June 1st

153:366  - Mmmm watermelon



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In other news, Carus finished all of her coursework, testing, etc. today for the school year.  She is done! And done early!  She still needs to do some on her own learning stuff to be able to log attendance for state requirements, but she is still done done done.  I'm relieved just as much as she is.

In her year with K12 we've both learned a lot. I think the biggest plus she got out of this was her self confidence being built up.  She was able to see just how brilliant she is.

She would like to go back to traditional brick and mortar school next year, and because it is a new school where we won't have to deal with poor and insensitive educators, we are going to go that route. I think. I'm still freaking out over - What if we make the wrong decision and ruin her life forever! - stuff, but I know (mostly) that it's just nerves and she will be fine.

Adam is considering K12 for his next year after some issues with him getting grounded for not turning in his work/teachers losing his turned in work.  Robert and I are both fed up with one particular teacher that takes 3 weeks (WEEKS!) to post his grades to esis (where we can view assignments and grades online) BUT YET insists that we can best help her help him get his work done by monitoring esis. BEYOND frustrating.  I just wish I had started the she must sign a note saying she received your work thing a little sooner this year.  It would have saved Adam having to redo 3 assignments (assuming he didn't lie and he did do it in the first place).

Ugh, I feel like I'm ragging on teachers. I have the most utmost respect for teachers, I really do.  The kids have had some AMAZING teachers and far more good ones than bad.  I'm just frustrated with recent experiences with not so good teachers - teachers that are preoccupied by their own college coursework (don't teach honors full time to middle schoolers and go back to school for your doctorate in the same year) or teachers that pass off their job to student teachers who try out new methods of teaching the same thing each week for 3 months (seriously, why don't you confuse the children!) and that dismiss bullying with "but she picks on him too".  Those teachers.


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Reverb broads prompt time!

June 1
With what fictional character (book, movie, TV, etc.) do you most identify?  Why?
Kristen

Okay, at first I thought this one was going to be easy. I can easily feel part of a book or movie or show.  Feel that I actually know the characters, that they are my friends, but at the same time feel separate from them, and that I would just need to pick the one that I most identify with.  Then I started thinking about it and I don't really identify with them.

I feel I know them, they are friends or something, but they don't fit me exactly. Don't fit my life completely. Maybe I'm just too unique - HA!

I don't know.

Thinking of my favorite books (Outlander series - HOLLA!), movies I've seen in the past week (Letters to Juliet, Men In Black III, Bruno), or some favorite TV series currently on my docket (including, but not limited to Fringe, Bones, Doctor Who, Vampire Diaries, Big Bang Theory) and I don't see or feel myself in them - gladly for a few and unfortunately for some (I would totally run away with The Doctor).

My brain keeps coming back to the show Friends. I have no clue why because I don't feel like I identify with any of the characters - but I did/do love them. I always wish for friends like them.  Friends that close, that love each other so unconditionally and wholeheartedly.  I love all the characters, especially Phoebe.  She's my favorite, her quirkiness and acceptance for everyone. And her willingness to do and be exactly what her friends need her to do/be at any given time.

Huh.  Maybe that's why I keep going back to it, and to her. Maybe she is who I identify with, or, more truthfully, who I hope to be for my friends.  I want to be a good friend and while I know I fail often, more often than I would like, I do try.

How about you, do you identify with a fictional character?

Behind

327/365 - I hung this hummingbird feeder outside my kitchen window and patiently waited for hummingbirds to visit.  Our first year here I saw very few hummers BUT this year has been good. I have 2 regulars now - possibly three - but I've only seen two at the same time.

There is one that stops and sits while eating, every time. And then there is this guy - who flits and flutters and always takes off the second I grab the camera.  Took me a bit, but I got him!

I'm very happy to start a hummingbird following. When visiting my Gramps and Granny's house, one of my favorite things to do is to sit in their breakfast nook and watch the hummingbirds come to feed.  She has 3 or 4 feeders out there and like 100 hummingbirds (probably not 100, but seriously a lot).


328/365 - We worked on this puzzle for about a week. It was sitting out on the dining table and the cat (Simba) decided to play with it a few times.  We thought we found all the pieces he batted around the house/took off with, but apparently we missed two.  Quite frustrating... hope they turn up eventually. It was a new puzzle


329/365 - Out weather has cleared up and we've gotten to enjoy some big blue skies and lovely sun rises and sunsets. This is the very beginning of a sunset.


330/365 - Messing around with my flowers (and trying some high key).


331/365 - Leia puppy, who is learning to be a very good puppy.  She has officially learned lay down now.  We are working on roll over.


332/365 - Timmy was "helping" Carus with her school work.


333/365 - Can I have a cracker?


334/365 - Carus in high key


335/365 - After work I took the dogs for a short walk and checked the mail on the way back home. (Mailbox is at the bottom of the hill.) There was a lot of mail, which left me one hand for two leashes. About 2 houses away Yoda decided to go in front of me and then behind me and Leia went behind me and then in front of me and I ended up wrapped up in leashes and penguin walking. I paused and after failing to get them to unwind (and I didn't trust myself to be able to step out of the mess without falling) I called Adam to bring out the camera to get a picture and then help me.


336/365 - We went to the Forest Grove Holiday Light Parade.  We had our sweaters, coats, gloves, hats, and scarves, but it was still cold and we were quite frozen by the end of the parade.


I'm caught up again to Saturday, December 3rd.

I'm frustrated with myself that I got so behind in my 365s.  I've been thinking about whether I want to do a 365 again next year, and I think I do.  The more photographs I take, the better I get.  I think.  I feel I've been improving, at least a little bit.

If I do another 365, I'd really like to work on posting one 365 at a time, each day.

Still have a few weeks left to fully decide.

What do you think?  Should I do another 365?

Grand ole band

Adam is in the band this year.  It's his first year in band and he is enjoying it.  He plays the trombone.



318/365 - Even though they are the "beginners band" they aren't bad.  They sound pretty good, though they aren't playing much yet. I'm sure there will be more concerts to come.



I have video from this evening's performance, but I have to download it and review it and if it's any good I will upload it to my YouTube account so watch there for it. If I remember, I will let you know when/if I upload it.

But before the band concert there was some fun with Carus doing a science experiment for her science lessen today.

She was testing which different solutes (salt, sugar, and baking soda) dissolve in which solvents (soapy water, rubbing alcohol, cooking oil, and vinegar).

Fall colors

291/365 - Fall colors in my front yard...sort of.  The grass is actually in my neighbors yard, but the red bush is in mine.


We went to an outing with Carus's school today (ORVA) to a local pumpkin patch.

292/365 - View from top of the hill at the pumpkin farm.  Facing south(ish), to the east(ish) is Beaverton and to the west(ish) Hillsboro.


Daddy and Carus sling-shoting (sling-shooting?) pumpkins.

Poems

When doing school work with Carus this morning (which, by the way, she is zooming through and I'm sure that has nothing to do with the fact that she wants to go to the Pumpkin Patch with her school today and meet her teacher) she had some poems to read that I liked and wanted to share.

Some People by Rachel Field

Isn't it strange some people make

You feel so tired inside,

Your thoughts begin to shrivel up

Like leaves all brown and dried!

But when you're with some other ones, 

It's stranger still to find

Your thoughts as thick as fireflies

All shiny in your mind!

Thoughts on Talkers

by Walter R. Brooks

Some people talk in a telephone

And some people talk in a hall; 

Some people talk in a whisper, 

And some people talk in a drawl; 

And some people talk-and-talk-and-talk-and-talk-and-talk

And never say anything at all.

Ten Kinds

by Mary Mapes Dodge

Winnie Whiney, all things grieve her; 

Fannie Fibber, who'd believe her?

Lotty Loozem, late to school, sir; 

Albert Allplay, quite a fool, sir;

Kitty Kissem, loved by many; 

George Grump, not loved by any; 

Ralph Ruff--beware his fist, sir;

Tillie Tattle, like a blister; 

Gus Goodactin, bright and cheery; 

Sammy Selfish, sour and dreary.

Do you know them, as I've sung them?

Easy 'tis to choose among them.

First day of school and then some...

Or more appropriately, first week of school.

 250/365 - First day of 7th grade and can't be bothered with first day photo...

 Oh wait, maybe he can.
 

Adam's bus didn't show up Wednesday and I had to take him to school. I had switched shifts with a coworker so I could start later and be available without worrying about being late for work since I was kind of expecting this as they didn't show up his first day last year.  Obviously, a good idea.  I think they missed him because only 7th graders and new students started Wednesday so they would have an easier time finding their way around a new school. He was the new student in a 5th/6th school last year.

I called the bus company to make sure they would show up the next day (they did) and at one point said, “we were out there 5 minutes early and stayed 15 minutes after scheduled time. Well, he was. I’m not allowed to go with him.” Bus company lady snorted. Yeah, that.

I'm trying hard not to be embarrassing but at the same time, I want to embarrass the shit out of him.

After dropping him off at school and making sure I didn't embarrass him by yelling out "Mommy loves you sweetums", even though I really wanted to, I decided to get a coffee shop coffee. I went to a local small drive-thru coffee shop.  I don't regularly get to have a coffee shop coffee since I work from home and my commute only takes my by my kitchen and not Starbucks (one corner they aren't on). This also turned out to be a great idea. Not only was I able to get my coffee and Carus a hot chocolate for $2 less than I would have at Starbucks, but she threw in doggy biscuits for Yoda (who got to go bye byes with us) and little cinnamon rolls for Carus and I for free. The doggy biscuits are a common thing to get for free, but still, he was happy. Also, I got an iced coffee (our weather has been in the 90s all week) and I found out that she uses coffee to make the ice cubes. Instead of my coffee getting watered down I got more coffee! SCORE!

I told this to Robert all amazed and everything and he looked at me like I was an idiot and said, "Uh, yeah that's a good idea, but it's not new. I used to do it with my Kool-Aid as a kid." And yes I know it is done for other drinks, and I've done it myself; however, it's not a common thing for coffee shops to do so be amazed with me. Can you tell he isn't a coffee drinker?

First day of 4th grade.


Carus’s school work started out beautifully, except her speakers weren’t loud enough and we couldn’t get the volume up no matter what we tried. We worked through it and did okay. She got all her Scantron testing (assessments required by the state) done and out of the way (until spring when she does them again), but did dally a little with the math testing and tripled the amount of time she had to spend on it. I think it taught her a lesson though, she has to be more responsible for her time and if she goofs off even a little it sucks.

When Robert came home I told him about the speakers and asked him to fix it. He checked several settings, deemed it okay, then not okay, then just needs updated drivers for speakers, then what in the world, then – oh, they came halfway unplugged.

Sad part is, I thought about checking to see if they were partially unplugged and thought, “nah, that can’t be it.” Lesson learned universe. Lesson learned.

The rest of her school is a learning process for both of us and while Thursday was better than Wednesday, and today was better than yesterday, the week was just a smidge exhausting. And it was only 3 days. I'm confident once we get the hang of this new way of school we'll both sail through each day and week easily, and frankly, that's all that is keeping me going right now. I'm spent.

251/365 - Seen in my yard - butterfly on my lavender.

Same butterfly, different side, different processing. Isn't it creepy looking?

To top things off, work has been super fun lately! Both literally and sarcastically. We have a lot of work leading to a lot of over-time, I've been running an educational quality control process, and we have been working towards adding a new facility. (Yay expansion and Yay job security!) After the start date for the new facility had been moved back three times we found out Tuesday that it would start Wednesday morning. That was FUN! There is always an adjustment period with new things, there's just a lot of new to take in all at once. The educational project has been great and I'm learning more running it then if I wasn't.

252/365 - Leia. I was holding a pine cone up so she wouldn't come try to lick the camera. Again.


Note: Reminder for Race for the Cure in 9 days - Please read, donate (if you can) and pass on this link: http://bit.ly/rukLlC

Ready for school

249/365 - Ready for Carus's first day of school tomorrow. Ready for Carus's first day of school - her school books for the first day, a couple print outs/worksheets, notebooks for writing, and the online work.

Note: Reminder for Race for the Cure in 12 days - Please read, donate (if you can) and pass on this link: http://bit.ly/rukLlC 

No big whoop!

224/365 - This year Carus will be homeschooled - kinda. We have signed up with ORVA (Oregon Virtual Acedemy) with K12 which is an online public school. It is completely free to enroll, they send all the books and supplies you need (we still have to buy pens, pencils, paper, glue, scissors, etc - but we already have most of that stuff so no big whoop). And they will even provide you with a printer and computer to use, if you qualify. We do not. But again, we already have those so no big whoop. Her boxes arrived yesterday and she was most excited over the science box with the rocks and minerals in it (I was surprised it wasn't the art box with the paints and pastels, but that was a close second).

Carus has been asking to do homeschooling for a year now, begging basically. She was both bored and not challenged much last year as well as experiencing some bullying last year; frankly we were not happy with her teachers/school. Her teachers' response when I brought up the bullying was, "well, it's not just one-sided." And while I know she was picking back, because that's what kids do when they are picked on, they pick backl  It's not what I wanted to hear, nor what I should have heard. We were talking with her about how she should handle things without picking on the other person, I need her teachers to back that up with watching out for her and the other students and diffusing situations.

I'm freaking out a little over the decision to do it and I'm still a little "I've totally ruined her life" and all. But mostly, I'm excited. This programs sounds AMAZING and really do feel it is the right decision for her and will help her exceed so much.  She can move as fast or as slow as she wants/needs.


The rest of her supply photos are here.

225/365 - Can you guess what I'm watching?  Having a nice relaxing Saturday evening catching up on some of my DVR'd shows.


Doctor Who