Friday, August 10, 2007

Heat, Chinese Food, Homeschooling and etc...

We are back from the beach-a full five days of temperatures of 105+, and 97% humidity!!! It was fun though, the kids got to spend time with their grandparents, and also got to swim A LOT!:) They spent most days at the community pool at my folks place, and on Wednesday we ventured into the insane heat with a trip to the ocean. The heat index on the shores of Fenwick Island State Park was 115!!!! My children and I are not much on sunbathing-my legs have not seen the sun in probably 8 years-and although we slathered on serious sunblock, we all got too much sun. I was under two umbrellas, with a shirt over my legs, and I still got crisp on my legs. My daughter and middle son look like lobster faces and are already peeling. It was FUN though:)
Vacations always bring out the kid in me. Last year, two months after major surgery on my neck, I decided to play tag at the lazy river in our hotel in Va Beach. My insane competitive edge kicked in as my oldest son, Jordan, almost caught up with me. I looked up and saw a small hole cut into the giant rock formation in the center of the circular river, and in one movement, jumped up and THROUGH it!!!! It was only about a foot wide and high, and I took all the skin off of my thighs!!! Then, in effort to get away from my daughter, Skye, I dove into the water and pounded my head onto a rock wall....It was fun though....Memorable to say the least.
This vacation had us visiting one of my favorite places on earth-Ocean City Maryland. There are rides there that I have gotten on since I was 10 years old-so that's.....31 years ago!!!!!!!! Yikes!!!!:) My favorite ride, The Himalaya, plays loud music and loops you round and round while the operator yells "Do you wanna go reeeeeaaaal fast????" and everyone screams....Amazing how the operator has sounded exactly the same for over 30 years!!! I got on with my two oldest kids a few times, screamed like a 12 year old and had a BLAST:) Nothing makes you feel young like screaming on a ride:) I also got into the ocean, which I haven't done in years. I was way out, over my head to avoid getting pelted by the gravel in the breaking waves. I talked my daughter into joining me, then we decided to try to ride in on a wave...We got TRAMPLED, tristed, turned over and thrown onto the beach!!! I was lying in the sand in my bikini creaming for my eight year old to help me up out of the pit of sand that surrounded me when I got hit again and again by gravel filled waves! I was yelling and laughing so hard I couldn't get up and ended up with about three pounds of sand in my suit. That was IT for me, and I spent the rest of the day trying to get sand out of my ears.
The kids did math the whole time we were there. My mom watched as I wrangled kids in and out of the shower and into clean clothes, sitting them down in various parts of her house with their Singapore math workbooks. My daughter threw her daily math fit, acting helpless, while I ran back and forth between showers, bathrooms, and mathbooks, and just shook her head at my patience. "They would have been in school YESTERDAY" she said over and over. I just laughed and continued my running back and forth.
We have been working on Math all summer, with the older two also working on vocabulary while the younger two continuing with phonics and reading. It is making me nuts though, just trying to get those few subjects done each day-the neighborhood kids are outside riding MY kids bkes and skateboards up and down our driveway and pounding on the door every 10 minutes. I cannot WAIT for public school to start back up...Of course, we may very well take off the month of September:) I need a few weeks of peace to get my head-and lessonplans-together.
I am working doubles all weekend...Gotta run:)

2 comments:

Stacey said...

Sounds, like a typical day for me. LOL. I'm glad you geot a chance to go to the beach. OC is so much fun!

Stacey said...

Sound like you had a lot of fun. OC is so much fun. I thought I was the only one who had a "helplees " math child.