January 2026 (Covid, shoulder injury, Lucas sports class, Art of Manga, Smallwood Memorial, Isaac's eating)

What? We're actually in the same year now? Hopefully I can do better with catching up again. I've had less free time than expected this summer with different happenings and projects that I can hopefully write about soon. 

The beginning of the year was a Covid recovery blur. After the body aches wore off, I noticed my shoulder was still hurting. That turned out to be a rotator cuff injury for which I'm still doing physical therapy. My cough and fatigue continued for some time, but I was well enough to take Isaac to and from school and take Naomi back to school. Manny and I took her out for hotpot before she returned to school. She had an interview for a job while recovering herself. 

Thankfully once we were back to Lucas's homeschool sports class mid-January, I was well enough to go. We hired a professional coach and trainer (also a homeschooler) to conduct PE exercises and games for the group as a whole. Generally our attendance is now during the winter season, and we also have to switch to a different park because the field at our usual park is off limits. So, we go to an open public track in a different city and use the track and surrounding areas for activities. 

There ended up being two weeks the coach could not come because he had gone on vacation (planned) but was in Mexico and stuck in a cartel firestorm down there (unplanned). Thank God they were able to fly home safely. Another family and I were able to conduct kickball and a race. I brought snacks and drinks and chocolates as prizes for the winners. It was kind of different to me this year that other parents didn't volunteer to bring anything even when the suggestion was thrown out. In general, the dynamics of the homeschool groups seem to have changed over the years in terms of the sharing of meals and lives. I feel that there is a less of a sense of community, but I hope to cultivate that a bit more this coming year, my last, with the group.

Naomi the extrovert was happy to get back to socializing and going out with her friends and classmates. I the introvert went to a Japanese manga museum exhibit at de Young Museum by myself and watched Rev. Richard Smallwood's funeral service online. Smallwood's gospel music has had a huge impact on me over the years. 

Lastly, in January we started with a new treatment program to help Isaac with his eating issues. This was pretty disruptive to his school schedule, but it has been a good program, and he's worked hard for it. At one point I was attending five or six appointments a week for it, including parent-only meetings, but it eased up over time. Isaac was diagnosed last year with a food avoidance disorder, and it's been quite a journey. Every meal, even every snack, is a challenge. I think he'd be happy to never have to eat again, but that is part of what the program addresses. I'm very thankful that we found something that works. He's had so many ailments and maladies, my hope is that addressing this will help him with a health turnaround overall.

Shuffle warmup at the track

Coach sleeping on Pluto

Double the cute

Making my October tart in January instead per request

At Naomi's favorite hotpot place

We opted for the barbecue, too

Manny talked to Naomi about her life

Gachapons (like toy dispenser machines) outside the exhibit

My favorite manga artist is Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2 and Inuyasha)

The exhibit was impressive, spanning centuries of early manga style scrolls to present day

Manga printing exhibit

Coach J with the kids about to do some cross-training

Total Praise and Center of My Joy are two of my favorite songs of all time.

June (End-of-Year Celebration at Pismo Beach, Father's Day, Naomi)

Lucas had an end-of-year event at Pismo Beach in June. It was the day after Isaac got out of school, so I took both of them for an overnight trip. We did ATV rides on the beach and then walked the boardwalk briefly before heading back to the hotel room and playing Uno. The next morning walked to get some Old West Cinnamon Rolls and went to the school event at Dinosaur Caves. It was fun. On the way home we stopped at Morro Bay. The coastal town has a rich history and a nice maritime museum. I never knew that a U.S. ship was sunk by a Japanese submarine near Morro Bay just days after Pearl Harbor! We were only there for maybe an hour and a half, but I It was more driving than I am used to, since Manny usually drives for the long trips now. I didn't sleep well, either, so I was quite tired and had to make a pit stop in Salinas at an In-n-Out. No one minded that, though. Going with just the boys was easier in some respects and more challenging in others.

About the ATVs, I went with a company my friend had used. They sent the instructional video ahead of time, and we watched it again there. You really have to get there at least an hour ahead of time. There is also some salt corrosion of the vehicles due to being next to the ocean. They test your vehicles, but test them again to make sure they work before you go too far. Also the maps aren't super useful for the kids, especially because there aren't lines or markers out there. So you have to sort of stay together which is challenging and perhaps use the bathrooms and lifeguard areas as your markers. People who bring their own vehicles go into areas that are off limits for the rental companies, so you can't just follow other ATVs, either. Once we got the hang of it and the general idea of safe spots, we were good to go. I had to get the ATVs out of sand traps a few times, so I got a real workout.

Naomi was home for the summer. She worked on a project for a national animal rescue organization my friend introduced her to and went to a rock concert and a craft fair among other things. She also did some prep work for her program. As mentioned, I will be posting her photos and activities less often but will give general updates. 

 

ATV rides, school celebration, Morro Bay

When Naomi's home, the menu changes--homemade guacamole! (Manny and the boys don't eat avocado)

Philippines trip debriefing at church

Coach sunbathing

Naomi made some crepes for us, also a perk of her being home

Getting our final instructions before starting

Splitting a banana split at the Cool Cat Cafe in Pismo Beach

Wall mosaic by the beach

View from the Boardwalk

The boys and I walked the boardwalk after dinner, but it got pretty chilly so we didn't stay all the way through sunset.

I don't remember what these experiments were about, but I think it had to do with marine sedimentation.

The boys and their experiments

Beautiful view from the event

Lucas painting shells. Isaac made some mini sandcastles.

It had been a while since they'd been at a playground.

Watching the water reach the cave below us

Picnic

Morro Rock is actually a volcanic plug

Free maritime museum

The boys trying different pulley systems

The museum had several replicas and real artifacts from the shipping and military days of Morro Bay

Barbecue hosted by our church for local Kids Club families

Brought home the bacon (cinnamon roll)

Father's Day. Manny and I went to pick an ice cream cake earlier. This was after church.

Taking a walk with Lucas to his appointment and this pretty brook was running. We had to park a little farther that day.

I think this was food for Father's Day, but I don't remember exactly. Some bulgogi, chicken strips, brussels sprouts, beef noodles, bread, and salad.

Kitten adoption pop-up at a craft fair Naomi went to

March (Isaac's birthday, Orthodontics fiasco, Lucas rec sports, Gather25, Date, Store closures)

For Isaac's 12th birthday, he wanted to go hiking so that we did with his friend and friend's mom. We went to Windy Hill Preserve and hiked several miles. His friend and mom had to leave about halfway through. We continued to the summit and then crossed to another summit. I don't think the boys enjoyed the mom conversation, but we let them walk ahead and away from us sometimes. I also took him out for pizza and pho on different days. We then celebrated with cake at home. He chose the strawberry guava cake from the Asian home bakery that I had gotten my cake from. 

It's been a while since I've baked the birthday cakes, but I got a few more supplies while I could at the store closing sales for Joann's Fabrics and Party City. It's so sad to see them go, and especially Joann's. I didn't think it was doing that poorly business-wise. We frequented the store when Naomi was taking fashion design, and it was always full of customers. I later learned that a private equity firm had acquired it in 2011 and so it went the fate of many of those types of acquisitions, basically a slow death. It does make things much more inconvenient for us, and I had a $5 gift card they would not accept with the closing sale or online, so that just added insult to injury.

I can't recall how much if anything I have said about Isaac's orthodontics issues, but in March after I had escalated his care situation due to repeated issues and delays in his treatment, with two major incidents, the CEO finally released us from our contract. We transferred to another orthodontist that is quite far away but worth it (the one who filled in temporarily, when our original orthodontist left the practice, and had discovered Isaac's cyst). It was almost a wasted year of orthodontics treatments. Even in our very last appointment, the assistant broke Isaac's bracket and didn't fix it. Said next time they'll fix it. When we went to the new ortho, he just assumed Isaac had broken it, even though Isaac never broke any and is super careful with what he eats. He (new orthodontist) is still friendly with our previous one, so I don't bring up what happened, but it was pretty bad. 

I actually consulted with friends in healthcare, and they felt it was definitely wrong what was happening and recommended if I couldn't sue (I wouldn't unless it was even worse; it's too expensive and time-consuming), to contact the ADA, which I did as well as Better Business Bureau and within the orthodontics practice. I think it would have been better to go to a private practice than a group practice with constantly rotating orthodontists, which I didn't know when we signed the contract. I won't name the group, but I'm just so thankful that after a year we could be released. We had paid the entire portion upfront and signed a contract, so it was hard to break the contract and get the refund. I know people may find it hard to believe, but I generally do not file complaints. I don't send my food back at restaurants if there is an error or I don't like it. I have never given less than a five-star review on Yelp (I only review what I really like). Isaac also tried to just live with it, told me not to make it worse, but even in the end he said it was getting out of hand. I really just wanted the nightmare to end and thankfully it did. The practice was apologetic and understanding, and I appreciated that.

On another note, Gather25 happened in March, which was an online global Christian worship event. I think it really benefits us to see people from all different nations singing praise songs and praying. I think we can get stuck in this idea that there's a certain Western way to do church. I didn't get to watch all of it of course as it ran through the weekend, but it was very uplifting and also just a reminder that the world is so much bigger than our little bubbles.

I celebrated St. Patrick's Day very minimally this year. I made an Irish stew with beef, which was just beef stew, since besides me only Naomi eats lamb. It did have some Irish beer in it, though. As the years go on and the kids get older--and I get older--the holidays become more simple and I suppose more centered on special foods than decor or traditions. I stopped making corned beef and cabbage because not everyone likes it, but a friend made me some anyway.

Lucas continued with sports class. I had a break from coaching for a few weeks and just assisted. We played kickball and badminton, both new to Lucas, so that was fun. He continued with his card game meetup and music class. I am so thankful for these outlets for Lucas, and I'm still hoping some friendships could come out of them. 

Naomi was very busy with school and finish her portfolio application for an elite program at her college. She came home one weekend in March for Isaac's birthday, and she and I went out for some sushi and Meet Fresh.

A friend from our previous church came back for a visit, so I stopped by another friend's house for the lunch reunion. It was very nice, and certainly noticed a difference being the only non-white person in the room again. She was telling us about retired life in North Carolina, and I'm glad she and her husband love it there. 

Last but not least, Manny and I went out for a nice dinner in March. I can't remember the name of the place, but it was really good. The pita bread was much larger than we'd anticipated. I guess we were on a bit of a roll with going out, but I think that was the last date for a while. 

I was helping play outfield so couldn't get a close-up of Lucas at kickball. We continued to be blessed with great weather on the days we had our class.

Friend made us some corned beef and cabbage

Empty shelves and empty hangers where my friends will shop no more (not to make light of the song from Les Mis that wrecks me)

Irish porter cheddar, "Irish" stew, some green (mint) coconut ice cream, kiwis, and snap pea crisps for St. Patrick's Day

Badminton

A kind parting gift from the orthodontist's office that really messed up Isaac's treatment. It was nice of them, and I'm just thankful we were able to leave.

Giving away our homeschool math manipulatives from RightStart and Saxon Math. It was challenging at times, but rewarding to teach my kids (and other kids) math!

Delicious lunch for retired friend Maggie's visit

Gather25, Christian worship around the world. Thank you, people of Rwanda.

Early dinner at [I'll have to ask Manny and fill this in later]

Pita charcuterie

We made room for dessert

Another nostalgic goodbye

Hanging out with the family dog while Lucas was finishing his Magic game

Birthday meal #1 Legends pizza

Birthday meal #2 pho and fruit lemonade

Happy birthday to Isaac!

Happy not birthday to Pluto!

Birthday hike for Isaac and his friend

Seat or table made from a tree stump

Fun with friends (but who are starting to not always want the moms around)

This marks the summit

Birthday boy on top of the world