it's just hair

whatever...

I don't have amazing hair
never have
it's thin, straight, limp,
with just your basic
     I-got-it-trimmed-approximately-4-months-ago-style
good thing I'm not a hair person...
or maybe I just don't care enough,
          maybe I have the potential for amazing hair but I'm too lazy
     {this is a very high likelihood!}

but I married AMAZING hair,
my husbands hair is full and wavy and amazing
he sadly had rocked a mullet in high school...and NO it was not the 80's!
{for the record I DID NOT know him during the mullet and was already hopelessly in love the first time I saw mullet pictures}
since we've been together {almost 17 years} he has had more hair styles than me!


and back on track...
our son has his father's amazing hair...





and has worn it pretty shaggy most of his life
{something about his weird mom not cutting off those precious curls until he was almost 3, but he was bald for so long!}

pretty sure the shaggy hair had something to do with a lazy busy mom that would forget to make an appointment for a hair cut and months and months would pass before she would realize that her son's hair was out of control!

there have been a few times that I attempted the 'trim' myself, and that always resulted in something the boy child likes to call a 'mushroom head'...so that doesn't happen any more.





anyways...
about a month ago I had made the guys a hair appointment
{this hair is too amazing for any ol' barber shop/walk-in-for-a-cut place!}
when Beau was getting ready to leave Wilson asked if he HAD to get his hair cut...
well, it's getting kinda long buddy...
Yeah, I want it long...
okay!

the guys after Beau's hair cut and Wilson's non-cut

it's only hair, we have 3 hair rules {that apply to both him and his sister}
1.  keep it brushed
2.  keep it clean
3.  keep it out of your eyes!

 this is the boy child, yesterday, rocking some sort of 1977 Shaw Cassidy look....

makes me chuckle when boys have hair touching their ears and I hear a parent say it's WAY past hair cut time!
it's just hair people!

November 29

1}  Thankful for central heat on this wintry,  blustery, stormy day!  I grew up with a wood stove as our main heat source and more recently we moved out of our money pit that had no central heat {a monitor heater in one corner on the first floor a a 2 1/2 story house...not great heat}...love being able to program the heat for 70 and know that my house will be cozy warm.

2} Thankful also for cozy blankets and robes so I can program our 'heat' for 60 at night and we're not freezing...

3}  Thankful that my kids love Carnation Instant Breakfast!

November 28

1}  I'm thankful for minimum days...both of my kids have minimum days on Wednesdays...Wednesdays are a busy, late days...having the kids get out an hour earlier each Wednesday makes our Wednesdays less chaotic and hectic...

2}  I'm thankful for completion...specifically completed puzzles.  

Thanksgiving Family Puzzle 2012...with a missing piece

an unnamed child of the male persuasion
found the missing piece in his coat pocket....hmmmm

completion...1000 piece TAKE that!

3}  I'm thankful that my husband doesn't have to travel for work.  A few times a year he may have to go to a conference or something but I'm thankful that he's not traveling weekly or even monthly.  I like having him around.

November 4th

I'm thankful for our boychild

1}  I'm thankful that he is so full of life and humor.  He has the Chambers humor like his father, uncle & grandfather...funny men!

2}  I'm thankful that he has music in his body.  The boy hears music and he must dance.

3}  I'm thankful that he is a cuddler...yep just made that word up!...and just an overall physical touch guy.  I love that he hugs his friends, at 7 years old has no problem giving his friends a full on bear hug, because that's how he show his love and he loves his friends.

4}  I'm thankful that he is passionate.  Even if parenting a passionate child is harder, I'm so thankful that he know what he wants in life and will go after it.

5}  I'm thankful that he is an early-bird like me.  I enjoy our mornings together, just the two of us.  I have learned so much about him in our early mornings together.

6}  I'm thankful that he's a thinker and a processor.  His brain is always going and he asks questions I have never thought of before.  Accepting that things just happen because they happen is not an answer for this child.  He needs to have answers and that has caused me to grow as a parent and a person, I have learned because he has asked!

7}  So thankful that he has God in his heart and knows how to pray for God's guidance in his life.  I'm thankful that he has a Godly father that he loves and that he wants to be like.  He thinks his dad is just a 'regular guy' and he wants to be a 'regular guy like his dad' when he grows up.  He has no idea that having a father who seeks God is not the norm.

And of course I could go on and on...but I'm past my 3 thankful for the day...so I'll stop.

Happy Free-Candy-From-Strangers Day

why, hello there!

l-r Wilson's "jack", my curly "C", Madison's Cat on a fence
and then my worty pumpkin with poka-dot holes (hard to see)...
also a plastic golden pumpkin in the background looks like it might have eyes, it does not!

yep, I've been blog absent for a whole month...life just got busy, and as I wrote at the beginning of the year, this blog is for fun and it will not take away from my family...so I have been present with my kids and husband and working, and yes, the blog has taken back seat...

Wilson as his Father & Madison as a 6th grade student in 1988!

but I wanted to do a re-post for ya'll on this day...my post about 'Celebrating Halloween' as a Christian...

enjoy!
http://chambersmade.blogspot.com/2010/10/celebrating.html

payday

what happened to this world...

yesterday was our payday...which in our home = allowance day for our kids...

I was thinking this morning as I packed the kids' lunch...

I remember there used to be a time...

...blog note...not in my time...

but at one time...in the not-so-long-ago history of this nation...

that parents didn't pay their kids for being kids...

rather, the kids paid their parents...

kids went out and got jobs and a portion, if not all, of their paycheck went into the family bank to just help the family meet their needs...

then the government went and got involved 

....and made laws against frowned upon kids with jobs...

I'm thinking of starting up a petition 

....maybe not kids working 

{child labor laws might be hard to reverse}

but for the kids to pay the parents rather than the parents paying the kids....

[editor's note: I can be paid in Jelly Beans.  Beau]

who's with me on this...

just sign your name below!

I'm gonna need a tardy slip please

there are some crazy hard choices to make as a parent...

like...
when you realize that your 'sick' kid might not be as sick as he was the day before and could...should...actually be in school....

so how do you think the school would react if I brought my child to school a little late...

like 40 minutes before school lets out, late....?

me....yes, um, I'm gonna need a tardy slip...
office lady...really?  it's 1:10
me...well, my son was sick yesterday, and I thought he might still be sick today, but it looks like he's much better now.  so here he is!
office lady...you know school ends at 1:50, right?
me...um, yes, I'm aware that school dismisses in 40 minutes, but he's all better now...so, um, give him some learning, you got 40 good solid minutes....

stupid technology

we think technology has made our lives easier...
that we're smarter now that we have all this technology....

like when the boy child ask some question that I never even thought about
and I can whip out my smart phone,
go all wikipedia on that question
and answer the child like I knew the answer all along!
...we think we're smarter...

so, maybe technology has made US smarter...
I think it's also made us stupider...
yep...

example numero 1
neither one of my kids could call their grandparents if you just handed them any-ol phone...
to call grandma they need to be able to find grandma's number on the menu or caller-id...
(not that I knew my grandma's number, but I only talked to her on birthday's and Christmas)
...but my kids talk to their grandma's on a very regular basis...
yet they have never 'dialed' either of their numbers!

take 2
last year our daughter tried to call us from school...
when she was in 5th grade....
she told us our number didn't work...
I asked her what number she called...
that's when I had the pleasure of informing her that calling our address will not make our phone ring...
(blog note...we have now made sure that both our kids know both of our cell numbers! and I quizz them on a regular basis)...
but she had never HAD to 'dial' home before
(if she was calling home, she just looked for 'home' in our cell phone and selected it...then the phone called home magically!)
she's never had to give her number to someone...
I usually have always just texted our number to her friends mother...
and we all just have all of our numbers saved into our phones...
and no-one-ever actually had to 'dial' anyone's number...

third times a charm
I just finished filling out the pile-o-forms for the first week of school...
where you have to put down the emergency contact numbers...
I put down names of friends that I talk to the phone on a regular basis...sometimes multiple times a day...
yet I have no idea what their actual numbers are...
these are the people that I love and trust enough to take care of my child in an emergency if the school can't get ahold of me...
yet I can't tell you their phone number!!!...
but if you give me your number I can msg you their entire vCard (whatever that is) with all of their personal info!!!...
or better yet...
we can just 'bump' our phones together and transfer all that info...
so we never have to even punch in any numbers at all!!!

the big finale
it's a good ol' fashion radio contest...
a chance to win a family vacation, including airplanes and hotels...the kids got giddy with the excitement of this trip we would never win...
kids..."can we mom, can we?  can we call and win the trip?"
me..."sure, just call the number."
girl child...grabs my phone..."how do you dial letters?"
(I explained to her to look for the letters and dial that number)
children giddy with excitement...girl child nervous that she might be on the radio...
silence...
girl child holding phone and smiling
me..."what's going on?"
girl child..."oh, it's just beeping."
me..."it's busy." (with the confidence that she knows what this means...)
girl child...keeps phone up to her ear and continues to listen to the beeping...
me...repeat...'it's busy!"  (maybe she didn't hear me the first time...)
girl child...nodding her head at me and smiling...listening to the beeping...
me..."that mean's you need to hang up and call again."
girl child...blank stare...
this is the point that I realize that neither of my children have ever heard a busy signal or knows what it means...
they know all about call waiting & voice mail...this is what 'normal' phones do when you call and the line is already being used...it doesn't just beep...

I can now confidently tell you that if something horrible 911-calling-appropriate happened and all my children had was a rotary phone...we would probably all die!  because they would have no earthly idea how to use this technology!

they would probably 'dial' 911 by pushing the holes...because my children have never actually 'dialed' a number...they have only ever 'pushed' a number!
so technology could actually kill my family...but only in the event that we were in a home with only rotary phones and a 911-calling-appropriate emergency occurred!
so...we're probably safe!  

oh, hello there

well, hello...

guess I took a summer break!...

lets see....

boychild had a birthday...he chose 'Viva Pinata' as the theme...

yep...random...maybe, someday in the future I may blog about how to throw a Pinata themed birthday...maybe not...

we went to Sunriver, Oregon....BTW this is Oregon...blue skies and trees....

weird things happen sometimes...didn't plan this at all...

we were driving to Sunriver, OR on boy child's actual birthday... 

we were getting hungry for dinner and were passing through Klamath Falls, OR 

(where Beau was born...36+ years ago)...

we asked Wilson what he wanted for dinner...

he said pizza.... 

so, we pull off at the last Klamath Falls exit and follow the signs to Abby's Pizza...

then Beau begins to reminisce 

(he grew up in FAR, FAR northern California, Tulelake...and the "big city" was Klamath Falls......)

guess what/where Beau had for his 7th birthday...

yep, pizza @ Abby's Pizza in Klamath Falls, OR...

I don't think we could have planned that if we wanted to!

while in Sunriver we caught some toads...we were actually officially on 'Toad Patrol'...yep...
might also blog about that...I have some catching up to do...

Sunriver was great...we were with the in-laws...whom I love so very much...
seriously...I married into a great family...
and then my brother-in-law went and married good too...so it's all good....
I don't have any really great pictures from the whole time we were in Sunriver, but take my word for it...we had a great time...
my sister-in-law organized the "Chambers Family Olympics 2012"...
so much fun...games from Minute-2-Win-It...
loved it!

boy child did baseball (t-ball with Jr. Giants...amazing) for the first time this summer...loved it...all of us!...one magical thing about Jr. Giants t-ball...the games are 2 innings/1 hour...that is so.very.magical when you are thinking about baseball in Redding in July!

we took a quick trip to the 'Bay Area' (aka San Francisco & Oakland) with friends to visit the Oakland Zoo and the Exploratorium...fun times...BTW...Oakland WalMart after dark...not AS scary as I would have thought...not that I wasn't a little, teeny-bit scared...but not as bad as I was expecting....

both girl & boy child participated in the YMCA's swim team this summer...which meant I had the opportunity to work-out three mornings every week...or sit by the pool and read...I'll let you decide what I did!

we had a great summer, with lots of fun memories!

and then...before I could blink...the summer was over...and back to school...

boy child off to 2nd grade...

and...gulp...girl child off to middle school...aka jr. high...she is ONLY is 6th grade...I grew up in small-town-Oregon where we had Elementary (k-3), Intermediate (4-6), Jr High (7 & 8), & High School (all the others)...so even though she's technically in middle school...and ONLY in 6th grade...since she's with all these really big kids...and has 6 classes a day...it feels like Jr. High to me...

Okay...now that summer is over and things are back to normal...
I will start to blog again...I have to, I have blogs that have been trying to write themselves in my head and I must get them out of there!

it's the little things :: quite time & my kids

it's the little things...

this is my week and the little things {clockwise}

{my garden...I spend quite time almost every morning weeding and watering my little plots of dirt..

{quite time with God... "He is my Rock; his work is perfect.
                                         Everything he does is just and fair.
                                   He is a faithful God who does no wrong;
                                          how just and upright He is!"
                                                 Deuteronomy 32:4   

{my kids...
        *they shared a room for almost 6 years and still want to be together...they get to sleep together one night a week during the summer...I cherish this because I'm pretty sure this won't last much longer!

       *7-11 day and free 7.11 oz slurpees...talk about little things

       *my posers...I heart these two!

beating the heat

Redding, California is HOT...

it's sort, kinda known for being HOT....

(although it's a dry heat...if Redding had humidity it would be inhospitable and would have a population of 2!)

I really don't mind the heat...

it's just a fact that you need to be willing to live with if you choose to live in Redding...

which we do!

This is the thing...everything in Redding has AC. 

blog note:  I say that, knowing that we lived almost 6 years in our fixer-upper sans AC...

we had a swap-cooler...

or an evaporative coolers, as those in denial call it...

which takes our lovely dry heat and in turns makes it humid...classy!

anyways...

most normal sane humans that live in Redding have AC...

no cars are sold in Redding without AC...

it's not an extra...

it just IS...cars have AC...

side note 2:  we bought a brand new car back in 2000 and while looking at the extra packages we said, 

"Oh, yeah make sure it has AC!" 

the sales guy looked at us and said, 

"Um, we can't sell cars in Redding without AC!  it's not considered an extra but a must have!"

okay...back to our regularly schedule blog...

about it being HOT and getting the HECK out of Hades!

the forecast for Monday was HOTx10...108+

which is pretty normal for July in Redding 

(as previously stated...

that is why/how Redding is known for being HOT)

so, to beat the heat, the kids, some friends and I packed up and headed for the snow!

yep...we went and played in the snow in July!

something that I've done a few times...but not nearly enough..

pack up the car...

pack lunch and plenty of water... 

and drive (usually...always...without the husband!)

have a minor goal in mind, but be flexible...

our goals...

1.  get out of the heat

2.  hopefully, possibly see/play in snow...

then go...

be spontaneous...

this is the fun part...

drive...see something pretty..

neat...

weird..

interesting...

stop the car...enjoy...

....look kids, it a Sound-of-Music mountain meadow....

trying to get a Sound of Music picture
look really really hard and see the teeny tiny pink spot to the right...
yeah, that's one of our kids!

our closest Sound of Music shot!

we spent about 30-40 minutes
(20 of that crossing the colder than ice creek to get to said Sound-of-Music mountain meadow)
enjoying the beautiful meadow

hey, kids...
look a patch of snow across the street from our meadow...
enjoy!

love the contrast of green field below the snow!

this snow is fun and all...but it's sort-of-kind-of a snow cliff...if the kids take a step or two back they will plunge to their deaths...or at least break a bone or two!

girl getting tagged by a snowball

seriously...
how many times have you had a snowball fight in July!

it's snowing in July...or maybe we just threw snow up in the air

okay, so this is great snow and all...but it's not fun/easy to play in...it's a snow cliff...so lets pack up and find what we set out to find...enough, safe, snow to play in!

hey, look it's a snow tunnel...so what if it's in a parking lot...
it's a SNOW TUNNEL...in JULY....
stop the car...get out and enjoy!

blog note #3...
try not to look too closely at the snow...it's snow in July...
so, this is not pristine white snow...
it's actually old dirty snow...
but, just don't think about it...
and make it VERY clear that there will be absolutely zero eating of any snow! 

okay, so this is fun and all...
but it's a parking lot...
so, lets pack up and find a better place to play!
eventually...
we reach our ultimate goal...
an area with enough snow...
that's not on the edge of a cliff...
or in a parking lot...
and let the kids play...

 midget July snowman!

Get some posed pictures at the ice cold Lake Helen....

Pack up and head home!

*special note...

when heading to the snow...even if it's July...

it would be wise to pack snow/rain boots...

your kids may or may not suggest this to you before you leave for said snow trip, and you may or may not think, "it's JULY and we don't need that"...

it would also be wise to bring mittens...

possibly also something that your kids may or may not have suggested that you bring...

and you may or may not think it's necessary because it's JULY...

trust me, bring the mittens!

so, your kids may or may not have the chance to say, "Told you so, mom!"

also good things to pack for a snow trip in July:
*flip flops 

*towel

*bug spray...snow and mosquitoes don't compute in my head, but swampy muddy areas around melting snow drifts and 75 degrees is the perfect environment for mosquitoes...and since there are little to no humans in these areas you will be eaten alive by them!

Go out and embrace the spontaneous trips!  Pack up the kids, invite some friends...and pack all the things that your kids may think you'll need!

and take pictures!

These are memories that you and your kids will cherish...

so don't NOT go because your husband/wife might not want to go or have to work

don't NOT go because friends can't come

don't NOT go because you have laundry to fold

this was an amazing day...it was in the high 70...when back in Redding it was 108+
the kids, our friends and I all had a great time!

just go...and embrace the spontaneous trip...

don't have any mountain snow anywhere nearby (we drove an hour and half to reach snow), drive to the lake, a waterfall, the beach, a local pick-your-own produce farm...etc...

what are some spontaneous trips that you've taken...or wanted to take?

How Clorox Wipes Ruined my Kids

back story for my not-so-short story about ruining my children!

....

so my children are responsible for cleaning their bathroom once a week...

Monday's to be exact...

and they clean the bathroom with non-other than Clorox or Lysol Wipes...you all know you use them...

I tried about 3 years ago to go all green in this area and stop using the cleaning wipes...yeah, that wasn't happening...

anyways, the kids clean every surface of their bathroom minus the inside of the toilet bowl, with the wipes, it works, they get it done, end of story...this is all they have ever used to clean the bathroom...the cleaning wipes and the toilet bowl brush...

summer is in full swing...and that means I have the kids 24/7...

like some home-school mom or something...

and so, things like errands...not happening!  

because taking the kids across town to WalMart to buy things like cleaning wipes and paper towels, when we could actually live without them 

(because in the history of the world we have lived without them), 

is not on my list of things I like to torture myself with...

end of back story...

so, first Monday of summer hits...

kids clean bathroom...all is well...

minus the fact that they used the very last cleaning wipe and failed to inform me...

second Monday of summer hits...

kids go into bathroom to start the cleaning process when they both realize the world has come crashing down around them! 

THERE.ARE.NO.CLEANING.WIPES!

boy child instantly sees this as a miracle releasing them from bathroom cleaning duties...

but girl child knows...

she's old enough to remember back...

back to that black time in history...

when mom went all green and there were no cleaning wipes in the house....

there is some discussing going on in the bathroom...

slight arguing...

boy child is elected to tell me the news about the cleaning wipes, 

probably because he's younger and I would never think to make him clean his own bathroom without the aid of cleaning wipes...

FAIL...I tell them to use...paper towels and cleaning spray...

back to the trenches they go...

then some more arguing...discussing...

girl child emerges now...

..."um...Mom...but there are NO paper towels left...none!"...

confidence has soared...they are golden...

NO cleaning wipes

NO paper towels

that can only mean one thing...NO cleaning the bathroom...

FAIL..apparently I have never introduced them to the wash rag!

what had I done as a mother?  

my children had no idea that they could clean surfaces, other than themselves with a wash rag...

AND that I actually had a stack of wash rags, in a long forgotten cupboard in the garage....

kids clean the bathroom...all goes well...

third Monday of summer hits...

paper towels have been purchased by the husband...

cleaning wipes have yet to be purchased...

because I have not come to the point of running that horrible errand mission...

but kids now know...

they have been educated on the old school ways of cleaning...

they are smart kids...

so, the smart kids that they are...and slightly lazy...

    they know they don't need cleaning wipes...

so, they start thinking outside the box....

do we really need wash rags?...

     all the way out in the garage...

or the paper towels?...

     all the way to the kitchen...

no, we can think outside the 'cleaning wipe' box that our mother held us in for so long...

and look, there is this roll of paper that we use to clean our bums...

why would that paper not work to clean the rest of the bathroom?

oh, and that cleaning spray...

     it's all the way under the bathroom sink...

     we'd have to like, open the cupboard door to get that...

but look, there is soap right here sitting nicely on the counter...

     nice soap...foamy Bath-&-Body Works soap...

     that's good enough to clean our hands...

     must be good enough to clean the entire bathroom...

     ...including the mirror...

yes...you read that right...

my children 'cleaned' their bathroom with toilet paper and not-so-cheap Bath-&-Body Works foamy soap!...their entire bathroom...

yes...Clorox Wipes have ruined my children...

and now I'm off to buy stock in them!

the one that rubs

...yeah...
there's this Bible story that rubs me the wrong way, one that Jesus Himself taught...
I just don't like it..never have...

it's the prodigal son...
yep, not a fan....

because guess what...I'm the good brother (or sister in this case)...
the 'good one'...the one that makes all 'right choices' the one that 'deserves' everything the father lavishes on the 'bad son' at the end of the story...

not only am I not a fan, it's a story that I've always hated...
yes...HATED!
I'm a justice seeking...stand in line...speed limit...kinda girl!
(although when my kids utter those horrible words,
'that's not fair' my skin crawls!)
but it's true...this story IS NOT FAIR!

I recently even had a conversation with my mother about this despised story...
about me being the 'good one' and talking about the prodigal one...
and how I dislike that Jesus had to put this in the Bible at all...

and then guess what...
God flipped the tables...
I had a dream (and yes, I know that most dreams are just dreams...but I also know that God used dreams in the OT and it worked...so yes, I believe 100% that God gave me this dream to understand His love just a little bit more)

In this dream I was no longer the 'good sister'...
I was the mother...OUCH
I was no longer the do-gooder sister, I was the parent of the prodigal son...
In my dream my sweet, kind, cuddly, loving, tenderhearted 6 year old boy was all grown up and 19...
And he was no longer any of those things.
He was living in the world, making stupid, horrible, scary life choices...
His sister stayed home and was being the good one...making all the right choices...
But as the mother...my heart was breaking for my son...my son had turned his back on everything I had taught him, everything he knew, squandered all I had given him.

Yes, I was proud of my daughter, I was filled with hope and joy at all her choices.
But at the same time my heart was literally torn in half by the choices my sweet baby boy had grown up and made...
Just typing this out and remembering my pain, makes the lump return to my throat.

I woke up in tears, sobbing over my lost son, the son that I would do anything to have back in my arms, safe and sound...the son that I would throw a huge party for if he would only turn around repent and seek my forgiveness....
I knew without a shadow of a doubt I would throw this lost-and-now-found son of mine the biggest party I could.  I would celebrate him coming home!

so now this story rubs a different way...I now 'get it'...
I now understand the celebration for the lost son...
...and now my heart breaks for all the prodigal son's...
I now have a small window into the pain that God feels for all those that have turned and are doing it their way opposed to His way.

I also see that the father/parent hasn't turned himself away from the good child...he loves that child just as much as the other one.  And that maybe the good one has some sin in his/her life...the sin of pride...
He believes that his actions can earn the love of his father/parent.  As a parent I know my child can do nothing to earn my love or take away my love...I love them no-matter what.  And God's grace and love is the same, my actions, my good behavior, my deeds, works, etc...will never 'earn' my father's love!  I do all of those things because I love HIM, not so He will love me!

And I pray that in the future rather than being the sullen, it's-not-fair 'good sister', I can be the heartbroken mother that seeks out the lost son.

the swim test

back story to the story.....
we have 2 different swimmers in our family...
the girl child is a fish...
     has always had confidence in the water
     even when she didn't have form she had confidence,
     she just knew...she had FAITH she wasn't going to drown
     and she loves the water
    as a some-what-shy toddler and preschooler she had no problem taking a swim class,
          in fact she loved taking them

the boy child...he's been a totally different animal
     and not a water one
     has never believed he could swim, even when he can
     swim lessons have always been a fight
     one year he even refused to 'dress' for lessons and wore his jeans, I still made him get in the water with his jeans (not a happy little boy)
     he likes to swim....sometimes...half the time he'll chose to stay home with dad!
   
okay...the swim test!

last week of school (2 weeks ago) boy child's 1st grade class is going on a swim party field trip to the YMCA (the pool that we swim at most of the time).

The swim party is taking place at the outdoor pool that looks like this

the kids need to pass the 'swim test' to get the green wrist band and swim just on the other side of the rope from the shallow pool into the first swim lane
(a place where the kids can actually stand up in...but since the depth gradually increases to a point where they can't touch they need to take the test).

the swim test starts at the deep end and the kids must swim the length of the pool

the lifeguards were great,
one of them has been Wilson's swim teacher a few times,
Mr. Steve, he's a great guy that is amazing with kids, builds confidence in the water and has just an amazing heart for kids.
they had the kids jump in and swim... if/when they got a little tired they could grab onto the wall for a short break and then continue swimming.
by the time Wilson has decided he wants to take the swim test about 15 kids have already taken the test and passed...these 'green wrist band' kids are not swimming in the deep end they are all playing and splashing and stuff down in the shallow area

Wilson does great...
He jumps in, and he is swimming without stopping, he's closer to the swim lane (rope) and not the wall, not stopping to rest because he's too far away to grab on the wall.
He makes it down to the 'shallow' area...where he can actually touch...
and he hits a wall of inner-tubes, swim noodles, beach balls and kids...

he freezes...he doesn't move...
at this point he can actually touch, but he doesn't...
he doesn't swim under any of the things in the water
he doesn't move any of the water toys, he won't even touch them

boy child panics...and even though he can touch he almost drowns right here because he's stuck in the doggy paddle and is TIRED because he's just swam the entire length of the pool without resting....

the lifeguard has to throw him the lifeguard flotation thingy
(it's not the ol' round life preserver thingy that we all think about, but those long red foamy things...)
anyways, once Wilson sees the lifeguard throw that towards him his panic doubles...
"I'm getting rescued...that mean's I'm drowning!"
...he panics and doesn't grab it...lifeguard throws it again...
Wilson grabs it this time and is pulled to safety...10 feet away!

So, Wilson FAILED the swim test...
even though he swam so far, he panicked and had no idea how to swim or get to safety...not good...

kids that failed the swim test received a red-wrist band so the life guards knew what kids could be where.
Mr. Steve talks Wilson into re-taking the swim test...talking to him about how to get thru the 'water-hazard' at the end...

and guess what...same thing happens...
and now...
Wilson has FAILED the swim test twice...

What Wilson didn't see...won't see...can't see...
is that he SWAM almost the entire length of the pool...TWICE...
he SWAM in the deep end...
he never needed to grab the wall to rest...
TWICE...he swam twice the length and never reached out to rest on the wall!
HE CAN SWIM....
he only sees a failed red wrist band

fast-forward to the next week...first week of summer vacation...
and...
da.da.dum...
swim team...yep, I have boy child (both actually) signed up for swim team...

same pool...what happens...
Wilson doesn't swim...
the boy gets in the water....strokes twice...grabs the wall...
'monkey-arms' it about 20 feet...strokes twice...grabs the wall....
repeat...
all the way to the end...
and repeat for the entire 1 hour swim practice!
!

ARGH...
why?
He knows in his head that he FAILED the swim test...
he "can't" swim!

I convince swim coach that my son can in fact swim so please don't kick him off swim team...
(yep, I was that mom!  SHEESH)
and then sign him up for swim lessons...

fast-forward 2 weeks...
Wilson has now been on swim team 2 weeks...and taken 2 weeks of swim lessons...
and he has yet to swim the same distance he did for the 'failed' swim test...
his coach knows he can swim and has let him remain on the swim team...he's done amazing at his lessons...
but still he 'knows' he can't swim because he failed the swim test...

as a parent I can tell him over and over and over again that
He Can Swim...
all he can see is that red wrist band that told him he couldn't...
...
I have wondered ever since that fateful 'swim test'...

God, 
Do I have a failed swim test in my life?  Do I see the 'flotation devices' in my life as water hazards?
Have You told me over and over and over again that I can do something...
Yet, I keep pointing to my failures and telling you that I can't do it?  
Showing you where I failed, how I failed, how I'm not equipped to do what you've asked of me...pointing to my failed red wrist band and saying GOD, you have no idea what I can't do, but I know I can't do it!

Ouch...
I am grateful for the spiritual lessons my children teach me!

God, 
Remind me that I can swim...that I'm not swimming alone, and that you are always my lifeguard even when I can touch the bottom...and that my failed red wrist bands are ones that I have put on myself or the world has...not ones that you put there!

sum, sum, summa time...a plan

It's here...
today is the first day of summer vacation!

idea that I got from pintest...kids came home to this yesterday.

Can't believe it's here already!
AND I have a plan...
my goal is to not have a mind-numbing summer...
that's 2-fold...
1.  I don't want it to be mind-numbingly boring!
2.  I don't want the kids to have their brains be numb by the end of the summer and then school hurts their brain come August!

I also want it to feel like summer for the kids...
a little carefree
a little laid back
screen time (in moderation)
a little spontaneity here and there

so this is the sum, sum, summa time plan
a minor, not too rigid agenda
*swim team
     this is a great low commitment scheduled 'event' for the kids.  It's 3 days a week; MWF, for an hour.  It's early, but not too early, starting at 8:30.  The early factor is do-able because the prep is zilch...the have to have their swim suits on their bodies and all their swim stuff will just live in the car (goggles, sunscreen, etc) and their towels will hang in the garage right next to the van to be grabbed on the way......then they can eat breakfast on the go in the car, a breakfast burrito or peanut butter sandwich, etc.  Also it's WAY cheaper than actual swim lessons $1.51 per hour compared to $8.75 an hour...AND swim team lasts all summer and lessons are only for 2 weeks.

*reading
     we will take part in the Barnes and Noble summer reading program for kids (download the pdf form here) and we're going to do a family reading program that will be geared for the reading level and age of our own kids (boy child needs to read 7 chapter books to earn a free book, girl child needs to read 5 chapter books...her chapter books are WAY longer than his and takes her longer).
     we're also going to do reading bingo....our own version...for every bingo they earn a coupon and then when then get a blackout they will get a golden ticket.

idea from how does she

   visit how does she to download the printables that are totally customize-able for your kids.

*theme days
     Movie Monday's = our local dollar theater (that's actually like $1.50 but we still call it the dollar theater) has family days on Monday's and a group of 3 or more (aka a family) pay only $0.75 per person.  If there isn't a move we want to see we will do the red box and watch a movie that we haven't seen yet.  We haven't 'rented' a movie all year long and rarely go to the theater so there are a ton of movies for us to catch up on.
     Errand Day Tuesday &/or Garden Tuesday = kids are not in love with errands...or actually the boy child is not, the girl child is on the fence about errands if there is a store involved she's all over that.  Then the garden day will happen early and will be weeding and harvesting our garden.  This is also a day that Redding has a local Farmers Market so errands and gardening go hand-in-hand and we will probably visit that a few times a month.
     Music Wednesday = their piano lessons are scheduled for Wed afternoon...so really not too
musically...but I might make this a day that we also crank up the tunes and rock out while we do our chores.
     Library Thursdays = this doesn't need an explanation...we will go to the library on Thursdays...
     Field-trip Friday = Beau's day off so this is a great day to go on family hikes, visit waterfalls, drive to the coast, etc....
     AND/Or Friend Friday = we will probably let them invite friends along on our field-trips and if we have nothing planned they can just have a friend over anyways.

* responsibilities before screen time

     the kids both have a responsibility chart that hangs in the hallways and they will need to complete all their responsibilities before they are allowed to turn on the tv or play their DS's.  And their screen time will be limited to 1 show per child and then a 30 minute time frame on the DS games....

*various other ideas
     I have pinned a ton of ideas on pintrest to keep the summer fun...visit my School Vacation Idea board to see what we might be doing....

...
also I will have to be working from home most mornings and will have to make trips to the office a few days a week....
so here's hoping our summer is smooth and not-too-mind-numbing....

what's your summer look like...
are you planning it out or letting it just happen?

my week

it's just the boy child and me this week...
the husband and girl child are away at WES camp
Whiskeytown Environmental Camp
blog note:
...Whiskeytown is a local Lake and State Park...
I didn't send the 5th grade girl to a camp to learn about making fire water!

anyways....this has been my week
work
call dr. office to talk about insurance issues
volunteer for boy child's class
call dr. office leave message
have wii tournament with boy child
(fyi...I totally kicked his you-no-what in table tennis and frisbee)
make waffles for dinner
have Monday night Hookers over
...that's what I call my crochet ladies that come over on Monday's
stay up way too late with Erin trying to get the knot-from-Hades out of her yarn!

wake up too early on Tuesday morning
work
call dr's office and leave message about insurance stuff
work
hang out with church financial secretary while we are both on the phone with insurance company about a totally new issue
pick up boy child
cuddle and read with boy child
call dr office AGAIN
get letter from insurance company about totally different issue...
...UGH...
repeat the mantra
"I just love health insurance companies"
fall asleep crazy early due to last night's 'hookin' issues

wake up early because I went to bed too early
work
call dr office and leave another message about issue #1
have meeting with volunteer
pick up boy child
make cookies....
and that's where we are right now...boy and I are going to make cookies!
good bye!

May Day

May Day...May Day...

it's another ChambersMade family 1st...

we've never really lived in a neighborhood that we could really 'celebrate' May Day...

 now we do...
I've been collecting cans for a few weeks now...
I have a plan for them and this summer...

but I figured I have plenty cleaned & up in the cupboard that I could spare 4 so the kids and I could have a little May Day fun...

we wrapped wire around the groves in the cans and made a handle with the wire...
printed up a little May Day Tag and tied it with twine
and then cut some mini roses off our rose bush...

the kids sneaked up to the doors...

rang the door bell...

and RAN as fast as they could...

...

fun times...

all in all it took 30 minutes...

from creating and printing the tag,

to wrapping the wire around the can and creating a handle

tying the tag onto the can

cutting the roses

and then the delivery...

and cost us $0.00

we will hopefully make this a ChambersMade family tradition...

and hopefully our neighbors are pleasantly surprised by the little can of flowers on the door knob!

have you ever participated/celebrated May Day?