Call Me Ishmael

Summer is a great time in our house. Mostly because school is out. There's no waiting for dreaded phone calls, no worrying about academics being shunted aside in favor of watered down "make work" or "compliance", and little worry about increased stress levels (for all of us).

Summer is a time of tending the garden, kids going to camp, taking a vacation (holiday), and neighborhood festivals. Academics aren't totally left behind, but they're done on our schedule and in light of our kids' needs, not on the school system's. Liz does a yeoman's job of making sure the kids read (and get read to) each day, and filling the gaps of things they didn't quite get during the school year. She's even found kids versions of classic books for them to read.

Buddy Boy struggles somewhat with math, and Liz has systematically investigated how he processes math problems, and come up with some novel strategies to assist him. After months of failing to be able to memorize basic multiplication facts (e.g., 6 x 6 = 36), Liz found some workbooks that use stories and rhymes to assist in memorizing math facts. They seem to be working.

But studying is pretty low key, and the kids don't seem to mind a couple of short sessions each day.

So what did we do today, when temperatures topped out at 98 degrees Fahrenheit (36.7 Celcius)? Stay inside, crank up the air conditioning? No way. There was a local carnival in a nearby park, and the kids kept asking to go.

We didn't stay all that long (it was pretty hot, after all), but the kids had a good time. Afterwards, we went to a local ice cream parlor for another time honored rite of summer.

Sweet Pea had a little trepidation about tackling the ride pictured above (you sit in a seat that goes around and around in a big 50 feet vertical circle), but eventually said that she wanted to do it. Although she looked a bit scared when it started up, by the end of the ride she loved it. Buddy Boy went with her, and provided moral support.

Buddy Boy's also been working on jokes lately (everything from "knock knock" jokes to puns). Sometimes they're funny, sometimes they're not, but he's getting much better overall. When he got off the ride, he walked up to us and said very seriously, "Call me Ishmael". We just had to laugh.

No More Training Wheels

Sweet Pea is 6 now. Last year she briefly expressed the wish to take her training wheels off of her bicycle, so we tried it. It didn't work out so well (despite putting extra knee, wrist, and elbow pads on her, lot's of encouragement, etc.), so we put them back on.

This year she decided that she wanted to try again. So about 6 weeks ago I lowered her seat all the way down, and helped her glide down the incline on the cul-de-sac next to our home, with her feet out to the sides to keep her balance/keep her from falling. We did that for two weeks, then I bribed her to put her feet up on the pedals while I started her off and had her glide down the incline.

Well, one thing's led to another, and after two trips to a local parking lot with an ever so slight incline to it, I can say that those training wheels are off for good.

Sweet Pea still doesn't have quite enough control for a trail or a sidewalk, but she can start herself, turn, and control her bike better every time. Her confidence (fashion sense?) is such that she refuses the extra protective pads, and her competitive nature on the last outing had her complaining that Buddy Boy was pedaling faster than she was.

Buddy Boy, for his part, was being a great older brother. He demonstrated various things to her (like how to keep your pedals level while you're turning so they don't catch the pavement and dump you on the ground) and did a good job of keeping far enough away from her so that she didn't feel like she was going to crash into him. I also took the time with Buddy Boy in the parking lot to work on such skills as looking before you turn, signaling, and pedaling while standing up.

I must admit to feeling a bit of a pang during our last outing. My baby girl is growing up, and we'll never raise a baby again. Soon she will tire completely of her parents, and be primarily involved with her peers instead of us. While I have some inner trepidation that Buddy Boy will not be able to live independently, I also fear that Sweet Pea will grow up too fast, and leave too soon. She already pushes limits constantly, considers herself the center of the universe, and can pout and throw a fit like the hardest core 'tweens around.



Meanwhile, summer carries on, with the kids going to day camps and us going to festivals and carnivals. Life is good. Soon we will depart on our annual vacation (holiday). It's really a shame that kids don't realize how good they have it. What I wouldn't give to have a summer filled with playing outside, going to camp, ice cream, and no school or work.