The Big Payoff - fresh powder

It's warming up! And I have some happy sons up on the mountain today.

Have fun boys!!!!!

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I must have reached 88 MPH....

...and generated enough thrust to pass through the time-space continuum because:

     Today my 4x4 driving-gas money needing- teenager went to work...at MY work...I mean OUR work....

.......and I stayed HOME!!!!!!

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Mom Monday - more summerin' it up!

   

Snake River, ID

 So, I made it to Idaho - who knew I could  navigate in the dark better than broad daylight? It's probably because I was more focused on where I was rather than what I could see and I practiced with the real-time map on the iPad.

What it feels like...

     So, we did a lot of visiting with family, sitting by the lake, and a little kayaking. Even more awesome was mountain biking every day and learning to ride the dirt bike! Too bad my son took it away from me before I went through a few more gears.  I guess there will have to be a next time.....

                                

what it looks like...

     At least I got to ride home in the motor home....has anyone seen my Blueblockers???

     Tomorrow is their last day before school, but NOT their last day of family fun....get ready for camping in bear country over Labor Day weekend -- hide your Pic-n-ic baskets.

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Wish me luck and easy-to-read road signs...

     As Georgia Nicholson would say, "I'm off laughing on a fast camel"

 Or rather, I'm lead-footing it in a minivan with a dirt bike and an dragon for company.

 

   No, I have not lost my mind, okay, maybe a little. It's time for my August road trip to meet up with my family in Idaho. Last year was a complete FAIL when it came to navigation. Yes I have a GPS, Yes I followed my digital map on my iPad, BUT road signs like R4000 are very confusing when the locals call it the East Ririe Highway. This year I've got a hybrid map with satellite images AND regular highway markings AND a printed map. 

   

     One of my teenagers has been begging me to bring his dirt bike to the campsite. People, I'm home alone and driving a minivan. Why oh why did the commercial for the Dodge Caravan with Stow-n-Go have two guys on dirt bikes getting picked up by their wives? Even though he was only nine when that

Kinda like this one...

commercial came out, he remembers and I have no excuse. So, what's a mom to do? I got it in there! It's going to be a surprise!  

    


 The best part about the road trip is listening to Kristin Cashore's audio book Fire again.
I can't wait to listen to  rainbow-haired Fire tell about the dragons and the battles in the seven kingdoms. I need to hear all over again what a scoundrel Briggan is and how he and Fire belong together.  

One more shift at work, and I'm pointing my mini van south.....er, south west??? 

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Mom Monday - finding ways to bond with your teenage sons

     I admit it, I've been at a loss this summer with how to bond with my teenage sons. Mostly we

Biking with the younger ones

just sit and chat late into the night. But, I can't get them to join me hiking or biking because they know I'll be taking a "less-extreme" path with their younger brothers in tow. Anymore, they won't even consider an outing if their younger brothers are going because they know they can't resist picking fights.



     So, it just fell into my lap. I had some tire work done on my VW Bug and decided to change the oil at home. I figured if I could just get it up on the ramps, I could get a look at the access under the rear-engine. It doesn't even have a filter, so you only have to drain it and wipe down the screen.  I convinced my 14-year-old that it was as simple as the picture in the manual......"See, just six bolts to get the panel off"

     Okayyyy, so it took us all day!  We didn't have the right socket, the parts kept falling into the oil drain pan, and putting it back together was more challenging than getting it off. Without him noticing, the grease was running up to his elbow! I ended up having to suit up and get under there to finish it off. Who knew that some foreign cars have bolts go in at a slight angle? 

     Even so,  it was a great afternoon spent learning about cars with my partner-in-oil, Dustin. It gave me a chance treat him like a man and appreciate him for his efforts, regardless of the outcome. I was able to show him how to deal with a problem without losing my cool. We'll always have that mutual frustration with the bolts.

     I can't wait until it needs changing again!!

How do you bond with your teenagers?  Play XBOX? Listen to amped-up Dubstep in the car with the windows rattling and your fillings shaking loose?

Mom Monday- the Art of Combinations

     This second-half of the summer has been all about making up for being overseas in June. When I got back, I had eight mornings spent on an online grammar teaching course and evenings at work. What's a mom to do with only 6 weeks left? Get creative! Combine everything!

     Swimming in the "pond" - combined with a much needed reunion with our old neighbors.
     
 

   BMX course - Um, does the X stand for Xray? Let's just say it didn't end well.....combined taking the boys to lunch and possibly a broken thumb.....

 

   Hiking the "M" - how they've grown! Last time we hiked the "M", I carried my youngest all the way up....and all the way down. This time he made it all the way on his own two feet. I'm so privileged to have my own hiking buddies. And throw in a stop for Slushie's and we've got a day of activity AND treats.

     Biking - Mountain biking in France was one of my life's dreams. My friends in the course were asking me what kind of biking do I do back home - competitive? No, just any kind I can fit into my lifestyle. I had a routine biking on campus, but with my tiny VW Bug, there's no room for a bike. I asked myself, Why am I not biking more at home? Why do I deprive myself of one of my basic needs? I used to bike with the dog until he grew as strong as a locomotive and started trying to yank me into people's yards. So off we go, my not-so-little son and me. Each day around 1pm we hop on and ride around until it's time for me to get ready for work. He probably thinks I'm doing it to entertain him, but I feel great leaving for work with memories of an afternoon well spent.

   And of course, as most school year's come to an end - we received the "strong recommendations" that we must read.....or else....our kid will drop out of school in the 11th grade....and a curse will be put upon us! So how do we find time to hike, bike, read, AND work with only 24 hours in a day?  We bike to the park and read!! Talk about a motivator! No distractions, no older brother poking the back of his head, no racecar noises blasting from the TV.

What's left to combine? Go-Karting and fishing? Camping and school-shopping? Driving lessons and bar-b-Q-ing? Painting and a movie?

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Mom Monday - the emergence of a literary expert

     Last November, I blogged about spending the day at the Children's Festival of the Book in Bozeman. My 10 year old Wyatt's favorite writer was Jeanne DuPrau - especially since she signed his books. Even though he was laying on the floor when she was giving her presentation about how City of Ember came to be, I knew he was taking it all in.

sample Paper Bag Report

     Fast forward six weeks and he's about to turn in his quarterly project in language - the "Paper Bag Book Report". For 4th graders it helps if they break a book report down into section cards and tape it to something that they can decorate. The fun part is filling with things that relate to the character. Sometimes it's a box or a coffee can that becomes Tony Hawk (his project from 3rd grade).  Over the Christmas break he agonized over building his paragraphs - even asking for a thesaurus to find the right words. So exciting and excruciating it was watching this young writer at work!

     When he finished he was on top of the world. We took a minute to talk over the steps he took in making it and when we looked at the big picture, this is what HE ended up accomplishing (not me, he was in charge of this whole endeavor):

• met the author and got signed books
• listened to the author present on how the book came about
• read the whole book (which is a selection more than double the AR reading level for 4th grade)
• read the graphic novel
• watched the movie (he had seen it when he was 7 so it was a faint memory)
• compared the three and found the differences

He has become an EXPERT on City of Ember and I am SO proud of him!  

What other ways can you help kids make that connection?

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Children's Festival of the Book

 
     Bozemanites love their books!  For a city of 40,000 people they recently built a 50,000 square foot LEED certified library. That's just under 1 square foot per person. With the average novel having a one inch spine, I'd say they have 12 books per person in Bozeman.

     So, what to do with all that space? CELEBRATE! The 5th annual Children's Festival of the Book was out of this world! Caldecott winner Paul Zelinsky gave a wildly entertaining presentation about how he became an illustrator and how illustrating a book happens. Here he is signing Z is for Moose for my son, Dakota.

     And Ernest Hemmingway's grandson who is a fantastic children's author and illustrator, Edward Hemmingway is signing Bump in the Night for him too. He looks so much like his grandfather!

Both are unique stories - Moose is taking over the boring alphabet book, Bump in the Night is about a good monster who captures all the other monsters for the boy who is afraid of the dark.

And for young adult literature fans, Jeanne DuPrau's City of Ember novel and graphic novel adaptation. What was even more fantastic than having her sign them, was sitting in on her presentation titled, "The Road to Ember".

Word of wisdom shared by Jeanne for the audience who may want to write:

• Know your grammar
• Write about what you like
• Write about what you dislike
• Write about what you know
• Write about what terrifies you

...and all those people and things important to you will come to the surface.

Her presentation was followed by a hands on circuit building session with light bulbs and wires - so cool! 

After listening to Jeanne DuPrau, my 9 year old told a wild story all the way home about HIS ideal underground city. I tell you, he didn't stop with one novel idea but told about each book in his series. The boys and I can't WAIT for the next festival!

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Mom Monday: What could be better than...

watching your son's first game of the season?

Watching TWO son's first games of the season!! 7th grade and "Froshmore"


And next year, when Joshua is driving, we will have son #3, too!

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GOOO Panthers!!!

If you have to squeeze your whole summer into three weeks.....

You need to gather the boys and make use of the toys:

  A little KOA'ing at the hot springs - and yes, that is a hot-spring-heated outdoor pool!

A big ol' family reunion camping trip in Idaho.....

 And a nice, woodsy birthday week trip in the Gallatin canyon...in a silver Twinkie...

Where a "bobcat: almost at me!  (Go MSU Bobcats!)

HAPPY DAY OFF LABORERS!

Mom Monday - When it's REALLY time to head to Barnes & Noble

Some sort of force draws me in...Must be in the  Paranormal  section!

     I will find any excuse to go to the bookstore. ......Hey we're at the movies, let's park so we have to walk through Barnes and Noble to get to the theater......Or it used to be the boys making me go to Gamestop was my excuse to go next door and hang out in Borders.  Is there ever a time when you really NEED to go to the bookstore?  I say this qualifies.....

     After a movie-marathon Thursday, Friday brings about a bored 9 year old. I suggest, "Why don't you get a book and read?" Which is a typical mom-stand-by boredom buster that is usually met with, "But, Moo-oom, I don't want to."  Instead, I was blown away again by his reply, 

"But, I've already read all those - see, I've read this one and that one and this one..."

     Proud moment, definitely!  Qualified for a trip to Barnes and Noble? Most Definitely!
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Mom Monday....do quote me!

     Some parents are proud of their kids when they get good grades. Others are proud of their kids if they have character or lots of friends. Some are proudest when their kid tries his hardest at baseball - even when his team loses by 10 runs. We all love our kids for their uniqueness and quirkiness.


     Off and on, the boys and I will talk about language. It usually starts with one of them making a bad choice of words - then we have the talk.....Which is usually me telling them not to use that word, but not stopping there. I like to make them think....I remind them that they are intelligent and kids that use those same (foul or offensive) words over and over to describe something are not showing how smart they really are. Then we try to find a replacement word.

     I have to say I was astonished when my nine-year-old aspiring "Skater-Dude" was throwing in words like "basically" and "literally" and the cherry on top - he used "Quotation marks" with his fingers (and the appropriate sarcasm) while telling a story about his brother.   
     Oh yeah, that's my boy! Now I have to wonder...do "I "do that????