Do You Remember Your Pen Pal?

When I was nine my name was in a sticker magazine and I got dozens of pen pals.  There were a couple that I stayed in contact with for several years.  I loved it!

I'm excited to let you know about an option for your kids - Pen Pal Kids Club.  Kids log in to a secure site, create their avatar, get connected to others who belong and send post cards to their new pen pals. The links are listed at the end of this.  We're kinda new to it and I can tell you a few things, but really, you should check it out for yourself.  The first 30 days are free!

"the safe social network for kids around the world"™ is the tag line on the website and I really do feel that it's a safe place for my 11 year old son.  That being said, it's always important to teach Internet safety, no matter how safe the site is supposed to be.  Also, my son is eleven and he's on the verge of too old for this, but 6 or 7 to 10 would be perfect.

There is an option to turn "private messaging" (meaning that they can directly write their own message instead of using scripted options) on or off.  Since my son is older, I turned it "on".  For kids just learning to write, this is a great place to practice (that's the teacher in me coming out).

The website has great geography games too - the whole concept is a learning opportunity.

My son selected the ones he decided to ask to be pen pals based on who was a boy, who had been on a short amount of time and actually had several penpals.  His reasoning was that if they were active on the site then they would more than likely respond to him.  I just checked and he has two responses - I can't wait to finish this so I can tell him and he can check.

I have totally held my kids back from social networking sites (even my almost eight grader) and am comfortable with Pen Pal Kids Club and am happy that I can give my younger son an alternative.

Please, check it out!  Tell me what you think.


Pen Pal Kids Club
Website: https://www.penpalkidsclub.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PenPalKidsClub
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/PenPalKidsClub

On the Homefront - May 29

A peek through my window…. The water company and a backhoe are out there!  I’m glad they aren’t here for me, but really?  Now I feel a more obligated to keep a more diligent eye on the son who will mow the front yard.

What’s going on this week… Well, we’re already part way through it!  Today – finish packing, run an errand, and go to the library and tomorrow get on a plane!

What “the boys” are doing… mowing.  L is plotting to buy a backpack from M. that he wants to use for Scouts (probably not the best purchase).  I wonder what the purchase price is because M. is paying L to mow the front yard!  Craziness.

On my mind… using my new Dayspring bag as my carry-on!  It’s so big, I’m afraid that all that will fit inside will be heavier than I want to carry.

On my bedside table… I have several books that I’ve started and not finished:  Big Miracle, What Your Childhood Memories Say About You, and The Five Love Languages of Teenagers. On our getaway though, I am going to read something completely fun and mindless!

I am richly blessed… to have enjoyed two Memorial Day invitations with friends.  One was my running partner and Scout friends and one was friends from Small Group.

I’m praying for… family members and for the upcoming school year.

Our home…  has lots and lots of suitcases.  I do need to at least vacuum it so it’s somewhat decent and has less dog hair for our housesitter, Aunt.

Menu planning… I’m having a strawberry/blueberry smoothie right now and I must say, it’s quite tasty even without the banana! Sandwiches tonight and then I think I’ll let others take care of the planning for a while!

A photo or two…

These are the enchiladas mentioned last week.  I accidentally grabbed paprika instead of chili powder when I was making the sauce!  I spooned a lot of it out and didn't notice it at all in the finished product.

Year two of the butterfly bush.  We had one right outside our front door when we lived in Albuquerque and I love them!

Aunt is five years cancer free!  We took her to lunch to celebrate.

One Thousand Gifts - May 29

#1386 - 1400

Looking at the flowers starting to bloom in the back now
My loving Hubby who planted all those flowers
Lots of new resources to read for teaching
Yummy homemade ice cream cookie sandwiches
Visiting with people we’ve known since moving here
M’s back feeling better
2 duck families and a goose family
Waking up slowly
Relearning something at church – being at different spots
Painting done – Aunt’s house looks great!
L helping me make the cucumber salad
White lilies among the yellow and red ones
The music of the wind chimes, my Mother’s Day gift
Time to sit, time to water the flowers – Time!
Childhood memories

Flashback Friday on Tuesday

This was our back yard in Kentucky.  Very small, all cement, had a storage closet, but it was fenced in!  The sand box was a loaner.  Really the only time we spent here was for the sandbox or as you can see - sidewalk chalk.  I could leave the back door open and leave the boys playing there a few minutes while I got something done in the kitchen.  I guess you don't need a lot of space to scoot around when you're not quite two!  If our back yard was small, our front yard was ginormous!  We shared it with all our fellow townhouse dwellers - it must have been bigger than a football field (no exaggeration)!  Yesterday, I asked the boys what their earliest memories were and M's was the front yard in Kentucky.  He must have spent a lot of time there or really liked it!  I look back on it and can't believe I let him play out there by himself!  Well, not quite by himself - there were many older kids out watching and playing, probably a Mom or two and at least a dozen pair of eyes watching out the windows that all faced that big green yard.

M. was either on a bike, or doing something ornery with his best friend, D.  L. spent lots of time pulling kids way bigger than him around in wagons!  It was in that yard that kids were playing when we returned from the library and M. proudly announced to everyone "See, we got Thomas.com!" when referring to the Thomas the Tank Engine books we had gotten.

Every kid loves the box most of all right?  I had to show off L's snazzy Clifford shoes.  It seems both boys wore water shoes around for every day kind of things when they were little.  Now they don't even wear their water shoes to the pool.  Go figure.  I think these shoes were found at a garage sale.   More clothing anecdotes below.  L's pajamas were the kind that the top snapped to the bottom.  I loved those!

This was typical of M. age 3- 4, he's watching a video and drinking "pink" milk (aka strawberry flavored).  For the longest time we couldn't figure out what the pink dots on the lining of the van ceiling were.  After watching closely, we noticed the sippy cups the boys used in the car were the kind with the straw that you flipped a cover over.  Every time they unflipped the cover, the straw popped up a splattered pink milk all over.  Lovely.  Sippy cups were the good 'ole days.  Pink milk made an impression on family too - they were always kind to pick up some of the flavoring before we'd visit.  Their uncle even asked last year before we went to his house if the boys were still drinking pink milk. (They take it plain or chocolate now!)

If L. is watching the video in this picture you can't tell.  It looks like he's just trying to be near his brother.  Likely he was past exhausted and should have already been put in bed!

Summer

We celebrated the end of school last night on the porch with homemade ice cream sandwiches - choc. chip cookies the boys made with choc. chip cookie dough ice cream between.  L. later made shaved ice for he and a friend - I think high doses of sugar was on their celebration agenda!

This morning I woke up at 6am to go running! (My running partner is crazy!)  I assure you this is the first time in my history of "1st day of summer vacation"s to ever get up at 6am!  We are on day two of week five of a couch to 5k program.  I'm amazed at my progress (even though this my 12th week and I'm on week 5) and I really want to make it to running a race.  Being in Joplin at a race with my family was really neat and I want to participate next time!

Both boys wanted to sign up for the summer reading program so we did that today too.  They wanted to!  I had mentally decided they were "too old" and wasn't going to say anything, but they both asked on separate occasions!  This is the best part:  if you sign up for the summer reading program, the library forgives your fines!!!!  Ah, glorious summer!

On the Home Front - Midweek

A peek through my window…. It’s a very nice late spring day – sunny, but not too hot with a bit of a breeze.  Flowers still blooming and the grass is still green.  Before ever looking out the actual window, you would see J – the dog resting her face on the window sill.  The sill is also where I put L’s school supplies he brought home.  Either he was extra careful or didn’t use them.  I’ve never seen crayon and marker boxes look so neat after a year of school.

What’s going on this week… lunch with a friend, follow-up eye appt. for L., taking some clothes for consignment (for L. to raise the last of his $ for Scout camp), and shopping before vacation for M. (because he doesn’t have any jeans or nice pants that fit).

What “the boys” are doing… they are making chocolate chip cookies for me to use for ice cream sandwiches.  M. hurt his ankle/foot today at school.  If it feels better he is going to a baseball game tomorrow night.  The good news is his back is better.

On my mind… unfortunately, it hasn’t been work!  I’ve been thinking about classroom themes, going through my school things, reading my new teaching books and lots of preparation.(thinking about it, not doing it)

On my bedside table… Big Miracle.  I don’t want to give up and just watch the movie, but it’s not light reading.  I am learning a lot about life in far north Alaska.

I am richly blessed… to have a second grade teaching position for next year!  I am also blessed to have had a nice Friday evening away with my family AND we had a room to spend the night in- mix up in reservation and we got one of two rooms left in hotel next door.  Most hotels were sold out because of Joplin Memorial Run and thousands of extra people in town for it.

I’m praying for… M. to continue feeling better – sinuses and back and for him to “bounce back” in general.

Our home…  I love the way our living room feels when the window is open and I can see out to the flowers blooming.  It’s warm, but not bad, and somewhat quiet and lazy.  It makes me want to curl up on the couch with a book.

Menu planning… Hank Zipzer Killer Cheesy Enchiladas – L. copied it from a book last year and we had it at the end of school then too.  Pork Roast/Green Beans/Black Beans, hamburgers on the grill, something chicken and a Memorial Day cookout.

A photo or two…

L completed all 23 weeks of homework and Scripture memory for church Wednesday night program.

Last band concert

After the race

One Thousand Gifts - May 21

#1380 - 1385

A good fit for me
Looking ahead
Am always thankful for a walk with my dog
L got the special plate out for me
An evening in Joplin
Rebuilding
Atmosphere of a race
L made his 5k goal
Hubby made his ½ marathon goal
Thunder basketball
God’s grace
I can run for 8 minutes
Yellow lilies blooming
Learning about new places through reading
Growing pains
Our countdown to vacation is under 2 weeks now!