4th Grade Field Trip

For the 4th grade field trip, we ventured down to Los Angeles.   Rionn goes to a magnet school specializing in math, science, and technology.  So it was not a surprise when they said they were going to the Griffith Observatory.   And I had never been there.  I moved here in 1996.  And there are still things that I've not done in SoCal that people say you need too.  So I decided to chaperone.  Hubby had the day off and he volunteered to stay home with the baby.  So it was just the big kid and I.  And the best thing,  I didn't have to ride on the bus.  I don't mean that riding the bus is a bad thing.  But riding a bus over 30, with 2- 4th grade classes through L.A. traffic during both morning and evening rush hour, did not sound fun.   So we met at the school.  I got my handy little clipboard.  And a list of all the do's and don'ts, and phone numbers to every adult on the trip.  The teachers this year decided to make something fun out of this field trip.  So we had a scavenger hunt to complete.  And his class had a best group photo contest.  So I was mentally ready for having a group of boys at the space museum.  Only, I had my boy, and 3 girls.  That threw me off a little.  But we had a great time.  We finished our scavenger hunt.  And took lots of pictures.  And even saw a movie in a planetarium.  We had a great time.  And I'm glad there was a small group.

County Field Day

I was very into 4-H when I was in 4-H.  But I never went to County Field Day.  Not sure why.   Rionn attended his second field day.  This year he entered the food competition too.  And I've kind of set up my meetings to help the kids figure out things to enter into field day and the fair.  Things you can enter in field day is... floral arrangement, favorite cookies, favorite dessert, photography, public speaking, demonstrations, singing, music, acting, clay objects, crafts, and judging.  The thing I love about 4-H is that the parents can't help.

So here's what Rionn chose to do.  He entered his Thanksgiving wreath, both divisions in photography, favorite dessert, favorite cookies, his tote bag, and model from a kit.

We've spent the last week prepping.  Making sure his model was done.  Taking pictures of random things that 10 year old boys want to take pictures of.  And learning how to bake.  He has realized that those sweet treats that I make are a pain to do.  One of the rules of field day is no pre packaged items.  No cake mixes from a box.  No premade pie crusts.  Nor frosting from a can.

So he decided to make key lime pie cupcakes.  Those are always a favorite around here.  Nice and spring-like too.  And he wanted to make my peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.  And he's decided that baking from scratch is hard work.  Especially since he broke my blender.  Smashing down graham crackers is for people with strong arms muscles.  Not to mention cutting in half and juicing 26 key limes.  He also learned how to use the mixer.  Which for some reason made me really nervous.

But he did great.  And his food tasted awesome. He came home with 1 county winner, 2 blue ribbons, 2 red ribbons, and 2 white ribbons.  His key lime pie cupcakes were county winner in his age category.  They auctioned off the desserts.  His cupcakes sold for $20.  And his cookies sold for $25.  You want to know my secret for great recipes.  It's Google and trial and error.  Yep.  I use the toll house cookie recipe from the bag of chips.  Usually I replace the white flour with whole wheat.  Half the chocolate chips for peanut butter ones.  And key lime pie came around because my husband was googling limes.  And key lime pie came up.  He's notorious for wanting me to make something he likes in a restaurant.  LOL.

His pictures took 2nd and 3rd.  I'm not sure what they were judging it based on.  But I thought they were pretty good for a 10 year old and his mom's old cell phone.

And most of our day was sitting around.  Since Rionn didn't have to be around for his things to be judged, we spent the day walking around a jr high school.  Trying to catch lizards.  And at the end of the day, they finally caught one.  But it was a good day.  And hopefully next year he won't just enter the arts and crafts stuff.  But the speeches and demostrations too.

Little Mirrors

They say that if you want to see how you act, how you are in general, look at your kids.  They reflect exactly how they see the world.  And their world is at home.  Well, for the most part.  Rionn has officially entered that "tween" world.  And it's frustrating.  I'm not even sure how to describe it.  He has the ability to get things done and focus and not talk back.  But those things seem to be a problem. And well, I'll be the first to admit that this change hasn't been received so gently.  It's almost as those he can't/won't do his chores and homework without me sitting right next to him.  And then he gets all huffy and puffy, mumbles a few words under his breath, and gets upset that we're checking up on him, or watching him.  These days, all he wants to do is read.  And well, it's hard to discipline for reading too much.  Is that even a thing?  People tell me to just be thankful that he likes reading.

But I, as his mom, seem to get stern.  Then I feel bad.  Parents are often their own worst critic.  And well, I'm feeling like I've failed him.  Did I do too much for him when he was little?  Have I not let him be independent enough?  And then there are the thoughts of if he was some kind of learning disabililty.  ADD/ADHD?  And then how can I help him now.  It's hard.  He's my first.  My first in this whole new arena too.  But the other morning, I was making hubby's lunch, and Jet wanted cereal.  Rionn was fixing cereal.  So I asked him to make Jet some while he was at it.  And he was glad too.  And while Rionn was crumbling up some graham crackers, Jet was impatiently waiting.  And then I got a little glimpse of myself.  And while we all laughed at first, the more I looked at him, and the picture I took, the more it saddened me.  He was doing to Rionn what I do.  And innocently enough, we have to figure out how to get past this tween stage.  So I think I'm going to keep this picture.  Not for the humor.  Or for the cuteness.  But as a reminder to look in the mirror every once in a while.  And maybe not to stand like that.  It's not very flattering.

I'm Officially A Soccer Mom

Yep.  Soccer started yesterday.  And boy did Rionn learn how to be busy.  He's also learning how to want to do it all and accepting that he can't do it all.  It's been a lesson for all of us.  That's for sure.  But so far he's liking it.  He told me in the car that he thought it would be a lot easier than it is.  LOL.

The great thing about where practice is.... It's also at the lake.  So Jet can feed the ducks.  Or play on the playground.  Or Cole can go fishing.   Yesterday Cole and Jet fed the ducks.

Bangers And Mash Anyone?

In the midst of daylight savings, we headed to L.A. for a celtic fair.  Being half Irish, I figured it would great for the kids.  And well, there is no denying the kiddo born with pale skin and red hair is part Irish.  He may only be 1/4.  But it came through as the dominant feature.  And his fair skinned, freckled faced, blonde haired self fit right in yesterday.  There were Irish beer stands galore.  And fair food.  And crafts.  And a enchanted shire.  As well as jousting, tea with the queen, knight training, sheep herding, river dancing, and bagpipes.  And it was a beautiful day in Southern California. It was 89 and sunny with a slight breeze.  There were green fountains blowing a nice green mist.  My parents joined us at the fair.  And of course spoiled the kids.  They got wooden swords and ice cream and face painting.  And while it was a smaller fair.  It was perfect for a day trip.

Future Burnout

We had an officer/leader meeting for 4-H Monday night.  And while putting the calendar together for the next 2 months, I realized that we are about to get very busy.  Rionn starts soccer in addition to karate, 4-H and school.  We have something every single weekend.  We're ramping up to fair time, In a couple weeks we have county field day.  Which I would equate to a fair-like scenario but without the animals.  Or the fried food.  Or the rides and shows and music.  In between field day and fair, we have spring break, a karate test, a karate tournament, and state testing.  There's also Easter to account for too.  I haven't even gotten the soccer schedule yet.  I'm already tired.  HAHA.  And once school gets out, we'll have swimming too.

We are also expecting speech therapy for Jet.  And he might go to a toddler's gym class just to get around other kids his age.

And then I've been really thinking about starting up a business for my crafting.  I know my husband is just a ticking clock.  Eventually he'll have to stop working.  So it's either jump into working for myself or finding a job.  And a big enough job that will support the household.  We might have to put that on hold till the summer though

We Got Gifts!!

So the other day, we got a package at our door.  It was Jet's gifts from the birthday exchange.  He loves them.  And I'm so happy for him.  He was all excited getting to open a big box.