7 Quick Takes Friday ~ End of Summer Edition

First off, thanks to everyone who commented on Michael's post last week. We both appreciate your taking the time to leave encouraging feedback. I almost have him convinced that writing can be fun!

~ 1 ~

We've all been doing a lot of lazing about lately.   

This has to do with all of us having a bit of a cold/mystery illness and also just being worn out by summer.  It really flew by, didn't it? I am loving having the windows open again, though, even if the insane pollen count nearly kills me. It's worth it.  

~ 2 ~ 

Benjamin is pulling up! On everything!

Is he giving himself a "thumbs up" in that picture? 

He is rather proud of himself.  He's also capable of getting into even more trouble now.  Hooray.

He thinks he's ready for the big boy Lego sets. 

~ 3 ~ 

I feel like I'm already running out of things to say and I'm only on number three.  

~ 4 ~

 This is one of Michael's recent Etch-A-Sketch masterpieces:

It's the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars.  Obviously. 

Also, I think it's ridiculous that he can draw that well, especially on an Etch-A-Sketch.

I can draw a box. On a good day.

Here's another recent drawing:

That would be a fireplace scene, complete with dog curled up on one of the chairs. It's really hard to get a picture that does it justice. 

Space shuttle blasting off. 

Again, hard to get a good picture of an Etch-A-Sketch drawing.  

My brother gave us the idea to look up Etch-A-Sketch videos on YouTube and if you have nothing better to do and need yet another way to waste time on the computer, then you should check it out.  There are some mad Etch-A-Sketch skills out there! Including very detailed portraits of just about any famous person you can think of. Crazy.

~ 4 ~

My son's new math curriculum arrived in the mail this week and it was packed in the "noodles" made with cornstarch. 

Uh. Who cares, Dori?

In a moment of mommy genius I was able to somehow pull from the vast depths of my brain an idea that led to an afternoon of crafty goodness for the boys.

Yes, it's a Millennium Falcon. Yes, the boys are obsessed with it.

Damp sponge + cornstarch packing "noodles" = several hours of imaginative fun!

If only I'd had more "noodles," I could have gotten at least another afternoon of peace and quiet out of them. Of course, there was the added stress of making sure none of the pieces were on the floor so that Benjamin couldn't choke to death.  Fortunately, he was otherwise occupied.

~ 5 ~

Recently, Michael wanted to give feeding the baby a try. 

They both seemed just fine with that arrangement.  I think the novelty wore off after just one feeding, though.

 

Oh well.

~ 6 ~ 

Me and the boys are going to Florida next week! 

We're all excited and looking forward to the adventure and time with family.  I suppose it's bitter-sweet, though, since the trip is to see a relative who is very old and may not be in our lives much longer.   

~ 7 ~ 

We'll be officially starting our new school year after our trip. 

And after we recover from the trip.  I almost have our school area organized. The challenge is to keep things accessible to the boys and out of Benjamin's reach. 

I hope your school year is off to a great start whether you home school, have kids attending school, are a teacher or a student!

 

~ Dori