May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain...

After more than a week of rain, rain, and more rain, we are blessed with this in the sky on  this Friday night. It's a beautiful thing.

Math

We started a new chapter in math in school today. It got me to thinking about how we teach math to students, and how it is so different from the way I learned how to do things when I was in school. I don't remember having so many different kinds of manipulatives to use in the classroom. In a way, it is nice that I have a different way of doing things, because I can present more than one strategy to arrive at an answer.

Relaxing Wednesday

It is raining again, so I decided to treat the kids to a Starbucks treat after school since we couldn't play outside. The kids each enjoyed a kid's hot chocolate and one of the new cake pop treats. My daughter decided to camp out in this chair and read while my son and I played some games and talked about his day.

Friends

Another Tuesday, another soccer practice for my daughter. The weather is still soggy with lots of rain showers that pop up out of nowhere. My son and I stayed at the park where practice was held just in case they had to call it because of the weather. Luckily one of my son's friends was there too. The two of them had a great time hanging out together in the pavilion as the girls practiced in the rain.

Monday, Monday

Today was full of on and off rain showers, some of them strong. During one of them I focused in on a puddle and was able to catch some of the raindrops hitting the surface. Today is also my husbands birthday. The kids and I surprised him with his favorite dessert - Tiramisu. Happy birthday, my love!

Coaching from Dad

Today is another soggy one, on and off rain for most of the day. Our daughter's game was cancelled early in the day, so when there was a break in the rain we headed to the park to play some soccer. Dad coached the kids on shooting, and they had a great time. Until the rain started again...

Soggy Soccer Saturday

It was another wet morning, but luckily it only drizzled during the game. My son had a few goals and his team played very well. Lots of passing and teamwork. It is amazing to see how much they improve over the season. Only a few weeks left!

Field Trip!

Today I was lucky enough to go along with my daughter's fourth grade class on their field trip to Indian Echo Caverns. It was an amazing place! The rock formations were incredible and the guide was great with the kids. My daughter can't wait to go back again as a family.

Reading Material

Thursdays mean both kids have soccer practice. Drop one off, drop the other off, go back to field 1 and read while I wait. Here is the reading material I brought with me today.

Pink Depression Glass

A package from my grandmother arrived today. Inside were a few pink depression glasses that have been in the family for a long time. I remember looking at these pieces when she had them displayed in the antique secretary in her home in NY. A few years ago I inherited the secretary and it stands proudly in my dining room. Today I have some glasses to put inside it. Family memories.

7

The little guy is 7 years old today. Time sure does fly. All he wanted for his birthday was to have chocolate cake with peanut butter icing from his favorite restaurant. We were happy to oblige.

Blue Skies

Ahhhh. We need more days like this.

Eye on the ball

Happy Mother's Day! Today was another gorgeous day, and my daughter had a soccer game. It was a hard fought battle of two undefeated teams. All the girls stepped up and played their hearts out. The biggest nemesis seemed to be the fact that we actually had sun and warm weather! The best part was watching the girls have fun, and seeing them smile on the field. It was a great mother's day afternoon.

On a roll

Another Saturday, another Blue Lightning soccer game. Today the sun was shining and it was a great day for soccer. And boy did those kids show up to play! They were hustling out there on the field. They were, as my son would say, "hungry for some goals." Smiles were plentiful. You can't ask for more than that.

Kid Art

This is a photograph of a piece of art work my son had in his school art show. We are so fortunate that the art teacher is patient, talented, and brings out the best in all of the students. I can't wait to frame this one.

Random

The daily shoot assignment for the day was "Illustrate randomness in a photograph today." I had no idea what to shoot until I was taking my son to soccer practice. This was a routine we have done once a week every season, same park, for four seasons. I never noticed that there was a payphone there until today. I couldn't believe it! I didn't think these things existed anymore! I took some shots of it, and then decided to see it it was functioning. It was. Absolutely unbelievable. And totally random.

Lilies

Today was teacher appreciation day at my kids school. They decided they wanted to cut some lilies from the front yard to take to their teachers. They put together two bunches and tied them with ribbon. What a beautiful reminder of spring!

Silos

I know I've said this before, but the view from the practice field is amazing. Today's daily shoot assignment was "Make a photograph of something old or aged today." The farm across the street from the field is an old one. But there is a lot of new there, too. Old barns, new barns. Old silos, new silos. New and old equipment. I decided to experiment with black and white today, and here is one of the results.

Primary Art Show and Spring Concert

Today was the first - third grade art show and concert. Our boy and his class were the farmers, do he busted out his cowboy had Nona and Papa bought for him at the farm show many years ago. As usual, the art teacher worked with the students to make some phenomenal pieces, and the music teacher created an awesome program. The kids did a fantastic job.

The Dandelion Debacle

Today my daughter's soccer team traveled play another team. We arrived at the location to find a huge dandelion field. Not tiny little dandelions, big ones that come up almost to the girls' knees. Some were pretty yellow dots, others were fully seeded and ready to fly. The grass was tall as well, so it made play interesting. Even though allergies were acting up, the girls attacked the task at hand. The girls did a great job and played a wonderful game.