tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229083702024-03-23T10:57:05.045-07:00Robin's Blue SkiesLife, UnschooledRobinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.comBlogger341125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-67950911308296598182011-01-31T16:50:00.000-08:002011-01-31T16:50:27.895-08:00FTC Robotics: The Tournament #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4ug_W2sx9q7DJy7vv-sjALKNlLpzz8RfTUJvdU6-qRIlZE4UcUIZLeHiPZeNVIx2omckJ0TuiXUnfTt-y3_fZ9nuYvzhs7aTqtmFZ-hVxeepSobvrb9enDR8zp6o1rUHoMoA9w/s1600/xf_11_01_30_robotics_tournament_ftc_team_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4ug_W2sx9q7DJy7vv-sjALKNlLpzz8RfTUJvdU6-qRIlZE4UcUIZLeHiPZeNVIx2omckJ0TuiXUnfTt-y3_fZ9nuYvzhs7aTqtmFZ-hVxeepSobvrb9enDR8zp6o1rUHoMoA9w/s400/xf_11_01_30_robotics_tournament_ftc_team_s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Yesterday was our very very first time as a team competing in an FTC tournament. Wow, was that exciting! It came down to the wire on Friday and Saturday with marathon sessions to get the robot ready to pass inspection and be allowed to compete. Then bright and early Sunday morning we all piled into the vans and drove to Portland for the tournament.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGslT1F4s9sreGF2kWSysy-CqW2KOV1bkb7j-jijOtHRFJ_ookYkTDaeYD_mkJoa-F9z0Ucww_Th2SyOYYWtRzDo4VII2f4OTzbdCRjUgyY6rccibUzb1f3iahyf_S-saib3NPw/s1600/xf_11_01_30_robotics_tournament_ftc_inspection_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGslT1F4s9sreGF2kWSysy-CqW2KOV1bkb7j-jijOtHRFJ_ookYkTDaeYD_mkJoa-F9z0Ucww_Th2SyOYYWtRzDo4VII2f4OTzbdCRjUgyY6rccibUzb1f3iahyf_S-saib3NPw/s320/xf_11_01_30_robotics_tournament_ftc_inspection_s.jpg" width="320" /></a>The first exciting thing is that we passed the hardware and software inspection on our very first try! This is not as easy as it sounds. It involves a long checklist that includes presenting a Bill of Materials for the different items you've used on your robot, having everything mounted securely, fitting the entire robot and attachments inside an 18"x 18" x 18" cube, using the correct length, width, and thickness of materials and only the materials on the approved list (no duct tape allowed! these robots have to be engineered, not slapped together). Also using the approved software templates, having the correct wireless protocols (an alternative to Bluetooth called Samantha that's still in the Beta stages), and having both autonomous and driver controlled "tele-op" programs installed on the robot's NXT brain. Here, Mackenzie and teammate Dustin talk with the inspection judge about the parts used on the robot.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsvoiQ-q03lqQLufb6eYDDIfy_qgCLHRCrcdd9x90VHDoR-tdDa_cH98vO76gu02iMYtNkjaSBru777i3aag5O2WiX76WR4iZn-BOgttAdi69v9bzbUX_gJ3Gs174jQNR7OEeqQ/s1600/xf_11_01_30_robotics_tournament_ftc_scouting_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsvoiQ-q03lqQLufb6eYDDIfy_qgCLHRCrcdd9x90VHDoR-tdDa_cH98vO76gu02iMYtNkjaSBru777i3aag5O2WiX76WR4iZn-BOgttAdi69v9bzbUX_gJ3Gs174jQNR7OEeqQ/s320/xf_11_01_30_robotics_tournament_ftc_scouting_s.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Then we discovered that a huge part of the tournament is in creating alliances and scouting other teams to discover their advantages and disadvantages. You play five matches in the qualifying rounds, and in each match you are allied with one team (randomly selected) and play against two other teams. Each robot and driver team brings their own strengths and weaknesses to the playing field, so each match needs a different strategy. The good teams go around and assess each robot and team early in the day to determine how to play the game to their advantage.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Then comes judging, where several rounds of judges grill the team about the robot, the programming, their community involvement, how they operate as a team, decision-making processes, etc. Part of the point of this exercise is to guarantee that one of the main tenet's of FIRST competitions is upheld: The kids do all the work. It quickly becomes apparent if adult coaches, mentors, and technical advisors have had input into the process, or if the kids on the team have owned all of the decisions (both good and bad) and actually did the work themselves. Also, both the scouting and the judging encourage the kids to develop good communications skills.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoqwRYjf5FUd7YR6UYpwHd1Bfn2JWTFAxjogI3mFdXY5lBnI4JyPjwGDjFgxpYphUPKr8fJ1gN7XxbvORY8v9qTNfNVdmstv4JRJNUVqfNHYXtgQr3I7LjDYjDeOG5w9wsGr2Tsg/s1600/xf_11_01_30_robotics_tournament_ftc_drivers_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoqwRYjf5FUd7YR6UYpwHd1Bfn2JWTFAxjogI3mFdXY5lBnI4JyPjwGDjFgxpYphUPKr8fJ1gN7XxbvORY8v9qTNfNVdmstv4JRJNUVqfNHYXtgQr3I7LjDYjDeOG5w9wsGr2Tsg/s320/xf_11_01_30_robotics_tournament_ftc_drivers_s.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
After that, it's time for the exciting part of the competition: five rounds on the robot arena, paired with different teams. Despite coming into this competition thinking of it as a "learning experience" since this was our first time, our team did really really well! Our first couple of rounds were a little shaky. Our robot acquitted itself well and our driver team of Mackenzie and Dustin turned out to be outstanding. But penalties caused by our alliance partners wiped out all of the points we gained in the first two rounds, leaving us with a score of 0! It was a little disheartening, but the kids on the team stayed very positive and were having a great time. Then things turned around and they really started getting the hang of how to partner and talk strategy with their alliance teams. By the end of the 4th round, we were in 3rd place! In the last few matches though, the top teams bumped us down and we ended in 7th, but still had a very exciting day overall.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhntye20OpZ_FJ01AkC5odBbcFH7LrxUKanNGzDECtRramWVAqSfE5kRBCoeQVkK5fETm-GYf5ST5eyvDh-G2QrnjdNLbtWehuhyphenhyphenIeI6xveaPW3iEV9U06ONigDIsyJE2CqYEfw/s1600/xf_11_01_30_robotics_tournament_ftc_match_balance_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhntye20OpZ_FJ01AkC5odBbcFH7LrxUKanNGzDECtRramWVAqSfE5kRBCoeQVkK5fETm-GYf5ST5eyvDh-G2QrnjdNLbtWehuhyphenhyphenIeI6xveaPW3iEV9U06ONigDIsyJE2CqYEfw/s400/xf_11_01_30_robotics_tournament_ftc_match_balance_s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Our most exciting moment was in our last match. We were allied with a good team, but were up against the #1 and #2 teams. It was a really tough match, but ended up very close. In the last few seconds, we managed to balance both ours and our alliance's on this teeter-totter element on the arena that's called "the bridge". That's tough because one robot has to push down the bridge with an attachment, then drive up on it. Then they have to tip it toward the other robot, let them drive on, and then somehow balance it. Meanwhile, the other team was balanced on the bridge and "the mountain". So the end of the match looked like this. All of these balancing places scored points for the teams. <br />
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All in all, I haven't seen Mackenzie look so overall excited and happy in forever. He was definitely in his element between the robots, the strategy, the alliances and the game play.Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-79178612177730878282011-01-28T22:19:00.000-08:002011-01-28T22:19:01.846-08:00Robotics Team Headed to Competition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuMiTlzzKYmKTP3Tnjf5T3vd_DLptGYnKoNDmi7CHjQPxOOPjPnKxBHlOg6OrgXSFkP-C7InVu_puqgr0tXzvOgzY2uTZzDM4WJmOvvGJXCbHmfDxB1cqsq2Dsx0Kl8IRjZZxew/s1600/xf_11_01_28_robotics_mac_shirt_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuMiTlzzKYmKTP3Tnjf5T3vd_DLptGYnKoNDmi7CHjQPxOOPjPnKxBHlOg6OrgXSFkP-C7InVu_puqgr0tXzvOgzY2uTZzDM4WJmOvvGJXCbHmfDxB1cqsq2Dsx0Kl8IRjZZxew/s320/xf_11_01_28_robotics_mac_shirt_s.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>I haven't had the time to sneeze lately, let alone keep up with my blogs. So I apologize, especially to those family members who come here looking for kid photos and updates. This weekend is a microcosm of the craziness that is our life these days. Saturday morning I coach the Master's swim team. By noon I need to have Asa at a dance performance. I'm also doing the photography for the dancers. That gets done at 4:30, by 5:00 we're having our last robotics practice before heading to the tournament at 7:00 am Sunday morning.<br />
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But the good news is that our robotics team t-shirts arrived and they look awesome! Mackenzie designed the shirt this year, so here he is modeling it. If you think he looks even taller than he did the last time you saw him, you're absolutely right. He's grown over an inch and a half SINCE CHRISTMAS. No, that is not a typo. He's just a hair taller than Wayne now.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFd3ifzkjzfMtrO8W9X6GPlL4zReNYFB9isaVmGVfCP30UVe2EgMCWlX-LEgSvBeUUBxIsqIWDW61olkMC8OKgqB9owwlmmalqgPD9JEuV3H3AGsu2XTEvmX2lhkt3GuPdbohCew/s1600/xf_11_01_28_robotics_team_looks_up_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFd3ifzkjzfMtrO8W9X6GPlL4zReNYFB9isaVmGVfCP30UVe2EgMCWlX-LEgSvBeUUBxIsqIWDW61olkMC8OKgqB9owwlmmalqgPD9JEuV3H3AGsu2XTEvmX2lhkt3GuPdbohCew/s320/xf_11_01_28_robotics_team_looks_up_s.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The team spent seven hours today working on the robot, getting it ready for competition. Sunday we'll drive over a hundred miles and spend all day at the competition, returning home around 9:00 pm. So it will be a CRAZY weekend. Wish us luck!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilizGPInn5KU8GuSPO-1MPAFcdTmU1OGYYbJrdbc7RbBW-SqeUtLVS4w2z9K7d-MMWay8642L1o4s6G72_MrEG4Hy4OZIfi0SEC-cz2B0xhMIMUIpYlVXhGQQ6KBAmxmS72HEtuA/s1600/xf_11_01_28_robotics_mountain_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilizGPInn5KU8GuSPO-1MPAFcdTmU1OGYYbJrdbc7RbBW-SqeUtLVS4w2z9K7d-MMWay8642L1o4s6G72_MrEG4Hy4OZIfi0SEC-cz2B0xhMIMUIpYlVXhGQQ6KBAmxmS72HEtuA/s320/xf_11_01_28_robotics_mountain_s.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-63070623648508263002011-01-07T13:53:00.000-08:002011-01-07T13:53:43.919-08:00HaikuI'm too far gone on this blog to catch up. For some deluded reason, I thought I'd have tons of time over Christmas break to write, download photos, etc. etc. but of course I didn't. So imagine I wrote a bunch of great stuff about Asa in the Nutcracker Remixed, and Mackenzie's robotics stuff and all that. Hopefully I'll get to add in some details later.<br />
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For now, I'll leave you with this beautiful Haiku that Asa wrote about her birthday kitty Miguel: <br />
<blockquote><b>My Cat</b><br />
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Orange blur in the grass<br />
Orange fur in the windy breeze<br />
A warmth on your lap</blockquote><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5jzugwoKoWF82TGdKUSFmppZt9jNwyAWWMCzdOFIL-7Y6xJJiMFJlGUfvF3ag2PsfoY1RMHmlrcY7mj9xYk-1W0pv8-huu10twVj5mXu5p-3yuNaM98erKhU-qfgowNm1JavNQ/s1600/xf_10_12_26_asa_miguel2_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5jzugwoKoWF82TGdKUSFmppZt9jNwyAWWMCzdOFIL-7Y6xJJiMFJlGUfvF3ag2PsfoY1RMHmlrcY7mj9xYk-1W0pv8-huu10twVj5mXu5p-3yuNaM98erKhU-qfgowNm1JavNQ/s400/xf_10_12_26_asa_miguel2_s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-18108514192289888092010-12-19T10:16:00.000-08:002010-12-19T10:16:18.726-08:00Santa Claus, Physics, and MoreSo I did it this year, I came clean to Asa that there is no Santa Claus. You might think that at age 11, this would be a no-brainer, and of course she already knew. But I've always felt it's important to keep the magical thinking alive as long as the kid wants to. And as somebody who still anthropomorphizes my favorite plaid stuffed hippo, Horace, I'm a sucker for magical thinking. Of course, this means that Mackenzie has to give up his spot as Santa. He's stayed up the last few Christmases, stuffing stockings and having fun being the big brother. I don't know how this Christmas Eve will play out, it's an ever-evolving thing as the kids get older.<br />
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For those of you who still have younger kids, or kids interested in physics, or just like this kind of thing, here's a great <a href="http://survivingtheworld.net/Lesson821.html">physics-based proof that Santa Claus really exists. </a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2_Ly82_iWIHtmdaW-YpEfILZZFVvaOZERDXQdlHhrGpoTn2WJSsxDCgSUg1uzkVVXHJ3YJmO94OJhAKyqnqOX0VNS5reXNewcIeK3B_pMFKDalp2V0EWhJAE2gQHibm5qMZ9rg/s1600/downsized_1211001427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2_Ly82_iWIHtmdaW-YpEfILZZFVvaOZERDXQdlHhrGpoTn2WJSsxDCgSUg1uzkVVXHJ3YJmO94OJhAKyqnqOX0VNS5reXNewcIeK3B_pMFKDalp2V0EWhJAE2gQHibm5qMZ9rg/s320/downsized_1211001427.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In other physics news, our <a href="http://usfirst.org/">FIRST FTC</a> robotics team went up to an event last weekend at Portland State University. In addition to working on their robotics stuff, the kids got to tour a whole bunch of the engineering labs there. We were very impressed! They got to help move a laser (over 800 pounds!), talked with a chemistry grad student about his work detecting nanoparticles in soil and water using an atomic mass spectrometer, saw a wind tunnel where they are testing wind turbine and wind energy farm designs, and best of all they got to spend a lot of time with someone from the robotics department discussing a robot called "Shrödinger's Cat" . Those of you that are physics buffs will understand why<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat"> that's so funny</a>. The cat lives in a box and is mobile, he runs around the building using two cameras, touch sensors, and other methods for object avoidance. He has a mental map of where he is, and can even go in the elevators and ask people to press the buttons to take him to another floor. He can interact with other robots in the lab, including a talking head of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niels_Bohr">Nils Bohr.</a><br />
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I loved hearing all of the questions our kids came up with for the roboticist. Mackenzie was especially interested in the vision processing algorithms and how he could distinguish between objects and blank space (like a doorway). One of the things this tour really showed me was how much science being involved with FIRST has brought into his life. He already knew about Nanotechnology because back when he was on a FIRST FLL team, they did a research project on Nanoparticles and one of the things they discovered was all about the potential dangers of these particles when they end up in our water and soil. Another year, they did a project on alternative energy and it was his part of the project to research wind generators. So all of the things he was seeing in these science and engineering labs, he had already had a taste of through FIRST.Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-30301655599159080912010-12-05T20:54:00.000-08:002010-12-05T20:54:44.944-08:00Homework Into Video Games, By Mackenzie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir909QZtn5pH-lna4Vc1asw_X6O99BDM4AeaT53bYeOYXJNNZPBgb-wtTsun-Q9ix_4fakk9fo-0CVgpc1o3-s6tnLF4lh-T5I8Kj7aveuvtaPSHXBfZVdDNB6E2CkI_1gFEciiA/s1600/H2O+Game.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir909QZtn5pH-lna4Vc1asw_X6O99BDM4AeaT53bYeOYXJNNZPBgb-wtTsun-Q9ix_4fakk9fo-0CVgpc1o3-s6tnLF4lh-T5I8Kj7aveuvtaPSHXBfZVdDNB6E2CkI_1gFEciiA/s320/H2O+Game.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>For science right now, we're studying atoms, molecules, and compounds and their properties. One of the things that the kids are supposed to do for this new Charter School program is to show "mastery" of the subject in many different ways: by writing papers, making models, drawing timelines, making illustrations, doing projects, etc. So when I asked Mackenzie how he wanted to illustrate the properties of matter, he suggested that he write a simple video game that allowed the user to see way the molecules move in the different states of water.<br />
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If you want to see it in action, you can <a href="https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0Bz-_-KdPkoFrMDI3MmNiNDktMWMzMy00N2RlLWIxYzItYmE1Yzc2NjIwMzUw&hl=en">download his game</a> from Google Docs. It doesn't have any viruses, I promise. He programmed it in <a href="http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker">GameMaker 8</a>, which he highly recommends. He says it allows you to do object-oriented programming, it's easy to learn, and you can make stand-alone executables like the simple one that he made for this project. You can even sell them (unlike stuff you make in programs like Scratch).<br />
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Leave it to this kid to find a way to turn something into a programming project. I have to say, it's pretty cool though. He wants to say a special thank-you to his Aunty Meese and Uncle Nick who gave him GameMaker for his birthday last year. Obviously, it's been put to good use!Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-46670473752813944912010-12-04T19:04:00.000-08:002010-12-04T19:04:07.221-08:00All Smiles at the Karate Recital<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVo_FFROxlYNCCQBILDJuLpdaikcjd0DX7ctzdjlK3nMwx7HpX06OjIF3G_bNzh7dS4GdVQgWqFLr8_UX7XHbM17y_23g6DTX-Yk8PMEPRAPoQAAcvq1B2gmpmWuaFPdW21DqMQ/s1600/xf_10_12_4_karate_recital_mac_wayne1_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVo_FFROxlYNCCQBILDJuLpdaikcjd0DX7ctzdjlK3nMwx7HpX06OjIF3G_bNzh7dS4GdVQgWqFLr8_UX7XHbM17y_23g6DTX-Yk8PMEPRAPoQAAcvq1B2gmpmWuaFPdW21DqMQ/s400/xf_10_12_4_karate_recital_mac_wayne1_s.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>The kids had a karate recital today. Also known as the "belt test", it's where they get to show what they learned this term, and do all of their techniques in front of the black belts who will score them and give them feedback. Throughout most of our time in karate, I haven't gotten to watch them because I'm testing also, but now that the only test looming in front of me is the eventual black belt test, I could just sit in the audience and enjoy seeing them do their thing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcsNQpvi_sSHw46aic2s4YDaAmpaD6_BEuja95IJ8i7d2snudaTXTp0-oVPet_hzCIPdeY-HQmNOZ4nlgGxI8zpXA2Pmt49qmelUZ1Adz1-Tz7AH0BP6r_lVi1LoYvbLRJk25cw/s1600/xf_10_12_4_karate_recital_mac2_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcsNQpvi_sSHw46aic2s4YDaAmpaD6_BEuja95IJ8i7d2snudaTXTp0-oVPet_hzCIPdeY-HQmNOZ4nlgGxI8zpXA2Pmt49qmelUZ1Adz1-Tz7AH0BP6r_lVi1LoYvbLRJk25cw/s320/xf_10_12_4_karate_recital_mac2_s.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>The thing that most strikes me when watching Mackenzie is just how big, strong, and fast he's getting. That and the deep voice that comes out of him when he kiais (the karate "hiya" yell). He is definitely operating at the brown belt level and is moving toward the day when he will test for his black belt too. He's gotten very serious about karate lately, especially since he and I have been going to the more rigorous brown and black belt classes together. Focusing on the basics as well as harder and harder techniques has a way of making everything look sharp.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrh_DFXynkdNegLJkrGamHZfyWE1DNQVk68Mfvndf0hFseIsWDGUk5jBAPO-58MeUsQboMWGBUbz2eTAafFwnZQ1FsFsIdGgMXHdkI-wY6AkoeytYAo1l52XW6_8ebJXzXcS3VA/s1600/xf_10_12_4_karate_recital_asa_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrh_DFXynkdNegLJkrGamHZfyWE1DNQVk68Mfvndf0hFseIsWDGUk5jBAPO-58MeUsQboMWGBUbz2eTAafFwnZQ1FsFsIdGgMXHdkI-wY6AkoeytYAo1l52XW6_8ebJXzXcS3VA/s320/xf_10_12_4_karate_recital_asa_s.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>As for Asa, she is coming into her own as well. Karate is not her main focus like it is for Mackenzie. She saves that for dance, singing, and theatre of course. But I'm glad she has stayed with karate even though her schedule sometimes gets crazy. It's important to me that both of the kids can defend themselves if the need ever arises, and sadly in our society she's more likely to need to do that than Mackenzie. I liked watching her perform the escapes from hand grabs and the take-downs that accompany them. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIaSHLD8N-cu0hf8AJYsOHWw0xVafW62yBcBmRhGZH2aanc2zbrB4HufC52gwgy5j4my9dpPX2QKV5eYbCeuaPvGPlolXqTZ035IHTzw_dd93r-FkY5Ydyr6JHw4sL9DELdnk0g/s1600/xf_10_12_4_karate_recital_asa_friends1_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIaSHLD8N-cu0hf8AJYsOHWw0xVafW62yBcBmRhGZH2aanc2zbrB4HufC52gwgy5j4my9dpPX2QKV5eYbCeuaPvGPlolXqTZ035IHTzw_dd93r-FkY5Ydyr6JHw4sL9DELdnk0g/s400/xf_10_12_4_karate_recital_asa_friends1_s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>For both of the kids, our karate dojo is also more like a family than just a class that they attend. They've made lifelong friends here, friends that are in photos from recitals going back almost half a decade now. As they move into the tween and teen years, I see the kids that they're hanging around with and I smile. They're confident, respectful, polite, and nice. Being involved with karate, most specifically at our dojo, has more than a little to do with that. The family-friendly atmosphere and focus on values ensures that the kids grow up with more than just a few fancy moves in their repertoire.Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-54472256626117976582010-11-18T12:44:00.000-08:002010-11-18T12:44:35.079-08:00Unschoolers Go To School (sort of)I don't even know where to start with the upside-down topsy-turvy nature of what has happened to our fall so far. Our local homeschool resource center, after years of battling with the local school district (who would like nothing more than to shut them down) ended up re-opening as a charter school. Initially, the claim was that it would operate much like before, with homeschooling families being able to take whatever classes they wanted to, and homeschooling all other subjects. As unschoolers, this suits our family just fine.<br />
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But then, the school district amended their charter plans to make things far more structured for us poor homeschoolers. Of course. Because you know, everyone needs to be educated to the same cookie cutter mold. It's not the fault of the charter school, but that's the way things shook out. Still, both of our kids decided that the cost-benefit analysis came out on the side of giving it a try. Mackenzie really really wanted to take Spanish class, and for Asa it means more theatre, horseback riding, choir, and French. So they were willing to jump through the hoops of providing more structured homeschooling than we've ever ever done. They actually agreed to do things like worksheets and spelling lists on a weekly basis, taking home textbooks and studying for quizzes.<br />
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Frankly, it's all very fascinating to me, watching these two unschooled kids suddenly thrust into a schoolish style of learning. Especially because they know that at any moment they can simply walk away from it. So far, it's been over a month and they're sticking with it. I think it's probably harder on me than on them, because I have to print out worksheets and spelling lists and make sure they get done with reading in their Social Studies or Science textbooks. All those things I've never really worried about before. Before, all of our learning has just flowed from whatever they're interested in at the moment. I've also had to coach them on how to answer the silly textbook quizzes, because I didn't realize how little they knew about what a "textbook" answer is.<br />
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One of the questions this all puts to rest is whether or not you really NEED to teach kids all this stuff for years and years and years in order for them to get it, or whether an unschooler can and will buckle down into more structured learning if they are provided with an incentive that motivates them. The fact is, these kids actually do their homework, turn in their assignments, and take their tests. Because they want to, because the benefits that they're getting out of it obviously outweigh the drawbacks in their minds.<br />
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On the other hand, as the unschooling parent I have a lot of trepidations about all of this. When the glamour wears off, will they still want to do it? I don't want to be the one sitting on them to finish this stuff up. And what if it interferes with their natural love of learning and exploration, having to do all of this forced study? I love the way they are always coming up with new things they want to do. They have far less time for that now. More than anything, it's totally wrecked our schedule and we are constantly finding ourselves scrambling to catch up. I hate that feeling of giving up our more relaxed days.<br />
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So the great experiment of unschoolers in school is ongoing. I'll let you know how it goes.Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-56787011378202908882010-11-08T07:39:00.000-08:002010-11-08T07:39:40.632-08:00Halloween Pics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4lk6HJneRIrC-m_beg4yIT_tezFTGSq6L2SWNuBD7LojCw1ZW3Ibxef_AsHJL21wl6AK3mlckwA3kDXbGZL_R051xNY4-WdQtmS4nVXUAbUeLSX_Qmd07gxdrcI7Y6UoMisKfQ/s1600/xf_10_10_29_halloween_dojo_kids1_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4lk6HJneRIrC-m_beg4yIT_tezFTGSq6L2SWNuBD7LojCw1ZW3Ibxef_AsHJL21wl6AK3mlckwA3kDXbGZL_R051xNY4-WdQtmS4nVXUAbUeLSX_Qmd07gxdrcI7Y6UoMisKfQ/s320/xf_10_10_29_halloween_dojo_kids1_s.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The kids went "trunk or treating" at our karate dojo this year on the Friday before Halloween. Since a lot of little kids were present, Mackenzie kindly decided not to wear his scary grim reaper death mask thingie with the blood pump that made blood run down his face. Instead, he used my old standby Godzilla costume. What a nice guy! Asa was a "Cheerless Leader" in her skull-covered cheerleader costume. She was supposed to keep a zombie-like face, but she's just way to cheerful for that. </div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5nG7C-o1P_7jKcLk7VkMWYIQi53PUKWpcqGz6MPCcgs7EFV46LEQhOBMcK87WLZ7RDXvq_xPQgwBRePBoScnJeBnf-JgexdkgQEUZnnkkS_h3rA3WCK_fS9vG9nDHUlyOdGpAg/s1600/xf_10_10_29_halloween_dojo_mac1_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5nG7C-o1P_7jKcLk7VkMWYIQi53PUKWpcqGz6MPCcgs7EFV46LEQhOBMcK87WLZ7RDXvq_xPQgwBRePBoScnJeBnf-JgexdkgQEUZnnkkS_h3rA3WCK_fS9vG9nDHUlyOdGpAg/s400/xf_10_10_29_halloween_dojo_mac1_s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqEMEQOQUKuraobVutvw5YJMpuB3dgWz2oshSh98WM2Jw5suKLTuTTswbWV80FI2GhO2M1PBCP7Z7FN5D3uTngKMFR1oS8yURdbq1XLCtaX7QYzz9bqHbUdUAnwozWY4LFJhhhA/s1600/xf_10_10_31_halloween_mac_reaper1_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqEMEQOQUKuraobVutvw5YJMpuB3dgWz2oshSh98WM2Jw5suKLTuTTswbWV80FI2GhO2M1PBCP7Z7FN5D3uTngKMFR1oS8yURdbq1XLCtaX7QYzz9bqHbUdUAnwozWY4LFJhhhA/s320/xf_10_10_31_halloween_mac_reaper1_s.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">So here's the costume Mackenzie suckered me into buying him. In true Mackenzie fashion, he pulled this long face and said "But Moooooom. It's probably the LAST time I will EVER go trick or treating since I'm SO BIG now. And of course he knows I'm thinking "OMG, how can my baby be so old that this is his last year trick or treating?" Of course I'll splurge on the extra blood-circulating death mask costume!" That boy knows how to wrap me around his finger.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">On actual Halloween night, he went with some friends, and went with the gorier costume. Since he went over to his friends' house early, I didn't get a picture of the blood-dripping part of it. It was weird to have him gone for Halloween and just be trick-or-treating with Asa and her friend. Where are the days when he and I went together and he wanted me to dress up with him? Long gone for sure, LOL!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">But Asa invited a friend over and we had a terrific time trick-or-treating together. Her friend's mom and I walked and chatted through the balmy night, admiring all the cool decorated houses. People around here go for funky rather than commercial, and there were some beautiful luminarias. One guy came to the door in a fairy costume and his dog was dressed as a fairy too. And I'm reminded of why I love Halloween - a night that brings everyone in the community out and walking around together with their kids. Not to mention the candy. This year was so balmy too!</div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-32878970961832737802010-10-29T22:25:00.000-07:002010-10-29T22:25:44.580-07:00A Year's Growth and Change<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrXHGO1YbH2-R7dev9UIfE4QP73wqFdZVqGL25CnhzFb13qtzoeiIhNp9hYt1W9jHQ89JYhmO4fx2e9NZOVB1QVGo3Weaa4gmRDkLrHXYsLODAnvImonCeNy7smqpolqDuC7uxQ/s1600/xf_10_10_29_halloween_asa_mac1_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrXHGO1YbH2-R7dev9UIfE4QP73wqFdZVqGL25CnhzFb13qtzoeiIhNp9hYt1W9jHQ89JYhmO4fx2e9NZOVB1QVGo3Weaa4gmRDkLrHXYsLODAnvImonCeNy7smqpolqDuC7uxQ/s400/xf_10_10_29_halloween_asa_mac1_m.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>I'm just going to put this photo in a post here before I switch it out to my new header photo for the blog. The photo currently on the header was taken a year ago. Wow, these kids have changed so much in the last year, in so many different ways. But you can really see it when you look at the photos!<br />
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Here's last year's:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfe-SYgc_HWklz0wHbAE6kbcXFuzrrY_eZNIF9vFKtJ9MnrmsXhYogtauzcgS-HS3koJ1LYOMRZwpiZfNFxpYxQH4Lg2JtzaV3ssueCL_qwjaQfYlxLkGSrwjJ5n3R0qmzaugtg/s450/xf_09_10_25_pumpkin_patch_kids1_cover_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfe-SYgc_HWklz0wHbAE6kbcXFuzrrY_eZNIF9vFKtJ9MnrmsXhYogtauzcgS-HS3koJ1LYOMRZwpiZfNFxpYxQH4Lg2JtzaV3ssueCL_qwjaQfYlxLkGSrwjJ5n3R0qmzaugtg/s450/xf_09_10_25_pumpkin_patch_kids1_cover_s.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">One of the biggest changes is that he's SO much taller now. They used to be a lot closer in size than they are now. And a quick peek at the "How tall in Fall" height chart at our local pumpkin patch shows him closing in on 6' (or at least trying to stretch as tall as possible to look that way!). One look at those huge puppy feet though says he might now be done growing yet!</div><div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDc3kXykNq4_f-Hpu9O5q4G3WNLbJQ8RCsaefMDUhwnfR39ttHDkLJ1JdJszNTmGbPLdmMHmAXS35n58mBvERUQc3sS_mAVW_9OwvFzh46D-mT4nOi1LXD-ngtCbD6V2bj6BkTQ/s1600/xf_10_10_29_halloween_mac_how_tall1_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDc3kXykNq4_f-Hpu9O5q4G3WNLbJQ8RCsaefMDUhwnfR39ttHDkLJ1JdJszNTmGbPLdmMHmAXS35n58mBvERUQc3sS_mAVW_9OwvFzh46D-mT4nOi1LXD-ngtCbD6V2bj6BkTQ/s320/xf_10_10_29_halloween_mac_how_tall1_s.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMw-v2_RYHwn46ReAShqcb3TrbiNy7xAIxPBkLJwRRIwb2vNaMJkbeFHH372ki0iaiktEODMvWFnBi7NpayaQhoDdoEcf1wu8KbfmaU9brMl4clrkq5UevJIH2d6o7qIJgJS8mQ/s1600/xf_10_10_29_halloween_asa_pumpkin1_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMw-v2_RYHwn46ReAShqcb3TrbiNy7xAIxPBkLJwRRIwb2vNaMJkbeFHH372ki0iaiktEODMvWFnBi7NpayaQhoDdoEcf1wu8KbfmaU9brMl4clrkq5UevJIH2d6o7qIJgJS8mQ/s320/xf_10_10_29_halloween_asa_pumpkin1_s.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>Asa was having fun stocking up on the small pumpkins from the bin at the pumpkin patch. "Wild Walt" takes everyone on his hayride on a crazy ride, doing donuts in the mud and climbing up the sides of embankments while everyone screeches. Then he takes you through fields with scarecrows and other targets that you can throw the small pumpkins at. What fun!Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-29044411273002618032010-10-24T23:27:00.000-07:002010-10-24T23:27:38.378-07:00Can't Help But Laugh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUulrcJGVrjA4gfrvuS_1Bap-uB_DlDRRxgaOFPcT9R4tJLjcMzqYfkxLSUfLUV2nkrmtnYqN8PF-hTg4oRed_WwQn0t2iKm-a160Jux7E0itUN2LJZJBPVpLYI4Sf0HQv_S4Qbg/s1600/verizon-LG-VX9200-enV3-cell-phone-4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUulrcJGVrjA4gfrvuS_1Bap-uB_DlDRRxgaOFPcT9R4tJLjcMzqYfkxLSUfLUV2nkrmtnYqN8PF-hTg4oRed_WwQn0t2iKm-a160Jux7E0itUN2LJZJBPVpLYI4Sf0HQv_S4Qbg/s200/verizon-LG-VX9200-enV3-cell-phone-4.png" width="200" /></a></div>I can't help but crack up every time I hear Asa's new ringtone. Mackenzie used some text-to-speech converter on the internet and then recorded it and downloaded it onto her phone as a bit of a joke. But she loved it and has kept it as her ringtone.<br />
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Now when someone calls, her phone says "Hi, this is Asa. I cannot come to the phone right now because I have lost it somewhere and I am dancing and singing in my room."<br />
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Why does it make us all laugh so hard? Because it's absolutely true!Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-28215132244604723102010-10-20T20:33:00.000-07:002010-10-20T20:33:00.191-07:00Overheard: Sure Proof That I Have a Tween and a TeenTeenage Boy wants me to purchase ultra-cool Halloween costume that includes mask with recirculating fake blood that drips down the front, a voicebox that turns his voice into a ghoulish creepy voice, and a gory fake axe. This exceeds my budget so he pulls the following out of his arsenal:<br />
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"Mooooommmmmm, it's probably the LAST time I'll EVER go trick or treating. Since I'm GROWING UP and all."<br />
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Sniffle. Sniffle. He knows how to play on my last little nostalgic mommy nerve, doesn't he?? The last time he goes trick or treating? How can that be? Of course I can't refuse him the costume of his dreams. Of course not.<br />
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And this was overheard from the backseat of the car while driving Tweenage Girl to dance class.<br />
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Back story: It's "Spirit Week" at her dance studio. Which means every day is something different, like Pajama Day, and Crazy Sock Day. Kind of like Spirit Week in Middle School, except without all of the anxiety of whether or not other people will actually wear their pajamas or whether you'll be the only one and the bullies will beat you up and call you a freaky nerd for actually believing in spirit week. Or whether you won't wear your pajamas, but then all of the popular people will, and so you'll be an idiot for <i>not </i>wearing them. Thus the only safe option is to wear normal clothes but bring your pajamas in a paper bag just in case you should put them on.<br />
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But I digress. Spirit week at the dance studio is fun because all of the girls who go there are super-enthusiastic types who just love this stuff. Thus my Tween was calling on the way to class, talking to another girl who was also on her cell phone, about to leave for class. Asa's side of the conversation went thusly:<br />
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"Okay, I'll tell you what I'm wearing. But you've got to PROMISE me that you won't steal my style, okay? No, I won't tell you unless you promise. Uh, I'm sure. 'Cuz mine is really cool and I don't want to wear the same thing. Okay, you won't steal it? Okay. I'm wearing one long stripey sock and one short sock that's green with little scotty dogs on it...." (lengthy description of every minute detail of clothing ommitted for brevity).<br />
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Yep. I'm the mom to a Teen and a Tween. Entering entirely new universe now. I hope I have a road map, or a star map, or something to guide me...Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-25631405906541593092010-10-16T13:20:00.000-07:002010-10-16T13:20:29.870-07:00A Birthday for a Peach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSCsJtitj0T4zcMuh0PIM-Ge_XK-O9Xja1WO3-8rUYW85A1MTeovQDYSCoWaP4Uhg9J1oCwcxZqopPQVjrWCwKFPMcKhYAzUZVtF9kQINYCDgUof8xx5SSFeQ8wTTjOM6dg0TtA/s1600/xf_10_10_05_asa_portrait1_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSCsJtitj0T4zcMuh0PIM-Ge_XK-O9Xja1WO3-8rUYW85A1MTeovQDYSCoWaP4Uhg9J1oCwcxZqopPQVjrWCwKFPMcKhYAzUZVtF9kQINYCDgUof8xx5SSFeQ8wTTjOM6dg0TtA/s320/xf_10_10_05_asa_portrait1_s.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>I always call Asa my peach, because she's just such a sweet little thing (most of the time, except when she hasn't been to too many sleepovers in one week, but I digress). And now, as she informs us, she is leaving her childhood behind and is now a "tween".<br />
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Her birthday week was fun, and filled with all of the things she loves. Her dance classes started, the weather was lovely and we rode bikes around, she had a birthday party at the bowling alley with her wonderful group of friends. She even got to go to an audition for a film company who is thinking of filming a project here in our city on Friday, We had less than a day for her to prepare a monologue and for me to take this photo of her to put on her acting resume. As you might imagine, she wowed the casting directors and they called me in to tell me "We hope you know you have something special here." Why yes, we do.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEQgr0DHWzLoI2LZsyPlvgp3L6wmqWoY-dnVkey4AibPhubS-MIT7LngkWdE8361eUya3CNKvlUxWqb3Tx76GtGesp0Vee_KZOdjS2rxNUNyU7CFjoxmgr3sTzz1Lq7ghEJ3UGw/s1600/xf_10_10_05_asa_bday_bowling1_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEQgr0DHWzLoI2LZsyPlvgp3L6wmqWoY-dnVkey4AibPhubS-MIT7LngkWdE8361eUya3CNKvlUxWqb3Tx76GtGesp0Vee_KZOdjS2rxNUNyU7CFjoxmgr3sTzz1Lq7ghEJ3UGw/s320/xf_10_10_05_asa_bday_bowling1_s.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>So for the whole week, we celebrated the wonderful gift that is Asa in our lives. She's grown up so much this year, turning into a little lady who is independent and spirited. Sometimes she's gone so much with all of her many activities (seven dance classes a week for starters) that I can see the quiet that our house will be when she's grown up. As it is, she brings an energy to every room she inhabits that fills the house (sometimes with more noise and chaos than we can almost handle, but that's just her).Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-70007111237953324972010-10-10T12:46:00.000-07:002010-10-10T12:46:01.605-07:00Etymology: You Learn Something New Every DayI just started reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Played-Fire-Vintage/dp/030745455X?ie=UTF8&tag=Ironmom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Girl Who Played With Fire</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=Ironmom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=030745455X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (sequel to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Dragon-Tattoo-Stieg-Larsson/dp/0307454541?ie=UTF8&tag=Ironmom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=Ironmom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0307454541" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, which I enjoyed) and in the very first paragraph of Chapter 1, a person sits down on a <i>chaise longue</i>. I thought "how strange! a typo in the first paragraph!". Now I have to say, I pride myself on being a bit of a wordsmith and etymology always fascinates me, so I was surprised to find out that this isn't a typo at all. Though the word has been Americanized to chaise <i>lounge </i>(dating as far back as the 1850s), implying a chair that one might lounge in, the original French word was chaise <i>longue</i>, meaning a long chair (which also makes sense).<br />
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If you're interested in slightly more background on this interestingly amended phrase, I found a great site called <a href="http://www.worldwidewords.org/">World Wide Words</a> that offers <a href="http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-cha2.htm">this explanation</a>. And if you're an etymology junkie like me, I'll warn you that this site might just suck up a bit of your time!Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-5869155166230319862010-10-08T23:18:00.000-07:002010-10-08T23:18:49.196-07:00Sesame Street Strikes AgainI have to admit to being an unabashed Sesame Street fan. One of the very first generations to be raised counting with The Count and thinking that Kermit the Frog was a real reporter, I have always loved the muppet's approach to life. So this is just, well, the bomb!<br />
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<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zkd5dJIVjgM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zkd5dJIVjgM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-67992281408916104912010-10-05T10:39:00.000-07:002010-10-05T10:39:16.175-07:00Time Machine Pranks and Other Random Conversations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1429/1141651774_44c6124450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1429/1141651774_44c6124450.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>One of my favorite times with the kids is when we get to walk someplace together and just talk. No distractions, just hearing what's on their minds. When they were little, it was about puddles or frogs or their new umbrella, very concrete stuff. As they get older, it gets more abstract: plans for the future, questions about bigger topics, musings on life and the universe.<br />
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One day on a walk with Mackenzie, we started discussing what sorts of pranks we would play if we had a time machine. Here was our top few:<br />
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1) Arrive on the summit of Mt. Everest slightly before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. Have already planted a flag and be lounging around eating a sandwich. Casually say "Oh hey guys, what are you doing up here?"<br />
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2) Hide on the moon just before Neil Armstrong steps out. Just as he's reciting the whole "One small step for man" speech, jump out wearing a green alien costume.<br />
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3) Build a hotel at the site where Columbus will land. Serve him a margarita with a fancy umbrella<br />
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4) Become the seer that tells Julius Caesar "Beware the Ides of March". Then we could get stuck in a time paradox where we would have to continually go back in time in order for that to occur in order for history to be correct in order for us to be born in order to travel back in time...<br />
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5) Alternately, show up and tell Julius Caesar "Beware St. Patrick's Day"<br />
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Yes, this is what we spend our time doing...Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-38057305848258164752010-09-11T22:44:00.000-07:002010-09-11T22:44:48.387-07:00Birthday Boy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsajtvgevXvAAzxc02fC2WTDZ4WJZvNtov4jZuGOZh7CYlAFtfSNwa-Mfe3zoIfvG1OfQ1cuFRLP34Z3ZnEprRP_wZ_dbsWA-Fhjxi-6a94WO-UmGSpBbsOJ5lF2W55kopmzggQ/s1600/xf_10_08_27_mac_bday_shirt_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsajtvgevXvAAzxc02fC2WTDZ4WJZvNtov4jZuGOZh7CYlAFtfSNwa-Mfe3zoIfvG1OfQ1cuFRLP34Z3ZnEprRP_wZ_dbsWA-Fhjxi-6a94WO-UmGSpBbsOJ5lF2W55kopmzggQ/s400/xf_10_08_27_mac_bday_shirt_s.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>Yeah, he's big. Yeah, he's fourteen now! Yeah, his shoe size is almost a fourteen too... It's my big birthday guy. I don't think I can say birthday boy anymore as he's taller than I am (a fact that he likes to emphasize nearly continually). This is the shirt I found for him, it was just so HIM. Combining a love of zombies, with an environmental consciousness, the shirt says "Zombies: 100% Post-Consumer Human. Reduce. Re-use. Re-animate." It's his new fave t-shirt, not surprisingly!<br />
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I've got more birthday photos to come, plus some pics of our annual post-birthday camping trip to Waldo Lake. But I've barely had time to sit at the computer, let alone unload the hundreds of photos. Suffice it to say, he had a fun birthday party in the park with friends, and a great few days hiking, kayaking, and hanging out with friends at the lake. He's such an amazing young man, and I'm so lucky to have been his mom for all these years. As you can see, he's got that infectious smile and a sense of humor to match. This year has brought lots of growth and learning, both in classes and in internships. He's always game to help out a friend or a family member, especially when it comes to technology - a field in which (especially in hardware) he is quickly eclipsing my expertise. He loves to talk about subjects both frivolous and serious. This year I have especially loved when we both read the same book and discuss it. He's the kind of person you just generally enjoy being around (except when those teen hormones take over and the werewolf comes out, but I expected that!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghy-d6ylOhf8QTTXEOiVzcah5fYynUjVfel8d7r_sOg8wkrqHAF0ufvedGc8V_OG3YQqe35UIbqenDTeSKG9zUOy0O6xo-M2iJZqzOk_-GiLBpGHmbPIshSjDLSZfbqxFEnlO9Hw/s1600/feb03_bubbles_mac5_sit_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghy-d6ylOhf8QTTXEOiVzcah5fYynUjVfel8d7r_sOg8wkrqHAF0ufvedGc8V_OG3YQqe35UIbqenDTeSKG9zUOy0O6xo-M2iJZqzOk_-GiLBpGHmbPIshSjDLSZfbqxFEnlO9Hw/s320/feb03_bubbles_mac5_sit_s.jpg" /></a></div>And of course it wouldn't be a birthday post without a gratuitous photo from way back when. So here's my little guy in 2003, seven years or half his life ago. In many ways, so much the same person. In so many ways, completely different. In all ways, a beautiful person that we love very much. Happy Birthday 'Kenzie!Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-53897767361119183562010-08-26T23:44:00.000-07:002010-08-26T23:44:48.770-07:00Happy National Waffle Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpA5b1YFHZ-gaCEqjm6mCfkyKHHraKlpX96o0qsJeZkIJ6IfrGbC9U-vzDaOnEhRYdvcqT5-6Mcj0ebmW11jDTp6YevTfo18D5nYNgEIywmiMHoDJ0RjzRIlajo-H7HjrlcNfgDA/s1600/xf_10_08_26_mac_waffles1_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpA5b1YFHZ-gaCEqjm6mCfkyKHHraKlpX96o0qsJeZkIJ6IfrGbC9U-vzDaOnEhRYdvcqT5-6Mcj0ebmW11jDTp6YevTfo18D5nYNgEIywmiMHoDJ0RjzRIlajo-H7HjrlcNfgDA/s320/xf_10_08_26_mac_waffles1_s.jpg" /></a></div>This week on August 24th, Mackenzie informed me it was National Waffle Day and therefore he absolutely HAD to eat large piles of waffles. Of course, this kid would use any excuse to eat large piles of waffles, but this was a good one. In the U.S., National Waffle Day<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">is the anniversary of the first U.S. patent for a waffle iron. Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York received his patent for a "device to bake waffles" in 1869. </span><br />
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Mackenzie can, and has in fact easily put away four waffles at a sitting. I make a huge recipe up at one time, modifying my basic Betty Crocker recipe by substituting coconut flour, almond meal, flax meal, and hemp seeds for about half of the flour. Then I bake waffles for an hour or two, and put whatever he doesn't eat into the freezer in gallon freezer bags. That way at least he's got a several day supply of frozen waffles for whenever he needs some. They're far healthier and more cost-efficient than the Eggo-style waffles, but they're just as easy once they're made up and frozen.<br />
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If those don't sound appealing, here's <a href="http://www.mrbreakfast.com/recipe_collection.asp?subcategoryid=5">a great listing of over 100 waffle recipes</a>, including bacon cheddar waffles, blue corn waffles, and Belgian coconut waffles. Sounds like I might need to try some of these out and get creative!<br />
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After I watched my once-sturdy, now-skinny almost 14 year old (2 days and counting!) devour platefuls of waffles, I logged onto Facebook to find that friend Laura posted this adorable photo of our two kiddos at about age three. As you can see, Mackenzie's pastime of food obsession has a long history. But man, isn't this the cutest picture ever? It's hard to believe they're both teenagers now.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjAsYnj8-TtdsvG832J-zb0sORjJhWVQwIod6Dr01hothJI4hqyHde8X_THLVJlpEkPUew0P2DePBx8a88atokJY5ZhQKqjbk0lJaXctQmhVi98NgcI5tnLwFg3zHlOEHLsF_MA/s1600/z_mac_and_pippa_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjAsYnj8-TtdsvG832J-zb0sORjJhWVQwIod6Dr01hothJI4hqyHde8X_THLVJlpEkPUew0P2DePBx8a88atokJY5ZhQKqjbk0lJaXctQmhVi98NgcI5tnLwFg3zHlOEHLsF_MA/s400/z_mac_and_pippa_s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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I'll have to end this food-based post with a funny quote from Mackenzie. We were in the store the other day and he asked me to buy him two corn dogs. After handing him the corn dogs, I turned back to the cashier to pay for them. 30 seconds later I turned back to Mackenzie to see his hands completely empty. "Where did you put the corn dogs?" I asked, thinking he had set them down on the counter.<br />
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"Well," he replied "I was holding them in my hand. Then I heard this suctioning noise, and when I looked down there was a corndog-shaped hole in the universe where they'd been a moment before."<br />
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"Ah," I said, "was that suctioning noise perhaps you inhaling two corndogs?"<br />
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"That's within the realms of possibility" he admitted.<br />
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Life with a teenage boy. Never a dull moment, and never enough money for food!Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-68129502613561962552010-08-15T23:28:00.000-07:002010-08-15T23:28:03.709-07:00Best. Play. Ever!That was Asa's comment after seeing Macbeth tonight at Free Shakespeare in the Park. This was uttered just after the soldiers carrying branches (from Great Birnam Wood) came rushing past our picnic blankets to the battle at Dunsinane. I also heard (though this did not happen to us) that the witches came and switched stuff from people's picnic baskets and coolers, taking and leaving food as they went. What fun!<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/MacBeth-Kids-Shakespeare-Can-Fun/dp/0887532799?ie=UTF8&tag=Ironmom-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="MacBeth : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0887532799&tag=Ironmom-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=Ironmom-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0887532799" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />Mackenzie of course loves the Bard. In fact, just to torture him, I showed him this book from the (I'm not making this up) "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/MacBeth-Kids-Shakespeare-Can-Fun/dp/0887532799?ie=UTF8&tag=Ironmom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Shakespeare Can Be Fun!" series</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=Ironmom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0887532799" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />) My kids, being homeschoolers, find any of the "Learning Can Be Fun!" type stuff intensely amusing. Like our society has made learning into such a horrifying thing that we now need to dress it up in exciting ways so that kids might actually like it again. Hey, I've got an idea, how about making it Not Boring in the first place? Even fidgety Asa was more than happy to sit through Shakespeare's weighty verses because damn it, the man could write a fine play. Love, death, murder, friendship, swordfights, what's not to like?? No need to "make it fun".<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/William-Shakespeares-Macbeth-Bruce-Coville/dp/0803718993?ie=UTF8&tag=Ironmom-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="William Shakespeare's Macbeth" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0803718993&tag=Ironmom-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=Ironmom-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0803718993" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />Meanwhile, the day before going to see the play, I did check this excellent book out from the library: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/William-Shakespeares-Macbeth-Bruce-Coville/dp/0803718993?ie=UTF8&tag=Ironmom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">William Shakespeare's Macbeth</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=Ironmom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0803718993" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. It was the best re-telling of the story in the kids' section, including lots of good actual quotes from the script, and had beautiful illustrations. There are a couple of nice-looking graphic novel editions as well, but they were all checked out.We discussed the story and I think the kids were really ready to see it in its full version. Although Free Shakespeare in the Park does lack some in sets (I first saw Macbeth at the awe-inspiring Ashland Shakespeare Festival and the staging of the witches on the moors was incredible!) and costumes, one thing I like is that with being able to sit 10 feet away on a picnic blanket, for some reason it makes it seem so much more accessible. Even the language is easier to understand when you can see the actors' expressions up close and personal. They do quite a nice job with their plays, and used real swords with some nice sword-fighting choreography thrown in. The weather was warm and pleasant but not too hot, and we got to enjoy some chicken, grapes, and chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons (which has become our annual "Shakespeare treat"). Yes, Shakespeare can be fun!<br />
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</span></span>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-81934732802699644182010-08-12T13:54:00.000-07:002010-08-12T13:54:21.127-07:00The Absence of a Whirlwind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsUju2inawjsZK3MTfPoVd2Yqii9U3-DdzzOCc0VCI31icfcTaZM50YcJeVgC-JTQQVxuMMZUTNTiZ3A18iOuud1fgPgAT9WcJ7Jw493yzwmBiYpqkly-JFvFhpZtUqeTHaxaCA/s1600/xf_10_6_1_asa_dogs_couch1_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsUju2inawjsZK3MTfPoVd2Yqii9U3-DdzzOCc0VCI31icfcTaZM50YcJeVgC-JTQQVxuMMZUTNTiZ3A18iOuud1fgPgAT9WcJ7Jw493yzwmBiYpqkly-JFvFhpZtUqeTHaxaCA/s320/xf_10_6_1_asa_dogs_couch1_s.jpg" /></a></div>For the third week this summer, we are Asa-less. First there was the week at grandma's, then the week at sleep-away camp, now a week at her friend's house. It's an eerie precursor to the future when our kids will be grown and gone. The house seems so quiet. Too quiet. Asa is probably responsible for 90% of the music, talking, chaos, energy, mess, confusion, delays, and cheeriness of our household. A double-edged sword, she's an unstoppable force of nature, a whirlwind of sound and energy and love radiating in all directions. When she's home, she's here, there, and everywhere. She's petting the cats, painting a picture, singing a song, painting my toenails, leaving the radio on in her room, making pancakes and forgetting to put any of it away (the paints, the paper, the fingernail polish, the flour, the eggs, the radio, the pet food...)<br />
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I miss her very much.<br />
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But the house is clean.<br />
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And quiet.<br />
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Too quiet.Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-17952730387738402242010-08-05T23:13:00.000-07:002010-08-05T23:13:41.574-07:00A Virtual Solution to A Real World Problem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKeGikDWXzFWNQktxqg_UVPsHsn9d6FBpCXAA1WdPpK5CZWjMfkclgipvn2ti6XWuPAciPkH6UClzOtql8U-KZ34ghpMKjjISQOyOvVo3TjOEvyYgvnaBTqki6QienmMHLwNBAw/s1600/z_assassins_creed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKeGikDWXzFWNQktxqg_UVPsHsn9d6FBpCXAA1WdPpK5CZWjMfkclgipvn2ti6XWuPAciPkH6UClzOtql8U-KZ34ghpMKjjISQOyOvVo3TjOEvyYgvnaBTqki6QienmMHLwNBAw/s320/z_assassins_creed.jpg" /></a></div><br />
This is a mind-bender of epic proportions, but I think it also gives an insight into my kids' mind and how he thinks, which is very cool.<br />
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So Mackenzie just got this Xbox game from a friend, it's obviously in used condition but it seemed to play fine. Then at one point in the game, it got stuck and wouldn't let the character go any farther. As it turns out, there was a scratch on the disk. Mackenzie buffed it a little and tried again, but it still got hung up at the same point.<br />
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He reasoned that he might be able to get around this problem because, as he explained to me, games used to load an entire level at one time, which made it take a very long time each time you went to a new level. However now they buffer and load segments of the level while you're actually playing it, loading just the areas that your character is going to travel into. So he figured that there was a scratch in this area of the disk, it would probably only affect that particular area of the map in the level. So he had his character WALK AROUND THE SCRATCH. Yep, he walked way off course, down into some valley and took the long way around, and he walked around the scratch on the disk because he walked into a different map segment that wasn't scratched. Isn't that cool? It just blows my mind how entwined virtual and real can be, and provides a glimpse into the future that's kind of freaky.<br />
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It also gives me a lot of insight into the cool deductive way that my kid thinks. No wonder his favorite novels are the Sherlock Holmes series!<br />
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There have been many such examples lately that demonstrate to me how alike we are in some ways. It's no surprise that when I worked at Microsoft, Testing was my field. To be a Tester, you need to be able to understand the code and how it works, and then think of all of the different ways that you could stress that code. I'm sure he gets a fair amount of this ability from his dad the jet mechanic as well. Wayne has to do this kind of problem-solving frequently in his job. Mackenzie totally thinks like this on a daily basis. When he finds a problem, whether its hardware or software related, he starts thinking of all of the different things that could be causing it, and then starts methodically narrowing them down.He's the kind of person I would've loved to have on my team at Microsoft! What a cool kid.Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-84879715630098982492010-08-04T21:08:00.000-07:002010-08-04T21:08:36.872-07:00Yep, It HappenedHe's taller than me. 5'7" and counting...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyQTeVJJOWMHStjCkrjgf3J7pR7ca64xH7BHHlFMzHoY3e1nIy31RJriDz4_SNrBHvMsglp3Nn_6IbmiAtdxQoA7vkXamsBx6_Moy3EqeNFjCa1gVZ7-biarBUOSp8ZxsfJ2NIA/s1600/xf_10_08_01_mac_robin1_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyQTeVJJOWMHStjCkrjgf3J7pR7ca64xH7BHHlFMzHoY3e1nIy31RJriDz4_SNrBHvMsglp3Nn_6IbmiAtdxQoA7vkXamsBx6_Moy3EqeNFjCa1gVZ7-biarBUOSp8ZxsfJ2NIA/s320/xf_10_08_01_mac_robin1_s.jpg" /></a></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-27552021847978455462010-08-01T09:32:00.000-07:002010-08-01T09:32:11.651-07:00Your Cute and Funny For the DayThis one's for the kids. We loved it! But then you might guess, we're a sucker for animals...<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DRCZAkECtEo&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DRCZAkECtEo&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></span>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-78836520816265289822010-07-31T20:29:00.000-07:002010-07-31T20:29:04.409-07:00Another Sweet Kitty Comes Our Way<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0oCIll00XoYkQjKkskVCkfKQhHwRPw6DJK3lLVSmiRjJdbhdc6F4h__xJMWz2l7IYfEAq3n6NAINMuRlq7xy-5grKtd9nhhesc0mH4RFttY_YsNgsw8Dj2LU5IwcZLXc7oKVsw/s1600/xf_10_07_27_cat_miguel1_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0oCIll00XoYkQjKkskVCkfKQhHwRPw6DJK3lLVSmiRjJdbhdc6F4h__xJMWz2l7IYfEAq3n6NAINMuRlq7xy-5grKtd9nhhesc0mH4RFttY_YsNgsw8Dj2LU5IwcZLXc7oKVsw/s320/xf_10_07_27_cat_miguel1_s.jpg" /></a></div>Because we needed another animal in this family....NOT!<br />
LOL.<br />
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I was out running on Tuesday and this sweet little kitty was hanging around the trail. Another runner said it had been there at least a week. He's very skinny yet very very friendly and I felt sad for him (oh, that's always when I get in trouble, isn't it??). When I came back around after several more laps though, he had disappeared. I thought I would try calling him and lo and behold he came running after just one "here kitty kitty kitty...". I called Wayne and asked him to bring a cat carrier down to the trail, and as I sat down to wait for him, Mr. Kitty climbed right onto my lap and proceeded to purr like crazy.<br />
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A trip to the vet confirmed he's about a year old, not neutered and not micro-chipped. After putting up some "Found Cat" posters, we heard from the manager of an apartment across the street from the trail. He's been hanging around the apartment building for six months. A few of the people there feed him, but they can't have animals in their building so he has no home. Awwwww, I guess he's ours.<br />
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Just last year at about this time, Asa l<a href="http://robinsblueskies.blogspot.com/2009/06/it-is-with-heavy-heart.html">ost her beloved kitty Bandit to poisoning</a> so there was no doubt that Mr. Cuddles here was going to be hers. Sure enough, he settled onto her bed like a pro and even proved he knows what the litterbox is for. She has dubbed him Miguel, and he's a real sweetheart. So far there's been only a few minor hissing matches with the other two cats, and he hasn't quite figured out what to make of the dogs yet, but I'm trying to keep them separated as much as possible until he gets settled in. As soon as he puts on a pound or two he'll be off to get neutered, but right now he's painfully thin. He looks more like a cheetah than a house cat with his long skinny legs. I think he'll be our biggest cat once he fills out though, so the others better be nice to him now while he's relatively small and weak!Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-22222821892226852982010-07-20T12:19:00.000-07:002010-07-20T12:19:22.088-07:00The Fledglings Have FlownIt all started last week with Mackenzie going off to an overnight karate retreat, where among other things they climbed a local mountain in their karate gis and trained on top for hours. He came home tired, sore, and extremely happy to have gotten some time to train intensely with a big group of black belts. He will be testing for his brown belt in the fall, which will put him about 9 months to a year away from being able to test for black, so he has gotten very serious and excited about karate lately. As always, I'm grateful when my kids find an activity that makes their body/mind/soul healthier and more fulfilled. For Mackenzie, I think karate is a real gift, and he puts a lot of effort into doing well.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Loswp_TTDr0eNkXf1sbpLMWkS0M0CIkt4HCNXwbHasSEYqKcV5C1OUE1HkWo-HEvE_egjFwZmTSpaphvMSEDqQ4drpoXAjGSyk-rI8ip_3Kml9LE2RxBrUbS9hNPIvmkRPHt_Q/s1600/xf_10_7_19_asa_camp_harlow_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Loswp_TTDr0eNkXf1sbpLMWkS0M0CIkt4HCNXwbHasSEYqKcV5C1OUE1HkWo-HEvE_egjFwZmTSpaphvMSEDqQ4drpoXAjGSyk-rI8ip_3Kml9LE2RxBrUbS9hNPIvmkRPHt_Q/s320/xf_10_7_19_asa_camp_harlow_s.jpg" /></a></div>Now it's Asa who has fledged, leaving for her first sleep-away camp ever on Sunday afternoon. It's a church camp much like the ones I attended at her age. They'll be doing horseback riding, swimming, hiking, and all of the things that a summer camp should be. Even better, she's in a cabin with a gaggle of girls that are already friends from homeschool activities. I'm not sure they'll be getting much sleep (since when she called me last night at 11:30 pm, it sounded like the giggling had not wound down quite yet) but I know they'll be having a lot of fun, and the house just seems so quiet without her.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbohw4wCqV7kIze7ArdFCmSEI_OMUNh1phlok3wrtOdfOeDXCNZkOmFs3n0hZ93s7IHovz8_427BY8mcFdHSpv9TM7MJ0Za9E9bcj7lp45ESeAANicAoX6aD8X0ZtmU1QIIRAjQ/s1600/xf_10_7_19_asa_camp_harlow_cabin_girls_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbohw4wCqV7kIze7ArdFCmSEI_OMUNh1phlok3wrtOdfOeDXCNZkOmFs3n0hZ93s7IHovz8_427BY8mcFdHSpv9TM7MJ0Za9E9bcj7lp45ESeAANicAoX6aD8X0ZtmU1QIIRAjQ/s320/xf_10_7_19_asa_camp_harlow_cabin_girls_s.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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I'm not quite sure how our kids got so grown up and independent. I know that the conventional wisdom says that this won't happen if you don't push for it at a very early age, but that's not how it has worked out for us. Now that the kids are older, I feel compelled to share that all of the parenting books that say you have to wean your kids early, make them sleep in their own rooms while still babies, let them "cry it out" when they need attention, and other "independence-pushing" parenting strategies are simply not true. Kids find independence when they are ready for it. Asa just started sleeping in her own room not all that long ago, but here she is going away for a week with no trouble at all. The truth is, when you allow kids to come to independence on their own terms, what they earn is a true independence that they really own. It's for-real and for-keeps. It's not based on insecurities or worries about how they will be perceived or judged by their parents or peers. My fledglings have flown, just when their wings were ready. And it's fun to watch them fly!Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22908370.post-43116413910694890882010-07-15T00:28:00.001-07:002010-07-15T00:28:52.659-07:00Fun With FoodWho says you shouldn't play with your food?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJU1Tk-B-pZQ5bof7BDbqFndX3qWQtdsVMwEvY_2JSJzcfN3xF-akqiOiRHICtSiu8Abj6L0XONWVVlbdazHQ3EuogQgcII2kqgsK9_mpUWRvJXQDWuMRNMmTk72oEHbUtKFitQ/s1600/xf_10_6_18_food_pacman_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJU1Tk-B-pZQ5bof7BDbqFndX3qWQtdsVMwEvY_2JSJzcfN3xF-akqiOiRHICtSiu8Abj6L0XONWVVlbdazHQ3EuogQgcII2kqgsK9_mpUWRvJXQDWuMRNMmTk72oEHbUtKFitQ/s400/xf_10_6_18_food_pacman_s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17297237900094898777noreply@blogger.com0