First Day of 7th Grade

Dora Meets Reality

Conversations in the car are often an adventure.  The kids talk about everything and I hear it all (selectively).

Recently, Gem and Shakespeare have had a lot of dialogue about the inconsistencies in cartoons--specifically, Dora the Explorer.  Other cartoons are fodder for critique, but Dora is most prevalent in our house right now because Sugar is addicted.

Overheard:

Gem: "So, if Dora brings the moon to the king and queen, does she understand that the gravitational pull of the moon will cause total catastrophe for the earth as it gets closer?"

Shakespeare: "Yeah, and how is she going to breathe in space, anyway?  I don't see her wearing any space suit."

Gem:  "I'm glad that dinosaurs are extinct, because teaching toddlers to tip-toe past a T-Rex just wouldn't be cool."

Gem: "So what is with a little girl and her monkey being allowed to run all over the place with no adult supervision?  What kind of mother lets her kid go over the mountain, through the spooky forest and to the island?"

Ha!  I love these kids.

Belated Birthday

Happy birthday to my sweet girl! Gem turned 12 on February 24th and I haven't blogged about it until now. She was the one to get the party this year, so she invited 5 friends to go ice skating and spend the night.



We started with presents and cake.



Then we headed to the ice skating rink. Friday night was packed. Open skating was from 7-10:30. We stayed from 8-10:15. I even skated for about 15 minutes. What an experience. I hadn't been on skates in about 13 years. The girls did really well.



They started a chain.



And it grew.



And grew.



Who ever heard of a snow cone at an ice skating rink!

Happy birthday, sweet girl. I'm going to enjoy the last year of pre-teen.

Gem's Song

Last week, Gem had a unique opportunity. Through a chance connection she and four of her friends took part in recording a praise CD for Integrity Music Kids. It is a Christmas album that will come out next year!

They went to a recording studio and spent two days hammering out cuts. In the end, the producer seemed pleased and he intends to make the trip to NC about twice a year to record with this group. Normally, he records in Atlanta, GA, but his sister who works on projects with him lives in our town. She said that she would work on the projects but that she wouldn't come to Atlanta anymore. So, he decided to come here.

It's an amazing opportunity for Gem. What a treat to see her be able to take part in something she loves. The girl has a beautiful voice. We're proud and excited for her.

3,2,1...Contacts

No more glasses. Gem got contacts. She loves them.

She Turned 11

Gem turned 11 on Wednesday. We gave her money. That's what she wanted. Amazing. I have a kid that only wants money--well, also a cell phone,a laptop(which she did NOT get). We took her out to Longhorn for a special dinner and to The Princess and the Frog, Disney movie. She had to order from the adult menu at the restaurant because the kid menu was for 10 and under. Ha! She was thrilled.

It's such a joy to have a kid like her. She is a gift--a blessing. I love her tender heart and her quick mind, her beautiful eyes and abundant smile. She's makes her parents smile. The messy room and the occasional roll of the eyes and sigh do not define this tween. She's sweet and lovely. She has a beautiful soul that is teachable and humble. What a delight!

Love you, sweet girl! Happy birthday!

Gem at 10

Last Tuesday Gem hit double digits--10 years old! She's almost as tall as I am. I probably have two more years, maybe.



We went out for dinner to McAlister's Deli and opened presents there. There was only one present from us, a Nintendo DS. She has been wanting one for years, so this was a big deal. We immediately went from McAlister's to GameStop where she used birthday money from grandparents to buy an extra game.



This is how my children have been positioned for a week. They are glued to this thing.



We went home for cake and just had a wonderful time together as family. That's what she wanted this year.

Unemployed

One perk of being homeschooled is that Gem can run to the neighbor's house at noon every weekday and let out the neighbor's two little dogs--a gig that has provided a steady $20 a week. A job schedule changed and the neighbor's partner is not going in to work until noon, so now he can let the dogs out. So, all of a sudden Gem has gone from a steady income to zilch. Not too comforting for a 9 year old who had her sights set on boosting her savings to $1,000 next year.


Gem loved to take Sinatra along.


What a great big sister.


Or maybe it was just free slave labor.


It was precious and so profitable.

Periodontal Visit

What, you ask, is a periodontist? It's one of those dental people who check out your gums. We had to make a visit to Dr. Tanner's office this morning for Gem. Her gums are in fine condition, but she had to have a frenectomy--another medical term to learn.
Frenectomy -- the snipping of that little connecting part under your upper lip that makes a bridge between your lip and your gums. Can you say, ouch?!!

Gem's little bridge thingy joined to the lip lower on the gums than most. This causes a gap between the front two teeth and could also have cause receding gums later in life.

A very nice employee sat in the lobby with my three boys while I watched the procedure. I'm pretty good with blood, but my imagination got the better of me a few times as I watched the actual snipping. Wow!!! I had to keep reminding myself that she was numb. Also, she kept looking my way so I had to put on a happy, brave face. It's one thing watching surgery on TV, quite another watching your own kid go through it--even if it is minor.

I love that brave girl. She was nervous about the numbing needle and freaked out a little bit (on the inside and in the expression of her eyes and wiggling feet) when she saw the tools that he kept sticking in her mouth, but she stayed still through the whole thing.

After the stitches were in we went straight to a gift shop where Shakespeare, Gem and Popcorn picked out new Webkinz. I've never been happier to indulge Gem. Then we made a beeline for CVS to pick up Tylenol 3 (good stuff) and children's Motrin. One last stop at the grocery store for Popsicles (prescribed) and home to recover.

As the numbing has worn off she has been moaning a bit. She lifted her lip once (a no, no) and popped a stitch. She told me through tears. I called. No problem. He puts extras in there just in case that happens. Such relief--for her and for me.

What a brave trooper. Gem, I'm proud.

Short Cut

There are two meanings to this title:

1. Gem has been cutting short her piano practice and I sat through the entire hour with her today, getting her to do it thoroughly.

2. She got her hair cut short and it looks MahhhVELOUS, DAhhhhLING (Though the picture really doesn't do it justice).

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and Back Down A-gain

At 1:30 today Gem officially started piano lessons with Mrs. Little. We will be enjoying beautiful scales pretty soon. In the meantime, we have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and Back Down A-gain, quite a lovely beginning.

In the Money

My daughter earns more money per annum than I do--which isn't saying much since I'm a stay at home mom. But really, who ever heard of a 9 year old bringing in $70 in a week? She has been watching dogs for vacationing neighbors and of course, there is the steady gig next door.

To top off all the summer earning, she and Shakespeare are keeping a friend's Irish Shepherd for a week and a half. We offered to keep her sans pay, but the friend insisted on paying the kids something, considering the sizable amount she would be saving by keeping the dog out of the kennel.



Our guest's name is Polly and she is a sweet dog--but she is a dog. The kids like to play with her (outside), but the closest she is coming to my house is a nice soft bed at the foot of the industrial strength shelving unit in our garage. Bless her shedding little heart. Despite the garage thing, I think she likes us.

Four Beautiful Eyes

New Eyes

Gem has to have glasses. I noticed a few months ago that she wasn't seeing signs as sharply, but didn't really jump into action until she couldn't read the board from five feet away. So, yesterday I left the boys with my friend and went frame shopping. She chose an iridescent purple frame with invisible rim on the bottom--very smart and a little "blingy".

Climbing Kids

Every Monday for 8 weeks this summer Gem and Shakespeare are taking rock climbing classes at our local climbing gym. I could say that I thought they might just enjoy it, or that they really had an interest in it. The truth is that I signed them up because I secretly hope that one of them gets hooked and will soon want ropes, harnesses, shoes, etc. and make a serious hobby of it. And if they needed an adult to take them to climbing locations, I guess they wouldn't have to twist my arm too hard. Climb on, kids!

Memory Masters

We went to our home school group award ceremony this evening. An extra treat was that Nana, Grandpa and Mama Jo were there for the show.

My very shy Popcorn even got up and sang the A,B,C Song with his preschool class.


Shakespeare received his very first Memory Master award.



Gem received her second Memory Master award.



To achieve Memory Master level, the student is asked to recite 24 weeks of information in eight subjects: history, geography, time line, math, science, Bible, English grammar, and Latin.

Can you tell me the formula for the circumference of a circle or the area of a triangle? How about the Latin endings for 1st conjugation present tense? Ephesians 6? When did William the Conqueror defeat King Harold? What are Newton's 3 laws of motion? The laws of thermodynamics?

In a classical-style eduction even young students who can't possibly calculate the circumference of a circle or understand the significance of the fall of Rome can still memorize facts ahead of time and be introduced to characters in history like Marco Polo or Sir Walter Raleigh.

A year ago, Shakespeare came running across the library to show me a book about St. Francis of Assisi!!! That never would have happened without Classical Conversations (our program).

Congratulations, kids!!! Mom is so proud of you.

Southern Sledding

Our snow is long gone--actually, we only had one good snow and it melted the next day. So what do kids in the south do to compensate?

Pine straw sledding.

For all the Yankees, pine straw is the southern version of mulch--dried up pine needles. When I moved here I had no idea what it was. In fact, when we lived in Indiana I remember my southern grown friend asking me about a good place to get pine straw. I laughed at her. Well, now she lives here and it's her turn to laugh at my Yankee self. I still call a shopping cart a "cart"--they call it a "buggy". It sounds more refined I guess. I just can't imagine Scarlet O'Hara pushing a cart, buggy fits the south.



Pine straw sledding is what Works for Me this Wednesday! For other great tips visit Rocks in My Dryer (the link is in my side bar).

Ryaninjun Bread

This morning Gem did a presentation in class about food and etiquette during the late 1700's. She dressed up in her colonial outfit and pretended to invite everyone into her kitchen (the church where we meet has one). She explained different dishes that she was "making" and then talked about the bread that was commonly found in colonial stoves--ryaninjun bread.

We actually made the bread the night before, so Gem pulled it from the oven. Then she talked about tea etiquette and we served tea.

If you'd like to have an adventure, try making Ryaninjun Bread.

Three cups of conrn meal
One of rye flour
Three cups of sweet milk
One cup of sour
One cup of molasses
To render it sweet
Two teaspoons of soda
To make it complete

Mix dry ingredients then add liquid. Mix well but don't beat. Bake in a 9x13 pan at 200 degrees for 12 hours. Put a pan of water in the oven with the bread to retain moisture, or bake it along with baked beans (the traditional colonial way).

One recipe we found said that the bread was actually done within 4 hours, but that old timers swore that the longer you left it the better. After putting the bread in the oven at 9pm I awoke at 1:30 (no alarm) and yanked it out of the oven. Don't do what I did. The entire thing fell and was underdone. The flavor was there, but not the texture. Live and learn and don't panic.

More Birthday Pictures

Shakespeare now loves Legos. He received a Star Wars Naboo Fighter and Spider Droid Ship from Grandma and Grandpa V. and hasn't put the things down. In fact, he took his birthday money and spent it on a smaller set of bad guy stuff so he could have a proper war.



This was Gem's big present: a 24" Schwinn mountain bike, in pink, purple and white of course.



A zip line for the tree house that we're building with Grandpa and Nana this April.



This was the year of the nontraditional cake. Shakespeare picked out cupcakes with Oreo frosting and gummy worms. Gem decided on an Oreo cream pie from the freezer section. I like the change.

Gem's Birthday--9 years old!

Today was Gem's 9th birthday. She's becoming such a lovely young lady. I'll post more pictures tomorrow, but will leave you with a few tonight.