Kickball

We've found a group as unathletic as us and joined forces to have fun anyway.  I've actually discovered there are a few people even slightly less athletic than my children, and I won't mention any names, but we get together with them once a week on Fridays for 2 whole hours of wholesome recreational activities.  I want to emphasize the root word of the word activities.  My sedentary girls have had sore legs for a few days after our "active activity" 3 weeks in a row.  I , super duper athletic Rebecca, have been teaching the first unit--kickball.  It has been surprisingly challenging.  The concept of moving your feet or arms to get a ball if it doesn't come right to you, understanding that you can't run and run all over the field if someone is trying to tag you, that two people from the same team that are runners cannot share the same base, but two people from opposing teams can share a base, and many many more aspects of the game have stumped my girls and the other kids. 



We are meeting with 3 other families.  2 families are in my ward.  My friend Katie has three kids she's homeschooling.  Paige age 11, Spencer age 9, and Megan age 8.  My second or third Sunday at church Katie came up to me, held out her hand and said, "My name is Katie and I want to homeschool and I want to be your friend." You gotta love a girl who cuts through the small talk and gets right to the point.  We talked and talked about homeschooling and I introduced her to Sky Mountain (our wonderful charter school that gives us funds and resources to make homeschooling super affordable).  My friend Kristin is homeschooling one of her daughters--Camilla age 10.  Kristin is the ward choir conductor and we work very closely at church.  I introduced her to homeschooling and Sky Mountain and she is trying it out with her daughter first.  Her three boys are in school.  If we are lucky she'll take the rest out next year and we will have more kids to have fun with.  Lastly, Cameron age 10, we met at WISH. WISH is our weekly co-op we attend every Tuesday.  His mother Racheal and I were fast friends.  She homeschools her two sons.  Her other son Gabe has down syndrome, and is fighting leukemia!   Those are the kids that make up our little PE co-op.  I'm super excited about it.  The girls are having fun and moving. 
 As for me life is pretty good.  It's raining today for the first time in a month.  I finally joined my ward's bookclub.  I have missed reading so much.  Last month we read Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, and no, unfortunately it has nothing to do with Pettigrew in Harry Potter...sigh....I really miss those guys.  It was good.  I enjoyed it.  This month is a little more fun though.  It's a murder mystery and I don't think I've ever really read a murder mystery, unless you count Great Expectations by the great and wonderful Charles Dickens.  The book is called The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.  It's funny, British, and from the perspective of an 11 year old.  It isn't juvenile fiction though.  I found it in the adult mystery section at the library.   I also have started teaching again.  I had no idea how much I missed it.  I have 4 piano students.  3 boys and 1 girl, ranging in age from 5-14.  I want to cover those adorable little boys in kisses. Don't worry though, I refrain.  I really haven't spent much time with little boys.  I really think I would like a little boy with blonde curls (Steve had blond curls...a very long time ago).   Anna made dinner last night--cheesy potato soup.  We ate it with Aliese's bread.  My life is very strange.  Strange in that my children are growing up.  Aliese is turning 14 in a few weeks.  I might have to pay her to go to her first dance.  She asked me if she has to go to dances like she has to go to mutual.  I told her it wasn't mandatory.  She's so good.  If I told her the Lord expected her to go to the dance, I know she would.  I can't wait for her to get her driver's license.  I'm ready now.  Steve took me to the Twilight movie the other night.  The first part of the 4th book, can't remember the name.  Anyway, why oh why haven't they got any better.  When I think of what Hollywood did with Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, I am very confused about the patheticness of the Twilight movies.  They were bestsellers.  Why are they terrible movies.  20 minutes into it, I turned to my poor husband who hasn't read the books, or seen any of the movies, and told him I wouldn't be offended if he took a nap.  At least it was at the cheap theater.  I can still see the make-up on Edward!  What is the problem?  Aliese does a great job covering up her pimples and I can't see the makeup.  I think she uses Cover Girl--you know really expensive...not.  Why can't they do a better job.  Please, give us a satisfying last movie.  I haven't purchased one.  Very sad.  They could've been good too.  Maybe they should remake them with animation.  Now that's a good idea.  Disney could save us, and then they could do a Twilight ride at Disneyland!  Or a Twilight inspired Fantasmic, or World of Color!  A Twilight as good as Tangled!  With music.  Jacob and Edward could really sing some heart wrenching solos.  Then there could be exciting fighting scenes with the vampires singing and the werewolves singing throwing each other all over the place.  That is what we need.  It's stopped raining.  I think I'm going to go out and walk to the gym.