Thursday, November 19, 2015
D up early 5:30 – it’s raining pretty steady out there. I got up with him and helped him get out the door and to his car with his sprained ankle. It looks better but I know it is sore and tender. This is a big client that he meets with today and it is a 2 hour drive probably without the rain. So he took out early in the dark and rain to make sure he had enough time. He took ice packs and an ace wrap (that I bought yesterday) on the road – today no coffee just water. I stayed up and updated photos to the blog and enjoyed the quietness of sleeping kids and rain on the RV roof which is quite a soothing sound actually. I got tired about 90 minutes into my morning and closed my eyes. I woke up an hour later – it was nice to just chill out. I knew with the rain that we would have a nice school day atmosphere. With traffic in this town and this heavy rain – I had no desire to go out in it. So I let the kids wake up on their own naturally. Everyone seemed in a good mood. We enjoyed breakfast together and our morning meditation / bible/ journaling before anyone started getting grumpy about the rest of their school work.
Franki got the PC first for Kahn Academy and to work on her airplane report. She wanted to work in the back room since dad was gone for the am. That was fine as everything annoyed her about us and school. Q sat at the front table and Mena slept on the big bed out in the front room and asked me not to tuck it away yet. So we used dad’s lap desk and worked from the bed. She worked on her Virginia report and one of her books that has math, reading and some writing. She did pretty well.
I sat with Q to show him some work that we needed to review together. He read one of his book battle books maybe a chapter or 2. He spent time online on Kahn Academy and did one of his books with math and English. He worked on his airplane report as well….doing some online research about airplane racing and the Nemesis. He learned a lot and found some videos of it racing. We all reflected on yesterday’s Air and Space visit and they were really curious about the Space Shuttle Challenger. I shared with them where I was when that terrible tragedy happened. I was a JR in High School in study hall watching it on TV as there was a teacher in flight this time. It was sad and emotional and literally just disintegrated in thin air as it was cruising to outer space. We were all in shock as was the announcers on TV. Q pulled up video and asked if they could watch it. We all 4 watched it together. There is a school by our house named after the teacher that lost her life that day on the Challenger. It was cool for them to fully understand that tragedy with the Challenger and to see it and appreciate the sacrifice made by those astronauts. We also had a great discussion about living life in each moment of everyday as you never know when or how it can all be over. They had some interesting questions and felt bad for the families. It was a bitter sweet moment for us.
I also spent some 1 on 1 time with Franki. I started some books with Franki on emotions and girls and their changing bodies. I think that is really what we might be dealing with as she is extremely emotional. It was fun to work through a unit in that material all alone with her in the back room. I look forward to several more. She warmed up a bit…but still had attitude – I am just going to try to remain persistently calm as we work through the material. The journal entries she did were funny as it asked what she was angry at and she wrote “everything”. There was another question that asked, “if you could change something in the world what would you change?” She once again stated, “everything”. Maybe it’s just her standard answer but I am learning to be patient – some days are better than others. Today we worked through it ok for our first lesson.
When we were done, I released them all to the great outdoors – it was still grey and raining but it was mostly sprinkling now verses heavy rain. With the ground saturated, they all ended up down at the Karleen’s Airstream. I checked in a few times but Tara said they were fine. She had some great games that they were all enjoying. I took in some yoga and downloaded more photos to the website. I enjoyed some quiet time, in the rain on the RV all alone. Ahhhh….sigh, breathe, re-energize yourself. Dawson returned to the RV around 3:30 and said it was still crazy traffic with all the rain. He said he had a productive meeting but was ready to get his foot on ice again.
Prior to the work day ending and while the rain was still coming down but getting much lighter I looked out the window of the RV to a portion of a rainbow…it was bright and amazing! I went out like several other folks in the RV park and took photos. It was a full rainbow that seemed like it was just for those of us in the RV park. It was gorgeous, bright and so peaceful. I have never seen a rainbow quite like it! It was magical. I almost felt like I was on the other side of it…..you know, “somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true!”
Dawson worked about 2 more hours and then we had a family adventure planned with the Karleen’s. There was an IKEA on the highway exit by our RV park. Funny thing is we have a new IKEA at home now and I have never taken Dawson or the kids there but I have been there twice once with Brenda and another time by myself. Part of the reason I didn’t want to take them is because I knew they would love so many things in there. Well now on an RV we don’t need all the things they will love. Anyway, IKEA is the evening outing – close by, we can have dinner and release some energy walking through the store. I was worried about Dawson’s ankle but he said he would be good. Kids wanted him to get a wheelchair or a scooter but he didn’t want to do that.
We enjoyed dinner first and then we walked the entire IKEA maze seeing some great ideas and functional furniture. The Karleen’s had a short list of items they wanted to get and we said we would get some small glass drinking glasses and some microwaveable bowls if they had some. Well we found both items and few more things. A small step-stool for Mena to help with dishes and some more dish towels. Everyone found things they want to get “when we get home mom”! After about 2 hours or so in the store we called it a wrap. It was a fun way to get out and have an adventure on a wet rainy foggy night.
The boys rode home with the Karleen’s and the girls were with Dawson and me. Back home the girls all got their swimsuits on to head back to the hot tub for round 2. Tara surprised the kids with some Klondike ice cream bars after their dip in the hot tub. The Karleen’s came back to hang out a while in our RV and we enjoyed our new glasses with a night cap drink. The girls decided they needed to have a sleep over with Kaia and they wanted to stay at our place and sleep in the big pull out bed. They wanted the boys to go down to the Airstream. And well, Tara and Dan were ok with it and so we let them have a sleep over. Tara and Kaia walked down to get her stuff and the boys wanted to play xbox a little longer. We let them play another 20 minutes and then Summer and I walked them down to the Karleen’s Airstream to have the boys end their night tucked in down there.
The girls were cute giggling as we turned out the lights out front to call it a night. Tomorrow is our last day in DC – we leave on Saturday am. So much we could still try to fit in but we did see a lot of Washington DC. This is a place we will visit again in the future. I would like to go to Mt Vernon but it is going to be a cool day tomorrow. The Karleen’s have already been there, so I don’t know if my kids will want to go because they will want to hang out with the Karleen’s. I can hear it now, mom, we want to do something with them since we will all have to say good bye tomorrow.
I will let them pick and I will talk to Tara about some ideas that she might have. Good night for now.
Somewhere over the rainbow….dreams come true…….
And I’m living my dream……
Tiffany & Crew
D up early 5:30 – it’s raining pretty steady out there. I got up with him and helped him get out the door and to his car with his sprained ankle. It looks better but I know it is sore and tender. This is a big client that he meets with today and it is a 2 hour drive probably without the rain. So he took out early in the dark and rain to make sure he had enough time. He took ice packs and an ace wrap (that I bought yesterday) on the road – today no coffee just water. I stayed up and updated photos to the blog and enjoyed the quietness of sleeping kids and rain on the RV roof which is quite a soothing sound actually. I got tired about 90 minutes into my morning and closed my eyes. I woke up an hour later – it was nice to just chill out. I knew with the rain that we would have a nice school day atmosphere. With traffic in this town and this heavy rain – I had no desire to go out in it. So I let the kids wake up on their own naturally. Everyone seemed in a good mood. We enjoyed breakfast together and our morning meditation / bible/ journaling before anyone started getting grumpy about the rest of their school work.
Franki got the PC first for Kahn Academy and to work on her airplane report. She wanted to work in the back room since dad was gone for the am. That was fine as everything annoyed her about us and school. Q sat at the front table and Mena slept on the big bed out in the front room and asked me not to tuck it away yet. So we used dad’s lap desk and worked from the bed. She worked on her Virginia report and one of her books that has math, reading and some writing. She did pretty well.
I sat with Q to show him some work that we needed to review together. He read one of his book battle books maybe a chapter or 2. He spent time online on Kahn Academy and did one of his books with math and English. He worked on his airplane report as well….doing some online research about airplane racing and the Nemesis. He learned a lot and found some videos of it racing. We all reflected on yesterday’s Air and Space visit and they were really curious about the Space Shuttle Challenger. I shared with them where I was when that terrible tragedy happened. I was a JR in High School in study hall watching it on TV as there was a teacher in flight this time. It was sad and emotional and literally just disintegrated in thin air as it was cruising to outer space. We were all in shock as was the announcers on TV. Q pulled up video and asked if they could watch it. We all 4 watched it together. There is a school by our house named after the teacher that lost her life that day on the Challenger. It was cool for them to fully understand that tragedy with the Challenger and to see it and appreciate the sacrifice made by those astronauts. We also had a great discussion about living life in each moment of everyday as you never know when or how it can all be over. They had some interesting questions and felt bad for the families. It was a bitter sweet moment for us.
I also spent some 1 on 1 time with Franki. I started some books with Franki on emotions and girls and their changing bodies. I think that is really what we might be dealing with as she is extremely emotional. It was fun to work through a unit in that material all alone with her in the back room. I look forward to several more. She warmed up a bit…but still had attitude – I am just going to try to remain persistently calm as we work through the material. The journal entries she did were funny as it asked what she was angry at and she wrote “everything”. There was another question that asked, “if you could change something in the world what would you change?” She once again stated, “everything”. Maybe it’s just her standard answer but I am learning to be patient – some days are better than others. Today we worked through it ok for our first lesson.
When we were done, I released them all to the great outdoors – it was still grey and raining but it was mostly sprinkling now verses heavy rain. With the ground saturated, they all ended up down at the Karleen’s Airstream. I checked in a few times but Tara said they were fine. She had some great games that they were all enjoying. I took in some yoga and downloaded more photos to the website. I enjoyed some quiet time, in the rain on the RV all alone. Ahhhh….sigh, breathe, re-energize yourself. Dawson returned to the RV around 3:30 and said it was still crazy traffic with all the rain. He said he had a productive meeting but was ready to get his foot on ice again.
Prior to the work day ending and while the rain was still coming down but getting much lighter I looked out the window of the RV to a portion of a rainbow…it was bright and amazing! I went out like several other folks in the RV park and took photos. It was a full rainbow that seemed like it was just for those of us in the RV park. It was gorgeous, bright and so peaceful. I have never seen a rainbow quite like it! It was magical. I almost felt like I was on the other side of it…..you know, “somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true!”
Dawson worked about 2 more hours and then we had a family adventure planned with the Karleen’s. There was an IKEA on the highway exit by our RV park. Funny thing is we have a new IKEA at home now and I have never taken Dawson or the kids there but I have been there twice once with Brenda and another time by myself. Part of the reason I didn’t want to take them is because I knew they would love so many things in there. Well now on an RV we don’t need all the things they will love. Anyway, IKEA is the evening outing – close by, we can have dinner and release some energy walking through the store. I was worried about Dawson’s ankle but he said he would be good. Kids wanted him to get a wheelchair or a scooter but he didn’t want to do that.
We enjoyed dinner first and then we walked the entire IKEA maze seeing some great ideas and functional furniture. The Karleen’s had a short list of items they wanted to get and we said we would get some small glass drinking glasses and some microwaveable bowls if they had some. Well we found both items and few more things. A small step-stool for Mena to help with dishes and some more dish towels. Everyone found things they want to get “when we get home mom”! After about 2 hours or so in the store we called it a wrap. It was a fun way to get out and have an adventure on a wet rainy foggy night.
The boys rode home with the Karleen’s and the girls were with Dawson and me. Back home the girls all got their swimsuits on to head back to the hot tub for round 2. Tara surprised the kids with some Klondike ice cream bars after their dip in the hot tub. The Karleen’s came back to hang out a while in our RV and we enjoyed our new glasses with a night cap drink. The girls decided they needed to have a sleep over with Kaia and they wanted to stay at our place and sleep in the big pull out bed. They wanted the boys to go down to the Airstream. And well, Tara and Dan were ok with it and so we let them have a sleep over. Tara and Kaia walked down to get her stuff and the boys wanted to play xbox a little longer. We let them play another 20 minutes and then Summer and I walked them down to the Karleen’s Airstream to have the boys end their night tucked in down there.
The girls were cute giggling as we turned out the lights out front to call it a night. Tomorrow is our last day in DC – we leave on Saturday am. So much we could still try to fit in but we did see a lot of Washington DC. This is a place we will visit again in the future. I would like to go to Mt Vernon but it is going to be a cool day tomorrow. The Karleen’s have already been there, so I don’t know if my kids will want to go because they will want to hang out with the Karleen’s. I can hear it now, mom, we want to do something with them since we will all have to say good bye tomorrow.
I will let them pick and I will talk to Tara about some ideas that she might have. Good night for now.
Somewhere over the rainbow….dreams come true…….
And I’m living my dream……
Tiffany & Crew
Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow
Blue birds fly
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Dreams really do come true ooh oh
Someday I'll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me
Oh, somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
And the dream that you dare to,
Oh why, oh why can't I?
Well I see trees of green and red roses too,
I'll watch them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Well I see skies of blue
And I see clouds of white
And the brightness of day
I like the dark
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people passing by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying, "How do you do?"
They're really saying, I...I love you
I hear babies cry and I watch them grow,
They'll learn much more than we'll know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world world
Someday I'll wish upon a star,
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney top
That's where you'll find me
Oh, somewhere over the rainbow way up high
And the dream that you dare to, why, oh why can't I? I?
Way up high
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow
Blue birds fly
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Dreams really do come true ooh oh
Someday I'll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me
Oh, somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
And the dream that you dare to,
Oh why, oh why can't I?
Well I see trees of green and red roses too,
I'll watch them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Well I see skies of blue
And I see clouds of white
And the brightness of day
I like the dark
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people passing by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying, "How do you do?"
They're really saying, I...I love you
I hear babies cry and I watch them grow,
They'll learn much more than we'll know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world world
Someday I'll wish upon a star,
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney top
That's where you'll find me
Oh, somewhere over the rainbow way up high
And the dream that you dare to, why, oh why can't I? I?