We get 2 weeks of slow, slow (in theory) summer before our summer activities kick in for several weeks in a row. That is mom heaven for me, I tell you. Below we have children eating fresh bread...not just any fresh bread but my grandpa's recipe which is divine (thanks to extra sugar, extra oil and powdered milk, I think) with white honey and butter just like he always served it. We did it for dinner one night when I had lost track of time sewing. Lucas had to take a picture because they were super abnormally quiet which never happens around our table, but the bread was just too good.
Matt graduated from 5th grade and Lucas, Matt and I were always surprised when he got the Presidential Award. He's obviously super smart but applying himself at school...we just didn't know. I want to remember forever that he randomly wears the pin on his tshirts when he goes out into public. Cuteness indeed.
Our children's school is a STEM school (whatever to me, charter schools, magnet schools, etc., don't really impress me. I think a well-rounded education is best for my kids and this school just happened to be our neighborhood school when Lily started way back when) does a cardboard challenge every year. I LOVE IT because they used to do a yearly science fair and it just was not a pleasant experience...especially for someone who knows what a science experiment should involve. It was always a last minute nightmare for many parents, but the cardboard challenge has been nice.
I'm glad we actually went this year...I tend to avoid school activities (having to work at night helps that along), but I committed and am glad I did. They were each proud of their teams works and eager to share. Plus the librarian was getting rid of old library books. I was so surprised that Daphne was way into the games even. It was fun for all ages. Happiness all around.
Ben's shaggy hairdo makes me feel a wee bit neglectful but it's a nice buzz cut now for anyone who's worried. This picture will be great for blackmail later, but I LOVE IT because he normally refuses to smile in pictures because he hasn't figured out how to real smile for pics, just the painfully fake ones that kids this age tend to do.
My heart was extra happy at how much pride he took in his contraption. It was a pretty big game and fun, almost like a hole at a mini golf course. When we found it he started to fix all the things that had broken as people had played it the hour before we got there. "It's all wrong! This isn't supposed to go there!" So sweet. Pride in a job well done maybe doesn't happen often enough around here, so I loved that he had worked hard and wanted to keep it nice.
Shawn graduated for kindergarten, and speaking of all these graduations, fun fact: We will have a 5th and K graduation in the same year 3 times with our 3 oldest and 3 youngest. Kind of cool timing that.
It has been an usually wet spring, many gloomy days, lots of greenery, not too hot and some gorgeous days in between. It's been a pretty blessed spring actually. A poorly captured sunset, and this is facing east. Who knows how cool the western colors were that night?
And we are in full summer gear. This year that means giant poster board charts. No tech Monday through Friday afternoon. It means I am very needed and very involved and am sometimes expected to entertain (which doesn't happen too much), but it also means they are having to stretch and reach and imagine which is good. They have been extraordinarily awesome on working on their charts. Once they collectively reach 500 dots then they get a free day where I am at their disposal if they need driven somewhere (or they could play tech all day I guess). They also get a $20 budget to spend or save how they choose. It seems to be enough motivation to keep them plugging away and not vegging out. I LOVE SUMMERS WITH MY KIDS!
And me, I am taking a starting/growing your business class which has been quite eye opening. It started with someone just inviting me to go, and I had no idea what I would even do for a business, to brainstorming, to deciding to give it a go as cheaply as possible. In some ways I have no idea what I'm doing; in other ways I've done a ridiculous amount of research; and I am learning many, many things about what makes a successful business (whether I actually own one or not). So I am sewing and sewing and sewing and plotting and searching and will see. I think ideally I would like to at least make back the money I invested (if not the time), and if that happens, I will call it a success...and if it is a royal flop I'm not spending much money, learned a ton, and will have some fun things to donate to a charitable organization. Win, win! Doubting Marianne um doesn't feel so confident but she is dealing with it okay.
Hope my compatriots out there are having a great time and I'm sending lots of love to those who are struggling. You are stronger and better than you think you are, and there is beauty all around us. Just look, find and embrace it.
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