Social Media

It just popped up out if no where. I was blind-sided.

I was trying to "lesson plan" for a history class I'm teaching this fall. A little baby wanted to help by banging on the keyboard even after I repeatedly asked him not to. So, I closed my laptop and picked up my iPhone.

When I checked my email, I had an invitation waiting for me from a friend who uses "LinkedIn". This wasn't the first. I've probably had 2 dozen invites but I usually don't have time to respond.

I was sucked in and accepted. I was then asked to see up my own profile. So I spent the next hour trying to articulate proper employment descriptions as well as my current position.

Ugh! I wasted hours of my afternoon. Darn you, social media!!! 

Summer is Here!!!

It kind of creeped up on me as it does every year. One spring day, the kids wake up and say "Can it be summer?" I look around and spontaneously decide, "Yes, let's have summer!!!"

My plan was to do one last week of school after we returned from Nationals. That would have been a miracle. No one wanted to crack open a book after we had been gone all week including the teacher. So, with only one week left, we tossed it up and called it a day :)

Scott, our resident principal, always says, "I'm not sure who enjoys summer more... You or the kids?!" Definitely me!!! It's my time to be "Fun Mommy". I'm not teacher, nag, or anything but Mom!

So, what do we do? Well, this week we have gone on 3 play dates, all of which included swimming. We went to Six Flags in the rain. That was fun. And today I am cleaning out my closet, still wearing my pj's while the kids watch PBS and play with toys.

I LOVE summer!!!!!

Out of Town Tourney

I wasn't sure if we'd even make it since it had only been two weeks since my surgery. I'm so glad we did as it has been a pleasant adventure.

Tuesday we drove up to Tulsa from DFW. By God's mercy it was an amazingly uneventful road trip. Nice weather, clear traffic, one potty break and one diaper break.

That night after a hearty dinner at Cracker Barrel, we went to the indoor pool and the kids had so much fun. By the sounds of giggles and squeals, you'd think we were at the beach.

Wednesday was freezing. It was pouring rain and the temperature did not get higher than 39F. Brrrrr! That day Wyatt had his parliamentary tournament.

Thursday and Friday were the start of the rest of the tournament. What a blessing it was to be there. I got to see these amazing kids in action. They were hard-working, focused, thoughtful, kind and respectful. I was so impressed.

In the end, Tatum ended up winning and award for serving as a Timer. Wyatt walked away with several wins and medals. I was a proud mama!

Of course the award celebration on Saturday evening went late and we left town an hour and a half late. No worries! I just rolled back into our home town at 12:30 AM. Exhausted and ready for bed. But, surely blessed!

Bestest Girlfriend Birthday

I was thirty years old and reading through a fiction series called the Sisterchicks series. A favorite book of mine was about two best friends who celebrate their 40th birthdays by vacationing together in Hawaii. What a genius idea! Glamorous, relaxing, serene.

After reading through the same book (by my recommendation of course), my oldest and dearest friend suggested we do the same. That gave us ten years to plan for this milestone birthday.

Well, things never turn out the way we plan. As the bible says "man plans his steps, but the LORD directs his path."

Fast-forward ten years... My best girlfriend's husband called me to plan to surprise his wife for her 40th birthday by flying out. Would we be meeting in a luxurious lounge in Maui or an expensive hotel on Oahu? Not on your life. We spent most of the weekend in her beautiful, yet homey living room. Chatting over noisy Lego building and a screening of Kung Fu Panda.

What had changed in those ten years that would railroad our original plans? A lot. My sweet friend had an amazing adventure adopting her youngest two kids from Ethiopia, all while raising two amazing teenagers and continuing to homeschool them. I had added three more kids to my family mix. My youngest was recently added on Valentine's day last year. So, my little guy was still nursing.

So, after all our planning for this amazingly glamorous 40th birthday celebration, it culminated in a quiet, cozy all-too-realistic visit that I wouldn't have changed for the world. We stayed up late and spent so much time catching eachother up on every detail of the latest happenings. We went shopping, got pedicures, went to dinner, had a blast.

And, now we are planning Hawaii for our 50th birthdays :) Surely, nothing could keep that from happening, right? :)

Buddy's 5th Birthday

Thursday, November 29, marked the 5th birthday of one Dallas Kapono Yuen. Sweet boy of mine. All boy. Rough and tumble. A lover and a fighter. That kid has a LOVE of life! Everything he does, he does with gusto. And he is so sure of himself. So much confidence exudes from him. He has more confidence in his pinky than most grown people have. He is amazing. I love him.

We took him to take pictures with Santa and play games/make crafts at Santa'a village. Then to a birthday dinner of his choosing: the mall food court :) He wanted Sonic. He opened presents and ate birthday cake.

"This is the best birthday EVER!" he exclaimed.

Then on Saturday, Daddy took Dallas to Lowe's to the "Build and Grow" program where they built a wooden plane from "Rise of the Guardian." Later in the day, we took the little kids to Medieval Times for a birthday dinner. While we missed big brother, Wyatt, since he was on a mission trip, we still had fun.

So blessed to celebrate God's amazing gift to us in our children :)

Fall Semester Over

Time passes so quickly. I am living life and look up--- it's already time for Thanksgiving.

We spent the semester at Dominion Equippers and that was a good choice. Wyatt was able to take Advanced Math, Physics, and World History. Tatum was able to take American Girl, Geography and Global Art. Dallas did preschool with me in the fellowship hall while Sissy and Bubba were in class.

Classes there were good and positive. Both kids got high marks and had sweet experiences. Tatum did a country report on Swaziland. Wyatt did a group presentation on Leonardo da Vinci.

With the kids' ages being so far apart, our schedule can get quite challenging. Being at DE two days a week was a little tough. I am looking to do something one day per week.

We may try a Co-op called Sonlight. Lots of folks there we know already. They meet once a week. Seems like a perfect fit. For now, we will just enjoy our Thanksgiving !

My Kids' Hard Work Pays Off!

Amidst the hustle and bustle of homeschooling my kids, we have many extra-curricular activities. My 15 year old son is involved in a Speech & Debate club. And my 8 year old daughter is a competitive gymnast.

In between coordinating field trips, planning holiday parties, escorting my kids to Chemistry or literature classes, I also make sure they get to their designated extra-curricular destination.

Wyatt spends countless hours preparing for his comedic speech duo and his team policy debate. The rewards are already turning out positively. This past weekend was his second tournament of the current competition season. Wyatt spent 5 days in Arkansas where 6 states were represented and there were 176 students competing. He ended up getting a second checkmark (it takes 2 to qualify for Nationals) in his Speech category and 4th place overall. He and his debate partner were able to secure a first checkmark and won 4 out of 6 rounds. I couldn't be prouder of him.
At his first tournament, Wyatt and his Speech partner won 1st place and proudly went home with some nice trophies.

This kid is amazing because in addition to his normal high school workload, Debate demands extra research for the ever-dry topic of "reforming revenue generating policies." He has weekly club meetings that last 5 1/2 hours and are spent practicing and being critiqued. There are also whole Saturdays spent at workshops trying to improve. In addition, he schedules time during the school week with each of his partners to iron out details and work on improvements.

Any victory he achieves, small or large, is well deserved!

As for my little Taty-bug, she just turned 8 and is a member of a gymnastics team at a local gym. She has been involved in gymnastics since she was two years old. She was asked to compete when she was four, almost five years old.

At her current gym, it is not "a given" to attend competition. The coaches ask gymnasts to compete per meet based on how they are doing at practice. Thankfully, Tatum was asked to compete at the first meet of the season in December. She was one of 5 girls on her team of 11 asked to compete at that State Invitational. She did a super job getting three silver and 1 gold, helping her team achieve "overall gold."

We had spent many Saturdays at various clinics for her to work on her back handspring and other tumbling techniques. She also spends more than 8 hours a week at her normal practices, conditioning and working on routines for bars, beam, floor and vault. Many nights Tatum comes home exhausted physically and mentally. But she loves it and can't wait to get back whenever there is a break.

I am so proud of my little Tatybug because she has been asked to compete this weekend as well as next month. Her hard work is paying off!!

As for Tatum's and Wyatt's little brother, Dallas, his only job right now is to be 4 years old and enjoy it. Though he is already planning his future by asking us all if we can make it to Ranger Stadium when he is playing his ball game. :) I'm so proud of them all!!!