Summer Preview

Let's see...Ruth had her last day of preschool this past Friday and the boys have their last day this Friday. So far as I can tell, this week is pretty much a blow off week for them, so if we didn't care about the end-of-year awards ceremony, we could be at the beach this week (when it is the cheaper pre-summer rate), but we care (and don't have that kind of money anymore...since I don't work full-time and we have school tuition to pay).

Everyone still has baseball through the first 2 weeks of June (Luke has a tournament at the end of the first week of June) and then Luke will have All-Stars through the next week...or maybe through the month of June (if he gets selected for the "A" team).

In addition...

Ruth:
Science camp at her school - mornings only - first week of June
Summer fun at her school - mornings only - second week of June
Cub Scout Day Camp (since Richard is volunteering, she can go to the sibling unit) - morning to mid-afternoon - third week of June
Our parish's VBS - evenings - 4th week of June

Luke and Paul:
Cub Scout Day Camp - third week of June
Fitness Bible School at my fitness studio - mornings only - 4th week of June
Our parish's VBS - evenings - 4th week of June (Luke may not get to do this since he committed to All Stars)
Cub Scout overnight camp - 2nd week of July

JRod is getting married at the end of July, so we'll mini-vacation for that.

Mary's 1st birthday will be at the end of July (after the wedding)...the following Saturday we'll have a birthday party for her..and hopefully many family members will be able to come!

The first 2 weeks of August we plan to take a driving vacation up to Chicago to visit JFer.

We'll sprinkle is some trips to the lake here and there and, of course, there will be Summer Home School. 

I guess it mostly seems like I won't have all 4 home all day until July...that could be a good thing!

Saving Fish Richard

I guess it has been 4 or so weeks ago now, but non-fish Richard noticed that Fish Richard (the boys' goldfish) was swimming lethargically and had some white, pearl-like spots (three-dimensional) on his fins.  His situation did not improve and we commenced the Google searching.  We decided Fish Richard probably had Ich.  

After much research, we (non-fish Richard and I - mostly non-fish Richard) did a 100% tank clean out.  No websites recommend a 100% exchange of the fish's environment (too shocking), but we only loosely followed any direction we found on any of several websites.  Non-fish Richard rinsed all rocks and other decorative items and used a Magic Eraser to clean the tank's walls.  As a side note, those Magic Erasers are amazing.  I don't know what is in them, but they are...magic.  

Following the 100% exchange of water, we gave Fish Richard a quick (1 minute) salt bath.  This involves dissolving salt (in our case, Kosher salt) in water and then putting the fish in for a swim.  Research indicated this would either greatly improve Fish Richard's condition, or it would hasten his demise.  I doubt any of the websites would recommend a 100% environment cleaning AND a salt bath, but we are aggressive when we treat Ich.

Fish Richard showed marked improvement over the next few days (as the tank sat on the kitchen counter until Mother's Day).  On subsequent days we put the commercial Ich killer in the tank, and after a few days, the spots were gone.  Fish Richard was saved!

We vowed to do a 20% water replacement once a week, but...we have yet to actually do that.  Other things have consumed our attention instead.

Luke's "Home Run"

Luke FINALLY played a baseball game last week. He got a hit his first up to bat...he barely dinked it...it went more like where a bunted ball would go. This was unintentional, but it is actually pretty good for him because 1) the pitcher and catcher, at this age, are not prepared to deal with this type of hit and 2) Luke can RUN really quickly, so he can get on base before the pitcher/catcher can get it to 1st. In this case, the catcher tried to throw it to 1st anyway and over threw the ball, so Luke sped off to 2nd. The 1st baseman then tried to throw to 2nd and over threw him, so Luke sped to 3rd. The 2nd baseman tried to throw it back to the pitcher, the pitcher didn't catch it, so Luke sped home. He got a "home run" on overthrows. In his mind, he hit a home run! It was hilarious. His 2nd up to bat, he was walked (not on purpose - there are a LOT of walks with this age group). In fact, the top of the 3rd inning was sooooo long because our pitcher was walking everyone...the other team got 5 runs off of walks before we got 3 outs. We had 2 minutes of the 90 minutes left on the clock, so we had to start another inning. It was 8 - 7 (us) and we would have to get all 5 runs (once a team gets 5 runs in an inning, their up to bat it over) in order not to have to play the bottom of the inning...because the other team wouldn't be able to catch up. We scored 3 runs and there were 2 runners on base when Luke got up to bat. Again, he dinked it and this time he barely beat the ball to 1st, but he beat it. The other team was so focused on trying to get Luke out at 1st that the other 2 runners crossed the plate and the game was over. The team dumped the cooler on Luke's head and he was REALLY happy. On the way home, he said, this is one of the first times he has felt like "the man". Ha ha!

Ruth's Fortunate Find

Today, none of the children had school.  I turned off the alarm and figured I'd be up in time to go to the fitness studio for my 3x a week, 30-minute, mostly strength and conditioning workout (which I've been doing since mid-January)...and I woke up about 30 minutes before I had to leave.  Of course, I had been awakened at 12:30 and 4:30, so it isn't like I netted 10 hours of sleep (because I did get in bed at 9:30 the night before).

The workout was a good one.  I consider it good when it is tough, but I can do all of the things I'm being asked to do.  I do believe my arms will be quite sore tomorrow!

Once home, I showered, nursed Mary, got her down for a nap and prodded the children into cleaning up the playroom.  The plan was to go out to lunch and to a couple of toy stores so that Paul could spend some birthday money.  Ruth was greatly consumed by the thought of being in a toy store with no money to spend.  No amount of reminding her that it was Paul's birthday, this is Paul's trip, let's be happy for Paul would get her mind off of it.  She tried to empty her bank, she tried asking Paul to buy her something, and she was relentless. 

Mary finally woke up (after a 90 minute nap) and we met Daddy at Chic-Fil-A for lunch.  After CFA, we stopped at the pet store for a new water bottle and some hay for Fluffy Bunny...and some filters for the fish tank.  On our way out of the pet store, Ruth spotted a $5 bill in the middle of a row of 3 empty parking spaces! There were no nearby cars and no one was around, so no one to ask if it is his/her money.  You have never seen a happier girl...now she could buy something at the toy store!  She was so proud.  Luke had a hard time being happy for her as he wished he had seen it first.

At the toy store, Ruth bought Play-Doh...she LOVES Play-doh and we pretty much only have dried out 7 year old containers (which need to be thrown away).  Paul bought a Spirograph.  I'm very excited about this.  He also bought a Star Wars Lego set because, apparently, we cannot have enough Legos.  Luke did buy some Pokemon cards, so everyone has something about which to be excited.  We stopped at another toy store (this one locally owned) so Paul could spend his $10.00 birthday credit there.  He bought a Star Wars Thumb Doodles book.  It is pretty cute and interesting...and fits his artistic sensibilities. I bought some books for Summer Home School because the kids only have 4 more weeks of school.  Before we know it, we'll be into the Summer Home School routine of learning, playing, swimming, resting and trying not to squabble.

We got home and everyone when to their respective rooms for reading and/or naps.  Now they are up and Paul is building his new Lego, Ruth is playing with her Play-doh and Luke is playing on his Kindle...Mary is still napping.  Soon, I will make spaghetti (with frozen meatballs) for dinner and we will eat before we head out to Paul's baseball game.

PSIA

Here is a recap of the PSIA contest (Private School Interscholastic Association).  This is our first year to participate in an academic competition, so we had no idea what to expect.  Paul entered Art Memory…it is for 4^th and 5^th, but students can participate up to 2 years above their grade level.  Luke entered Number Sense, Math, and Maps, Charts and Graphs.  We spent several weeks studying and taking practice tests.  Bree helped Luke with Number Sense by holding a tutoring session with him.  I worked a TON with Paul…helping him learn the 40 works of art and helping him learn to spell the titles and artists correctly.

We got up at 6:00 to leave for our destination as Luke's first event (Number Sense) was at 8:30. Number Sense is all mental math - the student must use a blue ink pen and cannot work out any problems...it must all be done in the head and the student can write only the answer. Any cross out of an answer = wrong; any skipped question = wrong. Wrong answers count -2; correct answers count +5. These directions are different from all of the other events, so part of the task is to know the directions! There is also strategy involved with skipping questions. We aren't to the strategy part yet. Approx. 3 hours after the event, parents (and students) come in to verify the scoring (which is done by 3 independent people) and then results are determined for awards. Luke scored 120 - which we had no idea how that compares to other kids, but that was the higher than he had scored on any practice tests. Oh - the test only lasts 10 minutes. He did 24 problems in 10 minutes. Turns out, that was good enough for 5th place! I was totally shocked and knew that Luke would consider this venture a success since he won a medal.

In the in-between time, imagine a cafeteria FULL of people with almost-constant announcements over a microphone. Schools have tables and the kids from our school pretty much played cards or parallel-played on their electronic devices. One mother brought the supplies to make necklaces...so the kids had fun playing with each other.

Paul's Art Memory was at 10:00. His group got called to the "outdoor gym" where there was a person holding a sign for his test (there were several tests scheduled for the same time). A parent could accompany the student that far, but then the students were led into the room of the school where they would test...parents were not allowed there. While in line, Paul started crying. I asked him why and he was nervous...he guessed. I hugged him close and told him to take some deep breaths and we said a prayer. He seemed to calm down a bit. When he was finished, he said he'd tried to answer all of the multiple choice questions. I didn't react outwardly, but inwardly, I groaned. With this test, if you get the question right +5, leave it blank is no penalty; answer incorrectly is -2, so I figured this would be a big drain on his score...we didn't focus on the art elements and art history because that is too advanced and too much information for him. He recounted several of the paintings he had to identify for the art recognition part. Approx. 3 hours later, I went in to verify the scoring (not every parent does this). He scored 55 on the multiple choice...he actually answered several correctly, but the deductions cost him. When I looked at the sheet with his handwriting of the 15 artists and paintings he had to identify, I just smiled so big...to see his little handwriting and imagine him sitting in the desk and doing all of that work just made me so happy. He scored 120 (out of a possible 150) on this part. He got points for EVERY painting because he knew the artist and title. He got +5 for spelling 9 of the 15 artists correctly and +5 for spelling 6 of the painting titles correctly. He got +3 for everything else because he identified it correctly, but had spelling mistakes. His overall score was 175. Again, I had no idea how that compared to other kids. When he won 5th place, I almost cried. This is an event for 4th and 5th graders and my little 7 year old boy did 5th best. I am so proud of him and this provides the memory I need for him when he FREAKS out about a task...we can talk about how he was so freaked he cried before the test, but in the end, he did well...AND, there was no consequence for not doing well, so it was nothing to get freaked about!

At 12:30, Luke had maps/charts/graphs. When he finished, he told us he thought he did well and that he only skipped 4 questions. This test is 50 questions and 30 minutes. Half the questions are about graphs and charts on the test itself. There are some questions that are more critical thinking about the information that may or may not be directly represented on the graph/chart. The other half of the questions are atlas questions and students can (and should) use this specific atlas (which I had to order from the company...online...because it is sold NOWHERE else) to find answers. The specific atlas is necessary because the questions might ask about a graph or map that is only in this atlas...the key is knowing the atlas well enough to know where to find the information quickly. When we (Luke came with me) went to verify, Luke has scored 205 out of 250! This is about 50 points higher than he has scored on any practice test we took at home. I was fairly confident that he'd medal, but I was a bit worried he'd place 1st or 2nd and we'd have to go to another town for the state competition next month! I was relieved he came in 3rd...he, of course, wants to go to state next year!

At 1:30, Luke had his last test - Math. There were 3 boys from his grade taking the test. He came out and said he didn't do well - it was difficult and he left 20 blank. He didn't think we needed to hang around for the verification or the awards because he didn't think he'd done well. All of these verifications and awards happen SOOO long after the event itself (because multiple people are scoring) that we were still there when they called for math verification, so Luke and I went. Luke was right - 65 out of a possible 200 (40 questions). The test was difficult... much more of the 5th grade math (this s a 4th/5th event) than any of our practice tests. His friend had scored 70 and we all thought this was going to be just a good experience. As I was leaving, I saw a 43 and an 18 on other people's tests, so I thought, "well, maybe this isn't as bad as I thought". It would depend if they awarded 4th and 5th grade separately. So...we hung around for the awards. They do a good job of making you think they are just about to 1) verify or 2) award, so just stick around... In the end, they awarded 4th and 5th grade separately and Luke won 4th place and his friend won 3rd.

I am VERY proud of these boys. They placed in each event entered. They worked hard (Paul harder than Luke) and their hard work paid off. I am also impressed with myself! Richard was supportive, but I really did everything to help the boys prepare. Clearly, I rock.

Current State of Affairs

Let's see if I can commit to reviving this blog!

Mary is sleeping terribly, but I am able to look back at my blog and see that Ruth slept terribly at this age.  Knowing that, I can relax about it and realize that I will live...and that one day, she'll probably sleep better again.

Even though we have a jam-packed weekend I am feeling like things are settling down a bit.  That is probably because I have one week of school left myself...and, in that week, I am just administering exams...my teaching work is done!  

Yesterday (Saturday), Luke and Paul both had a baseball game at 9:00 am.  Mary, Ruth and I split time between the two. They were at the same complex of 3 fields, but, of course, on different fields.  Paul has been having a terrible time with hitting.  Mostly, it is that he has quite a bit of anxiety about it. I don't know if this anxiety stems from 3 years ago when he got hit (on the finger...jammed his nail up into his finger) by a ball pitched from the pitching machine, or from having a crowd of people watching, or from feeling like he might let his team down, or from the fact that he is just generally anxiety prone.  I don't try to dig too deeply because I don't want to give him ideas of things about which to be anxious.  I did read an article (linked on Facebook) about how to handle anxiety with kids, so based on that article, I explained anxiety to Paul.  I told him there is a part of his brain that tells his body how to act when it senses danger.  It tells his body to rush the blood away from his arms and legs and to his heart and central organs.  It tells his breathing to get faster.  It basically tells him to prepare to fight or run away.  This is useful and important when there really is a danger...like a snarling dog in his path.  This part of his brain seems to not be very good at knowing when there is a true danger...it overreacts and gets his body ready when there isn't really anything dangerous happening.  When he took the art test for PSIA - his body got all crazy, but there was nothing that could hurt him when taking that test.  At baseball, there isn't really anything dangerous enough to get worked up about, but his brain still does it.  I asked him to name this part of his brain - just a name, so that we could talk about it and he could talk to it.  He, of course, decided on Anakin (Skywalker, I'm sure)...fine, his brain, he can choose.  I told him that when he gets anxious and it isn't really a dangerous situation, he should tell Anakin that he doesn't need him right now and to relax so he'll be ready for a real emergency.  This seemed to help Paul.  In fact, he hit the ball 2 of the 3 times he was at bat!  We'll see if he can continue to be relieved by telling Anakin to sit down.

Luke's team played MUCH better.  The previous game was excruciating to watch.  His team got 2 hits the entire game.  Luke only got up to bat 1x and he struck out.  It was an hour and a half of non-excitement. Saturday's game was much better as many of the kids hit the ball well.  Luke got on base each of his at bats.  The other team had its in-field fielding down, so if the ball was stopped in the in-field, they could field it well and have a good throw to 1st base.  Many of our runners were not running full on to 1st...they were watching their ball...so they got out at 1st.  Not Luke though - he is pretty fast AND he puts his head down and runs full speed.  He beat the throw to first even though he hit it to the in-field (one at bat - the other he smacked it past 2nd base).

In the afternoon, we had a birthday party for Paul.  13 kids came...it was at the Museum of Natural History...space theme.  I think everyone had fun.  Richard and I were exhausted and poor Mary hasn't had a proper nap in days...she's having to nap on the go. We went out for hamburgers and watched the Astros hit homer after homer off of Seattle's pitcher.  I don't know how the game ended, but the Astros were up 9-3 when we left the restaurant. 

Today we have the Parish festival (we are working at the Putt Putt booth) and then a Cinco de Mayo party to attend.  No children have school tomorrow, so that will be a nice break!