It has been hot here today, and though I've tried to get things done it has all been in slow motion.
I did manage to take 200 empty seltzer cans back to the supermarket, which got me $10 off my shopping.
And we said goodbye to our furry house-guest when his family came back from their vacation. Though I'm sure he was glad to go home, I think he had a happy enough stay with us. But maybe next time he'll decide not to lie at the bottom of the stairs disguised as an extra step, as I think we probably all trod on him at some point over the weekend.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Maine chance
We had an unexpected treat this morning - a visit from our friends the Exiles!
Well, it wasn't completely unexpected. They two adult Exiles were at the same wedding as the Man yesterday so he invited them to drop by. The younger Exiles had been overnighting at three different friends' houses, but they were all mustered together for some brunch on our deck and (for those that wanted to) a swim in the pool.
It was lovely to see them all again and to find out that their new life in Maine is suiting them. We were just sorry that they couldn't stay longer, but they had to get started on their drive home - alas not a few minutes down the road any more, but a few hours across a couple of states.
Well, it wasn't completely unexpected. They two adult Exiles were at the same wedding as the Man yesterday so he invited them to drop by. The younger Exiles had been overnighting at three different friends' houses, but they were all mustered together for some brunch on our deck and (for those that wanted to) a swim in the pool.
It was lovely to see them all again and to find out that their new life in Maine is suiting them. We were just sorry that they couldn't stay longer, but they had to get started on their drive home - alas not a few minutes down the road any more, but a few hours across a couple of states.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Sunny Saturday
A beautiful Saturday...
...for the farmers' market - it was busy this morning! We stocked up on veg and snacks and admired Farmer Jon's very attractive chickens;
...for some yard work - the Girl cut down two failing trees (with modest trunks) in the backyard;
...for swimming with your best buddy, which the Boy did plenty of;
...for a June wedding. I didn't go, but the Man has been up in Saratoga, wishing his work colleague and her new husband well.
...for the farmers' market - it was busy this morning! We stocked up on veg and snacks and admired Farmer Jon's very attractive chickens;
...for some yard work - the Girl cut down two failing trees (with modest trunks) in the backyard;
...for swimming with your best buddy, which the Boy did plenty of;
...for a June wedding. I didn't go, but the Man has been up in Saratoga, wishing his work colleague and her new husband well.
Friday, June 27, 2014
School's out for summer
For the first day of the vacation...
The Boy got up early, the Girl slept in late.
The Boy and I cleaned dusty trains in the basement.
The kids and I took a trip to the Goodwill store to donate some stuff. They didn't want our jigsaw puzzles, so we proceeded to the Salvation Army store and donated them there (it's where we'd got most of them in the first place),
We then called in at Brits R U.S. and treated ourselves to hula hoops and sherbet lemons.
Next door's dog moved in for a little vacation of his own.
The pool has seen some good use (thank goodness, not by the dog), including late-night family swimming to round off the day.
The Boy got up early, the Girl slept in late.
The Boy and I cleaned dusty trains in the basement.
The kids and I took a trip to the Goodwill store to donate some stuff. They didn't want our jigsaw puzzles, so we proceeded to the Salvation Army store and donated them there (it's where we'd got most of them in the first place),
We then called in at Brits R U.S. and treated ourselves to hula hoops and sherbet lemons.
Next door's dog moved in for a little vacation of his own.
The pool has seen some good use (thank goodness, not by the dog), including late-night family swimming to round off the day.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Blogger to bragger?
*PROUD PARENT ALERT* (If you can't stand that sort of thing, look away now.)
School's out. Just a half day of mucking about for the Boy, though he did get the news that he has been promoted to "Accelerated Math" after many weeks of effort in his own time, with help from his dad, to get ahead in this subject. Yay - well done, Boy!
The rest of us found ourselves in the High School gym this morning for the 8th Graders' Moving Up ceremony. 425 students plus a full complement of parents/grandparents made for a packed room. The students processed in to Land of Hope and Glory played by the 8th Grade band (a surprising choice of music - just for us? Surely not). There were speeches by representatives of the school district and by the Middle School principal. And then prizes.
Totally without warning, the Girl was announced as a winner of the school's Principal Award for Artistic Expression. So those lovingly illustrated school projects, too often the result of her pulling unsanctioned all-nighters, have not gone unrecognized! We're delighted for her. Here she is (if you're sharp-eyed enough) standing up to be acknowledged.
Every student was invited up to shake the hands of the School Board members and to receive a white envelope containing their certificate ofsurviving Middle School moving on to High School. Also in that envelope, for some, was an additional certificate - bearing the signature of President Barack Obama. The President's Award for Educational Excellence recognizes three years of high attainment, plus a top score at State level in English or Math. And yes, our Girl got one of those, and yes, we're tremendously proud of her.
School's out. Just a half day of mucking about for the Boy, though he did get the news that he has been promoted to "Accelerated Math" after many weeks of effort in his own time, with help from his dad, to get ahead in this subject. Yay - well done, Boy!
The rest of us found ourselves in the High School gym this morning for the 8th Graders' Moving Up ceremony. 425 students plus a full complement of parents/grandparents made for a packed room. The students processed in to Land of Hope and Glory played by the 8th Grade band (a surprising choice of music - just for us? Surely not). There were speeches by representatives of the school district and by the Middle School principal. And then prizes.
Totally without warning, the Girl was announced as a winner of the school's Principal Award for Artistic Expression. So those lovingly illustrated school projects, too often the result of her pulling unsanctioned all-nighters, have not gone unrecognized! We're delighted for her. Here she is (if you're sharp-eyed enough) standing up to be acknowledged.
Every student was invited up to shake the hands of the School Board members and to receive a white envelope containing their certificate of
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
On his bike
The Boy usually lugs a ton of stuff to school each day - a backpack and something called a trapper keeper which is a sort of filing cabinet disguised as a satchel. The weight and awkwardness of this baggage has always deterred him from biking the mile and a bit to school.
But now the school year is all but done. He has already emptied his locker and brought home the contents, and the trapper keeper is no longer required. He didn't even need to take a packed lunch today because it was a half day. So this morning he eagerly set off on his bike.
Now it happened that the Girl was dragging her feet and didn't make it out of bed/into day clothes in time for the bus. She doesn't have a bike, so I (sucker!) drove her in. Driving away from the school just after I'd dropped her, I happened to see a familiar young fellow on a yellow bike pedalling along...he made it to school in perfect time.
But now the school year is all but done. He has already emptied his locker and brought home the contents, and the trapper keeper is no longer required. He didn't even need to take a packed lunch today because it was a half day. So this morning he eagerly set off on his bike.
Now it happened that the Girl was dragging her feet and didn't make it out of bed/into day clothes in time for the bus. She doesn't have a bike, so I (sucker!) drove her in. Driving away from the school just after I'd dropped her, I happened to see a familiar young fellow on a yellow bike pedalling along...he made it to school in perfect time.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Park and rides
Vacation is just two half days away now. And today wasn't exactly a "school" day: for the Boy, a 6th Grade trip to the Town Park for swimming, fun and games; for the Girl, the 8th Grade treat was a visit to the Great Escape amusement park up at Lake George. Grand days out, both. The Boy has come home browner, and (more surprising) seemingly taller.
The kids in the refugee family I visit are also either out of school for the year or finishing up soon. The youngest is at the end of her first year of pre-school - when I visited today I was proudly shown her certificate of pre-school graduation, and a photo of her wearing a graduate's mortar board (which sounds silly, but for kids in a challenged community maybe it's a way to start promoting the possibility of academic achievement and college). This little girl loves going to school and has been doing well there. Last September she spoke no English at all, but now she can hold her own. When her teachers asked her what she wants to do when she grows up, she draped a stethoscope around her neck and said she'd like to be a doctor.
The kids in the refugee family I visit are also either out of school for the year or finishing up soon. The youngest is at the end of her first year of pre-school - when I visited today I was proudly shown her certificate of pre-school graduation, and a photo of her wearing a graduate's mortar board (which sounds silly, but for kids in a challenged community maybe it's a way to start promoting the possibility of academic achievement and college). This little girl loves going to school and has been doing well there. Last September she spoke no English at all, but now she can hold her own. When her teachers asked her what she wants to do when she grows up, she draped a stethoscope around her neck and said she'd like to be a doctor.
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