Earth Day

Happy Earth Day everyone! Today Violet worked on some nature and art projects. We started out with some ideas of what she would do, but we got sidetracked by the straw bale sitting in the garden. We had gotten it to protect the strawberry plants and berry bushes. But we had a lot of extra. So like they always say, when life gives you straw, make a ...

Scarecrow!



Aren't they both cute?

Violet also tried her hand at nature photography. I think she did a great job:





She took a bunch of other photos too, but I figured that would give you a good overview.

It was a fun day. Hope you all enjoyed your Earth Day too!

What a basket case

I am a mess. I've forgotten my password for my work voice mail. I can't change my status to out of the office. Last time I was in the office it insisted I change the password right then and there. I did. I jotted the new password down on a little piece of yellow paper, in yellow highlighter. It was the only thing handy. I don't remember the password. I can't find the paper. I'll have to ask IT to reset my password on Monday. Meantime I head to Michigan tomorrow for a conference. I'll have to call them when I get a chance.

About a month ago I had to have IT reset another of my work passwords.

I'm constantly forgetting internet passwords and having to have them e-mailed to me. I even have my computer remember them (whenever safe, not like the online banking one). And I still lose them. I also have a handy dandy little program that I can input them into. Still, I lose them or forget them or misplace them.

I'm hopeless.

I've been totally messed up on what day it is this week. I missed the Friday night homeschool chat because I didn't realize it was Friday night until the chat was over. Part of the problem was that I played hooky from work two days. I felt lousy. It was overload.

I am mostly looking forward to the conference. Three nights in my own hotel room. But I've never been gone from Violet for that long. We'll be fine. But it will be different. I am looking forward to a couple of the educational sessions.

Let's just hope I have a regular key to my room and not a passcode. I'll forget it for sure. Three nights sleeping in the hallway doesn't sound as appealing.

Nature Art

On Earth Day, Violet is going to complete the Girl Scout badge, Outdoor Creativity. In a nutshell it is about being creative (art, poetry, writing, etc.) in and about the outdoors. She'd like to concentrate on art projects. We've thought of nature photography and painting or drawing what she sees outside. I was wondering if anyone had any not-too-difficult art projects that involve the outdoors or nature.

Holy cow, am I delinquent!

I knew it had been a while since I blogged, but I didn't realize how long. Sorry about that!

We're are still trudging along. Work is busy, but I just get done what I can each day and let everyone know how long it will take me to get to everything. I've got a lot of traveling coming up in the next two weeks, including a 3 night trip out of state. I can't wait until the end of April.

Homeschool is going well. Violet has been working hard on her multiplication facts and is really getting better. She's learned quite a few of them. She practices them while jumping and clapping in a circle. It seems to work. We've been a little lax with other subjects lately, but the weather has been nice. The Easter Bunny brought her a scooter and she's spent time outside learning to ride it. There are a few things we'd really like to get finished before the end of the school year, but for the most part, I'm not too worried about any of it. Mostly it keeps us on a schedule. The next two weeks will have a lot of extra days off.

I am coming into the home stretch for my volunteer duties with Girl Scouts. We don't have a registrar lined up yet for next year, but it isn't really my problem. I gave them plenty of notice. If no one steps up, Council will probably have to fill in. They've done it before with other service units. That's just how it goes. (And I'm guessing there isn't one Girl Scout volunteer reading this who feels the least bit sorry for Council if they have to fill in.)

Speaking of Girl Scouts, our little underground troop just completed a pottery class. It was two sessions over two weeks at a studio about an hour from here. Moms (and a couple of Grandmas and an aunt and even two brothers) participated with the girls. We made a pot on a pottery wheel and another dish formed by hand. Tuesday we painted them. The guy also showed us the kiln and talked about the whole clay process. It was a good class. The other moms are all thinking of taking more classes (and one grandma and an aunt). I'm not interested. It was fine, but honestly it wasn't my thing. I can't imagine sitting at a wheel making pot after pot. Painting was difficult because I'd forgotten my reading glasses, the lighting was poor and I could barely see the thing. (One of the other moms offered to hold it up across the six foot table for me if I did the same for her.) I'm making all these excuses because when we get our pots I plan to post photos of them. When you see me poor paint job you'll say, "Poor nearly blind Freakmom, couldn't see what she was doing."

The pottery experience led me to think about what I would like to take a class in. I couldn't come up with much, I think I'm too "thinked" out. I would love, love, love to learn to kayak. And I'd like to learn to snorkel and scuba dive. I also wouldn't mind signing up for a cooking class or two. Just causal ones. The community college near us just started a culinary program. Nothing that intense for me. On the 3-night trip, I'll get the chance to go to some programs for work. There were a few that interested me professionally (on the effects of healthcare reform and the future of continuing care retirement communities, not what I'd choose to study in my free time, but sort of interesting from a work standpoint.) But pottery, just doesn't get my enthusiasm up.

Yeah, I know there is something wrong with me, choosing healthcare reform over pottery. I'm a freak. But I'd choose cooking and kayaking long before the work topics, but if I'm stuck at a convention I might as well get some continuing education credit.

Now speaking of community college, Violet signed up for two Kids and College programs this summer: Greek Mythology and Filo clay. (I have no idea what Filo is, I really should Google it, but Violet knew and wanted to take the class right away.) The mythology is actually for kids going into 4th and 5th grades in the fall, and Violet will be 6th grade, but we contacted the program director and she said it was no problem for her to take it. I really hope they get enough kids to run the programs, we've had problems with cancellations in the past. Violet is considering two other classes, both Kids and College combined with the aforementioned new culinary program: an appetizer class and a baking class. I kind of hope she decides to take them so I can learn from what she learns.

We also signed up for another Girl Scout camp family weekend. It will be in July at the camp we've really liked in the past. Just Violet and I. It will be our "girl's getaway weekend." Now, Girl Scout camp weekend, that interests me.

Well, I don't write often, but I seem to get chatty once I do sit down to write. I apologize for not being a better Blogging Buddy lately. I'll keep trying to be better.

In the meantime, what would you like to take a class in?