The first day of sunburn...

...oh. I mean the first day of summer!

After school (which only lasted an hour and 45 minutes), Will walked home, quickly changed into a swimsuit, and walked to the pool. Lets guess-timate that he arrived at the pool at 10:30 a.m. He came home at 4:00 p.m.

No, he did not think to wear sunscreen.

As soon as he got home, I knew he would suffer for that mistake. I quickly smoothed aloe gel onto him to try to stop the burn, but there is not much you can do at that point. Even his eyelids are lobster red! He is going to have a rough night trying to sleep tonight.

I was still at my school or I would have reminded him to wear sunscreen. He is 13 now, so I feel he is old enough to have been in charge of himself and I am sure he will remember in the future!

Helena told me a story about the Freshman BBQ tonight that I want to share because I was both shocked and amused by it.

Apparently, some of the lower class girls at the school (to avoid using the slang for it) were baring large stretches of chest for their guy friends to sign because signing yearbooks is too tame for them. Helena's circle of friends were quite uncomfortable seeing this, particularly her guy friends, who thankfully, are a higher quality sort of boy. One boy in particular, Brayden, was feeling acutely embarrassed and turned away from the spectacle saying, "Oh! They are signing their 'watcha-cha-chas' again!" He was too embarrassed to say "boobs", so he invented a filler word on the spot. So now, "watcha-cha-chas" is the new term for "boobs" among Helena's circle of friends.

I am thankful that Helena has high quality friends, but I am shocked that there would be such low class stuff going on at the Jr. High!

Why 15 is difficult, IMHO

IMHO means, 'in my humble opinion'.

Helena and I butt heads very often.

I have realized that most of the time, the friction comes from her wanting to go places and do things that do not fit into my time frame, or willingness to act as taxi service.

Yesterday, the 9th grade class went to Seven Peaks (a water park in Provo) to celebrate the end of the year and the end of Jr. High. The buses were scheduled to return to the school at 4:00 p.m. I arrived at 4:10 and waited because the buses weren't really there (no surprise). Finally, at 4:30 the buses arrived and kids started piling out. By 4:45 Helena called me and started right in on "my friends and I wanted to go...". She wanted to take off with someone else.

First of all, I had already been waiting there for over 30 minutes.

Second of all, she had just spent all day with these people!

From my point of view, I did not want to be treated like hired help to be dismissed so. In fact, you wouldn't treat the hired help that way for fear they'd quit!

From her point of view, it is frustrating to want the freedom of movement that comes with being older, but be unable to have it because you still have 6 months to go before getting a driver's licence! It is a bummer to have to have your mommy picking you up all the time!

You know, I think deep down we both understand each other's point of view. It is hard to be open and patient with each other in the moment, though. Tempers flare and words are spoken that would have been best left unsaid.

I liked you at ten, I'll like you again

Photo courtesy of amazon.com

I bought this book of poems recently. It is a collection of 'mommy years' poems, one for each year of your child's life. Each poem is geared exactly to what the mommy experiences that year with the child. I really purchased it because of the poem for 15 years old (that is how old Helena is right now) that ends in the title couplet. Here is the poem;

You push my buttons;

My engine starts-

My exasperation is showing,

Though I have love in my heart.

I try to have patience-

It comes from within;

This is not my strong suit-

I don't often win.

Friction between us

Runs extrememly high;

My day often ends

With a good cry.

I praise ALL your good,

Forgive ALL your wrong;

I hope this phase you are in

Won't last too long.

The chores you are given

Are left undone;

You say that I nag

And act very dumb.

Then with a smile,

I recall where we've been;

I liked you at ten,

I'll like you again.

Yup. That sums up 15 perfectly! For those of you not here yet, beware and take heart! The poems from here on out get much better, so I have hope that the phase really won't last much longer. If you are of a different opinion....

I don't want to hear it.

My baby is a teenager now!

On Saturday, May 23rd, Will turned 13! Now there are no more 'children' at my house. Just adults and teenagers!

For his birthday, Will wanted to go to Trafalga (a local mini-golf/arcade). We took him to an early dinner at Chili's first, though. Dinner was great, but Trafalga was a bit of a let down. Will and Helena had upset stomachs after dinner. Helena didn't really mini-golf with us. Will and I didn't want to drive the go-carts. Everyone had fun at the arcade, I think. At one point, Will had an allergic reaction in one of his eyes, and Bill had to run to a local Target to get some eye drops for him.

In the end, Will didn't receive his presents until 10:30 that night! We gave him an mp3 player and a defense stick for Lacrosse. He went from being really tired to really excited in an instant. Apparently the gifts were just right! I love giving a just right gift!

Erik's graduation!

My brother, Erik, graduated from the University of Utah School of Law on Friday, May 15, 2009! It is hard to shift my mindset from little brother to the fact that not only is he grown up, and a husband and father, but that he has accomplished such an awesome thing! I admire him so much for sticking with his goal and seeing through! You can tell by the glowing happiness on everyone's faces that we were all on a natural high while celebrating with him.

Mom and Dad flew down for an extended weekend in order to attend the graduation ceremony, which was held in Kingsbury Hall on the University campus.

The Beast is fixed but the drama does not end!

I discovered that the problem with accessing the Internet on the beast (the desktop) was due to a piece of software that had corrupted. I uninstalled that, and voila! Internet functions again!

Of course, since this is MY life, that did not end the drama. While trying to solve the problem, I transferred Will's Smart Music software licence to the laptop to enable him to do his scales. Now I can't shift the license back!

Helena needed the laptop to complete the PowerPoint she has been building on it, and Will needed the laptop to access the Internet. You might say, why doesn't Helena shift her PowerPoint to the other computer? Great thinking, Oh Great One, but the Ethernet cable for Internet access is located at the desktop. Will would have to be doing his scales right on top of Helena and the desktop. Can you just imagine the love generated from that scenario? (Please note the heavy sarcasm here)

We have had to assign shifts for computer work. I need to get another Ethernet cable. The router has slots for 4 of them. I guess I'll just put that on my Summer 'To Do' list!

The Curse of the Bobby Pin

My husband HATES bobby pins! They are an infestation in our house and lives. You don't have to look far to find one around here. There will be several crammed in the couch cushions at any given time. We have found them when cleaning out the heater registers. They are on the floor, in the corners, and piled next to every sink! Sometimes they are left in books as bookmarks, then forgotten.

What really gets Bill going is when they find their way into the plumbing. That is when they wreck the most havoc. Bill occasionally has to dismantle a U-bend to clear out the clog created by one of these little pests.

Bobby pins are just one of the side effects of having a ballerina in the house. Another one is massive foot stink. You would think that everything about a ballerina would be light and delicate, wouldn't you? Well, you would be WRONG! They work so hard with their feet, there really is no way to prevent this from happening. That is why the studio has that funk going on that I mentioned in a previous post. When driving Helena home, we often have to keep the windows open, even in the coldest weather, just to manage the odor. When it is time for her to drive herself, I have warned her to keep the car well aired out, or suffer the consequences!

Children, and school, and May

There are many things I want to write about, so make yourself comfortable and sit back for a long read!

First of all, Helena is finally ungrounded! I don't think I fully mentioned this before. She had really bad grades in 3 of her classes ever since before Spring Break! At first she was just grounded from hanging out with friends. That was not enough incentive, apparently. When things did not improve in a timely manner, I pulled her out of ballet.

The timing couldn't have been worse for her. She was scheduled to attend the Regional Dance America/Pacific Festival. She would have missed 3 days of school to spend the time in intensive ballet training with guest teachers from all over the region. I had paid $200 for her to be able to do this.

I told her that since her grades were not in hand, that she could not afford to miss school and would, therefore, have to miss the festival. No I did not get a refund.

She was very mature about it. I was really impressed with her calm acceptance, though I knew it was cutting her up inside. She did not throw a single fit over it.

As of yesterday, her ban was lifted and she was allowed to return to ballet. She was very excited and a little nervous to see the other girls, since she knew that they would all be asking her where she had been. She was honest with them and they all understood. One of the girls said "I'm glad my parents don't enforce that rule!" I hope that Helena will someday say "I'm really glad that my parents DID enforce that rule."

Next topic, children at school.

Maybe it is because it is the end of the year. I am finding myself out of patience. The students are getting more unruly as the end draws near.

Most of the kids are absolutely adorable! There are always a few in every class, though, that try my patience. Some kids have an identifiable medical condition, like Autism, that makes it harder for them to function. Those are not the kids I am talking about. Those kids are not annoying, they simply need more help and understanding.

No. The kids I refer to are completely normal and fully functioning kids. They just seem to have an amazing ability to frustrate me constantly!

There is one girl in particular that comes to mind. She is in first grade. She appears to be the petted and pretty darling of some mommy. She is always a little fashion plate. Her hair is always curled. ALWAYS. That of itself is out of the ordinary. Most kids have a pony tail day now and again. Not this little darling. None of that is annoying, though.

It is hard to put a finger on it. She grabs things away from other children because she wants it. Then gives me an "of course I did and I'll do it again next time" look when I correct her for it. If I tell the kids to stay in their seat and not to use the pencil sharpener, where do you think she is? Yup. Out of her seat and at the sharpener. The rules for simple mortals do not apply to this little princess. I guess I have hidden my dislike well because today when she rushed into class, she marched right up to me and said "Here. I made this for you on Saturday!" It was a cut out paper flower. Glowing with inner contentment, she turned and took a seat. Did it melt my heart? Not a bit. She continued to behave like a petted princess throughout the class period.

This little girl is only one of the annoying children. Thank heaven there aren't many! It makes me wonder what their parents are like. Of course, for all I know, my own children were probably the annoying kids for some other teacher(s).


And finally, MAY!!! I am so excited for warm weather!I really should be outside right now basking in the late afternoon sunshine. All teachers and students are counting the days now. I have my end of year checkout inventory and need to finalize all grades by next Wednesday. OH YEAH!

I always spend the first week of summer doing absolutely nothing. Then out comes THE LIST. Most people make New Year's resolutions. I make Summer resolutions. I usually accomplish them, too! Past success makes future successes more likely. This post has rambled on for some time, now, so I'll have to make a different post about Summer resolutions.

A temporary solution and thoughts on modern education

When I got home today, I immediately began work on installing Internet protection on the laptop. I am simply not sure how long it is going to take to solve the problem on the beast (our 2 year old desktop). I felt that prepping the laptop would serve our family faster and be better in the long run.

So, here I am, typing a blog post on the laptop! The keyboard is less friendly, but the results are all that truly matter.

I told another teacher about my computer problems at home and she commented that the only computer she has is her school computer. She takes it home when she needs to, which is rarely. She said they don't have much need for it at home. I told her that is because her kids are still small. When they get to Junior High and High School, that changes. We have two home computers and that still feels like it is not enough!

Education has changed drastically from what is was. I think the changes are for the better.

Will uses an online link to record and score his baritone scales at home and submit it to his teacher for posting on his grade. The program shows him what he played overlapped over the correct notes so he can see where his mistakes are. Green notes are correct, red notes are not. It also has a built in tuner to help him get accurate pitch.

Helena, as I mentioned in the last post, used the computer for online prep tests to be scored and submitted to the teacher before end of year testing in Biology.

Both kids use a program called GoMy Access (I know, dumb name) to type, revise, analyze, score, and submit writing assignments for their English classes. It is the most powerful writing tool I have ever seen! I wish I had it when I was their age! It can help them set goals in organization, conventions, voice, and other areas of writing. The teacher can set it up so that they can submit for analysis as many times as they need before a final submit for grades.

Will submitted a blog presentation for his final novel portfolio in English this year.

Both kids have made numerous PowerPoint presentations for many different classes.

And, of course, in Junior High and High School, the teachers are up to the day on reporting grades on Powergrade, an online grade book that parents and students can access. Elementary teachers use Powergrade, too, but they are notorious for letting grades go unsubmitted for long periods of time.

So, when my friend and fellow teacher finds her kids in secondary education, I know she will be looking around for computers for them. It will only intensify from here on out!

Computer woes

Will spent all afternoon on Sunday playing games on the Internet.

Helena spent an hour yesterday afternoon on the Internet taking online pre-tests for Biology.

When I tried to get on the Internet yesterday evening so I could blog... NADA!

Oh, sure, I can load up the start page. Beyond that, though, the computer just spins its wheels and finally says 'Not Responding'. I tried everything I could think of. Finally, in desperation, I called my ISP and asked for a tech.

The technician spent 45 minutes with me on the phone running through all sorts of command prompts only to discover that the computer is communicating just fine with the Internet. We even switch the Ethernet cable to the laptop and verified that, yes, the Internet works just fine.

The tech said he believes there is probably a virus on my computer preventing the Internet from working on that machine. WONDERFUL.

You might be thinking, 'so what? Just use the laptop!'

The laptop does not have any firewalls or protections in place. Not that that seems to have helped the desktop.

So now I have 2 options. Spend my time installing protections and software (like Smart Music which Will needs in order to pass Band) on the laptop so we can access the Internet there, or spend my time trying to solve the desktop dilemma.

Phooey!

Recent Helena photography

Just a quick paste together of some of my recent favorites amongst Helena's photos. Each of these has some unique quality that makes it a work of art.

Spring Fog

This image just about sums up the Spring of 2009 for me.

Lacrosse Marathon

Due to the unusually wet and stormy spring we've been having, Will only had two games actually take place on the day they were originally scheduled. The rest had to be made up once the weather finally cooperated. That was this weekend. He had 5 games in 3 days time. 5 GAMES!

The first game was held Thursday and I already wrote that victory. The rest of the games were losses, unfortunately. Two of those four were played against the same team, who slaughtered them both times. It must be noted that that particular school (Spanish Fork) has only one lacrosse team, so they were considerably more experienced players than our B team, comprised entirely of first year players. We lost to Lehi by only one goal, and their team had some players who were on their second season (according to the parents I chatted with throughout the game). Those parents were impressed with our new players' skills. I guess we will see what they make of themselves next year!

In this video, a tall boy from the other team gains possession of the ball, and it quickly becomes apparent that that is a rare occurance for him. You can hear parents from both teams encouraging him to 'Run the other way!' Hee, hee, hee!

It is interesting to note that, unlike American football, soccer, baseball, and basketball (all heavily participated in) which separate teams out by grade level; lacrosse teams in this junior league have players who range as young as 5th grade all the way up to 8th grade all on one team. The size differences are staggering! Those scrappy small players are not intimidated, however. They are often the better players because this is a game of speed, skill, and maneuverability more than brute force.

Having said that, many of the players come straight out of the football rosters. They get the adreneline pumping and penalties happen, like in this last video.

First Victory!

Will's team won their Lacrosse game today!


There have been so many cancellations that we will be having something of a Lacrosse marathon this weekend. There was a game today (we won 3 to 1), a double header tomorrow night, and a double header again on Saturday morning!


The weather was fabulous and the game fun to watch. They seem to spend half the game shoving each other out of the way whilst trying to pick the ball up off the ground. Sometime a player thinks he has the ball and starts to run down the field, only to realize half way down that the ball fell out of his stick pocket somewhere along the way!


Will did great! He is great at bashing people with his stick (pole? whatever they call it) At one point he picked up the ball and ran down field with it. Upon crossing the mid-field line, however, he turned his head to shout for someone else to stay back (there are rules governing how many players can cross mid-field) and ran smack into two of the opposing team's players. Oops.

Later in the game, he managed to steal a ball and lob it across the field to the other side... exactly what a defense man is supposed to do!


At one point, our goalie scooped up the ball and ran the whole length of the field to try to make a score himself. This is actually completely legal!


See?! I told you it is a fun sport! We all laughed and cheered for that goalie, even the parents of the other team!


At the end of a game, it is apparently tradition to 'go to your goalie' as the coaches say it. The team runs to their goalie and does one of two things. 1. If they win, they tackle him and congratulate him. 2. If they lose, they tackle him and beat on him! It is all in good fun and no one gets seriously hurt (thanks to the helmet and pads). The goalie is the equivalent of the team captain, so he takes it all in stride. The coaches say it takes a special kind of crazy kid to be the goalie in this game, because the pads are light weight compared to other sports, and the ball is small, hard, and travelling very fast.


Anyway, I am looking forward to good weather for tomorrow's games!

The Longest Week

Most of the time life goes by too quickly! It is Monday, I blink, and it is Friday!

This week was different.

It was LONG! Painfully so.

I was getting ready for the art show (which turned out very well, by the way), working out Helena's high school registration, dealing with sagging grades for both of the kids, and processing a refinance on our house all at the same time. This on top of teaching, chauffeuring and normal house and mom stuff. Each day seemed to last forever!

Like I said, the art show was a great success, so now I can relax for the rest of the year and enjoy my classes! I sincerely hope that next year we go back to a dance festival or something to give me a rest!

And yes, we refinanced our house! We now have a 15 year mortgage instead of a 30 year! I am very excited about being able to pay it off much sooner and saving over $80,000 in interest over the life of the loan! The lower interest rates currently offered allowed us this option that has always been out of reach in the past. Other parts of the economy may be scary, but this was a welcome opportunity for us!

Helena, the famous artist!

Helena got to paint the final portion of the portrait herself! I promised her she could. She was very happy and we are both pleased with the results!

The Portrait is Finished - sort of

Here is a photo of Helena's portrait. It is sort of finished! I say 'sort of' because I may make some small alterations over the next few weeks. The red square that covers part of her mouth is not that bright in reality. It just shows up like that on camera. I am not sure why, but I think I need to re-evaluate that one.

I know that mom doesn't like this painting much. It is not her style, I think. Fortunately, Helena loves it and can't wait to put it in her room. That will have to wait at least 6 months, however, because that is how long it takes for oil paint to dry completely (at least, when it is thin like this. If it was thicker, it would take a year)!

Change is in the Air

On Thursday, Helena and I got online and registered her for her Sophomore year of High School! 10th grade is the first year at the high school and she is very excited about moving on. She is 'so over junior high'. By the way, yes, she took this photo! Isn't she gorgeous?!

Her schedule will be as follows;

Semester 1

A1 French 3
A2 Computer Tech
A3 Conceptual Chemistry
A4 Ancient World Civ.

B1 Honors English
B2 Honors Algebra 2
B3 Orchestra
B4 Seminary

Semester 2

A1 French 3
A2 Commercial Photography 1
A3 Conceptual Chemistry
A4 Health

B1 Honors English
B2 Honors Algebra 2
B3 Orchestra
B4 Seminary

I liked that the high school online registration allows you to select not only classes, but class periods and teachers as well. We built the most balanced schedule we could. This year all her hard classes are on the same day and it is a killer for the backpack!

The Conceptual Chemistry is slightly less hard core than standard Chem. We have discovered that science is Helena's weak link. Even though it is not as rigorous, it qualifies for the Regent Scholarship (Utah scholarship program) and is accepted by university as the Chem credit. DONE!

We wanted to put her in the Digital Photo class, but discovered when we went to the HS orientation that those classes were already full! The Jr. and Sr. class register first, and took those classes. Maybe next year. In the meantime, she gets to take Commercial Photo and learn how to use a dark room! That also means we have to find an SLR 35 mm camera for her to use. The teacher recommended that we search online. He said lots of people are unloading quite good cameras because they have switched to digital. So, here we are with a digital camera, trying to find a 35 mm! How ironic!

The school offers driver's ed as a class during the day. How weird! I remember having to do it after school. We have opted to go with a private company this summer because the school offerings don't fit our timeline.




The other big change for Helena is ballet. She is finding herself wanting to scale back some. It seems that the ballet company is always wanting more and more of her time and the sacrifices are starting to wear on her. She misses doing things with friends. She struggles to keep up to date with school work. She doesn't have any down time.

She is enjoying photography so much she is considering it as a career option instead of ballet.

She will not quit dancing, of course. She has too much love of the art form for that. But we may be seeing the end of her ambitions toward the professional career and her membership in the 'company'. Only time will tell for sure. Her schedule will remain as it is until the fall. That is when she will have to make decisions about changes.

I will fully support whatever her choice will be. I believe in her ability to succeed no matter where her heart leads her!