Family outing!

This week passed relatively calmly. We finished with our homeschool ministry for the year this past week. This is always a conflicting thing for me. I LOVE teaching these kids and getting to know each one. On the other hand... I will not miss getting up at 6:00 am on Tuesdays. My kids are incredibly sad it's over with too. We begin again next August and it's already on my calendar in bold letters!

Today we went to Legoland in Atlanta. I was so excited about our trip to this place. My expectations were probably too high though. We started by getting there early so O could spend his Lego gift card in the shop. Well.... We were told that Legoland is technically not Lego so they couldn't take the gift card. Ummm.... K was totally confused. LOL. She looked at the lady at the register and asked "How are you not Lego? You have Lego in your name here!" So just remember if you are headed to Legoland do not take your gift cards. Also the selection of the store was very limited. There were no sets of the Lego Friends available. The wall of bricks was bare. Most of the sets there are readily available at Walmart and other stores. I was able to get a Hermione key chain though! I love that girl's spunk! :-)

We went in to get our tickets and realized we did not bring socks for O, but we were able to buy a pair for about a dollar. Not bad, no complaints. Then we went into the land itself. The size was really small. Think about the size of a Kohls or smaller. To give you an idea: while I was at the play area with O and K I could see all other attractions. The layout was pretty basic and easy to find your way around (pro).

There was no rhyme or reason to the lines to enter an attractions. There were no cues, or flow, to most of the attractions. Kids kept cutting in front of other kids. At the play area there was chaos. The guy letting kids in was randomly allowing the kids in. One time one child would exit and one would be allowed to enter. The next time one child would exit and he let four kids in. Huh?? At the 4D movie the time to the next show was completely wrong. We got in line when it said 5 minutes to next show and 20 minutes later we were let in. Also the restrooms were a bit on the ick side.

One rule that they have is you are not allowed to bring any food or drink in. I had asked on their facebook page if they had gluten free options. Legoland responded and said yes they did. Ummm.... mandarin oranges are gluten free, but you cannot make a meal off of them. So, when we were there today, we asked if we could go out and come back in. The first person we asked said yes! Yay. We finished up our ride and went to leave. Then the guy at the exit said nope! Once you are out, you are out. Umm...... By this point hubby was getting a bit angry. We told the guy at the exit what we had been told by the first person, and about our allergies. He did talk to a manager and get it cleared for us to re-enter. However, this is a huge gripe of mine. If a place is going to prohibit food and drink then they should accommodate food allergies. If they choose not to? Then they need to allow people to leave and return.

Now all this being said, I am spoiled. We are a Disney family (we go once a year and more if we can). :-) I have gotten used to the level and quality of service Disney provides. After we left Legoland today I told dh that I need to remember to lower my expectations. It's sad that I would have to do that, but I guess I will.

Bottom line? The kids had fun. We did get the discount tickets so our price was lower. Would we go back again? Um. No. Not even with the discount tix (still $50).

School, and field trips and auditions! Oh My!

The last week was a crazy one for all of us. But that's how we roll here.... thriving on the chaos called life. I'm very, very grateful we are able to have the normal and fun chaos that we have. Our situation could be very different in a heartbeat if God chose to change it. So I relish the life He's given us. I thank Him daily for our fun times. For without Him this would not be!

School work last week continued to go so smoothly! I have O concentrating on his reading and math work only at home. He gets science and other work in at the homeschool ministry each Tuesday. When that ends this week we'll add a little more into his week for the "other" subjects. However, he's only 5 so the basics are good. Plus he seeks out science on his own through watching Nat Geo's tornado documentaries. He's declared he wants to take a storm chasing vacation! Yep. He's mine. :-)

K is still loving her math. I'm finding the simple beauty of Teaching Textbooks. If you gloss over it it seems so simple. Yet once you get going with the program it really works to cement the concepts. Yay! We now have a daughter with a 98% average in math (normally I don't keep grades but the program does it for me). She finished Mary Poppins this week and declared the book better than the movie. That's my girl. :-) She's also sailing through the rest of her language arts for the year.

This past week we took a field trip with a new homeschool group. It was much fun! The kiddos took a self defense class. The funniest moment? The moms were supposed to go up to their kids and try to lure them to their cars. The kids were supposed to yell "No! You are not my dad!!" This was all for practice. So I do this to K and she does exactly what she was supposed to do. I turn to O and ask him "Do you want to get a milkshake?" He says "YES!!!!" Poor kid. I don't think he quite got it. Then after class he was still wondering if we were going for ice cream! LOL.

Another exciting event this week was K's audition. She went to the Junior Theater Festival's Intensive Workshop yesterday. There were four sessions (acting, dancing, singing and auditioning). After the session were done she had lunch before the afternoon auditions for The King and I. The show will be performed at the Fox Theater in downtown. It's a big deal and she's still very young and new to the world of drama and especially music theater.

The auditions were held on a stage in the gym of a school. The crew set up about 10 rows of chairs for family, kids waiting for auditions, and whom ever else was present. I'm not kidding. These kids auditioned not only in front of the 4 judges but everyone else in there! The kids ranged in age from 6 - 14. WOW!!!! The composure of each and everyone, as they walked through a choreographed sequence, then went up on the stage and sung the song solo in front of everyone there, was unbelievable!

K was in the third group to go. All of her friends from her drama school had already gone and each one of them got a callback. K's friends from a local community theater had gone and were cut. K walked too fast on the choreography but did a great bow before the king (which was an empty chair). I had no clue what that would mean. Then up on the stage my baby went. She's never been one to project while singing and usually freezes up in auditions. Well...... my baby sung so loudly I could hear her in the back row with no microphone! She sang beautifully. If nothing else she had made a break through and we would have been happy. But.... her name was called for a call back!!!

I was blinking back tears as she ran back to me. The look on her face was just pure joy. There's no way to describe it. I can only pray everyone gets to see their children so happy! I hugged her so close and composed myself so I wouldn't cry. Before she went in she had said her goal was just a call back. However, she not only made her goal, she sang very well and projected. She also maintained her composure through the whole thing. I was so happy she had reached her goal.

Callbacks were nerve wracking for me but she did great. I dare to hope she will make it in. There are several hundred more kids auditioning today so we'll see. It does not matter if she gets in though. She met her goal. Getting in would just be the rest of the dream come true!

I'm so proud of my kids. O was so supportive of his sister. When K was in the morning workshops I got to spend some fun time with O and my hubby. My O was so happy when K told him she got a call back. He hugged her tightly and told her good job. He's looking forward to his time in the spotlight. But, until then he's been happy to be a big support to his sister. When his time comes I can't imagine K being any less supportive. I cannot be more blessed then what I am.

Mommy conversations

It was a beautiful day outside today! I was blessed to take my kids to a birthday party for a sweet, sweet little boy. How fun! The little one was celebrating his 5th in Star Wars fashion; a jedi came to play games with the kids!

While watching my two be trained in the jedi ways, I was able to have an adult conversation with another mom there. I was struck by the statement made by the mom that when you have kids your world ceases to be about you. As a parent your world is centered around your kid(s). It's so true! My core thought has changed dramatically since having my kids. My first go-to thought is how will the kids be affected by this, or will this be good for the kids, or will the kids enjoy this, etc. Before I had kids, I had no clue how consuming they would be. However, the rewards from this are well worth it! I can truly say I get the better end of the deal with the love they give me. There are days when I feel guilty about needing a break, or wishing I could just have an hour to myself. Then I stop to refocus and remember that kids are just temporary. We, as parents, are getting them ready to go out into the world one day and live for themselves. After my job is done I will have plenty of evenings to sit on my deck and sip coffee while reading a book and enjoying the birds. Until then? I am so happy to be needed so completely by K and O. I am blessed that they love and need me like this. 

On another note church was such a blessing today. The pastor has the kids take turns bringing in a bag with a toy in it. Then he takes the toy out during children's moment and on the spot teaches a lesson about God's love for them using that toy. Today's toy? A Sleeping Beauty doll. Today's lesson? Our hearts can be a bit like Sleeping Beauty. Our hearts can be asleep to a lot of things and they are just waiting for true love to wake them up. The true love? God's love. WOW! I am so guilty of hardening my heart at times. Today I was reminded that God's love is so true and it's a perfect gift. Thank you God for sending that doll to church today. :-)

My "students" and their activities

I was on a message board the other day and the topic of extra-curricular activities got brought up again. The questions usually gets asked several times a year: "How many activities are too many?" or "How many activities do your kids participate in?"

I truly find this question to be one that is best answered by your own child. Does you child like being on the go? Does he/she thrive on social activities? Etc. I don't think any other child can be a barometer for your own child.

Now... My two? Umm... Each morning I get the same questions "Mom. Where are we going today? What are we going to do?"

My K and O are truly involved with tons of activities.

• K has: drama, voice lessons, homeschool ministry (5 classes), dance, church activities, and more
• O has: drama, gymnastics, karate, homeschool ministry (4 classes), church activities and more as well

Some days my poor husband's head spins at what the kids are or are not doing. K has an extra drama workshop this weekend that culminates in an audition. I just informed him of this audition. His comment "My head is spinning with all of this." O is about to start auditioning for plays as well this summer. My poor, poor hubby. I promise we have it all straight and will keep you informed.

Spinning head of my husband aside, this crazy schedule fits my children. It's also another reason I believe homeschooling is a good choice for us. Homeschooling allows us to be done with school by early afternoon and have time for many extra activities. These activities also help answer any questions people may ask about socialization. :-)

I love that my kids have the time to explore many areas of interest. They are finding they love the stage. They are also discovering love of sports, and music. As my kids grow, they will also have more opportunities to serve in their community. 

I love homeschooling. My children are experiencing life as they grow up. They are finding who they are and what they love. My favorite part? I get to watch every minute of it!