Swim Team Banquet

Last night we got to enjoy the company of our fellow swim team members at the swim team banquet to honor our swimmers for the '08-'09 season. We had a great time visiting with friends and some good food too!

The swim coach from the USA team came to the event, so TT got to meet one of his new coaches for the upcoming season. He is so excited about joining the USA swim team! But he doesn't have to wait long since practice starts Tuesday.

After dinner the kids swim coach, Ms. K, gave out awards for the year. These included ribbons and medals from the Championships in Tunica, to individual awards. TT received two silver medals from Tunica in butterfly and freestyle relay, a fifth place ribbon in backstroke and in freestyle, and a swim trophy. The big honor of the night for TT was receiving the most dedicated swimmer award of the boy swimmers. I was so proud. He was truly dedicated. This is a first for him to give his all in a sport. Here is TT receiving his swim trophy.

Poogie received several ribbons from Tunica, a swim trophy, and the most dedicated award for girl swimmer, too!!! I was overwhelmed to have both of my kids recognized for dedication! You could say I was a very proud momma!

Here is Poogie receiving her swim trophy from her coach, Ms. K. These little trophies were so cute they were bobble headed!

I will post the pick of them getting their dedication trophies when I get them from a friend. I was so excited I forgot to get a picture.

Now all this leads up to a new swim season beginning Tuesday. It will be different swimming USA. TT will train 4 days a week and the meets will be bigger and more intense, but he is looking forward to it. Poogie opted to just do dance. That was fine since she has 7 classes, 3 nights a week.

I plan on spending the rest of the weekend setting up my school room and getting ready for the week to come. Will post more on that later.

Weekend recap

As unusual I'm sitting here wondering what happened to the weekend. It seems as though you go to sleep on Friday night and poof it is Sunday evening!! We enjoyed the weekend with family and a little work thrown in too.

Friday night we went out to eat and on a shopping hunt for shorts and swim trunks. TT and Poogie needed long shorts for the new dress code at the Y. TT hates wearing the type of shorts they are asking him to wear. The loose basket ball type shorts. But we found him some that he could deal with. Shorts for Poogie on the other hand were harder to find. All that was out there was those super short shorts, super ugly longer shorts or fall cloths. We just found out about the dress code a few weeks ago so it was kind of at a bad time to find them. We ended up buying just a few pairs. The real fight will be when it turns cold. Poogie is not a jogging suit, sweat pants girl. She loves jeans and that is it. I will have to find some middle ground.

Saturday was spent at the farmer's market buying some yummy fresh produce and at a family birthday party. The kids had fun playing with all their cousins and we enjoyed catching up with everybody.

Today we started to work on all our stuff to put in the yard sale. You have no idea how much crap you accumulate over the years until you start going through it all for something like this. I haven't had a yard sale in a few years, but man am I due. Now I am tired so off to bed I go.

2nd Week of School

We are almost halfway through the second week of school and for the most part everything is going well. Poogie is loving her Saxon math, who would have thought?? TT just hated Saxon in ps, but each child is different. Poogie's hardest subject so far is Bob Jones English. It is a really good program, but much more challenging than her phonics and English last year. The hardest part for her has been getting into the groove with reading again. I have to say this will be the last summer that we do not do any school work. It is just to hard to get started again in the fall. Poogie is like a rusty old wheel turning when it comes to her reading. We just have to find our groove again.


TT is enjoying his new curriculum, especially Teaching Textbooks and Apologia science. Teaching Textbooks is wonderful. Math has always been our dreaded subject, but not anymore. He, like Poogie, want to do math first thing instead of the last dreaded subject of the day.

Science is also one of our favorite subjects. Yes, the first chapter of the Apologia Science is tough, but it is broken down really well and I have given TT some great study supports. The experiments have been so much fun. What is great is that the experiments really support the ideas and concepts in the book. Here is a photo of today's experiment. It was so much fun we did it twice.

Poogie has enjoyed her Bob Jones science. She has been learning about planning and planting a garden, something she loves!

I have to say we have started out the year pretty lax as far as where we do school. Most of Poogie's work is done at the kitchen table or on the couch. TT stays in his room at his desk or on his bed. I have to do so much oral work with Poogie it is hard for him to concentrate while we read and do our lessons.

Here is Poogie in her pj's and her hair all a mess working on her new clipboard, doing her "homework". She wanted homework of all things.

TT enjoyed reading and doing some of his work in his room all comfy on his bed. You see he does have a desk, but he just doesn't like using it. Go figure.

All this leads up to my big announcement! I am getting a school room!!! Picture me doing a happy dance right now. It will be so nice to get all the school stuff out of my little bitty house. Plus, I think the kids will do better without all the distractions of pets, phones, toys and games. I will let you know more as my plan evolves.

Letting go

For me it has always been hard to live in the moment, to ride by the seat of my pants, or to just let things happen as they happen. I confess I am a planner, an organizing geek. I love to spend hours with my label maker and my clear storage bins. My family probably thinks that if I could I would label them.

I know this leads to my over stressing about things. I turn a little pale at the thought of my daughter's Polly Pockets being put in the bin with the Pet Shop toys. Gasp! Then I came across a quote or a phrase as the blogger called it, "Let go of the day you have planned and enjoy the day you been given". Wow. So simple, yet something I hardly ever think of. I hope to make it my new quote to live by. Something must bring me out of this vicious cycle of planning, stressing, planning, well you get the idea.

Now if I could only get my hubby to listen??

First Day of School!!!

We made it through the first day of school with flying colors! Poogie was up and ready to go, TT not so much. We all finally got going and actually had some fun. Poogie loves her new math and science. TT enjoyed exploring Teaching Textbooks and his Apologia science.

I still haven't added TT's reading and writing curriculum, but that can be done next week. With everything up in the air about what we will be doing this year for the YMCA and swim I'm taking it slow when it comes to planning to much.

After lessons we went to the homeschool skate party at the rink. It was so nice to catch up with everyone. TT and Poogie got to skate and hang out with all their buds. A great way to end the first day of school.

Day 3 plus...

So far I have had good days and bad when it comes to getting away from caffeine. I did go to the grocery store today to buy some healthy snacks and food for myself. That seems to always help when I am trying to be healthier.

The decaf hot tea has also helped a lot. I love drinking it in the mornings with my mid-morning snack. I just need to work on drinking more water.

This has been a long and trying week. Many things are still up in the air about our schedule for the fall. That drives me crazy, but it isn't something I can do anything about until next week. It all depends on other peoples actions, not mine.

Our lives may pretty much stay the same as last year, or they may change dramatically. I don't mind change I just hate waiting to see what will happen. I'm impatient at times, can't help that.

We are going to ease into school as of Monday. I do have some appointments that will interfere with a full day of school some days, but we will still make a go of it. Poogie starts dance the 17th and that in itself will be challenging. She is taking 8 classes this year and can't wait to start. If it was up to her she would dance all day and the heck with school.

Well off to bed.