Book Review - again

I completed another book during our mini-vacation.  Michael Oher's I Beat the Odds.  This book is the Blind Side story from the hero himself - from Michael's point of view.

Very good.

What an encouraging book!  Michael Oher finishes the book by encouraging  other foster kids to keep their minds on their goals in life - to get out of the ghetto.

Just a great read!

Book Review: THE BOOK

As we were driving to the Coast the other day, I finished another book. THE Book - yep - the Bible.  This is at least the third time I  have read the Bible all the way through - possibly the fourth...or fifth...lost track.  Usually, when I read the Bible through I read it from the beginning - Genesis - to Revelation straight through, but this time in  I used a "Read the Bible Through in a Year Bible".

This is a reading plan where you read a few chapters in the Old Testament, then a few chapters in the New Testament, then a Psalm, then a Proverb - all set up so you read a little bit every day for a year.  The idea is that you won't get bored - or bogged down in  Exodus or Leviticus as  you read all the old Jewish laws.   I know lots of my friends that love this system.  But for me?

I hated it.

Just when I was really getting into the theme or story line, it changed to a different passage.

I don't think I will be using this reading plan again.

Over the last few months or so, I have been given many devotionals. My plan is to read several of these devotions this summer, then in the fall I will read the Bible through again. This time I will read it through Chronologically. This last time I started January 23rd and finished May 25th - yes, way faster than a year.  Call me an over-achiever.   In the fall I will also try to complete the Bible in four or five months.

If you never have read the Bible all the way through, I would highly encourage you to - especially if you are a Believer.  All believers need to know what they believe. I think it should start with reading the Bible.

Vacation Days

My husband had some meeting to attend along the Coast, so we decided to tag along since school was out.  Oh, what fun! Yesterday while Drew was at work the kids and I took a bus tour. It covered most of the old downtown area.  The tour guide also talked a lot about the damage that was done during Hurricane Katrina.  It's amazing (in a bad way) that some much still has not be re-built.  The kids had a hard time understanding that all the open spaces they saw use to be a neighborhood.
 For lunch the kids and I tried a local sandwich place that was recommended by the tour guide. We really should have skipped it - not so good. 

But today was so much better.  First we had lots of sunshine - none of the rain that visited us yesterday afternoon and last night.  We started our morning climbing the local lighthouse.  It's smaller than most others, but still beautiful. Then we spend some time on the beach. Oh, that was so nice.  Miss our beach time.  The kids talked Drew into renting a water tricycle.  We all had some fun on it - but it's work!

We ate lunch at a new place in town, Half Shell Oyster House - Drew ordered some bar-b-que shrimp. Oh. my.  You could take a bath in the sauce and be very, very happy. 

We spent the afternoon at at children's museum. The kids had a great time.

After a short nap (hey - it's vacation!  Drew thinks all vacation days require them and since his work is done, he's on vacation - so. Nap time.), we meet some friends for dinner at The Shed. Once again, we had some great food!  This place was even featured on Diner, Drive-ins, & Dives.  Good stuff!

Tomorrow the plan is to eat a good breakfast before we hit the road to Drew's parent's house for a few nights.

End of the School Year

Yesterday ended the school year for us. We were all ready! Monday I had planned to attend the awards ceremonies at the middle school. One was at 7:45 for William to be inducted in the National Junior Honor Society, then a second one at 9 o'clock for the end of the year awards.  But the day started off with the vice principal calling asking if I could work as an aide. Sure...but the ceremonies...  She assured me I could still attend those.

Well, then sure! I'll work!  I had already planned to spend the time between the ceremonies helping in the office - this way I got paid!  After William's NJHS ceremony, I helped one student finish a make up test, then for the rest of the day I was either in the awards ceremony or helping in the office as no other teacher needed help  - and the best part?  I got paid!

Love it!

It was a good day!  William won  the top reading award. Not real surprise - he loves to read!  Melissa got an award for having all A's and B's all year. (Poor William had one C back in December when life was really crazy...maybe next year!!)

BUT!!! Drew and I got a nice surprise!! All three kids earned straight A's this last nine weeks!!  We thought William was going to have a B, but no - they all worked hard and pulled A's!! We are very proud of them!

Monday night the middle school did their first ever "Crossover" ceremony for the eight graders moving up to the high school - or crossovering the parking lot to the high school that's just next door. It was a lovely ceremony!  Not too long, very well done. William has said several times that it was "boring!!"  But  he's just being a boy.  His best friend threw a fit and didn't have to go - William wasn't as lucky.  We made him go!  And I'm so glad  I did. It was really nice.

Tuesday we were the cool parents and did not make any of our kids go to school. I'm not really convinced roll was taken. At one point, I did have to go to the elementary to pick up Ben's medication that he has there, and his class was watching a movie - one of four for the day.  You think they could at least play some board games that keep the mind working.

Then, after school we really cool parents and hosted an ice cream party for all the kids and their friends.  I think we ended up with about 25 kids eating, throwing water balloons, dodging water guns, bouncing in the bouncy house, and flying down the water slide. What a fun afternoon!!! 

And yes, we are hoping to do it all over again next year...a new tradition!!

(One of the best parts for the days was Drew was home to help out.....he's been gone so much in the past, I just so relish and enjoy when he's around...yes, I still love that man!!  One sad part was poor Ben did not have any award ceremony  at at.  Not that he cared.)

Birthday Time

Today was the first time in many - MANY - years I was able to celebrate my mom's birthday  with her and all the family.  What a nice time!  My brother and sister-in-law did a great job with the food and my aunt brought us all petite fours: the best things on the earth!!! 

And I got to bring some home.

I see many more walks in my future for all the extra calories I will be eating......

These are the days we are so thankful for being close to family - for being 5 with family.

Indoor Soccer

Today was to have been the first game for us with indoor soccer (we missed the first game due to piano lessons). But sadly, the other team was a no-show.  The Blue team is made up most of our rival high school -that had their graduation ceremony today.

Not sure why someone didn't figure out the schedule glitch before five minutes before the game started, but that's just how it goes at times I guess.  But the boys did get a good practice in. 

Of course, William is the smallest.  And I can tell some of the skills he needs to practice.  But at least it's a start.

The coach did say he wants the boys running a mile and half at least every other day. Hopefully, we'll be able to get William up and running when Drew and I go walking in the mornings.

American Idol

We are an American Idol family. We watch it together every week. Along the way, we all have had our favorites.  Of course, this year we are all happy that we can actually VOTE!! No voting was allowed from Guam.  And we really love how we can vote on-line.  So easy.

Last night was the result show. When the show first started out the results show was thirty minutes - now it's an hour. An hour filled with fluff.

And mainly, not good fluff.

 Last night a group from Italy (I think) preformed- they didn't sing in English.  I really want my songs in English. Guess I'm funny that way.

Then they had another singer -some pop singer.  Her song was about dancing...her dancing...should have been x rated.  Even Drew walked down the hallway and said, "I didn't know it was R rated tonight!"

Exactly.

But the results show wasn't so much about results, though. It was all about selling an hour of commercials. And music. Any music.

The News

Is any one else besides me tired of hearing about Arnold and  Maria? The media really should leave them along and let me heal (or argue) in private. 

And the fact that the news shows talk about this first before real news like the Mississippi River flooding state after state or the Middle-East issues is just about ridiculous. It seems like the news experts really don't know what is real news is.

Soccer

Saturday Drew and  I gave a deep sigh of relief as soccer season came to an end. Then, what did we do?  Allowed William to join an indoor team. So. Five more weeks of soccer.  And this time we get the added bonus of driving ALL. THE. WAY. ACROSS. town to the the indoor facility. Do you feel my joy?
So, why, then did we do this insanity? 

Mainly, William loves soccer. He really does.  But also, this team is coached by the high school soccer coach and the rest (well, mostly the rest) of the team is the high school team.  This gives William a chance to get to them all of them, as well as all of them to get to know William.

We're excited at the possiblity of William playing for the high schol team. One of our desires for our kids is for them to have a postive high school experience. We feel that being apart of a team or group or club enhances that positive high school experience. This could be Willliam's place.

Almost to the End

We have one more week at school.  The kids are ready. I'm ready.  I'm hoping more sleep will be in my future - and for the kids. They are grumpy when sleep deprived.   Drew and I will still get up early for our morning walk, but at least I can go back to bed if need be.

As usual I'm not sure if any work at school will be done with week.  The two older ones have at least one field trip this week or a day of fun at school.  And the younger one will have a movie day.  At this moment it looks like two of the three will have straight A's. And surprisingly it's William that probably won't. 

I hate to say laziness will be a factor, but.....probably so. And the fact that we don't think he knows how to study very well.  Things come easy to him - just listen in class and do the homework and he gets it.  But some things need more work.  He's not so into that. Hence, the laziness.

But looking back this year's been harder for him. I think in some ways he's still recovering from the move.  He's not as comfortable with these teachers as he was with the ones in Guam.   This is a bigger school - I think that has something to do with it. Also, in Guam the teachers has several things in place to make each grade and each home-room feel like a team  - he doesn't have that at all here. In fact this semester for his homeroom he is in the library as  student helper. He likes it - gives him more time to read, but I think socially it wasn't such a great idea for my shy son.

One thing the kids are really looking forward to is the end-of-school party we're throwing.  Ice cream and water guns.  Should be a good time!

I'm just hoping that the whole school doesn't show up!!

The Old Blog

This week I started a project that I have been putting off since we returned from Guam:  getting my Guam blog into hard-copy form. I finally started yesterday and worked some more on it today.
And I'm not even close to being half way done.

It's a long process.

So far I have all the post into a program and I'm going through them deciding what I'll keep and what will be published.  And moving them around some save space.   I'm about half-way done with this part.  While I'm doing this, I'm reading them trying to catch any typos.

I wrote them, so I KNOW there's typos.

Then I'll go back and add more pictures. Hopefully, that will go smoothly.

Then I'll pay probably more than Drew would like me to for it to be published. (Another reason why I've procastinated about this project.)

It's been  a lot of fun reading through these post. Some things I have totally forgotten about. It's also reminded me how much I do like to write - not that I've done a lot of that here.

Hopefully,  I'll be better at posting.

Extreme Couponing

I'm watching Extreme Couponing.  Yeah.. Not sure if I get this. I SO get saving money.  I like love that part.  But these that have a HUGE stockpile?? That I don't get. Who needs 1500 tubes of toothpaste???

Another Book Review

Last week I read Kim Edward's Lake of Dreams - once again she did a wonderful job!  Her first book was also a great read, The Memory Keeper's Daughter. 

Lake of Dreams is about a young lady returning home to visit her family after living over-seas for several years.  She stumbled upon letters from an un-known relative that sets her on quest to find out an her story.   It was a very captivating story.

Busy Times

Lot so going on these days....through-out the world and here in our little corner.  Loved Easter weekend....great time with family. Kids keeping us busy with soccer, school work, dentist, piano  - and just being kids.

It seems that every time I turn on the news something new and drastic has happened....the royal wedding was beautiful (or at least the parts I saw - have to admit, I didn't sit and watch all of it).  Very glad one terrorist is no longer able to make mayhem.....still sad over all he did to this world, though.  Glad the tornado missed us, but hated that it changed so many lives.

Busy week ahead.....I think  I have something just about every day. Good times, though....good times.