Summer Schedule

The kids are home for the summer.

The teachers made it quite clear the brain drain that occurs over summer break.

This summer the Tishkoff's will counteract the brain drain

(beyond June 20th-I swear!)

I have created a schedule. 

I have highlighted the schedule. 

Yellow is fun.

Blue is my counter attack on brain drain

(as well as something to ensure that I do not spend everyday huddled in the boys' towels at the pool.)

I used the schedule as a visual for the  boys.

"See how little time I ask that you read and write and see how much time you have to play."

Well, we are day 8 into summer break.

They almost broke me of the schedule.

Alex is reading The Magic Thief.

In today's reading he came across a recipe...

(I am sucker for a book with recipes).

Very innocently, he asked if we could make the recipe after he finished reading.

Did I not see the diversion tactic as it hit me straight in the face?

No, I didn't.

So we made, "Benet's Biscuit's."

Alex cut the dry ingredients in with the butter.

He made a well and added the milk.

He pressed out the dough....

and then I realized I do not have circular cookie cutters.

No need to worry...

that is what wine glasses are used for before 5:00.

Alex finished cutting out the biscuits

and laid them on a cookie sheet

and plated his delicious biscuits.

Then in asked, "Can I go play?"

(The light bulb finally kicked on...)

So while Alex did eventually "get to" play with his friends,

he also "got to" finish his writing

(I counted the measurements from baking as his math)

and he "got to" make biscuits with his mom.

Thanks Alex!

I "get to" make things that glow on rainy days

The Chicagoland area has had an off weather year.  We have had three feet of snow, absolutely no spring and 40 degree swings in the temperature this summer. 

Well, no more!

 I bought the deluxe pool pass so it is guaranteed to be in the high 60's to low 70's for the rest of the summer.  Warm enough that the kids want to go to the pool and cold enough for the moms to sit on the lounge chairs wrapped in the kids' towels.

There is still the dilema of what to do on the days we can't enjoy the pool...

THE RAINY DAYS

(Darn you, deluxe pool pass karma!)

These are typically lazy days filled with Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon but,

alas,

someone decided that people under the age of 18 can only have an hour of TV each day.

This new development can lead to long summer rainy days.

But leave it to Ben to use his free time to dig into the depths of the guest room's closet and find activities previously hidden from him (I mean purchased for just such an occasion).

We got out the beaker, dropper and our soft boiled egg holder (no judgements) and began our journey into the world of bioluminescence.

We filled the beaker with water...

Added some bleach...

(The directions told us to discuss "Dilutions" at this point but I thought that would be over Ben's head and certainly over mine...so I read him the example and we moved on.)

We moved onto the last direction.

Add the luminol mixture

 (aka the stuff that makes it glow)

It worked!!

This is the stuff we "get to" do on a rainy summer day...

Bob

We rescued a puppy last September...

We loved him, and hugged him and called him Bob.

He was a cute puppy...

He turned one at the beginning of the month and welll...

since then...

it has been trying.

First it was getting the Buster Cub stuck on his lower jaw.

After a generous donation to our vet who sawed the cube off, we now have a much safer toy.

Recently, Bob has forgotten all of his commands, like "COME BACK!!!" So there has been some early morning runs through my neighbors' backyards.

Even though he has had some issues, he always lets us know how much he loves us. 

Although, I am not sure how Scott will appreciate the new presents Bob has made, I mean dug, for him in the backyard...

So now, the boys and I "get to" give Bob a bath.

The Chronic Chaperone...

Toward's the end of the school year, I become a bit overwhelmed with amount of school activities scheduled. Between the Family Picnic, the 4th grade picnic, the 2nd grade field trip, the 2nd grade picnic, Fun and Fitness day and the end of the year Cougar's game, I feel like I am a chronic chaperone.  But then there are those moments, the moments where for a instant you see how much my kids care that I am there.  These are some of those moments...

Searching for painted lady caterpillars

Finding a ladybug~ a REAL ladybug

Spotting a monarch butterfly

Watching Alex's 4th grade class win the tug of war



Outlasting his classmates in the waterballoon toss



Seeing their principal throwing the first pitch at the Cougar's game

Capturing the moment after the pitch

Hanging out with friends on the dugout

Showing off his guns and friends

Jazzing with his favorite art teacher



Chilling with his bestie



Not Just Another 4 Day Weekend...

I love fall. 

 I love the colors of the changing of the leaves.

I love picking apples.

I love carving pumpkins. 

I love Columbus Day Weekend!

Columbus Day weekend brings the Scarecrow Festival.  I had planned to spend the entire weekend at the festival...

Friday went according to plan (sort of)...

 The boys and I woke up and walked over to the festival.

The boys rode the carnival rides...

Ben even went on this one (Sorry Dad, I know you don't approve of carnival rides).

We saw some amazing scarecrows. 

Does it still count as a "scarecrow" if there isn't any hay?

Everything was going to plan until I received a call on Friday night....

~~~

Do you have that friend that you cannot say "No" to?

The type that can suggest that you can run 26.2 miles and you believe her...

You know the one I am talking about...

My friend called me up and said that she had an extra bib to the Chicago Marathon and she thought I should run it with her...

(Please keep in mind that as of two years ago, I had never run more than 3 miles.  Granted, recently, I had been running with some girls who were training for the Fox Valley Marathon.  I trained with the girls but opted out of the "long runs.")

Well, I couldn't say, "No."

So, my weekend switched from leisurely enjoying the fall festivities to gearing up to run a ...marathon.

~~~

I e-mailed a few friends to let them know my plans...

(One of my friends thought I was joking)

I borrowed my neighbor's I-pod...

(If I couldn't run with her stories, I could run with her music)

I bought lots of Gu...

and

drank lots of water.

On Sunday, I met my friends in Chicago.

I -pods ready, I entered the queue for the 4:30:00 pace group.

and I ran...

and ran...

and ran...

I ran for 5:03:22 or 26.2 miles.

I finished! We finished!

While it wasn't the weekend I planned. 

 It was absolutely amazing. 

I am so thankful that I "got to" do it.

A Night Under the Stars

I have a friend who built a dance floor in her back yard.

(Well, technically her neighbor, Phil,  “built” the dance floor but she painted it and staged it.)

Then she set a table.

Yep, those pie pans and bread pans are our dinner plates.

Then she invited a group of her friends for a fun night out under the stars.

Glamorized country wear was mandatory.

After a few visits here…

She announced that she hired a line dancing instructor to help some of her city folk friends through the night.

Guess who is from Texas (she obviously didn’t need an instructor).

The Brits weren’t quite sure what to make of all of this.

It took some time…

But eventually we got the hang of it…

and had a wonderful evening under the stars.

Thanks Kasey, our hats are off to you and Brian.