If I Could Turn Back Time...

This past week dealt a lot with life in the past. Bella had her first field trip last Thursday and I came along as a chaperone. Her class and the other upper elementary classes went to a park in Lillydale that is known for having many fossils to find. I had never been there and I had a somewhat warped view of what it would be like. I pictured a park (grassy field maybe) with a section of rocks along the shores of a river where kids would sort through and find fossils. Reality was a bit more challanging. It was basically a huge park where you HIKED to find fossils. There were lots of hills including one so steep that kids had to dig their feet in to prevent sliding down, while they reached down and searched in the sand like rock for fossils. I will say there were a ton of fossils for kids to find. Mostly ancient coral and some plant stems.

It was fun spending time getting to see the dynamics of Bella's new class. She is still getting used to the new class, the new teacher and making new friends. She does know a few of the classmates from last year. Still, there is always an adjustment both for Bella and the class to understand how Bella is different with only attending half day and also having cochlear implants. I don't have many worries. Bella thrives on being social.

Adjustment at homeschool to the new year might be more of an issue. This summer we did work on some things, but Bella fought me a lot, saying, "It's summer vacation, Mom." Still I did get some math and reading in. She promised she would stop fighting me when Fall came and we returned to the regular schedule. I had my doubts. Now I am seeing those doubts were justified. Bella at age 9 1/2 is starting to exhibit some pre-teen behaviors of rebellion. No longer does she listen to what I want and comply without question. She is constantly negotiating and challenging me, especially on things she doesn't like to do. So Math has become a daily battle. She is well aware that math is hard for her and takes much more concentration and focus that she is willing to give. I have tried all avenues to get her back on track: yelling, pleading, bribing, and reasoning. I bought a book that talked about how somethings are hard, but if you keep pushing through it gets easier and you feel like you really achieved something by sticking with it. Bottom line message, "You can't give up even when things are hard." I had wondered if she had heard me, until yesterday. Things have become so hard with Bella and school, that I have seriously contemplated putting her in another setting. A traditional school with special ed support or all day at her current school with a special curriculumn. Bella said she wants to keep things like they are now. I told her I'm not sure we can do that because I don't want to fight her every day to do her work. And how does she respond? "Mom, just because things get hard, you can't just quit." So Rowe Academy continues, for now...

Last weekend, I really needed a fun day. Due to all the battles with Bella, in addition to various other incidents with the other kids, I needed a break! So Erick and I headed off to the Renaissance Festival, all by ourselves with some tickets I had won. When we told Becca we were going alone, she said it was only for families and "young people". I explained we had gone before she was born and she said, "Yeah, when you were young." Below are the pictures of some fun things we saw at the Renaissance Festival when we were acting "young".

And to top off the week, Bella has a new look. She had about 5 inches of hair cut off. Too many struggles  with tangles. Swimming has really done a number on her hair. Her hair texture is course and spongelike so it absorbs everything! We tried every expensive swimming shampoo and conditioner out there, including other shampoos for clarifying and yet there were still massive amounts of tangles. I had to fight every day to keep her hair from forming dreads underneath in the back. Was Bella excited? No, not really. But now after about 5 days, she is really happy with her new hair and says she may keep it short.

Having had a lot of focus on the past, I am ready to face the future...

Because I'm Awesome

Woke up this morning to find this wonderful, inspiring piece posted on a friend's Facebook wall. It is from a wonderful blog called Pigtail Pals. Here is the piece entitled Feeling Awesome:

There was a time when you were five years old,

and you woke up full of awesome.

 

You knew you were awesome.

 

You loved yourself.

 

You thought you were beautiful,

even with missing teeth and messy hair and mismatched socks inside your grubby sneakers.

 

You loved your body, and the things it could do.

 

You thought you were strong.

 

You knew you were smart.

  

Do you still have it?

The awesome.

 

Did someone take it from you?

Did you let them?

Did you hand it over, because someone told you weren’t beautiful enough, thin enough, smart enough, good enough?

Why the hell would you listen to them?

Did you consider they might be full of shit?

 

Wouldn’t that be nuts, to tell my little girl below that in another five or ten years she might hate herself because she doesn’t look like a starving and Photoshopped fashion model?

Or even more bizarre, that she should be sexy over smart, beautiful over bold?

Are you freaking kidding me?

 

Look at her. She is full of awesome.

 

You were, once. Maybe you still are. Maybe you are in the process of getting it back.

 

All I know is that if you aren’t waking up feeling like this about yourself, you are really missing out.

How inspiring is that? I really think in day to day parenting life, it is so easy to get caught up in the things that drive you crazy about your kids. Rushing from activity to activity, I feel more like a cattle driver than a Mom. Today I will make sure that I am helping my kids to feel AWESOME.

The Way We Were...

Is there any better way to appreciate the present, than to reflect on the past? Personally, I don't think so. I guess the kids have been feeling sentimental too as they have been digging into the big abyss of pictures in boxes on my closet floor. Sad that is where they have to go to find the old pictures. Either that or they can pop in a CD in the computer and scroll. Scrapbooking is just not my thing. I have tried, it's just not something I enjoy. I'd rather clean my house than scrapbook and for those of you who know me well, that is a very sad statement...

Here's some of the pictures of the past we have been reviewing.

The past has been on my mind quite a bit lately. Perhaps it is due to my newest obsession, "Mad Men".  I am so happy the series is on Netflix now. I love looking at how people lived in the 60's. The creators of the series are so clever to always put in things in episodes that they know will make people of today say, "Can you believe they did that"? Whether it is children playing in plastic bags and the parents getting mad that they put the dry cleaning on the floor (instead of potential asphyxiation), or having a picnic in a park and cleaning up by folding up the blanket and leaving all the trash on the grass, most episodes leave a feeling at disbelief in how attitudes have changed in the past 40 years.

School starts again Tuesday for Becca and Bella. Harry's school is under construction so he gets an extra 4 days off. Looking at all of the old pictures really puts it in perspective about how fast things change. It seems like just yesterday I was putting Becca on the bus for kindergarten. Now ten years later, she is getting her permit and heading off to be a sophomore at high-school. Yesterday, I was cleaning out Harry's closet and I found all of Harry's old football jerseys. Seems like just yesterday he was in 3rd grade, learning the rules of the game. Now, he is a 5 year veteran, headed into 7th grade with a much deeper voice. And Bella. Oh the baby of the family...Do they really ever grow up? I have long joked that we won't be celebrating any more birthdays for her since I can't handle her being older than nine. And yet, it's not really my choice, is it? Life goes on and changes whether we want it to or not. Regardless of my desires to keep Bella eternally a child, she is entering 4th grade and developing a pre teen attitude. Great... two teens and a preteen, I can hardly wait.

Hey 2011-2012 school year, ready or not, here we come!

It's Not Easy Being Green...

Learning to appreciate your differences is never easy, at any age. It can be said with certainity that some people never learn to value what makes them different from others. They become the "yes men" of the world. Always terrified to let people get too close for fear that others will see what makes them unique and special. Blending in and just existing is always easier than standing up and being seen for who and what you are. Not very interesting to be around, but much easier. As a parent, I feel it is my job to help my children appreciate their quirks and essentricities. It's what sets them apart.

Last week I watched as Bella played in the wet sand with her implants off. My heart broke a little as I watched her play. Why? Because she is learning that sometimes your differences set you apart from others, literally. Now for the backstory.

Bella was at girl scout camp in the water, swimming and playing with the other girls in her group. She didn't have the implant/water set up we use for swim team because it is a hassle to put together and as her unit leader I couldn't spare the time to get it all set. Besides swimming at camp was only 20 minutes so I thought it would be fine. Anyway, one of the teenage helpers for our group decided to play a game with the girls in the water. She tried to tell Bella the directions, but it was tough since Bella couldn't hear. Finally, Bella said, "I can't hear you without my implants." That comment in itself was pretty telling. Usually Bella fakes her way through conversations if she doesn't have her implants on. She is a great lip reader, but even so things get missed. I guess learning how to play a game and lipreading all the directions was a bit too difficult. So the teenage helper brought Bella back to play by the sand since she couldn't hear the directions for the game. The game the group finally decided to play was "Marco Polo." You know, the one where one person has their eyes closed and yells "Marco" and listens for the others to say "Polo" so they can tag someone else it? Well, that is definately limiting if you are deaf.

After it all happened, I spoke a little with her about how sometimes it is hard to be different and how some people's differences show more than others, but we all have them. I also told her it takes a lot of strength and courage to own your differences. I'm sure it is a conversation we will continue having, now that she is getting older and more self aware.

The rest of girl scout camp went great! She made lots of new friends, played games, did crafts, and ate yummy snacks. The theme this year was "Reality Twin Cities" so all of the activities were based on reality shows like Biggest Loser, Minute to Win It, Project Runway, etc. The highlights for Bella were the Cake Boss craft/snack where a team of 4 girls got to design a cake and then they got to eat the whole thing themselves. Most didn't finish theirs, but the idea of eating a whole cake was appealing to all the girls. Bella also liked climbing the rock climbing wall and of course singing all the songs. Paddling a canoe was also a big hit. I did let her keep her implants on while she was in the canoe, but did silently pray that it did not tip over.

We missed the last day due to puppy pick up. Details to follow...

Highway to Hell...

So who thinks going to pick up a puppy should be fun and enjoyable? Who thinks that a car ride to pick a puppy is a perfect time to cry, whine, and fight with your siblings? Well, apparently that is the choice my children picked. Actually, Becca wasn't really involved. It was more Bella and Harry. The true details escape me, as it a bit like having a baby. All the pain and agony fade away once you see the cute newborn.
I do have vague recollections of hitting, screaming, and hysterical crying. The puppy's breeder was in Wisconsin just past Hudson so the trip was a little over 2 hours round trip. In my mind, it seemed to go on for days...

But it was all worth it. Here's Enzo the cockapoo, finally home with his new family.

Here's Enzo's proud parents

Enzo is settling in well. Ika is good with him, but he doesn't really play with him. Ika has always been more of a person dog. He does let Enzo jump all over him, take his bones, and drink his water.

Glad to have the car ride over and start the adventures with Enzo as a Rowe...

I Go to Extremes...

Let me start by saying that yesterday the heat index for the Twin Cities was 110. Perhaps you remember just a few months ago when I posted this picture from my dash

It has certainly been a year of extremes in MN weather. In April, Harry went to a Twin's baseball game and it was snowing, on Monday he went and it was everything he could do to not get heatstroke. Wonder how this crazy weather pattern will continue.

We have been really busy the last month so my blog entries have been non existent. Here are some highlights from the past month:

AGATE LAKE


In July we went to visit the cabin in Brainerd we stay at once a year with Erick's family. It was lots of fun with plenty of good food, nice weather and time to chill and relax.


VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL


Last week our church had vacation bible school (VBS). I was on the mystery bus with (almost) 4th and 5th graders for Monday-Wednesday from 9am-4pm. Each day was a different service project, something fun and all activities were connected to a bible verse of the day. There were water games, trips to the park, a memory board craft, and service for those less fortunate. Bella had a blast and I was exhausted each night.

While I was busy on the bus, Becca and Harry were helping out at the church with VBS. Becca was in charge of arts and crafts in the morning and teaching 2nd graders in the afternoon. Harry performed as "Justin Time", the VBS bus driver each morning in a series of skits to entertain the young kids. All in all it was a very rewarding, yet tiring week.  Here's a picture of Bella and the other mystery bus participants performing in a variety show they put on for a retirement home.

FOOTBALL TRYOUTS


In the midst of our busy week of VBS, Harry had football tryouts. On the day he went, it was about 100 degrees for a heat index. Made it a little hard to believe that Fall is around the corner, but he toughed it out with the help of lots of water.  Harry had a great tryout. He had an unbelievable standing long jump of....7 feet 4 1/2 inches! To put it in perspective, most of the other 7th and 8th graders were jumping from about 5 feet 10 inches - 6 feet 2 inches. Coupled with his 40 yd dash score of 5.2, he looks to have another great season!





VALLEYFAIR


This past weekend, we went to the local amusement park, Valleyfair, with my sister and her family. It was super hot and humid, but sooo much fun. The older kids went off on their own for a few hours to ride the roller coasters. I used to ride roller coasters, but you know that drop that happens to your stomach on the way down the big hills? Well, I don't need to artificially induce that feeling anymore. As a parent, I have that feeling about twice a week... In addition to the rides, we spent time in the waterpark, and my sister and I dueled it out on some of our favorite carnival games. We did quite well and won several stuffed animals for the kids. Most importantly, the cousins will have memories from the day that will last a lifetime...

There was a sad point in the day when Bella fell, running fast to get back to Valleyfair after our picnic lunch. She landed with a very loud THUD on the concrete. She's a trooper though and shortly after returned to the fun.

As you can see from this picture. The day got to be lot for Erick. We started at 11:30am and ended at 8:30pm. A very full day.

ODDS AND ENDS


Other things keeping us busy: Becca became a referee for girl's lacrosse this season. She reffed for about 6 games and hopes to continue doing it in the future. Look how official she looks!

Harry has decided his weekly chore of mowing the lawn might be a good way of making money, so he and a friend in our neighborhood created flyers for a yard mowing service. He has had two jobs already and one is becoming weekly. It keeps him busy and he makes money. Win, win.

Bella finished up her spring/summer swim team session with Foxjets. She really improved a lot on her strokes this last few months. But there is no rest...On her six week break, she wanted to continue improving so we put her in a once a week swim team at Lifetime and a 2x a week camp at Foss to work on specific strokes. At Lifetime, she is swimming 1 1/2 hours compared with the 45 minutes at Foxjets, so when she goes back, it should seem quite easy. Here's hoping!!

It's a Good, Good Life...

Do you have a theme song? A song that you can play in your head to help you focus on what you want to achieve, be it physical or a state of mind. Right now I have been watching a lot of "Ally McBeal" via Netflix and she is always talking about her theme song. I hadn't really put a lot of thought into the whole matter until the other day when I heard the song "Good Life" by One Republic. After hearing it, I decided it is the perfect song for Summer. Not caring, letting go, enjoying life...Sure there are parts about drinking too much and blacking out, but that's for someone else's theme song...

This past weekend the Rowe's were certainly living the "good life". We went to Chicago to pick up Harry from his Costa Rica adventures. On the way, we stopped and bought a puppy. That may sound rash and totally unplanned, but I can assure you it has been in the works for a few months. So here is the new addition to the family, Enzo.

He is only 3 weeks so he won't be with us officially until the 1st week of August. He is a cockapoo puppy which I have read about being very smart and affectionate. Look for many crazy details in the coming months. For those of you wondering, we named him after the dog in "The Art of Racing in the Rain" which is one of my favorite books and a must read for anyone who hasn't already.

Below are some of pictures from our trip to Chicago. During our visit we went to Millennium Park, the Taste of Chicago, and rode the train.

In Costa Rica there is a saying people use all the time. It is "pura vida". Guess what it means? Yep, the good life. Maybe it's their theme song too...