Summer's On Like Donkey Kong

Driveway art to welcome the girls off the bus

The Sisters Martini have finished their school year.  I think we're all relieved to get a break.

They also brought home some great artwork.  Ella's birth mom and I love her self-portrait, especially the big smile, big muscle arms, sun, flowers and blue shirt. Blue is Ella's favorite color and her Armenian mom's, too.

And look at my littlest babe... oh the places she'll go.  She traced this by herself and made the coffee filter art.

Happy summer, everyone.

Summer Home School 2016

For the month of June, I will be doing summer home school again with both girls.  In July, they will be in summer school / ESY through the district (Monday through Friday 8:00 am to noon) and for the first part of August, we will have true time off.

Ella’s Summer Homeschool Plan

Daily

*Spell 26 words from the first grade spelling curriculum, practice any words that were misspelled OR write a short story, letter, etc.

*Read at least two books or 20 minutes in the same book, including verbal response to what’s been read to show reading comprehension

*Complete at least one math work sheet

*Practice second grade sight words

*Learn two new words to build vocab

Emilia’s Summer Homeschool Plan

Daily

*Review Kindergarten sight words, add new sight words as appropriate

*Complete one tracing/handwriting work sheet for letters

*Math (how many / more or less / simple patterns / identify and label numbers 11 to 20 / count to 30 / 3D shapes)

*Practice dressing skills

*Read one book with help in Kids A-Z

Weekly for both girls together

SCIENCE

Week 1: The Five Senses, The Scientific Method, Is It Magnetic?

Week 2: Interactions with Water, An M&M Investigation

Week 3: Does It Float?, Elephant Toothpaste, Growing Seeds

Week 4: Save The Apples, Push vs Pull

ART

Week 1: Patterns and shape people

Week 2: Symmetry

Week 3: Crayon rainbow, sunrise/ocean collages

Week 4: Mermaids (Ella’s fave)

COOKING & BAKING per the girls' request

Heart Camp

This year, for the first time, we attended Heart Camp, an event organized by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Heart Institute for pediatric cardiology patients and their families.  Heart Camp which starts on Friday and ends on Sunday is held at Camp Joy in Ohio and was host to 50 families (175 people) this year.  We opted for the Saturday only attendance which we found to be just right for us.  This year, camp was completely free of charge thanks to many generous sponsors.

We arrived at Heart Camp at 9:30 am, checked in and then helped the kids split up into their age groups.  Ella went with the 6-8 year olds who played games and did lots of physical activities.  We placed Emilia and Rex with the 3-5 year olds who went on a hike, played with bubbles, parachutes, toys, etc.  During this time, Craig and I could have attended a parent work shop, but we decided to stay with Rex and Emilia since they can be a bit challenging to manage in unfamiliar situations and by people who do not know them well.  We enjoyed spending time with them and a bunch of other special kiddos.

After these separate sessions, there was a group lunch (quite good and with allergy-friendly options) followed by four hours of free time during which families had access to much of what Camp Joy has to offer. We hit up the petting zoo, did tractor rides, made some arts and crafts, let our adventurous kids do the Swing-By-Choice multiple times, and Ella even did part of the rope course and zip line.

She loves tractors and all other large machinery.

This is Ella on the Swing-By-Choice.  You have to consciously let yourself go to make the first drop.  Rex loved this as well and did it four times, but we did not have him drop himself. Instead, we gave him some major pushes to go back and forth.

The weather wasn't great for a day in mid-May though at least it wasn't raining, but by 5:00 pm, we were ready for a hot dinner at the dining hall.  During the meal, we warmed up, refueled and chatted with others.  I think everyone was happily exhausted from the day's activities, but still saving up some energy for the dance from 7:30 to 9:00.  We hadn't intended to stay that late, but the kids had so much fun.  Rex danced practically the whole time.

YMCA with daddy

Throughout the day, we had many nice conversations with different families and even connected with another adoptive family.  Heart Camp was a lot of fun and we hope to be back next year.

New CSA

As I mentioned before, we chose a new CSA this year which is located about 30 miles from our home.  My main reasons to switch were that this CSA offers fruits and veggies (as opposed to just veggies with our supplier last year), that I can customize my box with what's in season (as opposed to having to accept whatever was chosen for our weekly box) and that they deliver to our door (as opposed to going to a pick-up site at a certain time).  I also really appreciated the farmer giving me a lot of her time over the phone as I asked her about their growing practices etc.  She invited our family to come out to the farm any time to see where our produce is grown.

Yesterday our first box arrived.  It was quite exciting. I had said no to chard, asparagus and green onions because I'd be the only one here eating them. Instead, I doubled up on lettuces and snap peas and tomatoes from their green house.  So our box included four of these packages of snap peas, two of tomatoes, and four really big bags of mixed baby salad greens, and spinach.

Showing one of each

And today I ate my first locally grown salad of the season for lunch.  Yum.

The Week Of Three Dates

Yes, you read that correctly.  A little while ago, Craig and I pulled off three dates in one week which means we have basically doubled the number of dates we've had since Rex came home in July 2011.

First, we played hooky one day and went clothes shopping as both of our wardrobes needed a bit of an update.  This may not be a date for some, but we let it count because we could talk uninterruptedly on the drive and sing along to our favorite songs.  And I can't tell you how efficient and relaxing it was to be selecting and trying on clothes sans children.  It felt like a mini vacation.

A few nights later, the kids attended a Prom Party with Special Olympics and had a wonderful time.  Meanwhile, Craig and I enjoyed a quiet dinner at a favorite Indian restaurant where we always eat too much and then a little spring drive through a large park.

Finally, we celebrated our wedding anniversary early by going on an eight mile bike ride on the Little Miami Trail followed by a delicious dinner.

At the half way mark of our ride

Yes, I ate the whole piece

While we had fun, Ella, Rex and Emilia were in good hands with our trusted and highly qualified sitters - though that word does not do them justice - Ms. Rie and Ms. Ariella.  Together, they flew kites, made crafts, went on a walk, etc.  But despite so much undivided attention and excitement, the kids were happy to see us when we came back home after five hours away. And that's simply the best.

Keepin' It Real: Friday Night Dinner

Most nights around here we have a nutritious homemade dinner, but every once in a while a day is so busy and my preparation so poor that it's grab what you can all the way. Tonight was that night. Here's what everyone ate.

Craig: half a leftover hamburger with raw kale and half a chicken salad on rye sandwich
Ella: peanut butter and nutella sandwich with a tangerine, potato chips and string cheese
Rex: gluten-free chicken nuggets
Emilia: regular chicken nuggets and apple slices
Me: yogurt herb dip with potato chips, apple slices, Greek yogurt, and a slice of rye toast

The end.

What's On Tap For Summer 2016?

This summer looks to be a busy one.  Here's what's already scheduled:

*Oma will be here for five weeks
*Camping trip with Grandma & Co.
*Beach vacation
*Summer home school
*Summer school / ESY in the district for the girls
*Rex's graduation from his PreK/K program
*Cousin Adrian from Austria will be here for three weeks
*My sister and her family will be here twice for a few days each
*Six medical appointments already scheduled
*Bulgarian Adoption Reunion
*Heart Camp

I know it's going to be nuts, but we will have lots of fun.