Our morning...

Here's how we spent this fine Wednesday morning:

Okay. Technically, this is how *Noah* spent this fine Wednesday morning. Asher, Micah and I spent it sitting and watching the swim meet. :) We were at the pool a little over 4 hours. Thankfully, the first third or so of the meet was overcast. Thankfully, too, there was a large umbrella available during the rest of the meet. Still, though, we were hot (we'd dressed for the overcast, in lieu of the thunderstorms of last night). And the boys can only take so many games of Countdown and playing on the iPhone. Regardless, I'm so happy with this swim team experience. Noah's really enjoying it and gaining independence and a willingness to try new things (for instance, today he competed in the freestyle relay, even though he doesn't really like freestyle). I think, too, that he appreciates having something that's "his." 

If, though, by chance, you have any ideas on ways to pass the time during a swim meet...I'd dearly love to hear 'em. :)

Ten on Tuesday (completely unrelated edition)

1. Why, oh why, must Lego decide to release new sets (particularly new STAR WARS sets) between Asher and Micah's birthdays?! Don't they know that I've already shopped for both boys at the same time but now must figure out what to do about the fact that Micah's list has changed? Argh. Note to self. Remember this for next year, as I seem to remember now that the same thing happened last year. Guess I should have made a note then. Poo. Someone remind me next summer, okay? ;)

2. The boys would dearly love more THREE player games. Sure, many out there say 2-4 players, but we'd love to see some that are actually dedicated to three players. (Specifically, they're tired of trying to figure out the math to share their allotted time on the Wii when playing Lego Star Wars, a two player game, lol.)

3. Hey, Lego. If you're paying attention, my boys would like to request that you start a Mythbusters line. Imagine all the different myth sets you could come up with...

4. Is there a legitimate reason behind all the baking recipes that tell me to mix the flour and such in a separate bowl before adding it to the larger bowl? If I'm going to be mixing them all together anyhow, why do I have to dirty that other bowl? Can't I just mix the flour and other dry ingredients directly into the bigger bowl?

5. Does anyone have any experience with using hula hoops or jump ropes for exercise? I've been looking at this and this and wondering about trying to add those to my routine. Thoughts? Would love any pointers!

6. Are you watching the Women's World Cup? We've been following it and spent a portion of our weekend just watching the quarterfinals. Micah has declared (after a rather intense US v. Brazil game that went into extra time and then came down to a penalty kick shoot out) that he now likes Hope Solo (the US goalie) better than Han Solo. Obviously, this is high praise from Micah. ;)

7. All three boys, btw, will be needing further instruction on not yelling threats and insults at referees. While many (including the commentators and us) agree that some of the calls were questionable or down-right wrong, we still need to respect the referee's decision. Right? (This, btw, also carries over to the conversations yesterday about respecting the lifeguard's decisions to clear the pool due to thunder, lol. Apparently, it's really tough both to think that rules aren't being followed and to feel that the rules aren't appropriate.)

8. Don't laugh but I broke down and bought these last night. Hoping they work as well as they look. If so, we'll have three very happy boys. :)

9. As a bit of an addendum to my travel thoughts, we've found that the souvenir penny presses are fabulous for satisfying the boys' desire to have *something* from each place we go without breaking the travel budget. Ours each almost have a full penny passport and love being able to choose the design that he likes best. 

10. Just so you know, I've been in a purging mood of late. I get that way a few times a year. ;) This time around, it's because I'm gearing up to buy homeschool materials for the coming year and feel more justified in buying new things when I'm getting rid of other things. I'm still debating what to do with all the purged items. Some have already found their way to Goodwill, some found new homes elsewhere, and some are sitting in various boxes around my house. :) 

Okay. That was ten. How's your Tuesday going? 

Quote #28.

As the summer keeps flying by...here's this week's quote:

Our greatest need is to teach people how to think. Not what but HOW. –Thomas Edison

As I’m pinning down my curriculum plans for the coming year, this quote may become my mantra for the year. As we’ve worked the past year or so on establishing a routine and covering specific material, I feel that I’m neglecting some more important aspects of the boys’ education. I need to do a better job of helping them learn how to find the answers they need…how to communicate with others…how to identify their own strengths. Whether or not I make sure they know the dates of World War I or the difference between an acid and a base pales in comparison.

Yup, I think I need to go make myself a sign with this quote to keep me on track this coming year. :)

The Fourth and Swim Meet #2 (for us).

Catching up a wee bit...

Having just gotten back in the swing of things after our road trip, we opted for a nice low-key Fourth this year. Just your average all-out water fight in the front yard:

(Don't you just love Micah's "fierce" look? You can click on any of these pictures to make them larger.) Yes, I joined in after I tucked the camera safely back indoors. :) We all ended up soaked and, somehow, covered in grass. Odd. 

Anyhow. After getting dry and fed and all, we journeyed to the Loveland city fireworks show:

No. Those aren't our sparklers but I just thought it made a fun picture...that was about 20 feet from where we were sitting. :) It was a great show and we went home happy (and with boys talking about wanting to go on a field trip to learn how fireworks are made, lol).

Yesterday morning (the 6th), Noah had his second swim meet of the summer (we missed one while we were on our road trip). Noah competed in the same events as last time but this time, for the medley relay, he ended up doing both the breast stroke and the freestyle legs of the relay. His teammate did the backstroke and butterfly legs. Apparently there had been another boy who was going to do two legs but he was missing when it came time to race, so Noah and Aaron split up the legs between themselves. They managed to come in second and did fabulously. :)

 
When the kids arrive at the meets, the coaches write the numbers of the events that each kid is participating in on his/her arm. I think it's funny...brilliant, but funny. :) The second picture (clockwise) is Noah winning his heat of the 50 yard backstroke. Yay! Next, he was diving in for his 50 yard breast stroke heat (he took second). That last one is me catching him just before he turned around to finish out the breast stroke. ;) 

Okey-dokey. I think I'm caught up now on pictures here. :) Hope your July is going well!

Random driving thoughts.

Just some things that crossed my mind during the four full days of driving recently...

Construction zones. I get the point behind lower speed limits when construction is going on. I do. But. When it's the middle of the night and no one is doing any actual road work and the road is totally fine, is it *really* necessary to go 35 in a normally 75 area? Really?

Driving gloves. I'm envisioning something like long ballroom gloves but made from a wicking, spf sort of fabric. I think these could really sell. ;) Okay, maybe not. But I definitely could have used some during the drive. I'm pretty sure my hands and arms got a good bit more tanned just from the drive. Nathan asked if I'd market them to truckers. I think skin colored gloves with tattoos would be a hit, don't you?

Elmer's Fountain. Driving east on I-90, just after Wallace, ID is Elmer's Fountain. We actually noticed it on our way west but didn't stop, as it was on the other side of the freeway. We made a mental note to stop on our way back but then completely forgot. If you happen to be driving that way, stop by and tell is what it's like, okay?

Snack bags. For those wondering if we have any tips on traveling long distances with kids, one of the best ones I have is to make up individual snack bags at the start of the trip. I label three gallon size ziplock bags and fill them each with various goodies...some that are actually good snacks and some that I rarely let the boys have. I usually throw in at least one special treat like a candy bar, though I try to avoid things that will melt. :) This time around, I loaded them for two days and explained to each boy that his bag had to last *both* days. (I repeated this whole procedure on the way home.) Beyond that, they were free to eat from the bag whenever they wanted. (Each boy was responsible for keeping his bag next to his seat.) This eliminates boys whining about being hungry and means we only have to stop for bathroom breaks and actual meals, not to get things out of coolers or boxes and hand them around. It also prevents arguments over who got the last bag of fruit snacks. :)

Trash bags. In conjunction with the snack bags, make sure you have at least a couple trash bags throughout the car and empty them whenever you stop for gas. Further, make it a policy that trash belongs in the bags. ;) (We had one that Nathan, Noah and I could reach and one that Micah and Asher could reach.)

Washington drivers. I know this is a gross generalization. But. Might I please remind Washington state drivers that passing a car need not take all day? Seriously folks. Even when we weren't in WA, the WA drivers we encountered had a great tendency to pull out of the right lane to pass the car in front of them. At this point, where others would simply zip past that slower car and get back into the right lane, they would creep along at roughly the exact same speed as the car they were intending to pass. For minutes on end. And then, maybe, they'd finally get past and then a few minutes beyond that they might remember to move over so that the fuming, crazy Colorado driver behind them could get past them both. ;) Thankyouverymuch.

Wyoming Adopt a Highway signs. Might I also please request that Wyoming change their Adopt a Highway signs so that they do not look just like the big blue signs that signal that a rest area is coming up? Pretty please? It's just cruel to get one's hopes up like that.

Starbucks iphone app. Thank you to the Starbucks iphone app for enabling Nathan to find the nearest Starbucks along our entire route. ;) I think there may have been a day or two that we didn't stop at a Starbucks, but I know there were at least some where we stopped more than once. The boys found the number of Starbucks in Seattle to be crazy. Nathan thought it was wonderful. :)

Okay. I think that was all for now. ;) Thanks for letting me share/vent. ;)