JULY!

Traditionally July has been my favorite month because it's my birthday month.  That started it all off when I was a kid.  What's better than a summer birthday party when you are a kid?  I grew up associating summer with birthday cake, (you know how strongly I feel about that), birthday gifts, no school, sprinklers, fire flies, sunshine, fireworks, late nights, summer night sounds and vacations with family...  Now that I'm an adult, my reasons have changed, and maybe even my choice of favorite month, but for the kids July is still magical.  It's only the 9th, but so far so good.   I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the 4 day swim lesson class I signed the kids up for at the beach was actually 12 days!  Wow, 12 days of packing for the beach.  In a row.  I was thrilled to learn that the kids will have a real opportunity to improve their swimming, but 12 days packing for the beach.  Not really my cup of tea.  

Minimalist beach packing list:

4 water bottles

snacks that won't get sandy for at least 3

3 towels

3 buckets with shovels

sunscreen that has to be put on BEFORE you go

beach chair for Mom

8 shoes in proper sizes and matching if possible

checking to see that all have eaten breakfast

tanks emptied BEFORE we get in the car (that's our code for potty)

bathing suits on- matching top and bottoms where possible

ponytail bands

swim vest for the boy

 I know it seems trivial and even ungrateful in idea.  I mean 12 mornings at the beach is pretty nice and we are lucky to be able to do it, but in real life, packing for the beach is crappy.  I won't buy one of those beach cart thingies I see the other Moms with.  I just won't do it.  Well, maybe.

So here are this week or three's pictures. 

Summer visit with pregnant Aunt Wendy and fireworks!

Sparklers on the beach.  Notice Nick has no shoes. 

Practicing gymnastics with Aunt Wendy.  She's a gymnastics coach!

High-fives after completing a new swim skill. 

G's swim class.

A's swim class.

Little man at the library getting Superhero videos and books about saber-toothed tigers!

Gymnastics

First Meet

 

Last meet

 Astrid has spent many hours of her last year practicing, conditioning her little muscular body and learning and working toward perfecting skills for her first year of competitive gymnastics.  She's a level 4 and her team just won 1st place in their state division.  She's doing really well, scoring in the top few for her team.  Here's a video of her floor routine at the state meet. 
     It's been a wonderful experience for us, as a family to watch her progress.  She has grown leaps and bounds (ha.) through the hours of practice.  She's become such a confident, down to earth person who has learned very young that hard work pays off! 
     The girls started in a homeschool gymnastics class years ago.  I remember asking if Astrid could participate even though she wasn't 4 yet.  They asked how close she was to 4 and I think she was just shy of three!  They let her in anyway and the rest is history.  One of the owners of the gym noticed her baby muscle strength and fearlessness and eventually they invited her to join the Rising Star pre-team.  She spent a year there and then was invited to join the level 4 competitive team.  She absolutely loves it.  She's sad on the days she doesn't have gymnastics and spends more time on her hands then on her feet.  There are always footprints on the refrigerator.  They are at my eye level.
    This summer she is practicing 4 days a week and never tires of it.  It's wonderful to see her so passionate.  It a dream of mine to have each of my kids find their passion(s) through experience.  I don't care what it is that they fall in love with.  I just want them to experience the feeling of deep love for something, whether it be a sport, art, activity, whatever.  To have a child find it at such a young age is gratifying and makes my heart smile.

Jim Weiss, Tom Chapin, Arlo Guthrie, friends who like mud and babies and ants. AKA: What we did this week.

A fun week was had by all- except for poor Dad, who had to work through the summer's first heat wave.  He's a strong man and we all love and appreciate what he does for us.  I should tell him more.  I should tell him that when I walk past his trailer where all of his giant greasy, grass covered mowers live, the smell of the freshly cut grass reminds me of him and causes me to think of when we first met and how the day I first saw him he smelled of fresh winter night air.  I still remember what he wore and his smiling blue eyes as I shook his hand as we were introduced.  Hmm.  That's another post.  It was another week,  (one of my favorites).  This week,  our classes have ended, we've had more time at home and done some traditional looking school work- for us anyway, and had some cool, once in a lifetime kind of experiences.

Jim Weiss, our favorite story-teller.  He was as friendly in person as he seems on his recordings.

The caterpillar our neighbor brought us hatched into this beautiful butterfly we released.

One of our favorite family events of the year, fifth year going- Clearwater.  Always a great way to spend Father's Day.

We always spend some downtime in the Storytelling Grove.

Talked about art installations, happenings and peace.

Saw the kids' favorite performer.

Spent a really long time in the tent learning about the creatures found in the Hudson River.  Astrid spent about an hour at minimum right here.  We bought a book about fresh water animals without back bones, so we can continue our study in the stream behind the house.

Went on a boat ride.

and for a walk.

Saw Tom Chapin!

Nick found friends from our food co-op to wrestle with.

Hula- hooped and played with poi among a glorious back drop along the Hudson River.

Saw Arlo Guthrie.  :)  He didn't sing Alice's Restaurant. :(

Saw cool things and read them.

Found three baby chipping sparrows hopping around the garden.  They couldn't fly yet and the parents were feeding them throughout the day and next day.  They were not happy about the kids holding them, but recovered once we put them down.  We tried not to, but look at this one.  We couldn't resist.

Played in the stream and in the mud with friends on the hottest day of the year, yet.

And to finish of the week, studied the behavior of some ants, following their trail, finding the nest and food source (our bird feeder) and discovered what happens when you interrupt the trail with string, lemon juice, cinnamon, water and sugar water.

We also woke to a visit from the Solstice fairies on the first day of summer.  

As they always do, they stacked all of the toilet paper in the house and caused other general mischief.  They left a beautifully sprawling message written in yellow chalk on our antique wood living room floor explaining their connection with fireflies and leaving the kids each a necklace with which they can catch, observe and release some.  No pictures though, as it faded as fast as it appeared.

Wonder what next week will bring?

End of the school year? Hardly.

Just to catch up on a fun last week or so...
While many kids are wrapping up their school year, I intend to continue.  We've had a full year of learning focused on what is going on- and this year it has been DI.  There is so much to write about that, that I will save it for another time and work backwards- starting from yesterday- June 11th.  It doesn't really matter if I go backwards.  Sometime, like right now, that's just how the cranks in the old brain work.

Astrid won two gold medals and a silver all-around at her state gymnastics meet!

Her team won FIRST PLACE at States!

Celebrated Gramma's birthday after the meet.

On the 6th we joined some friends from our co-op at the Discovery Museum in Times Square for the Terra Cotta Warrior Exhibit.

Really, really beautiful.  (Gwen says "amazing").

Took the train in and hiked 5 NYC blocks and then took the subway back to Grand Central.

Grand Central

Nicky scored his first goal in soccer Saturday!!!!

Nicky's soccer team.  Could they be any cuter?  You should have seen Nick practicing his smile!

Monday was home school day at Quassy Amusement Park!

They road this about 6 times.

       

We bumped into some great friends we don't get to see enough and spend the last couple hours riding rides with them and making summer plans

      It's been years.  I've been told many times that I should start a blog and have thought about it off and on through the years.  It takes too much time, I'd want to write a masterpiece with each entry, I should be folding laundry, it's too late;  I've already missed too much.  My reasons not to go on and on... but my three main reasons to begin now are ages 9, 7 and 4.  For them, I will start today!  I won't look back.  I will start now and from today on, my kids will have a blog about them, what they are up to in their fabulous little lives, how I feel about it and what makes our family tick.  Where to begin, I'm not so sure! 

The basics.  

We are:

• A family of 5, two girls, a boy and a mom and a dad.  
• There are animals, always animals.  Right now our companions are two guinea pigs, a rescued mouse and three fish. 
• I should be folding laundry.
• We are all vegetarian, almost vegan, but we do eat locally raised eggs.  Only ones from hens whom I can meet.  I will occasionally turn a blind eye if there is cake, though.  I don't feel good about it, but I like cake.   I think it tastes better when it's vegan.   I consider this my religion;  not the cake part but the vegetarian part.  Catholics have hail Mary's.  I have the concrete knowledge that animals don't die so that we can eat.  Although I always feel bad for the cows when I eat cake with dairy.  That, (I'm sure) will be a whole other post, though.
• We home school.  Some days I am thrilled and honored that I have the privilege and ability to be home to witness my kids growth.  Other days I wonder why I don't join the masses and send my kids to the local school.  I'm sure my posts will reflect that. 
• Earthetarian is a name my husband came up with when we were brainstorming for a name for my new online eco-friendly business years ago.  It perfectly described my shop and our passion about how we live.  We do what we can to take care of the earth so she can return the favor.  We are not perfect, but we try really hard.  Some day I'll make a list, because it makes me feel good to spell it all out.  We occasionally do this to balance out the fact that we drive a gas guzzling mini-van.  That will be another post, aptly titled  HOW WE RATIONALIZE THE MINI -VAN.
•  You will witness us through lots of pictures.  Both for my sanity and for my family and far off friends.  I love taking pictures of people and things, both animate and inanimate.   In college I had a business person buy two of my photographs from a show I was in and then contact me months later to purchase more.  I didn't follow through.  I often wonder what could have been if I did.  There will also be lots of pictures because:    

a.  I don't always follow through.  I'm working on that.  It will give myself and out to have some picture only posts so I don't have to write a masterpiece, but can still put up a quick post.  (I will need to let the need to write a masterpiece each time go because I am not a writer by trade and some days I just won't have time because I should be folding laundry, but I digress).
b.  I forgot what b was.  It's pretty much so I don't have to write every time.

So that's that.  I am going to start.... now.

MY THREE REASONS

G, A, N