What we are eating and/or in the Garden Wednesdays

more lettuce
picked and froze more purple beans and yellow beans
picked our first cucumber
cherry tomatoes are flowering
saw a beginning broccoli head
many small summer squash on the vine
corn is knee high, so on pace since corn is suppose to be (at least up nort')
"knee high by the 4th of July"
thinning out the onions

spinach is done, probably won't plant more, so will pull and start more lettuce
radishes are done, still need to learn to thin better for bigger radish heads

summer routine

in a summer routine during the week so not much to say

wake up at 6:00am

my 10 mile bike ride

swim lessons and gymnastics in the am for Tuki

summer school for Ve & Mim

my 2 mile run

swim lessons for Ve & Mim after school

nap

yard work

house work

relax

bed

an interesting event this am, 3 girls born in Guatemala were in the pool all at once, 4 international adopted kids (1 China) were in the pool at once and 5 adopted children (1 domestic adoption) of color were at swim lessons----all this happening in our small town

T E E N A G E R

in the house

argue, argue, argue,

"It isn't fair"

"You don't know"

"I want to wear this" (too small & too tight)

"So & so has this, so I need this"

"You don't like me"


POOR POOR POOR misunderstood Mim, the teenage years are hard


ON ALL OF US!!

Wednesdays: What are we eating from the garden?

Well let me tell you:

lettuce
purple (green) beans
radishes

nothing like fresh salads.....

Summer Education

Ve is in the enrichment program at summer school. They are learning about plants.
I am supplementing her education at home this summer with basic math skills and a reading/writing activity which I will explain later.

Mim is in the math summer program. I hate math, I hate teaching math because if students don't understand it, I have a difficult time figuring out a way to explain for understanding. So naturally Mim and I heave heated moments when I try to help. That is all I will say here about that. I am also supplementing her education at home with reading activities.

Tuki is still too young for summer school so I decided to have her do 4 weeks/4 days a week of swimming and then once a week gymnastics. I then supplement her learning with the reading activity and learning a few words.

My reading activity for each of the girls is essentially the same with different expectations for their outcomes.

Mim needs to read a few chapters in a book, and then summarize what she learned verbally to me and then write it (summarize) into a notebook as well. I also hope to add spelling in as well a few times this summer.

Ve reads sight word book, tells me what it was about. If she can't I have her read it again and stress that she needs to think about what she is reading. She then draws a few pictures in summary and writes a few words about the book. She continues to learn more sight words, thus increasing her vocabulary, with flash cards as well.

I read a book of Tuks choosing to her, she tells me what it was about and then she draws a picture to summarize her understanding. I started teaching her a few simple sight words simply because she wanted me to.

This reading activity takes maybe 1 1/2 hours, then the rest of the day is free. By the time all this summer education, formal & informal is complete for the day, it is close to 2:00pm. BUT, I think it will be worth it in the long run.

My hope is to teach the girls to think about the reading, which trust me MANY students don't know how to do. In addition they need to summarize the reading in some way at the appropriate age level, in hopes of increasing comprehension. This is what many kids learning a second language struggle with.

I know, I know, my poor kids having a teacher for a Mama...........

First week

A full first week (8 days) of summer vacation completed.

Graduation party for niece M
3 days at Kalahari & a visit to the ICF
Kestrel banding
Attended the Energy Fair
Overnight visit from friends M & B
Graduation party for a friend's daughter
daily care & feeding of critters around home

Now tomorrow, Mim and Ve start summer school, Tuki starts swim lessons and gymnastics classes and DaVinci starts agility class this coming week as well.

Me, well I will continue with my morning exercise, and start cleaning and organizing this house room by room. I tend to do this intensive cleaning every couple of years

Today

Painting experts, I coated this dresser with clear Krylon Primer and then spray painted over it. What is causing this puckering and HOW CAN I PREVENT IT??!! Thanks in advance.
Lady in waiting with the flowering primrose
garden shots
our garden with weeds and all.
squash & cabbage
Tuks posing in the garden

Copied from the "The Big List" concerning Guatemala's situation

In Guatemala the affects of the recent disaster are ongoing.
In San Lucas Toliman there are a reported 800 people living in emergency shelters as of a few days ago.
In San Andres 45 families have been moved out of their village and into one big hall in another village because their own village is in such danger of mudslides.
In Tierra Linda the village has lost most of its crops and a lot of its land for growing crops has been washed away by the river.
In Maria Tecun there are 383 families that have lost their homes and cannot even begin to clear the land of huge boulders, rocks and mud to find out if they can rebuild.
This is only a small area near us, but this story is repeated all over Guatemala.
The biggest problem that will be facing many is going to be lack of food.
Even families who have not lost their homes or been displaced are going to face hardships to feed their families.
The cost of food is rising and will continue to rise. So many crops have been destroyed.
Just because the disaster does not make news please do not think the need is over.
I am afraid that it is just beginning.
I spoke to a person involved in one of the large Aid Organizations and she told me that this will be the start of at least one year of hunger for Guatemalans.

Not only the people are suffering but the animals as well. This morning I spoke to Xaney from AWARE ...the only animal shelter in Guatemala....she has said that many animals are abandoned on the hills of Pacaya. Horses, dogs, cows and goats ....with nothing to eat. We have seen the same with dogs. Homes washed away , families evacuated and lots of dogs and cats left wandering and hungry in the streets.

Guatemala is going to need a lot of help.

Sharon.
www.mayanfamilies.org

Evening of Am. Kestrel banding

thanks to friends R & W.

R climbing to the nest box
the 4 nestlings, a bad egg and a regurgitated pellet
the crew
taking it all in
Mim really enjoyed it---she wanted to take one home so I had to explain about wild animals belonging and being happiest in the wild
a male kestrel as evidence by the blue in the primary feathers
banding the kestrel
the 4, 2 females, 2 males
Tuki checking out a tree swallow nest box

Back from the 1st Vaca of the summer

KALAHARI-great family stay

3 days
2 nights
lots of good food (too much really)
lots of fun
the girls wanted to stay longer

my observations from people watching from this trip are:
1. adoptive families can be found everywhere
2. Families will stop with 2 boys, but go for a third child if the first two are girls
3. TATTOOS are everywhere on the body and they are quite popular. I'd say 1 in 3 families someone had a tattoo on them
4.I am FAT, but unfortunately, there are many that are just as fat or fatter, AMERICA is truly an obese country
5. Ve is fun to vacation with, she NEVER was in a bad mood, something I can't say for the other two.
6. Kalahari is a great family resort, and it was nice seeing all the families spending time together
7. Mim can be a nag...she will get on a person about something she doesn't like and then is relentless, and yet again she can be a good big sister
8. Tuks has more confidence at her age than I did at 21

we all had a good time and it was a great bonding time for us and to be away from the stress and pressure of home and all the things need to be done around the home!!




playing with Mim in the big pool
ohhooooo two is too many
getting ready to innertube down one of the slides
fun on the Ferris Wheel
Ve climbing the wall
Tuks and Mim climbing the wall
go-karts
swings
eating really well for us all
painting..her jewelry box
artisits hard at work
bowling
first for Mim & Tuks
Breakfast with the characters- Kya & Tuks
Kenya & Ve
Lion King & Mim
They sat with us for quite a while. It took us 2 hours to eat breakfast, Ve & Tuks were so excited that they could hardly eat
high fiving the Monkey
Dancing with the Lion King
Lots & lots of swimming - 3 days worth
Ve - she became very brave in the water after these 3 days
Min telling me she is cold
International Crane Foundation
group shot in front of one of the cranes
COOL!!!!!!!!!
Whopping Crane nesting
My girls standing in front of a nesting Whopping Crane - COOL AGAIN!!!
double trouble
another cool close up
an amazing dragon fly

Finally, ..............................................DONE....................................................!!!!!!!!!

One

One-half day left and we are home free..................

Raining all day

Raining all day, feet are hurting, and boy am I CRABBY all day....and that is all I have to say about that. One 1/2 days left and we are home free!!!

SUMMER!!!

Last day with students..two and 1/2 more days of shutting down the rooms, grades, end of year stuff and I am off for the summer.....

Mim and Ve have about 2 weeks off and then it is summer school for them.

Mim will be going to 7th next fall, all the teachers for Mim said she was doing an amazing job, still not proficient at her age level, (obviously) but doing well. Her teacher wrote "We all learned a lot from her about determination and adjusting."


Ve will be going into 1st...Ve's music teacher wrote this on Ve's report card..."I hope 1st grade sees a lot of growth for Ve. Best of luck to you!" MMMM what do you think, maybe what I am thinking, Ve and her music teacher probably didn't get along very well....

Tuki into 4k....

It will be a busy fall so we will enjoy the summer!!!

Solinsky 12:56.66

Lagat New American 5,000m Record 12:54.12, Solinsky 12:56.66 In Oslo

Read more: http://www.letsrun.com/2010/oslobislett0604.php#ixzz0q5Xq3XRH
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Running upfront most of the race and finishing in sixth place was none other than Chris Solinsky, who ran a PB of 12:56.66, a personal best by sixteen seconds!





Lagat Beats Solinsky As Chris Joins Sub-13:00 Club
Thanks to a fast start and solid pace-making, American duo Bernard Lagat and Chris Solinsky ran up to their excellent pre-race form. 2007 5,000m world champion Lagat ran near the front of the well-rabbited pack for the whole race and was simply outsprinted over the finishing straight by Ethiopians Imane Merga and Tariku Bekele. Solinsky probably slightly exceeded expectations as he ran well the whole way and closed in about 57 seconds to finish 6th immediately behind Vincent Chepkok, who ran 12:51 in Doha earlier this season.

One year ago, a 12:56.66 from Solinsky might have shut the site down for several days, but after Dathan Ritzenhein's 12:56.28, Matt Tegenkamp's 12:58, Solinsky's own 26:59 and Lagat's 12:54, it seemed almost a foregone conclusion. American fans expect a lot from their stars, so to put their performance in perspective, Solinsky finished 6th in front of steeplechase world record holder Saif Saaeed Shaheen, Edwin Soi, Eliud Kipchoge (he, like Chepkok, ran 12:51 in Doha) and Yusuf Biwott who ran 7:31 for 3,000 this year.

The race was paced well and the weather was cool and a bit breezy. There was a huge pack of men together for most of the race. If anything, the race started a bit too fast, as the first kilometer was covered in 12:40 pace (2:32) and then they positive split for a while (2:35, 2:37, 2:38). The kicking really didn't get going until the final 300m. Lagat, as mentioned earlier, was near the front the whole way, while Solinsky was 3 people back from him in line. Solinsky was game to move up several times in the race and had a fairly strong kick, though clearly inferior to the top 4 runners.



Read more: http://www.letsrun.com/2010/oslobislett0604.php#ixzz0q5Y0Ou8E
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Tonight

Tuki stated at the supper table that she was NOT going to be nice tonight. Guess what, she wasn't. Every chance she had she was naughty and sassy. She is now in bed, sent there early by me...My Goodness, what I am in for if at 4 1/2 years she CHOOSES to be naughty and sticks with it. GOD help me when she is 14 1/2!!!