cc weeks 4-7:

Here's some catch-up from the past four weeks.  Lucas continues to do well, but I don't have photos because I'm usually with Isaac in his class.  He struggles without me there, and Lucas said he doesn't want me in his class because I make him nervous.  But one of these days, I'll sneak some photos.

I didn't take photos during Week 4, but the kids had to tell jokes as part of their presentation.  That was fun, although many of them had the same jokes in both classes.

Week 5 grammar review (verb tenses) game with the chomping monster.

Art:  Learning about perspectives and drawing a road with trees.  You can always tell which one is Isaac's, because he draws and writes very lightly.

Using sandpaper and soap to demonstrate how our epidermis flakes off.  (Grandma, I think he's wearing Lucas' old "I Love Grandma" shirt.)

Week 6:  Our turn with the family presentation.  I held up pictures of Manny and Naomi since they could not be there.  I wrote a slightly cheesy but heartfelt poem about our family timeline (our spin on the history timelines we do in class).  I just printed out photos and put them the kids' art paper roll.  Lucas talked about how he likes to build things and learn about structures like the Titanic.  Isaac talked about how he likes hiking and went to the top of Diamond Head.  Everything went fine until the end, when Isaac forgot to bow, and Lucas wouldn't let it go for a long time.  It was nice to look back on our blessings and milestones, as many ups and downs as we've had.  The boys also had individual presentations about inventors/inventions.  Lucas chose the Ben Franklin's lightning rod, and Isaac chose Garrett Morgan's traffic signal.

For art, we drew the White House.  Lucas was pleasantly surprised that he could draw it.  

Learning about equilibrium and the inner ear.  We separated the boys and girls due to space, and well, boys.

Substitute tutor = treat for completing their reviews!

Lucas' tracing of the United States.  Both boys are supposed to do two of these per week, but we're happy if we get through one.

Week 7:  Tin whistle time!  All the kids loved it!

What we will be doing the next three weeks.  We traced the kids and will put the organs on their silhouettes.

Coloring the brain, heart, kidneys, and bladder.  We switched from colored pencils to crayons as the colored pencil leads were quickly being depleted.

itchy:

In the latest of minor but irritating physical ailments for me, I have been quite itchy over the past week and a half.  I had a dental procedure to fix a tooth that has been problematic for me for 25 years.  The dentist injected local anesthesic two times more than usually necessary, and I still felt pain, so I just lived with it.  Maybe some of it is that my body sometimes rejects anesthetics.  That evening, I started having itching from head to toe.  For the next couple of days and nights, I could not rest or sleep, it was so itchy.  I tried essential oils (which, by the way, are not a solution for everything, though they do work for some things), lotions, drinking a lot of water, and it .  I called a nurse, and she said to try Claritin and see a doctor if it didn't get better after a couple of days.  The Claritin helped, but I continued to have itching for several days.  The itchiness getting a lot better, now only appearing in patches that I seem to chase around my body (at the peak, I was literally itchy from head to toe all at once, so I know it wasn't dermatitis or eczema, which doesn't usually affect me all over like that).  I remember that I had this feel of internal itchiness when I took Vicodin after a wisdom tooth extraction, though this is not nearly as severe.  After that horrible episode, I discovered I'm allergic to Vicodin.  So being that I had no changes in diet or activities, and given the timing, I suspect it has something to do with the anesthesia, which is hopefully finally clearing out of my body.  I will give the dental surgeon who did my re-treatment a call today to ask about the anesthetic used.  I'm trying to avoid having to go to the doctor, largely due to having to find a babysitter, but eventually I do want to see an allergist.

friendship, food, and fun:

Last Friday I took Naomi and her friends out to celebrate the end of the quarter.   Naomi finished the quarter strong with all A's.  Even if she hadn't, I saw how hard she worked all quarter, and I'm proudest about her personal growth.  I like getting to know her friends.  Her friends are polite to me, good students, and fun to be around.  

On Saturday, she went out with another friend, from church, to have ramen and boba (and gummy sushi candy, which made them both feel sick).  Her friend is not Asian but likes the same foods as Naomi, and apparently the same shows, too.  They also are both extroverts, though Naomi a little less so.  Naomi slept over at her house, and then Manny picked her up from church the next day.  I had to stay home since Lucas had some mystery stomach bug that was thankfully gone by that evening.

I had to crop out the faces since I don't have permission to post the photos, but I'm thankful Naomi has healthy friendships right now.  I met a couple of my closest friends at this age, and would love for her to have that as well.

Korean fried chicken to celebrate friendship and a good quarter for these girls.

Photo taken by Naomi's friend's mom of them having ramen.

fires:

The fires are still burning in Northern California, although they are now mostly contained.  Southern California has been issued warnings of extreme fire danger in the coming days.  Even though we were not directly affected by the fires, the smoke had made its way to us, and it made my throat hurt and eyes water at times.  It was certainly a surreal sight for our children to see the sky and sun look so different.  

I was sad to hear Charles Schulz' home burned down.  Thankfully his widow was able to evacuate in time.  I know it's just "things," but those things are memories for his family, and probably things that helped me feel better sometimes when I was little.  Sad for all the loss--of homes, pets, loved ones.  If you'd like to help firemen who suffered losses themselves, you can donate to this campaign.  

This video of the firemen from American Samoa singing a hymn coming down a mountain was very uplifting for me.  I've learned this was from an earlier fire and not the recent deadlier ones, but they are still singing praises coming from a long day's work, and it was good for my heart.

This was from a friend who lives in Menlo Park.  Their forecast was "Smoke."

You can't tell that much in this photo, but the sky was filled with haze, and the sun burned red.  (Don't worry, I wasn't taking this while driving; Naomi took it for me).

surprise birthday party:

Last Saturday, I had a long dentist appointment for a re-treat on a crown they did three years ago that was somehow botched and leaked or something.  Then I went to a surprise birthday party for one of our church staff.  He loves pizza, so his wife had us all bring our favorite pizzas for a pizza potluck.  I bought a "good kind," mainly because that's what the kids really like, I had a coupon, and it was for a party.  I don't think Manny was that happy about it, so next time I know to check with him first.  He couldn't make it, so I took the kids.  I had to stay back to prevent the boys from ruining the surprise.  But I did get a video from our vantage point anyway, and that was the only video they got.  I had a shrimp pizza and salad (and the rest of Isaac's pizza).  After eating, they prayed over him as he begins the next chapter of his ministry.  I got to talk with a few people about some things going on in our lives right now.  I believe in bearing one another's burdens, although I only share details of hurts and hardships with certain people.  Naomi wanted to stay a little longer to hang out with a friend, but we had to get somewhere that evening.  She got to go out and have a sleepover at the same friend's house.  

baby shower:

It has been a long time since I've attended a baby shower and even longer since I've attended a bridal shower.  I guess that comes with age.  I honestly wasn't sure I'd make this one for a number of reasons (and if you have not guessed, that usually means some kind of family conflict).  I would have canceled, except I was asked to be in charge of the group gift.  Nevertheless, I was there to honor and serve my friends, and that I will do regardless of how I feel.  By the end of the shower, I felt much better.  Often, to get myself out of my own head, I need to do things with and for others.

They had an activity and a game that I had not seen at another shower, so that was a first.  We got to create our own (well, for the new baby) iron-on onesies.  Most of us picked a design and print we liked and ironed that on, and a couple of ladies made their own.  One had suspenders, a bowtie, and buttons like a little boys' outift, and the other had an iPhone on it.  I chose the seahorse and just added a couple of bubbles.  That one of course caught my eye.  I still love marine animals and stars (there weren't any spacey patterns, and I didn't feel like cutting out stars).

We did the game where you can't say "baby."  I don't think I've ever won that one, but this time, since I didn't know a lot of the women there, I was able to quietly listen as I got to know them.  I won a lot of bows!  I actually said "baby" myself at the end, but caught myself, so they let me keep the pins since we weren't sure of the rules.  I won a nice picture frame.  I should calculate the percentage of showers where I won at least one game.  Pretty sure it would be higher than average, and not because I have some secret skills.  Many of them were just chance games.

It was nice to celebrate a life entering this world.  And to remember the kindness of those family and friends who threw showers for us, and the goodness of God in blessing us with children.

Ironing on our patterns.

Cupcakes!  I talked another mom into have both flavors with me.

A few women asked to open gifts early instead of at the end, so that we did.

Cute onesies!

I got the seahorse, of course.

So, um, one person hold a mop between their legs, and the other has a toilet paper roll between hers, and you can figure the rest.

Don't say "baby"!

I don't like this picture of me, but I like the picture as a group.

family time and comic con (solo time):

After the bookshelf event, I was going to take Naomi out quickly.  I didn't know what Manny was doing with the boys, but then he texted that the boys wanted Chinese, and Naomi did as well, so that worked out.  We went to our go-to Taiwanese place.  I think it dawned on me then that Manny usually takes us out for Chinese after the event, or has for two or three years now.  I sat there and looked at the menu of items I always order, and I felt like having something different.  Braised seafood over rice is my kind of dish, and it was pretty good.  Naomi had some, and Manny isn't a huge seafood fan, but he likes braised or stewed dishes over rice, so they probably have something on the menu with different meats that he could try next time.  Lucas can eat their sauteed beef udon all day.  We actually ordered two plates, and he ate almost both of them.  Isaac still doesn't eat much of anything there.  It's disappointing.  But he had no problem enjoying his mango lemon drink at the newly opened Happy Lemon.  Lucas had a hard time with the little pieces of jelly in it.  We made a stop at the Chinese bakery as well.  I didn't get anything this time, not feeling like paying for sweets, but forgot about getting my usual curry beef pastry.

Naomi was wiped out from the event (many volunteers have told me they always crash afterward), so she didn't want to go to the Comic Con with me.  Then Isaac didn't want to go either, so Manny said I could go by myself while he stayed with the kids.  I was ecstatic.  After the event and a late lunch, I would only be able to go for the last hour, but I figured it was free and better than not going, so I went.  I ended up doing quite a bit in that hour.  I forget I'm pretty efficient without anyone in tow.  I saw a lot of cosplay, waited in line to meet and get an autograph from two of the Star Wars: Rebels crew, and caught half of the panel of a Marvel comics artist.  I also saw some neat work by various artists.  There was a long line for a graphic novelist, so I skipped that.  Then I went home to get stuff ready for the baby shower the next day and the family presentation for CC.  Busy time of year, and sometimes I can neglect some things around the house, so I am working to get better at that.

Braised seafood over rice.

Finished almost two plates of sauteed beef udon with carrots by himself.

Isaac likes the Happy Lemon mascot.

They're popping up in several locations.

Comic-Con.  Avengers cutouts.

Stormtrooper and Tron bike, of which I should have gotten a better photo.

Cool Bumblebee costume.  I don't really like the new Transformers movies, but I really liked the cartoon series from the 80s.  Always wanted a Transformer robot toy, too.

BB8

Star Wars: Rebels director of cinematography and animation supervisor.

Panel with Marvel comics artist.

I don't know the guy on the left.  Woman in the middle is dressed up as a Twi'Lek from the Star Wars series, and the woman on the right is a female version of Bowser from Super Mario.

R2-D2 Club.  They are trying to fix the R2-D2.  Interesting to watch.

bookshelf project:

We held our annual free bookshelf event last Saturday.  This is our sixth year doing it, and my fifth year coordinating it, and our first year hosting it at our church.  There has been construction going on at the public elementary school, and the principal asked if we could have it at our church.  It's no small thing to be invited on their campus each year, and it's amazing that they came to our place, so to speak, this year.  I have a co-lead who works with me (she's the best and does everything I don't know how to do), and we partner with a nonprofit organization and our local elementary school.

The night before we did the set-up, sorting, packing, and also the pre-painting for the bookshelf drawers.  I was hesitant about doing it all together, which is what our partners wanted.  I felt there time lost doing it that way, but it all worked out.  We also had some mix-ups with the men who were arbitrarily put in charge of setting up the book display.  They sort of dumped all the boxes out without reading the box labels.  It wasn't really their fault; I was doing something else, and no one had told them specifics.  They then put them in big piles and stacks.  It was kind of funny.  I really appreciated how hard they worked on transporting the books and tables, and also trying to sort the books and set them up.  

This was also the first year Naomi helped at the event, apart from pre-painting the bookshelf drawers the week before.  We usually do not have the younger children help out, as the tasks and interactions with the families require more maturity.  She was pretty tired from a school dance the night before, but she came and did great, as did all the volunteers.  We initially had the lowest number of volunteer sign-ups ever for this event, and in the end, people just came as they felt led, and we ended up having one of the biggest turnouts of volunteers ever!  So thankful!  All the families were invited back for our Harvest Festival, and many of them have participated in our NPO partner's reading programs.  We had a number of no-shows among the participants, and one teacher said some of her students could not find a way to transport the shelves back home.  So we made shelves for them and the NPO delivered them to the school.

What is the Bookself Project event like?  On the morning of, the families arrive and check in and receive instructions.  They are split into two rotating groups, one English and one Spanish.  The first group of parents goes to a literacy workshop while their kindergarteners and their older siblings do activities outside.  The younger siblings go to the childcare room.  Then the parents are reunited with the children and go to the bookshelf area.  They select a color drawer they like, letters for their names, decoratives they can color or stick on their shelves, and paint stamps to finish it off.  They receive a free pouch of fun school supplies.  The shelves are set out to dry while they select free picture books for their shelves.  This year we were able to give 20 books away each, as well as chapter books to the older siblings.  I had pushed back on that, concerned that we would not have a good selection for the kids at the end of the line and that we usually needed the books for the next event.  In the end, it made sense what the NPO team leader said, and we went ahead and tried to clear our inventory as much as possible.

There were a number of last-minute changes made by the new team and leader from the NPO side (vs. what her predecessor did), and we were scrambling to accommodate.  Some volunteers and families were late.  Plus, our church can be a maze if you aren't familiar with the areas, and with people trickling in or entering on the wrong side, we were short on escorts.  I ended up escorting a couple people to the wrong workshop because they had changed the speaker schedule (but also my fault for not double-checking).  This began to cause a spirit of frustration and confusion, and a couple of ladies just prayed continuously for that.  Those prayers were answered, and everything fell into place, as far as I heard.  

Each year I ask if someone else wants to lead it, but there haven't been takers.  I very much appreciate Manny watching the kids during the event.  Many other things fall behind in the weeks leading up to it, and I know that's hard for him as well, on top of the feeling that I get to do these things while he has to work.  But hopefully we can continue partnering in this service.  Maybe if we continue to do it every year, our whole family will eventually be able to do it together.

Naomi and her friends at the letters station.  This was the only photo that was mine.  The following were taken by others.

The calm (sort of) before the storm, doing last-minute set-up.

School supplies for each family.

Two of the men at the free book "shop."  Both of them work with children; one is our elementary children's director, and he has a British accent and is amazing.  The other man helps with Lucas' class and at our events, always getting there early and staying late to help.

Delivering snacks to the childcare room.

Food for younger set put together nicely (nothing to do with me; I was just delivering them).

An example of how the kids decorated their shelves.

Circle time with the kindergarteners.

Kindergarteners and older siblings could play at playground and do these flower crafts.

Finished bookshelves.

We put out a variety of books, including Christian children's books like The Three Trees.

I love book covers.  Like album covers, I miss seeing the pictures and artwork now that so much is in digital form.

We gave away over 150 books!