Life’s too short...to never sleep in a treehouse! 8/27 TR is up! Link in siggie

[All7OfUs]

Evan's not ADD he is ASD. Attention SEEKING disorder

Focus on the task AT HAND my friend!

I think I'm the one who needed to hear that today- focus on the task at hand!

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Good luck to Evan!!!!

My niece, whose 12, just got her balck belt in karate in May. I know it was a lot of work, not to mention $. But she didn't have to take a test!!! She wrote an essay, passed a test in front of some sort of panel of judges not from some sort of karate organization, had to pass a fitness test, including a 3 mile run, and then they did the the whole big production show thing!

I think it takes a lot of dedication from the kids and the parents!

Good luck again!

 

[eandesmom]

I think I'm the one who needed to hear that today- focus on the task at hand!

Don't we all!

Good luck to Evan!!!!

My niece, whose 12, just got her balck belt in karate in May. I know it was a lot of work, not to mention $. But she didn't have to take a test!!! She wrote an essay, passed a test in front of some sort of panel of judges not from some sort of karate organization, had to pass a fitness test, including a 3 mile run, and then they did the the whole big production show thing!

I think it takes a lot of dedication from the kids and the parents!

Good luck again!

Ugh, I posted a long response to this and apparently it never posted! Wah.

Thanks for the good wishes!

 

[MEK]

Wow cynthia -

You really have had a lot of ups and downs recently! Good luck to Evan this weekend on his black belt testing. I know its a big deal because the surgeon I work with had done several of those tests and I see how intensely he prepares. I have to say, I don't understand all the different levels, but I know its a huge deal.

As far as the Christmas tree - I am all for the fake trees. They really take that whole "mess" factor out of the house. And they go up and come down on YOUR time frame. Plus, I believe that they look just as beautiful as the real trees when decorated properly.

 

[eandesmom]

Wow cynthia -

You really have had a lot of ups and downs recently! Good luck to Evan this weekend on his black belt testing. I know its a big deal because the surgeon I work with had done several of those tests and I see how intensely he prepares. I have to say, I don't understand all the different levels, but I know its a huge deal.

As far as the Christmas tree - I am all for the fake trees. They really take that whole "mess" factor out of the house. And they go up and come down on YOUR time frame. Plus, I believe that they look just as beautiful as the real trees when decorated properly.

I'm 5 years in and still am not entirely clear on the levels myself! Though am getting a LOT better at it! Thanks for the good wishes.

A good fake tree is a fabulous thing!

 

[glennbo123]

Looks like I'm too late to post "good luck", but hopefully things went well for Evan in his Tae Kwon Do black belt test!

 

[eandesmom]

Jeff and I went to see White Christmas last night. It was SOOOO wonderful, the perfect Christmas present. Just a perfect, perfect evening. Magical.

When I'm worried and I can't sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep
Counting my blessings

When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep
Counting my blessings

I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds

If you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep
Counting your blessings


I went to sleep counting blessings instead of sheep.

Here is something I consider a blessing. It’s a poem from 2 years ago that Evan wrote. I bring it out every winter and have it displayed in the kitchen, it makes me smile.

Winter Is

The color of winter is white rainbows.

I am sledding over thick ice.​

The sound of winter is cats purring.

I am listening to soothing Jazz music.​

The sight of winter is crystals flying.

I am watching diamonds racing through the air.​

The smell of winter is a burning candle.

I am smelling the crystals flying through the air.​

The taste of winter is frozen water like ice.

I am tasting the snow that has fallen.​

The touch of winter is icy snow.

I am touching the snow that is fallen.​

The feeling of winter is good and ready to play.

I am feeling good and the new day is to come.​

No icy snow or thick ice here but soothing jazz and cats purring...new day...CHECK!

Before my update, I thought I’d share some Holiday Cheer from our house since I know I’ve been enjoying seeing everyone else’s decorations!

Our tree

The kids Disney ornaments from last year that included their “present” which was our Presidents day trip.

I am a bit of a collector when it comes to Christmas decorations
Nutcrackers

Snowglobes

Santa’s

The collection doesn't photograph well but they go up my stairs

Xmas photo's over the years

the last one is my brother and I!
And of course, the village. This is actually Jeff’s village that his mom started when Tay was born. I struggled with where to put if for years but have started putting it around the kitchen which I really enjoy, now I get to see it while I cook. We try to “theme” it….the Italian restaurant and dance hall are by the wine glasses…etc.

The boys shirts

Mine

Other than decorating the inside and outside of the house, shopping and wrapping, it’s been a busy few weeks. Mini trips, surprise spring break trips and the miracle of food and wine without a 5 hour flight at a bargain price, or then again maybe not.

A couple of updates on all that and what we've been up to recently!

DCA trip.

I went to book it a couple of days ago and found out a couple of bummer things. 1st, the only way to get those bonus miles was to pay 100% now. Not going to happen. 2nd, when it calculated our pricing it kept deleting the kids so the trip is about $300 more than I thought. Which is still a deal but….not the steal we thought. With xmas expenses all I’ve done so far is put a courtesy hold on the trip. I have until the 24th to reserve it via phone with a deposit instead of full price. I may wait until after the first of the year to see if any better deals come along, just can’t decide what to do. I’ve got my TA looking into it, she seems to think the best deals show up about 3 months out so the question is do we risk it and wait or just suck it up and book?

Jeff keeps referring to it as a “Disney” trip so I was taking that as a good sign for a DL day. In chatting though he is still pretty anti DL. And now wants to NOT tell the E’s about the August trip yet but tell them about the April one. I like the idea of surprising them for April so I’m not sure. I REALLY wish Disney did CA/FL crossover tickets, it would seem like they could really make some money with it as people would buy and not use all their dates. I’m so used to the longer period tickets that the prices for 1-2 days are painful to look at. Put it this way, the price for 3 days is the same as 2! Actually 2 dollars less. I need to check into expiration on them, it may make sense to just get the 3 if we can use them again within the year. Then again, maybe I use our “give a day” thing for DL/DCA versus the fastpass option? I need to keep that in mind when there is actual info available in Jan.

My main reason for telling the kids about the August trip now was for ADR input. Jeff wants me to just take care of it but involve his mom. So I guess that’s what I’ll do but I do worry it could mean trying to make last minute changes. However if I really think about it, that will probably happen regardless since we have 2 big variables that could change things.

• Dates…will they change?
• How many people….will Kendall and Doug both get to go?

Kendall and ODP.
She didn’t make the team for the Jan travel tournament. I pray that this motivates her but sadly am hearing her blame other reasons for it (which is 100% how her mother approaches everything) and so between that and being moved to keeper for the remainder of the season she’s not mentally in a good place with soccer right now which is hard when you’ve built your life around it. She is invited back n March for the next round of pool selection so we will see how that goes. I’m happy she has vball to fill her up in positive ways but worried about the implications of missing her soccer teams Feb tournament to do that instead and more importantly, heading into the spring season as keeper with zero training and then having to play keep for the state cup. Sigh. Not to mention the fact if she plays keep from now through then on a regular basis, she isn’t likely to do all that well in the March tryouts. So we are letting her guest play for another club in a tourney on MLK weekend.

I’m stressed for her and she does not do well under this kind of stress. It will be interesting! All this really does is cement the fact that it just doesn’t make sense for us to consider moving dates. Even if she doesn’t make ODP, those camp dates wouldn’t work, it’s peak season and the 4th of July…BLEH!

Evan
Thank you ALL for your support while I drowned in Korean martial arts terminology so I could correct his practice tests! Being the dork that I am, I have put it all into my hard drive so I don’t have to worry about losing the soft copies as this test will come again. And again and again and again depending on how far he goes. I will post an update on his test separately as this is a bit long already!

No real news on Eric and Taylor other than school issues for Tay. Suffice to say Tay is at risk of being yanked out of running start if something doesn’t change soon. I tell you, if I can’t understand why a 10 year old doesn’t understand the consequences of (in)action, I understand it less form a 17 year old when it’s about things that are supposedly very important to them.

On that note.

I whined a lot last week. By nature, I am not a whiner. Thanks for listening all, it means the world. I also want so share that I am….

Grateful.
Grateful for what I have and oddly, grateful for what I don’t. The last couple years of belt tightening and re-prioritizing has been good for me in so many many ways. We’ve been living on less than half, more recently about ¼ of what I used to make. I wouldn’t have believed it was possible 2 years ago. Learning that it is, and we will be ok, is a miracle. It has really changed my life and my families, all in good ways.

Blessed.
Blessed with health. Blessed with friends and family. Blessed with little boys bursting into carols at any given moments and cats attacking Christmas trees. So very very blessed.

Loved.
The holidays bring out the best and the worst in all of us. Some of the best though, the love just shines through it. It’s the little things. The pie making together when your 10 year old is strategizing crust designs. When your 13 year old bonus daughter actually asks you, for the first time ever, with no prompting, what YOU want for Christmas (Her asking, caring enough to ask, thinking to ask, is the best gift I could ever have).

What more can anyone ask for? What more can get us through the day? I hope all of you feel the same.

A moment with our grand gathering clan from a couple Christmases ago

Next...breaking through...update part 2

 

[glennbo123]

Thanks for sharing your decorations with us. I especially like the village!

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Beautiful, wonderful update!!

Your decorations are all beautiful!!!!

Don't you just love drama!? Sorry about Kendell and all the soccer stuff! It seems to me she's going to have some very important decisions to make in the next 6 months or so! Seems the same for Taylor. He just may need to be reminded of his priorities. Sometimes it's all to easy for kids to forget!!!

Don't worry one bit about whining (Which, I don't think you did, BTW) everyone gets a little overwhelmed and fed up every now and then! Venting can be so a relief and it's cheaper then therapy

Can't wait to hear about Evan's test!!!!

 

[winkers]

I love seeing everyone's decorations! I realy missed putting mine up this year, but it's nice being at my mom's now and knowing that I don't have to take it all down.

Don't worry about whining....even the most optomistic person has to vent occasionaly just for mental health. At least, that's what I tell myself.

 

[eandesmom]

I am exceptionally pleased to report that I am now the mother of an Internationally Certified 1st degree black belt! Or more accurately he has obtained the rank of 1st Dan.

He even gets a "license" (like a drivers license, already proudly in his wallet), official certificate from Korea, the works. I think he is prouder of that license than anything ever, in his life. It's pretty darn cool I must say.

It was not without stress, sweat and tears. It almost included blood!

Evan had been extremely concerned about only having 45 minutes to do the test. We knew from the national tests that the Head Master Instructor would let kids who requested (usually a little younger than Evan) to start early, start early and Evan wanted to ask. He said that was fine.

We arrived about 6:30, the test was supposed to start at 7. He let Evan go into the office and start early. About 5 minutes into it, he realized he had the answer key sitting right next to Evan so he made Evan start over.

Evan swears he didn't see it there.

Evan was the only one who started early so while he was taking the test the room filled up. All in all there were 10 national level 1st degree candidates, 4 international 1st degree, 2 international 2nd degree and one 3rd degree national. You can definitely see how the numbers go down, a lot stop after the national level if they make it that far. All of the 2nd and 3rd degrees were adults, the rest were a mix from age 7 to adult. So basically 17 people taking the written and then 7 taking the terminology test. Of the 7, Evan was the youngest.

The group started at 7 and at about 7:15 Evan comes out, stating he is done. He'd "quadruple" checked his work and felt good about it.

Turns out, the Head Master Instructor was full of the Christmas spirit. The terminology test was only 50 questions, instead of 100! Evan about freaked out when he saw it, and the Head Master joked that he could make him a different one if he wanted.

Since he finished so early, they corrected it right away and he had passed, getting his best terminology score so far and passing the written test as well. He missed a few he shouldn't have but all that really matters is he passed.

We headed home to grab his i-pod for the run and then to the track. We decided to do it that way since it was dark, raining and that way he wouldn't be running alone. They gave all the candidates glow sticks to wear around their neck and the parents spread out around the track with flashlights. It was WET!

Evan came home, high as a kite and we dried him off and sent him to bed. Saturday started out with a demo team performance (he is on the demo team) and then the rest of the testing. Evan did have to do the poomse (form) that he was dreading and you could tell he was surprised. He'd been told he wouldn't have to. His hands were shaking!

Which odd as this may sound, we all though was very cool, as it showed us just how important this was to him. He was very focused and intense. It's a big jump from the previous forms.

Of course Evan told me later that he was surprised to have to do it, but not nervous, that it was his "energy" coming out of his hands. The Poomse (form) is called Koryo. Some history...

Koryo (Korea) is the name of an old Korean Dynasty. The people from the Koryo-period defeated the Mongolian aggressors. Their spirit is reflected in the movements of the Poomse Koryo. Each movement of this Poomse represents the strength and energy needed to control the Mongols.

I do not have great pictures or video this time. It always varies depending on where you are sitting and I was blocked for much in the way of both pictures and video. One of the highlights was watching the 3rd degree candidate sparr with one of the instructors who is a 4th degree. It was intense! SO cool.

Of the things Evan had to do at the test (sparring, form, mystery board break and power board break) the power break was the highlight this time for me. In mystery break they have to break 6 boards in a circle, not knowing where they will be and this time he was given thicker boards and did a great job.

Power break is the last thing they do before getting their belt. They set up the belts under a small board like this.

Candidates come out and choose how much "value" to add to their belt (because only they can speak to how much value it has to them) and then must break through the value to get their belt.

Value equals boards, boards come in 3 sizes (thickness), small, medium and large and then they also have bricks!

On his national test, Evan did 2 or 3 additional small boards. This time he chose to add three LARGE boards. None of the other 1st Dan candidates came close to that level of boards and frankly I was really worried he'd gotten carried away (which happens and it's a little painful to watch, not to mention the potential for injury). All the other 1st Dan candidates were bigger, and older. Supposedly they were not supposed to take any large boards, only mediums.

getting ready

It took him three tries and some serious Mama cringing

Broken through and new belt on! With a nice bruise and a scratch to show for it. he broke the skin a little but didn't actually bleed lol. His hand was plenty sore for about 30 minutes though.

I'm bummed I don't have a better picture of it but I do have a stack of wood sitting on my counter to show for it!

Check out the brick

The 2 adult men testing (2nd and 3rd degree) both broke through bricks on the first try. It really looked like the 3rd degree candidate broke his hand, he was in pain!

My mom took a ton of pics so if I have any better ones I will post, my video of the mystery board break turned out ok but the rest are pretty lame, I was more focused on watching this time.

The did a nice job of then having all the candidates speak and thank people. Pretty cute, every single one of them talked about times when they didn't want to go and/or wanted to quite. And while there may have been (and will be) many a time Evan didn't want to go I can honestly say that he has never ever once mentioned wanting to stop or quit. He's already plotting his next belt level. He's got some work do to between now and then but we both know he can do it.

I commented afterward that he'd added a lot more "value" to this belt than the last one. He said, "yeah, last time I was a wuss"

 

[englishrose47]

Loved the decorations !!We have a large village as we combined mine and Judy's when she moved back home 6 yeas ago.
Good for Evan with the tests !!

 

[eandesmom]

Thanks for sharing your decorations with us. I especially like the village!

Thanks! Sandie sends us a piece every year, I think this years one is my favorite ever, it's a ballroom and the couples actually dance on top!

Beautiful, wonderful update!!

Your decorations are all beautiful!!!!

Don't you just love drama!? Sorry about Kendell and all the soccer stuff! It seems to me she's going to have some very important decisions to make in the next 6 months or so! Seems the same for Taylor. He just may need to be reminded of his priorities. Sometimes it's all to easy for kids to forget!!!

Don't worry one bit about whining (Which, I don't think you did, BTW) everyone gets a little overwhelmed and fed up every now and then! Venting can be so a relief and it's cheaper then therapy

Can't wait to hear about Evan's test!!!!

I do believe venting can be very very good for the soul. As long as it is venting and don't become a habit of complaining lol!

Thanks

I love seeing everyone's decorations! I realy missed putting mine up this year, but it's nice being at my mom's now and knowing that I don't have to take it all down.

Don't worry about whining....even the most optomistic person has to vent occasionaly just for mental health. At least, that's what I tell myself.

Yeah, the taking down is always so sad, and then the house looks bereft!

Loved the decorations !!We have a large village as we combined mine and Judy's when she moved back home 6 yeas ago.
Good for Evan with the tests !!

Villages are fun! Fragile but fun!

 

[Native NYer]

Congrats to Evan!

Love your Christmas decorations.

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Ok first congrats to Evan...I wanted to find out about that first...too much suspense...now I have to go read the previous post...

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Lovely, life affirming post...so much well said bravo...

Love all your holiday decorations...and I especially love the photo of you and your brother...I mean how cute is that?...

Your kitchen and mine could be cousins...we have similar color schemes and cabinets except in reverse...my cabinets are a buttery yellow and the walls are that same green...great minds...

I'm am so very happy for you that Evan made it... that is a very big accomplishment for both of you...

 

[winkers]

I'm so happy for Evan and you! As the mom Iknow you were under almost as much stress.

There's nothing like the feeling of watching your child work for something and accomplish it.

 

[eandesmom]

Congrats to Evan!

Love your Christmas decorations.

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!

Ok first congrats to Evan...I wanted to find out about that first...too much suspense...now I have to go read the previous post...

lol on the suspense, boy I'm glad that's over!

Lovely, life affirming post...so much well said bravo...

Love all your holiday decorations...and I especially love the photo of you and your brother...I mean how cute is that?...

Your kitchen and mine could be cousins...we have similar color schemes and cabinets except in reverse...my cabinets are a buttery yellow and the walls are that same green...great minds...

I'm am so very happy for you that Evan made it... that is a very big accomplishment for both of you...

Isn't that picture a riot? Evan thought it was he and Eric! My godmother gave me a huge trunk of pictures a couple of years ago and I found some fabulous ones, including that one. I love the old style velvet lined frame and everything. Evan thought it was he and Eric! Which makes sense as well...I look like boy in the picture and Evan and I look SO much alike if you look at my pictures from the same age it's a little scary. And of course we actually have gold velvet-ish chairs in our living room not entirely dissimilar to the ones in the picture (though they'd tip over if kids did that on them!) and he doesn't remember that we haven't had them his whole life so...I can get why he is confused.

Oooh I love buttery yellow cabinets! So warm and lovely. Your kitchen sounds fabulous! I love having all that color around me and since it's the room I'm in the most often, it's awfully nice to feel happy every time you walk into it.

I'm so happy for Evan and you! As the mom Iknow you were under almost as much stress.

There's nothing like the feeling of watching your child work for something and accomplish it.

It's why we do what we do, for those moments

 

[eandesmom]

Thank you HappyDog for this homemade EggNog Recipie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YUM!

Jeff is on his second

Couldn't catch his snifter for a picture before he grabbed it!



Miracle on 34th street with the kids, followed by this.

Happy Holidays!!!!!!

 

[glennbo123]

First, congratulations to Evan! Holy smokes, that was a lotta wood to break!

Now this looks GOOD!