Winding Down

Two weeks left of school before Christmas break, and the homework is flying. Christian has been very busy every night and has had some kind of test almost every day. Last night, there was a bit of a pause in the action, and we finished his last book report for this quarter. It was four long pages and took about an hour, much to his dismay. We have a lot of geography to do, so I am hoping he makes some major headway on that tonight. He likes geography, but so far, the tests have not been easy for him. He has made a couple of Cs. All of those cultural and weather concepts are not easy for him. The latest chapter is on the United States. We’ll see how well he does on it.

Update: We got through most everything with ease this weekend, including the geography and a detailed map of Quebec. All we have left now is to type up a rough draft by the 18th. Christian made an A on his big body systems test, a major feat considering all of the anatomy and functions he had to learn. He has all As right now. Not sure if that will hold, but he is trying.

Lego League is now over. The team did not qualify for the state finals. They were all new to the competition, so maybe next year! Good job to Christian and his team for giving it their all!

Homework, Homework, Homework

For three days now, Christian has had two to three hours of homework a night. Last night, he had a worksheet to finish for geography, several math problems to do, some pages to do in his science book, plus a quiz to study for, a paragraph to write for English, and a test to study for over The Little Prince. He also had to do some French. We have been busting our chops to get things done.

Lego League is also getting heavy. The team has a skit and a presentation to prepare before the first week of December. There are two to three meetings to attend each week as well. Christian seems to be having a really good time, though, and he is even contemplating trying out for the team again next year.

Keep your fingers crossed that Christian gets a bit of a break from the homework this weekend. He could use it, especially with the four-hour Lego scrimmage on Saturday afternoon.

Happy Halloween

 Although very little has been made of the holiday in the media, our kids are looking forward to it tomorrow anyway. Tori is going to be a zebra, with pink piping, of course. Eli is going to be a ninja turtle, and Christian, believe it or not, is going this year as Iron Man. That’s right. After two years of swearing off trick-or-treating, he is going. And, it was all his doing. He saw the costume at Walmart, and we got it. He has worn it a few times since then and made his brother jealous. Eli wishes he had been a superhero, too, instead of a turtle. We were not going to dish out more money for a costume, so the kid next door gave him a Power Ranger costume he had outgrown. He has been wearing that, but you can tell he wishes he had gotten Spider Man, the Hulk or something else.

Anyway, the kids have “fall” parties at school and then they come home and get ready to go out around the neighborhood. Last year, Eli had a broken leg and did not go. I took Tori around. This year, all three are going and they want their Dad to take them around. I get to stand at the door and hand out treats.

Tonight, we are celebrating Christmas early. My friend and I never got around to getting together last year, so this year, we are getting together at McDonalds and exchanging presents from last year. The kids are kind of confused about it, but they will figure it out.

Christian is also celebrating today and Friday. Today he is at a party for getting all of his assignments in. Friday he is going to a party for honor roll. He made As in everything but math. He made a B in that. Way to go, Christian!

Off to The Park

Christian is off to the park today with his Big. This is the second day for the Bigs and Littles to hang out at Sommer Park. They are having hot dogs, lemonade, brownies and whatever else is in his lunch sack. He was pretty excited about the day of fun when we left this morning.

Every Thursday afternoon is Lego League. This Thursday, Christian and his team got their crane to move. He was very excited! As for the school front, he is doing better in science and doing ok in math. They are working on bar graphs, line graphs and more right now, so that seems to be easier for him. He tends to overthink things, and that could be some of the issue he has been having with the math tests.

We’re getting there.

Routine Setting In

It’s midway through the first quarter, and Christian finally has a routine going. He has a better handle on his teachers’ expectations, and he hasn’t forgotten books or supplies in a while. He seems more settled, and we are making quick work of his extra projects.

Christian had his first Lego League meeting last Thursday and couldn’t stop talking about it. He has another meeting this Thursday. His team already knows what they want to make and are eager to get started. I hope they have a good time and do well in the competition in December.

Uh-Oh

We’re on week 2, and for the most part, Christian has tackled everything well. Unfortunately, he had some trouble in science and failed a test. He had no idea how to take notes, got upset and missed the information regarding the scientific method. He knew he was going to fail and he did. His teacher gave him the test to redo at home and get a better grade. That’s the least I have heard of it. Tonight is Back to School Night, so maybe I will learn more. He brought home his science book yesterday, and everything went much more smoothly. We taught him how to take notes, and the book will help. He just was not ready for a lesson and test on the fly.

First 5

We survived the first five days of school, and it was quite the rollercoaster ride for all of us. Christian had the best time of everyone I believe. He rode the bus to school on Monday, went through orientation and told us everything about his day after school. He was so busy he didn’t even get to go to the bathroom. We ran back to the school to help him set up his locker shelves—not so easy—and then we picked up the other two. Read their blogs for information about that.

Christian gets on and off the bus himself. Grandma watched for a couple of days and now Christian is a pro. He gets picked up in the morning around 7 and gets dropped off around 3:30. He is the last to be picked up and the last to get dropped off, so he has a bit of a bus ride in the afternoon.

Christian loves changing classes and teachers on the hour. He hates the hot school. It was built in the 1960s and lacks air conditioning. Fans and windows help, but on days in the 90s, he says he is drenched in sweat. Poor guy!

All in all, Christian had a good first week.

Bigs/Littles

Christian’s school has a mentoring program and very soon he will get to meet his Big. Hopefully, they get along well because Christian could use some reassurance. I can sense the anxiety building in him every time we talk about the start of school. He is dreading all of the homework, but hopefully, it won’t be that bad. Keep your fingers crossed!

Christian’s youngest uncle got married this past weekend and is on his honeymoon now I believe. The kids and I did not go—too much traveling for them—but we did want to wish T.J. and his new wife, Morgan, all the best in the coming years. Thanks for taking time out to visit with the kids and hang out with them. They won’t forget the time spent wrestling with you and going to the pool. May you and Morgan have many wonderful years together!

Off to Kansas City

Huts is going to his brother’s wedding this weekend. One day up, one day there and one day back. Too much traveling for our kids, so we are staying home. We’re going to clean up the house and practice bike riding. Christian and Tori are also going to see the Smurfs movie with their aunt.

Just three more weekends and school begins. Christian gets an hour to take a tour of his new school and put away things in his locker the week before. There is also a picnic, a back-to-school night and some other things coming up.

The best part is the school has a mentor program, so Christian will pair up with an older student who will show him the ropes! That’s got to be good for Christian. He can be pretty shy.

Coming Along

Christian passed his swim class as well. He cannot swim as well as Tori, but he passed. It is harder for him because he is not as coordinated and has such long limbs.

We’re still working on the biking. He is fearful, very fearful of falling, which is holding him back. He doesn’t want us to let go, even though we can tell he is doing it.

Can he tie a shoe? Yes, and has he been reading that book I thought he was ignoring, yes! He is nearly done with the book now.

More Shopping

We’ve only been shopping for school stuff for about a week, but it seems like forever. We found polo shirts online last weekend, school supplies at Walmart on Monday, shoes Thursday night at Shoe Carnival and we’re off to Hobby Lobby for art supplies tonight and to a few stores for pants and shorts (uniforms). The kids are hanging in there, but they are sure to get tired of it all very soon. A few people have mentioned it being too early to shop, but there are only three weeks left and shelves are emptying fast.

Christian has a birthday party to go to this weekend. It is Ruben’s, and Matthew next door is also invited. For three hours, the guys will get to bowl. Lucky Ruben’s mom and grandparents with all of the kids he has probably invited. Fun, fun for them!

Not Ready, Never Ready

Unlike his sister, Christian is not ready to head back to school. He is going to a great school this year, but that hasn’t changed his opinion of school. We bought him a book he is supposed to read over the summer and he has yet to touch it. So, if he goes to school the first day and gets into trouble because he did not read a single book, he’ll have to deal with it. I keep telling this school is going to deal him more homework than ever, but as usual, he is going to have to see it to believe it. I can tell from the supply list there is a lot, A LOT, going on.

Christian tried his uniforms on last night. No go. Everything was too short. He looked rather funny, so it’s all new clothes for him. At least this year he gets to wear royal blue and gold if he wishes.

Funny, Funny Boy

Christian is a good kid, but occasionally, he falls apart and has a meltdown. This was the case on Saturday morning before a friend arrived for the weekend. Christian has seen a lot of this friend this summer and he wasn’t in the mood to see more of him, or so he thought. Eli heard his complaints and was all ready to let the friend know to play with him. I tried to distract Eli, but it was tough. The friend arrived, Eli started yammering, Christian broke down in tears and chaos ensued. Eventually, Christian got it together and had a great time with his friend. They played all weekend long up until the friend’s mother arrived late on Sunday night. There were very few fights, other than with Eli—he wants so badly to be a big kid. Christian went to bed happy and stayed home this morning to rest up. He promised Eli he would play with him tonight. That made Eli happy and he went off to the sitter’s without complaint.

Brownie Boy

The kids love brownies. It doesn't take them long to realize when they are baking. “I smell brownies,” Eli always says. The other day, I pulled a box out of the cabinet and sat it on the counter top. I was going to make them later. Christian saw the box and wanted to know if he could make them. And, make them he did. By the time Huts got down to the kitchen, Christian had most of the work done. He loves to cook and bake, and he is getting to the point where he can do many tasks on his own, including following the directions on the back of the box. He even put the pan in the oven himself this time. He took his time and was very careful, but he got the pan in. I don't think he is ready to deal with hot pans quite yet, but he will get there. He has a genuine interest in the culinary world, and sometimes I wonder if he will consider becoming a chef one day.

Habitual

Christian is very habitual. He has a routine and he does not like to deviate from it. Travis discovered this in St. Louis this weekend when he got Christian a sandwich from Subway. Christian likes the kids’ turkey and cheese, and we generally order it for him. He had no idea that he could get other types of bread or cheese and freaked when Travis started asking him about that. He kept telling Travis he had to go ask his dad. Amused, Travis told him they could figure this all out, and they did. But, apparently, the change in routine and the multiple questions threw him for a loop. His eyes were big as saucers, and the panic was setting in. Funny boy! We have told this story twice now, and Christian sees how silly he was acting.

They're Back!

We picked up the kids on Saturday, and they all said they had a great time. They came back with some nice stuff and some nice memories. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Lucy, Uncle Tony and everyone else. Christian came back a lot more relaxed. He is now wearing shorts again and asked for Pop-Tarts this morning instead of his usual cereal. He said he tried lots of different things at Grandma’s, and that’s good.

Of course, I got a lesson on what Legos go with what Legos in his room. I got quite a few wrong when I moved them around and added more shelves. He fixed them and he is very happy that he has more room for future Legos.

Too Quiet

The kids have been gone for about a week now. It was tough for me to leave them, and it has been tough for me to be without them this week. While I have enjoyed having less to pick up, I have missed their voices terribly. Our house has been super quiet, and it is very odd. We are so used to three voices ringing out and little feet running up and down the stairs that we don’t how to act when it is all gone. I suppose we’ll learn one day when the nest is empty. Until then, I am going to enjoy all of the action.

Rolling Right Along

June has begun, and we’re rolling along. Huts and I have nearly completed our to-do list for the house, and we’re getting ready to turn our focus to the kids, helping them learn to ride their bikes and identify letters (Eli). Tori can basically ride her bike. She just needs to conquer her fear of falling. Christian needs to conquer his need to do it right then and there. He gets frustrated when things do not come easily to him. Tori has always been more athletic than Christian, so it is no surprise that she almost has it down. She is also starting ballet this week. Hopefully she has a good time doing that and does not expect too much at first. Eli appears to be the most athletic of the three so we will see what happens next year with his bike, He may be ready for the training wheels to come off before we are.

Last Day

The kids had their last day of school today—a half day. There were all kinds of things scheduled for the morning. Movies, crafts and board games. Plus, after-care was taking place afterwards, but the kids skipped out on that and went to lunch with their dad. I am certain they are super happy to be done for a few months,

Yesterday was the 4th grade party. Christian said there were games, a bounce house that stunk and more. He seemed to have a good time, and he came home with a bag of freebie coupons from various restaurants.

He also came home with a backpack jammed with supplies he hardly touched and some that were so used they went right into the trash. He received a couple of awards and a free ticket to Six Flags, which is great since we are going there in a couple of weeks.

A Lot Going On

The Erickson household has been very busy with the end of school. We finally learned that Christian made it into the gifted school. Kudos for him. He is very happy and looking forward to a whole new school and breed of kids. He is hoping to join the Lego League—right up his alley. Maybe he will do a few other things as he gets more used to the school and the routine. It is going to be hard, but good for him. He is ready for a challenge.

Christian had a campout this weekend with the Scouts. It rained, of course, but Christian and his dad were troopers and stuck it out. Huts got the worst of it, I think, sleeping in a wet sleeping bag, but they made it. Christian said he sort of had a good time, which is pretty awesome for him.

Christian’s friend, Ruben, may be staying at our house some weekends this summer, maybe even this weekend. His mom works long weekend hours sometimes and asked us if we would watch him. Ruben and Christian usually have fun together, so we said yes. Hopefully, two long days won’t be too much for them.

Just Maybe

Christian has been struggling with calories for months now, trying to keep his in check so he doesn’t get fat or have health problems later. He has learned a lot about nutrition this year, more bad than good, and that has altered his eating habits big time. He lost some weight and everyone started to get really concerned, including his teacher. We tried several things to get him back on track, and finally, I think we have found a good solution. We are counting his calories with a goal of 1800 or more each day to help him maintain and gain some weight. So far, it is working, and there has been tremendous changes in Christian’s attitude and his outlook. He says he feels better and he seems happier. It’s nice to have the old Christian back. Hopefully, he can maintain this pattern.

Christian is looking forward to this weekend. The toy store is having a Lego demo and the comic book store is handing out free comic books. Huts and Christian are going to check them out and have some father-son time. Not sure what Tori, Eli and I are going to do, but I am sure we will figure out something.

Waiting Waiting Waiting

We got Christian’s scores for the gifted school. He scored above average on all areas but one. He was happy, we’re happy—now, if they would just tell us where he is going to school this fall. We really don’t want to put him through Mark Bills orientation, and then find out he is going elsewhere, and have to put him through another orientation. Ugh. I really need to know so I buy the right color of shirts for him as well. Mark Bills is navy and white, similar to Charter Oak. Washington has yellow as an option, too, I believe. I don’t know how keen Christian is on yellow, so maybe I should just stick to navy.

Christian turns 10 very soon. He has his eye on some new Lego sets coming out here soon. The Man of Steele, Space something or another, etc. He is creating quite the collection as you all know.

So Annoying

Eli was making a lot of noise this morning in the car, opening and shutting a case. At one point, Christian could not resist telling Eli how annoying he was being, to which Huts replied that Christian could never be annoying. Christian, of course, did not catch on to the sarcasm. I reminded him then how annoying he had been the weeks before when he bashed the punch ball around while reading the iPad. He would punch the ball for 15 minutes or more every time he got onto the iPad. It didn’t matter who else was in the room or if they were watching TV or trying to read. Punch, punch, punch, punch, punch! Ughhh! Christian thought this was funny and left for school happy.

Seven Weeks and Counting

Less than two months and the kids will be out of school. Boy, are they ready. The summer begins with a trip to Pittsburg for an anniversary party followed by a week at Grandma Marie’s. Then they come home, and we begin planning Tori’s birthday party. After that is the 4th of July. We are staying home this year—Hooray! Somewhere in there is a bonfire at Annie’s house, and loads of swimming over the summer there. No camp this year. Eli is not yet 5, and Christian and Tori opted out. I think they all just want to enjoy the 11 weeks they have off before school begins again. Poor kids. They get less than three months off. I remember getting a bit more than that.

Getting Better

Christian has not felt well for a while now. We thought it was because of the snacks he cut from his diet, and it might have been. Then he got a cold and strep throat. Then he had some allergy issues. Now, he appears to be on the mend. He hasn't coughed much, he is eating and drinking, and his skin is less dry and clearer. He also says that he is feeling better, so I hope this is a sign of better things to come. Now if he would just stop getting so bent out of shape over the smallest things, like spilling his water on the sofa this morning. He can be very high strung at times, resistant to the slightest change. Hopefully this will ease as he gets into his teen years.

On another note, Christian is doing very well in school, waiting to see whether he goes to advanced classes at Mark Bills or the gifted school. He just completed all of the math exercises online, so now he gets to do some easier stuff. That’s a relief for him and for me. He also remains dedicated to Legos. He bought several sets in Chicago with his birthday money, even one with over 1600 pieces. He had that done in less than four hours. He still has some space for future sets, but I can already tell we may have to look into other options. Crazy! Maybe he will become a Lego designer one day. He was digging the guy who was teaching the builder class at the Lego Discovery Center in Chicago.

Yep, I sat in on that class with him. The instructor was fabulous. The project was easy. Christian had a good time and we bought the pod racer he made. He had no problems following the steps and finished early. Good thing, too, because I had no idea what pieces the instructor was talking about.

Roller Coaster Ride

Christian is a very good boy, according to his teacher. This quality usually serves him well, but not with food. Every Monday at Latchkey, someone from 4-H presents a topic on nutrition. For instance, one week, the discussion was on body fat and they actually brought in examples of real fat. Christian, the good boy that he is, takes everything they say to heart and tries to follow it religiously. For months now, he has watched every calorie, cut out all snacks and sweets, and exercised often. He has lost some weight, which is not a good thing for him. Christian has very little body fat, and if he is like some of his family members, he will never have to really worry about weight gain. But, the feeling of not wanting to get fat and following what he has been told pervades. It has gotten so bad that we have had to make him eat snacks. Last night after he came home feeling tired and lousy, I made him eat a big dinner and later a decent sized snack. He wolfed all of it down. He was hungry, of course, but I don’t think he realized it. So, tonight, the snacks will continue—not too many, but enough to keep Christian healthy.

Still The Lego King

Christian still loves Lego's.  After a brief waning of interest, it picked up again around Christmas time.  They had some of the new sets out right before Christmas and now any time he looks at Lego's it becomes a conundrum of which set he would like.  He currently likes the Ninja Turtle sets, Legends of Chima (mostly the bad guys) and some of the new Super Hero sets.  

He's also gotten picky about certain sets.  He recently found a penguin minifigure on ebay that he wanted.  It had to be the old version of penguin, not the new one.  He'll scour ebay for Lego sets all the time.  Sometimes to just look and sometimes he finds something.  We are in trouble!

He's also gotten into the Lego Academy builder sets.  They all come with a book explaining things about lego's and designs.  I'm not sure if he reads them, but he definitely likes them.  They are different from anything Lego offers in their store.  This summer we plan to go to Chicago and go to the Lego Discovery Center, which I'm sure will be the highlight of Christian's trip.  Maybe he'll find something to work with his lego motors, switches and lights he got for Christmas.

No Fun

Christmas was pretty subdued at the Erickson house because we were ALL sick. We had coughs, colds, chills and all of that fun stuff. We were so miserable, in fact, we told almost everyone to stay away. Annie and Dale braved it and got sick. They passed it to Darin. Marie and Steve braved it and got sick. They went to bed early on New Year’s Eve. Travis and Diane were willing but got snowed in. So did Frank. Mom managed to escape it but ended up with something else in the hospital. She just got home today. This is one Christmas none of us cares to repeat.