Last week

So the new schedule last week went nicely. I was a tad sore and tired (stupid Aunt Flo!) on Thursday so we took the day off and just lazed about.

I have been very impressed with the kids sticking to the schedule and doing their chores and school work. Jock fights it and mutters, but does a good job of keeping up with his on-line school. Cryptic spent a lot of time with the younger two and they were just tickled. When he has limited time that he is permitted to spend doing his writing and (we had been allowing him HOURS every day and that has been drastically altered) surfing the net, he actually enters in on their games and they love his input and ideas for the games they make up and play together. The three of them spent a good amount of time out on the trampoline this week.

Clown was nervous about his gymnastics class this past Monday at noon. His coach is Russian and quite hard to understand because of the accent and also because he speaks very quietly. Clown went out onto the mats and started the warm up with everyone else. Soon he was smiling and talking quietly with the other boys. He didn't want me to take any pictures but I told him I wouldn't do it often, I just wanted some from his first class.

When they got to the rings, he was the only one who was able to just jump up from below and grab them. THEN, he was also the only one who held his body the way the coach was showing them. I felt bad for some of the other boys, they gave up and were nears tears. Clown just seemed to be a natural.




His coach told him to pull a big thing over to use to stand on so that he can jump up and reach the rings. Of course he is waving me away and saying, "NO PICTURES!" LOL





Explaining that he needs to jump up there and grab on...but first...













You will want to use some chalk on your hands so you don't slip...














WOW! You got up there the first try! Now try and grab with the other hand...















Excellent!



He just loved it and says he wants to try a few more times. At one point they were by the bars trying to do a "Pull Up" I think they said it is called. You hold on with just your hands and then try and just pull your entire body under and up and over the bar by lifting with your legs and core. The kids were struggling and struggling and the mothers were all saying how hard it is. One mother, whose kids have taken classes there for a LONG TIME said "It usually takes about a year before they can do it. It is REALLY difficult". Right after she said that, we all saw Clown flip himself over! We sat there shocked for a split second and then all the mothers and I started hooting and hollering and clapping and yelling "YAY CLOWN!!!"


Of course he went today again (was convinced he was going to vomit on the way there *sigh* but got himself calmed down once he got on the mats) and Jock and Princess came to watch him. I would rather it just be time with him and me on the drive to and from. However, he asked them to come and watch him and they were excited to see him in class. There is a class for girls going on at the same time that Princess wants to be in. I told her she is in too many things right now, this is just for Clown. She wants to drop something so she can do gymnastics! I told her once some of her eight week sessions are done, she can start this. Jock actually may join Clown in class next month. We can pay month by month and the woman who set it up from our Home Schooling Assoc. got us a screaming deal!

So Princess and Jock were impressed with Clown's abilities also. They enjoyed watching him and he was so proud to have them there:) Was cute, one time as Clown was walking past with the rest of the boys, Jock waved and just said, "Hey Clown!" and Clown beamed and looked a bit shy and waved back but was too shy to say anything back to him:)

Princess is loving her ballet and hip hop. Our Sugar cube pyramid didn't turn out that great last Monday, but that is OK, now we are onto Sumeria and working on other things with clay. Trying to make a "Sumerian Seal". We shall see how that goes!

I open up a local clubhouse for our Friday morning Science Class now. Cryptic and Jock have taken it for years and now Clown and Princess get to try. Their class is first and I have keys and meet the teacher there.


Of course Clown was a nervous wreck before class on Friday. Once he got settled and Brian started talking and teasing Princess, Clown settled right in. He raised his hand and spoke up many times and didn't even flip out or get upset when one time Brian called on him and Clown ventured, "Mandibles??" and Brian said no, that's wasn't quite right. Normally Clown would have shut down then and there and never volunteered an answer again. Not this time! We are making progress! He took it in stride and within a few minutes was answering Brian's questions again and doing his sweet shy look whenever he got something right. Which was most of the time! They are learning about insects and Clown always reads up on them. So he knew a lot of the material but of course learned plenty of new information as well. He came running inside after class and flew straight to Stud's office downstairs and told him all about the class. Again, he says he will continue all year, no need to quit after the first eight week session:)

Clown will start piano lessons soon and Cryptic is resuming his violin lessons from years ago. Princess is starting violin as well. Jock isn't playing an instrument at present.

Jock is having a good time on his new hockey team. He is Bantam this year and has five girls on his team!!! The most he has had before in one season is two, so this is different. They played their first game this past Sunday. We had issues with try-outs for the AAA team, but I won't get into that here. Maybe I mentioned it?? I don't recall.

Cryptic is taking a writing class on Fridays at 2PM, so we hope that goes well. He is not sure about sharing any of the stuff he is currently working on, since he hopes to publish it one day. I said we could just get people to sign a non-disclosure agreement! LOL He said he will just get more ideas and use those, but he really enjoys the class. Just something to help him move along and really get going with his ideas. He has amazing ideas and shares them with me on our daily walks. I can't keep up with all of them! He is really a gifted writer.

He bought a new book the other night and sucked it right down. I am going to go cuddle in bed and finish it. I started it yesterday and it is freaky how similar it is to some of the ideas Cryptic has had for his stories!

Enough rambling for now. Hope everyone had a lovely week!