Wednesday, December 3, 2014
The Power of Butterflies
A few weeks back I volunteered to chaperone my son's field trip to the science museum. I love this museum, but going with 50 7th graders was a bit daunting. I could hear them from about two floors away- a lot of energy in those kids. It was amazing to see how everyone slowed down, quieted down, mellowed out when we walked in to the butterfly tent. As there were butterflies everywhere- even on the ground, the behavior of the kids morphed dramatically. They walked slowly, watching their feet. The spoke in near-whispers, letting out gasps and giggles as the butterflies settled on hands, heads, faces. If one landed on a 7th grader, the beam that spread across the face was fabulous. This reaction was universal. It was lovely. I will chaperone that trip again. In fact, I'd be willing to pay to go along.
52
The Sage-Martinsons have no officially visited 52 different state parks. This number does not count a few we went to before we became passport holders, as well as many many repeat trips to favorite parks. 52 official visits that have been documented by a stamp in the kids' park passports. In order to feel ok about the stamping, we have declared that we must eat a meal, sleep a night, or go on a hike or a swim in order to earn the stamp. It has been quite a journey. I get a sense of the scope of our travels when I think that it would take us visiting a park every single weekend for an entire year to repeat this. There are about 72 parks and counting- new ones keep getting created. We have ambitious plans to hit the northwest corner this summer. One state park is on an island, 20+ miles out into Lake of the Woods. We will get there. We've gone on the vast majority of these jaunts with our good pals the L-Gs. I love the decade-long quest and hope it continues for at least a decade more. We have told the kids that we will buy the RV down the road here a bit, as long as they promise to come home in the summers and drive the old foagies around to a park or two.
Too much of a good thing
This past summer season we joined a different CSA. This one was run by one of my former students, which was cool. As fall rolled around, she sent out a flyer for both her own fall share, as well as a winter share at a different CSA. Her email pointed out how these work well together, as her farm's fall share will just be winding down as the other winter share fires up.
Not so.
It might have been our weird crazy freezing first week of November that made plans change. Or maybe I just misread her email. Or maybe she lied. But one day in early November we were charged with picking up both a fall and a winter box of veggies. The winter one was over 50 pounds. Suddenly we were faced with about 70 pounds of veggies, some of them needing to eaten right away, others thankfully storage crops. It was daunting. New recipes were tried. All family gatherings were accompanied by something made out of potatoes. Luckily my boys love themselves some baked squash filled with more baked winter veggies. We have made a dent. But squash still litter the counter tops, bags of potatoes are stacked up downstairs, and our fridge will never ever be turnip-free again, I fear. But we are eating well, eating deliciously in fact.
Not so.
It might have been our weird crazy freezing first week of November that made plans change. Or maybe I just misread her email. Or maybe she lied. But one day in early November we were charged with picking up both a fall and a winter box of veggies. The winter one was over 50 pounds. Suddenly we were faced with about 70 pounds of veggies, some of them needing to eaten right away, others thankfully storage crops. It was daunting. New recipes were tried. All family gatherings were accompanied by something made out of potatoes. Luckily my boys love themselves some baked squash filled with more baked winter veggies. We have made a dent. But squash still litter the counter tops, bags of potatoes are stacked up downstairs, and our fridge will never ever be turnip-free again, I fear. But we are eating well, eating deliciously in fact.
Leaf Bagging
You might not realize that it's a competitive sport. And we all have our methods, our secrets. So quit your googling, Mr. Man in the white minivan. Driving by so slowly, like you've never seen a middle aged woman take a flying leap on to a bag of leaves before. Sheesh. Best way to achieve maximum leaf bag de-volumination. I can assure you.
Hiking with some of my favorite teens
The annual MEA break fell over the most spectacular combination of weather and scenery this past fall. I celebrated our release from school with a trip down to a state park. We grabbed a couple friends of the boys and headed out for a picnic lunch, a hike, a visit to the small town where I went to college and a quick sojourn around Carleton's campus. The highlight for me was when Siena casually pointed to a spot on an island in a little lake and said, "That is the place where my dad's rap career started." I chuckled for days thinking of Tim as a rap star. Thanks for that tidbit, Siena.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Fall 2014
At first I thought this fall was going to be a bummer. The color change seemed to get off to a slow, dull, start. But then the temperatures must have hit the prime color zone and things got wild around here. I know that I have a habit of exclaiming about the beauty of my home town, but this fall things got a little ridiculous. And throughout October, the weather collaborated, making it a perfect month for bike commuting. My route changed daily- I turned corners and ventured down streets and alleys if I spotted a tree worth biking by. There were a lot of them. Some corners were positively Dr. Suessian in their glory. There was one corner in Tangletown that combined a deliciously bright blue house, with the fabulous green lawn and red, yellow, and orange trees- all of them hitting peak at the same time. It was truly out of this world. I really felt bad for all of the people who don't live in climates that include seasonal change. And then all the trees lost all their leaves, November came in cold and gray and icy, and I didn't feel quite as bad about those others anymore. But I feel like our October was like getting an advance of some sort- we should have known this November was coming. Despite the artic chill descending so early this year, I still think October was worth it.
Edits
The other day Theo mentioned that he had a paper to write for school. I asked if he needed me to look it over. And then added, "because you know, there is nothing I like more than working on writing with my boys." Theo didn't seem to hear, but then I heard him mutter under his breath, after a moment of contemplation:"That's sad."
The Crow Abides
Our youngest continues to be attracked to shiny things. He consistenly picks up household items, fiddles with them, and deposits them in his room. It's a mess in there, and once something goes in, it's quite a while before it resurfaces. At least, over the years, we've gotten smarter, and when we can't find something, we do look there first. Usually it's limited to kitchen gadgets and tools. Can't find the parmesean grater? Check Theo's radiator. Looking for a spatula or pliers? How about his desk? But his eye seems to be casting a wider net lately, and things don't need to be shiny to disappear. The other day I was looking for toothpicks. Couldn't find them anywhere. But then I ventured through Theo's room to open his curtains, and there, stuck into his rug, was the entire box of toothpicks. He had made some kind of picket fence down the length of a carpet stripe. The next day the fence was down, but there was a stick on his floor that was transformed into some kind of homemade mace, with toothpicks poking out from all over. It actually looked a little deadly. As I type this, Jon is searching for his phone. Surely it is somewhere in the nest of our dear crow.
And he's off
Mid-October this year we ventured back up to DuNord for an autumn adventure. We rented Thor's and invited 14 of our pals along with us. The weather did not cooperate, with highs in the 20s and stuff that seemed an awful lot like snow falling from the sky. But it did not stop us from getting out. We had a couple lovely hikes, some chilly games of ultimate, and several hot hot saunas capped off by jumps into the 38 degree lake.
One morning I declared I was going to go for a run and asked if anyone wanted to join me. Siena did. And so did Eli. What? I've asked this a lot, and only once did he come with me, about a year ago. That time, we ended up having to run a block, walk a block, and not because of this old lady. Not this time. The three of us did start off together, and we were chatting away. Well, at least Eli was chatting. I was too out of breath. And then he started picking up his pace and moving out ahead. He just kind of took off, never looking back. I bet he was talking to me for quite awhile before he realized I could no longer hear him.
I can't believe I missed the entire 'running with' window. He went directly from kind of slow and not very interested to way too fast. But I did enjoy watching his tall lean form take off in to the woods in front of me.
One morning I declared I was going to go for a run and asked if anyone wanted to join me. Siena did. And so did Eli. What? I've asked this a lot, and only once did he come with me, about a year ago. That time, we ended up having to run a block, walk a block, and not because of this old lady. Not this time. The three of us did start off together, and we were chatting away. Well, at least Eli was chatting. I was too out of breath. And then he started picking up his pace and moving out ahead. He just kind of took off, never looking back. I bet he was talking to me for quite awhile before he realized I could no longer hear him.
I can't believe I missed the entire 'running with' window. He went directly from kind of slow and not very interested to way too fast. But I did enjoy watching his tall lean form take off in to the woods in front of me.
Spririted Child
Theo adores his school. He is full up on school spirit. Too bad Open doesn't have any pep fests or homecoming games where Theo can show off this pride. But they did have a last minute spirit week. Theo took it very seriously. For dress up day he sported the full suit, plus suspenders and a bow tie. He might have even combed his hair that morning. He looked good. Then there was the day where each class was too wear a certain color. 7th graders got yellow. Theo talked me in to taking him to Ragstock to look for something fun to wear. He came so close to purchasing a long-sleeved, long-legged, golden lycra jumpsuit. Tried it on at the store and let me see it on him. It was ridiculously hilarious. And he would have bought it and wore it to school if I hadn't intervened. I just couldn't let it happen- something I know regret, as I think he could have pulled it off. In the end, he bought a horrible yellow fur hat. At least that is warm and he can wear it through the winter. The jump suit had limited options for use. But I do appreciate his spirit.
Avalon on the March
This fall, Avalon happened in to a micro 15 minutes of fame. Well, the fame was limited to certain circles, but withing a couple weeks we were mentioned in the Huffington Post, the New York Times, US News and World Report, as well as several newly published books. Seems as if "Teacher Powered Schools" were the flavor of the moment. Too bad that moment seems to have passed. I like to think we have the endurance of a lasting flavor like peppermint bonbon and we will rise again. Time will tell!
He Writes
In late August Eli started writing a novel. He is extremely dedicated. I think he puts 2-4 hours in a day. Every day. And the beautiful thing is that he has shared his novel with me through google drive. Whenever I have some spare time, I open it up and can make editing suggestions and comments. Within 24 hours he makes my suggested changes, or he doesn't, and he responds to my questions/comments. It's a lovely discourse, even if it's not happening in real time. The fact that he considers my suggestions warms my English teacher heart.
He is now officially to the end of the story, 110,000 words after starting. It is a great read, even if it is not my favorite genre. Now he's back into it, editing. Turns out that his writing style improved over the course of 3 months of intense writing and he has to go back to the start and tighten the first chapters up. This could become a never ending cycle. But I am happy to be along for the ride.
He is now officially to the end of the story, 110,000 words after starting. It is a great read, even if it is not my favorite genre. Now he's back into it, editing. Turns out that his writing style improved over the course of 3 months of intense writing and he has to go back to the start and tighten the first chapters up. This could become a never ending cycle. But I am happy to be along for the ride.
He Drives
My eldest got his permit late this summer. I think I handled it well. Except for maybe that first time we pulled away from the curb. Neither of us were ready for it- he took his foot of the brake and wasn't prepared that the car would go forward, even without his foot on the gas...we nearly clipped our neighbors car exactly 2 seconds into his first drive. I only shrieked really loudly once. Then I got it under control.
Early in his driving career, I had to consistently nudge him to go faster. But then we pulled out on to the River Road, where there are no stop signs and little traffic. He settled in, his shoulders relaxed, and he mumbled, "Huh. I wonder how fast this little thing can go." Not something he should say in front of his mother. Luckily he is behind the wheel of a Prius.
Early in his driving career, I had to consistently nudge him to go faster. But then we pulled out on to the River Road, where there are no stop signs and little traffic. He settled in, his shoulders relaxed, and he mumbled, "Huh. I wonder how fast this little thing can go." Not something he should say in front of his mother. Luckily he is behind the wheel of a Prius.
Perspective
One glorious day this summer we ventured out to Valley Fair with our friends the NeskeMoens and Johnstons. An added bonus was that Sam and Delaney came over to join for a few hours. We lucked in to perfect conditions- early rains kept the crowds at bay, but the sun came out just as we pulled up. I don't love the rides as much as I love watching my boys on the rides. It's so nice to see them carefree and feeling confident. Somehow I raised two kids who will go on anything.
The day was progressing so nicely. Until Eli put his arm around me as we walked from one ride to the next and said, "Wow. You are so small. It's like I'm walking around with a wizened little elf." Ouch.
The day was progressing so nicely. Until Eli put his arm around me as we walked from one ride to the next and said, "Wow. You are so small. It's like I'm walking around with a wizened little elf." Ouch.
Censored
One weekend afternoon I went downstairs on some errand only to come across my two boys playing a game while listening, to all things, the song "I Need a Hero" from the Footloose soundtrack. I couldn't just walk by. I had to break in to dance. And once I started dancing, I really couldn't stop. The boys were relatively unfazed. They did pause their game long enough for Eli to say, "Mom, I far prefer that you just state your piece and move on." I did not let that take the wind out of my dancing sails. Too bad for all of us that it happened to be the extended play version of the song.
Lucky Grandkids
Once again this past summer, my parents wrangled up the energy to disappear into the northland with two of their grandchildren. It was Eli and Sammi's turn, made more important as the two of them missed hanging out together in Yellowstone when Eli skipped the trip to go to National History Day. In August, they picked the two of them up to head up to some favorite haunts on the north shore. They stayed in Sea Villa C-5, a place we have been visiting since I was Theo's age. They roasted marshmellows on the shore, looked for agates, hiked along the river, did a little bouldering, and even got up the nerve to cliff jump. I loved the picture of my dad, Eli, and Sam, all in flight, plunging toward the Temperance River. It is so lovely that my parents are up for this, giving the cousins the time and space to really get to know each other each year.
DuNord 2014
We undertook our 12th annual summer pilgrimage to Camp DuNord this past season. If you were to add all of the Fall, Winter, Spring trips in to the tally, we'd be topping 20 visits, for sure. Hard to believe that at one point we had never heard of this magical little place and now it's such a big part of our life. This past summer's trip was with our biggest group. We camped in the main part of camp this time, with Amy and Jessica's families in the cabin tents nearby. The Dutch went for a cabin just down the road, and then Wally and Jen came mid-week and pitched a tent nearby. All in all I think we had 24 people, 13 of them kids and 12 of those kids being boys. Hats off to Kyra for her ability to tolerate such a testosterone overload.
Highlights this year included the novelty of being in the main part of camp. This eliminated the need to keep our eyes on watches in order to catch shuttles. It also severely cut down on the number of times we visited the DuGa pit, but we did get over there once in a while. I became a fan of the 'real' sauna and wondered how we survived with the imitation barrel sauna for so long. I think the saunas start a bit late and had real trouble staying up til midnight, but in the end, it was always worth it. This year the Dutch brought along a Chinese version of hackysack that involved a brightly feathered shuttle cock. We were captivated for hours, even playing through rain, and one time a bit of hail.
It was fun to see some of the kids we have come to know through homestays as staff members. Allan from Scotland and Lukas from Germany both gave us shout outs when we'd happen by. We continually giggled over Allan calling out the name of his group with his thick accent...the teen group became something altogether different when Allan yelled for the 'Sexteens to Eighteens over here!". One would think that would get old, but nope, it didn't. Lukas presented us with a german card game that became a favorite pasttime. But it too had a lewd name....not in German, but in an American accent it became awkward when someone asked where I had been and I responded, "I've been up playing Sex Nymph with a bunch of the kids in the Trading Post." For the record, it's "6 Nimmit" but that's not how it sounds. And then there was the lovely LDP Tim, our very own Dutch boy. He played it cool and never gave his parents the gushing welcomes they were looking for, but he looked to be having a great time and doing his job well.
Overall, it was a joy to be outside for an entire week. Sure, we ventured in for dinner, and maybe for a shower on the odd day, but really, we lived outside for the entire week. The bugs, which were dreaded and sure to be beyond tolerance, were surprisingly limited- it could have been that we kept a fire going all week long, but I think the bug gods smiled upon this summer. Dunord 2014 is going to be a hard one to top.
Highlights this year included the novelty of being in the main part of camp. This eliminated the need to keep our eyes on watches in order to catch shuttles. It also severely cut down on the number of times we visited the DuGa pit, but we did get over there once in a while. I became a fan of the 'real' sauna and wondered how we survived with the imitation barrel sauna for so long. I think the saunas start a bit late and had real trouble staying up til midnight, but in the end, it was always worth it. This year the Dutch brought along a Chinese version of hackysack that involved a brightly feathered shuttle cock. We were captivated for hours, even playing through rain, and one time a bit of hail.
It was fun to see some of the kids we have come to know through homestays as staff members. Allan from Scotland and Lukas from Germany both gave us shout outs when we'd happen by. We continually giggled over Allan calling out the name of his group with his thick accent...the teen group became something altogether different when Allan yelled for the 'Sexteens to Eighteens over here!". One would think that would get old, but nope, it didn't. Lukas presented us with a german card game that became a favorite pasttime. But it too had a lewd name....not in German, but in an American accent it became awkward when someone asked where I had been and I responded, "I've been up playing Sex Nymph with a bunch of the kids in the Trading Post." For the record, it's "6 Nimmit" but that's not how it sounds. And then there was the lovely LDP Tim, our very own Dutch boy. He played it cool and never gave his parents the gushing welcomes they were looking for, but he looked to be having a great time and doing his job well.
Overall, it was a joy to be outside for an entire week. Sure, we ventured in for dinner, and maybe for a shower on the odd day, but really, we lived outside for the entire week. The bugs, which were dreaded and sure to be beyond tolerance, were surprisingly limited- it could have been that we kept a fire going all week long, but I think the bug gods smiled upon this summer. Dunord 2014 is going to be a hard one to top.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Widji magic
In Mid-July, fresh off the heels of cardboard shenanigans, we went Theo off for his first Widji trip. I was only about 70% sure the kid was going to get on the bus. He hadn't taken the previous summer off of overnight camp after experiencing some homesickness the prior year. He had been vibrating at an unusually high speed for the days leading up to the bus departure- most of it in excitement, but mixed with that chaser of dread that is just maybe necessary for a solid growth experience. But on the bus he went, armed with a duffle of clothes and a garbage sack filled with his sleeping bag and pillow. We found ourselves to be the only widji parents who sent their kid off with a garbage bag as luggage. Whoops.
Our friends Wally and Jen happened to be dropping their son at Widji that same day for his epic 30+ day adventure, and we asked them to check on Theo's spirits as he arrived. They sent photos documenting his chagrin at carrying a garbage bag, but other than that he seemed to be in a good place.
10 days passed with me keeping a careful eye on Ely's weather. I thought I knew when he would be out on his 7 day BWCA trip, but wasn't sure. Maybe he was still on trail during the epic storm with crazy winds, maybe not.
As my brother Pete happened to be at DuNord during Theo's end of session banquet, I decided to make the trek northward to stay with Pete for the night and catch Theo's first impressions as he got off trail and began processing his trip.
Theo saw me as his group came out of the dining hall and gave me a hug, not a desperate one, one that was more on the embarrassed end of the spectrum, but then as I walked with his group through camp, he took my hand and started telling me tales. My favorite quote was this: "Oh man, my counselor had a totally tricked out spice kit- it was so awesome." Seems as if Widji had worked its magic once again.
Our friends Wally and Jen happened to be dropping their son at Widji that same day for his epic 30+ day adventure, and we asked them to check on Theo's spirits as he arrived. They sent photos documenting his chagrin at carrying a garbage bag, but other than that he seemed to be in a good place.
10 days passed with me keeping a careful eye on Ely's weather. I thought I knew when he would be out on his 7 day BWCA trip, but wasn't sure. Maybe he was still on trail during the epic storm with crazy winds, maybe not.
As my brother Pete happened to be at DuNord during Theo's end of session banquet, I decided to make the trek northward to stay with Pete for the night and catch Theo's first impressions as he got off trail and began processing his trip.
Theo saw me as his group came out of the dining hall and gave me a hug, not a desperate one, one that was more on the embarrassed end of the spectrum, but then as I walked with his group through camp, he took my hand and started telling me tales. My favorite quote was this: "Oh man, my counselor had a totally tricked out spice kit- it was so awesome." Seems as if Widji had worked its magic once again.
Cardboard Camp
I heard about Cardboard Camp through that mysterious parental grapevine. I don't know who told me, or in what context it came up, but one random day while minding my own business, it drifted back through my mind. So I looked it up, curious about what such a camp might be like. And the videos on the website immediately convinced me that this was a camp made for my youngest child. At this camp, Theo joined other kids, mostly boys, aged 8-15, over at Fort Snelling State Park. They were organized into houses of like-minded souls. They did research before coming to camp about the different houses- what their main strategies were, what their banner look liked, their typical armor...Theo was drawn to the House of Tiburon. As part of this house, they worked with their leader to design and build both personal cardboard armor as well as a giant siege arrapartus that took the form of a shark. A giant cardboard shark on wheels. They then created strategies and practiced their seige tactics. They also practiced their skills in endless battles cardboard weaponized Capture the Flag- running around the paths at the state park in full battle armor, surely scaring picnicking families with their lustful battle cries.
One morning when I dropped Theo and a carful of pals off at the entrance, a small group of girls, apparently at a Little House on the Prairie type summer camp came walking by, dressed in bonnets and long flowered dresses, carrying baskets of wildflowers they had picked. I thought it a lovely juxtaposition to the carload of cardboard warriors that were heading off to battle.
On the last day, parents were invited to watch the grand final battle. There was a parade of houses with explanations of their special weapons and tactics, then the drums began beating, several houses took up positions inside the gigantic cardboard (3 story!) castle, while others awaited the signal to attack. It was something to behold. Theo will return to fight next summer.
One morning when I dropped Theo and a carful of pals off at the entrance, a small group of girls, apparently at a Little House on the Prairie type summer camp came walking by, dressed in bonnets and long flowered dresses, carrying baskets of wildflowers they had picked. I thought it a lovely juxtaposition to the carload of cardboard warriors that were heading off to battle.
On the last day, parents were invited to watch the grand final battle. There was a parade of houses with explanations of their special weapons and tactics, then the drums began beating, several houses took up positions inside the gigantic cardboard (3 story!) castle, while others awaited the signal to attack. It was something to behold. Theo will return to fight next summer.
Keeping up with the little cousin
Early last summer Cousin Dara came to town from California. The boys look forward to this despite the age gap. Dara is 5. She keeps these boys on their toes. One afternoon we took her to my aunt's pool. I sat back in a deck chair and let the boys have it. We had heard Dara could swim, but we weren't sure how strong her skills were, so I told the boys to stick close. That was no easy task. She delighted in running alongside the edge of the pool, calling out to one of the boys to catch her, and launching herself in. It did not matter to her that the boys were nowhere near where she landed. The two of them got a serious workout, trying to keep up, then catch, then escort her back to the side, just in time to have the whole cycle repeat itself. It was a delight to watch. And I was happy my name was not being called to do any catching, as I could not have kept up with that dynamo.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Fabulous at Fifty Years!
Fifty years they've been married. Hard to conceptualize. My parents are quite the team and worthy of celebration. So the Sage clan headed to Yellowstone to toast the lovely couple. Sad that Eli couldn't join us, but he was on his own adventure. The week was spent at a lovely rented house right outside Gardiner and the Northern Gate (I think it was the north one....) of Yellowstone Park. It was lovely that I got to start the week off on Father's Day with 5 of the most lovely fathers in the land: Jon, Rodg, Dave, Pete, and Jay. We passed the days by driving and hiking in the vast park. I had no idea it was that big. Evening were spent playing kickball on the banks of the Gardiner river. Only once did Jon have to make a daring save of our ball before it was washed downstream. And only once did we get surprised by the lawn sprinkler system. When it was too windy or chilly for kickball, we played other games. I love that my nieces can be convinced to play a game at anytime. I knew they were good kids.
The Sage-Martinsons continued our quest to visit national monuments and points of interest when they are not visible. Old Faithful was swallowed up in a snow squall. On Mid-Summer's day, no less. It was literally a white-out- you couldn't see the geyser from right next to it. Luckily, after an hour's hike we returned to sunny skies and saw it go off in all of its glory. Overall, it was a lovely week spent celebrating a lovely couple!
The Sage-Martinsons continued our quest to visit national monuments and points of interest when they are not visible. Old Faithful was swallowed up in a snow squall. On Mid-Summer's day, no less. It was literally a white-out- you couldn't see the geyser from right next to it. Luckily, after an hour's hike we returned to sunny skies and saw it go off in all of its glory. Overall, it was a lovely week spent celebrating a lovely couple!
Tech Trauma
Although Eli was warned to 'not be that kid', he was. That kid who almost does not get his final movie burned before the plane leaves the gate. There is apparently always someone panicking in the airport as the Minnesota delegation heads toward the gates. Last year the bpys wound up burning their movie at the end of the year school picnic. They traded off tossing frisbees and monitoring the progress on their laptop. This year that was not a worry. There was a new program that had other issues, but that burned movies in 5 minutes, rather than 5 hours. So Eli used the week between the end of school and plane departure by putting on final touches to the movie, waiting until the last evening, after dinner, to start the burn process. Everything had been fine for the state competition- the movie downloading and burning in a slick few minutes. And all started out that way at 9pm the night before a 5:30 am airport shuttle. And by shuttle I mean me. 9 became 10 became 11. At that point Eli's fabulouso teacher Tim came over. He's known Eli since Eli was 6 weeks old, but still, that is going above and beyond. The two of them were strangely unstressed as they tried several workarounds. It was one big puzzle that they enjoyed solving, despite Friday becoming Saturday and the departure time looming ever nearer. By 1am, Tim went home to try Plan F on his home computer, while Eli and I holed up in his room devising plans G-Z. We tried several. Finally, by about 2:30 am, we found a solution. I would like to proudly state that I had a hand in it. I had no idea how or why it worked, I just found a solution online after screaming for help into the midnight netherworld of the internet. Someone answered. Disc got burned. Eli and I got about 2 hours of sleep before we rose and headed for the airport. We picked up a blurry-eyed Tim on the way, still in high spirits from the late-night high stakes adventure. The two of them got out of my car, giggling away. I was glad I didn't have to get on the plane with them- as I'm sure that they came down at some point!
Eli on to Nationals!
Eli and his crew of documentarians defended their state title and won a second chance to compete at Nationals in DC. The only drawback was that we did not count on this, and had planned a trip to Yellowstone to celebrate my parent's 50th anniversary. Although it was heartbreaking that Eli couldn't be with us, he deserved to represent his school and his state in DC, so we sent him off with his peers and his lovely teacher, our good friend Tim. The boys had a great time in the capitol, making it once again to the final round of documentaries, and ending in 5th, 3 places above their finish last year. Despite temps in the 100s, the crew had a great time site-seeing. Tim figured out that it was necessary to bring a frisbee on all outings, and everytime a boy started lagging, he'd send them after the frisbee- he has them trained like dogs- they can not see a frisbee slicing through the air without chasing it down. It got them to where they needed to be. Although I know they had fun at the time, these outings were referred to as death marches in retrospect.
Eli and Sam finished up their stay by taking first place in the dorm room decorating competetion. Their theme was crime scene, and the current resident of that particular dorm room is probably wondering about the permanent blood stain (really, its just red ink...) on the floor. The HD staff enjoyed that the murder weapon was Eli's top-banana award (made bloody with aforementioned ink) that he won for helping out with tech issues during the competition. Their crowning glory moment was when all the clues pointed toward Mr. History as the perp and they 'handcuffed' him by binding his wrists with ducttape. Typical for teens, they did not think their plan through to the de-handcuffing stage and rumor has it that Mr. History's wrists may never be the same. It may be their last trip to Nationals, regardless of project strength! But they feel like they went out with a bang.
Eli and Sam finished up their stay by taking first place in the dorm room decorating competetion. Their theme was crime scene, and the current resident of that particular dorm room is probably wondering about the permanent blood stain (really, its just red ink...) on the floor. The HD staff enjoyed that the murder weapon was Eli's top-banana award (made bloody with aforementioned ink) that he won for helping out with tech issues during the competition. Their crowning glory moment was when all the clues pointed toward Mr. History as the perp and they 'handcuffed' him by binding his wrists with ducttape. Typical for teens, they did not think their plan through to the de-handcuffing stage and rumor has it that Mr. History's wrists may never be the same. It may be their last trip to Nationals, regardless of project strength! But they feel like they went out with a bang.
Tapas with Teens
Eli and two pals made it through the History Day guantlet once again and were heading out to DC for Nationals. The parents wanted to do something to celebrate the state championship, so we decided to take the young lads out to eat. We chose Rincon 38, a Spanish tapas restaurant, in honor of their topic- the Spanish Civil War. We had no idea how many tapas three teens could put away. It's a dangerous place to go with hungry boys. We just kept ordering new plates to share, the most recent dish disappearing before we could even make another choice. I was impressed with the boys and their sense of adventure in eating- they tried everything placed in front of them.
Despite the price tag, it was a lovely evening spent celebrating the accompliments of three smart, sweet, friends.
Despite the price tag, it was a lovely evening spent celebrating the accompliments of three smart, sweet, friends.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Homework help
Tonight at dinner we asked the boys what their homework situation looked like. Theo thought for a moment and then said, "Hmmm, I think I just need to make a hovercraft." Good luck with that, child. Unfortunately he does have some sort of a plan. It includes a leaf blower and some plywood. Help.
Sunday Night Ultimate
My boys' ultimate season is wrapped up. I love that sport and wish there had been more opportunities to watch them. But, one thing that has come out of this season is that a couple other parents have found out what a great sport it is and have agreed to meet us on Sunday's in the late afternoon to play some pick up ultimate. Right now, when we play parents v. kids it's an even match, but I think our trajectories are moving in opposite directions and soon we will have to mix up the teams to make them a bit more fair!
School Conferences Take #22
Another round of school conferences have come and gone. At OWL, like Expo, the kids are in charge of walking us through how things are going. They do an excellent job- summing up both their greatest accomplishments, as well as touching on areas where they could improve. It's lovely. Adults hardly say a word.
This year, Theo, who a few years back went through a bout of serious school-based anxiety, summed up his conference by saying, "I feel like I've really found my home here." Ahhh. What more could the parent of a middle schooler ask for? Well, I guess the fact that he is well-loved by his whole multi-aged crew, from fellow 6th graders to graduating seniors. The kids care for each other. Just last Friday, Theo was a bit sad as he headed out the door for the bus. I asked what was up. He said, "It's Derek's last day. He is so nice. It's just not going to be the same without him." To think that before Theo started at OWL I was worried about the 'influence' the seniors and other older students might have on him. They've been nothing but fabulous role models, and better yet, good friends.
This year, Theo, who a few years back went through a bout of serious school-based anxiety, summed up his conference by saying, "I feel like I've really found my home here." Ahhh. What more could the parent of a middle schooler ask for? Well, I guess the fact that he is well-loved by his whole multi-aged crew, from fellow 6th graders to graduating seniors. The kids care for each other. Just last Friday, Theo was a bit sad as he headed out the door for the bus. I asked what was up. He said, "It's Derek's last day. He is so nice. It's just not going to be the same without him." To think that before Theo started at OWL I was worried about the 'influence' the seniors and other older students might have on him. They've been nothing but fabulous role models, and better yet, good friends.
What happens in the GaGa pit, stays in the GaGa pit
So unfortunately I can't tell you the rest of this story.
But, I will tell you that as we approached the DuNord GaGa pit during a brief break in the Memorial Day work weekend, we encountered a group of young boys already engaged. They didn't look like they wanted us to jump in, and I'm sure we didn't look like we wanted to share. Luckily my friend Amy bridged the gap in true Amy fashion. She invited us in to the ring, which they grudginly accepted. She then got everyone's attention, and introduced me as the 'Beserker' and then announced that everyone else would be getting a GaGa pit name before the first round was done. And name them we did. Every kid got a new name. It created instant comeraderie at the same time that we tried to kill each other with the playground ball. There was Zeroni, Double Whammy, The Screamer, Dr. Hoot, Slenderman, and The Hammer, to name a few. It was delightful to watch the kids smile as a name was bestowed, and then to call each other by their "pit names". As we saw each other around camp we called out to each other by our new names. None of the boys we had been playing with had parents at the GaGa Pit, so as we passed by at dinner, gave their kid a high five and yelled out, "Nice playing Sock Man!" I'm sure they wondered. As they should have.
What I can't reveal is why I am the Beserker. It was well-earned, I assure you.
The rest of the work-weekend passed in a gnatty-fog. But the sun was out, it was in the 80s, we were hanging with good friends, and there was a 230 degree Finnish Sauna available to wash off the grime from both setting up cabin tents and the detrimus from the gaga pit. And a 40 degree lake. Wowee.
But, I will tell you that as we approached the DuNord GaGa pit during a brief break in the Memorial Day work weekend, we encountered a group of young boys already engaged. They didn't look like they wanted us to jump in, and I'm sure we didn't look like we wanted to share. Luckily my friend Amy bridged the gap in true Amy fashion. She invited us in to the ring, which they grudginly accepted. She then got everyone's attention, and introduced me as the 'Beserker' and then announced that everyone else would be getting a GaGa pit name before the first round was done. And name them we did. Every kid got a new name. It created instant comeraderie at the same time that we tried to kill each other with the playground ball. There was Zeroni, Double Whammy, The Screamer, Dr. Hoot, Slenderman, and The Hammer, to name a few. It was delightful to watch the kids smile as a name was bestowed, and then to call each other by their "pit names". As we saw each other around camp we called out to each other by our new names. None of the boys we had been playing with had parents at the GaGa Pit, so as we passed by at dinner, gave their kid a high five and yelled out, "Nice playing Sock Man!" I'm sure they wondered. As they should have.
What I can't reveal is why I am the Beserker. It was well-earned, I assure you.
The rest of the work-weekend passed in a gnatty-fog. But the sun was out, it was in the 80s, we were hanging with good friends, and there was a 230 degree Finnish Sauna available to wash off the grime from both setting up cabin tents and the detrimus from the gaga pit. And a 40 degree lake. Wowee.
Oversharing
The other night my mom called me to ask me and tell me a million things. One particular comment stuck in my mind: "After I hang up, we are going to go downstairs and manscape your dad." Turns out Jean had just learned the word manscape earlier in the day and apparently was trying to use it in a sentence. Unfortunately, it was not just a vocabulary exercise- they went downstairs with the trimmer and manscaped my dad. Ay yay yay.
The History Day Team Then and Now
Eli and his two History Day teammates have known each other since 1st grade. I knew we were up for a wild ride with this crew of boys when we started a first grade boy book club and the kids were asking each other questions like, "Did you find any text to society connections? What about text to self?" Help! Where to next?
Repeat Champion!
My kid defended his state championship in History Day this year. He went in to it as an experienced documentary maker this time, but still, to end the day in first place is quite an accomplishment. In Minnesota 30,000 kids start out at History Day. Only 1300 make it to the State Competition. Both my boys were in that number- unfortunately in the same category- so going head to head. Luckily, they were never judged in the same room. And Theo and his crew of 6th grade boys had a wild ride at State- not only moving on to the finals, but coming home with an Honorable Mention ribbon. For 4 6th grade boys to end up as one of the top 16 middle school documentaries in the whole state was quite an accomplishment and they were thrilled when announced and ran on to stage with arms held high (Theo dressed in his brand new Ravenclaw sweater and scarf, by the way). Then to find out that Eli and his two partners had not only defended their state championship, but were headed back to nationals once again- it was a great way to end that long day!
I am a true believer in History Day. It is project-based, it encourages depth over breadth, it puts a premium on accessing primary sources, and gives real-world, real-time feedback that the kids listen to. What is not to like? Eli and his team have a deep understanding, not only on the role of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade's role in the Spanish Civil War, but on the political arena in Spain and Europe in the run up to World War II, as well as the push and pull on President Roosevelt to remain neutral in foreign entanglements. They were able to apply what they learned about our country pre-world war II to what is going on today in terms of isolationism and neutrality versus engagement. They interviewed experts both locally and nationally. And they compiled a 34 page annotated bibiliography. I say this all as both a proud mom and a wowed educator. Give the kids a little reason to get competitive, plus the time and space to really dig in, and look what they can do!
The only drawback is that the trip to DC is right when Eli is supposed to be in Yellowstone with us, celebrating my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. That breaks my heart, but he's pumped to represent his sweet little school at Nationals, and I can't get in the way of that!
I am a true believer in History Day. It is project-based, it encourages depth over breadth, it puts a premium on accessing primary sources, and gives real-world, real-time feedback that the kids listen to. What is not to like? Eli and his team have a deep understanding, not only on the role of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade's role in the Spanish Civil War, but on the political arena in Spain and Europe in the run up to World War II, as well as the push and pull on President Roosevelt to remain neutral in foreign entanglements. They were able to apply what they learned about our country pre-world war II to what is going on today in terms of isolationism and neutrality versus engagement. They interviewed experts both locally and nationally. And they compiled a 34 page annotated bibiliography. I say this all as both a proud mom and a wowed educator. Give the kids a little reason to get competitive, plus the time and space to really dig in, and look what they can do!
The only drawback is that the trip to DC is right when Eli is supposed to be in Yellowstone with us, celebrating my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. That breaks my heart, but he's pumped to represent his sweet little school at Nationals, and I can't get in the way of that!
How to be an Asset
Earlier this spring, Theo was preparing to go on a week-long trip with his classmates. As we were helping him pack up, I had a little chat with him about ways to ensure he is viewed as an 'asset' rather than an 'ass'. He seemed to get it. We talked about listening, about offering to help, about using discretion and stepping back when other's behavior made him wonder. He was on board, and I wasn't worried. Until he decided to pack his singing Justin Beiber toothbrush. Oh poor chaperone. We owe you.
Of Papers, PowerPoints, and Pig Roasters
I work at a project-based school. We give our kids long lists of possible 'deliverables' in order to move them away from what we call the 'Three Ps': Papers, Powerpoints, and Posterboards. One of my seniors outdid himself this by making a home-made pig roaster. It was amazing. His presentation made a great case for Project Based Learning. He was thoroughly engaged in solving real-world, multi-disciplinary problems. He had to deal with high level math and physics, often scribbling his equations right on the metal he was trying to configure into a roaster. He worked most of the icy winter in his garage. We'd call his mom to find out if he was coming in or if he was working from home. One time she said, "I'm not sure what he is doing out there, but he did just come in to ask for the spare fire extinquisher, just in case". Nice.
In the end he not only created a working roaster, but he made a trailer to be able to bring his roaster to the party, wherever that may be. And he made some community connections so that he has several pigs offered to him for a test run. The goods will be available to try at his graduation party. Never in my career have I been more convinced that a graduate has the skills and habits needed to succeed in the larger world.
In the end he not only created a working roaster, but he made a trailer to be able to bring his roaster to the party, wherever that may be. And he made some community connections so that he has several pigs offered to him for a test run. The goods will be available to try at his graduation party. Never in my career have I been more convinced that a graduate has the skills and habits needed to succeed in the larger world.
A true Ravenclaw
I think I've mentioned before how Theo is addicted to the Harry Potter books. I honestly think he has read the whole series about 5 times- this year alone. He never reads them in order- just picks up whichever one he is currently thinking about (and he's always thinking about one of them) and digs in. Yesterday alone he read half of book five. That is not a small book.
He is also fascinated by other Potter-lore. He spends time on PotterMore, on fanfiction sites, taking various quizzes. He is firm in his belief that the sorting hat would place him in Ravenclaw. He's as firmly convinced that his mom is just a poor old Hufflepuff. I dare say he's right. All of this Pottermania came to a head around his birthday when he asked his grandparents for some Ravenclaw gear for his birthday. He directed them to Ollivanders- the official online Potter shop. They were unsure about how much he would really like a sweater and a scarf for a May birthday, but they followed through and presented him with his new Ravenclaw sweater, scarf, and banner. He was thrilled. Put them on right then. Luckily for Theo it was a cool May as he wore the outfit for at least a week straight. The banner he pinned to his back pack on his actual birthday in order to make it even more clear that he was a legit Ravenclaw.
He is also fascinated by other Potter-lore. He spends time on PotterMore, on fanfiction sites, taking various quizzes. He is firm in his belief that the sorting hat would place him in Ravenclaw. He's as firmly convinced that his mom is just a poor old Hufflepuff. I dare say he's right. All of this Pottermania came to a head around his birthday when he asked his grandparents for some Ravenclaw gear for his birthday. He directed them to Ollivanders- the official online Potter shop. They were unsure about how much he would really like a sweater and a scarf for a May birthday, but they followed through and presented him with his new Ravenclaw sweater, scarf, and banner. He was thrilled. Put them on right then. Luckily for Theo it was a cool May as he wore the outfit for at least a week straight. The banner he pinned to his back pack on his actual birthday in order to make it even more clear that he was a legit Ravenclaw.
I've been developing my own look
That's what Theo told his peditrician back when he was about 7. She had commented on how much he looked like his brother and asked if his teachers ever called him by the wrong name. He sighed (oh so world weary) and said that yes, it had been a problem, but alas, he was "working on developing" his own look. The doctor peered at me over Theo's head and we shared a smile.
But the kid was right- he's been figuring out his 'look' for quite a while. Right now I think it centers around the hair and some seriously flashy socks. Add to that the occasional bow tie, suspenders, and skinny jeans, plus a fancy hat, and it is quite a look indeed!
But the kid was right- he's been figuring out his 'look' for quite a while. Right now I think it centers around the hair and some seriously flashy socks. Add to that the occasional bow tie, suspenders, and skinny jeans, plus a fancy hat, and it is quite a look indeed!
You've got to love feedback
Every year at Avalon we give students, parents, and staff, opportunities to give us feedback. It is always interesting. This year, one of the students in the adivsory I share with a co-worker, evaluated both of us on the same form. They wrote in response to the question, "What do you like best about your advisor?" that "They are funny/smart." The student apparently then thought more about the manner and decided to revise her statement. She drew an arrow from smart to Carrie's name, and from funny to mine. I think we should both be a little wounded by that delineation, but I do think I got the shorter end of that particular stick!
April blues
Back on April 3, when St. Paul was deluged with yet a new form of frozen crap falling from the sky, I tried not to think of it not as some evil little weird derivitive of snow, or even as some sort of late spring micro-hail, but as confetti. It didn't work.
Spring Break tripping!
For Spring Break 2014, we really went all out. The boys and I joined Tim Leone-Getten and 11 other History Day scholars from Open and caravaned down to Carleton College. We spent the windy, wintry day in the cozy library, with one quick outing to St. Olaf for a book there, as well as a stop for donuts. It was a treat to spend the day with such a bright, inquisitive, group of kids- all willing to get up early and spend a precious spring break day studying. Loved it.
He's faster. Shoot.
In late March we ventured back up to Dunord for another winter weekend. Sure, the weekend was billed as 'Spring Fling', but with 3 plus feet of snow still on the ground, we took advantage of the one last time to get out on skies. With unfortunate results. No, no one got injured as we glided down the ridge from the BWCA back into Dunord proper. No, we did not suffer from frost bite or get stuck (for too long) in snow mounds that were over our heads. What happened is that I skied with Eli and had to face up to the fact that he is faster than me. The first time we went out and he left me in the dust I chalked it up to the fact that I was carrying a heavy backpack and he was unencumbered. The second time I blamed it on a bad wax job (not eyebrows, but skis). But when it happened on the third ski, and we were waxed the same, I had no backpack, and he still dusted me, well, then I had to own up to the fact that the kid has gone and done it. Dang. My only condolence is that several other people saw him out on the trails and remarked on his smooth, quick, stride. Which was nice to hear, as I couldn't see it- he was too far ahead of me.
Real world homework
I love St. Paul Open School for a variety of reasons, but one of them is the homework. It has not caused us many battles this year as there is very little doing of stuff for the sake of doing it- like the spelling homework we battled through in years past. Well, except the three-dimensional shapes Eli came to tears over. It should have been fun, but something went haywire.
Anyway- one day this spring I had Eli making Spanish tapas- he chose a nice fried potato with a spicy tomato sauce, and Theo practicing a TED talk. Theo's class was given the assignment to create a new idea for a children's museum exhibit. Then pitch it in the form of a TED talk. Then actually walk down to the Children's Museum, meet with staff, and pitch your idea. My goodness, the kid took it seriously. As he should have.
Later that same evening, Eli, inspired by his coding class, claimed that trying to hack into our computer and take control of the mouse while I was trying to do some work, could actually be considered homework, and therefore I should quit discouraging him from doing it. Hmm. Not sure how I feel about that.
Anyway- one day this spring I had Eli making Spanish tapas- he chose a nice fried potato with a spicy tomato sauce, and Theo practicing a TED talk. Theo's class was given the assignment to create a new idea for a children's museum exhibit. Then pitch it in the form of a TED talk. Then actually walk down to the Children's Museum, meet with staff, and pitch your idea. My goodness, the kid took it seriously. As he should have.
Later that same evening, Eli, inspired by his coding class, claimed that trying to hack into our computer and take control of the mouse while I was trying to do some work, could actually be considered homework, and therefore I should quit discouraging him from doing it. Hmm. Not sure how I feel about that.
11 year old vocabularly building
While we were eating dinner on St. Patrick's day, Jon was commenting about how he ran into some people coming from the St. Pat's day parade. He mentioned that although the calendar said mid-March, the weather was more like January, and people were definitely not dressed for our current temperatures. He went so far as to suggest some of them might even have been dressed in a 'lewd' manner. Theo asked what lewd meant, but before we could answer (and how would we have answered?) he said, "Wait, does it mean ludicrously nude?" Yes, Theo, it does. And I'm sure in his mind, lewd is spelled lude, which makes his definition even better.
Winter induced stupidity
One freezing cold morning I ran out to my car after working out at the Y. I was already on the cusp of being late for my 7:45 meeting. I unlocked the car, jumped in, started it as it was about 20 below zero, then jumped back out to scrape the windows, as ice and snow had accumulated during my brief time at the Y. I scraped and then went to get back into the RUNNING car. But my door was locked! What? How did that happen? All my stuff was in locked car. That was running. My phone, my house keys...so even if I could catch a bus quickly to run home and get another car key, I had no money to pay for the bus, nor a key to open my house door. And it was -20. I think the cold froze my brain, causing me to bolt into action before really thinking the whole situation through.
So I ran into the Y, frantically, knowing that I had about a 3 minute window that if I was extremely lucky, I might catch Jon before he jumped into the pool at the Y closer to his work. I used the Y phone to call his cell, once, twice, fourteen times. No answer! I then thought to call the front desk of the Skyway Y before Jon checked in there. I asked the Midway Y desk person for the number of the Y down the street. He had NO idea. What? So I demanded he give me a unused Y membership card as I knew the numbers for all the local Ys were on the back. Not sure why he didn't know that. I called the Skyway Y and breathlessly asked them to look for a tall, not-blonde, guy in his 40s who answers to Jonathan. He should be passing by the desk in the next few minutes...and if he did, stop him! Ask him to call the Midway Y (Wait- here's their number as you may not know it!!) and ask for Gretchen! Don't let him get in the swimming pool as I need him!
I then started to worry about my car out there running on the street, unattended. So I quickly tried to explain my situation to the sleepy desk guy. I think he got it. If someone called the front desk and asked for Gretchen, it was me! Then I ran back outside to check my car. I was sweating by this point. Shower wasted. Car was still there. Still locked. Still running. Ran back inside. No calls for Gretchen. Back outside. Still there. It was at this point that I had the brilliant thought to check all of the car doors.
Sure enough. It was only the driver door that was locked. All other doors unlocked. So I sheepishly got in the back, crawled over the front seat, grabbed my purse, turned off the car, got out, ran back in, explained to the desk guy that if someone called for Gretchen to tell the person that the emergency was over. Then I used my cell phone to call the other Y, cancel the APB on Jonathan, and then try Jon's cell. He answered. He had been home in bed the whole time, having skipped his workout. He woke up to find 14 calls from an unknown number (the Y!) and was getting worried. I told him to go back to bed. Crisis averted.
So I ran into the Y, frantically, knowing that I had about a 3 minute window that if I was extremely lucky, I might catch Jon before he jumped into the pool at the Y closer to his work. I used the Y phone to call his cell, once, twice, fourteen times. No answer! I then thought to call the front desk of the Skyway Y before Jon checked in there. I asked the Midway Y desk person for the number of the Y down the street. He had NO idea. What? So I demanded he give me a unused Y membership card as I knew the numbers for all the local Ys were on the back. Not sure why he didn't know that. I called the Skyway Y and breathlessly asked them to look for a tall, not-blonde, guy in his 40s who answers to Jonathan. He should be passing by the desk in the next few minutes...and if he did, stop him! Ask him to call the Midway Y (Wait- here's their number as you may not know it!!) and ask for Gretchen! Don't let him get in the swimming pool as I need him!
I then started to worry about my car out there running on the street, unattended. So I quickly tried to explain my situation to the sleepy desk guy. I think he got it. If someone called the front desk and asked for Gretchen, it was me! Then I ran back outside to check my car. I was sweating by this point. Shower wasted. Car was still there. Still locked. Still running. Ran back inside. No calls for Gretchen. Back outside. Still there. It was at this point that I had the brilliant thought to check all of the car doors.
Sure enough. It was only the driver door that was locked. All other doors unlocked. So I sheepishly got in the back, crawled over the front seat, grabbed my purse, turned off the car, got out, ran back in, explained to the desk guy that if someone called for Gretchen to tell the person that the emergency was over. Then I used my cell phone to call the other Y, cancel the APB on Jonathan, and then try Jon's cell. He answered. He had been home in bed the whole time, having skipped his workout. He woke up to find 14 calls from an unknown number (the Y!) and was getting worried. I told him to go back to bed. Crisis averted.
Monday, March 17, 2014
History Day Take Two
Eli is the defending Minnesota champ in the junior group documentary division for History Day. Went on to National's last year and placed 8th in the nation. So what does his younger brother do when assigned to take on a history day project? Well, he enters in the same category as the defending champ. Who is hell bent on a repeat. So we've been watching their film's develop and they are both impressive. So far so good- both advanced from school to regions, and now regions to state. But the competition now tightens. They go head to head- 2 of the 40 or so films vying for the 2 spots that bring a trip to Nationals in DC in the spring. Not a lot of wiggle room. And they both want it badly. I love that it encourages them to dig deep and work hard. But I have a feeling that this is not going to end without tears somewhere. Maybe just mine, but I kind of doubt that.
Can't get enough of winter
Even though the Twin Cities were covered in endless feet of snow all winter, and were a xc skier's paradise from December til March, it's still nice to get away to more snow in further northern climes. In February, right as our house was ready for re-entry and settling in, we packed up our bags and headed north to Camp DuNord for the second annual Open/Expo extravaganza. 8 families. 18 kids- 14 of them middle school boys this year. I'll say that again. 14 middle school boys. And it was a hoot. We completely lucked out on the weather- fresh snow in the woods- the trees were astoundingly beautiful, plus sunny skis and temperatures in the 20s with just a hint of light breezes. We could easily have landed on one of the many sub-zero days and had to either really bundle up or get lots of air fresheners for the cabins if we were going to stay inside all day. We skied 2-4 times a day. The kids developed their version of the Winter Olympics. It was quite adorable- xc ski sprints, longer races, a biathlon that involved skiing then throwing a frisbee at a tree, slalom events on the tubing hill, plus an attempt to mimic the inaugural 'slope style' events. The only one that probably will never come to an olympics near you is "Hunger Games Run". Not sure how it went down, but it involved a king of the mountain type thing at Blueberry Island, then a dash to shore, where you could push competitors into the snow banks, from which many had trouble re-emerging. There were results kept and medals made. I think Tim LG was the most involved in the whole thing- he got way more into it than any of the kids. Because he is the biggest kid.
I skied out into the BWCA and fell in love with the gentle down hill from the ridge on the North Arm Trails back down into camp. Could take you an hour to get up to the top of the ridge and maybe 15 minutes of gliding down. Lovely.
The last morning we awoke to a snowstorm, which didn't stop us from getting out into the woods on skis. We broke trail through nearly a foot of new powder. The term 'silent sport' really was appropriate. Except for the fact that there were lots of middle school boys skiing with me. They thrilled to hit pine branches with their poles, causing avalanches of snow on unsuspecting victims- most often themselves.
Best of all was the great crew of people. 7 other families that we have met through our educational journey. What a great community. Can't wait to return next year!
I skied out into the BWCA and fell in love with the gentle down hill from the ridge on the North Arm Trails back down into camp. Could take you an hour to get up to the top of the ridge and maybe 15 minutes of gliding down. Lovely.
The last morning we awoke to a snowstorm, which didn't stop us from getting out into the woods on skis. We broke trail through nearly a foot of new powder. The term 'silent sport' really was appropriate. Except for the fact that there were lots of middle school boys skiing with me. They thrilled to hit pine branches with their poles, causing avalanches of snow on unsuspecting victims- most often themselves.
Best of all was the great crew of people. 7 other families that we have met through our educational journey. What a great community. Can't wait to return next year!
One grammatical correction this English teacher mom will not make:
My son currently calls whipped cream "whooped cream", like the cream got its ass kicked. Love it.
Peer pressure
When I first started this parenting journey, I had minor foreboding thoughts about peer pressure and how it might affect my kids in their teens. Didn't expect it to be used against me like this: On a day when temperatures were forecast to be very close to 'close the schools' limits (for the record: -20 temp or -40 windchill), but not close enough, Eli walked by in the upstairs hallway and just off-handedly commented, "I hear all the cool parents are keeping their kids home due to the cold tomorrow."
Theo's 2013 Christmas List
Even though Christmas is over, I wanted to remember this year's list out of Theo: A Nimbus 2000. And a bald cap. That was it. Made me laugh. He read through the 7-book Harry Potter series 6 times this winter, so I see where the Nimbus 2000 comes from. Not sure on the bald cap. Santa failed to bring it, but he didn't seem to mind. Too busy riding his broom, up in his room, in the midst of his own Hogwart's adventures.
History Day Levels of Stress
One day this winter, President Obama came to speak at Union Station, just a few blocks from the boys' school. Eli happened to be looking out a window when the impressive motorcade drove by. Caused him to reflect on Obama's life and what that might be like. Came home with this question, "Mom, do you think Obama lives every day at like History Day levels of stress?" Yes, Eli, probably something like that.
Highlights from a winter to remember
I didn't realize how cold it has been until I jumped into my car after work on a 45 degree, sunny afternoon. Went to put on some lipbalm that had been sitting in the car and accidentally smeared it all over my face because it was melty. Then felt the joy rush through my body- "The lipbalm is melty!!!" That moment of joy made me realize how seriously frozen we have been.
There were a few highlights however.
Once, while walking outside with Eli for a block on a brittle night, Eli yelled out, "My face! It's frozen! I feel like I just got a bad botox injection!" I love the mind of the 14 year old boy. You just never now what you are going to get.
On another day, as a blizzard threatened from the West and temperatures dropped I stopped by my local library- midday on a weekday- and it was packed! This is how Minnesotans prepare for an emergency. Grocery store lines? Probably not- but the library was a mob scene.
During one of the first school cancellizations for cold, the boys and I met up with Amy and her three boys at the Y to get out some energy. We grabbed a cart of plastic balls and locked ourselves into a racketball court. It is amazing we survived. That dodgeball game was brutal. It just kept going. At one point, Amy tried throwing the ball discuss-style and proclaimed herself to be in immense pain. So of course I had to try it. I don't know if it's something new due to being in my forties, but damn- the blood or something shot through my arm and into my hand. Made a snapping sound. Damn thing hurt for hours. Funny in retrospect, and at the time. We finished with relay races and elbow tag. The hearty laughing gave me one of my best ab workouts of the year.
After one big snow we gathered with Amy and crew to make a snow sculpture. Started with a plan to make a reindeer using two trees as antlers. Kind of turned into Donkey from Shrek. If we had tried to make Donkey, we would have probably ended up with a reindeer.
One of the later 'cold days' with school cancelled coincided with the first day we could start using our kitchen. All other surprise days off of school were still lovely, but we were getting a little cabin fever-y compacted into our truncated living room with no kitchen to use. Didn't stop us from hosting a couple fabulous game days with the boys' classmates- but it wasn't super comfy. So when a Friday rolled around, and school was cancelled, and the kitchen usable, I was in hog heaven. Made muffins, bread, pumpkin bread, all by about 10am.
One night I ran over to the alley neighbors to deliver a loaf of pumpkin bread- the start of my thankyou for the dinners provided when we were sans kitchen. Usually I just have to go out my door, across the yard, down the steps and through their yard to their side door. Could do it in my sleep. But on this day it was an obstacle course. Our back yard is a labyrinth of paths around construction equipment, then I went down our luge-like iced up stairs, past snow drifts that towered over my head, through a hedge row of snow drifts to their gate, which doesn't open, so they have dug snow steps up and over, through their yard where the clothesline hit me in the chest- I was that high up on the compacted snow. Finally made it, with a smile on my face even.
And the last highlight- that even on the most bitter of cold days (and there were plenty to choose from) you could always walk on the sunny side of the street, which made things a little better!
There were a few highlights however.
Once, while walking outside with Eli for a block on a brittle night, Eli yelled out, "My face! It's frozen! I feel like I just got a bad botox injection!" I love the mind of the 14 year old boy. You just never now what you are going to get.
On another day, as a blizzard threatened from the West and temperatures dropped I stopped by my local library- midday on a weekday- and it was packed! This is how Minnesotans prepare for an emergency. Grocery store lines? Probably not- but the library was a mob scene.
During one of the first school cancellizations for cold, the boys and I met up with Amy and her three boys at the Y to get out some energy. We grabbed a cart of plastic balls and locked ourselves into a racketball court. It is amazing we survived. That dodgeball game was brutal. It just kept going. At one point, Amy tried throwing the ball discuss-style and proclaimed herself to be in immense pain. So of course I had to try it. I don't know if it's something new due to being in my forties, but damn- the blood or something shot through my arm and into my hand. Made a snapping sound. Damn thing hurt for hours. Funny in retrospect, and at the time. We finished with relay races and elbow tag. The hearty laughing gave me one of my best ab workouts of the year.
After one big snow we gathered with Amy and crew to make a snow sculpture. Started with a plan to make a reindeer using two trees as antlers. Kind of turned into Donkey from Shrek. If we had tried to make Donkey, we would have probably ended up with a reindeer.
One of the later 'cold days' with school cancelled coincided with the first day we could start using our kitchen. All other surprise days off of school were still lovely, but we were getting a little cabin fever-y compacted into our truncated living room with no kitchen to use. Didn't stop us from hosting a couple fabulous game days with the boys' classmates- but it wasn't super comfy. So when a Friday rolled around, and school was cancelled, and the kitchen usable, I was in hog heaven. Made muffins, bread, pumpkin bread, all by about 10am.
One night I ran over to the alley neighbors to deliver a loaf of pumpkin bread- the start of my thankyou for the dinners provided when we were sans kitchen. Usually I just have to go out my door, across the yard, down the steps and through their yard to their side door. Could do it in my sleep. But on this day it was an obstacle course. Our back yard is a labyrinth of paths around construction equipment, then I went down our luge-like iced up stairs, past snow drifts that towered over my head, through a hedge row of snow drifts to their gate, which doesn't open, so they have dug snow steps up and over, through their yard where the clothesline hit me in the chest- I was that high up on the compacted snow. Finally made it, with a smile on my face even.
And the last highlight- that even on the most bitter of cold days (and there were plenty to choose from) you could always walk on the sunny side of the street, which made things a little better!
Back in Business
Since my last entry on January 13, things have improved greatly at this old house. We did spend any spare moment in Februrary with a paint brush in our hands, painting the kitchen, living room, dining room, hallway, front entry, basement stairs, basement, and new basement bathroom. Every one of those things in a different color. We invited several lovely souls to help us and did get it done just in time to move up to New Brighton while they refinished our floors on the first level. Floors were done and ready for us just as we jumped in our car to head out for a DuNord winter getaway. Tough to leave when we had so much to do back here, but we survived.
Since getting back in to the house, we've spent weekends making it back into our home. We were finally able to put a rug down yesterday, which has decreased on the echoing. All in all, I love it. It's much more open, much more user-friendly, and the teen lair in the basement has been well-utilized already. We hosted 7 boys here to work on History Day projects and hardly knew they were in the house.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Warming my heart with a touchy toaster-oven
Entering week twelve over here without access to my kitchen. Granted, for 6 of the weeks we stayed at my parents and used thier kitchen- but it's not the same. I guess if anything has been clarified by this process its that I love to have my kitchen handy. I'm not any kind of great cook, but I do like to get in there and make things. Particularly things in the oven on cold days. Bread, muffins, scones...love them all.
We borrowed a toaster oven from Kirk and Kelly. It has worked to heat up a frozen pizza or warm up other already cooked items. But it's touchy- I'm never sure if it's going to work or not. But this weekend I had a cup of cream that had to be used and went out on a limb to make some scones. The problem was that in the process of making them I start anticipating pretty seriously- so if it didn't work, it was going to be a bitter disappointment. Luckily, the little toaster oven came through. It was just the step towards normalcy that I needed as progress on the remodel seems to stall. The smell, the taste- brought me to a happy place.
We borrowed a toaster oven from Kirk and Kelly. It has worked to heat up a frozen pizza or warm up other already cooked items. But it's touchy- I'm never sure if it's going to work or not. But this weekend I had a cup of cream that had to be used and went out on a limb to make some scones. The problem was that in the process of making them I start anticipating pretty seriously- so if it didn't work, it was going to be a bitter disappointment. Luckily, the little toaster oven came through. It was just the step towards normalcy that I needed as progress on the remodel seems to stall. The smell, the taste- brought me to a happy place.
Urban ski
I hit the lottery today: A day off, no appointments or meetings, 28 degrees, and sun. I was a littel nervous about skiing due to the grand meltdown we had yesterday when it hit 45, but thought I'd venture over to the lakes to check it out. It was indeed a little icy, but on skate skis I did ok. And at one point I intersected with the groomers, who were making the skate trails just beautiful. I parked right off of Lake of the Isles, skied around Isles, through the channel to Cedar, and through this little tunnel over to Brownie. I contemplated heading up over the highway overpass and into the quaking bog area as the groomers had just come from there and it looked lovely, but I was running out of gas and my car seemed a long way away. So I just skied around Brownie and headed back through the chain of lakes. I love that in the middle of the cities I can ski this far without having to cross any roads- although at one point a train did cross my path- luckily for me I got to sneak through a little tunnel while the train was thundering overhead. The sun was fabulous- clearly others were enjoying the relatively mild temperatures after the deep freeze, as other skiers passed by with idiotic grins on their faces. And out in the middle of Isles was a lone person- not on skis- dressed in a big coat and boots. I don't know if the person was listening to any music, but he or she was certainly feeling it. I like to think it was a thank-you dance to the weather gods, because today was a peach of a day.
Venturing back out...
The deep freeze is finally over- for now. If my math is correct, yesterday when Theo and I were out playing in the snow it was a full 65 degrees warmer than one week earlier. 65 degrees! And it was still only 40. But we took the opportunity to get out. I wanted to ski but was worried that it would be too slushy, so we opted for snow sculpturing with some good pals. At first it felt a little like legos to me. All those legos and no idea what to make. But then someone had the idea to use a tree as antlers and to make a deer head at the base. It was a lot of work to get enough snow up next to the tree. And then we ended up with something that looked a lot more like Donkey from Shrek than anything in the deer family. The boys spent far more time rolling around on the ground and throwing snow at each other than working on our sculpture, but good times were definitely had by all.
Possible Pal
As I've mentioned before, Theo loves his new school. He his a tireless advocate for Open School- volunteering for Open Houses, the School Fair, and to be a 'shadow host'. Earlier this year he was hosting a prosective student. This young man kept a notebook handy throughout the day and was taking notes about his experience. At some point Theo noticed that one of the pages had the heading "Theo". And there were three bullet points. He could only read one, which read, "Possible pal". When he told me this my heart got real warm. I love that a kid coming in to a new school would take notes. I love that he made bullet-pointed lists about things. And that one was that my son would be a possible friend. But both Theo and I are seriously wondering what the other two bullet points might have read!
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Family pictures
All the Sage kids and grandkids got together on the sly this November to pose for a family portrait for Jean and Rodg. In all fairness, it was the newest family member's idea- she has firmly lodged her place in Jean's heart with this move. And she deserves it. It is no easy task to herd Sage cats. And we never lined up a photographer, but were able to pull off a decent self-timer shot. We ended up giving Jean and Rodg a large framed canvas of all of us. It went over well.
Then there is the Martinson photo. Kirk had the idea to recreate a favorite childhood photo for Sherry and Rollie's 50th anniversary. It is a much cherished photo of the four siblings taken when Jon was about 8. I don't know if Sherry will 'cherish' the new one, but when she opened it, she laughed uncontrollably for quite a while. It was a pleasure to watch. Here's both the original and the recreation. I think the sibling shot of the Sages is a bit more dignified, but not worth as many laughs, for sure.
Sherlock-ed
I'm a fan. I admit it. I don't know if I've ever looked forward to the start of a TV season before. The bummer is that the season is just 3 episodes long. I love that it is a show that all four of us enjoy- and that it's smart, funny, and suspenful. What more could we ask for? More episodes for one.
Brutal re-entry
Winter break ended today in the most brutal fashion. When Eli's alarm went off at 5:45 am I heard a loud groan and then, "I can't do it." When I went in to the room he repeated that he was unable to get out of bed and asked me to call him in sick. When I refused he said, "Ok, then turn on the dang light." And he was up. The boys walked out the door and into inky blackness at 6:40 am. Had to wait for the bus with temps at -11 and windchills hovering around -30. Welcome back to the real world....
Well-being
So the hives that have been plaguing me since early November are finally taking a turn for the better. I like to chalk it up to my first ever acupuncture experience, but it also could just have been good timing. In any case, since I'm still waking up with a random hive or two (or 10, but not hundreds) I decided to go back to the acupuncturist today. I like that where I live I can walk to my doctor, the allergist, my hair salon, as well as now, my acupuncturist. Never thought I'd have one of those, but that's how life's journey goes- always washing you up on new and interesting shores.
So there I was, laying on the table while she inserted the needles in my arms, legs (my ear???). I shut my eyes and worked on relaxing, as the probable cause of these damn hives is stress. I had read that acupuncture can cause you to feel relaxed and perhaps have a warm feeling spread throughout your body. So, eyes closed, breathing deeply...the woman finishes and turns out the lights, leaves the room. Soon enough I feel this warm feeling starting in my core. Really nice and warm and lovely. And kind of radiating out from there. I'd never felt anything like it. Wow. I'm feeling all full of belief in chinese medicine and brimming with well-being when I open my eyes. And see the heat lamp pointed at my stomach. Well. Made me laugh, which filled my cup of well-being ever so much more full. So it wasn't the needles that filled me with warmth- who cares. It was lovely nonetheless and I am still convinced that the treatment will help the hives fade even more.
So there I was, laying on the table while she inserted the needles in my arms, legs (my ear???). I shut my eyes and worked on relaxing, as the probable cause of these damn hives is stress. I had read that acupuncture can cause you to feel relaxed and perhaps have a warm feeling spread throughout your body. So, eyes closed, breathing deeply...the woman finishes and turns out the lights, leaves the room. Soon enough I feel this warm feeling starting in my core. Really nice and warm and lovely. And kind of radiating out from there. I'd never felt anything like it. Wow. I'm feeling all full of belief in chinese medicine and brimming with well-being when I open my eyes. And see the heat lamp pointed at my stomach. Well. Made me laugh, which filled my cup of well-being ever so much more full. So it wasn't the needles that filled me with warmth- who cares. It was lovely nonetheless and I am still convinced that the treatment will help the hives fade even more.
Walking on the sunny side of the street
When the daily highs are in the negative digits it's important to seek out the sun when you can. Today I walked down the road for an appointment and when I crossed over to the sunny side of the street there was a noticable difference. I was still freezing my ass off, however.
Slow it down already
The other day we were up at Grandma Sherry's- the keeper of the official Martinson grandchild growth chart. Recently Eli topped the list. Taller than all of the cousins. And the grandparents. Rollie likes to say, "Eli has caught his grandmother..." We think he thinks that Eli has not caught him, but he has. Yes he has. Anyway- we backed him up to the wall, thinking he probably had grown a little since the last time we did this in mid-October. But holy moly- another 1.5 inches since then! In 10 weeks. That's 1/8 an inch a week. Every week. And it's 2.5 inches since school started. Wow. He's about 3/8 and inch below me- so I'll be taller than him til my birthday if this tangent continues. Eli points out that at some point, it has to end. I think he's talking about the growth, but he may also be talking about my height dominance. It will be odd to look up to him. I like being taller.
He's handled this amazing growth spurt with a good deal of grace. I mean that both mentally and physically. When a puppy grows like this they sleep 16-18 hours a day. Eli does not. But he remains mostly sunny and sweet. There are occasional storms, but those are to be expected. In terms of physical changes- somehow he has managed to keep up with this growth- no real tripping or awkwardness, and his morning exercise routine is actually bulking him up at the same time that he rockets skyward.
He's handled this amazing growth spurt with a good deal of grace. I mean that both mentally and physically. When a puppy grows like this they sleep 16-18 hours a day. Eli does not. But he remains mostly sunny and sweet. There are occasional storms, but those are to be expected. In terms of physical changes- somehow he has managed to keep up with this growth- no real tripping or awkwardness, and his morning exercise routine is actually bulking him up at the same time that he rockets skyward.
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