Inventor Extraordinaire….

Simon has been going to Camp Invention all week and LOVING every minute of it. I'm thrilled he loves it, because Ben hated it. I had a feeling it would be right up Simon's alley though. He has come home every day inspired to create things, which has been both super cool and rather annoying.

For two days, he has been searching the house for wheels or something to use as wheels and we was asking me every five minutes. He wanted to attach them to a board to make the beginnings of a skateboard/hoverboard. (he also wants a "wind dispenser for it… but anyway…) I was at the hardware store yesterday for some other things and walked by the aisle with the wheels and casters and whatnot… I grabbed a set, a nice-sized board and some screws. He found them on the table when he got home and was SO excited. I helped him with my drill and he put it all together. :)

It has inspired me to find some more little projects we can do together that involve real tools. (in the past, we've gotten kits that involve little nails and wood glue… but he's ready to like *actually* build things now, I think)

I've been saying it since he was two… and I think I was right. He is definitely our little builder/ engineer!

Camp Gymtastic!

Last day of Camp Gym-tastic. My kids love this little camp! :)  Only one of the summer for us!

Our One and Only Camp....

Some people fill their summers with various camps for their kids. Part of me would love to do that for the structure it would bring to our lives... but my kids can't hang at camp. Well, Ben definitely can't, anyway... and I'm gun-shy because of it. He is a notorious camp dropout.  I don't get it. As ridiculously difficult as I was as a kid about a lot of things like that, I LOVED camp. But whatever. To each his own.

Simon has put in a request to go to Camp Invention next year, and I may let him do that because he might actually be the one to love it with his knack for building things and whatnot.  He's so unpredictable though, as is evidenced by how excited he was about our one and only camp, having had to watch Ben go last year and beg and plead to go but couldn't because he was too young.... only to scream and cry and latch onto me the first day. So you just never know -- and camps are expensive!

So Camp Gym-tastic. It was awesome and wonderful and low-key as usual. After his initial trepidation, Simon actually had a blast. He was upset on Friday because it was the last day. (eyeroll). He made a new friend named Oliver... (he talked about him ALL week). They became such good buddies that the gym teacher even made sure to mention it to me at pickup on the last day. I'm THRILLED because Simon has had a really hard time with friends lately... making them, finding compatible ones... that sort of thing and he has been kind of lonely. He really could use a good friend. Oliver is going into first grade too and goes to the same school. (was just in a different K class last year) The mom came up to me at pickup and said Oliver talked about Simon all week too so we're working on setting up a playdate. :o)

So ALL good things from Camp Gym-tastic this year!

As is camp tradition,  they played extra water games and had popsicles on the last day.

And also as per camp tradition, younger siblings who follow the gym teacher around saying, "I want a popsicle too pwease? Pwease?" and just basically look pitiful get a popsicle too.

Threefer---

Haven't updated in awhile... so here's a three-fer! :)

Let's see...

Ben -- Ben started a little one-week camp on Monday at his school run by the gym teacher. It's like little boy heaven. I suppose it's heaven for some little girls too, and there are plenty of them there, but mostly, it looks like little boy heaven.  You see, it's the Whittle equipment. Not sure if schools outside of our county have this or not, but it's this massive, room-sized climbing/rope swing/cargo net/monkey bar/gym mat/structure. Ben says they played some organized games, but mostly they are just allowed to go nuts on it the entire three hours. It's his idea of a perfect camp. His quote at the end of yesterday? "There was NOTHING that was boring... NOTHING!"  LOL. It helps that a lot of his old neighborhood friends are participating too and a kid or two from his class and some from our pool.

In other Ben news, there is no clear-cut obsession right now. Yes, we are in that heavenly place called "obsession limbo" where we anxiously await what's next. I spend a lot of time trying to keep video games out of the running...  HATE the video game obsessions. The science-y ones are way more fun for the rest of us... ;)



Simon -- Simon has truly been the angel-child lately. I don't know what else to say... he's obedient and pleasant.  My only issue with him lately has been getting him to clean up his Legos.

He says he will definitely go to the camp Ben is going to when he is old enough (next summer).  I have felt bad for him this summer... not old enough to do any of the special things I found for Ben to do and I didn't find anything interesting that just he could do, other than swimming lessons. Speaking of swimming lessons, he made HUGE progress just this past Saturday, which was our last one until fall. He swam halfway across the pool AND stopped to breathe without being reminded. He was pretty proud of himself, and rightly so. I'm pretty sure next summer, I will have two kids ready to take the deep-end test. Not sure I'm ready for that though. It's so easy to watch them in the shallow end! ;)


Jonathan -- Jonathan has been relatively easy lately too.... by Jonathan standards, anyway. Learning some consistent words has definitely cut down on the all out screaming fits. He even woke up in the middle of the night two nights ago, REALLY upset and when Tom went in to help, I heard him say over the monitor that he was cold. Tom covered him up and that was that. WOOHOO!

I think there is possibly some two-year-molar action though because he's been gnawing on his hands like a fiend and sometimes waking up upset and asking for medicine. (by pointing to his bathroom where we keep it) I can't feel anything back there but that doesn't mean anything....

Trying to decide what to get him for his birthday and leaning toward a little Casio full keyboard piano. He really doesn't need any toys, honestly... and I think he would love the piano and maybe eventually learn to play...  the other boys might like it too? We'll see... still undecided...

So that's my update. Off to get everyone ready to take Ben to camp and figure out how to spend the day!

Camp Invention 2012

Well, I am proud to say that Ben made it through the full week this year! Hooray! And by day two, he wasn't complaining anymore and was actually excited about what he had done there when I picked him up every day.

He loved all the different activities this year and loved his two counselors. I didn't realize until this year that EVERY actual teacher working there is a teacher from his school. That was nice. There were five of them and three of them knew him, at least in passing. Bonus. It made him feel really comfortable too, which helped a lot.

It's an awesome camp and I would send him again in a heartbeat, but he says he doesn't want to do it again next year even though he had a great time, but we'll see. Maybe we'll find something new and different for next summer.

Here he is with his camp trophy and his "invention". He calls it a Denti-blood-luna and, as far as I can tell, you put shark teeth in the top and it sharpens them and makes them so humans can wear them and be sharks.

Yes, the shark obsession is ebbing some, but still continues...

Science Camp Dropout....

After a great day on Wednesday, I took Ben to camp yesterday and he FREAKED out and wouldn't stay. It was the same story I was getting from him with school this year -- "No one likes me. No one will let me be part of their group." He cried and cried. The counselors were exactly ZERO help, seeing this all going on and me trying to pry him off my leg and get him to sit down, and not coming over to offer any encouragement in the least. I was completely on my own.

I had the other two boys with me too, of course and, for some reason, Simon decided to just walk out. I looked over to where he had been standing, next to Jonathan's stroller and he was just GONE. I scanned the crowd thinking I'd see his hair any second but he was NOWHERE. I was getting ready to enlist the help of the camp director when another mom, who thankfully, I knew from preschool, came walking in with him. She said she'd found him in the parking lot screaming. Lovely. What came over him that he decided to walk out without me is just beyond me. But that's a moment I'd rather not relive.

At any rate, between all that and Ben who just refused to sit down and instead just followed me around with tears in his eyes insisting he wasn't staying, I just gave up... though not without consequences. I told him if he left with me, I was taking away his Nintendo DS and I wouldn't tell him for how long. He left anyway.

I don't know what to do with this kid. He was genuinely upset and feeling alone and left out there, that I know. But he seems to have this problem EVERYWHERE, so it's clearly not always the situation, but his issue. There was even another little boy there who he knew from preschool and basketball who was ALSO completely alone and with whom Ben had kind of been hanging with the other three days. I don't know why he wouldn't just stick with that little boy! But no... he left poor little Jack sitting alone at a table looking all forlorn. I actually felt sorrier for Jack than I did for Ben yesterday. LOL.

I kind of think, from now on, if we enroll Ben in these kinds of things, he HAS to be with someone he knows well in order to feel safe and confident. As a complete introvert, I actually do get that. I just wish he would learn to cope like I did as a kid... by taking up with whatever other kid is wandering around alone. LOL.

Tom's annoyed that he has quit yet another thing. I'm annoyed, but I get it. .I don't know what I could have done differently yesterday though, honestly... especially without support from the staff and with no one to supervise the other two while I dealt with the situation.

Argh. Parenting is HARD!

Good Day.

Ben appears to have had a decent day at camp today and he hasn't turned evil and weepy on me... yet.

That kid Sammy is still being mean to him, but Ben seems to be handling it better. He kinda just shrugged it all off today, though he said he doesn't understand why the counselors never say anything to him. I don't either. Well, actually I do... it's probably because they are busy flirting with each other and being teenagers because as I recall from my junior counselor days, that's what junior counselors do. Today it appeared the junior counselors spent a significant amount of time in arts and crafts (which is where today's Ben/Sammy encounters happened) doodling all over each others' legs with markers. Yes, I remember those days fondly. Arts and Crafts was when we really slacked off because the kids were in the hands of the Arts and Crafts director.

Neither here nor there. They are teenagers. (not looking forward to having any of those of my own, btw)

But anyway, it does mean it's time to take matters into my own hands.

One of these three camp mornings that are left, I am going to wait around until this Sammy kid's mom leaves and I am going to kneel down beside him on the little wooden bench and tell him to leave my kid the heck alone.

Also to be noted, this new baby is NOT going to be named Samuel or any derivation thereof. It was a possibility there for awhile, but has now, most definitely, been nixed from the list. Sorry to all the other Sams out there that one bad seed ruins the name for me forever!

Two Days of Camp....

... and Ben is already completely exhausted. I'm letting him skip today, mostly because it's now 9:30, which is past the time we usually leave and he is actually STILL sleeping. THis is the kid who is usually up by 7a.m., 7:30 at the very latest. I'm interested to see just how long he WILL sleep!!

ETA: He slept until 10:00! I'm pretty sure he has never done that in his entire six years. Sheesh.

The After Photos...

Coming up the hill with his group...




And the "long fun day at camp" face... I anticipate good sleep tonight. ;)


He says he had fun and actually shared details about his day, which is rare. Lots of swimming, loved the Bible story (they make them SO funny) and the puppet show, lukewarm on the arts and crafts, and they did archery! WOOHOO!

First Day of Camp...

Forgot to take a pic in front of the house, which I'm kicking myself for because I have a picture of me at the same age on MY first day of camp on the front steps of our old apartment.


Anyway, here are Ben and Ryan (my friend Jen's little boy) all situated with their group. They settled in quickly and I can already tell they are going to like the male senior counselor for their group. WHen I left they were in a heated discussion of who was more powerful, Batman or Superman. LOL.


Ran into lots of people we knew while we were there, including a mom from Simon's preschool class whose oldest little boy was probably assigned to Ben and Ryan's group, though I didn't stay to find out... also ran into Becky! (Hi, Becky!!!)

Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda...

Today is Ben's first day at the camp I went to when I was his age! ( and where I worked and spent many a summer day and evening through much of middle school and part of high school.)

He's pretty excited... mostly because he's seen and heard a lot about camp lately on various tv shows he and Simon watch and because I mentioned once that they do archery. BOY do I hope they do archery with the 6 and 7-year-olds. LOL. I remember doing it with even younger kids when I worked there, so I'm kinda counting on it.

I need the break. He needs the stimulation. So this is WIN -- WIN. ;)

I only hope he doesn't wuss out in the heat. The counselors do a great job of alternating the activities indoors and outdoors, plus there is swimming once or twice during the day and they spend some time in this wonderfully cool, shady wooded area singing songs and learning Bible verses, so I *think* he'll do okay... I just hope he's not one big ball of tired complaining when he gets home. Crossing my fingers!

Pictures to come. :)

ETA: This morning is NOT going well. FIrst, SImon woke up at 6:20 because he was soaking wet, having peed right through his Pullup. Of course, this meant he was awake for the day. He cried when I changed him into other jammies because he wanted different ones. Then he started crying later when I dressed him because he did not like my clothing choice, and that lasted for nearly an hour straight, during which time he also threw a bin of Legos and several puzzles across the room and was put in two different time outs... the crying escalated to full-on screaming.

Somewhere between the jammie incident and the getting dressed incident, Ben woke up. He was in a decent enough mood, until I tried to brush his hair and teeth and I had to hear about how he doesn't like how I wet his hair or how I brush his hair. Then he didn't want the toothpaste he ALWAYS uses. Then he started crying because the excema on his arm was bothering him, but how dare I try to put cream on it?! I offered a bandaid over top to keep him from scratching at it, and he screamed at the very idea.

WTH? It's only 9a.m. and I already want to run away and let them both fend for themselves today!