Happy Birthday to my AWESOME son!

Today is my son's birthday and it is a FANTASTIC birthday for him!

My son took part in the Idaho Math Cup hosted by Apangea Learning these past few weeks. For 4 weeks, the kids who signed up were to do as much math as they could or a specified period of time.
The class that passed the most "threads" of math wins the cup, but there were also individual prizes. The winning class received dinner and movie gift cards and the Math Cup and individual regional winners had the choice between a Wii, an iPod Touch, or a $200 Walmart Gift Card.

My son's class started this competition over a week later than everyone else. When my son first started, he was discouraged to see that there were already people that had done a lot of math. He said that he was sure they did not have a chance at winning. I'm sure there were other kids that felt the same way.

The kids worked hard as individuals, but my son's class worked hard as a team. They racked up points and the competition was fierce, but more importantly, throughout the competition his class sent emails back and forth supporting and encouraging everyone else in the class. I have *never* seen such support in a classroom before - and this is a "virtual" class. NONE of these kids have met each other. Okay, I shouldn't say none, because I'm sure some of them have met. But these kids in his class are scattered all over the state.

By the third week of the Math Cup, my son's class had risen the ranks to the top ten classes! And shortly afterward, they were in a neck and neck race for first place.

Math Cup finally ended Oct. 24th at midnight. I tell you what, these kids were DEDICATED! A few of them stayed up until midnight to do as much as they could. Including my son. They sent emails back and forth encouraging each other and cheering...all through the late hours of the night.

Monday came and everyone was nervous to see the results. Breakfast came and went, and there were no results yet. Lunch came and went and no one knew who won. And then dinner. The kids were getting antsy... I know *I* was! LOL

Then by chance, I happened to see on Facebook, they posted the results.....

Team ALP of Idaho Virtual Academy (my son's class) WON THE 2010 MATH CUP!!
His class won the cup, won dinner and movie gift cards, and t-shirts too.

What was even better?? My son was MVP (Most Valuable Player - or Person) and he could choose from a Wii, iPod Touch, or $200 Walmart Gift Card!!

What a great birthday for him! But we are VERY VERY proud of him and all of his hard work and dedication to the competition and to his classmates!

Next blog will probably be about how "mom" got hurt playing on the Wii! LOL

Reminiscing

The other night when my hubby was home, we were lying in bed talking about things that we did when we were younger. Somehow we got on the subject of old people...well, they were old when we were little.

Somehow, we came to the conclusion that there was always some "old" person who had old cookies set out on the table.

Next to the bowl of plastic fruit.

Next to the crystal bowl of peanuts that had been there for years.

Next to the jar of ribbon candy that was so old, they all stuck together.

And somehow... that bowl of plastic fruit was really inviting. My hubby told me how he would chew on those plastic grapes. So did I. Admit it...you know you have always wanted to chew those plastic grapes...we all have. HAHA!

I think I'll get a bowl of plastic fruit for entertainment!

Dirty Little Secrets

We all have dirty little secrets. You know, those quirky little things about ourselves or things we like that we don't want anyone to know about. Maybe we are afraid of what people will think about us if they knew about our little secrets or maybe it's not common and we just don't fit in with the rest of society. Everyone has them.

My dirty little secret is that I am really the heiress to an enormous fortune and castle in Europe and that's why my husband married me. But the strange thing was, I could not lay claim to my inheritance until my son reaches the age of 18. So in the meantime, my castle and fortune are laying dormant in the hills of another country. One I have not yet been to. Wouldn't it be great to wake up one morning and find something like this out?? I sure was.

Okay, okay, I know. That's not really my dirty little secret. To be honest, I don't have any. I mean, there are things that some people will never know about me simply because they do not know me. The most important thing is that the people closest to me know my little secrets. Since they know them, they are not secrets. Following me?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that everyone's dirty little secrets are only secrets if they hide them from their loved ones. To the rest of the world, it doesn't matter. Because your dirty little secrets might just be accepted by the strangest and most unsuspecting people. Everyone.

Just a thought I had wandering my mind today. Have a great weekend!

Kindess

Yesterday was "Do Something Nice" Day. To be honest, every day should be Do Something Nice Day. I thought this article a nice one about doing something nice, even if it is a "little thing".

Have a great day!

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Kindness
Living the Ideal

Kindness expands the light within us and reaches out to touch the light in others as well. This can change the world.

Kindness is an ideal that is easily accessible to all of us. We all know that a small kindness can make our journeys lighter and more enjoyable. Even bringing an instance of kindness to mind can put a smile on your face days or weeks later or perhaps even inspire you to share kindness with another. Though it may seem simple to the point of insignificance, many cultures throughout the world and history have recognized kindness as a powerful virtue. It may be the simplest way to experience and share all the grandest ideals of humanity. We can make the choice to act from the best place within ourselves at any time, while simultaneously recognizing the highest potential in another with the smallest of acts, nourishing the seed of hope in each soul we encounter.

In a way, kindness acts as the oil that makes the engine of our world move more smoothly and with less friction. We can still get where we are going but the ride is more pleasant, and those around us can share in the ideal world that we help to create. We are all fortunate that kindness is limitless in its supply and available to everyone. When we act in ways that confirm our ideals, we make the ideal our reality. Then, instead of affirming the experience of struggle and competition, we can shift our experience to the reality of ease and pleasurable camaraderie with the fellow citizens of the world.

Whether giving way to someone in traffic or letting someone go ahead of us in line, donating money or sharing our homes in a crisis, we actively create a universe of kindness and giving with every choice we make. The smallest gesture can bring a smile to light the shadow of an unpleasant situation or remove tension from a difficult task, but it’s effects can echo and extend far beyond the moment. We can be sure that we will receive a kindness in return, but giving is its own reward. Kindness expands the light within us and reaches out to touch the light in others as well, giving us all a glimpse of the glow that has the power to enlighten our world.

http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2010/25532.html

Life is a Garden...

Dig it... You Reap What You Sow... We have all heard these little phrases.

Yesterday morning I was baking some zucchini bread and as I was grating the zucchini I thought to myself how much we harvested this year. I thought about all the work that went into planting my gardening, weeding it, watering, and taking care of my plants, and then my harvest. The efforts I put into my garden yielded some nice results.

Life really is like a garden. The efforts you put forth in doing something in your life often bring pleasant results and when it does, you can enjoy the benefits of reaping something good in your life. But there are things, like the weather affects our garden and causes slow growth etc, that we have no control over.

When that happens, what do you do? Some people like to throw in the towel, others like to blame it on something else, there are many things you can do. Me? I like to do what I can with what I've got. Sometimes you just have to get creative and get your hands dirty.

Like this summer, it wasn't long enough and my squash didn't feel like growing, no matter how well I took care of it. But my zucchini did really well. I've managed to have too much zucchini and have found a new way to get my son to eat it! Sometimes life is like that too. Not everything goes as planned, but there are other things that will be abundantly pleasant. :D

Harvest your fruits and enjoy them!

Writer's Madness

Yesterday I found myself writing. And writing. And writing.

Some days I can kick out 3000 words, other days I'm lucky if I can get out about 300 words. And then there are days where I can't write at all.

But yesterday it seemed like I was writing all day long. I thought I was making excellent progress until I realized something...

I wasn't writing in my novel! HAHA!!

Baking Time

It's October, the leaves are gold and falling off the trees, the nights are cold and mornings crisp.
The scent of burning fires floats through the air. It's Fall and you know what that means?

Baking time!

It's time to get out all those recipes for pies and breads and tasty treats we all like to nibble on.
The smell of baking bread and pies and cookies is one of the most wonderful smells ever. It reminds me of the times we would go to my grandmother's house for Thanksgiving or Christmas and she was always baking some kind of yummy bread.

This weekend I plan on baking another zucchini bread since that seems to be a favorite in my home and its the only way I can get my son to actually eat zucchini. haha!

I love this time of year... although, I could certainly do without the knowledge that winter is soon on its way and everything will be frozen and covered in white and the only smell will be the smell of the snow blower!

Have some hot apple pie and enjoy the scent!