We're down one player this season, and everyone is practicing on the same night of the week which is a huge blessing. It really is amazing how much stress that knocks out of your life ... Emily catches a ride to practice with a neighbor who's on her team, GR takes Sam ... no complaints from the Mama who holds down the homework and bath fort.
Both kids are on teams they haven't played with before ... a mistake I hope we can reverse, for Sam at least, for the Spring season.
I personally, am still looking for a good team for Emily to play with where she isn't a foot taller than everyone else, and where the girls are more matched with her skill level. Don't get me wrong, I fully understand she is not going pro anytime soon. But most - if not all - of the kids on her current team are 2nd graders who haven't played much soccer and that's a bit frustrating for my girl. She has potential, but I really wish we could help her skill level progress, and I feel it's stagnated a bit. She's still struggling with the same technique challenges she had at this time last year, and I'd love to help her move past them. That being said she had two goals in today's game and a fantastic assist. It's looking good for another hat trick this season!
In the last week or so these perler craft beads have been the kids craft of choice after school. We've had quite the neighborhood craft circle as kids crowd the dining room table making shape, after shape, after shape. Above is just a small sample of what they made - 7 kids can really crank out a lot of designs! It's a super cheap craft they can do (other than the melting with the iron) by themselves and doesn't take any prep work on your end.
The multicolored circle was made by Alex. I was shocked he finished it when I put the group of green ones in the center for him. Don't you love the end result?! The two squares are Sam's; the dolphin Emily's and the bottom heart, Rebecca's. Some of these are getting shipped to Sister Aunt Barb who's birthday was earlier in the week and her box is still sitting waiting for a few more treasures before it get's shipped off to sunny California.
If you're considering these activity beads for you kids, might I provide a few tips ... since over the last year and half that these beads have been apart of my kids craft cupboard, my approach has evolved.
- First, melt the daylights out of those beads - you want them completely fused together, otherwise they break very easily.
- Second, in comparison to some of their other crafts of choice (paint, glue, clay/playdough, etc.), the mess here is minimal ... I should explain that those beads end up everywhere ... but I no longer get down on my hands and knees and search for every bead, sorting them back into their little compartments. Whatever the kids don't get picked up gets sucked up by the vacuum, thank goodness for vacuum hose attachments
- Third, all projects must be finished, no unfinished projects sitting on the buffet for weeks and weeks getting knocked about. They are now, either finished right then and there, or they are dumped back into the bucket.
- Fourth, encourage your children to give their creations as gifts ... that way someone else has to figure out what to do with all these masterpieces. They make fun "sun catchers" for your windows, key chains, and coasters.
Summer may not officially end until late on the 22nd of September, but for us, Labor Day means the close of the pool. And in the eyes of our kids, the closing of the pool means the close of summer. This summer didn't prove a fantastic summer for lounging in the pool. Lots of rain and cooler than usual temperatures meant less frequent splashes. Even today, with temps in the mid 80s, it was a bit cold in the water. If you look closely you can see Sam's lips are blue.
Highlights from our time at the pool this summer ...
- Samuel passing his arm floaties on to Alex, no longer needing them to navigate through the differing depths of the water.
- Alex going from being a bit fearful of the water last summer, to fearless - dare-devilish - this summer.
- Rebecca, Emily and Sam, each tried diligently to learn to dive from the side of the pool rather than plop.
- Learning that Anna is part fish, particularly enjoying putting her face in the water and drinking.
- Alex mastering arm floaties.
- Discovering that Anna is not rattled in the slightest by falling out of her duck floaty and being suspended below the surface of the water by a foot or so, for a matter of seconds. [Scared her mother to no end. But she never so much as gasped or whimpered - scary!]
- Rebecca and Emily learned to dive down under the water to retrieve things from the bottom of the pool in the deep end. Very helpful in picking up walnuts from the floor of the pool.
- Emily learned how to do a handstand underwater, and walk on her hands, while Rebecca perfected both.
- Alex becoming a 3 year old water acrobat. Jump in from the side and going down the slide, in every conceivable way.
