Quick Escape") fits in with what our weekend was like. It doesn't. But our next few days will. Tomorrow evening I'll be loading the children up and heading North for a few days. We'll be returning Friday, so we won't be gone long. I don't have any big plans for our stay in VT. I hope to get to visit with Amy, my cousin's wife. Other than that, the only real 'plan' I have is to RELAX and ENJOY!

Of course I'll be taking my camera with me. I hope to have at least a couple of good shots to share with y'all. Be on the lookout this weekend!

second week of Summer Vacation

Today is the last day of the second week of Summer Vacation. We've had our ups. We've had our downs. The stars must be rather closely aligned, because we had far more ups than downs!

Not much going on here at the Crazy House, other than trying to stay cool. The humidity here in New England is picking up. I'm still steadfast in my decision to NOT turn the AC on, so we're using some creativity to help keep the humidity from getting the best of us.

We're keeping the windows closed during the hot daytime hours, covering the eastern-facing windows so the bright sunlight is kept out. Once dusk is just about over, and the cool evening breezes are picking up, we throw all of the windows open. We also turn our attic fan on for a little while, to help get the cool air circulating throughout the entire house.

I've also been trying to keep the kids inside the house during the hours of 10am-2pm. Those hot hours are the perfect time for the kids to play games inside, read, and watch movies. Accomplishing chores during these hours can be done too, but usually the kids don't want to. Eating our 10:30am snack and 12pm lunch also helps make good use of our 'down time'.

Mid-afternoon, we're back outside to play. Most days we're making great use of our pool, letting the water help keep us cool. Gordon has come home more than once or twice to find us in the pool still. After a quick change into his swim trunks, he joins us for a quick dip too.

So, that's what has been going on here......how 'bout your neck of the woods??

Karate Kid

Dianna has started taking karate lessons. She asked if she could a couple of months ago. Gordon and I discussed it, and both agreed that karate would be a very good activity for Di. The self-discipline and respect she would learn would be so helpful for her (and me!).

Fast forward to just a couple of weeks ago, when my sister's friend, Jamie, sent me an e-mail. It was a flyer from her son's karate school, advertising their summer special. New students could sign up for only $99 for a six-week session; students can attend up to four classes a week.

So I took Di down to the karate studio so she could check it out. She was allowed to participate in a class before we officially signed her up, just to make sure it was something she'd enjoy. Boy, did she enjoy it!

Here are some pics of our 'Karate Kid'...

Girlie bike no more

Late Tuesday night, Gordon started taking Will's bicycle apart. Will has been riding a pink and purple Barbie themed bicycle. Definitely not a masculine ride.

So Gordon took the bike apart and painted it. Will had no idea when he woke last Wednesday morning that anything had ever happened. It was a total surprise when Gordon told Will that his bike 'fell apart and turned black'.

Happy, but still VERY sleepy.....

A couple of days later, Will posed for me behind his 'new' bike. He LOVES it!

Boating on the Lake

Our neighbors, Rob and Margaret, recently bought a new boat. They invited us to join them on the lake one evening last week. Here are some pictures from then...

Dianna, watching Rob and Margaret's son tubing...

Grace
Dianna took a turn tubing

then Grace took her turn....I'm in this picture because Margaret grabbed my camera and took a few shots for me....(thanks, Margaret!)

Will wanted a turn tubing too, but I was too worried to let him try it....he was sufficiently happy with just getting to play in the tube when we were anchored in a shallow part of the lake for a while.

Nora

All of the children, our four and Rob and Margaret's two, having snacks while we were anchored.

A girl and her hat

Also on the 13th, we attended a party at Mark and Lisa's.....they were celebrating Marli's impending High School graduation and Mark's birthday, and a couple of other things.....they had a Fiesta themed party.

Lisa gave out some sombreros.....Nora was in love with hers....and I just couldn't resist capturing a couple of shots....

Children's Service at Church

The sunday school children presented a play about Noah's Ark on the 13th of June. It was so cute, with lots of 'pun'-ny lines. The girls were thrilled to be participating. Will, not so much.

Here is Grace, the squirrel...
And Dianna, the sheep...

And William, the puppy....who refused to wear his puppy ears for all but 10 minutes....and who took his costume off entirely for the actual presentation...I still think he was rather cute...

Kicking off the summer with Ice Cream

As in years past, we hosted our annual Ice Cream Social on the last day of school. Each year, we successfully invite a few more friends. Our party just keeps growing!

Here is a picture of the group of children we had at the house this year....

I believe it's fairly safe to say that everyone had a great time! A couple of boo-boos, lots of laughter, and plenty of social time for the Moms to hang out. The kids piled their ice cream sundaes high with all sorts of goodies, but the running around in the backyard probably negated any lasting effects of the sugar-induced energies.

MUCH better end to the week

This first week of summer vacation looks like it's going to end far better than it started. I'm guessing we just needed a couple of days to transition. I'm just glad that everyone seems to be getting along better.

Probably one reason why everyone is getting along better is that I've made them get busy. I re-instituted the chore chart. Remember back when I first talked about my kids doing chores without me nagging?? That was two years ago. I love that this system works just as well now as it did two years ago when I first introduced it.

Also, our neighbors, Rob and Margaret, took us out on their boat the other night. My brave big girls both got to try tubing. They had a BLAST! I was a nervous wreck! Still, it was great to see the sheer joy on their faces.

Finally, Gordon surprised William by updating his bike. As the younger brother to two older sisters, Will has been the recipient of a couple hand-me-down bicycles. PINK AND PURPLE hand-me-down bicycles. Gordon stripped Will's newest hand-me-down bicycle and painted it a glossy black and metallic silver. Will is THRILLED. The whole project will be 100% complete once I locate some replacement pedals (the original ones are pink) and either recover the seat or purchase a new bike seat. But for now, it's been reassembled and Will is proudly riding a very NOT-girly bike!

As usual, I have plenty of photos to share. Again, as usual, I'm using my laptop to type this update. This means I do not have access to the photographs I'd like to share. Be sure to check back over the weekend -- I hope to get those photos posted before the end of the weekend!

No honeymoon??

Remember how excited I was for the summer vacation to start? Yeah, I couldn't wait. Seriously.

And now I know why everyone was looking at me like I should have my head examined.

Yesterday was the first full weekday of Summer Vacation. You'd think there would be a bit of a honeymoon period where the kids would get along fabulously. Where the kids would play nicely and be friendly and polite with eachother.

You'd have thought wrong, my friend.

The bickering around here was hellacious. The constant back and forth of jibes was neverending. The whining was overwhelming.

Worst of all was the tears. Oh my, the tears. Not one of my children didn't have at least one episode of full blown tears. It'd be one thing if the tears stemmed from a boo boo. Nope. They were anger and frustration.

And they weren't even MY tears of anger and frustration!

Today I have instituted our 'scheduled' day. The children all know what's expected of them at any given time of the day. If they don't remember, all they need do is look to the bulletin board in the kitchen, where I posted our daily schedule.

I pray we can ease into the gentleness of a planned routine and be over these turbulent, tear-filled, stressful summer days in no time. Because, really....who can have fun when everyone is at everyone else's throat all the time?? Not this Momma.

Moving Up Ceremony

Thursday evening was the official Moving Up Ceremony where the Entire Class of 2018 received certificates for completing elementary school. First, though, they had an awards ceremony. We were pleasantly surprised to find that Grace was awarded with the President's Award for Educational Achievement AND the Principal's Award. The President's Award was developed to recognize and honor students who have achieved high academic goals through their hard work and dedication to learning. The Principal's Award is presented to students who are seen as quiet leaders in the school.

Before heading to the ceremony, I was sure I would be super emotional. I figured I'd have tears streaming down my face the entire time. I was wrong. It's a good thing, too. Can you imagine the embarassment I would have caused Grace with such a display?!?

Here are some shots from ceremony....

Grace receiving her certificate.....that's Mrs. O on the left, Mrs. S in the middle, and the vice principal on the right. Mrs. O and Mrs. S are the two teachers Grace has had this year and last.

Here is a picture of Grace, standing in front of her awards and certificate after we got home.

A shot of me with Grace...
And a shot of Gordon with Grace....

I tried to take a picture of Dianna with Grace but it didn't go so well. Ahhh....I LOVE having sisters who hate eachother most of the time!

Multiage Picnic

Thursday morning, I started off running. I had to get the Big Girls out the door on time for their bus, and then leave shortly thereafter with the Little People. We were heading to Nana's house so she could watch Nora for me while I went to the Multiage Picnic to celebrate the end of the year with the Big Girls and their classmates. (Will's class would be starting shortly after the girls' picnic, so I walked him into school at the proper time.)

I got to the school just in time to see the classes getting assembled on the field, getting ready to do their opening activity. It was a cute song and dance where the kids thanked eachother for being friends.

A little later, it was time for the volunteers and 4th Grade students to be honored. Every year, the two Upper Multiage teachers (they have 3rd and 4th grade students in their classrooms) create a soundtrack for their class of fourth graders. They choose a song for each student that they feel characterizes the student. At the yearly picnic, they have the third graders read a little blurb about each student and why the particular song was chosen for them. Then they play a snippet of the song and present the student with a copy of the class CD.

Here is a picture of Grace when she was being honored. Her teacher, Mrs. S, chose 'I'm Comin' Out' for Grace. I think EVERYONE wholeheartedly agrees that Grace has come out of her shell and is turning into a confident young lady. The song was definitely a great choice!

Once all of the volunteers and students were honored, I got the chance to snap a shot of Grace with Mrs. Y and her friend, Elizabeth. Even though Mrs. Y retired a couple of years ago, she still stops in at the school to volunteer in the classroom. The children all adore her. I do too!

YAY! Summer Vacation!!

Today was the last day of the school year! Summer Vacation has officially begun. We have a busy weekend ahead of us, so I can't say the relaxation has started, but first thing Monday morning I will be taking it easy.

I've got more pictures from this week to share with y'all. I'll try to get them uploaded and posted on the blog soon. Be sure to check back!

Fourth Grade Moving Up Ceremony

It's official. Grace is done with 4th Grade. She has a certificate to prove it.

We attended her Moving Up ceremony, a graduation of sorts, tonight. I was certain I'd be bawling my eyes out. I'm proud to say that I did not. I *was* a tad misty eyed a couple of times during the ceremony, but I didn't ever require the use of a tissue.

I took at least THREE BAJILLION pictures tonight. I will try to upload them to share as soon as possible. Don't be surprised if they're not up by the end of the weekend. It's been a long and crazy week.

Before I log off, I just have to brag on my girl a bit. As part of the ceremony, the principal and vice-principal handed out several awards. Grace was the recipient of the President's Award for Educational Achievement, as well as the Principal's Award. Both Gordon and I are super proud of Grace.

Little Visitor

Yesterday afternoon I went out in the garage to toss an empty milk jug with the recyclables. I thought I heard a funny noise. I paused to listen. I heard it again, but couldn't figure out what the noise was.

So I shrugged my shoulders, turned, and re-entered the house.

About 20 minutes later, it was time to head down the driveway to get the kids off the bus. This time, when I entered the garage, I SAW what was making the noise. It was a hummingbird!

The poor thing must have flown in through the open garage doors and couldn't find its way back out. It must have been EXHAUSTED from attempting to find a point of exit. It kept stopping its flying and sitting still for minutes at a time, resting.

Good blogger that I am, I ran and grabbed my camera. I didn't want to miss the opportunity to show pictures when I blogged about this experience.

So I shot a couple of pictures, went down the driveway to meet the kids' bus, and then returned to figure out how I was going to help the poor thing. The whole process was a lot easier than I would have guessed. Probably because it was so tired and all. Please don't make the mistake of calling me the Hummingbird Whisperer. There really was no talent involved.

Here are a couple of the pics I shot....
It was resting on the garage door track....see all the cobwebs on its beak and left wing? The garage obviously needs some serious sprucing up!?

4th Grade Celebration

Yesterday was the 4th Grade Celebration at the elementary school. It was an Olympic themed party for the kids and their families. Yummy food, fun games and activities, and an energetic DJ were all part of the fun. I was thrilled to be able to celebrate with Grace.

Here's a picture of Grace and I...

The entire class of Fourth Graders and their teachers...

BUSY week!

This is the last week of school for the Big Girls and William. Today the chaos starts. Today is the 4th Grade Celebration, starting at 12pm.

Tomorrow William's class is having a luau themed year end party.

Thursday is a double whammy. It starts in the morning with the Multiage (the class unit that both big girls are in) Picnic. The day finishes with the 4th Grade Moving Up Ceremony. It's like a 4th Grade Graduation ceremony. I'm sure to be crying.

Friday is the last day of school. We will once again have our annual Ice Cream Party at the Crazy Household. I've invited a couple more friends over than last year. It's sure to be a fun time for the kids, and will hopefully be a relaxing time for the moms.

I'm hoping to take LOTS of pictures in these next couple of days. I don't know if I'll be able to find the time to upload the pictures right away, but be on the lookout for them. I'll get them up here to share with y'all sooner or later!

Hurts so good

I hurt today, but it's a *good* kind of hurt. I know, what an oxymoron. The scary thing is that it's totally true.

My leg muscles, especially those in my thighs, are super tight today. I woke up feeling a little stiff, but things have loosened up immensely since I've been moving around this morning. I'm almost to the point of forgetting that my legs have never felt this tight before.

Ya know what's weird?

I can't wait to get back outside to jog again.

After feeling so stiff first thing today, I was thinking I should take it easy and just go for a nice, long walk later today. But a surprisingly big part of me doesn't want to take it easy. I want to lace up my sneakers and push myself even harder than I did yesterday.

QUICK -- somebody please check to make sure the aliens haven't taken over my brain! This simply doesn't sound like the kind of thoughts I normally harbor!

My FIRST 5k!!

Today I ran my first 5k.

I use the term 'ran' loosely. VERY loosely.

I jogged. I walked. I did anything I could to continue a forward momentum at all times.

All in all, I'm quite proud of myself, thankyouverymuch. I pushed myself harder than I have ever before. I was nowhere near the front of the pack, but I also didn't finish dead last. (I'm actually a tad disappointed about that....I missed the notoriety I could have had for being the last runner to finish)

Thank you, Weight Watchers, for issuing your WalkIt Challenge. It was exactly the push I needed to get myself moving towards my long-time goal of running. I still have a lot of training work to do to consider myself a true runner, but I'm determined to do it!

I'm already planning which 5k I want to do next. I'm excitedly looking forward to submitting my registration paperwork. I'm confident I'll shave at least a couple of minutes off my run time.

My bestie, Susan, took a picture of me before we started....please excuse the hagard appearance....it was REALLY hot and humid this morning!
I looked even worse at the end of the race, but the endorphins I had coursing through my body had me all ramped up, so I didn't realize I looked as horrid as I did.

Here's a picture of me, Susan, Gail, and Melissa after we finished. This was a first 5k for each of us. Susan and Melissa kept pace with eachother the entire race. Gail and I were keeping pace for quite a while, but I started to feel lightheaded and get nauseous, so I slowed myself down a bit and urged Gail on without me.

More Portraits!

Memorial Day weekend I got to shoot some more Senior Portraits. This time it was my niece, Victoria, who was my model. We had a great time!

Here is just a sampling of the portraits I took of Vic.....

Can't we all just get along??

** WARNING **
This post gets real personal. I wrote it last week, but am only just now posting it because I'd lost my nerve after writing it. It's either a true form of bravery or stupidity that I'm posting it now.

Some of my blog readers may not know this, but I come from a rather large family. My twin and I are the youngest of six. I have one brother, three older sisters, and one twin sister.

For reasons I don't wish to go into on my blog, there has been a major estrangement within my family for more than a decade. My brother and his wife have had little, if any, contact with anyone else in the family. When I was a young twenty-something, I tried to remain connected with my brother and his family. Most of the communication was with my sister-in-law.

All of that communication came to a screeching halt back in 2006. I had called my brother to inform him Dad was in the hospital, and though the situation wasn't great, Dad was going to recover. Instead of the quiet thanks I expected to hear, I was chastised. My brother gave me what-for because he had already heard the news that Dad had been in the hospital, by 'SOMEONE NOT IN THE FAMILY'.

Ummm....sorry....the last time I had concerns about Dad's health (about 10 years prior), I had called my brother to tell him, only to have that bite me in the butt. I'll spare y'all the details, but let's just say that I was proceeding with caution this time. I felt it was important that my brother know of Dad's ailing health, but I didn't want the information to be used as a weapon against my parents, as had happened before.

Still, my brother's reaction wasn't the thing that turned me from talking to him or his wife. Nope. I was more than ready to extend him the benefit of the doubt, to assume his anger was mostly his own frustrations over his non-existent relationship with our father.

It was the acid tongue of my brother's wife that sealed the deal. She said some pretty nasty things about Dad's health and her wishes for what the outcome should be to someone that leaked the information back to the family. There is simply NO EXCUSE for those kind of comments. That is just being downright mean and nasty.

THAT was the final straw for me. I was done trying to play nice. Instead of going for an all-out war, I simply retreated. I shut my mouth and never spoke to my brother or his wife again.

Fast forward to this past September, after Dad passed. My brother was called. He returned to the east coast to attend the wake and funeral. I'm glad he did. Though I'm sure Dad would never have made amends, this was my brother's chance to make his own peace.

The good thing that came out of all of this is that my brother now has continued a limited contact with our mother. I'm also glad for this. He's her firstborn, and she'll always love him no matter what.

Two of my sisters have also been able to rekindle their relationship with our brother too. Again, I'm happy for them. But I'm conflicted.

I think I'd like to rekindle a relationship with my brother as well. But I'm not sure I can. When my brother was back east for Dad's services, we talked, but not about anything in particular. It was awkward for me that everyone, my brother especially, seemed to want to act like nothing was wrong. To act like no hurtful words had ever been uttered by anyone else in all these years of estrangement. Like all was well and swell with the family. No skeletons in anyone's closets.

Now, eight months later, I'm still torn up about the whole deal. I've come to admit to myself that I'm jealous of my two sisters who now are in contact with my brother. I want that. But I can't just pick up the phone and act like these last 10 years haven't happened. How can I ever come to the point of forgiveness?

Let's talk about ME

I'd like to take a moment to shift the direction of this blog chatter....I want to talk about ME today. I promise that this blog will not always be about just me....just this post.

As I'm sure most of you know by now, I'm a Weight Watchers member. I have been going this last time since Nora was only 3months old. I reached goal over a year ago, and have maintained since then. Actually, I have lost another 5lbs since the start of the year, have reset my goal to this lower weight, and have continued to maintain.

I'm proud of me.

I feel good. I feel like I look good......most of the time, anyway.

WW issued their second annual Walk-It Challenge a couple of months ago. The idea is to have as many WW members walk a 5K on Sunday, June 6th, as possible. They have been giving advice and training tips every week since the challenge was issued.

Since I can walk a 5K relatively easily already, I decided to up my own ante. I have finally started my dream of training to RUN a 5K! Admittedly I started the running part of my training on a rather slow schedule, so I'm not yet up to running a full 5K. At this point, I don't think it's possible to get myself to the point where I'll be running the full 5K by Sunday.

But I'm going to try!

I figure worse-case scenario, I end up walking more of the 5K than running. You know what? I'm good with that! I am enjoying running so much that I know I'll continue. Hopefully I'll even sign up for other 5Ks later on this summer.

Name this picture

Tell me.....should the following picture be titled "Gardening 101 no-nos" or should it be titled "Marital Matters Gone BAD"?

FOR THE RECORD: Gordon did this to himself. (I have witnesses!) He successfully illustrated to the kids just why we tell them to always put the garden rake away with the tines facing in. He forgot that golden rule himself, put the rake away incorrectly, and then proceeded to step on the tines of the rake. The handle of the rake was the PERFECT height to hit him just below the eye.